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Earning money the easy way Successful streamers have personality, skill. Page 8 MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018
Raising the bar New venue offers gaming and unique entertainment. Page 5
A LEARNING NEWSROOM FOR JOURNALISM STUDENTS
CONESTOGA COLLEGE, KITCHENER, ONT.
WWW.SPOKEONLINE.COM
49TH YEAR — NO. 12
Waste audit cleans up campus BY MELISSA HORTON
Conestoga College’s business management students brought some important environmental issues to the Doon campus the week of March 26. As part of environmental week at the college, students hosted a waste audit in the cafeteria in order to raise awareness about how much waste is put into the wrong bins. “Right now we’re focusing on how to divert waste,” said Nour Hmedy, a firstyear business management student. According to Conestoga College’s 2016 Waste Audit and Waste Reduction Work Plan report, Conestoga achieved a 57 per cent waste diversion rate at the Doon campus alone, which is close to the current goal of 60 per cent. “Our job is to communicate with other students,” Hmedy said. Business management students were posted at various waste bins around the cafeteria, ready to answer any questions students had. “I think waste is a really big issue on campus. This program today is to try to bring awareness and engage students in proper sorting,” said Margaret Baker, another first-year business management student. With a large portion of the waste being thrown into the wrong bins, a lot of waste that could be recycled or composted ends up in the
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Conestoga business management students participated in a waste audit in the Doon campus on March 27. landfill. In fact, over 30 per cent of the waste thrown into the garbage bins could be recycled or composted. However, the waste audit was not just about getting the word out to students, it was part of something even bigger than the amount of waste that could be reused. “We are participating in the Carbon Cleanse Waste
Challenge. We are competing with other businesses and institutions in the region,” Baker said. The Regional Sustainability Initiative’s Carbon Cleanse 2018 is a competition between businesses and institutions, with each of them competing in weekly themed challenges. There are four themes in total: water, waste, energy
and commuting. Points are accumulated by each institution’s or businesses’ involvement in challenges as well as any challenges they create themselves. Currently Conestoga ranks sixth on the leaderboard out of 18. Students were asked to tweet about the event and sign a document saying they would be more mindful when
discarding waste. “We are asking people to take a pledge to sort and recycle responsibly. It helps people and they feel empowered to do so,” Baker said. The Carbon Cleanse Challenge ended on April 6. For more information on this initiative and others, visit www. sustainablewaterlooregion.ca.
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Cliff the Condor was at the event, lending his support.
Two business management students stand next to some waste receptacles, ready to help other students sort their waste properly.
NEWS
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Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College
Monday, April 9, 2018
FILBERT CARTOONS
Random questions answered by random students
What is the best advice you have ever received?
“Anything can be achieved if you set your mind to it and focus on what’s important.”
PROMOTING HEALTH AND WELLNESS AT CONESTOGA COLLEGE
Andrew Mackie, first-year business marketing
“Don’t stop believing by Journey. I’ve never stopped.” Madison Shipp, first-year protection, security, and investigation
“Try and fail but never fail to try if you want success.”
Maninder Singh, first-year applied networking infrastructure and system administration PHOTOS BY REBECCA SOARES
Conestoga Students Inc. brought together a variety of vendors for a Health and Wellness Expo on March 28 at the Doon campus to help students learn healthy habits. Below, David McNamara, an employee at Element Oxygen Bars, teaches students how to use the oxygen bar as well as talks to them about the health benefits. For video story, go to www.spokeonline.com.
“Never give up or give in, there is always a way or an answer to everything.” Mohammad Amaanuddin, first-year applied networking infrastructure and system administration
“Never be afraid to achieve the things you want to.”
