October 5, 2023

ORANGE SHIRT DAY Bookstore sells t-shirts for cause

News, page 3

Feature, pages 8-9

CAMPUS BLUES

Fall term o to a rough start

Opinion, page 15

STADIUM REDESIGN

The beginning of an awaited project

Sports, page 16

VOCAL CORD

Do you prefer vampires or werewolves and why?

"Vampires, because they live in cool castles."

- Paul, first-year student.

"Vampires, because I like Edward from Twilight more."

- Diana, second-year student.

"I like werewolves more because I like dogs more than getting my blood sucked."

- Dylan, second-year student.

"I prefer werewolves because Team Jacob."

-Umyah, second-year student.

"Vampires, it's' probably because in high school I I read all of the Twilight series one March break!"

-Ava, third-year student.

NEXT ISSUE

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Bronte Behling editor@thecord.ca

MANAGING EDITIOR Amichai Abraham managingeditor@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Haley Richards creative@thecord.ca

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NEWS DIRECTOR Madalyn Mostacci newsdirector@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Jack O'Kee e news@thecord.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

ARTS EDITOR Bailey McIntyre arts@thecord.ca

OPINION EDITOR Abigail Dombrovsky opinion@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Natasha Giannantonio sports@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Jenna Abdel-Kader news@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Sadiya Teeple photos@thecord.ca

LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Nicole Lovisotto sports@thecord.ca

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PREAMBLE

e Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. e Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy. e sta of e Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those a ected the opportunity to

A MIX FOR THE SPOOKIEST SEASON OF MONSTER MASH // BOBBY “BORIS” PICKETT

HALLOWEEN // PHEOBE BRIDGERS

SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME // ROCKWELL

HALLOWEEN THEME // JOHN CARPENTER

GRAVEYARD SONG // JEFF ROSENSTOCK

TOCCATA AND FUGUE IN D MINOR // JOHN SEBASTIAN BACH

MANEATER // NELLY FURTATO

MEAT GRINDER // MADVILLAIN

WEREWOLVES OF LONDON // WARREN ZEVON

DRACULA’S WEDDING // OUTKAST

PSYCHO KILLER // TALKING HEADS

GHOST TOWN // THE SPECIALS

HAUNTED // TAYLOR SWIFT

VAMPIRE // OLIVIA RODRIGO

SHE WOLF // SHAKIRA

CHERRY WINE // HOZIER

DANCING WITH YOUR GHOST // SASHA ALEX SLOAN

ENDS OF THE EARTH // LORD HURON

OCTOBER PASSED ME BY // GIRL IN RED

THRILLER // MICHAEL JACKSON

KILL BILL // SZA

BAD GUY // BILLIE EILISH

reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently con icts of interest and the appearance of con icts of interest will be avoided by all sta e only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so e Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, e Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate. e Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. is obligation is best ful lled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through e Cord’s contact with the student body. e Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. e purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the a airs of our newspaper.

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director

SADIYA TEEPLE/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurier honours Truth & Reconciliation Day

Orange Shirt proceeds to support Woodland Cultural Centre’s Indigenous Preservation Museum

and we are all treaty people,” mentioned Hill.

In June 2021, the Canadian Government passed Bill C-5, making TRC Day a federal statutory holiday.

MADALYN MOSTACCI NEWS DIRECTOR

Sept. 30 marked National Day for Truth and Reconciliation across Canada.

e day commemorates survivors of the Canadian residential school system and the lost children who never returned home.

“I think [National Day for Truth and Reconciliation] is particularly important because it brings to the forefront an awareness of the dark history in Canada between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people,” said Gus Hill, Professor in the Faculty of Social Work in the Indigenous Field of Study at Laurier.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is also a time to deliberate on the impact the residential school system still has on Indigenous communities and people; a deliberation that requires much more than a single day.

“… what TRC Day is largely about, and what the TRC was about, it started with residential schooling, but the impacts of residential schooling are so broad and widespread and essentially touch every aspect of Indigenous people’s lives. But not just Indigenous people, all people, treaty people

However, many communities across Canada began observing TRC Day many years earlier.

Orange Shirt Day was established as an observance in 2013.

is year, Laurier’s orange shirt was designed by Campus and Community Engagement Coordinator in Laurier’s O ce of Indigenous Initiatives, Maggie Allan.

“… by [wearing an orange shirt], you’re showing your awareness, you’re showing your support for [National Day for Truth and Reconciliation]. My hope is that we can all really look at what this day represents, think of the past that has taken place in Canada, but also how we are moving forward towards reconciliation. What steps can we take at Laurier ourselves to create a safer and more inclusive campus for all of our students, faculty and sta …” said Allan.

Allan’s orange shirt design is for sale in e Hawk Shop. Proceeds from the shirt will go to Woodland Cultural Centre’s Indigenous Preservation Museum.

As mentioned by Allan,

“for this design, what’s really interesting is that I did a painting similar to this design when I was 12 years old and the focal point was a mother and a child and I gave this

painting to my own mother when I was 12 years old … I kind of went a little bit beyond that original picture from when I was a child, but I can say that the focal point in this design for this year is a child, but it’s their spirit more or less returning to their family.”

“I wanted their arms to be open wide to really protect them to show as a sign of healing and protection. And above the mother and the child, I created a moon that in Indigenous culture is to show that sign of interconnectivity of us all. … Within that moon, there are dots and I wanted to incorporate Métis peoples and their beautiful traditional Métis dot art.”

Allan continued,

“I took a look at [the design]. If I’m representing the Métis people, how can I look at First Nations people? I thought just the representation and the formation of the gures and the fact that they are standing on the back of Turtle Island really connected me to the First Nations people.”

“I wanted to also depict Inuit people and I was thinking more towards the myths and the legends of humans and animal spirits being interconnected that you often see depicted in Inuit art and stories.

at’s why I wanted to represent all three nations that are present here in Canada on the orange shirt this year.”

While nationally recognizing National Day for Truth and Reconcili-

ation is a step in the right direction, it isn’t a resolution.

“Truth and Reconciliation Day, from my perspective at least, I don’t think it was ever the destination, and I think a lot of people treat it as a tick box.”

“Okay, we did this, now we can move on. For Indigenous people,

and I am speaking from my perspective, but I think this is true for Indigenous people broadly.”

“It’s a start, It’s not the nish. It’s not the end of an intention. It is the beginning of an intention to open up dialogue,” concluded Hill. T-shirts can be purchased in the Hawk Shop in the concourse.

Proposed changes disscussed for University Ave

Overly busy street seeks a solution

transportation. Further, it aims to test alternative methods of dealing with tra c.

JACK O’KEEFFE NEWS EDITOR

University Avenue is one of Waterloo’s busiest streets. In fact, Andrew Doman, Senior Engineer for the Region of Waterloo’s Design and Construction group, called it

“A unique corridor in the sense that [it’s] the highest pedestrian and cyclist activity in pretty much the entire region,” when I spoke with him about the proposed changes to University Avenue, the street cutting between Lazaridis Hall and the remainder of Laurier’s campus.

e changes are the result of public feedback and a wish to close the “active transportation system” said Doman.

is system includes bike lanes and transit systems, allowing Waterloo’s streets to be accessible to all no matter their means of

e proposed changes, which are planned to be implemented and fully constructed by 2026, will complete the active transportation system.

