October 7, 2015

THE CORD

THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 56 ISSUE 8 OCTOBER 7, 2015

HOUSING

Sage 2 tenants angered Altercation goes viral; construction delays continue EMILIA CURCIC STAFF WRITER

After a recent altercation between management and a tenant, Domus Student Housing Inc. has faced complaints from tenants regarding the construction delays with Sage 2 on Spruce Street.

A video of the altercation was posted on YouTube October 1 right after tenants were told their move-in dates were being pushed back even further.

The video has since reached upwards of 70,000 views and has elicited a stream of negative feedback.

Ho Tek, a partner from Domus has since released a statement.

“We have a reputation for, and in fact pride ourselves in, treating all persons with respect at all times.

This is an isolated incident and one that should never be repeated. This employee is no longer working with us. Our apologies to all students who were either involved in or a witness to, this unfortunate event,” the statement said.

Tek said what tenants need to understand is that wmanagement and developers want the building to be occupied just as much as the tenants themselves do.

“We’ve built 10 buildings with the developer and they’ve never been late before. But they are pouring a lot of money, time and effort into making sure the students are communicated to. We want to give them options and be able to help them out as best we can,” said Tek. During an interview with Tek, he received news that after a month of receiving vague answers and having move in dates pushed further, some units of Sage 2 have finally been approved for occupancy.

This is positive news for many tenants as the wait has been a long and hard one.

Tenants originally expected their units to be ready for occupation by the beginning of September 2015.

Although certain units are ready, others have been given advance notice they will not be able to move in until at least November 1.

PHOTO AND PHOTO MANIPULATION BY WILL HUANG

Sports, page 16

Local, page 5

CAMPUS

LOCAL

ARTS & LIFE

OPINION

SPORTS

Wi-Fi hot spots on campus exposed

Student voter turnout main focus of local organizations

The best coffee for your buck

The responsible in irresponsible drug use

Luciani strengthens teams as conditioning coach

page 4

page 6

page 11

page 13

page 16

2 •

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

VOCAL CORD Where on campus do you get the best Wi-Fi?

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CordNews

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Bag O’ Crime

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Location: Fred Nichols Campus Centre Reported: October 1 at 6:15 a.m.

SCS investigated the theft of an empty beer keg from the exterior shipping and receiving area of the Fred Nichols Campus Centre. A male suspect wearing a hoodie riding a bicycle was observed by a Laurier staff member taking the keg and riding off property. The suspect has not been identified. WRPS was notified.

“In the music building.”

–Lawrence Jacinto, second-year music

MARCO PEDRI/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

The use of crystal meth is becoming more prevalent in the Waterloo Region and in Guelph, says a recent study.

Own Your Bank* Want all the strengths of a big bank

“Definitely not the Concourse.”

–Merna Riad, fourthyear business

but without all the extra costs?

Welcome to Education Credit Union

Location: Nils Willison Hall Reported: October 1 at 10:27 p.m.

SCS was contacted by a student regarding the suspicious behavior of an unknown elderly male attempting to enter the student residence around 6:00 p.m. The student briefly spoke with the male who then left the area.

He continued to loiter around the Mid Campus Drive area for a while and seemed out of place. SCS was notified about four hours later but the male was no longer to be found.

Descriptors: Male, Caucasian, 6’, 190 lbs., late forties, black hair (greying at the front), wearing a waist black leather jacket, black jeans, black boots and sunglasses.

Location: Bricker Residence Reported: October 4 at 2:36 a.m.

SCS received a report of some property damage on the 5th floor of Bricker residence. The attending officer discovered that the glass in a fire hose cabinet had been smashed.

There are no CCTV cameras in this area and no suspects. Physical Resources was notified for repairs.

“In the 24-Hour Lounge.”

–Prabhjeevan Kalra, first-year health science

Location: Fred Nichols Campus Centre Reported: October 4 at 4:07 a.m.

SCS officers attended to a storage container at the rear of the FNCC in response to a male that was seen entering the unit and removing beer kegs. He was interrupted by responding officers and fled the scene on a bicycle towards Bricker Ave. He eluded the officers after a brief foot pursuit assisted by WRPS in the area of Bricker Ave., Albert St. and Ezra St. He was captured on CCTV video. A cigarette butt discarded by the suspect at the scene was seized for DNA analysis and submitted to WRPS.

*ATTENTION: Banking with Education Credit Union will result in more money in your pocket. Members often find themselves with minimal to no service fees compared to the national banks. Not suitable for people who like to pay ATM fees, as our network offers over 3,300 surcharge-free ATMs

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across Canada. Do not join if you are allergic to people knowing your name

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Contact your local ECU branch right away to experience the benefits of co-operative banking.

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WATERLOO

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–Gillian Mai, third-year communication studies

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6–51 Ardelt Avenue Kitchener, ON N2C 2S9 519.742.3500

27 Water Street North Cambridge, ON N1R 3B2 519.623.2211

www.ecusolutions.com

Location: University Stadium Reported: October 4 at 10:55 a.m.

SCS officers attended to the stadium in response to a complaint of property damage. The attending officer noted that person(s) unknown had ripped most of the lettering including the Laurier Hawk symbol off a large sign at the entrance driveway

by Seagram Drive. The matter is under investigation by SCS.

Compiled by Maddy Cutts Photos by Jessica Dik NEXT ISSUE: OCTOBER 21, 2015

CORD STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shelby Blackley sblackley@thecord.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lena Yang lyang@thecord.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Joshua Awolade jawolade@thecord.ca MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR Mynt Marsellus mmarsellus@thecord.ca

CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR Kaitlyn Severin kseverin@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Vacant

LOCAL NEWS EDITOR Erika Ymana eymana@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Andreas Patsiaouros apatsiaouros@thecord. ca

FEATURES EDITOR Bethany Bowles bbowles@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Will Huang whuang@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Zach Guitor zguitor@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Brian Phillips bphillips@thecord.ca

OPINION EDITOR Mitchell Consky mconsky@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Maddy Cutts mcutts@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Drew Yates dyates@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Jessica Dik jdik@thecord.ca

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Caitlyn Sageman csageman@thecord.ca

EDITOR’S CHOICE:

COLOPHON

PREAMBLE

Voting upgrade to affect youth turnout by Marissa Evans

The Cord is the official student newspaper of the Wilfrid Laurier University community.

Started in 1926 as the College Cord, The Cord is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors.

Opinions expressed within The Cord are those of the author and do not necessarily refl ect those of the editorial board, The Cord, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Inc. All content appearing in The Cord bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent.

The Cord is created using Macintosh computers running OS X 10.10 using Adobe Creative Cloud. Canon cameras are used for principal photography.

The Cord has been a proud member of the Ontario Press Council since 2006. Any unsatisfied complaints can be sent to the council at info@ ontpress.com.

The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 6,000 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000.

Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada.

The Cord has been a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP) since 2004.

The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The 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.

The staff of The 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 affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The 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, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

The Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled

CONTRIBUTORS Debra Boulay Paige Bush Mira Busscher Ryan Culley Killian Cuppage Emilia Curcic Christopher Donald Marissa Evans Jen Fok Bailey Gembom Fani Hsieh Safina Husein Faraz Iftekharuddin Brigitte Kloss Madeline McInnis Heather McLeod Christian Paron Marco Pedri Tarique Plummer Aliaa Sidawi Caroline Spicer Christina Somos Jessica Wood Elizabeth Zmijak

EDITOR’S CHOICE ONLINE: BATL axe throwing takes K-W by storm by Zach Guitor

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Care Schummer at care.schummer@wlusp.com or 519-884-0710 ext. 3560.

when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body.

The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper.

Quote of the week: “I’ll Slack the shit out of her.”

- Photo Editor Andreas Patsiaouros when trying to get ahold of Lead Photographer Jessica Dik

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

• 3

Campus

CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN kseverin@thecord.ca

STUDENT ASSOCIATIONS

Policies and priorities with OUSA

Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance plans to catch Laurier’s attention for the upcoming year KAITLYN SEVERIN CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, an organization which works closely with the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, is now hoping to get the attention of students at the school.

Otherwise known as OUSA, the student organization lobbies in partnership with the Ontario government on issues related to post-secondary, such as tuition and sexual violence on campus. “[OUSA] lobby in partnership with us with the provincial government, so helping us as student leaders get meetings with MPPs or attending round tables or being part of the legislation development,” said Laura Basset, vice-president of university affairs at the Students’ Union and an OUSA steering committee member.

Spencer Nestico-Semianiw, president of OUSA, believes the student organization achieved a great deal over the course of 2015, which includes looking into student financial assistance and making student debt more manageable.

”What we used OUSA for was essentially a venue for best practice sharing.”

-Spencer Nestico-Semianiw, president of OUSA

”Their mandate is to represent us and our ideas over policy platforms to the provincial government.”

-Laura Bassett, vice-president of student affairs

LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

“Looking at things like the separation of loans and grants has been something that OUSA’s lobbied on for a number of years and that’s something we’re very receptive to saying in the budget because it allows students for more flexibility,” said Nestico-Semianiw.

Member associations of OUSA, such as Laurier, meet once a month and discuss issues, including ideas for the upcoming federal election.

“What we used OUSA for was essentially a venue for best practice sharing so we would have discussions about what each of our member campuses’ were doing regarding the federal election and we could share what we’ve done in the past, and our strategies for this year,”

Nestico-Semianiw explained.

“Our #LaurierVotes brand came from #MacVotes, like McMaster, so it gives us a really good form to interact with other students from other schools that we wouldn’t necessarily have outside of OUSA,” said Bassett.

Every year, student leaders write policy papers which OUSA advocates and lobbies with the provincial government.

This year, OUSA’s policy papers will be focused on teaching and assessment and student success with student financial assistance in midNovember.

Students from each of OUSA’s member schools will provide amendments and see if the policies are what students really want.

“Their mandate is to represent us and our ideas over policy platforms to the provincial government,” said Bassett.

Twice a year, member schools of OUSA will come together for a general assembly to discuss the policy papers and what the organization will be advocating on for the next four years.

OUSA will also be releasing their Ontario post-secondary survey which asks questions that relate to on-campus services and student debt.