Robert Kayno, first-year environmental public health
“My grandma told me not to worry about life experiences that you miss, worry about the ones that are coming.” Sydney Steadman, first-year protection, security, and investigation Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
NEWS
Monday, April 9, 2018
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New 2018-2019 CSI directors elected BY LUCAS HUTTERI
The votes are in and Conestoga Students Inc. (CSI) has announced the winners of the 2018-2019 CSI board of directors election. A total of 881 valid votes were received and the winners are Jack Gaudet, Sharan Kalsi, Kevin Lewis, Andrew MacNeil, Martha Prada, Angela van Stee and Scot Wyles. Aimee Calma remains the CSI president. Brittany Greig is vice-president, external and Porter Oleson is vicepresident, internal. Two returning faces on the CSI board are Lewis and Wyles. Lewis has spent one year on the board, and Wyles has spent three years. Lewis said in his campaign on www.conestogastudents. com, “One year later, I have experience on the board, which enables me to continue the momentum I have built up and served students from day one. I have experience talking and listening to students to know what they would like CSI to do for them as well as taking that feedback and putting it into action. This past year there has been great challenges and progress but there’s still more work to be done.” Wyles said, “Ever since my first year of college I have been a part of CSI in some capacity. The last three years have been the best though, by being on the board. I am a person that is easy to get along with, funny at times, kind and caring. I am the type of person now that enjoys walking around from our Venue all the way to F-wing communicating with students about everything and anything. This will be my fourth time running for the board and I am super excited to have the chance to work with amazing leaders and communicate with fellow students.” The other five members are all new faces raring to go. They also outlined their goals in their campaigns. Gaudet said, “Over the course of my three total years being enrolled at Conestoga, CSI has taken many big steps to improve student life and I would like to become part of this positive growth. Conestoga has given me so much over the last couple years and I believe it’s my time to give back and make a difference. My end goal is to make a positive change to our school’s atmosphere.” Kalsi said, “My ambition is to improve the school in ways that benefit the students’ wants and needs. I believe that Conestoga should be a
INTERNET PHOTO
These are the recently elected members of the 2018-2019 Conestoga Students Inc. board of directors, along with CSI’s executive team. place where we all feel safe and respected. My hope is to achieve this by creating a transparent atmosphere within all campuses by engaging with students. I am a strong advocate of integrity, mental health awareness, the inclusion of international students and the creation of safe spaces. If given the opportunity to be a CSI director, my aim is to provide the best learning and social experience for all of my peers at Conestoga College.” MacNeil said, “Having experienced Conestoga’s excellent counselling facilities/services, my goal is to improve the health services of our school. Thus, not only ensuring the physical health of my peers, but also ensuring
that students feel welcome, confident and mentally strong, allowing them to achieve their full academic potential. A healthy and strong-minded school will benefit the students’ surroundings and help Conestoga stand as a pinnacle of strength, wellness and welcoming to any and every potential student, regardless of their future path.” Prada said, “A regular campus event attendee, you might have seen me as one of the photographers for CSI capturing the ambiance through my lens within the student community. Prada is a strong advocate of equality, environmental causes and the importance of the student experience.
She also values the power to convey ideas and meaningful messages; this is why she hopes to gain future opportunities to apply her creative drive addressing fundamental concerns efficiently.” Van Stee said, “My own experience has given me the drive to run for the board of directors but it is what led me to take initial action. In a position as a student leader my stance will be to be a voice for students and their own vision for what Conestoga can be and should be. I will strive to be available to student concerns and take these concerns seriously to effect change both big and small to create a school that supports students and creates space that students can be
proud of.” According to Justin Mclaughlin, CSI’s primary electoral officer, the new board will most likely meet for the first time in May. “The newly elected members have only met all together once during the election process during a pre-election meeting to explain the rules and such of campaigning. They were all very friendly and eager to participate in the elections. They have not all been together since the election concluded and most likely will not be until their positions begin in May,” he said. For more information on how to get involved, go to CSI’s website, www. conestogastudents.com.
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Monday, April 9, 2018
NEWS
Monday, April 9, 2018
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New creative hub opens in Waterloo Local man creates conversation with unique social bar
BY PETER SWART
Waterloo is continuing to grow more and more each day and it’s thanks to people like Rami Said. Said is one of the city’s many entrepreneurs who offer something to the community that makes it as unique as it is. He was born and raised in Waterloo and as he grew older he decided to check out what the rest of the world had to offer. As he roamed he fell more in love with the city of Waterloo. “As I travelled more I realized how lucky we are to have a city like ours,” he said. “It’s a smaller city with a big city feel that has so much to offer.” When Said left high school he jumped right into the business world, starting autoBahr Lubrication & Detailing with his brother. “I spent about five years running that business and I learned a lot from it to put it bluntly,” he said. From there he dove into the bar business, opening Waterloo’s first ever LGBT nightclub, The Order. “I opened The Order three
PHOTO BY PETER SWART
The Patent Social is a new bar in Waterloo that offers people a place to spend time with friends, play video games and enjoy live music. years ago with my business partner at the time,” he said. “By year three we said you know what, Uptown has become much more inclusive and the need for just a singular LGBT nightclub might not be there anymore.” Said and his business partner went their separate ways, closing The Order. He began to think about his next move.