It will add bike lanes and transit access between University-King to Weber Street which do “not have these facilities and this project will be providing those.”

ese changes include o -street bike lanes, enhanced sidewalks and larger bus stops to allow for more capacity.

e latter change was implemented from feedback following a consultation with the public.

“ e overwhelming feedback we received from the public is that high amount of cyclists travel through this corridor but don’t feel comfortable being on the road, so they would like a facility where they are o the roadway” said Doman. e feedback of the public not only shaped the project but was of utmost importance, with

this street being the busiest in the Waterloo Region.

Due to this, Doman noted that, “We wanted to de nitely make sure we dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s when we come up with how we are going to reconstruct and improve this, not just for vehicles

and busses and transit, but also [for] pedestrians and cyclists.”

e bike lane pilot project that was implemented on University avenue in 2019 was a success. However, feedback was consistent regarding comments addressing the safety of cyclists as

they still ride in close proximity to vehicles.

ough the project is not expected to be nished until 2026, it is planned for work on intersections to be completed during o hours that avoid university move-in/out dates.

SADIYA TEEPLE/ CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

SADIYA TEEPLE/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

ChatGPT’s emergence in academia poses a threat

University classrooms grapple with newly developed AI

MADALYN MOSTACCI NEWS DIRECTOR

ChatGPT, an AI-powered language model, was released for public use late last year.

Developed by OpenAI, an articial intelligence research company, ChatGPT allows its users to engage in a humanlike conversation with the chatbot to assist with various tasks.

e arrival of this technology has undoubtedly raised some questions regarding ChatGPT’s presence across di erent elds.

In academia, an interesting conversation has surfaced on ChatGPT’s relationship with students, professors and learning as a whole.

“Eventually we’re going to reach

FINANCES

a stage where we learn how to live with it. Everybody adjusts expectations and in a couple of years I think these conversations about AI will be very di erent and there’ll be a lot more people using it,” Mark Humphries, History Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, said.

“I think this is really important to get across to students. ey should pay attention to what individual professors say because every professor is going to say something di erent,” Humphries said. is semester, some courses have adopted a generative AI policy in their syllabi.

Students are informed that misconducted use of language processing models will have consequences.

“Professors have been suggested by the university that we include a statement on our syllabus telling students what you can and can’t do with generative AI in a classroom and be as clear as you possibly can,” Humphries said.

“ is is the rst semester where people are planning for ChatGPT. You’ll see some people who want to go back to pencil and paper exams because that’ll help, because you’ll know students are writing it in person. Other people might not do that. It’s a tough time for both students and faculty because there isn’t an overarching policy or even an idea of what to do, it’s just kind of a hodgepodge response.”

Restrictions as to what the chatbot can do is another factor that plays into its role in an academic setting.

“I think a lot of people are really worried about can [professors] detect [AI use], but the reality is it’s more of a problem of can AI produce an assignment that meets requirements? And the answer is right now, in a lot of cases, no,” Humphries said.

“I would say that it’s less about detecting AI than it is about the fact that AI, in most cases can’t do the things we’re asking it to do in a lot of cases.” Humpries continued.

“[ChatGPT] has problems with the accuracy of quotations, for example. I think you’re gonna see a lot of professors really enforcing that this year, that if you’re required to have accurate citations, they’re going to check them more than they probably were in the past. ese are symptoms of AI writing, but they’re also just symptoms of bad writing in general.”

With ChatGPT further developing its place in society and as other generative AI models come on the scene, universities will have to nd a place in their institutions for these chatbots to collaborate.

“[ChatGPT is] very good at analyzing data and coding and things like that. I’m really interested in

those types of uses and I think as we go forward we’re going to see a lot more roll out of using AI in research and we’re going to see a lot more uses for AI in the classroom,” Humphries said.

Courses focusing on generative AI’s opposing relation to the humanities have been developed.

In the winter semester, Humphries is teaching ‘ChatGPT Futures: Generative AI and the Digital Humanities’.

“On the generative AI committee for the university the best advice to people is just be clear. It’s not fair to students if they don’t know [professor’s] expectations and they need to know what to do,” Humphries added.

Combating debt and dealing with stigmatization

tackle

their personal finances head on

Hoping to understand the causes and favours of perpetuating debt, Dr. Michael Moorhouse, an assistant professor of Marketing, recently published a study on the causation between social stigmatizations surrounding debt and worsening debt within Canada.

most notable cause of spending which worsens not only the stigmatization of debt, but the debt of those who hope to hide their debt.

debt that another (within the same social and nancial class) views as typical.

nize and publicly admit their own debt, combating the stigma.

It was recently announced that Canada has the highest household debt out of any G7 country.

Skyrocketing home prices are a factor in this, with household debt in the US and UK shrinking throughout the last ten years.

It is estimated that the average Canadian household has $1.85 in debt for each dollar of disposable household income. is is a worrying statistic.

Moorhouse found that many of those with household debt feel stigmatized and are unlikely to speak about such debt.

Instead, they choose to take out more money to hide the debt they already possess.

Moorhouse summarized his paper as being “All about people who are fearful of being stigmatized.”

Speaking with Moorhouse, he noted that social spending is the

He described social spending as “Spending in situations where your spending might be public to others.” Within these situations, many people feel that “If they don’t spend as much [as their friends] will there be an opportunity for their friends to dig deeper and question them such that their nancial problems or debt is revealed.”

is stigmatization around debt isn’t solely based o the amount for debt one holds, but how one views their debt relative to those around them; some may feel overwhelmed with the same amount of

Within his study, Moorhouse found that nancial courses and groups where one is surrounded by and speaks with those also struggling with debt is one of the most e ective ways at combating stigmatization.

ese groups e ectively “normalize [debt] for them” which motivates them and results in a feeling of “feeling of ‘we’re all in this together,’ but paradoxically they’re fearful for signing up for the course.”

Moorhouse recognizes that in signing-up for the course in which one may combat their debt and face it head on, they must recog-

Existing stigmas only worsen the nancial position of those overwhelmed with debt, but do not address how we can make people more comfortable with reaching out for help when they feel overwhelmed and under stress.

Due to rising debts, notably within Canada, we have already seen a natural reduction in the stigma surrounding debt due to its prevalence.

However, further steps must be made to combat these problems. Moorhouse recommends students to utilize the free resources and tools on the internet to teach themselves nancial literacy, and to budget their spending.

With daily living costs rapidly increasing, individuals must

JACK O’KEEFFE NEWS EDITOR

HALEY RICHARDS/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR

HALEY RICHARDS/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR

LCSC public lecture on Chatham Coloured All-Stars

University of Windsor professor gives sports history lecture

there came up to me and said that her late father-in-law had been a member of this black team from the 1930s, the Chatham Coloured All-Stars, a team that was one of the rst Black teams to win a provincial championship,” Wright said, regarding her involvement with the research project.

nity arose. And we thought, well, we’re in a position to help amplify this story, which really hadn’t had much attention outside of Chatham. People in Chatham knew about it, but mostly not outside. And so, here’s a chance to let a wider range of people know about it,” Wright added.