“We also can break it down by demographic so we can understand what the narratives are and if there’s any correlations to experiences based on LGBTQ+ type students or

Aboriginal students or international students,” said Nestico-Semianiw.

Along with their policy papers, OUSA has priority picks; this years’ being tuition framework, experiential and work integrated learning and funding formula.

“Laurier’s turning towards more social innovation entrepreneurship opportunities so work integrated learning touches that aspect,” said Bassett. “All three priorities, all the main priorities are going to touch students largely in the next coming year.”

“Those are mainly the advocacy priorities we look at and we try to meet those through research, through our policy and through the campaigns and lobbying we do with the ministry,” said NesticoSemianiw.

Bassett hopes there will be more awareness of OUSA and their opportunities for university students. “[Students] don’t necessarily know about the 30 per cent off tuition rebate, OUSA had a large hand in that, they don’t know that a lot of the accessibility or affordability pieces that come with that,” she said.

RESIDENCE

Ranking Laurier’s best King’s Court Residence was ranked #5 on UniversityHub MARISSA EVANS STAFF WRITER

One of Wilfrid Laurier University’s residences has been highlighted as the fifth best in all of Canada.

The article, published by Huffington Post Canada, was titled “10 of Canada’s Best University Residences” and featured Laurier’s King’s Court Residence in the middle of the ranks.

King’s Court, located at 345 King Street, is an apartment-style residence leased by Laurier.

Chris Dodd, director of Residence Life at Laurier, noted that while King’s Court is modern and in good shape, he was surprised it was highlighted in the rankings.

“There are so many good residence buildings in this province,” he said. “Brand new, amazing places to live. I was really surprised that 345 landed on that list.”

The article also noted King Street Residence as being a top choice for students.

Shilpa Magesh, a fourth-year health science student, lived in MacDonald House in her first year before hearing about the university’s residence ranking.

She highlighted both King’s Court and King Street residences as Lau-

rier’s best.

Thaksa Subraniam, a fourth-year bachelor of business administration student, agreed.

“I’ve been to the [University of ] Waterloo [residences] because they have the same apartment style and it doesn’t look half as nice,” she said.

“It just doesn’t have the same feel. I feel like King’s Court and King Street just feel more like home.”

Dodd said they are always trying to make improvements to their residence buildings. New in the industry is the desire for flexible study space.

“It’s not necessarily room configuration because in the industry we’ve sort of come to the point where there’s not much else you can do with a room,” Dodd said.

“It’s more about the common space and the hallways and what else is in the building, amenities in the building.”

The residence rankings were provided by UniversityHub and are part of a larger project in which the company ranks Canadian universities as a whole.

Creators Joel Nicholson and Alex Dorward talked about how they had a sense of dissatisfaction when looking at other university rankings such as Maclean’s or the Globe and

“A few of the large schools who have done really well in the Macleans’ ranking are a little bit down on our list.”

-Joel Nicholson, co-creator of UniversityHub

Mail and the way these publications weighted their criteria.

“We didn’t see it as weighting the things that were actually important to prospective undergraduate university students and even graduate — but mostly a focus on undergrad,” Nicholson said.

Residences are one of the 55 evaluation areas they use to determine a university’s rank. So far they have surveyed around 1,500 Canadian university students.

Students ranked each of these areas out of 10 and are given the opportunity to provide written reviews of the different evaluation areas.

UniversityHub then used these reviews to select which residences to highlight in the Huffington Post article, taking the residence most

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHIC ARTIST

frequently mentioned by students and confirming their findings with current students and alumni.

Dorward explained that eventually they will add a historical portion where students will be able to see an archive of the previous year’s rankings in addition to those in real time.

Nicholson said the results have been interesting.

“A few of the large schools who have done really well in the Maclean’s rankings are a little bit down on our list,” he said. “A big one is the

University of Toronto.”

Nicholson and Dorward said they figure this has to do with the way Maclean’s weighs its criteria, but also with how the university has ranked historically.

“All these 55 criteria were student provided,” Nicholson said. “Next year when we publish our next rankings there very well is going to be new criteria added to that based on requests.”

Laurier’s current overall ranking on the site is also fifth.

4 • CAMPUS NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

TECHNOLOGY

Laurier’s Wi-Fi hot spots exposed

RAINBOW CENTRE

ICT creates “heat maps” as a way to show students the best areas for Internet connection on Waterloo campus KAITLYN SEVERIN CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

There’s good news for students who constantly struggle with their Internet connection — Wilfrid Laurier University’s information and communications technology solutions is helping to make Wi-Fi more accessible on campus.

Laurier’s Information Communication Technology has recently launched “heat maps” as well as a list of places on campus which locates WiFi access points.

Ken Boyd, director of ICT solutions, explained the heat maps show the access points in blue so students know where they can get the best Internet connection in any classroom or study space on campus.

“You need to be as close to [access points], or you want to be as close to it as possible to guarantee a connection. The further away you go, the weaker the signal,” said Boyd.

Boyd explained before creating the heat maps, ICT had to plan where the access points should be placed and how many students will be in

”You need to be as close to [access points], or you want to be as close to it as possible to guarantee a connection.”

-Kenneth Boyd, director of ICT

a room at any given time, as well as what they’ll be using Wi-Fi for.

“That tells us the information we need in order to place the [best] access points, so there’s some thought behind this,” he said.

Boyd noted the ICT department has been constructing their access points for 20 years, when Wi-Fi first became accessible. Just last year they increased WiFi presence, but they say they’re still behind.

ICT’s list of classrooms and capacity were also placed around campus in the beginning of the fall term.

“Our goal was to have it all ready to go before students and professors were in the classroom,” said Allison Dias, project and administrative coordinator at ICT. For students who constantly search for the best Wi-Fi spots, room 201 in Bricker Academic is the way to go, with a 452-person capacity, where the access point can actually serve 495.

If an area seems to have poor connection, Boyd explained the space can be over capacity or it could be an individual’s Wi-Fi hotspot counteracting the strength.

“When you Wi-Fi hotspot on your smartphone, that actually robs the ability to connect with other people,” he explained.

Boyd and Dias said ICT is also looking to improve their services and communication on campus, such as looking into the access points at Willison Hall residence.

“The other things that we’re spending a lot of efforts on in terms of improvement is our communica-

”The other things that we’re spending a lot of efforts on in terms of improvement is our communications.”

-Allison Dias, project and administrative coordinator at ICT

tions about helping students troubleshoot without having them go to the Service Desk,” said Dias.

Although massive investments have been made, ICT Solutions is constantly improving their systems on campus.

“We made a massive investment through the summer, like many hundreds of thousands of dollars both here and in Brantford, we’re in pretty good shape I think at this point,” Boyd echoed.

For students who want to be constantly aware of strong or weak access points, there’s an app for that.

Boyd recommends students download Wi-Fi Analyzer on their cellular devices or tablets to see how accessible connections are on campus.

“There’s no reason why every student shouldn’t have this because it’s free and it shows you in real time how Wi-Fi is working.”

If students struggle with the university’s Wi-Fi, ICT recommends to contact the Service Desk “I mean we have our eye on it and we’ve got lots of things that they can measure,” said Dias.

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PAIGE BUSH/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

The Rainbow Centre hosts their annual Queer Awareness Week Oct. 5-8.

A week for recognition The university’s Queer Awareness Week is running from Oct. 5-8 MADDY CUTTS LEAD REPORTER

The Rainbow Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus is currently hosting its annual Queer Awareness Week, running the week of October 5-8.

The Rainbow Centre, affiliated with the Diversity and Equity office, is a space dedicated to educating and supporting members of, the LGBTQ+ community at Laurier.

“The Rainbow Centre isn’t just a club or a committee, we are actually a student service within the university, and with that in mind we always have to have an educational component to everything that we do,” said Karli Ferriolo, a coordinator with the Rainbow Centre.

“We provide a service and resources to students, to faculty, and to staff.”

Though it has been established at Laurier for nearly a decade, this year has marked advancements for the centre, which includes walking for the first time in Toronto’s Pride Parade.

”The Rainbow Centre isn’t just a club or a committee, we are actually a student service within the university.”

-Karli Ferriolo,Rainbow Centre coordinator

Queer Awareness Week, held annually at the beginning of October, is the first of the year’s campaigns, with Trans Awareness following in November, Support Love in February and a final week in March held to help students de-stress as the year closes.

“The campaign weeks themselves, I think we do them as a way to educate people, and raise awareness about a specific topic,” said Ferriolo.

“So instead of just having one-off events just randomly throughout the month, we take a particular week and just dedicate it to a campaign.”

Laurier’s Queer Awareness Week began on Monday, October 5, with

”If you’re not part of the LBGTQ community you may not think about it as much, it’s just something you hear on the news.”

-Sarah Szymanski, Rainbow Centre coordinator

the Rainbow Centre manning a booth in the Concourse and informing passersby of their upcoming activities.

Tuesday was trivia night, with the centre welcoming participants to test their knowledge of LGBTQ+ topics.

On Wednesday evening, the Rainbow Centre will be hosting a Coming Out event, where members of the Laurier community are invited to discuss coming out within the LGBTQ+ community, as well as their personal experiences on the subject.

The week will conclude on Thursday when the Rainbow Centre will assemble in the Quad at 5 p.m. to begin their annual Pride Parade around campus.

The event will be complete with face painting and a celebratory gathering following the march.

“It usually is just people from the Rainbow Centre, but we try to reach out to as many other groups, or just people on campus who might be interested,” said Rainbow Centre coordinator Sarah Szymanski.

With the aim of the week’s campaign to raise awareness of queer realities amongst the members of the general Laurier community.

The centre is also hopeful that individuals will take more notice of the centre itself and the resources and information available to anyone who wishes to access it.

“If you’re not part of the LGBTQ community you may not think about it as much, it’s just something you hear on the news, but you don’t give it too much thought,” said Szymanski.

“But it’s just good to see that there are people who belong to this group on campus, and they want to teach you things, they want to help you learn more about it, and they want to do it hopefully in like a fun way.”

