THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926
VOLUME 57 ISSUE 24 • MARCH 8, 2017
ARE HUMANS THE REAL BUZZKILL? What can we do in K-W to save the bees and why should we care? Features, page 10
POTENTIAL LAWSUIT
UNFOUNDED UPDATE
CHUCK THOSE WHITE CHUCKS
NOT FALLIN’ FOR FALLON
WHEN OUA ISN’T ENOUGH
Businesses uptown threaten to take action
What is WRPS doing about sexual assault?
A look at consumer culture
Why Jimmy Fallon is losing his charm
Curling’s Matt Hall heads to nationals
News, page 3
News, page 6
Arts & Life, page 13
Opinion, page 16
Sports, page 20
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VOCAL CORD
If you were a dog, what breed would you be and why?
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“Boxer because they’re goofy and lovable.” –Dayla O’Hearn-Smith, fourth-year global studies
“Labrador retriever because I have the energy and playfulness to be one.” –Angela Jiang, fourthyear environmental studies
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Last week, staff writer Nicole Stumpf checked out Opera Laurier’s production of The Tales of Hoffman. Check out her review of the production on page 12.
“St. Bernard because they’re big and fluffy.” –Twan Dieker, second-year communication studies
“Golden retriever because I’m always positive and energetic.”
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Quote of the week: “If I were on a desert island, I’d be the first to live, which means the last to die.” - Lead Photographer Marco Pedri as he eats pasta salad out of a coffee filter with a toothpick
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
News
• 3 SENIOR NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD news@thecord.ca
LEGAL
ALEX TRKULJA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Local shop-owners begin lawsuit against the city SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS EDITOR
Business owners in the Waterloo Region who have been impacted by Light Rail Transit construction have taken the first step towards seeking compensation through legal action against the Waterloo Region. Since LRT construction began, the Region has received dozens of letters from businesses indicating that they reserve the right to seek legal action as a result of the losses they faced as a result of construction. “We appreciate that there have been some significant challenges during construction. On the other hand, the municipality does not have a pot of money that is available for this,” said Councilor Tom Galloway, who chairs the regional committee overseeing the LRT project. Provincial law, under the Expro-
priations Act, allows businesses to be reimbursed for any losses. The act states that claims can be filed against the government that is undertaking the project, in this case, it is the Regional government. If a settlement is not agreed upon between the parties involved, the Ontario Municipal Board will determine whether the claim is valid. “It’s a fairly rigorous process that they have to go through in order to convince the municipal board that they should be compensated, but of course it is their legal right to go that avenue if they wish,” Galloway said. If businesses are able to prove that they are entitled to be made whole for any losses, then the government would then likely have to cover both legal and expert costs, as well as any claimed losses. “I have a significant number of clients who have been affected by the LRT,” said Shane Rayman, a Toronto-based lawyer who is rep-
resenting a number of businesses who were allegedly impacted. Rayman’s clients have various claims, including business loss claims as well as claims for the value of their land of disturbance caused by the Region’s acquisition. “Some of them have been impacted very severely; some have had to go out of business and then others have endured some degree of loss,” Rayman claimed. “It really depends where they are and what kind of business they are.” Rayman also explained that the claims are not only being sought out by business owners, however, land owners in general are seeking compensation. “The issue includes the value of the land that’s been expropriated, damage to the remaining land as a result of the expropriation and disturbance damages, which is any other loss arising as a natural and reasonable consequence of the
expropriation, and that includes business losses,” Rayman said. Allegedly, one of the larger companies pursuing claims is Loblaws on behalf of the Valu-Mart located in uptown Waterloo. The grocery store, which is also along the ION route, has apparently suffered a large impact due to construction. When asked about the legal action being taken by Loblaws corporation, Bob Stoikos, manager at Valu-Mart, had no comments at the time. Galloway also explained that some of the payment, if businesses are to continue forward with their claims, could potentially fall onto GrandLinq, the contractors hired by the Region for ION construction. “The agreement we had with GrandLinq does require them to identity to the Region, for these kinds of claims, where it can be proven that they didn’t do things properly, where their construction
methods were improper, the timing was off, etc.,” Galloway said. Galloway also said that the Region does not anticipate a large amount of money will be claimed by businesses. “At this point, the Region, in its history, has never paid a claim for all the road construction we’ve done over the years. That’s why we don’t have a budget for it,” Galloway said. Businesses will have to wait until after the construction is complete to go forward if they wish to do so. Negotiating a claim could take anywhere from six months to two years, as said by Rayman. Rayman, however, believes that if businesses can prove their losses, they may be entitled for compensation as per the Expropriations Act. “I believe that if an owner is entitled to be made whole, and they’ve suffered a loss and they can show that, they’re going to be successful,” Rayman said.
STUDENT LIFE
Preparing for St. Patty’s day NATHALIE BOUCHARD LEAD REPORTER
Wilfrid Laurier University, along with community services, have begun preparing for one of the biggest holidays of the year: St. Patrick’s Day. Over 5,000 people gathered on Ezra Street last year to commemorate the holiday. Laurier’s dean of students, Leanne Holland-Brown, stressed the importance of participating with Laurier pride in mind, but the first and foremost concern of the university is student safety. “The last few years of St. Patrick’s Day has provided the opportunity for Laurier to think really intentionally about what our values are as a university and how they are embodied during potentially challenging times such as St. Patrick’s Day,” said Holland-Brown. St. Patrick’s Day is a shared community effort in keeping Laurier students, faculty and staff safe. “If you look at our community partners, bylaw enforcement and Waterloo Regional Police, there’s shared commitment to safety and
to organization to ultimately support student success, personal and academic,” Holland-Brown said. The academic commitments of St. Patrick’s Day are a priority to the university as well, explained Holland-Brown. “Classes will run throughout the day as per usual. We are not selling items at the Bookstore that links Laurier to St. Patrick’s day because we are trying to emphasize the academic priorities of that day. We don’t want to misconstrue what our priorities are in university.” The university, however, understands those who wish to participate in the festivities of that day. “We recognize that there are students who don’t have classes and those who wish to participate. In those cases, we want to make sure that the messages and the language really shares [the] expectations that Laurier has,” Holland-Brown said. Safety has been a major concern regarding St. Patrick’s Day, overall due to the mass amount of individuals who celebrate the day. “There has been a number of
steps that are taken to maintain security in the buildings to ensure that in terms of the traffic flow of our buildings, it does not disrupt traffic flow that comprise the learning environment. There are regulations in place for residence in terms of guest restrictions.” The additional steps to ensure student safety is to make the resources and information available for Laurier students. The university sent out a mass email to students. The app SafeHAWK, Laurier’s official safety app for students, has over 5,000 downloads already. “Part of reinforcing safety is letting students know the options, letting students know the resources that are available if they find themselves in need of assistance and reinforcing what the expectations are,” Holland-Brown said. Students who choose to participate in the festivities but do not uphold the community and respect focused values are subject to adjudication by the university using the Non-Academic Student Code of Conduct. “[Laurier has] Policy 2.3, which
ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/ONLINE EDITOR
Celebrating on Ezra is a long-standing tradition for students in the area.
is the Non-Academic Student Code of Conduct, that is always in place regardless of the time of the year and the events that are happening. That is the primary vehicle in which the school will be responding to behaviours that are in violation to the student code,” Holland-Brown said. Holland-Brown also emphasized the community effort that takes place during the Ezra Street activities which tend to happen during the day of St. Patrick’s Day.
“We really rely on the Waterloo Regional Police and by-law enforcement regarding Ezra because it is outside the jurisdiction of the university and like any public street in the city,” Holland-Brown said. “Waterloo Regional has determined [that] having the gathering and allowing the gathering to continue is safer and more reasonable to manage than trying to shut down that street which creates a litany of other issues.”
4 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
PROJECTS
Brantford professor to assist in police project KAITLYN SEVERIN SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
CHRISTINA MANNOCHIO/THE SPUTNIK
Brantford Police are running a project in order to improve the response to survivors and reports of sexual assault.
Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus plans to work with the Brantford Police Service to help properly respond to survivors of sexual assault when incidences are reported. Working along with the Laurier Brantford campus will be local community services such as the Sexual Assault Centre of Brant, Victim Services of Brant and the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Team Brantford General Site 200. The Brantford Police Service will also be running one of the 15 pilot projects funded by the provincial government. Last month, the Ontario government announced they will be implementing $1.8 million which will go towards projects whose aims are to improve the way police officers respond to reports and survivors of sexual violence. The sole researcher on this project is Laurier Brantford’s own assistant professor in the faculty of social work, Jennifer Root. Root will be one of the handful of individuals working on the project lead by the Brantford Police Services. According to Root, her invitation to work on this project stems from her area of research in violence against women and how women are impacted by gender-based violence. “This was just something that I was lucky enough to be a part of,” Root said. As the sole researcher, the expertise Root will be offering to the project is research methodological support, where she will be providing partners with methodological guidance on how to identify certain patterns in the data. “I’m really just providing [community partners] with some methodological guidance, helping them identify patterns, [etc.],” Root said.