On Sept. 20, the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada hosted a public lecture on the Chatham Coloured All-Stars.

As part of the LCSC’s speaker series, Associate Professor of History at University of Windsor Miriam Wright spoke on themes of social justice in relation to her research of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars baseball team.

e Chatham Coloured All-Stars were an African-Canadian baseball team playing out of Chatham Ontario during the 1930s.

e team joined white-dominated leagues and became one of the rst Black teams to win a provincial title.

“I was department head at the time, it was about 2015, and we decided that as a department we wanted to recognize and support community-based history, so we created an award … and we happened to give an award to another group in Chatham, a group that was doing a digital project on local involvement in World War I and World War II. … A woman who was

ENVIROMENT

Wright continued,

“She said that they had a family scrapbook, sort of documenting the history of this team and her late father-in-law’s life in sports. And she said, well, could we help make some kind of a website? And so I said yes. I had a bit of experience doing public history, although not digital history. I connected with colleagues over at the university’s library, the Eddy Library, speci cally with Dr. Heidi Jacobs and Dave Johnson, who had been collaborating with us in other ways in the history department, working with history courses and so on. And we decided to work on this project.”

e research team for the Chatham Coloured All-Stars project launched a website containing their ndings in 2017.

In August of this year, Wright came out with her book Sporting Justice: e Chatham Coloured All-Stars and Black Baseball in Southwestern Ontario, 1915-1958.

“We weren’t speci cally looking to start a project, but the opportu-

e website contains an overview of the teams championship season as well as many newspaper archives from the time and an extensive collection of interviews.

“It was important to us to include the audio le as well as the transcripts. We have transcripts, but it’s also important to hear people’s voices. To hear tones of voice, hear them laughing at certain points to get a fuller sense of the meaning of the story, because I think that’s really a big part of it. You can’t always convey it with a bunch of newspaper articles the meaning that the story had had over many generations,” Wright said.

Wright’s lecture was hosted virtually and online.

“.... e Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada before was actually a military history research centre, and three years ago we evolved into what we are now. During that process we expanded our kind of mandate into four areas…,” Eric Story, Outreach Manager at LCSC, said.

Story explained that LCSC’s speaker series tries to align within four research collectives, War and Society, Publics and Social Justice, Policy Connections and Communities.

“.... when I saw Miriam’s book advertised at Congress at York University this summer at WLU Press’s booth, I just thought it was a perfect t for the Communities collective, but it also t well into our Publics and Social Justice collective, so it kind of hit two of our main collectives. at was why I chose it,” Story said.

For more information on

LCSC’s speaker series, visit the organization’s website.

To learn more about the Chatham Coloured All-Stars’ history, visit the project’s website.

“I encourage people to look at it. ere’s so much there. It’s quite a rich sort of collection. If anyone is doing a project, an essay or something on Canadian Black history, I encourage you to take a look. ere’s all kinds of interesting things there. I think it has a lot to say to us in the present, even though it’s something that happened many decades ago,” Wright said.

Natural disasters growing due to climate change

Individuals should know the risks of increasing natural disasters caused by rising temperatures

makes that landscape far more susceptible to ooding washouts, mudslides, and landslides since all the land that used to be held in place by the roots of the plants, can now erode and tumble down slope much easier.”

ZAINA HAILE NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

With climate change causing rising temperatures and sea levels, it is important to understand the risks of natural disasters in our area.

ere has been recent ooding in China, wild res in Canada, California and Hawaii. Further, there have been hurricanes in the Caribbean and landslides in India.

Many factors go into the e ect a natural disaster will have on a community.

Some variables include the magnitude of the event, landscape of the location hit, amount of resources that a community has, population, protective measures or protocols in place and the amount of government action.

Michael Bitton, assistant professor in the faculty of Geography and Environmental Studies, explained in regard to vulnerable communities in the case of natural disasters, “ ese are the people who have less expensive homes, built lower to the ground, on ood plains and

therefore far more susceptible to ooding.”

ough the safety of many communities is trusted in the hands of the local government, they sometimes have external pressures that cause environmental well-being and protection of their citizens to come second.

For instance, prior to the 2010 catastrophic earthquake in Hati the country faced a dramatic increase in population.

Since there was a drastic demand for housing, deforestation occurred in order to build new houses. is had signi cant environmental impacts. e roots of trees stabilize the soil they are in, and once they are removed the ground is vulnerable to shifts in tectonic plates.

is results in disasters such as landslides and earthquakes.

e earthquake in Hati led to 190,000 homes destroyed and a quarter million lives lost.

ere are many low-cost tools accessible to assist in understanding terrains and the e ect certain developments will have on them.

Steven Roberts, associate professor in the faculty of Geography and Environmental Studies at Laurier, touched on his background in spatial analysis tools, geographic information science and land-use planning.

He explained that, “there are ways to do this stu with little resources. You don’t have to have big investments to be able to tap into some of the tools. It’s whether or not there’s support to do that and whether or not the decision

making processes are transparent enough to want to know the answers. Often the answers will not be what the people in power want to hear.” e e ects of climate change can be seen in the wide range of increasing environmental impacts around the world.

In California, the rise in temperature has resulted in vegetation drying out quicker and more thoroughly.

is has caused an ongoing battle with wild res, destroying the natural environment and making the naturally tectonically active region even more vulnerable to other natural disasters.

Similar to the e ects of deforestation in Haiti, Bitton stated that,

“ e elimination of plants

Not only will there be more natural disasters occuring, but they will have a greater impact.

With Canada’s recent battles against wild res, the e ects of global warming are evident.

Just this year, the eastern coast of Canada was hit by Hurricane Lee, a tropical storm that left 170,000 Canadians without power for days. With sea surface temperatures rising and warmer waters coming further north, Canada could be receiving more hurricanes and stronger storms each year.

As Bitton illustrates, “when I think about GG231 - Risks and Disasters, my big goal is for people to be aware that di erent locations may have very di erent disaster risks.”

“ e big ideas are to understand/know why there are certain risks in certain places so that people can better prepare for their speci c vulnerabilities and help the masses, especially the less fortunate, prepare since preparation can decrease the loss of life, if nothing else.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

SADIYA TEEPLE/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

MADALYN MOSTACCI NEWS DIRECTOR

Exposing our

Editor-in-Chief Bronte Behling examines Olivia Rodrigo’s new album and the phenomenon of the “twenty year old teenage girl.”

On Sept. 8, 2023, gen z musician Olivia Rodrigo’s second album GUTS was released around the globe to widespread praise. Labeled formally as a pop album, GUTS transcends the genre by incorporating pop rock and alternative touches throughout its runtime.