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Local

• 5 LOCAL NEWS EDITOR ERIKA YMANA eymana@thecord.ca

EXPLORE K-W

FROM COVER

BE YOURSELF AT ‘B’

JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

THEMUSEUM’s ‘B’ will feature 10 craft beers, live music and curiosity cabinets ERIKA YMANA LOCAL NEWS EDITOR

B authentic, B unique, B craft, B cool, B kind, and B @ THEMUSEUM. This is the mantra of the new restaurant that will be occupying THEMUSEUM’s King Street storefront on October 9. In partnership with the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre, ‘B’ will feature 10 craft beers along with an extensive menu.

A partnership was sparked when the hotel was interested in expanding and the vacancy was an opportunity to tap into the downtown Kitchener market. Billie-Anne Arthur, general manager at Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre, said that in terms of further expansion and movement, they plan to stay within the tri-cities.

“That’s where our home is and that is where we want to stay and be a part of,” said Arthur.

In discussing an appropriate

“B at THEMUSEUM will become part of the vernacular and people will just accept it. It has grown on me a lot.”

-David Marskell, CEO at THEMUSEUM

name, the team discussed the importance of being at THEMUSEUM and being whatever you wanted to be — to foster a sense of community.

Robin Lefebvre, beer and hospitality manager at B, says that the restaurant aims to be “community-based” and to convey comfort.

“You can be yourself in this space, whatever that means to you,” she said.

The restaurant creates a warm atmosphere with a complete rustic

finish and yellow pendant lights.

There are spaces in the restaurant filled with brown leather couches topped with cat pillows.

To add to its quirky demeanour, the restaurant installed “cabinets of curiosity” that will house interesting facts about the space.

Its name and physical exterior fits into THEMUSEUM’s theme. The cabinets will integrate important values like knowledge, learning and development, which is what one can expect going into the museum.

Furthermore, both managers expect a variety of people at the restaurant. Despite being located at the core of corporations such as Manulife and Sun Life Financial, ‘B’ hopes to attract young professionals, students, as well as families.

“I keep referring to it almost as an extension to your home, an extension into your living room. It’s very warm and inviting. So different groups within our community base

will be coming to experience the place,” said Lefebvre.

“Live entertainment on the weekends but we can still service families that are coming into THEMUSEUM so we are very kid friendly as well,” said Arthur.

David Marskell, CEO of THEMUSEUM, said this new restaurant is a step up from its predecessor.

“With the craft beers and so on I think this just takes it to a new level.

The new operators have an extensive food and beverage experience so the actual venue will be a step up,” he said.

In terms of B’s “fit” into THEMUSEUM, Marskell said the idea behind the name expresses positivity.

“B at THEMUSEUM will become part of the vernacular and people will just accept it. It has grown on me a lot.” The restaurant will have a soft opening until October 8 to test out kinks before its official debut on October 9 right in time for Oktoberfest.

WRPS plans for a safe semester Project Safe Semester, an annually conducted initiative, was launched once again on September 3 through to September 26. The project was organized to bring together permanent residents and students alike to develop and advocate for safe and strong neighbourhoods, using a multi-faceted approach.

This unique project is organized at the beginning of each school year to help promote safety and encourage positive and respectful interaction within the community. In order to do so, Waterloo Regional Police Services have committed to working with various community partners in order to reach this outcome.

The partners include Wilfrid Laurier University with Special Constable Services, University of Waterloo with Campus Police, Conestoga College, fire departments, as well as bylaw officers.

The main goal of the project was to “establish and maintain a high, visible police presence in the community,” explained Mike Haffner, executive officer of WRPS. In addition, WRP worked to proactively discourage unlawful behaviour and public disorder issues in a timely and efficient manner.

“We do that in a number of ways, obviously through enforcement initiatives, discouraging those people who are engaging in unlawful or disruptive behaviour, but we also reach out to educate those in the area to encourage respectful behaviour,” said Haffner.

There is often an increase in disturbances, fights, assaults, impaired driving and such at this specific time of year. One of the main methods used to implement the initiative was communication.

“We reach out to educate and communicate with, primarily, students and Waterloo residents in the area to encourage respectful,

–cover Many of the tenants signed leases more than six months ago with the promise that construction would be complete in time for move-in at the beginning of the school year.

Domus did however take legal precautions when it came to construction.

Each tenant was asked to sign a construction form outlining the potential action management would take in case the building was not complete in time.

If the building was completed between September 1-8, tenants would be reimbursed for a daily amount.

If the building was not completed

by September 8 however tenants were given three options.

The first option allowed them to find their own alternative accommodations for September and forgo paying rent for that month.

The second gave tenants a room in another unit owned by Domus. The last option placed tenants in hotels or motels in the Kitchener-Waterloo region using the previously agreed upon rent.

Tenant Moe Omer said he was one of the lucky ones. Being placed in the Delta hotel in uptown Waterloo, his commute was not too bad.

Others unfortunately were not as lucky. Another tenant Evalynn Zhao originally also picked option three.

“I found out it was a motel in Kitchener and it was rated two stars.

My friend sent me an article about a crime that had happened there.

Other people that are paying the same price as me were getting way better hotels with way better locations,” said Zhao.

Zhao ended up forgoing the motel option she was given and staying with a friend’s family. Considering her unit is on the fourth floor, Zhao may be able to move in sometime this week.

Omer however is on the 19th floor and has already received notice his stay at the Delta will be until

“I found out it was a motel in Kitchener and it was rated two stars.

Other people that are paying the same price as me were getting way better hotels.”

SAFETY

SAFINA HUSEIN CORD NEWS

Drama ensues

-Evalynn Zhao, Sage 2 tenant

EMMA RICHARDS/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

responsible behaviour.”

The Door Knocker program has also been introduced. It is a strategy in which WRPS officers and community partners were given the opportunity to educate students.

Haffner said many first time students are unaware of what is expected of them in regards to festivities, which includes the consumption of alcohol.

The Door Knocker tactic allows for open conversation. Officers are able to properly inform students — for example, officers may clarify information concerning the liquor license act to those interested in throwing a keg party.

For Homecoming weekend, the

project’s team worked to create an increased police visibility in the hopes of deterring individuals from making a decision to participate in unlawful behaviour.

If individuals engage in impropriety, the officers in close proximity would be able to respond quickly.

Haffner explains that throughout the past few years, WRPS has already seen a positive impact as a result of Project Safe Semester. Despite the same number of participants, this year’s enforcement levels were lower.

This would infer that student’s are now more informed and educated on the importance of safe and responsible behaviour.

November 1.

The construction form states these kinds of accommodations will only be made until the 1st of November.

So once that date comes Omer is hoping his unit will be ready otherwise he might be out of luck.

“That is the worst possible scenario,” said Omer of having to look for a new place come November 1.

As for compensation, Domus said they will work on a case-by-case basis to ensure all tenants have been taken care of.

However, there are some costs tenants are incurring that they might be unwilling to cover. Costs associated with not having a kitchen to prepare their own meals would be one such example.

The news of approved partial occupancy is the best news Domus could have received at this time.

They are hoping to work together with tenants and the developers to ensure full occupancy happens soon.

6 • LOCAL NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

FEDERAL ELECTION

Voting upgrade to affect youth turnout Improvements in voting for youth between 18-24 could create a big impact in the federal election MARISSA EVANS STAFF WRITER

Voter turnout in federal elections historically increases with age, and as a result attention is being turned to students to step up and vote this coming Oct. 19.

To support this, a new project is being piloted by Elections Canada which will allow students to vote nationally — to vote in their home riding — while at school. 40 university campuses across Canada are hosting these polling stations.

Nick Driedger, chief returning officer for Elections Canada in Waterloo, noted the University of Waterloo is one of these campuses.

“The participation rates were positive yesterday,” Driedger said of Monday, when the special polls opened. “There was a relatively steady stream of students voting.”

The hope is that this will make voting more accessible to students who might not be able to provide identification for a local address. These polls will be open until Thursday.

Regular advanced polls open Friday and are available over Thanksgiving weekend.

The Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union has also been taking steps since the campaign period first began to encourage students to get informed.

Laura Bassett, vice-president of university affairs, explained how the Union looked to other universities in Canada who have notoriously high voter turnout to find tactics which might instigate an increase at Laurier. Using the example set by

LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

McMaster University and resources from the Student Life Levy, the Students’ Union put together the brand #LaurierVotes.

“We’re essentially branding the process of voting to make it a cooler thing to do on campus,” Bassett explained. “We’re also putting that messaging into something that can be translated into any type of media outlet.”

They’ve also been posting blog entries, which provide students with information about the local candidates and their respective parties. These candidates will attend a debate hosted by the Students’ Union and Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications on Wednesday.

From Bassett’s perspective, she

hasn’t seen the level of apathy that is usually attributed to students.

“I’ve had students come to my desk — they came in July asking me what we were doing for the federal election and how they can get involved,” she said.

Students, she continued, realize the importance of casting their vote.

“I think that this election will be very telling to where the direction of Canada goes and I think students are very cognisant of that, that this is something that’s going to affect them for the next four years.”

According to Sharon Sommerville, chapter coordinator and co-chair of Fair Vote Canada Waterloo Region, this election will determine the direction of Canada not just for four

years, but for one or two generations.

Fair Vote is a national citizens’ organization that has been campaigning to promote a move from the current first-past-the-post electoral system to a proportional voting system. With this system, Sommerville said, the vote of Canadians would be more effective.

Until a party who is in favour of electoral reform is voted into Parliament, Sommerville is pushing for people to vote strategically in this election.

She is doing so through a campaign called Lead Now, which is run through Vote Together, another citizen-led organization.

They are running some initiatives handing out fliers on university campuses to encourage students to vote strategically and be further engaged in the election “There’s been so much talk in the media about the student vote, the youth vote,” Sommerville said. “I think there is a higher awareness of that in the age group around voting.”

In the 2011 federal election, voter turnout for ages 18 to 24 was 38.8 per cent. For first time voters, those born between October 1990 and May 1993, turnout was 40.5 per cent.

“What’s going to be interesting to see if that group actually turns out in that larger number again,” Sommerville said. “Because that means there’s been a slight consciousness change.”

Young people, she continued, could have a great impact on the election.

“What we know is that if the youth vote, the student vote got out en-

“We’re essentially branding the process of voting to make it a cooler thing to do on campus.”

- Laura Bassett, VP of university affairs

masse to vote they absolutely could change the outcome of this election,” she said. “And I know a percentage of young people are hearing that message.”