We’re trying to be very mindful of those involved in advocate case reviews, not creating a cookiecutter model ... - Jennifer Root, assistant professor in faculty of social work
“It’s the frontline workers themselves who serve as the experts in this process, they’re the ones who are really moving through this case process with the police to try and arrive at some understanding of what’s working well and what’s not working well.” As a social worker, Root believes this project is a perfect opportunity for herself and for the Brantford community. “[The project is] almost the epitome of what a community-university research partnership can look like,” she said. This project will also give Root
the chance to indulge herself into the Brantford community and find answers to how the partners can accurately support their community members. “As a social worker, that’s usually important for me — that the way that research and outcomes come together will have direct implications for the people in our community.” According to Root, the work these community partners are putting in will have a direct impact for survivors of sexual assault and will be able to see that they are assisted by services the area. She hopes to hear more about the survivors’ stories through a qualitative approach. “Moving through this case review process really is listening to these experts work through women who’ve experience sexual violence, folks who have experienced sexual violence, working through their stories to figure out how to better inform the way police do their work with them,” she said. On the Laurier Waterloo campus, the Diversity and Equity Office, the Gendered Violence Task Force and the Laurier Students’ Public Research Interest Group, amongst other groups, have advocated for survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence. The Waterloo Regional Police Services are also working on their own task force with community partners in order to address how police officers are working with survivors of sexual assault and how they are addressing complaints of sexual violence. While both communities are working on similar projects, Root also noted that there has not been an opportunity to connect ideas between the Brantford and Waterloo campuses. This is because the Brantford project is still in its beginning stages. “I just think it’s too early to start figuring how to make those linkages just yet, but that’s something we absolutely need to be figuring out how each community is doing this work in unique ways [so we can] support one another,” Root said. While Root hopes to see a multi-campus approach to these projects, she noted that we are actually seeing a broader connection. Ideas are coming together all across the country in terms of how services are reacting to Robyn Doolittle’s Globe and Mail investigation, ‘Unfounded: Why Police Dismiss 1 in 5 Sexual Assault Claims as Baseless.’ She made clear, however, that communities will have different ways of approaching rates of sexual assault in their area. “We’re trying to be very mindful of those involved in advocate case reviews, not creating a cookie-cutter model or not trying to suggest that what might work in Brantford will work in another community,” Root said. “We’re really trying to be mindful of figuring out a way to systematize the process that might be helpful for other communities but know that what we create here won’t necessarily again lay over onto the challenges of another community.”
NEWS • 5
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 FUNDRAISER male delegate proposing to any girl present at the event. As well, attendees will be given the chance to purchase raffle tickets to win various baskets.
Everyone’s welcome from campus. We love seeing everyone there. It’s always a really good night and we’re really looking forward to it. -Ziv Shemesh, vice-president of marketing for Alpha Phi
ALAN LI/GRAPHIC ARTIST
Alpha Phi hosts annual event Heartthrob provides funds for cardiac care and research SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS EDITOR
Alpha Phi, a women’s fraternity at Wilfrid Laurier University, is hosting their annual fundraiser, “Heartthrob,” this Friday March 10 at Wilf’s from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Heartthrob is one of numerous
philanthropic events held annually by Alpha Phi. Other events include Heart Week’s bake sale, Move Your Phi’t, which is a five kilometer walk and their biggest event of each year, the Red Dress Gala. The event will begin with a dance-off between Alpha Omega
and Alpha Phi, then the Mr. Heart Throb competition will take place, in which a delegate from each fraternity volunteers to participate in the competition which includes various activities. The activities will include a question and answer period amongst others, followed by the
All proceeds of the event will go towards the Alpha Phi foundation. “This is one of the events where we just fundraise for the Alpha Phi foundation,” said Ziv Shemesh, vice-president of marketing for Alpha Phi. “There’s multiple initiatives that the Alpha Phi foundation supports.” The foundation provides leadership opportunities, scholarships and grants. It also supports the “Forget Me Not” fund which helps previous sisters of the fraternity who are
past their graduation as well as their main focus, which is to advance women’s cardiac care and research. “It all gets divided up but the majority of the money will go to advancing cardiac care and research,” Shemesh said. Last year, the Heartthrob fundraiser saw a turnout of approximately 250 people. Alpha Phi explained that they expect the same, if not more, this year. “Everyone’s welcome from campus. We love seeing everyone there. It’s always a really good night and we’re really looking forward to it,” Shemesh said. Alpha Phi was founded at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2002. It currently holds approximately 115 members who all strive to take part in both community service and philanthropic efforts. For example, the members recently made 50 bags full of feminine hygiene products for the Sexual Assault Centre of Waterloo as a part of their community service efforts. “We have great relationships with other fraternities on campus. All our girls are really involved with Laurier as well,” Shemesh said. “We have a lot of girls in the Students’ Union and other clubs, so it’s really about getting involved, helping out your community and fundraising money.”
INITIATIVES
Ontario enhances culture to celebrate 150 years Provincial government provides funding to four initiatives to support Kitchener’s community SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS EDITOR
Ontario’s 150th anniversary will be celebrated through investments made by the provincial government to cultural programs and infrastructure within the Kitchener area. Under the Ontario150 Community Celebration program, MPP Kitchener-Centre Daiene Vernile announced that four cultural events will receive funding. The Coalition of Muslim Women of K-W will receive $10,000 to create an art exhibit in partnership with THEMUSEUM, entitled “Celebrating Identity.” The exhibit will display the numerous works of Muslim women artists. “The theme of the exhibit will be celebrating the beautiful, yet complex, multi-layered identities that often exist in first-generation immigrants with a focus on what it means to be a Canadian and Ontarian for these newcomer Muslim women artists,” said Fauzia Mazhar, chair of Coalition of Muslim Women of K-W, via email. As well, $22,000 will be given to Neruda Arts to further enhance its 2017 Kultrun World Music Festival. The festival will feature music, dance, visual art and discussion surrounding Indigenous culture. “Kultrun is a proud Canadian brand that promotes community development, social justice and national pride,” said Isabel Cisterna, artistic director at Neruda Arts, in an email.
Investing in infrastructure supports community life and allows us to celebrate and embrace our local culture and history. -Daiene Vernile, MPP Kitchener-Centre
FANI HSIEH/GRAPHIC EDITOR
“It is also a free festival occuring in Kitchener’s Victoria Park, a civic space accessible to everyone and favoured by immigrants, refugees and Indigenous People.” The Multicultural Theatre Space is also amongst the four initiatives. The theatre will deliver a threeshow series and interactive activities focusing on Kitchener’s local history, Canada’s First Nations and stories of new Canadians with their fund of $25,000. Lastly, Homer Watson House and Gallery was announced to receive $24,999 from Ontario to
engage community members in a cultural exhibition and workshop, “Celebrating the Colour’s of Canada: Literally and Contextually,” which will run throughout the course of an entire year. “Students and patrons of all ages will have the opportunity to learn about our multi-cultural community, our Canadian environment and celebrate youth achievement, all in the visual arts context,” said Helena Ball, executive director of Homer Watson House and Gallery, via email. All four initiatives and upgrades
to Kitchener’s community spaces strive to honour the past, showcase the present and leave a legacy for individuals in Kitchener. “Investing in infrastructure supports community life and allows us to celebrate and embrace our local culture and history,” said Vernile via email. “Ontario is helping Kitchener strengthen our local infrastructure, providing the space for us to come together to honour our heritage.” In addition, the provincial government will be providing upgrades to K-W Counselling
services through the Ontario150 Community Capital Program. This initiative is being administered for the Province by an agency of the Government of Ontario called Ontario Trillium Foundation. The centre’s infrastructure will be improved through the repair of the building’s foundation, ensuring the facility’s long-term use while also enabling diverse individuals to work together as a team to enhance community life. This will be done through a funding sum of $130,200. “We will be glad to welcome back the emergent multicultural groups who come to us for mentoring, leadership development and organizational development as well as our programs for women and children who have experienced abuse that have had to be relocated since our space has been unusable,” said Leslie Josling, executive director of K-W Counselling Services, in an email.
6 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
COMMUNITY
Waterloo Regional Police to initiate task force Chief Larkin invites 30 community groups to review sexual assault cases deemed unfounded KAITLYN SEVERIN SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
look at them through “a different lens” approach. According to Ringrose, the. WRPS are also open to continuously providing local media with information on the task force.
After an investigation by The Globe and Mail, it was found that approximately one in five reports of sexual assault are dismissed by police forces across Canada. The Waterloo Regional Police Services are taking action to review past sexual assault cases that were deemed unfounded. Police Chief Bryan Larkin announced earlier in February that the WRPS will be reviewing how police can approach sexual assault complaints. Now, he plans to have representation from 30 various groups and agencies from the Waterloo Region on a task force to review cases deemed unfounded.
We’re looking at about 150 survivors [out of 550 reports] in the community every year whose cases are labelled unfounded. -Sara Casselman, SASC executive director
The unfounded rate in the Waterloo Region was 27 per cent from 2010 to 2014. Police board member, Peter Ringrose, was announced by Larkin as the board representative of the task force. “I think our sense, right now, is that we are probably finding some cases to be [considered] unfounded that really are valid cases that should be prosecuted and it’s a
This is an issue that disproportionaltely impacts women that are in university. It’s a really important story. -Sara Casselman, SASC executive director
ALEX TRKULJA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
30 services, including the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo, will be participating in the WRPS task force.
question of finding out how is that happening, what are we missing and how do we then change our practices so that those cases don’t get treated as unfounded when they’re really founded cases,” Ringrose said. Other representations on the WRPS task force include the YWCA, the Crown’s office, hospitals and regional school boards and the Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo, as well as the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo. Sara Casselman, executive director of SASC, said that within 24 hours of issuing a statement about The Globe and Mail’s investigation on the centre’s official website on Feb. 8, WRPS reached out to the centre and asked them to be a part
of the task force. According to Casselman, the police are also hoping to review a sampling of previous cases that were originally labelled unfounded. “We’re still kind of sitting tight and waiting to see how that first meeting gets organized and it is in the works,” she said. Larkin also said the services will be looking into the Philadelphia model to examine unfounded sexual assault cases. The model suggests that these services give sexual assault centres access to review sexual assault cases deemed unfounded. According to The Record, cities in the United States who have used this model have seen their unfounded rates significantly reduce.