Rodrigo has “certainly found a way to be present in the mainstream in a way that’s a little bit di cult now,” Brain Fauteux, associate professor in popular music and media studies at the University of Alberta, said.

“We often listen individually, and I think that cuts across generations and demographics and even countries,” Fauteux said when asked about the resonance GUTS has had with young adults.

There’s a lot sonically taking place. It’s not fairly uniform across. So, I think that’s also a compelling part of this album and its wider reception too.

Many have already grown up with Rodrigo’s music as they reach their early twenties at the same time she does:

“A lot of people who would be undergraduate or typical undergraduate age now have grown up with the last three or four years of her music and hit singles going from high school to university.”

Rodrigo’s ability to highlight experiences young adults face is also noted by Abhiraj Lamba, current student at the University of Waterloo when discussing his favourite track from the album “teenage dream”:

“It’s really rooted and well written. And it’s just really au- thentic - I think that’s what I love about it.”

is authenticity is re ected in the introspective themes of Rodrigo’s writing, as highlighted by Fauteux:

“It’s very introspective still. And it’s not about, you know, perfection or being a perfect popstar. ere are those kinds of elements that come through in the lyrics, but there’s a lot of really anthemic songs and a lot of energy, whether it’s some of the faster ones or even some of the ones that sound a little bit more like a ballad. ey still come together in ways that sound a little bit more collective in the overall sound.”

is introspective side of Rodrigo’s writing shines brightest in the album’s slower moments, tracks like “lacy” detailing acute obsession with someone you perceive as perfect in every way:

“I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you/ Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you.”

e same sentiments of feeling lost and left out is also present on the “boppier” tracks of the album, “ballad of a homeschooled girl” further accentuating these themes with dark humour:

“GUTS”

“Each time I step outside, it’s social suicide/ It’s social sui- cide, wanna curl up and die.”

“ ere’s a range of emotion present on the album sonically - kind of moving from those di erent tempos and in u- ences, the sounds of electronic music and punk and pop,” Fauteux said.

“ ere’s a lot sonically taking place. It’s not fairly uniform across. So, I think that’s also a compelling part of this album and its wider reception too.”

Nowhere is this range more present than the shift from track number 7, “logical”, to track number 8 “get him back!” “logical” serves a clear piece of advice to listeners in the chorus:

“’Cause if rain don’t pour and sun don’t shine/ en changing you is possible/No, love is never logical.” is sentiment is then played with again in “get him back!” as Rodrigo sings:

“I wanna key his car/ I wanna make him lunch/I wanna break his heart, stitch it right back up/ I wanna kiss his face with an uppercut/ I wanna meet his mom, and tell her her son sucks.”

e illogical nature of love is one that hits particularly hard for those in their teens and early twenties listening to the album. With the release of GUTS came the TikTok phe- nomenon of the “twenty-year-old teenage girl.”

When asked what he thought of this concept, Lamba,the University of Waterloo student, said he could relate to it, “Because a lot of what I like is just stu which, I guess – the perception is that it is for teenagers.”

e popularity of the phenomenon has the added result

of bringing the emotions of those in their teens and early twenties into the spotlight – accentuating them in a way that legitimizes them when they have often been critiqued in the past.

is is something done by Taylor Swift in the past as she chose to expand her lyricism with Folklore and Evermore.

Rodrigo has only contributed to the album movement that is centered on lyricism.

While the aesthetic of GUTS has been criticized for being similar to Rodrigo’s rst album SOUR, it will be interesting to watch where the gen-z star goes with her next album as she continues to age, and her writing matures.

e widespread popularity of GUTS and SOUR despite their similar aesthetics proves that with good music, aesthetics should be of secondary concern.

“I think it’s maybe a good sign that you can have two suc- cessful albums out in a row that don’t need to change aes- thetically dramatically in order to grasp people’s attention,” Fauteux said.

“I think that another big reason why Olivia’s music res- onates is because there is one consistent force across the mainstream of pop music over the last little while - Taylor Swift,” Fauteux added.

“I think there are some di erences, but also similarities in terms of their careers, their music, that space they occupy in broader culture.”

“It’s an interesting comparison - it’s hard to hard to predict where she’ll go after this,” Fauteux concluded.

As Rodrigo’s GUTS world tour begins on Feb. 23, 2024 with 77 shows, it seems clear that Rodrigo will only continue to dominate popular culture with her hit pop/punk tracks.

Arts & Life

Eerie movies to spook you this dreary October

BAILEY MCINTYRE ARTS EDITOR

It’s spooky season folks! You know what that means, it’s time to watch some classic Halloween movies and cuddle up on the couch with some hot chocolate.

Sandra Annett, an associate professor in lm studies at Laurier, o ered her perspective on why some of the same movies are watched every year,

“We probably watch the same movies every year for the same reason that we have holiday traditions: to have some familiar, comforting rituals we can go through together to mark the passing of time.”

She also drew a comparison to the October weather:

“Horror movies, with their themes of death and darkness, seem to match that seasonal vibe.”

Here are some of the “most watched” Halloween movies perfect for spooky season: Halloween Town(1998) starring Debbie

HOLIDAYS

Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell and Kimberly J. Brown as Marnie Piper is a classic must-watch movie during October.

is movie follows the story of the Piper family and their secret witchy side that Marnie, Dylan and Sophie learn from their grand-

mother Aggie Cromwell.

HalloweenTowntakes you back to the Disney and Trick-or-treating mindset with all the childhood nostalgia included.

MonsterHouse(2006) is an animated lm that follows two young boys and one young girl on

What will you be for Halloween this year?

Most female students I interviewed answered “the Barbie in the gingham dress” or “stereotypical Barbie.”

a journey to discover if one of the houses in their neighbourhood is alive and trying to steal children. With Halloween approaching, they try to gure out why the house on their street wants to hurt people and why the old man that lives there is so nasty to them.

Honestly, MonsterHouseused to terrify me as a child.

But the overall theme and the Halloween aesthetics makes this movie the perfect spooky watch for this October season.

If you’re more of a horror or thriller person, then a better watch for you would be Insidious(2010).

is movie stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as they navigate a new house they believe is haunted. is goosebump inducing movie gives you all kinds of terrifying jump scares throughout its duration.

If you really feel like taking on a movie marathon, there are two more Insidious sequels that may be worth checking out.

Annett stated that her favourite Halloween movie is:

“Probably eRockyHorror PictureShowscreening at the Princess Cinema, because it’s not just a movie, it’s an event.”

“I recommend it to anyone who

wants a real cult lm experience on Halloween!”

When asked what her one suggestion for a Halloween lm would be, Annett said she couldn’t possibly pick just one.

Instead, she said, “I’ll suggest one classic lm from the silent era, and one contemporary lm that students need to see if they haven’t already. For classics, you can’t beat the 1920 lm eCabinetofDr. Caligaridirected by Robert Weine. Even though it’s over 100 years old, it’s still visually striking and psychologically twisted.”

“More recently, I loved Ari Aster’s Midsommar for its reversal of the typical horror aesthetic and a few shocking moments that literally made my skin crawl.