Laurier students Lizzy Woods and Ray Rego said they aren’t at all engaged in the federal election.

“I’m not interested,” said Rego, regarding casting a vote. “I feel like it doesn’t really make a difference.”

Ryan Paul, another Laurier student, said he doesn’t plan on voting because he is uninformed.

However, fellow student Joyce Lai said her roommates have been very vocal about the elections and have been discussing the parties’ platforms.

Sommerville urged young people to reflect on the issues that are important to them and find the party that matches.

“You wouldn’t have your parents or your grandparents tell you how to dress, what to eat, what kind of car to drive, what to study — but you are giving up that right to decisionmaking to the older generations,” she continued. “That’s really important for young people to know.”

Waterloo: Conestoga Mall (former Target) Kitchener: Sunrise Plaza (former Future Shop) Guelph: in Stone Road Mall Brantford: King George Rd across from Wal-Mart London: former Future Shop on Wellington

GAMES • 7

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Dear Life Dear Life is your opportunity to write a letter to your life, allowing you to vent your anger with life’s little frustrations in a completely public forum.

All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submissions are not edited. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear Life, Distracted walking… I see this all over the city. Look up when you’re walking! Why are we so stuck in our digital devices? We should embrace the world around us!

Sincerely, Observant Pedestrian Dear Life, My fluffy orange cat was hit by a driver mid-day 27 Sept. Westmount/ University area. Piccolo was 7 yrs old and my best kitty friend. He had a infectious personality. He loved everyone. And everyone loved him.

My neighbourhood is grieving. Screw the careless driver who didn’t stop!

Sincerely, !!Angry Cat Lady!! MEOOOOWW!!

Dear Life, I’m sure my “friends” don’t care and I can’t tell family or even counsellors, but I can tell you, o anonymous form, that it has been years since I last wanted to be alive.

Sincerely, let me leave already

Dear WLUSU clubs VP, The first presidents meeting for clubs should have happened a month ago. Hell it should have happened in the summer. I needed my budget a month ago too. I can’t run events and expect people to come if I can’t guarantee I’ll have some kind of food there. You introduced this meeting as having information we’ll need for the year. Thanks you for wasting a month of my time.

Sincerely, Try not to make it two Dear Laurier, When we have a federal election on October 19th, we should all get out and vote Sincerely, We should prove them wrong about our generation Dear Life, Are you happy now?

Because of Fall Reading week, we are now writing exams on Sundays and until December 23rd.

No one told us of the consequences of lounging around for the week after Thanksgiving.

Sincerely, I will eventually be home for Christmas Dear Life, I’m coming for you.

Sincerely, Death Dear Shelby Blackley, FUCK YOU. I can be whoever I want.

Sincerely, You’re dead

THERE’S PLENTY MORE ONLINE. thecord.ca

Dear Stores that Play Music, Whenever I Shazam a really good song in a store, I always get really excited to listen to it at home, but it’s never as good as I remember it to be.

Does shopping stimulate my musical brain differently somehow?

Sincerely, I’m not a psychologist, don’t look at me Dear Wilf’s, Your serving sizes are so big, and I always feel bad for not being able to finish a god damn appetizer. But don’t worry, keep doing what you’re doing.

Sincerely, One meal = three actually Dear Windows 10, You royally fucked up my laptop with your stupid, stupid update. Bill Gates needs to work out the kinks before he releases stuff.

Sincerely, My screen keeps flickering and that’s not normal Dear Books, I love you all so much. Keep doing what you’re doing.

Sincerely, Chapters Enthusiast Dear Men, More of you should wear floral shirts because they look bombtastic on y’all.

Sincerely, Flower Girl

Sudoku

8 •

FEATU

FEATURES EDITOR/BETHANY BOWLES/BBOWLES@THECORD.CA

HANGIN’ WITH T

Features Editor Bethany Bowles talks to Waterloo riding candida

As a graduate of the University of Waterloo, Liberal candidate for the Waterloo riding Bardish Chagger is no stranger to Waterloo.

“Community organizer is the title I go with,” Chagger expressed when discussing her life outside of the campaign and her job at the Multicultural Centre.

Although she is a first time candidate, Chagger has a clear vision and plan for the Waterloo community.

“My campaign is committed to restoring a voice for the constituency of Waterloo,” she explained. “We are blessed in the community because we are not single industry.

We’ve been leaders in manufacturing, insurance, research and development. I love this community because we have two universities and a college.”

To put Liberal ideology in simple terms, Chagger explained the most basic and fundamental aspect of Justin Trudeau’s campaign.

“What the Liberals are talking about is giving the most to the people who need the most,” she said. “And giving the least to the people who need the least.”

Chagger believes the current government is “very short-sighted” and Trudeau brings “forward thinking.”

“He’s got a vision for the future. We are talking about middle class Canadians who have never seen a cut … let’s tax the one per cent, and give a break to middle class Canadians. We’re saying let’s invest in infrastructure and let’s take care of our nation.

The foundation of our nation is crumbling, and that’s because we don’t put enough in infrastructure dollars.”

Chagger’s interest in benefitting the student population is undeniable.

She graduated from UW only 10 years ago, meaning the struggles of student life are fresh in her head.

“I’ve been engaging with youth, I’ve been on your campuses, I met with your students’ unions and I think I was the first

person to turn the questions around and ask, ‘what do we need to do for you?’”

A main concern of the student population is finding meaningful employment in our fields after graduation.

Chagger promises that the Liberal government will help to employ freshly graduated students.

“What we’re also recognizing is that when you’ve gone through school and you’ve graduated, you have a huge debt load. If we can find you meaningful employment, you’re not asking for a break on the debt load, you’re saying let us pay it back,” she said.

When asked about lowering the cost of tuition, Chagger didn’t beat around the bush.

Lowering tuition is not a main concern for the Liberals, but she explained the party would like to address the issue of student debt in other ways, such as creating more effective loan programs.

“Something that we’re recognizing is that we need to work with the provinces and the premiers, and that’s something that hasn’t happened in our current government.

Though we’ve not made a commitment [to lower tuition costs], I know that there’s a huge dialogue within the liberal party [about tuition costs].”

Specifically, Chagger discussed the flaws within OSAP that most students are more than familiar with. Barriers include putting your parents’ income on your application and assuming that parents or guardians help pay for post-secondary education, which is not the case for many students.

“When it comes to OSAP, you declare your family income and then they might not be or they might be supporting you and then when you graduate you pay it back.

[Your parents or guardians] do not have to pay it back. They are not obligated to pay it back, so then why does their income have anything to do with it in the beginning?”

Before entering the election, New Democratic Party candidate Diane Freeman was working hard with the Waterloo community.

She is an environmental engineer with a company called GHD, a city councilor since 2006 in war four and a full-time mother.

Using her experience as a leader within the community, Freeman outlined her plans for Waterloo if she is elected.

“In terms of what we plan to do here for Waterloo Region, to keep it focused on the local issues, the NDP will champion manufacturing and job creation and we’ll do that through a variety of ways. We have an innovation tax credit, we will be investing in infrastructure which helps to create jobs, we will be investing in transit [to link Kitchener-Waterloo to Toronto] … we will also be investing in some of the industries around here, such as aerospace [and] automotive.”

Freeman also emphasized the concern the NDP’s have for families and the struggles many Canadian families go through.

“Childcare is a huge platform for us,” she said. “We want to get Canadians working and one of the ways we can do that is to invest in expanding our public education system — starting earlier and providing opportunities for moms and dads to go back to work and still get ahead.”

For the student community, finding meaningful employment after graduation is a huge concern. Because Freeman has a son in university, she understands the worry that can come with graduating from a postsecondary institution and not being able to find work.

“With regard to youth employment immediately following university … it’s a really big piece for us. There’s a whole bunch of elements that we’re doing,” she explained.

“One is we plan to phase out your student loans, to help you be able to get ahead when you do find that job. We’re also looking to create more opportunities with grants and

loans … we will [also] be creating 40,000 new jobs for youth employment and postsecondary employment. A lot of that will be experiential learning and mentorship opportunities, but they’ll be paid. These are paid placements; they’re not going to be shaking you down for free time. We’re investing in that.”

Freeman’s passion to see Waterloo succeed by employing more people was definitely evident. She wants to continue to push the innovation sector in Waterloo, but also create other jobs that will benefit more people outside of the tech industry.

“We are training a lot more high-tech workers and they would be really well skilled to take on those new manufacturing jobs. We’ve lost a lot of the traditional manufacturing jobs, peace work and other things to other countries, but our workforce is highly skilled to do today’s new manufacturing. I would like to see some of that come to the Waterloo Region.”

Freeman also addressed tuition cost, another huge concern for the Canadian student population.

“We want to freeze tuition,” she explained. “We really want to make sure that we’re investing in post-secondary education and a whole bunch of other channels, so that [members] of universities don’t have to be increasing tuitions to actually pay for things like research.

“The current government has really not stepped up to the plate in terms of [grants and scholarships], so researchers are having to turn into the tuition base as a source for funding and that’s not the right place, so we want to try to re-balance that.”

Getting young Canadians to vote has been a struggle. Freeman recognized this.

“This year it really matters to vote,” she said. “It’s tough to find time … [so] it’s really about saying to the students, you can vote right now … that’s the big piece, is to get engaged and vote.”

URES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 • 9

THE CANDIDATES

ates about their plans if elected in the upcoming federal election

Conservative candidate in the Waterloo riding Peter Braid is no stranger to campaigning. For seven years, he has represented Waterloo in Ottawa, winning the 2008 election by 17 votes.

“I am the poster child for ‘every vote counts.’”

If Braid is re-elected, the Waterloo community will not be subject to any drastic changes, but more so a continuation of the work that Braid has started. This hard work Braid expects to continue includes a strong focus in strengthening the economy while also focusing on the environment.

“We clearly now have a reputation of being a centre of innovation. There are a couple of things I want to continue to advance and pursue after I’m re-elected,” Braid said.

“One, and very importantly, is that I believe that there is a greater role for innovation in promoting environmental sustainability and a greater role in our community in contributing towards that effort. I would like to see further support for our emerging green tech sector here in Kitchener-Waterloo.”