The model was also recommended by SASC in their statement. “We were very pleased to see that they were looking into the recommendations that we made, specifically giving them serious considerations so we actually were very pleased to hear that they’re looking at models like what happened in Philadelphia to address unfounded rates moving forward,” Casselman said. According to The Record, Larkin is also hoping to get feedback from the community in order to ensure survivors of sexual assault are confident in coming to the police. He also said an internal review will be looking into a random sampling of cases labelled unfounded and how they were originally processed, where Larkin hopes to
“When I was at the police meeting the other day, there were certainly inviting the representatives from the media to sit in on the task force so that they can participate and hear what’s being said and the various questions that are being considered so yes, it’ll be very much open,” he said. Casselman was also pleased to see transparency between the task force and the local media, especially in a community with a large student population. “We’re looking at about 150 survivors [out of 550 reports] in the community every year whose cases are labelled unfounded, so this is impacting so many lives in our community,” she said. “We know that young women between the ages of 16 to 24 are four times more likely than any other age group to experience sexual violence, so this is an issue that disproportionately impacts women that are in university. It’s a really important story.”
GOVERNMENT
Ontario to assist those with low income in K-W SHYENNE MACDONALD NEWS EDITOR
As part of a new movement towards financial literacy in the province, Ontario has increased funding to support free tax clinics and financial coaching which is also meant to assist those in Ontario surviving on low income. At an event on March 7, Minister of the Community and Social Services, Helena Jaczek, and MPP Kitchener-Centre, Daiene Vernile, along with others, spoke at Queen Street Commons Café. “[The Working Centre’s] dedication over the years is just a shining example of grass-roots solutions to serving the community and those in need,” Vernile said. “Providing financial coaching to low income people in our community helps to build financial literacy and security. This is a very signifi-
cant partnership between our government and The Working Centre in Waterloo Region, as together we offer important financial services in our community,” Vernile said in a statement released at the event. The government will be investing up to eight million dollars into Prosper Canada, a national charity “dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for Canadians living in poverty through program and policy innovation,” as the statement on their website said. The division of Prosper Canada being supported is Financial Empowerment and Problem Solving (FEPS). FEPS assists with tax returns, acquiring bank accounts, social assistance benefits, as well as financial literacy and debt relief. Alongside Proper Canada, five other non-profit organizations also developed local solutions to on-going problems in many Ontario
cities. The five organizations involved are EBO Financial Education Centre in Ottawa, WoodGreen
We’ll see anyone who fits the criteria for Canada revenue agency volunteer tax program.
-Jen Staver, host of the income tax clinics
Community Service in Toronto, Family Service Thames Valley in London, Sudbury Community
Service Centre and Thunder Bay Counselling Centre. “I do want to thank, in full, the government for the important role they played in providing support and services to some of Ontario’s most vulnerable. And services provided here at the centre are so important because they empower those who have been marginalized,” Jaczek said. “Today, I’m pleased to announce that Ontario is investing up to eight million dollars over the next five years to continue providing programs that promote financial empowerment.” Jaczek, also quoted in the statement released, said she was pleased to continue working with Prosper Canada to help more individuals learn to manage their finances. “For many people living on low incomes, gaining financial literacy skills is an important step
in becoming more financially secure and independent,” read the statement. The tax clinic and financial coaching will also be available to local university students who find themselves in need of guidance. “It’s tax season, university students and a lot of international students will come in and we’ll see them. We’ll see anybody who fits the criteria for Canada revenue agency volunteer tax program,” said Jen Staver, host of the income tax clinics. “I’ve sat with [students] and filed their taxes and they’re learning. The credit is important to them too, the GST and the trillium benefit affects their return. I have a lot of students learn and say I might volunteer later. I also had a Laurier student who emailed me about setting up something in Toronto that is similar to what we’re doing. It’s really relevant work.”
NEWS • 7
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 PROJECTS “Right now, the city estimates that 30,000 people use the trail location, 350,000 people use the promenade and all of those trails are currently un-lit, so you can imagine more people would use them if they were lighted trails,” Freeman said.
It will be a piece of public art and will create a sense of place making. DIANE TAYLOR/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Waterloo’s Glowing Trail Project will be the first of its kind in North America and will be European inspired.
Waterloo Park $800,000 pilot project will light up the region NATHALIE BOUCHARD LEAD REPORTER
Plans to light up the Waterloo Park promenade between Seagram Dr. and uptown are underway, lining up Waterloo to be the first of it’s kind in North America to have an illuminated trail. The City of Waterloo has also
looked into properly completing another part of the trail that runs behind the Perimeter Institute towards Caroline Street. The plans for the completion of the trail is to make it more accessible for the community and for the many guests that visit the Kitchener-Waterloo Region. The materials include lights and
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glowing stones for the trail. The plan is to make to make the trail glow and has thus been coined The Glowing Trail Project. Waterloo councilor Diane Freeman shared some valuable information regarding The Glowing Trail Project and why it’s important to invest into the physical spaces of the Waterloo community.
-Diane Freedman, Waterloo councilor
The trail is meant to encourage the already vast number of people who use the current un-lit trail to keep using it, as well as invite new members of the community to use the new glowing trail. “Imagine that 30,000 people are already using a trail and it’s currently gravel and mud. A lot more people would be willing to use the trail if it were lit up,” Freeman said. The Glowing Trail is the first
of its kind in North America but comes from European inspiration. Specifically, it stemmed from a project found in the Netherlands. The similar path is lit up like Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting. When it comes to the purpose of The Glowing Trail project in Waterloo, Freeman expects that it will mean a lot more to the community then just a walking trail. “It will be a piece of public art and will create a sense of place making,” said Freeman. The significance of the trail is also important because of the many international visitors who attend The Perimeter Institute and the Centre for International Governance Innovation. “When you recognize that that intersection already is a very significant destination in Waterloo then you can understand why it is important to invest in that location with something as unique as a glowing trail,” Freeman said. The funding for the project is made possible by a budget of approximately $800,000, approved by City Council. “Council has a approved a budget of $800,000 and that will be coming from two different reverse funds. One of them is the upcoming uptown development reserve fund and other is a capital reinvestment reserve,” Freeman said.
8 • GAMES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 WORD SEARCH BASSET HOUND BEAGLE BOXER BULLDOG CHOW CHOW COLLIE CORGIE DOBERMAN GERMAN SHEPHERD GREAT DANE GREYHOUND HUSKY LAB POODLE ROTTWEILER SHEEPDOG
GAMES • 9
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 SUDOKU
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 can be sent to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.
Dear Life, I bet I could make communism work.......If I had a Kino-FIST! Sincerely, Sergei
Dear Mitch, Your positivity and care for other people doesn’t go unnoticed. You’re an amazing person and I hope you have all the blessings in the world! Sincerely, Positive vibes Dear Life, My boyfriend looks like the bird from Sesame Street. Sincerely, Concerned girlfriend Dear the sole male WLUSU VP, Damn. Dayum. Just, damn. Don’t leave us in May, I need your face around. Sincerely, #crushingsince2ndyear Dear Cord, You have struck a chord with me this year. Sincerely, A musician
Dear Life, SOMEBODY Sincerely, ONCE Dear Life, TOLD ME Sincerely, Shrek Dear Life, You know you’re too busy when you get a free moment and you literally have no idea what to do with yourself. Getting stressed about breaks should not be a thing! Sincerely, Busy Hawk
Dear Colin A., Your blonde hair glistens in the sun. Call me. Sincerely, Anonymous Dear Life, Free shows are the bomb. Sincerely, Great nights out
Dear Life, I still tie my shoes bunny-ear style, Sincerely, Someone who is constantly growing Dear Bethany, You swiped left on me. We could’ve had something special, like little bearded babies, but you blew it. Sincerely, Future Hubby Bubby Dear Tims line in Bricker, Why are you so long all the time? Sincerely, I just want coffee Dear Marco, Will you be my gigilo? Sincerely, I need a daddy Dear Life, Running into people you know is the best. Sincerely, I see you! Dear Cord, Amy Holman is my hero! Sincerely, You’re going to kill it at Centennial Dear Life, When your friends forget to invite you to dinner with them. Sincerely, I see how it is
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10 •
FEATU
FEATURES EDITOR/MITCHELL CONSKY/FEATURES@THECORD.CA
The world is ending. Fish are being overfished; the polar ice caps are melting; bees are dying; and it’s all our fault. But what can we really do about this besides raise awareness? “Pollinator habitat is one of the most important things out there right now,” said Glen Ackroyd, owner of Acroyd Honey, a local commercial beekeeper. “Not only in the city, but out in the rural areas because land has got so expensive and equipment is so big that farmers like to have big, wide open fields. We’ve lost a lot of wild pollinator habitat that we used to have out there.” Through the publicity for the pastime oft-turned business of beekeeping through popular media, saving the bees has become the new “polar ice caps.” We’ve apparently hit snooze on rising ocean levels after losing multiple battles with big corporations to reduce carbon emissions and turned to the imminent threat of losing all our favourite fruits and vegetables. As the most common pollinator, bees around the world help to cross-pollinate plants — helping them reproduce to ensure next year’s harvest. It’s an added bonus that if you keep honey bees, you may just find yourself with a few jars of homegrown honey to mix into teas, spread on top of bread and sauce a fresh batch of chicken wings come harvest season. “[The European honey bee] was introduced into Canada in the early 1800’s, first in Quebec, of course, as you might expect, but it spread extensively throughout Canada,” said Peter Kevan, former professor at the University of Guelph. From Aristotle’s early observations of bees, many of which have now been denounced and are completely ludicrous, all the way up to Winnie the Pooh’s addiction-like affliction for honey, many have shone light on bees’ servitude to the world, and the uses for honey. And yet bees get a bad rap as rabid insects with the sole purpose of stinging humans. “Animals are consuming another part of earth, where honey bees aren’t doing that. The nectar and pollen that they collect is providing a service to the