A24 has set a new trend that all horror fans should keep an eye on, and Midsommaris canonical A24.”

October is the month of trick-ortreating and costume parties, and it’s great to be busy and active.

If I could give you any advice, it would be to dedicate one night to Halloween movies this October.

I also suggest taking Annett’s movie suggestions into consideration. If you’ve never watched them before, now is the time to cozy up and try them out.

MCINTYRE ARTS EDITOR

at’s right, Halloween is right around the corner.

Here are some ideas to get you and your friends into the Halloween spirit.

Don’t be too shocked if on Oct. 31 Waterloo gets turned into Barbie land.

ere are so many di erent outts for Barbie and Ken dolls alike.

ere’s a unique out t for everyone that’ll set them apart from the rest of the Barbie dolls.

e Barbiemovie has found acclaim since its release in July, and it seems that inspired costumes might win the “most worn” category this year.

Might as well try out one of these costumes if you’ve been considering it.

Almost every student I interviewed on campus about costumes for this year, said they planned on dressing as some variation of the Barbie characters they’ve seen. Both in the new movie, as well as the dolls they played with.

However, not all Barbies for Halloween want to be the stereotypical one in the pretty pink dress.

Some opted for a di erent take on the Barbie costume.

One female student answered the question with the following:

“I’m going to be weird Barbie, I’m going to buy a wig and cut it at random. It’s going to be awesome.”

Most of these Halloween costume trends seem to stem from the movies that blew up within the last year.

Although it may be hard to paint yourself all kinds of shades of blue this year, don’t forget how Avatar: eWayofWater took over the big screens last December.

is costume could be great as a group costume, a couples costume, or for riding solo.

You may look funny if you stand in the middle of a heard of Barbies, but everyone will know who you are.

Another movie related group costume this year that could have you and your friends laughing is from the MarioBrosMovie.

Don’t be surprised if you see Mario, Luigi, Bowser and Peach roaming the streets together for

Halloween.

If you wanted to opt for something less scary and sillier, this one would de nitely do the trick.

After interviewing some students about what they were thinking of being on Halloween, one male student stated that he and his

I’m going to be Weird Barbie. I’m going to buy a wig and cut it at random. It’s going to be awesome.

-Anonymous student

friends would be going as “variations of Mario and Luigi. ere’s going to be a lot of people running around in moustaches that night.”

A classic choice for Halloween costumes is always vampires, zombies, witches or ghosts ere is no right or wrong costume for Halloween night. If you choose to go with a classic

out this year, you might not be matching with as many people as you’d think due to the Barbie explosion of pink.

But remember, dressing up and going out for Halloween is supposed to be fun.

If you nd yourself stressing too much about what to wear, you aren’t doing Halloween right. Be creative, thrifty and come up with something original. Your Instagram page will thank you.

BRONTE BEHLING/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BRONTE BEHLING/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BAILEY

International program opportunities at Laurier

BAILEY MCINTYRE ARTS EDITOR

Studying abroad is an opportunity of a lifetime. Laurier o ers abroad programs at up to seventy di erent accredited institutions across the world.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the Laurier Student Abroad Advisor, Allison Donahue, on the importance of exchanges through Laurier:

“It’s something they can do as part of their Laurier degree that helps them engage with the world. ey can learn so many new skills such as how to adapt, learn about new cultures, learn a new language and network within the country they travel to.”

As a student going abroad next term, I found any information Donahue could give on the subject important, especially since I was unaware that Laurier o ered this program until it was almost too late for me to apply.

Most people tend to hear about Laurier’s abroad program through other people that have gone or friends who are planning to go.

Getting out there and seeing the world has not always been so accessible and easy. e exchange

program was almost entirely unavailable during the brutal COVID-19 years.

“Covid-19 greatly impacted the exchange program,” Allison said.

“For two years we were unable to send Laurier students out on exchange. A lot of students missed out on this opportunity during this time. I think that helped students really value the opportunity to go and study abroad, and a lot of

them even told me that after their exchange they went on to travel abroad or visit abroad, so they really recognized the value of engaging in their culture.”

” ere were some hidden benets that came with COVID-19, and we are very robust on our safety procedures that are even more enhanced, and it has raised students’ awareness of being healthy and safe when they go abroad.”

So, how is a semester abroad a positive experience for students?

Donahue shed light on the subject:

“ e number one thing I hear from students is that it’s fun to go on exchange. But there’s also career bene ts. I hear from students that when they go on exchange, they learn so much more about their subject area, or see their subject area from a di erent point

of view that sometimes helps them determine where they want to go in their career. Students are really challenged when they go on exchange, and it o ers a lot of personal growth as well.”

e deadline for the 2024/2025 year is next January.

For more information,check out the Laurier Outbound Exchanges website at Outbound Exchanges or email exchange@wlu.ca.

SADIYA TEEPLE/CORD PHOTOGRAPY

What makes a truly “spooky” horror film?

Horror: It’s every quirky roommate’s favourite genre.

It’s a unique genre in the speci c type of reaction it tries to illicit, making it simpler to point out what makes for a bad horror movie than a lm in any other genre.

What makes some horror movies bad, or to put a more a rmative spin on it - what makes for good horror?

Dru Je ries is a professor in Wilfrid Laurier University ‘s lm department. is term, he’s teaching a class on lm horror.

He explained that what makes for horror is a rather broad and complex question.

Many students (myself included) point to jump scares as a feature of bad horror movies, citing them as an artless and cheap way to scare an audience.

Je ries is more careful about dismissing them:

“A horror movie wants to scare you, and if we’re judging the success of a lm on that criterion, and jump scares produce the e ect

of fear, I don’t think you could reasonably argue they’re bad in that respect.”

It may be short-sighted to automatically see jump scares as evidence of a bad movie, especially since the technique has been used e ectively in great horror lms like Carrie (1976), Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980).

Je ries brought up the interesting opinion of lm scholar Linda Williams, who put horror in the

category of what she calls the ‘body genre’:

“Horror was one of the body genres along with melodrama, which makes you cry, and pornography because it makes you physically aroused.”

He continued, “[horror lms] bypass our brain and go right to our bodies. A horror movie should quicken our pulse; it should make our hair stand on end; it should have that kind of physical sensa-

tion on our bodies.”

By this de nition, any movie that makes us feel this way should be classi ed as good horror.

ere is a tendency among lm critics and scholars to judge horror lms as one would any other; however, this may be the wrong approach.

“As a lm scholar, that may be uncomfortable territory a lot of the time because you’ll want to think about it, intellectualize everything.”

e most straightforward answer may be the best one: If it scares you, it’s good horror.

Much like other genres, notably comedy, how successful a horror lm is to an individual depends on that individual’s tastes and preferences.

What is scary to one might not be scary to all, but that won’t stop me from hiding under my covers whenever someone puts on a spooky ick.

Trick-or-trot takes over Waterloo Region

Creek Trail and the meeting place is 445 Wes Graham Way in Waterloo.

“Food4Kids is going to help out. ey’ll be taking food donations as well, so we will be encouraging our participants to bring a food donation” Prince said.