For students specifically, Braid hopes to be the voice for the large student population in Waterloo.

“For the past seven years I’ve been working very closely with the two universities … on advocating for their priorities in Ottawa, specifically with respect to the Canada student loans and grants program,” he said.

Braid explained the Harper government has made several changes to the Canada student loans and grants programs over the years, but more drastic changes are in the foreseeable future.

“Starting next year,” Braid began, “we will remove in-study income from the assessment process … This is a huge achievement particularly for students from both [Laurier and UW] who are co-op students, who work during their [studies]. Starting next year … a student’s income will not have an impact on the final amount of their student loan or

grant.”

Braid, like Chagger, also remarked on the fact that when filling out loan applications, the student is expected to include their parents’ income information as well.

“The expected parents’ contribution will be reduced [on student loan applications].

This will allow increased support and allow more students to qualify for loans.”

Another factor concerning the student population Braid also addressed was the stress of finding meaningful employment after graduation. Students number one priority is the same as other Canadians: the strength of the economy.

“Students are making a significant investment of time and money in their university education and they want to know that that investment will pay off when they graduate,” Braid explained. “They want a job when they graduate and they want to be fully contributing members of our society.

Myself and our Conservative government share that number one goal and concern and priority of building a stronger economy.”

“We will continue to build our economy by keeping taxes low, by keeping money in the pockets of hard-working Canadians and families, by maintaining a balanced budget at the federal level and by living within our means,” Braid said.

When reflecting on his previous win, Braid remembered the role Laurier played in his success. He recognizes that this year, Laurier is once again playing a role to positively benefit his campaign.

“I have to pay particular tribute to the Campus Conservative club at Wilfrid Laurier University. In fact, as I mentioned, I won in 2008 by 17 votes, and I have stated in the past that I would not have won that election without the contribution of Laurier students to my campaign and Laurier students continue to have an important role on my campaign team.”

Green Party candidate Richard Walsh has been an active member of the Waterloo community since 1979. As a husband, father, grandfather and retired Laurier psychology professor, Walsh is no stranger to engagement with students as well as the community as a whole.

“The campaign is oriented around the basic idea that Canada and the Waterloo Region need to restructure the economy so that we live in an environmentally sustainable way,” Walsh began.

“We need to green the economy at every level: locally, provincially, federally and internationally.”

As he became more specific about the Green Party’s plans for Canada, Walsh outlined the Green Party’s five main points of focus, alluding to as if they were fingers on a hand. The thumb represents the need for “environmental sustainability” and introducing a carbon fee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“And to [encourage] the economy to rely only on renewable resources by 2050,” Walsh began.

The second finger focuses on making the economy “green” to see a massive boost in employability for all people, not just tech industries or startups. Walsh said the community needs skilled people, individuals trained in humanities and social sciences as well as people trained in professional programs with particular interests in business and environmental studies.

“The third finger has to do with the nature of our social services and the fact that they need to be revived,” Walsh said. “They need to be revived because of lack of federal funding. By social services I’m referring to health, education and social assistance.”

One of the biggest promises the student population has heard from Green Party leader Elizabeth May is regarding tuition.

Walsh explained the Green Party proposes to abolish tuition entirely by the year 2020

and to forgive student debt over $10,000.

Along with the student population, the Green Party is also concerned with Canadians who are living in poverty.

“The Green Party proposes a guaranteed annual income for everybody in Canadian society [of ] roughly $20,000 annually,” Walsh stated. “That would eliminate poverty for everybody in Canada.”

The fourth finger, Walsh explained is to reform the electoral system in Canada, currently first-past-the-post.

“That system is undemocratic,” Walsh explained. “It’s archaic, it’s only used by a small handful of nations … most other nations in the world employ some type of proportional representation for elections to a federal parliament. We don’t.”

“The pinky finger has to do with the nature of Canada’s relations to the international community.” Walsh believes Canada needs to return to peacekeeping internationally, returning to a strong role in the United Nations.

Due to his background in psychology, Walsh has been asked by May, to be the shadow cabinet member for the portfolio of mental health. If elected, he hopes to incorporate this role into the Waterloo community.

“For this community, that would mean strengthening mental health supports … the lack of services is particularly problematic for children and youth.”

For Walsh, the student community in Waterloo is close to his heart.

“I have an intimate knowledge of and appreciation for the status of students, particularly given the extremely high financial burden that students and usually their families experience.”

Walsh specified that when talking about student needs, he is not only referring to university education, but also college and skilled trade training. His goal is to provide all students with the same benefits.

PHOTOS BY WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR, ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR, JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER, JENNIFER FOK/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTED IMAGES PHOTO MANIPULATION BY LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

10 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ZACH GUITOR zguitor@thecord.ca

THEATRE

A boozed and sorrowful night Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? finishes run at K-W Little Theatre

CHRISTOPHER DONALD STAFF WRITER

“To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”

This quote comes from Homer Simpson, one of pop culture’s most famous and unflinching alcoholics. It’s obviously intended as a joke but Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which just finished its run at the Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre, made me wonder if there’s some sad, painful truth underneath the veil of farce.

The play, by focusing on two pairs of drunk and tired strangers either speaking in awkward small-talk or shouting confessions at each other, takes place in more-or-less real time from two to five in the morning in one set.

It made sense for a local production, as minimal resources and transitions are required. They talk, they drink, they fight, they drink, flowers get thrown, they drink, the young couple leaves and nobody’s happy.

And yet there’s a good amount of humour integrated into the dialogue, which creates an unusual but intriguingly complex mix — like if the cast of Seinfeld lived in a Tennessee

Whether you rarely drink or drink often, it’s important to come to terms with both its power to help soothe and cause chaos.

Williams world.

I personally didn’t laugh much because everyone was drunk and miserable, but the rest of the audience had a hearty chuckle, so maybe the humour was actually funny. I thought it felt more in service to give the drama a sense of conversational fluctuation that added to the realism, even if modern-day speaking patterns led to all the usage of the word “goddamn” feeling inorganic.

Despite that, this specific production did well by the source material.

The acting was mostly good, with Scott Cooper being the highlight as the wearily gruff George. Jessica Carswell also fared very well as the constantly drunk and very giggly – if only on the surface – Honey. Although she did not get much of the spotlight, she made the most of it when she did.

Greg Allen was good as Nick, even if some of his reactions were a little more underplayed than they should

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

George (Scott Cooper) and Martha (Kate Urquhart) exchange banter while sharing one of many drinks of the night.

have been. The weakest link was Kate Urquhart as Martha, although not for a lack of trying. She had moments that showed she is capable of being a good performer ­— such as an imagined conversation with her father — but it was a case of unfortunate miscasting. Urquhart seemed 20 years too young for the role, resulting in an affectation that played more reminiscent of Greta Gerwig in Mistress America than a depressed 50-year-old. But that’s just the limiting reality of community theatre.

The same is true with the production, which impressed in terms of blocking, direction and design, but burdened by completely bare wooden walls that clashed with the colourful 1950s-esque furniture. It was a

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s ’ 0 0 10costumes

of

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weird effect, and one that could have been fixed with some wallpaper, but may have been intentional; this would create a sense that all these things and people that Martha and George surrounded themselves with were just a means to fill a void that could never be filled.

It’s the dilemma over the therapeutic effects of alcohol versus its propensity to make you do things you’ll regret that keeps this story relevant. As much as we collectively try to frame it as just another element of catharsis, its necessity to those with nowhere else to turn is counterbalanced and even overpowered by its ability to pervert its consumer’s behaviour throughout Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? It’s brutal to

watch, both on a thematic level and on a visceral one — on account of all the close-range shouting — but it’s something that should be seen, especially by millennials.

Whether you rarely drink or drink often, it’s important to come to terms with both its power to help soothe and cause chaos. While reliance may be understandable, dependence an alcohol will only lead to the sort of repression and regret that poisoned George and Martha’s life and had already started to invade the world of Honey and Nick. Such is the power of alcohol.

This was all captured well by the Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre troupe and I look forward to what they have to offer in the future.

RELATIONSHIPS

Tears of gravy RYAN CULLEY CORD ARTS

The bliss of fall, Thanksgiving and reading week are a time for students to finally sit back, relax and watch too much Netflix while not reading at all. However for some students, Thanksgiving is a time to be dreaded.

It isn’t so much all of the pointless conversations with distant family members or the ridiculous amount of schoolwork you probably won’t even start.

What many Laurier students fear is the dreaded “turkey dump” that has been said to crush both the hearts and grade point averages of Laurier students who fall victim to this allegedly unstoppable event.

The “turkey dump” is a time in which students in long-distance relationships venture home for Thanksgiving only to return from the break newly single.

There are multiple speculated reasons as to why the “turkey dump” occurs, but these, quite frankly, are all a farce.

There is no denying the spike in singles on campus when it comes to the post-turkey haze of Thanksgiving, however as this phenomenon

suggests, you can’t blame your failed relationship on the tryptophan in the turkey. Tryptophan supposedly induces a post-meal session of existential and introspective discovery, causing you to question whether you ever really loved your significant other.

As convenient of an excuse that this may be, we all know you really just have the “hots” for that girl in your EC101 lecture or that cute guy you always see in the dining hall.

When it comes to long-distance relationships, distance may make the heart grow fonder but it’s proximity that makes every other part of you go looking for someone new. The blame gets placed on Thanksgiving and going home for the holidays, but the dump would have come before the turkey if the opportunity presented itself.

No one wants to be that person, the type that ends the relationship over text or the phone. Skype calls these days aren’t as “satisfying” as the they used to be.

In the end, despite post-turkey haze and post-dump depression, you’ll have a fresh slate to start from after Thanksgiving. If you’re a student going into Thanksgiving dreading the “turkey dump,” keep your chin up and be happy knowing that there’s no other work at hand and that it’s not the time of year or the holiday itself contributing to your failed relationship.

ARTS & LIFE • 11

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

THE COST OF CAFFEINE Whether it be through pills, bags or that heavenly ground powder, we all have our own way to get a fix. You can find it in the rainforests of Colombia or synthesized in a sterile lab. Go a day without it, and the symptoms of withdrawal will slowly envelope your life.

Caffeine is one hell of a drug.