rest of the environment,” said Ackroyd. However, despite their actual role in nature, many municipalities ban beekeeping outright in urban areas due to the kneejerk reactions of their posing a threat to the general public and being a nuisance. And yet, there is this dichotomy of honey being seen as nature’s very own liquid gold. For someone looking to get into beekeeping and maybe even just to test the waters to see if it’s the right fit for your lifestyle, there are many options to consider. Getting in touch with your local beekeeper’s association can be helpful in gaining the necessary exposure and mentorship without the risk of having the blood of a hundred bees on your hands from lack of knowledge. “Keeping bees is not so much a matter of a difficult thing to do, it requires some understanding, as
does any animal husbandr our,” said Kevan. Mentors in the commun sharing their knowledge an ny stabilize. Come harvest beekeepers share extractio expensive investment to m “[Honey bees are] not so buy and let sit in the backy it grow. They need to be tak To know how to prepare what kinds of bees to buy a are necessary for the upkee also look into beekeeping c fessionals in this field. Spe to look to the University of course that’ll prepare you t come wintertime. “[Despite popular belief alive and well and warm in ey as reserves to keep warm the sense of freezing up — Kevan. If you’re even more risk still be weary of having the taining a hive all on your o don’t have the clearance u to harbour one. Luckily for us, there is an to bring the Laurier Waterl apiary after Brantford was light to do so and plans to Their two bee hives, one st and one familiar FlowHive of the Marksquare. Despite its high price po been a bit of an internet se millions of views, promisin the hassles of complicated methods — not to mention chances of your getting stu honey. But there’s something th goal of working with such i avoid any interaction — un
URES
ry or agricultural endeav-
nity are often open to nd helping your colot season, many veteran on resources as they are an make. omething that you can just yard like a tree and watch ken care of,” said Ackroyd. e a beehive for the bees, and what related practices ep of the bees, you should courses offered by proecifically, you may want f Guelph’s weekend long to have your first harvest
f,] a bee colony in winter is nside. It’s burning up honm. It doesn’t hibernate in — they’re very active,” said
averse, like me, you may e responsibility of mainown. But, most likely, you under your yearlong lease
n initiative under works loo campus our very own recently given the green have hives by springtime. tandard Langstroth hive e, will be kept on the roof
oint, the FlowHive has ensation, garnering ng honey on tap without d and expensive extraction n nearly eliminating the ung while extracting the
hat seems a bit off if your interesting insects is to nless of course you’re
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 • 11
deathly allergic to bee stings, in which case no, I’m not suggesting you put your life on the line to uphold my snobby ideals of animal care. After referencing proposals from Laurier geography students for where apiaries may be placed on campus, the Sustainability Office, along with the university, has been working to abide by all bylaw restrictions and ensure that the hives will better students’ experiences on campus. “We have a preferred location which is next to the Bricker residence building, in between that and the seminary parking lot. There’s a sliver of land that is populated by mature white pine trees,” said Tyler Plante, outreach and program coordinator at the Sustainability Office. With Laurier students so passionate about environmental and social causes, such as participating in guide dog training, helping preserve the bee populations was a natural step for the campus that has been in the works for two years. The campus intends to host the Buckfast bee, one that, through a specific methodology, has been bred to be one of the most docile breeds today. “The idea is that we wanted to connect the community and the student community who wanted to have opportunities over the summer to volunteer and we can show them how to look after the hive and just how great honey bees are,” said Richelle Monaghan, assistant professor at the Laurier Brantford campus. Here, students will be able to adorn the cliché beekeeper suits, smoke the hives and learn all about the different roles bees take on inside the hive — contrary to popular belief, there is a rigid job structure bees abide by; they aren’t just a big swarm of angry needles. “We would like to see it grow, but the issue is the Bee Act of Ontario. It has a lot of wiggle room in it. It says a collection of hives becomes a commercial endeavour, which does not define how many bee hives,” said Monaghan. To start, the campus will be getting two hives and, depending on the outcomes of deliberations with law makers, more may sprout up providing us with more honey to reap in the fall-time. Nonetheless, it
will take time for the community to learn about bee husbandry before we’re able to take on a larger role in preserving one of nature’s most vital insects. The larger your colony develops, more aspects come into play. There is clear trend with young people gaining an interest in beekeeping and an overall understanding of the roles that bees play in our world, apart from being a creation of big pharma to push Epi-pen sales. And experts are seeing a bit of a resurgence. “We don’t know where exactly the slight increase in bee population [in recent years] is from,” said Monagan. “It could be from conscientious individuals that are doing their part and becoming beekeepers.”
12 •
Arts & Life
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR MANJOT BHULLAR arts@thecord.ca
POETRY
Feminist poetry slam snaps inclusion in place SHYENNE MACDONALD NEWS EDITOR
“Understand that the poets are giving all that they’ve got. There’s going to be blood, but that’s okay,” Samantha Estoesta, University of Waterloo alumna and former executive director of LSPRIG, said on March 6 during a poetry slam at the University of Waterloo’s pub, The Bombshelter. “Spoken word, as a medium, is meant to be very community orientated. It’s very much based on being supportive, which is where you see the snaps and claps.” This was said during an interlude of poets, where there was also a chance to win a copy of Canadian poet Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey in a draw. The event was put on by the UW’s Women’s Centre. The theme of the night was feminism and all that the broad subject encompasses. There were 15 speakers, all with their own viewpoints and personal stories to tell and all with a completely enraptured audience. It was a full house at The Bombshelter and the audience was nothing short of supportive to those performing. As waiters and waitresses zipped around, those in attendance snapped along respectfully and applauded the bravery shown as the poets spoke of personal sub-
subject; like any movement, there is strife within it as people take different viewpoints on what it means to be a feminist. There was a clear focus from the Women’s Centre, who orchestrated the event, on the importance of inclusivity and highlighting the intersectionality within feminism. Showcasing the diversity within feminism also aided the deconstruction: a very single-minded; and; at times; ignorant form of
feminism commonly known as “white feminism.” The event didn’t end with female poets but instead, the Women’s Centre opened its doors to include male feminists as well. While there was only one male poet, he spoke on his ongoing realization to the world of privilege he lived in, as compared to his sister. Many men could be seen in the audience aptly listening and snapping along when something they heard resonated with them. The inclusion of men proved to those in attendance that feminism isn’t solely a movement for women. “The Women’s Centre planned this event, so we like to make sure that our events are as intersectional as possible,” Mallika Patil, coordinator for the Women’s Centre said. Samantha Estoesta, the headliner for the evening, particularly focused her work on the experiences she’s had with a multi-racial identity. While this wasn’t her first time headlining an event put on by the Women’s Centre, she did say it would be her last. “I want to highlight someone else’s work … that’s how you continue growth.” Estoesta also encouraged poets that spoke on Monday night, or those who are more interested in slam poetry to seek out K-W poetry slam, which offers artistic expression to those in the community.
played her youthfulness with her stiff hair-do showing how artificial she was. The Tales of Hoffman was an exciting story filled with interesting characters and beautiful music. The tale is sure to excite those who
are not familiar with the world of opera. Opera Laurier’s update of the production to the 1950’s added a unique twist to the performance, allowing it to become more identifiable to the audience.
QIAO LIU/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
jects such as childhood abuse and sexual assault. Given the nature of the poems, there were volunteers on standby, ready to assist anyone who had been triggered during the poetry during the difficult topics. The setting, a bar on a university campus, could have been a difficult place for those who have experienced sexual assault. However, for the night, it was turned into a safe-space of accep-
tance and understanding. Alongside the support staff, speakers administered trigger warnings at the beginning of their poems. Which gave listeners a chance to quietly exit or seek assistance from the volunteers. The sense of community and support that night was undeniable. Other topics of the night were abortion, periods, what femininity is, as well as bi-erasure. Feminism isn’t always an easy
PERFORMANCE
Opera Laurier’s score NICOLE STUMPF STAFF WRITER
Opera is a performance art that students, myself included, rarely experience. On Friday March 3, 2017, I went to the student production of The Tales of Hoffman, created by Jacques Offenbach, to discover what wonders were held within the opera. As Robin Melick, a fourth-year performance student who played the character Pitichinaccio in the opera explained, the opera follows Offenbach’s tradition of having a distinct writing style with humor in it. The story begins in a pub, where the titular character Hoffman tells his friends about his past loves, while he waits for Stella, who is performing at the opera. Hoffman continuously tries to court these particular women and none of the relationships seem to prevail. “[Hoffman] is a bit of a doofus who falls for all these women,” said Kimberly Barber, coordinator of the opera program. To play Hoffman is an extremely demanding role, Barber explained.
On Friday, Andrew Derynck performed the role of Hoffman. Derynck’s performance was able to strike a balance between humorous and tragic. Hoffman is featured throughout almost every scene and Derynck didn’t falter throughout his performance of the three-hour show.
The tale is sure to excite those who are not familiar with the world of opera.