“I was sitting around with my high school friends every time they came home for the holidays, (talking about) what we were doing and the fact that none of us really, you know, we didn’t really have a place that we could go to and just hang out and have fun,” he said. Enter Patent Social. As a group of people in
their late 20s, Said and his friends felt they were too old to go to nightclubs and they would always end up staying in. “We’d always end up going to someone’s house and play Nintendo 64 and reminisce about the good old days in the ’90s when we were young,” he said. “So we kind of took those ideas of what we were doing and created a venue that kind of catered to that demographic.” The bar features televisions at each booth, like a sports bar but with old school gaming consoles set up rather than the Leafs game. It loans patrons video game cartridges for free, and also features live music and performances like burlesque shows, cabaret nights and local musicians. The menu is also unique as it includes only appetizer-type foods like kettle corn and sliders because the bar is focused on the socializing aspect and not providing full meals. Using “patent” in the name of the bar was a big part of the creation of the space. Said wanted something that truly represented Waterloo. “The question when
we started was: What is Waterloo?” he said. “Well, the University of Waterloo takes no ownership over any inventions or ideas that come out of the university, so it’s actually one of the highest per capita in terms of patents coming out of students.” Said hired a local artist to paint the walls with artistic representations of some of the region’s most famous patents. “You’ll see everything from the 1930s rubber sole patent to the original Blackberry on the walls,” he said. The point of the patents being displayed is mainly to spark conversation about what Waterloo has to offer the rest of the world. “Being a social bar, the idea is to start conversations and get people talking about our community,” Said said. The bar is located in Uptown Waterloo at 17 Erb St. E. Their current hours are 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The hours will change during the summer. For more information you can check out their website at www.patentsocial.ca.
COMMENTARY
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Monday, April 9, 2018
Maybe social media isn’t so bad BY MIKE TURCOTTE-MCCUSKER
People give today’s younger generations a lot of grief about how much time is spent on cellphones and computers. Most say they hear it at least once a week: “Kids these days and their damn phones,” or something similar. But what if that cellphone and being on social media could result in saving someone’s life? Is this technology really such a bad thing? The Waterloo Region Record recently published a story about how University of Waterloo students rallied together to try and find someone who had posted what was essentially an online suicide note anonymously. Nearly a hundred people banded together, all through the power of social media, to try and save a life. Ultimately the person was not found; but no suicides were reported either the next day. So, perhaps the power of social media prevailed in this case, and mob mentality was utilized in a positive and constructive manner. Can we maybe just accept that the world is changing, and that with it comes new ways of existing, and new elements to the daily grind at work and at home? Social media has become a very big and very real part of our existence, and it links us together in both positive and negative ways; but we need to stop focusing on only the negative. With that said, these young people who stepped up and banded together to try and save a life should be commended and praised for their actions, and some sort of recognition is deserved. Society needs to come together more to support each other and have each other’s backs. Hopefully there will be more examples like this in the future. Let’s hope that this becomes a positive snowball movement, like so many negative ones have in the past. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens The views herein represent the position of the newspaper, not necessarily the author.
Letters are welcome Spoke welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be signed and include the name and telephone number of the writer. Writers will be contacted for verification. No unsigned letters will be published. Letters should be no longer
than 500 words. Spoke reserves the right to edit any letter for publication. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Spoke, 299 Doon Valley Dr., Kitchener, Ont., N2G 4M4
Vote for the platform, not the person.