While this is the rst year that Trick-or-Trot will be taking place, but WFCU is incredibly optimistic for its future.

“ is is the inaugural one.” Prince stated.

“I think in [the] future, we’ll just grow and grow every year.”

On Oct.8, WFCU Credit Union’s ECU branch will be hosting TrickOr-Trot 2023 to raise funds for Food4Kids Waterloo Region. e event will consist of a Halloween-themed 5-kilometer run, a 5-kilometer walk, and a 1 kilometer or 250-meter Kids Dash.

Participants are encouraged to dress in their favourite costume

for a chance to win the Halloween costume contest being held.

However, wearing a costume is not mandatory to participate.

ere will be activities, awards and music before and after the race.

is event is full of Halloween fun for all ages, and it is a great way to give back to the community.

WFCU is a Credit Union based in Windsor, Ontario with branches in Windsor, Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge.

“We sponsor various events around the community, Beth Ann Prince, the Community Investment Manager of WFCU said when discussing WFCU’s involvement in

the Waterloo Region.

“WFCU has a program called Inspire. Under Inspire we do events that educate, engage, and inspire the community.”

e Trick-or-Trot event is part of this impactful program, which aims to help the community grow and improve together.

Foods4Kids is an organization in the Waterloo Region that creates strategic long-term plans which work towards solving the issue of children’s hunger in the Waterloo Region.

WFCU is working in collaboration with Run Waterloo to put on Trick-or-Trot 2023 on behalf of Foods4Kids.

Run Waterloo’s mission is the following:

“To o er fun, safe and healthy events for runners, joggers, walkers and families of all ages and abilities, while promoting community responsibility to local charitable and non-pro t organizations and their causes.”

is event is a team e ort and the organizations behind it are hoping for the community to be a part of that team.

“It’s great to be working with the organization Run Waterloo, they’ve been a great help as we’re just getting into the community.”

Prince said.

“It’s a great partnership with Food4Kids as well. We’re very excited to work with a great organization in the community.”

People all over the city of Waterloo are encouraged to come out to the event and contribute to their community.

e event will be held at Laurel

“It’s under our Inspire program,” Prince said referring to Trick-orTrot 2023: “We ensure that anything under our Inspire program make sure that we provide events that the community can enjoy.”

When discussing WFCU’s inspiration to put on the event, Prince continued,

“A credit union has everything that the banks have, we’ve got mortgages, we’ve got GIC’s, credit cards, but what the di erence is between a credit union and the banks is that our pro ts don’t go back into our shareholders. Instead, our pro ts go back into the community.”

“So, it’s because of our members and their trust in us that we’re able to give back to the community and provide di erent activities and investments to make it a better place.”

Interested individuals can register online on RunWaterloo’s website to support the Waterloo Region community.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

FILE PHOTO

AMICHAI ABRAHAM MANAGING EDITOR

So, it’s because of our members and their trust in us that we’re able to give back to the community.

- Beth Ann Prince, Community investment Manager

A short time after I became editor-in-chief of the paper you are currently reading, Bill C-18 (or the Online News Act) was passed in Canada.

Oh joy, I thought to myself, contemplating what new issues this bill would cause me to face as I grappled with being new to this role in general.

As we move into October and the year slowly draws to a close, I only nd myself more frustrated with the bill as time passes.

When I took this role in April of 2023 after being managing editor of e Cord for the past two years, I had a lot of optimism when it came to how I planned to utilize social media for the paper.

In fact, I spent most of the month of May planning out my social media strategy - primarily outlining my goals for Instagram and Facebook.

So, when the accounts held by e Cord on these social media platforms were blocked, I was unbelievably frustrated.

As you will know, Instagram (and to some degree Facebook) are lucrative platforms for many news organizations.

Now, any of the content that we had prepared for these platforms had to be shelved.

In addition, a lot of our viewer base was now gone, having consumed our content only after nding us on these channels.

Now, I stand in an awkward position - as a small newspaper, e Cord has gained a lot of readership by having an online presence.

Is there any social media platform outside of Facebook and Instagram that can truly give us comparable numbers?

In my quest to help e Cord’s

relevancy, I have begun utilizing X and TikTok.

Both platforms that I personally do not enjoy using.

While TikTok has begun to show (slow) promise, X remains a landscape that I do not understand.

While the accounts that e Cord holds on the platform have a few thousand followers each, this does not mean that engagement will be high.

In fact, it isn’t high at all.

Because of this, it often feels discouraging to put e ort into posting on the platform when the post will only get one to two “likes.”

TikTok, on the other hand, has been an interesting experiment. is platform allows for more engagement, but trends come and go so quickly it’s impossible to keep up.

However, I do have TikTok to thank for inspiring the cover art for this issue (featuring ghosts I painted myself as you can probably tell).

Had I not been forced to be on the platform, I likely would not have done this kind of cover for our October issue.

As the reign of bill-c18 continues to plague all Canadian media outlets, I know that work will be required to keep e Cord relevant.

However, with a great team behind me, I know we can do anything.

Moving to Europe as an undergraduate student

programs.

One day I woke up and told myself I was bored.

Bored of what, I’m still unsure.

I have a great family life, a great social life and a great school to attend.

But something was missing. Maybe it was COVID-19 that did this to me, or maybe it was just the incessant need to travel that nally pushed me to apply to the abroad program.

At rst, I thought I was too late.

Since applications for the term I planned on leaving were technically already due, I had a small cry, and pretended I didn’t need to go that badly.

But after emailing the advisor for the exchange program and asking if I could still shoot my shot, I knew I needed this change.

To my surprise, she told me there were late applications I could still submit in time, which sent me into a frenzy of looking at all kinds of di erent schools, countries and

ere was so many options and so many choices that I ended up researching for hours on end and changing my mind probably close to a thousand times before I nally picked my top choices as Birmingham, Aarhus and Limerick.

After submitting this list, I also changed my mind about which one I really wanted.

at’s the problem with trying to make a life changing decision when you’re an indecisive person; you never know what you actually want.

And now here I am today, patiently waiting for my departure to Birmingham.

rough one of the events the exchange department hosted, I got to meet a lovely group of people that came here on their exchange from the U.K.

It hit me then that all the work I have put into going away and planning was eventually going to pay o , and now I even had people to give me hints to t in!

One of the most interesting things I managed to hear about Canadians was that in England the majority think we are “Very friendly and love maple

syrup.” As one of the girls from Birmingham told me.

She also said that the most common thing to o end Canadians in the U.K. is being called Americans.

She also said that the only real way to distinguish a Canadian from an American was that the way Canadians pronounce the “o” sounds is vastly di erent than an American.

rough talking to this group, I managed to get all kinds of insight about the city, people and culture which only increased my desire to get on a plane right now.

So how do I feel with only a few months to go? e answer seems simple to me: Ready.

Mostly - I haven’t booked my ight or housing quite yet. But you get the idea.

As my excitement and nerves build for this experience all by myself, I re ect on how grateful I am for this experience and how important it is for my personal growth and understanding of the world.