Within the play there are three villains, all who foil Hoffman’s romantic relationships. Chad Quigley played all three of the villains: Lindorf, Coppélius and Dr. Miracle. Quigley was able to play all three
characters with ease. Each character had their own distinct mannerism that distinguished them from the other characters, so it never felt like the same person was playing the different characters. “This opera was written in the 1800’s, but we have bumped it up to the 1950’s,” said Madeleine Levesque, a fourth-year student and co-publicity representative. Barber explained that this is a common practice with many operas and changing the time period helps evoke a reaction from the audience. Within the opera, there were many recognizable tropes, especially within the female characters that Hoffman met upon his journey. Olympia was the typical Stepford wife and Giulietta was the alluring femme fatale that can be found in 1950’s film noir. The costumes were also very reflective of the characters and helped display certain aspects of a character’s personality. Coppélius’s tattered lab coat showed his destructive personality and Olympia’s white dress dis-
ALEX TRKULJA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
ARTS & LIFE • 13
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 RESTAURANT
Urban Bricks Pizza: the new Neapolitan EMI ZIBAEI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
MANJOT BHULLAR ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
As per the evident four year-orso turnover for K-W’s restaurant and nightlife scene, this month we welcome Urban Bricks Pizza, which now stands in place of the forgettable Heaven Gastro Club on University Ave. Walking inside the pizza joint, the affluence that the American chain was bringing to compete with existing pizzerias was evident. The inside was equipped with a fancy hand washing station, which I feared was going to take my hands right off, endless varieties of pop, quite the arrangement of quirky bathroom posters and a state of the art pizza oven. “We serve a Neapolitan thin
crust pizza and we do everything fresh in-house,” said Abe Ibrahim, master franchisee of the GTA and beyond. As the first Canadian location for the restaurant chain, Waterloo is definitely a unique city to choose. “[With a] lot of international students from around the world, the location is sort of the Silicon Valley of Canada,” said Ibrahim. An exception to how things will be run, the owners allowed media behind the counter and let us make our own Neapolitan pizzas. With variations that they’ve created and the option to build your own, being at the helm of my lunch was both exciting and intimidating. “You build your own pizza: one size; one price; unlimited toppings,” said Ibrahim.
[With a] lot of international students from around the world, the location is sort of the Silicon Valley of Canada -Abe Ibrahim, master franchisee of the GTA and beyond
After gloving up, I chose to go with a flatbread and white sauce based pizza with green peppers, pepperoni, chicken and a BBQ sauce drizzle — you may say I played it safe but don’t worry, I fin-
ished the crust with a garlic bread topping. Popped in their self-proclaimed “Bad @$$ Oven,” which has a 14 pizza capacity, my pizza was cooked in just two short rotations. With an outdoor patio currently under works and a rollup window where you can enjoy cold beer on a hot summer’s day, I can definitely see this being a hotspot for students in the warmer months. “We are really fast; we have a location in San Antonio with drive thru pizza [sic],” said Ibrahim. As if my own pizza wasn’t enough, out came a few dessert pizzas — my personal favourite being the Nutella banana pie. Despite the slim turnout for the media lunch, that just meant more dessert for me.
The décor inside, predominantly industrial with accents of bright green, contribute to the brand’s message of ensuring that fresh ingredients are being used in their food while promoting a very chic and fast paced service layout. The atmosphere inside felt like that of an inner city subway, but in the cleanest way possible. The restaurant makes accommodations for those with dietary restrictions and employees are very understanding of customers requiring meals to remain halal and gluten-friendly. It’ll be interesting to see if Urban Bricks has a longer shelf-life than the past inhabitants of the space, such as Heaven Gastro Club or McGinnis Front Row, on University Ave.
SHOPPING
The costs of being cool KARLIS WILDE STAFF WRITER
“I’m so out of touch with backpacks,” said The Cord’s own Arts & Life editor, Manjot Bhullar. Decontextualized, it’s an odd concern. But within the hyper-superficial, brand-powered environment of youth culture, everything a person uses to represent themselves is heavily calculated and therefore extremely susceptible to branding. This article began as a guide to white sneakers — the problem that emerged was that, having been perhaps the biggest trend of 2016, such an article was already at least a year too late. That revelation instigates a much more frightening question, especially considering how virtually every little thing is branded and exists on some socially esoteric, grand scale of value: how long do trends last and how much do they really matter? Everybody on campus was wearing Canada Goose over the last winter or two — regardless of ethical concerns about the collection of their down (of which there are some) and social qualms about personal choice of style. Canada
Goose is a brand whose coats start at around $500 dollars for thin spring-wear. Sure, it’s a personal choice — spending over $1000 on a parka built for arctic temperatures to traverse the minute distances between residence buildings and the classroom is your personal decision. Besides, the coats are, without dispute, good coats. And they’re on-trend. But how long is that trend going to last? Will that same coat be cool next year, or will there be some other must-have piece to replace it? There’s always going to be a ‘new’ something or other — style is a way to turn the body into a conversation piece, allowing the new-new to cultivate an idealized reflection of the self almost on a weekly basis. For the budget-conscious, this makes keeping in-style difficult. That’s why fast-fashion retailers like H&M and Uniqlo are so popular: they feature a constantly updated line of cheaply-made, cheaply-priced clothing that mimic the most popular brands. In doing so, they give the layman the means to stay at least close to being in touch with peak styles through knockoffs that reside on a slightly-lower social scale. But that’s a problem that ripples even further: by ignoring the exploitation of cheap labour required
to keep prices so low, these pieces only stay relevant for the blink of an eye — then they’re thrown away or fall apart, creating non-renewable waste, taking up more and more space in landfills. In the end, it’s difficult to disconnect the individual from the products that they enjoy and it has to be clearly stated and fundamentally understood that there is nothing wrong with enjoying products — that’s what they’re there for. But if white tennis sneakers aren’t cool anymore, then what is? With such a short shelf life, and such an arbitrary, shifting system of value imposed on every little thing, it’s harder to decide than one might think. Adidas NMD sneakers? S’well Water Bottles? Fjällräven backpacks? While these items were considered ‘cool’ upon writing this article, who’s to say if that’s still true by the time it goes to print? And how do their functions translate to values inherent to a person’s identity? It’s important to wear and represent yourself through things that make you feel good. But what’s more important is recognizing just how temporary those things can be; as difficult as it may sometimes be to find, every person needs to realize how much of their interest in the products they enjoy is authentic and how much is culturally manufactured.
MANJOT BHULLAR/ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
14 • ARTS & LIFE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
FILM
Getting out a new film genre EMILY WAITSON STAFF WRITER
Watching the trailers for the now critically acclaimed film Get Out had me inexplicably hopeful. I had no clue what this film would deliver, but as an unabashed lover of horror movies with a twist, I was thoroughly impressed with both the execution of the movie genre itself, and the all-too-relevant meaning threaded throughout. This expertly crafted and almost unexplainable directorial debut from Jordan Peele, proves that he was not only able to create something unfathomably original, but he also poignantly provided a social critique that confronts all senses. Delving into a review of Get Out is a delicate balance between how much should be given away (as little as possible) and where my place lies in discussing the heavy meaning behind more than just the base-level horror that this movie provides at a cursory glance. As a white woman going to see this movie with my white boyfriend, I entered the theatre (which was predominantly filled with a white audience) recognizing the unavoidable privilege we had as viewers of a film unapologetically
addressing the topic of race and the injustices surrounding it. By the time the movie began, every single seat around us was filled. Not knowing what to expect, I sat with the knowledge that I was about to gain more than I originally thought from what I was about to watch. It was easy to ascertain that a great portion of the theatre was uncomfortable, and rightfully so, from the get-go.
People were jumping out of their seats, screaming out loud and cheering uproariously, something I had never seen ...
The seemingly nondescript instances of everyday racism that most have witnessed ourselves were confronted seamlessly, transforming us into flies on the wall that were surveying acts that were inherently wrong and that we
could do nothing about. What Get Out establishes from the beginning is an unfortunate rarity in the world we live in, especially in a film that’s aimed to scare its audience. The all-too-commonly placed “danger” isn’t Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), the leading black man, it’s the despicable white people who surround him. The black characters aren’t victims to the all-too-common trope of being written off early on by easily preventable deaths, either. Chris is intuitive, strong and resilient. He is the foil to his best friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery). Rod is easy to love and exemplifies one significant aspect which many white people find disconcerting: he is unashamedly black. His embodiment of his own race and the behaviour that accompanies it could have people stereotypically assuming that he’s less than what he is. In reality, he’s the most intelligent character out of the whole damn bunch from the moment he appears onscreen. Get Out did not befall to a predictable message or turnout that leaves its audience shrugging their shoulders or nodding knowingly to themselves as though they’re mentally penning a review for Rot-
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
ten Tomatoes about the painfully calculable ending. By the film’s end, people were jumping out of their seats, screaming out loud and cheering uproariously — something I had never seen people do so collectively when seeing a movie in a theatre. Get Out is so much more than just another horror film. It’s an incredibly acted, entirely unique, shocking, beautiful masterpiece that sheds a very harsh
light on prevalent societal issues that many would rather turn away from. Seeing this film made me think beyond the plot and focus on the more subtle nuances that it showcased. It had me questioning what we see and tolerate on a daily basis and how the movie wasn’t as outlandish as it originally seemed. Jordan Peele’s work is something to not only admire and be scared of, it’s something to think about.
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Est. 1975
• 15
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
Editorial
OPINION EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS opinion@thecord.ca
Students’ responsibility to support uptown businesses local business owner’s child can take music classes in the community, opposed to helping a CEO buy a fifth vacation home. We think students, as one of the largest populations in Waterloo, have a duty to make uptown a goto destination again. During the construction, we believe their rent has stayed consistent, despite decreased business. Now, to prevent these local places from disappearing, we have to show how much we care. We no longer have an excuse to not help them out where we can. The roads are open, the weather is getting warmer and it’s barely outside of the university bubble. There are some amazing places waiting to be explored. Our students are known for our sense of adventure, whether that’s through anything from our friendliness to our international experiences. So why not be adventurous and friendly, exploring new places and experiences in our own backyard?