Premium Lattes Firstly, let’s breakdown the cost of your needlessly complicated and expensive premium latte.

At your average café, a 16 oz. flavoured latte will run you around $5 and will contain about 150 mg of caffeine. That equates to a cost of 3.33 cents per mg of caffeine.

To put things in perspective, a brewed coffee of the same size contains approximately 330 mg of caffeine and will cost around $2 at your average café. This equates to a cost of merely 0.61 cents per mg of caffeine.

Now ask yourself, are you willing to compromise your pumpkin spiced latte and Instagram likes for a source of caffeine that is shown to be 92 per cent cheaper with respect to caffeine content?

Homebrewed Coffee If you’re willing to take the big step to homebrewing, you are looking at cutting that cost in half. There are plenty of brewing methods that are great for both single-cup drinkers and for those who brew for the entire house.

If you’re drinking by yourself, using an Aeropress is a quick and easy way to brew a clean and balanced cup, while a large French press can produce a more robust batch that is more than enough to satisfy a full house.

Your basic drip-coffee brewer will do the trick, but there are plenty of home brewing methods out there that accentuate elements in coffee you would hardly ever have considered.

Tea Another popular source of caffeine for students is tea. Now, it’s difficult to gauge the cost of caffeine in tea since there are various different kinds, ranging from white, green, black and beyond. If bought at a café, your average cup of tea costs around $1.50 and can have anywhere between 30 to 90 mg of caffeine per cup, which results in a cost range of 1.67 – 5 cents per mg of caffeine.

Decide to brew your tea at home, and you’re looking at pricing comparable to that of homebrewed coffee. Be sure to consider your steeping time, given there is a marginal caffeine disparity between a one and five-minute steep.

In addition to caffeine, green tea contains the compound L-Theanine which is said to counteract the negative effects of caffeine, such as restlessness and jitteriness.

Candy In a similar vein to energy drinks and premium lattes is the increasingly popular “caffeine candy.”

In fact, one of the biggest names in this market is AWAKE Chocolate, which was co-founded

by Laurier alumnus.

A bar of AWAKE will run you $2.81 in Waterloo, and contains about 110 mg of caffeine, which works out to 2.56 cents per mg.

Although this is cheaper than both premium lattes and energy drinks, caffeine sources that are high in sugar shouldn’t be your go-to source for caffeine. Building a tolerance to caffeine is one thing, but doing so while eating candy will put you at risk of more than just the jitters.

Energy Drinks Energy drinks present a convenient and tasty way to get your fix — but be prepared to spend a pretty penny. With 80 mg per can, Red Bull — the world’s most popular energy drink — will run you close to 4 cents per mg of caffeine.

Energy drink companies tout that their beverages contain additional nutrients and vitamins, but many of these claims are completely baseless and subjective. Consider all the sugar in a lot of energy drinks and an energy drink is basically a premium latte without the Instagram cred.

Supplements Finally, there’s the pure stuff. Be it through pills or powder, purchasing straight caffeine is the uncontested winner when it comes to pricing and convenience.

At a local supplements store you can buy a bottle of caffeine pills for as little as $6, which contains 100 pills at 200 mg of caffeine each. At 0.03 cents per mg of caffeine, there’s no beverage that comes close.

Despite the price, the level of convenience associated with caffeine pills demands selfcontrol. Users can easily build a tolerance and dependence when price becomes this negligible and getting the equivalent caffeine content of a large coffee takes just sip of water. Also, pure caffeine pills lack the added benefits of the antioxidants in coffee or the L-Theanine in tea. All things told, pure caffeine-use shouldn’t necessarily be avoided, but be sure to set strict limits if you decide to make the switch.

GRAPHICS BY LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR, WORDS BY ZACH GUITOR/ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

12 •

Editorial

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca

Endorsing Bardish Chagger for Waterloo federal riding With the federal election just under two weeks away, the Waterloo riding is considered a bellwether. The large student population hold significant power to swing the riding.

All candidates — Diane Freeman, Peter Braid, Richard Walsh and Bardish Chagger — bring notable qualities to the table, but we feel one individual rises above the rest.

This is not a general party endorsement, but rather an endorsement of the specific candidate who we feel would best represent Waterloo on the widest scale.

We believe Bardish Chagger of the Liberal party seems to be the top candidate for our young and booming city. Beyond her exceptional presence in the student community in Waterloo, her vision covers important implications such as affordable housing, mental health, public transit, senior support and income security. Her approach is honest and realistic Diane Freeman’s experience with city council has given her the knowledge required to lead; she has earned the respect of many different stakeholders in the Waterloo Region and her compassion and work ethic is widely recognized. Peter Braid, the Conservative candidate, has created

an excellent reputation since he won in 2008.

He puts in the face time and commitment with and for students and has made some good contributions to the community.

Richard Walsh, the representative of the Green Party and a beloved former psychology professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, has done much to reinvigorate political engagement with the campus Green Party.

However, Chagger has stepped out in the way she connects with students and brings new ideas to a community that has been Conservative since 2008.

Chagger brings her own ideas and a vision that goes above and beyond her represented party, focusing on aspects the Waterloo riding needs.

Her dynamic passion is a reflection of her spirited character.

We understand our opinion may not represent the views of everyone and we encourage everyone to vote for whoever they see most fit. We know there are quality attributes for each candidate.

If you are not sure who you plan on voting for, we recommend that you educate yourself and attend the debate Wednesday at 3 p.m., in the Concourse.

Student housing failing to meet promises and demand With the Sage 2 building on Spruce Street more than a month delayed with their construction deadline, it would be right to assume the company should be doing everything they can to keep their customers — mostly students at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo — temporarily content, despite the obvious frustrations.

Not only does this delay inconvenience the students who have to worry about rising academic workloads on top of not being settled into their living situations, but it is damaging Sage’s reputation as a reputable student housing service.

A new video surfaced on the internet of a Sage employee physically removing a tenant who was irritated with lacking customer service. Undoubtedly, the footage will contribute to Sage’s wavering credibility.

This is not the first time Waterloo building construction has failed to meet deadlines. Over the past few years there has been numerous cases, including last year’s issue with Schembri Property Management, of students setting up camp in hotels or on friends’ couches because their buildings remained unfinished past their move in schedules.

Why are so many students willing

to sign leases for blueprints — buildings that have yet to touch the sky or even break the ground? Why do so many people take such residential risks?

Students seek state-of-the-art condos that are modernized, fully furnished and equipped with top-notch amenities. The market is expanding with elegant lounges, flat screen TV’s and granite flooring that far exceeds the standard expectations of traditional housing. For many students these advancements may be worth the risk — not to mention the prolonged wait. But for those lost souls who merely want to find a functional place to live with a low budget and reasonable expectation, it seems that options are running low.

Everywhere we look there are cranes and bulldozers ruthlessly ripping down properties like a chaotic warzone. Old houses — which may still appeal to those who are looking for modest and affordable living situations — are being replaced with elegant condos. Deluxe residents are conquering the battlefield of Waterloo.

Overall, affordable and functional options should not be compromised for ambitious buildings that are failing to be built.

These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-inChief and Opinion Editor. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources.

The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP.

THE CORD IS PUBLISHED BY WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY STUDENT PUBLICATIONS 205 REGINA ST. N., WATERLOO

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR Bryan Stephens VICE-CHAIR Abdiasis Issa DIRECTOR Rafey Sattar DIRECTOR John Pehar

DIRECTOR Tom Lillo DIRECTOR Angela Foster DIRECTOR Fred Kuntz DIRECTOR Gary Doyle

FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com ADVERTISING MANAGER Caroline Schummer care.schummer@ wlusp.com

PRESIDENT Bryan Stephens president@wlusp. com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@ wlusp.com

JOSHUA AWOLADE/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Anti-Semitic vandalism MITCHELL CONSKY OPINION EDITOR

Over Homecoming weekend, a few of my friends faced a rough situation.

After asking a few strangers to leave their apartment to avoid their place from becoming over-crowded with people they don’t know, they found their door key-scratched with the word “Jew” and their mezuzah, a biblical Hebrew scribe in a small shell that’s mounted next to doorways, ripped down and broken.

The event was later described as worrying and confusing. I can’t fully understand what they felt during those moments, but I can partially relate.

Upon first moving into my new building a couple months ago, my roommates and I, who are all also Jewish, noticed a couple of swastikas drawn on the wall sheet in the elevator. It was obvious this was not a direct attack, but the fundamental cruelty, idiocy and candid ignorance behind such actions remain the same.

Whether or not these acts of vandalism were truly fueled by anti-Semitic intentions, the hurtful impact carries through.

Not undermined or minimized, let’s call these redecorations what they truly are: hate crimes.

And like most committed crimes, those responsible should feel guilty and ashamed.

Some may see such vandalistic acts as harmless, not cruelly intended or mere mistakes of intoxication.

However what such destruction truly

represents likely soars far beyond what those naive minds are capable of understanding.

So allow me to break it down as simply as I can.

Beyond the inconvenience of having to wipe off vandalized words or symbols that represent the annihilation of your very existence, such demonstrations of hatred work as reminders of rejection in our society — confirming that there are still people in this world that are lost within the twisted ideals that had once forced humanity into our darkest days.

I’m not saying this is a common occurrence.

Now in my third-year living in Waterloo, unlike with many other Canadian university campuses, I haven’t heard of or encountered any hate crimes besides the ones mentioned prior.

I certainly don’t live in fear of revealing my religion and have rarely felt even the slightest bit uncomfortable.

To be honest, I’m nothing but proud of my heritage. Growing up in a mostly Jewish community made me appreciate moving to a more diversified area all the more. Being different had never felt like something to be hidden, but rather something to be glorified.

Now, for argument’s sake, let’s say the unknown individuals who key-scratched the door or drew the swastikas in the elevator do not truly stand by what their vandalistic actions represent.

Perhaps they were just drunk, looking for a laugh or had lost control of their body when tripping on acid.

Should they still feel guilty? Are their actions then less intensified?

Would it be better to not take such stupidity personally and simply carry

Not undermined or minimized, let’s call these redecorations what they truly are: hate crimes.

on with our days?

No matter what led them to the crime, what their influences were, what their actual intentions were or the extents of their true character, what was done is simply inexcusable.