To feel an essential pull to a location you’ve never been is something I highly suggest you act on, and if you can, I know it will change your life for the better.

More needs to be done for true reconciliation

On Sept. 30, I had the opportunity to join other community members at THE MUSEUM in Kitchener for their event “Honouring Truth & Reconcilliation through the Seven Grandfather Teachings.”

Upon arriving at the event, I was surprised and happy to see the sheer number of individuals who had gathered together to celebrate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

rough the presentation (which ran from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 pm.), I found myself thinking about the meaning behind the day and the fact that many will stop thinking about our country’s history as soon as the clock strikes midnight. While it was nice to see the number of attendees with orange shirts to support the Indigenous community, it also served as a glaring reminder of the “aesthetic” nature that can overtake this incredibly important holiday.

Yes, it’s all ne and good to buy an orange shirt that has been created by an Indigenous vendor - however, it is not all that should be done.

Many enjoy getting on their social media “soapbox” to show their support on Sept. 30.

I am not immune to this myself, having posted that I was at the event after the fact.

However, education on the meaning of the day should not stop there.

It is easy to forget as an European Canadian that the land we live on was not ours to have. Despite the fact that we like to forget about it the other 364 days of the year, we are living on stolen ground.

While we cannot go back and tell o our ancestors (as much as we’d like to), the work that we can do now to right historical wrongs should be in the forefront of our minds.

During her presentation, Margaret “Peggy” Pitawanakwat provided a glaring reminder:

“When we look at the residential

school, the 60 Scoop, the Millennium scoop. What is the next scoop?”

I truly hope that I will not see the next scoop in my lifetime, or have it ever happen again. However, the amount of fear and hatred presently in the world does put us in a precarious position.

However, there is hope for the next generation - as Pitawanakwat describes:

“We need the correct educational information in the schools so that this next generation that’s coming up will be given the proper history and the proper understanding of how to move forward.”

In order to right wrongs of the past, we must teach children of

Updating athletics will improve campus greatly

vious experience as Laurier’s dean of students, I believe that Bristol has the expertise that will bring her hopes to fruition.

Athletic facilities play a pivotal role in shaping the campus experience and health of those attending it.

today the true history of Canadaand why things need to change.

I am aware it is comedic that I bring this up during a time where the education system is seeing a lot of strife - groups spurred by fear wanting to rewrite the curriculum.

And yes, we do need to rewrite the curriculum. Just not in the way they think. When I was in grade school and high school, I was not aware of indigenous history whatsoever.

On some level I was aware that I was not from this land, but I had no idea of the true horrors that lay in Canada’s past.

At most, it was a footnote. At theleast, it wasn’t mentioned at all.

So, seeing all of the children gathered for this event at THE MUSEUM, I have hope that the next generation will be more educated than I was.

As the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation passes and people tuck their orange shirts away, I can only hope that the conversations continue.

It is not just a holiday, but a day to remember - a day to contemplate our country’s dark history. We can do better, and be better.

Don’t let the conversation stop at the close of Sept. 30 - education is a lifelong journey, and only together can we promote true change.

Kate McCrae Bristol’s ambitious rejuvenation project is set to tackle Laurier’s Athletics and Recreation department. Bristol has worked to kickstart substantial improvements to playing elds, gyms and community gathering spaces.

is is an aspect of Laurier that I believe truly needs revamping.

Bristol’s transformative endeavor is precisely the kind of change that campus needs to undergo in order to rede ne its student community’s strength and unity.

Further, Bristol herself boasts an impressive resume that is aligned with the Laurier mission, dedicating 18 months acting as the Athletics and Recreation director at Wilfrid Laurier University.

With her background in coaching and leadership, including pre-

Bristol’s approach both recognizes and prioritizes the vital role these spaces play in enhancing the overall campus atmosphere.

By investing in modernized playing elds, gyms and a inviting community gathering area, Bristol is invested in helping students.

Finally, the well-being and holistic development of Laurier’s students are paramount.

Improved athletic facilities o er a haven for students to stay active, relieve stress and develop essential life skills. is project serves as a catalyst for greater community engagement.

With updated gathering spaces, Laurier could host a wider range of events than currently present: From local sports competitions to cultural festivals.

Moreover, modernized athletic

facilities can attract top talent and foster a culture of excellence.

Students who see the commitment to their physical well-being are statistically more likely to excel in academics and other areas of their lives.

It also sends a message to prospective students that Laurier is dedicated to providing a holistic and enriching educational experience that promotes a balanced lifestyle.

As the newly appointed director, Bristol’s ambitious plans will bene cially impact the campus community.

In addition, it will assist in furthering the school’s long-standing legacy with student satisfaction.

Prioritizing the enhancement of athletic facilities and community spaces invests in the physical & mental well-being of its students. is forward-looking approach is precisely the type of change that can rede ne a campus.

Bristol’s vision is an inspiring example of leadership that places the holistic development of students at the forefront of higher education.

BRONTE BEHLING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ABIGAIL DOMBROVSKY OPINION EDITOR

Campus frustrations continue to plague me

I was forced to use my data until it randomly allowed me to connect a week later.

AMICHAI ABRAHAM MANAGING EDITOR

Like most others, I returned to Laurier feeling excitement and nervousness.

is will (hopefully) be my last year as a full-time Laurier student and being in my fth year, I gured I knew what to expect.

Unfortunately, some aspects of my rst week of school have been rather lackluster, partly due to myself and partly to forces outside my control.

Many ideas have been put forth on the greatest enemy in the history of mankind: Plagues, the elements and people themselves ( to name a few.)

However, all of these challengers pale compared to the true enemy of man: Wi-Fi.

Trying to install eduroam on my devices was more frustrating than teaching a gorilla to lay an egg.

I couldn’t get the internet working on my laptop until I went to the IT desk.

Upon arriving, I embarrassed myself as I learned that I had inputted the wrong password into my account.

Admittedly, that was my fault, and so was neglecting to ask the kind people at IT to help my phone connect to the Wi-Fi.

Regarding passwords, having to use Microsoft Authenticator again has made me reconsider all of my life choices.

Hyperbole aside, I always nd authenticator not accepting my passwords, asking for codes I can’t nd and requesting con rmation too frequently.

I understand that the need for good cyber security is more important than ever.

Despite this, you will rarely see me more upset than when Authenticator stops me from accessing my account for the thirteenth time in a row.

Technology hasn’t been the only thing that’s been frustrating so far.

In prior years, textbooks ordered online would be distributed in front of the Laurier bookstore.

For whatever reason, the location has now been moved to the turret.

is is an issue for numerous reasons.

Firstly, the bookstore resides in the middle of campus, a recognizable, frequently tra cked area.

In contrast, the turret is o in the corner and up several ights of stairs.

Despite my experience at Laurier, I had never been up to the turret and struggled to nd it.

For added confusion, there are signs at the bookstore pointing to where to pick up online orders that lead nowhere.

One can imagine how confused rst years must be.