In the last few years, going to uptown Waterloo has seemed like a hassle to most students. Whether it’s the inconsistent bus routes or lack of parking, the construction made the core of Waterloo inaccessible and unappealing. The local businesses are now feeling the ramifications of these choices. They’re suffering, even now that the roads are open. We’re nothing if not creatures of habit and most senior students now have the routine of going to shopping destinations that help us to avoid uptown. Over the last few years, we’ve written a lot about student involvement in businesses during construction, but now, it’s more important than ever to support your local businesses. The arguments about supporting local is nothing new; we all know that supporting local business helps keep money in the local economy. Supporting local can mean a
Teaching financial literacy is a step in the right direction Currently, it can be extremely difficult to stand up to bankers and other companies who want to handle your money. These people obviously know more than us and it’s easy to fall prey to the mentality that they have our best interests in mind, when they could be just trying to make a sale. If we have the basic knowledge of our own money and how it works, we’re less likely to get swindled and scammed. Financial literacy is a continuing conversation and it’s a confusing topic. Having a kick-start conversation in grade 10 will make those choices easier to understand in the future. This program, as regulated by the government, will hopefully provide an unbiased start into understanding the financial world. There is nothing bad about having kids who understand the value of money.
After a successful petition, the Ontario government is now introducing a pilot project to teach financial literacy to grade 10 students. This is undeniably something that will be applicable to students’ lives beyond high school. Currently, the onus is on parents to teach their children about these topics. That can raise a number of issues. It’s all well and good if parents are financially responsible and willing to share that knowledge, but many aren’t. This could introduce a cycle of ignorant people who have no idea how to manage their money. That’s a terrifying thought, as everyone will have to make an investment at some point. Whether that’s taking out money to pay for university, buying a car or taking out a mortgage, adults have to know what happens with their money beyond stuffing it in a mattress.
These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-in-Chief 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.
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CHAIR Meghan Roach
TREASURER John Pehar
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FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Travelling as a Muslim SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS EDITOR
I’m always told a story of when I was four-years-old. I was sitting in my bedroom playing with my favourite doll, Molly. I don’t remember how it came up, but I must have been comparing myself to the doll when my mom asked me, “Safina, you know you’re brown, right?” I replied with a confused look followed by a, “No mom, of course I’m white, just like Molly.” I hear that story today and laugh — I was just a kid who didn’t think she could look or appear different than her favourite doll. But thinking back, even though I had never experienced racism and probably didn’t know what racism was, I still was, at the age of four, indirectly exposed to some sort of social norms or stigmas surrounding race and skin colour. I’ve been lucky to live where I do. I’ve never experienced overt racism or been treated differently because of my skin colour. As a result, I guess I’ve believed that racism, specifically against Muslims, wouldn’t affect me, no matter how public it was. Even after the travel ban was
recently instated in the United States, along with various other events that took place around us, I didn’t think that I could be affected by such racism. Regardless, I had been following the shocking events and decisions being made in the U.S. closely. I heard numerous stories about people being stopped at airports, being blocked from getting on their planes and even being detained simply because they identified as Muslim or came from a Muslim-majority country. Amongst other Muslims similar to me, these events have only affected me indirectly. It was sad to think so many people were being treated in such a way because of their backgrounds. It was difficult to think that the same treatment could happen to me had I lived in a different country. Still, these were only thoughts and I believed that I would never be directly impacted. That is until this past Reading Week, when I was planning a trip into the U.S. to visit a friend after the Muslim travel ban. Travelling into the U.S. was something I had to think carefully about. Despite the fact that I was born in Canada and a Canadian citizen, I had to consider that, as a Muslim, I could be questioned or treated differently in a country where racism was more prevalent than I had
ever been exposed to. Though, it wasn’t the fact that my trip could be cancelled that made me mad. It was the fact that I had something to fear in general. I was angry because I had to consider the implications of going on a vacation to visit a friend, simply because of my skin colour or my background. In spite of all this, I decided that I wasn’t going to let the fear that those in authoritative roles in the U.S. were instilling onto those who come from Muslim backgrounds change my mind. Although my trip ended up being fine, it was still a chance I took, to possibly be stopped and questioned at the border or face ridicule by an individual in the States. What I’ve learned from this trip is that racism effects everyone involved, no matter how indirect it may seem to be. Sometimes it’s easier to deny that racism impacts you, especially when it’s so public. It’s much easier to ignore the fact you could be ridiculed or treated differently because of who you are. However, I can’t ignore the fact that I am a Muslim individual living during a time when so many are enforcing racist ideology towards people just like me. Just because I have never had any experiences with direct racism does not mean I won’t ever have to prepare for it.
16 •
Opinion
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 OPINION EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS opinion@thecord.ca
The course requirements for real life Some students have to take other desciplines for their majors, but they should still be applicable several years from now. I could have gone on for hours about empathy and understanding — characteristics the course helped me to develop further.
sense outside of the classroom and this made me realize every other student should have this experience too. When we lose people in our life due to illness, a required credit in an irrelevant subject won’t be helpful if we were to think back on our university experience. A course in understanding illness and death through literature may come back to us in our time of grief and even guide us in the slightest. This isn’t to say that every student should take a course on
illness and death pertaining to literature because that can be a difficult topic. Every student can make use of courses ranging from understanding and coping with illness, both mental and physical, to having empathy towards others and even learning how to talk about death. Ultimately, this will prepare students for the workplace. Learning how to be more empathetic will affect how we treat our coworkers, employees, bosses or clients. In five years, you probably aren’t going to remember anything from that introduction to chemistry course, but I’m sure you’ll remember a book or two that resonated with you on an emotional level. It isn’t that the chemistry course wasn’t useful to you; in fact, it was probably part of the foundation of your university career. But students need more than a foundation that will simply help them get a job in the future. Students need a foundation that will help them get through blunt reality. In this medical literature class, our final task was writing a letter to our future self. The idea was to apply the experience of the course to what we would tell ourselves
show isn’t political; he has a right to invite which guests he wants to “interview,” and if I don’t like him then I don’t have to watch his show. Yet, all he did was provide me with an insight into his ingrained and carefully crafted image of fakery and cowardice. He has to showcase that he has universal appeal and, above all else, ensure that everyone likes him. Likeability is subjective, but it seems that Fallon wants to approach every situation in such a way that he won’t offend anyone. His humour is safe and it’s executed so that people will laugh easily, without feeling challenged or uncomfortable. Politics aside, I decided to watch Fallon’s hosting of the Golden Globes this year with lowered,
albeit grudgingly hopeful, expectations. It was a good thing that my expectations were low to begin with, because he managed to slide right under them. I didn’t expect him to be like Ricky Gervais (precariously pushing limits) or Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (easily the two best hosts the Golden Globes has ever had), but I expected at least something memorable. Instead, he fell flat. He had to stumble his way through poorly executed jokes with his usual forced smile. Unsurprisingly, he fell back on Trump jokes in this setting, because it was an easy way to grab most of the incredibly liberal audience that was seated before him. All this seemed to do was further prove his hypocrisy.
I felt myself physically cringing as the show progressed, having to physically mute it when Fallon brought out his terrible Chris Rock impression. I felt uncomfortable as the monologue seemed to have no end and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that it didn’t pan out well. Overall, Jimmy Fallon has shown me that audiences are more deserving of humour that doesn’t insult their intelligence. Lip sync battles and singing impressions that feature his weak, overdone handful of voices and forced attempts to thrust himself into the spotlight when it’s generally unwanted don’t play off in the same way that his antics may have before. As many people have pointed out, no one thinks Jimmy Fallon is funnier than himself.
BRITTANY DITIZIO SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Regardless of your major, everyone has encountered a course that you need in order to graduate. Most students are required to take courses that are irrelevant to their major and often a course that they don’t have any interest in. So why aren’t universities implementing required courses that can apply to everyone — ones that can apply in a real world context? In the fall term, I took an English course based on illness and medicine combined with literature. As with most courses students register in, we often don’t know what to expect from a simple course title until we go to a lecture. With this course, I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t expect it to be one of the most influential courses of my undergraduate career. Just like any English course, there were a lot of books on the
FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR
syllabus that I expected to be all about doctors, illness and medicine. There were, but what came from this course was so much more than that. Through class discussions and in-depth reading, I learned about death, grieving, prevalent illnesses like dementia and cancer, coping and, ultimately, empathy. This learning experience surprised me because I was used to learning program-applicable ideas that would never seem relevant to talk to my family or friends about. I was finally in a course that made
When we lose people in our life due to illness, a required credit in an irrelevant subject won’t be helpful if we were to think back on our university experience.
With courses that broaden our perspectives on everyday life and not simply academics, we can grow our mindset and even create spaces within a classroom setting that allow empathy and understanding across campuses. Required courses do not have to be limited to academia; combining academic learning with everyday lessons may just be the perfect course requirement.
Falling out of love with Fallon EMILY WAITSON STAFF WRITER
I used to be a person who eagerly watched Jimmy Fallon’s late night show with unending amusement. I found his sketches funny and thought that he was a talented comedian and entertainer. I would watch him and think, “he’s so likeable.” He gives the impression that he is painfully pleasant. People generally respond well to pleasant, but his version of it has started to quickly grow stale. I’ve come to the conclusion that he really isn’t as hilarious as he’d like everyone to believe, despite how much he forces it down people’s throats and throws his head back laughing at basically every single thing that his guests (and himself ) say. My grievances with Fallon surfaced, like many others, when he had Donald Trump as a guest on his show. Attempting to watch this episode with as much of an open mind as I could bear, I quickly realized that it
was a fruitless attempt. My distaste started running rampant less than five minutes in. Fallon gave way to his usual cutesy charade and treated Trump like a loveable, tiny-handed teddy bear that was there to be poked and prodded, but only lightly, if not a little lovingly. CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
Likeability is subjective, but it seems that Fallon wants to approach every situation in such a way that won’t offend anyone.