Particularly from the perspective of those encountering the crime, there is nothing that would separate the drunks, comedians and acid-trippers from those true Nazi supporters that have real hatred deep-rooted in the coldness of their fucked-up minds.

Why? Because there is no difference.

The daunting fear trickles in at the exact same pace; the blood-curdling reminder that hatred prevails within your own society echoes through your thoughts and makes you question your very safety.

The reality of the matter is hate crimes can take their toll.

The cruelty of this degree can feel as vicious of an attack as any other.

For those few of you who don’t see the problem, who see anti-Semitic vandalism as “harmless” or “minimal,” I kindly invite you to get your heads out of your asses, open your eyes and remember that it has been 63 years since six million innocent people lost their lives because of the brutalities of oppression.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

• 13

Opinion

OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca

Learning to be responsibly irresponsible In an age where heavy drug consumption is common, it’s important to maintain responsibility

MYNT MARSELLUS MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

The first time I smoked pot I was 16 years old. It was in the ravine close to my high school in a well-wooded area with three friends and they had expertly turned a disposable water bottle into a makeshift bong. I had never smoked anything before so I had no idea what to expect.

For anyone reading who has partaken of this particular leaf before, you probably know the wonderful feeling I felt afterward. Walking to my friends’ place I felt like I was on cloud nine. We were laughing and skipping and when we got to his house we listened to old progressive rock records before dozing off for a nap.

All in all it was a very good day.

Not at all what I had expected when I first found out my friends were “stoners” a few months before.

We had just finished class and walked outside to catch the bus when one of them pulled out a joint and asked if we wanted to share. I froze. I was so concerned about peer pressure and being coerced into trying “gateway” drugs that I shut down in front of them.

And then something weird happened.

They saw how stressed and worried I looked and the most blunt of them put his hand on my shoulder and told me I didn’t have to have any if I didn’t want to. In his words, “we

ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

The excessive use of drugs can take control of people’s daily lives and eventually disable goals and ambitions.

don’t want you freaking out and getting us caught.”

It was the opposite of what the cops who came into our elementary school classes tried to scare us about.

Despite being friends with stoners, after that day they never mentioned it in front of me because I had looked so uncomfortable.

I was never pressured into trying pot. I only tried it when I wanted to, after I had done months of research and knew exactly the circumstances I would be trying it in.

I called it being “responsibly ir-

Letter to the Editor Response to feminist blog threats Dear colleagues at the University of Toronto, In the days since the posting of the kill feminist blog threats at your university, we have walked into our classrooms differently. Perhaps others would suspect we’ve allowed fear to dominate but what in fact we have been given is heightened purpose and commitment to what we teach and what we learn. We’ve always known that our field of research is a direct challenge to those who want very much to maintain their status in a social construct based on hurting those whose bodies don’t conform to the white, middle class, heterosexual cis gendered image of a good Canadian citizen.

While we share with you the daily experiences of fighting for the right to speak to persecution, your most recent experience is a jolting reminder of how fear can be used to close down the teaching and the

responsible” and it was the motto that carried me through the rest of high school.

It’s about being smart with everything you do rather than abstaining from all risky activities.

I smoked a few times a month afterwards until graduation and have continued to occasionally partake through my time in university, though admittedly not as often. And recently, I realized how this was how all the successful people in my life went about having fun.

That may sound exaggerative, but

Université d’Ottawa

|

I don’t know many people who fully abstain from alcohol and the most successful people I know have excellent self-control in terms of how they consume.

Casual and regular use of drugs is rampant throughout our society and I’m not willing to say that it’s such a bad thing.

Recently I learned from a friend who had completed their master’s a few years before that cocaine can be prevalent in some higher academic circles, but you never hear horror stories about it because of how com-

munity driven those spaces are.

She would use some to power through writing big chunks of her master’s thesis, but would only do so in the presence of the other students, some of whom partook and others who didn’t.

To her it was no different than getting strung up on a pot of coffee at two in the morning during a cram session. And since finishing her master’s she hasn’t touched the stuff.

Responsible irresponsibility, taking calculated risks, being informed about what you are putting into or doing with your body.

It’s a simple guideline to live your life by that will help you find the compromise between the risks that you want to take and ensuring that you are safe.

Do your research. Know who to call in an emergency. Don’t do drugs with people you don’t trust.

Don’t use a cup or a bottle or a pill when you don’t know where it’s been. Be around friends who will take care of you if you have a bad trip. Choose a designated driver.

Keep money on your OneCard or cash in your wallet for a taxi. Use the buddy system when at a club or party. Have Foot Patrol on speed dial.

I have too many functional drug users in my life who excel at school and keep down their jobs for me to judge drug users in general.

Obviously this is not an endorsement of all drugs at all times for all people.

But curiosity about drugs, or really any behaviour with associated risks isn’t something to avoid at all costs, nor is it something to shame others over.

University of Ottawa

learning of oppression. Like you, we are refusing to allow those fears the victory of having won our silence.

This event, instead, is a recalibration of the importance of what we do and why we do it. We are standing with you and will support you in our conversations inside and outside the classroom. Our strength is collective and built through solidarity.

Study Law in the National Capital

Yours truly, The Women and Gender Studies Program, Wilfrid Laurier University

Obtain a uOttawa JD degree in either English or French: • Rigorous and stimulating training • Diverse internship and practicum opportunities • Concentrations and specializations available

Letter policy Letters must not exceed 250 words.

Include your full name and telephone number. Letters must be received by 12:00 p.m. noon Monday via e-mail to letters@thecord.ca.

The Cord reserves the right to edit for length and clarity or to reject any letter.

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Take advantage of our many combined programs, including, • Opportunities to earn both common Law and civil law degrees; • A dual JD program with US Universities, allowing you to obtain Canadian and American law degrees; • Opportunities to combine your JD studies with programs in the uOttawa Faculty of Social Sciences, the Telfer School of Management or Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

We also offer LLM and PhD programs.

Application deadline: November 1, 2015 For more information: www.commonlaw.uOttawa.ca

14 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Volkswagen caught in the integrity crime TARIQUE PLUMMER OPINION COLUMNIST

Now this is a story all about how, Volkswagen’s life got flipped upside down. I would like to take a minute and just sit right here and tell you how Volkswagen got ensnared.

Climbing up the academic ladder can allow us to evaluate our definition of ethics. Integrity is valued in academia when “cheating” and “cheaters” are clearly distinguished.

The magnitude of the penalty varies but what is certain is that it’s just not a slap on the wrist. Cheating in university can possibly result in a failure in the course, probation or even expulsion. In the real world, there is a commonality. Sanctions exist but the magnitude is inflated.

Termination of employment, criminal charges, lawsuits, you name it.

It all started in 2001 when the International Council for Clean Transportation was created. It was created on the assertion that emissions played a big role in global climate changes. Aided by long pocket investors/contributors, the organization developed teeth.

ICCT commenced emission testing and became the advocate for more austere regulatory policies in the American, Asian and European

Whenever this storm settles, VW will undoubtedly be left with a severely tarnished reputation ...

industries.

Concern grew over diesel fuelled vehicles; researchers believed the emissions were significantly higher than lab tests would reveal.

West Virginia University engineers were given $50,000 to prove or disprove the hypothesis.

After which, if the results were favourable, the call for stricter regulatory measures like those in America would be amplified.

BMW was first tested and as expected, the emissions were higher than in the laboratory.

Next was VW and when the results came out researchers were blown away as emissions were significantly higher than tests initially revealed, with some sources saying more than 35 times higher. This is when VW started quivering in their boots.

Pundits theorized that at this point, VW went into damage control mode and almost came out of it unscathed if it were not for the Environmental Protection Agency. The results were

published over a year ago but the storm was a baby until the EPA fed it last month, saying the largest European car manufacturer allegedly installed “defeat devices” in their diesel operated vehicles.

VW has since admitted these devices were installed in as many as 11 million cars, and had released hundreds of thousands tennes of extra nitrous oxide annually into our beloved atmosphere.

The EPA’s office of enforcement and compliance assurance has acknowledged publicly the illegality and threat of these devices in avoiding the clean air standard tests.

So far VW has been caught cheating. What do you think the penalties they are facing right now are?

In light of the scandal, CEO of VW, the highest paying job in Europe, has resigned — the company has lost a third of the value of its shares.

Manufacturers in Germany are potentially facing criminal charges, but it doesn’t stop there.

VW is recalling almost 500,000 vehicles, staring down the gun of an $18-billion bill in “investigations and complying with regulator’s demand” in addition to the numerous lawsuits that will come its way.

Whenever this storm settles, VW will undoubtedly be left with a severely tarnished reputation, a debt larger than a typical college structure, and the lesson, “cheating does not pay, so maintain your integrity.”

This is a valuable lesson we can all be mindful of.

ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

Volkswagen will be facing consequences for cheating the ICCT test.

Political ad campaigns are insignificant

LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

MADELINE MCINNIS OPINION COLUMNIST

I think we’re all familiar with that Conservative party attack ad that’s on every commercial break since May of this year. By now, you’ve probably learned that Justin Trudeau wants to legalize marijuana, send winter coats to Syria and is “just not ready.”

This ad has been the template for this year’s election video ads.

More so than ever, this election has become about the leaders of the parties and not the actual policies themselves. Don’t get me wrong; I know the leaders are important, but shouldn’t we know something else about what we’re voting for? Perhaps

how they could benefit Canadians?

International relations? Economic growth? Anything?

In this day and age, I think it’s safe to say we are smart enough to judge parties based on their policies.

With a campaign budget of — hang on, you might want to sit down for this one — $13.5 million according to CBC, the Conservatives probably could have afforded to have a better written, more clever commercial. Needless to say, all of us have laughed once or twice at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. That doesn’t seem like a multi-million dollar ad to me.

The Conservatives have tried (and failed) to cover all their bases in representing Canadians. They’ve got a couple of women, a man of colour and a grumpy old guy.

What more could you ask for in terms of representation? I think we all know how the Conservatives feel about missing Aboriginal women,

But the truth is that these ads have absolutely no affect on the recent polls ...

so why would they mind missing them in their ads? If you’re going for representation, at least include an Aboriginal or black person. Having three white people, even if two of them are female, is hardly trying.