After eventually nding it, I had to wait in line while two overworked sta had to nd each student’s books one at a time. is became a problem when they couldn’t nd the course materials for a student in front of me.

As a result, the entire line halted for over ve minutes, and some people were forced to wait on the stairwell.

Despite my criticisms, it’s only fair to mention how smoothly other aspects of my Laurier experience have been.

I’ve had no issues with my class-

es, o-week felt very eshed out and the campus looks quite pretty. Not everything at Laurier is perfect.

However, if one spends too much time dwelling on those ner details, then it can take way from otherwise enjoying the rest of the unique Laurier experience.

BRONTE BEHLING/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Laurier stays golden in homecoming win

yemenam put up ve tackles, one sack, and two interceptions.

“I’m ecstatic. I feel like I left it all on the eld.” Onyemenam said.

Over 4,000 fans turned University Stadium into a sea of purple and gold as the Laurier football team hosted the McMaster Marauders in the annual Homecoming football game.

Expectations were high for the Hawks as they looked to maintain their perfect record against the struggling Marauders.

“I told the guys all week, ‘Don’t look at the standings’. McMaster is a good opponent that has lost some very tough, close games.” Head Coach Michael Faulds said.

e Marauders proved to be a tough opponent as they held the Hawks and the scoreboard at zero by the end of the rst quarter, marking the rst time all season the Hawks failed to put points on the board.

However, in the second quarter, the Hawks jumped in front on a 56 yard touchdown pass from Taylor Elgersma to Ethan Jordan, who powered through a tackle to reach the endzone.

Dawson Hodge secured the extra point to put the Hawks up 7-0.

Not long after, the Hawks opted for a safety, giving McMaster two points.

On the next McMaster drive,

the Marauders found the endzone to pull ahead of the Hawks 9-7, putting the home side behind for the rst time since their Week One match against Queen’s.

“At halftime, I told the guys maybe we thought it was going to be easier than it is. McMaster isn’t going to give us the game. We have to go out and take the game.” Faulds said.

e message got through to Faulds’ side as the Hawks rallied in the second half starting with a touchdown from Jesulayomi Ojutalayo.

Later in the third quarter, the Hawks reached the Marauders one yard line, where Elgersma would

rush for his third touchdown of the season. Quickly, the Hawks were back on top 21-9.

Picking up the pace again in the fourth quarter, the Hawks only let McMaster attain 29 yards in their opening drive before the Laurier o ense went back to work.

eir opening drive of 100 yards ended in a touchdown from Tanner Nelmes, who ended the game with a season high 74 rushing yards.

Another short-lived drive from McMaster led to a touchback single point for Hodge, increasing the Hawks lead to 20 points.

But the Hawks remained hungry, determined to increase the gap.

With under three minutes remaining in the game, Faulds substituted Elgersma for rst year secondary Quarterback Isaac Willis.

Willis made no mistake, nding Ryan Hughes in the endzone for his rst career touchdown pass.

e Hawks regrouped for a successful 29 point second half to beat the Marauders 36-9.

More impressive than the score was the numbers the Hawks offense and defense put up.

Jordan, Ojutalayo, and Raidan orne all had over 100 receiving yards each, with seven receivers accumulating a total of 466 yards.

On the defensive end, Ife On-

“As long as we’re all out there and we’re balling … we pride ourselves in going out there and dominating every time.” He added, crediting his teammates.

e Hawks improved to 5-0 on the season, their best start since 2007.

Onyemenam expressed his team’s feelings on the perfect record:

“We’re riding high, but we’re de nitely not cocky. Every week we go in to, we respect our opponent … Every week we reset ourselves … We’ll ride our high, and then the next day we are in the locker room, we’re getting better.”

As for the schedule ahead, the Hawks see a bye week in Week Six before clashing with Ottawa, Windsor, and Western to nish the season.

Windsor and Western accompany the Hawks with being the only teams left in the OUA with perfect records.

“We’re going to spend the whole bye week getting healthy.”

Faulds said, acknowledging the well needed rest for his team.

“[We are] working toward the second half of the season which has three of the premier programs in the conference.”

“ ere are no trophies being handed out now. We have to continue to get better.”

A golden home: the Seagram Drive project

intramural and recreational programming.”

A key focus for Bristol lies in meeting the needs of students, which is why the new facility will be instrumental for campus life As stated by Bristol when asked about the topic:

As many students come to nd being back on campus this year, University Stadium looks a little di erent.

Called the “Seagram Drive Project,” the main focus is creating a space that better serves Laurier students.

“We do not have enough square footage for recreation and wellness space as an institution to serve the students on the Waterloo campus.”

Kate McCrae Bristol, Director of Athletics and Recreation, said.

“Our athletics, recreation, and wellness spaces have not changed since 2017 when the second oor opened [in the Athletic Complex], and now the redevelopment of Alumni Field.”

Bristol detailed the concept for the new Seagram Drive facility:

“Another double gym, a high performance training center that would take some load o of the tness center.

e vision is to put a winterized dome over the eld so we have a completely new space for winter

“We’ve heard students say over and over again that they want more student space, bookable space … e hope would be to redevelop the space so students could come and land for a morning or afternoon, that we would have a food outlet, lounge spaces, adaptable spaces that students could use and reserve on their own.”

“If our spaces are what we think they are to students, in terms of being meaningful to their experience and wellness, we want them to be able to be fully utilized and o er year round spaces.” e project’s second phase will occur later this semester with the eld replacement, lighting, scoreboard and sound.

All are footings for a future dome that would make the space accessible in the winter months for more campus activities.

Bristol estimated the timeline for the eld redevelopment to be completed in time for next year’s fall activities and varsity sports.

“ e sustainability plan for the institution around solar energy will

all be hopefully maximized. ere’s things around sustainability that connect to di erent ways of thinking around building new spaces. One of those considerations is around Indigenous design, and Indigenous ways of thinking about new space.”

e new space will be fully accessible to ensure all students accessibility needs are met, along with academic and social needs.

e introduction of new lounge and study areas encourage a more vibrant student life among the Laurier community.

Another area the facility will serve is in recreation and intramu-

rals.

“We have thousands of students on [recreation and intramural] waitlists purely because we do not have enough space.”

Being able to reduce the amount of students on activity waitlists will create more opportunities for students to get involved both physically and socially in the community.

“[Athletics] is the largest employer of students on campus. It will be a fully student-sta ed facility.” Bristol added, hopeful that the space can attract students who wish to work during the school year or year round.

e redevelopment calls on students to voice their opinions through short surveys that can be found around campus.

“Over October and November, we will have a student engagement team who are going to be spread out across campus, boothing in di erent buildings. ey have the concepts on iPads with short surveys, connecting with students to understand what they need.”

For more information on the phases of redevelopment or viewing the concepts for the space, students can visit the recreation page on the Laurier Athletics website under the Department tab.

LAURIER ATHLETICS/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

NATASHA GIANNANTONIO SPORTS EDITOR

BBB ARCHITECTS TORONTO/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

NATASHA GIANNANTONIO SPORTS EDITOR