Ruffling his hair in an awkward, punch-on-the-shoulder tactic, reminiscent of a less popular kid trying to win over the school bully, it was painfully apparent that this schtick wasn’t going to stick. I already know the rebuttals against this point and I can see merit in them, to an extent. Fallon’s
OPINION • 17
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
Taking care of our planet MASON GIBSON OPINION COLUMNIST
PAIGE BUSH/FILE PHOTO
How to be a writer
There’s only one way to be successful in such a competitive field of work
MADELINE MCINNIS OPINION EDITOR
“I want to be a writer,” mutter thousands of students, all around the world, every day. It’s a dream job and it’s the thing that a lot of us want the most in the world. Whether it’s as a novelist, journalist, poet or academic, expressing ourselves in words is something that a lot of us love to do – and it’s something that a lot of us will be unable to do professionally. It’s no secret that writing jobs are few and far between and even harder to get. The other day, I was reading a back-issue of The Cord and I came across an article by then opinion editor, current features editor, Mitchell Consky. He wrote about how proud he is of all his publications and how he displays them for visitors to see on the walls of his room. He also wrote about how he wanted to write a novel. I really loved this article and it really resonated with me, but it also made me feel competitive with Mitchell — one of my friends. With such similar goals, if we were both up for the same novel contract, who would get it? What would differentiate us to an employer? The world isn’t kind to those who favour competition. Getting into that fight is scary, especially when you could be facing someone you consider a friend. To this dilemma, I came up with a simple solution. There’s really only one way to ensure that you’ll be a writer: write. Yes, it’s simple. Yes, it probably goes without saying. But it’s true. Plenty of people say that they want to be a writer, but they do nothing to actually reach that goal. If you have plenty of experience, you’re a lot more likely to be successful than if you use your spare time in irrelevant capacities. I think the next step to being a successful writer, beyond actually writing, is making your writing known.
A lot of writing is intensely personal. After all, it’s an art and part of art is to convey some sort of personality into the work. However, Mitchell has the right idea: he’s proud of what he writes and he’s unapologetic for it. He shows it off. I don’t know who’d get that contract between Mitchell or myself, but I know that both of us would be picked over someone who has never written, regardless of their dreams and ambitions.
In the past week, the weather has been incredibly drastic, cycling from 17 ° Celsius on Feb. 23 to -12 ° Celsius on March 4. These extreme spikes in temperature over the span of a week are signs of how climate change is affecting our planet. Scientific research supports the idea of climate change and while it is a natural process, the activities of humans are rapidly changing the earth’s temperature. This causes all sorts of damaging problems to our ecosystems and the overall health of our planet. Protecting the environment is more important than ever, especially when there are world leaders like Donald Trump who deny climate change and are in the process of abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency. Soon, major forests, oceans and environmental landmarks that have existed since the planet was
formed will be destroyed at the discretion of an ignorant government. It is up to the rest of the population to see through these actions and help the environment however they can. An example of climate change is the melting of the glaciers. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the Glacier National Park had around 150 glaciers in 1910. As of December 2016, there are only 25. This is a clear indication of warming temperatures in the north. In turn, sea levels have risen. This has destructive effects on coastal habits such as erosion, flooding, soil contamination and the loss of animal habitats. Most people naturally act naïve towards issues that they do not know how to resolve. But, as cliché as it sounds, the littlest things make all the difference. There are 7.5 billion people living on this planet, and though some use more energy and resources than others, if everyone adapted a more environmentally friendly lifestyle it would change everything. So how can you go about making a difference? Adapting simple
environmentally friendly habits is a great place to start! A personal favourite habit of mine is to always use cloth shopping bags instead of plastic bags. Plastic is a terrible material for the environment and if not recycled properly will not decompose for thousands of years, adding to the pollution of the earth’s ecosystems. Other simple things that you can do around the house to help the environment include turning off the lights when you leave the room and using cooler washing cycles. This helps to decrease carbon dioxide emissions that will pollute our air. With all the political unrest and war that exists in the world, it is easy to forget about what is happening to our planet. However, it is important that we solve our environmental problems in order to create a sustainable planet so that we can move forward and find the solution to other world issues. Our planet is spectacular and we take it for granted every day. Ultimately, it is our home and we need to make it a priority. How we hurt the planet also hurts us.
Plenty of our staff have gone on to work in journalism jobs due to their involvement here, in a newspaper that some “writers” may dismiss because we don’t get paid.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that we’ll be going after the exact same things anyway, despite our similar goals. I’ll probably miserably fail many times before I can ever be successful in the field. Getting a job as a writer will still be tough, regardless of my portfolio. There’s one way to get through that too: keep writing. I’ll keep getting experience and I’ll stay determined until opportunity comes knocking. Like any other job, I’ll need connections, experience and luck. I have to be willing to wait for these things to come along. Plenty of our staff have gone on to work in journalism jobs due to their involvement here, in a newspaper that some “writers” may dismiss because we don’t get paid. Those of us who get the experience now will be seeing who actually gets paid to write in the long run. The opportunities are open. Take them while you can. In the meantime, I’ll keep writing for this newspaper and submitting to other publications. The more of a head start in writing I get now, the more competitive I’ll be in the future.
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18 • OPINION
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
Comparing Trump to FDR The two presidents are more similar than people realize
JACOB BROZ OPINION COLUMNIST
On social media recently, it is very common for people to compare Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. On the other side of the political spectrum, I have seen people compare Trump’s electoral upset to the Reagan Revolution of 1980. These comparisons might seem fair at first glance, but they are wrong. First, Trump is not like Hitler because America’s institutions should prevent authoritarianism and, more importantly, he is not a fascist. Second, Trump is not Reagan because, frankly, he is not a conservative. For Trump, populist is the most appropriate term to describe him. Instead, thus far into his presidency, I think Trump shares the most commonalities with Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president. That being said, I do not think
Trump will lead America into a conflict that is similar to the scale of the Second World War. Trump and FDR both hail from affluent families in New York. Despite their affluence, both support populist economic policies to help their people cope with the devastating effects of financial crises that occurred before they took office. While FDR introduced the New Deal, a massive government stimulus, to help workers get back on their feet in the worst days of the Great Depression, Trump plans to spend heavily to improve infrastructure and he has been taking aim at cheap foreign labour that threatens blue collar American jobs. Though Trump’s presidency comes more than eight years after Wall Street tanked in September 2008, resentment still lingers in America where monetary authorities, rather than fiscal, alleviated the worst effects of the crisis. Liberals that perceive FDR as an icon are quick to forget his treatment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War. With the signing of Executive
Order 9066 in 1942, FDR relocated west coast Japanese-Americans to internment camps in the American interior. Over 100,000 Japanese-Americans, many of whom were native born, suffered attacks against their rights regarding property ownership and liberty. MADELINE MCINNIS/OPINION EDITOR
Trump and FDR both hail from affluent families in New York. Despite their affluence, both support populist economic policies to help their people...
Jump forward 75 years and we can see a president with a propensity to govern through the executive order. Both FDR’s actions against Japanese-Americans and Trump’s actions against individu-
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als from Middle Eastern countries can be viewed as contrary to American values. Finally, Trump and FDR intersect in their ability to effectively communicate with the American people. FDR was the first president to fully harness the power of the radio for political purposes. In his “fireside chats,” FDR’s ideas and rhetoric could appear in living rooms across America, fostering an intimacy between people and leader like never before. Trump’s Tweets are the 21st century equivalent. Though Obama was skilled with social media, Trump is the first President to really harness the power of Twitter with his inflammatory remarks and, sometimes, humorous nick-
names. While FDR’s radio addresses delivered him into the American living room, Trump’s tweets consume the media cycle and are always a topic of conversation. Roosevelt in the early ‘30s introduced America to socialist economic policies, ushered the country out of protectionism and communicated with the American people like never before. This is part of his legacy. Though the results can be debated, it is assumed that FDR was a dignified figure that carried himself with integrity. As of right now, it is doubtful that a writer for The Cord will write the same of President Trump in 75 years.
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• 19
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR ROB FIFIELD sports@thecord.ca
WATERLOO
2021 Canada Games coming to Waterloo? ROB FIFIELD SPORTS EDITOR
The 2021 Canada Summer Games are looking for a host city and the Region of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University are hopeful to be their next destination. The region of Waterloo, Sudbury, Niagara and Ottawa are the four remaining bids hopeful to host the games.
Laurier would be the village. There would be 3,000 athletes and other support staff in and around our residences for the duration of the games. -Peter Baxter, director of athletics and recreation
If the Region of Waterloo does prevail as host of the Summer Games, Laurier is looking to play a significant role and would even become the home of the athlete’s village. “It’s a game changer for the entire community. As a part of the bid, Laurier would be the village. There would be 3,000 athletes and other support staff in and around
LUKE SARAZIN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
our residences for the duration of the games,” Peter Baxter said, Laurier’s director of athletics and recreation. Ultimately, Laurier’s campus would play a huge role in the Games. “There would be lots of business with the dining hall. The [Theatre Auditorium] would become a poly clinic, the Turret would be a place for the athletes to relax and socialize … The Athletics Complex would become a practice facility for basketball, volleyball and swimming,”
Baxter said. There are also even plans to use University Stadium as the site for opening and closing ceremonies, as well as host the soccer finals. Baxter explained that the Canada Summer Games aren’t just looking for a venue when they are in search of their next host but they intend to leave a legacy. “From April on, we have a long list of community groups from minor football, soccer and field hockey that use our facilities. Any upgrade to these facilities would
leave a legacy for the whole community. When the Canada Games come in, it’s not only about the event itself it’s about the lasting impact in the community,” Baxter said. Laurier first became involved in the bidding process when they were approached by the Regional Sport Tourism Office. The office approached the tri-cities, as well as Laurier and the University of Waterloo, where each party’s involvement was discussed and further clarified
“This is a generational opportunity, never mind the economic impact … you’ll leave this sport infrastructure for others to come,” Baxter said. Baxter mentioned that even though the event will take place in the summer and there will be less students in the area, it will still be a great opportunity for students to get involved. “This is a great volunteer opportunity; it will require a lot of man power. If you look at even the national championships that we’ve hosted, we always rely on the Laurier community to get involved. But I wouldn’t be surprised that in this venue, that there will be staff and faculty that will want to get involved and help support this,” Baxter said. Last Tuesday, the formal bid evaluation committee took a tour of Laurier’s campus to further visualize and assess the bid, which they do for all four of the final cities. Now the four cities await the final verdict. “With these games, it’s about what the legacy is when the games leave and if it can help enhance, not just University Stadium, but all the other sporting venues in and around the Region, that’s a big plus. Not to mention for young people — they need something to inspire them.” “This is a great way to showcase all three of the cities,” Baxter added.