Choose the best candidate The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario has had a chaotic few months that resulted in Doug Ford being named Tory leader, and thus, becoming a candidate in the 2018 Ontario general election. Already people are showing their distaste for the former city councillor and brother of the late, infamous Rob Ford, by encouraging their fellow Ontarians to vote for “anyone but him.” Anyone but him, even though the current Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne, who is still in the race, has been the cause of much complaining and disappointment for the last few years. Anyone but him, even though doing so would create the illusion of an “us versus them” situation. Anyone but him, even though Ontario has been chanting “anyone but Wynne” long before Ford came into the picture. A Forum Poll survey of Ontario voters revealed 48 per cent of voters disapprove of Ford, but showed the
Taylor Pace Opinion
party could still win a majority in the next election. Lorne Bozinoff, the president of Forum Research, told the Toronto Star, “It seems that Ontarians are not so much accepting Doug Ford and his leadership as they are rejecting the other alternatives.” Yes, although his disapproval rating is already high, and he comes with a Trump-esque slogan (he’s planning to “get Ontario back on track” and is focused on defeating Wynne and lowering taxes), he still stands a chance of winning the election. While this faintly resembles the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, it should be noted that fear of Trumped-up politics taking over Ontario should not be cause for strategic voting. And no, a desire to kick Wynne to the curb should not be, either.
Strategic voters choose the candidate they believe has a chance of winning, over a candidate they actually support, in order to prevent someone they don’t like from winning. But this doesn’t end in electing the best possible candidate, and it doesn’t always work. Theoretically, it could work in keeping an undesirable candidate from winning. But in this election, with two low-rated candidates, it’s hard to say. It is impossible to divide voters between those who will vote PC and those who will not; or those who will vote Liberal and those who will not. There are, after all, other parties in the race. Other parties that, when strategic voting takes hold, get overlooked. Voters should still be cognizant of the other parties’ platforms and make an informed decision, rather than voting strategically to eliminate Ford or Wynne. The goal should be not to choose the lesser of the evils, but the best candidate.
SPOKE
IS PUBLISHED AND PRODUCED WEEKLY BY THE JOURNALISM STUDENTS OF CONESTOGA COLLEGE Editor: Taylor Pace Assignment Editor: Austin Wells Advertising Manager: Christina Jonas Spoke Online Editors: Mike Turcotte-McCusker, Josh Pederson Production Manager: Christina Jonas
Photo Editors (print): Lucas Hutteri, Tyler Medeiros Photo Editors (online): Veronica Reiner, Peter Swart Social Media Editor: Melissa Horton Circulation Manager: Becky Soares
Faculty Supervisor and Adviser: Christina Jonas Spoke’s address is 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1B23, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 4M4.
Phone: 519-748-5220, ext. 3691, 3692, 3693, 3694 Email: spoke@conestogac.on.ca Website: www.spokeonline.com
The views and opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of Conestoga College. Spoke shall not be liable for any damages arising out of errors in advertising beyond the amount paid for the space. Letters to the editor are subject to acceptance or rejection and should be clearly written or typed; a MS Word file would be helpful. Letters must not contain any libellous statements.
FUN & GAMES
Monday, April 9, 2018
SPOKE s Page 7
Useless Facts
Oh Cliff!
Horoscope
Jupiter is bigger than all the other planets in our solar system combined.
Week of April 9, 2018
Aries
March 21 April 19 It may be in your best interest to consider a new friend to give you a suggestion you hadn’t considered. Next week might be better for a big decision.
Taurus April 20 May 20
There is always time to send an email to a friend with three reasons they are important to you. And then you’ll realize that which you’ve been seeking.
Gemini May 21 June 21
If you think you might have a big decision coming up, then you are not alone. This advice is only a guideline, but it is indeed very serious and important.
Cancer June 22 July 22
Seek advice from a person you meet in passing to help you with what you’re going through. You already know the right thing to do.
Leo
July 23 August 22 If you’re going to do one thing this year, then you need to think about it more seriously. There’s no reason to rush into anything rash.
Virgo
August 23 September 22 Find a way to take a 10-minute cold shower. Once you do, you’ll earn the clarity you so richly deserve.
Honey is the only food which does not spoil.
Libra
September 23 October 22
In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
Consider making time to do something just for yourself. Then you can find the peace you seek. The good news is that your mindset is perfect for tackling details.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. “Obsession” is the most popular boat name.
Scorpio
In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of five times around the equator.
October 23 November 21 If you don’t know where you’re headed in life, then weigh your options and do the right thing. Bear in mind that sometimes things don’t go your way.
Sudoku Puzzle
Sagittarius November 22 December 21
Fill in the grid with digits in such a manner that every row, every column and every 3x3 box accommodates the digits 1-9, without repeating any.
Keep in mind that a new friend with a suggestion will help you. Make a commitment to yourself and take at least one step toward it.
Capricorn December 22 January 19
Consult with a close friend to reaffirm a solution you’d already considered. Hold off on major purchases. With good advice you can do anything.
Aquarius January 20 February 18
If you’re wondering what the point of life is, then think not about if, but when to take that step. There’s no reason to rush into anything rash.
Pisces
February 19 March 20 Are you wondering about doing something new? This month is ultimately the time you became YOU and you’ll know what to do.
Diodonna Winona dabbles in forces beyond mortal comprehension. She also enjoys people watching and coffee.
Word Search
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NEWS
Living off live streaming
BY JOSH PEDERSON
Imaging having a job where you wake up every day, turn on a camera, connect a microphone and broadcast yourself to an audience from around the world. You get to make your own hours and oftentimes, you don’t even have to leave your house. The job of livestreaming is quickly gaining traction as a legitimate career path and for those who are successful, monthly earnings can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. “If you are good at playing video games or broadcasting your personality, streaming is definitely a thing you can consider,” said e-sports journalist Josh Bury. “All it takes is a couple of people to stumble on your channel, they go and tell some people and before you know it, you have a little community coming back to watch you,” he added. One example of a success story is Tyler “Ninja” Blevins who recently announced he was earning over $500,000 a month from streaming the video game Fornite. Blevins, who has reached an almost celebrity-like status from livestreaming, also got a chance to play the game with rapper Drake which amassed a viewership of over 700,000 people watching them at once. As crazy as it may sound, people will actually pay to watch you play your favourite games. The method of streaming is so simple that anyone with a webcam, microphone and computer can do it. As Bury mentions, there are two things that will contribute to whether or not you will be
PHOTO BY JOSH PEDERSON
Amateur streamer Marcus Gazzola, a Conestoga College computer programming student, broadcasts his video game gameplay to an online audience. a successful live streamer or not. First is personality. You can’t bore your audience to death or no one is going to take you seriously and come back. One thing about livestreaming is that a lot of times with successful streamers, people watch them because they connect with them personally and they find them entertaining. Not only are you marketing your gameplay, but yourself as well. Second is overall skill. It’s not as important as the personality side of things and
many successful streamers exist who are actually terrible at the game they stream. However, being able to enthrall your audience into compelling gameplay is another way to get them to stick around and keep watching. So how do you profit exactly? Generally, people livestream themselves playing a video game or more rarely, themselves in public. Both methods of streaming can be equally as successful. The most popular streaming platform where users go to broadcast
their content is the website Twitch.tv, although other options are out there. Money earned through streaming can come from a variety of different sources and all are important to mention. Subscriptions are the most basic source of income for streamers. People who want to support those they enjoy watching can subscribe for a fee of $5 and in return, have access to increased features and overall interaction with the streamer they are supporting. Donations are another way
Monday, April 9, 2018
of earning money through streaming. You may be thinking, why would anyone donate money to someone sitting in their rooms playing Xbox? Rest assured, donations can actually accumulate more money for streamers than the monthly subscriptions and they happen on a pretty regular basis as there is no restrictions on the amount of money one can donate to a streamer. Donations of a few hundred dollars are but a daily occurrence for some of the more well-known streamers. Lastly, you have sponsorship opportunities. Companies are always watching for people they can endorse to sell their products. When you get 50,000 people watching you at any given time, the advertising revenue potential is astronomical and corporations are jumping at this unique form of marketing. “I’ve been streaming different games for about six months now,” said Conestoga College computer programming student Marcus Gazzola. He stresses that putting the effort into your work is important if you want a career in streaming. “I’ve found that you really need to stream every day and follow a schedule if you want to gather an audience. When I stream every day for a week, you can see my viewer count stay steady, but if I take a break it will dip down a bit, so commitment is key.” “Right now, I have over 10,000 total views on my channel and 14 subscribers. I’m not anywhere close to making a living off this yet, but hopefully that will change some day.”
LOCAL MUSICIAN
PLAYS THE UKULELE FOR STUDENTS AT THE VENUE Jojo Worthington performs at Conestoga Students Inc.’s Live Music Thursday in the Venue on Doon campus on March 22. The multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and avant-folk musician from K-W is known for her experimental use of the ukulele. For video story, see www.spokeonline.com. PHOTO BY VERONICA REINER