Unfortunately, the New Democratic Party isn’t much better. In case you haven’t seen it, the NDP has put out an ad spoofing the Conservative “interview.” It’s the exact same layout, except one of the women

is Asian. Though pretty funny, I’m still not sure what the NDP is actually hoping to achieve from this.

Perhaps it’s just meant to stay in your memory that Tom Mulcair has a sense of humour. It’s not like the Conservatives were attacking him in the first place, though. Plus, it makes them look like liars when they say Harper has nice hair.

But the truth is that these ads have absolutely no effect on the recent polls, which would show the Liberals and Conservatives to be in a virtual tie.

Going into the final stages of the campaign, I think it’s more important than ever to be pushing the good aspects of their own parties instead of trying to tear their opponents down.

When you look at it, Justin Trudeau and the Liberals were always relatively far behind in the polls, but have spiked in the later stages of the election.

Apparently he’s just not ready to give up. The ad with him walking and talking about the Harper attack ad is the only political television ad I’ve seen in this election that is not entirely berating the other leaders.

Do I think he’s ready to lead Canada?

Maybe, or maybe not. But at least he doesn’t act like a schoolyard bully.

As the October 19 draws closer, please remember not to base your vote on what the parties want you to think about each other. That’s like asking what the Seahawks think of the Patriots; it’s going to be biased, unfair and probably blown completely out of proportion (unlike the balls in the AFC championship, but I digress).

This is the time to form your own political opinions, cast a ballot, and make a change.

You wouldn’t trust anyone else to decide your future, so make sure you make your own decisions for the future of our country.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Sports

• 15 SPORTS EDITOR DREW YATES dyates@thecord.ca

SOCCER

The confidence to compete Hawks find chemistry, communication an asset against Canada’s top teams SHELBY BLACKLEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Communication. Chemistry. Confidence.

These three C’s are currently circulating the Wilfrid Laurier University men’s soccer team. After a shaky start to the 2015 campaign, the Hawks have found themselves with an impressive streak, winning or tying five of their last six games and now sit fifth in the Ontario University Athletics West division.

What’s more is that one of those ties came against the defending national champions, the York Lions.

“I think it’s about the communication [especially] for me and my defenders. We have great chemistry in the back,” said second-year goalkeeper Stephan Brudiu, who allowed a single goal in two games this weekend.

“The better chemistry, the better the performance. They’ll feel more confident in me and I’ll feel more confident in them.”

The confidence showed this when the Hawks allowed a single goal in a 1-1 draw against the Lions Thursday.

A gritty affair, Laurier found their confidence and played with the Lions for a full 90 minutes, finding the back of the net courtesy of third-year Niklas Bauer.

Heading in unbeaten at home,

BACH NGUYEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Brady Kelly challenges a Western attacker during Sunday’s scoreless affair.

Laurier hosted the Western Mustangs, currently four points behind them in the OUA West, Sunday afternoon. A back-and-forth contest showcased a formidable performance from Brudiu who stopped all six shots he faced, keeping the game scoreless.

Laurier mustered four shots, with Western keeper Ben Cowman making two saves.

However the inexperience of a

team that has a lot of first-year and second-year players showed later in the contest when they began to break down their formation and let too many breaks down the wings — something that could hinder their upward progression in upcoming games against the third-place Lions, the second-place McMaster Marauders and the first-place Windsor Lancers.

“I may have put a little too much

pressure by saying we haven’t been beaten at home,” said head coach Mario Halapir.

“There’s an expectation on themselves to perform. And sometimes that’s not great when you’re inexperienced. But you know what, they gotta learn it at some point in time.”

Halapir believes there certainly is an expectation of the Hawks to compete with the best in their division and in the province. With just five games left before the playoffs, the expectation will be to continue with the confidence, communication and chemistry that seems to be forming.

“We’re in unchartered territory right now,” Halapir said. “In the past couple of years, we wouldn’t have had the confidence or the ability to consistently maintain games like [against Western]. But this year we’re actually doing it now. And it comes with believing we can actually compete with everybody.”

After a short break, Laurier will continue their road to the playoffs on Thursday when they head to North York to take on the Lions. The Hawks will then have a three-game home stretch before finishing off in St. Catharines against the Brock Badgers.

“We have to stay strong and focused, stay mentally focused and communicate with each other,” Brudiu said.

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16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

FOOTBALL

PHOTO BY WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR, PHOTO MANIPULATION BY LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

A permanent place in the records Campbell made his mark on Oct. 3 breaking the all-time school record for career rushing yards DREW YATES SPORTS EDITOR

With just over six minutes left in the third quarter against the Waterloo Warriors, fifth-year running back Dillon Campbell ran 29 yards to the endzone for a touchdown, shattering the all-time school record for rushing yards at 3061. The record, previously held by Andy Cecchini in 1991, was rewritten by Campbell as the Wilfrid Laurier University men’s football team beat Waterloo 42-0 on Oct. 3.

Completed on his 31st attempt, Campbell finished the day with 262 all-purpose yards with a game-high total of 241 rushing yards. Campbell put up a total of 143 yards in the first quarter alone, setting the tone for the game for a much-needed win to get the Hawks back on track.

“Super pumped for him,” head coach Michael Faulds said regarding Campbell breaking the record. “Everyone knows Dillon hasn’t been 100 per cent all year but he’s an absolute warrior out there. He’s battling with injury and running extremely hard.

Teams know we are running with him and yet he’s still putting up great yardage.”

“You talk to him after a game and you wouldn’t know whether or not he would have 220 yards or 20 yards.

He’s just that type of guy. There’s a reason the locker room votes him as a captain every year.”

Campbell also hit another milestone, as he is now tied for fourth-place in career touchdowns at Laurier with Byron Hickey and Andy Baechler with 24. Campbell drove the offence, running the ball

to the house three times before being pulled from the game after his record-breaking 29-yard run. Hickey suited up for the Hawks between 2001-05 while Baechler played during 2003-07.

Currently, Jim Reid holds the record for most career touchdowns with 33, set in 1978.

Despite hitting both milestones, Campbell remained poised on the tough schedule ahead.

“Yeah the record’s nice, and the win is a lot better but we’ve still got a lot of work to do,” he said.

The weather conditions Saturday forced the Hawks to rely on their running game, setting Campbell up for success. Faulds, knowing the weather and two beat up quarterbacks would make for a difficult pass-heavy affair, relied on his depth

in the running back position once Campbell’s day was over.

It also gave Campbell a chance to ignite a spark and break out, looking more like his true self on the field.

“Yeah it feels good to start running the ball well again. Definitely had a lot better expectations for myself this season, so it’s good to see the ball moving,” he said.

The win gave the Hawks a muchneeded boost as they near their final three matchups of the 2015 regular season.

Friday’s tilt against Ottawa holds major playoff implications for the Hawks, as they are in a three-way tie with the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Toronto Varsity Blues for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Ontario University Athletics conference.

Even though the buzz of the locker

room is high after the blowout win against the Warriors, Faulds knows there is still lots of work to be done before Ottawa comes to town.

According to Faulds, the Hawks will have to work on their air game if they want to put points on the board and shut down Ottawa’s high-octane offence.

Quarterback James Fracas went down after irritating an ongoing knee injury and backup Eric Morelli went 6-for-17 for 72 yards, a touchdown and one interception against Waterloo.

“I told the guys, ‘You know, enjoy this for the next 20 minutes and then we’re moving on to Ottawa,” Faulds said.

The Hawks will play the Gee-Gees Friday Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., at University Stadium.

PROFILE

The other side of the field Luciani finds place as strength and conditioning coach KILLIAN CUPPAGE STAFF WRITER

“You don’t realize how far you’ve come from where you’ve started.”

These exact words were echoed

by Alena Luciani, the strength and conditioning coach for 13 varsity teams at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Coming to Laurier in 2009, Luciani started her journey when she joined the women’s basketball team. Luciani played four years of basketball, followed by a stint with the women’s lacrosse team in her fifth year.

“Laurier is one big family, the Golden Hawk family, and I’m really happy that I was able to be a part of that as an athlete and now being able to see that from the other side of things,” she said.

During her time as a studentathlete, Luciani juggled her time working at the Hawk Desk as well as being a personal trainer, even starting a group training program called, “Train to Excel” in her third year. It was that same summer that Luciani got a job at a training facility outside of Laurier.

That started the wheels turning of entering the world of strength and conditioning.

“It became something I wanted to bring to the group training program,” Luciani explained.

By the end of her fifth year, Luciani was asked to work with some of the

“There was something so satisfying about seeing them progress and reaching the goals they want to reach.”

-Alena Luciani, strength and conditioning coach

varsity teams, and following graduation, made a proposal to the Laurier athletics department to take the position of strength and conditioning coach.

“I guess there was something they really liked about it, because they brought me on board last year, and this year will be my second year working with a handful of the teams,” she said.

Luciani has a special connection to the football program in particular as both her brothers played for the men’s football team, with brother Dante Luciani being a receiver on the famous 2005 Vanier Cup team.

According to Luciani, as the youngest of three, she was taught about working hard for what she wanted whether it be on the court or on the field.

University sports are a unique experience for a strength and conditioning coach, especially at the

Canadian Interuniversity Sport level.

Coaches train for opponents during the week and when the weekend comes along, the coach is eager to see how their training has helped the athlete with their in-game performance. This is Luciani’s favourite part about being a trainer.

“I’m able to work with these teams off the field, off the ice and off the court, and then that weekend be able to go and watch them play. They’re working together for a common goal on the field, and also working for a common goal in the weight room,” she said.

Luciani’s experience playing multiple sports at the varsity level and the fact that these experiences happened very recently really helps her connect to the athletes she’s working with. After getting a taste of coaching athletes, Luciani was taken away by the feeling of satisfaction she gets from helping athletes reach their goals.

“Once I started being on the other side and coaching other athletes through it, there was something so satisfying about seeing them progress and reaching the goals they want to reach,” Luciani said.

“I’ve lived and breathed everything these athletes are doing, I’ve been through ups and downs in my career, it’s not just smooth sailing, but going through that is what got me to where I am today.”

WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR

Alena Luciani joins the coaching staff after five years as a student-athlete.