EXTRA CURRICULAR
Intramurals stay a step ahead PRANAV DESAI LEAD SPORTS REPORTER
Intramurals play a huge role in shaping the student body at Laurier. They give students who aren’t part of varsity sports a chance to get involved in athletics. The variety of sports offered gives everybody a chance to choose whichever sport pleases them. The inclusivity is what makes intramurals so special and at Laurier, the program is arguably more expansive than many other OUA schools. Jennifer O’Neill, the head of the intramurals department, talked about what makes intramurals so different at Laurier. “I think we try to make intramurals very inclusive. What we do different than a lot of schools is that we make multiple divisions and a lot of our programs are coed. There’s a place for everybody to play with their friends,” she said. O’Neill continued to explain that you don’t have to be experienced to participate in an intramural sport. “Volleyball has five different
divisions. We have people in co-ed volleyball who have never played volleyball; they just want to be active,” she said. Badminton and cricket were the two new sports added this year. The innovation within the intramurals program adds to students’ excitement on a yearly basis. “Badminton got some people to participate who had never been a part of intramurals before. Cricket had about 40 international students from Australia, England, Pakistan, India. It’s a huge program and in some cases, bigger than other OUA schools but it’s that way for a reason,” O’Neill said. O’Neill added that athletics department try to integrate as many sports from as many cultures as possible. “Every year we try to add new sports. This year it was cricket and badminton. Handball was a new addition to RAC (Resident Athletic Council) last year. We added volleyball and two vs. two soccer in squash courts. We also added full field soccer and bouldering,” she said. “Every year, if we’re not adding a new sport, we’re at least chang-
ing the way we offer the sport. We always had flag football, but we made it a co-ed flag football last year. So we always try to do something to appeal to a different group of students.” With the number of sports and divisions included within the intramurals program, there is a ton of effort being put into the planning and scheduling of the sports. O’Neill mentioned that all the different athletics departments work together to make sure everything is running smoothly. “The athletics department is fantastic. When you look at what we offer, you see a three-court gymnasium, university stadium has a gym, alumni field. Everything is used for clubs, varsity and intramurals. It all comes down to sharing,” she said. “Varsity is extremely dedicated to the intramural program. They want to see it succeed. So they schedule their practices around intramurals. It comes down to a great partnership between our coaches, our club participants and myself.” Intramurals give students a chance to become involved athletically, which can be a good way
VICTORIA PANACCI/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
to de-stress when taking on a large university course load or when exams start piling up. Also, with technology evolving the way it is and students spending more and more time on their laptops, they often don’t get the daily physical
activity they need. Intramurals can be a great way for students to socialize with friends, meet new people, blow off steam and engage in friendly competition during their time at Laurier.
20 • SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
PROFILE
Making history
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
PRANAV DESAI LEAD SPORTS REPORTER
From 2012-15, Wilfrid Laurier University alumna Lee Anna Osei lead the Laurier women’s basketball team to the playoffs. Now, in her first year off the Laurier court, Osei was recently named one of the 150 black women who’ve made Canadian history. Osei talked about what an honour this achievement is for her. “It’s very humbling. I think it’s a testament to the faith and effort that other people have put into me as opposed to what I’ve done for
myself,” she said. “I’ve had amazing mentors that have been involved in my life for as long as I can remember, whether that’s through basketball, academically through professors, or just community leaders that I hang around. An accomplishment like that definitely transcends everything that I was able to do as an individual.” Osei works with athletes regardless of their gender identity, age or skill level. She runs an organization called CANLETES (Canadian Athletes), where she trains young and old athletes in basketball and
fitness. Osei’s journey with basketball started at the age of 12. “At a young age, I was taught everything about books and basketball. It gave me something to do, living in the Jane and Finch area, that didn’t require me getting in trouble or hanging out in places I didn’t want to. I hold that thought dear to me. It’s a game that has changed my life,” Osei said. Since retiring, Osei has chosen to give back to the community by teaching and training. “Now I use it as a tool to teach the up-and-coming generation. I also hope to impact the lives around me in general. I work with young kids, teenagers, professionals. Right now I’m training one of our Canadian national team athletes who also plays in the WNBA. I think it’s amazing how far my passion for the game can get me,” she said. With Osei’s talent, she could’ve picked any university for her post-secondary education. But she chose to come to Laurier, mainly due to the athletic atmosphere and culture. When asked to comment on her success at Laurier, Osei gave a lot of credit to her teammates and coaches. “I was excited for the opportunity to play CIS basketball and basketball in the OUA. Laurier has one of the best athletic cultures because of the people running the programs. Right away I got that family feel and because of my passion for the game, I took that and I said I want to help this team accomplish great things. We were able to break records and make some history.”
While her time at Laurier was positive, Osei had a tough start to her Laurier career due to a personal tragedy. The team, however, showed their support before Osei even began her career with the Hawks.
I get satisfaction from being able the help the athletes I work with to accomplish their goals.
-Lee Anna Osei, former Laurier basketball player
“One of the things I’ll always remember is the summer of 2012. I got accepted to Laurier, but I had yet to make my decision. My brother passed away and I had yet to meet the whole team. But the entire team and the head coach came to the funeral. That was the moment I knew I was going to Laurier. It was one of the best decisions I ever made because over the course of three years it helped me grow and develop not only as an athlete, but as a person,” she said. Osei was not only an outstanding athlete, she was also a great student. She was a three time CIS Academic All-Canadian and was on the dean’s list. Osei’s road to success has been anything but easy; she’s worked hard to overcome obstacles and achieve her goals. She explained
that she starts most days before 6:00 a.m. to start training and then works from 9-5 at the Jane and Finch boys and girls club. She concludes her day by going back to the gym. “For me, an average day is not average unless I’m doing something with basketball. It’s weird if I go a day without touching a ball or being on the court or watching the game.” Currently, Osei is coaching a grade eight boys team, the North Toronto Organization girls team in the summer, and is an assistant coach for the under 17 Ontario girls basketball team. “I think the most exciting thing for me is that I’m not just working with kids, I’m working with everybody. Whether it’s a pro or someone who’s just starting the game, I feel like there’s a lot I can give to the athlete and their family,” she said. Osei mentioned that her passion for the game of basketball is the main source of how she gets her motivation. “I get satisfaction from being able to help the athletes I work with to accomplish their goals. To be able to communicate at a level that makes sense in terms of talking about where the sport can take you. Whether your goal is to gain a scholarship or whether it’s to gain some confidence and come out of your shell,” Osei added. Osei’s recognition as one of the 150 black women to make Canadian history is a proud moment not just for her and her family, but for Laurier. She is an inspiration for the Laurier community, young girls and also the Canadian basketball community as a whole.
CURLING
Looking for another banner ERIC FLOCKHART STAFF WRITER
As the defending OUA and CIS champions in men’s curling, the Laurier Golden Hawks have cemented their position as a powerhouse in the sport over the past few seasons. Former skip Aaron Squires was a big reason for this, helping his rink to silver and gold medals in the CIS Championships before moving on to a team on the World Curling Tour. With big shoes to fill and a complete turnover from last year’s squad, skip Matthew Hall has continued the trend of success, leading the Hawks to a 17-1 record this season, and a third straight OUA Championship. Like most young Canadians, Hall, a Kitchener native, started playing hockey at a young age, following in the footsteps of his older brothers. But Hall quickly realized that hockey wasn’t for him, and, while looking for a way to stay busy during the winter, he began following his dad to the local granite club. “I think I was about twelve when I actually started competing,” Hall said. “I started going to curling camp and I got connected with a team
of guys out in Ajax and Pickering and that’s when I really started competing.” With a few years of competitive experience under his belt, Hall began to see consistent success. “We ended up winning the [under 16] title in 2013 and the next year we won the Ontario Winter Games and went to the Canada Winter Games in 2015.” Part of a new team (Team Kee) in 2016, Hall earned his first Ontario Junior Championship title and went on to finish seventh at the Canadian Junior Championships. With the other members of Team Kee too old to compete, Hall captured his second straight Ontario Junior Championship this past January, while a member of his third team in as many years. With high hopes, Team Hall took to Victoria, B.C. for the Canadian Junior Championships during the final week of January, with Hall looking to improve on his seventh place finish from a year ago. After a close semi-final victory over the team from Northern Ontario, Team Hall would cme up just short of a gold medal, losing 9-7 to a tough rink from British Columbia. However, that second place finish in a national competition only cemented Hall’s confidence and is
an accomplishment he will likely never forget. “It’s such an incredibly difficult competition,” he said, “and a lot of people never even get to win the provincials once, let alone twice.” “To be able to get that far, and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t have a little bit of luck on our side along the way, but that’s definitely an accomplishment I’m going to hold onto for a long time.” As for the future, Hall, a second-year financial math student, remains realistic but hopes that his success in the sport will continue on. “Everyone who competes at a high level has dreams,” he said, “but you never know where you are going to be in five years.” “I think that hopefully I can keep going and definitely my goal would be to play in a Brier and maybe the Olympics one day.” For now, though, Hall has his sights set on defending the U Sports Championships, which run from March 19–22 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. “There is definitely big shoes to fill and we’ve shown that we can be on that level too. I feel that if we play to our abilities, and play to our potential, we’re going to be in a good position at the end of the week.”
MARCO PEDRI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER