The Cord November 28, 2018

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 59 ISSUE 14 • NOVEMBER 28, 2018

WRAPPING UP FOR THE HOLIDAYS

TOP FIVE NEWS

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUG?

UNWRAPPING CHRISTMAS

THE WINTER BLUES

CANNABIS VS. ATHLETICS

Reviewing the most breaking stories this year

Testing homemade, holiday drink recipes

Discussing diverse holiday celebrations

Combatting seasonal depression

The newly legal drug’s effect on athletes

News, page 3

Arts & Life, page 14

Feature, page 15

Opinion, page 23

Sports, page 26

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

VOCAL CORD What is the best gift you have ever received?

@cordnews

The Cord

@thecord.ca

CordNews

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“A grey Adidas duffel bag.”

–Jordan Harris, thirdyear computer science

“Love from my family.”

–Max Niebergall, thirdyear computer science

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Our office tends to be filled with different paws. Here is our friend Leo who came to visit us on our last production of the semester.

“A pink acoustic guitar.”

–Hilary Bell, fourth-year psychology

“Mario Kart Wii for the whole family” –Nikki Micks, fourthyear psychology and biology

Compiled by Margaret Russell Photos by Jackie Vang NEXT ISSUE JANUARY 9, 2019

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Emily Waitson arts@thecord.ca

CORD STAFF

OPINION EDITOR Alyssa Di Sabatino opinion@thecord.ca

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Safina Husein editor@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Pranav Desai sports@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sadman Sakib Rahman creative@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Kashyap Patel graphics@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Garrison Oosterhof online@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Eva Ou photos@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Hayley McGoldrick news@thecord.ca

ONLINE EDITOR Katherine Weber online@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Aaron Hagey news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Sarah Tyler video@thecord.ca

FEATURES EDITOR Madeline McInnis features@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Margaret Russell news@thecord.ca

LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Abdulhamid Ibrahim sports@thecord.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Jackie Vang photos@thecord.ca SENIOR COPY EDITOR Sara Burgess copyeditor@thecord.ca SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Vacant editor@thecord.ca CORDCAST PRODUCER Brielle Huang cordcast@thecord.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

John McMorran Jacob Arand Eliza Heeney Eliza Moratz Josh Goeree Megan Xamin Fani Hseih Victoria Marshall Yana Manevska Rachel Burns Jennifer Webb

23 years down, a lifetime to do by Sarah Tyler on her BIRTHDAY

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

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

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

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

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for principal photography.

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The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 4,500 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000. Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada.

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

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

The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy.

The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly.

When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to

reply at the earliest time possible.

Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

The Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body.

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

Quote of the week: “If I were a woman, I’d be a big ol’ slut.”

- News Editor Aaron Hagey when Arts & Life Editor Emily Waitson calls him a hoe.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

• 3

News TOP FIVE MOMENTS IN NEWS NEWS EDITOR HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK news@thecord.ca

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NEWS EDITOR AARON HAGEY news@thecord.ca

News Editor, Hayley McGoldrick, looks back at the most breaking moments of the past semester

ONTARIO GOVERNMENT CUTS MILTON CAMPUS FUNDING After years of proposing ideas, securing funding and finding the perfect place for Laurier to expand its campuses to a location in Milton as part of a collaboration with Conestoga College for STEAM education, the PC government announced in October that it would no longer be funding this campus along with two other campuses that were university and college initiatives working together to provide new education to students.

The government announced that it was in a “fiscal

deficit” and that removing the funding for these new institutions would save them around 300 million dollars.

However, this announcement came to a shock to all the parties involved, as they found out via a media release the same way everyone else in Ontario did.

Laurier is still working to make a campus in Milton happen, but now are having to regroup and restructure their plan as they have to meet the monetary requirement without help from the government.

LAURIER ‘THREE-PEATS’ NO. 1 IN STUDENT SATISFACTION

Unsurprisingly to any student at Laurier, MacLean’s magazine has ranked Wilfrid Laurier University the number one school for student satisfaction for a third year in a row.

Though Golden Hawks may seem biased about going to the greatest school in Canada, more than 23,000 students across 15 universities were surveyed in order to record these rankings, and Laurier also topped the categories of Administrative and Academic Advising Staff, Extracurricular Activities and Residence Living and Promoting Indige-

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nous Visibility. Laurier ranked second among universities in the sections of Course Instructors, and fifth in Steps to Prevent Sexual Assault. Laurier has also been named Ontario’s most sustainable campus, adding to the list of achievements for the school.

These rankings not only look good for Laurier’s repertoire of making sure students feel safe and satisfied on their campuses, but also are an effective tool for the next generation of Golden Hawks to look at when choosing their future home.

E-SCOOTER PILOT PROJECT COMEs TO WATERLOOO The region of Waterloo approved a pilot project to have e-scooters made by the company Lime, that is currently based out of California.

The scooters have been seen in many towns and on university campuses across the United States, and the regional council in Waterloo is monitoring their use until Nov. 30 to see how the scooters fit in within the transportation system that currently exists in Waterloo.

The scooters are purchased and monitored through an app, as users scan the scooter’s unique barcode to initiate

CANNABIS LEGALIZATION IN CANADA

On Oct. 17, 2018, cannabis was legalized for recreational use across Canada, with legislations and prohibitions differing for each individual province.

Though the substance is now legal to buy and use, it is monitored via the Ontario Cannabis Store and can only be purchased online, as it is still illegal to sell otherwise.

It is also going to cost stores a hefty amount of money to be able to eventually sell in person, as costs are almost

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100,000 dollars a year to be able to be a licensed seller.

As for Laurier, it is still illegal to be using or carrying the substance on school grounds or in any school vehicle, unless for medicinal reasons.

Laurier essentially still has a zero-tolerance policy for cannabis, but has a group monitoring the interim policy for the next six to eight months to see if any changes need to be made for future regulations on campus.

the ride. Riders, however, must be 18 years of age, wearing a helmet and holding a valid driver’s license.

These regulations are in place to ensure safety throughout the region, and the scooters must also be picked up and dropped off at designated locations as the region does not want scooters left all over.

If successful, the region plans to investigate making scooter use more accessible as they have with past projects such as bike lanes.

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LAURIER GETS NEW SYNTHETIC CADAVERS After knowing that a cadaver lab was not sustainable at Laurier, professors from Laurier’s departments of kinesiology and health sciences proposed the idea and ended up getting a grant from the school to buy two synthetic cadavers, Sara and Rita.

Laurier is the first school in Canada to have two full-bodied synthetic cadavers, an improvement to the hard-plastic models they had previously used for anatomy classes.

Though the cost of these cadavers ranges from $70,000 to $90,000, the future benefits outweigh the costs.

There are currently over 25 schools on a waiting list to see the cadavers, and they were used to showcase the kinesiology department during Laurier’s fall open house.

The investment has many benefits, as the cadavers will be sent back to Florida where they are made each summer to be examined and reconstructed where needed, all included within the maintenance package the school purchased.

LAYOUT BY SAFINA HUSEIN/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. PHOTOS BY GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR, EVA OU/PHOTO EDITOR YITIAN CAI/STAFF PHOTORGAPHER

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

ACCESSIBILITY

Monarch Clothing assists those with Alzheimer’s and dementia MARGARET RUSSELL LEAD REPORTER

Wilfrid Laurier University alumna Patricia Quinn is the chief executive officer of Monarch Clothes, a Waterloo-based company that has developed a clothing line targeting women and men with physical impairments, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Quinn graduated from Laurier’s Bachelor of Business Administration program. She then went on to work for IBM as a technical advisor. Monarch’s co-founder and president, Kristine Goulet, also worked at IBM and after both leaving the company, they crossed career paths once again two years ago to form Monarch Clothes.

“I have a long-time friend, [Kristine Goulet], who is now my business partner. Her mother was living with Alzheimer’s. What my partner has found was that dressing her in normalized street clothes or dressing her in other adaptive clothing solutions that were available at the time was un-satisfactory — for both her as a caregiver, as well as for her mom,” Quinn explained.

“Most people don’t know how to change an adult,” Quinn added.

“It’s a very physically challenging ritual because of the size of the individual and sometimes depending on the state of the disability, they are unable to help in the dressing process. She found that the solutions weren’t suit-able to provide the dignity, the comfort, and the fashion perspective [of getting dressed].”

We’ve come up with a clothing design that is really considering the two-person dressing experience ... [we] thought there’s got to be a simpler solution.

-Patricia Quinn, CEO of Monarch Clothes and WLU alumnus

“We’ve come up with a clothing design that is really considering the two-person dressing experience … we looked at the body mechanics of the person being dressed and the person doing the dressing and thought, there’s got to be a simpler

solution,” Quinn said.

Quinn and Goulet’s design allows for a significantly reduced amount of body manipulation by 75 per cent for the person being dressed. The wrap-around and snap button design makes the dressing process more accessible and comfortable.

Monarch Clothes has a wide variety of shirts, blouses, pants, shawls and scarfs, all available through their e-commerce website.

The clothing line is manufactured specifically to withstand industrial washing machines that one would find in care homes.

Also, the company’s founders paid special attention to detail and designed the clothing to create as little stress on the body as possible.

“We’ve also continued to build relationships with care homes … and we’ve been doing everything from pop-up trunk shows, hosting demonstrations with caregivers and professional caregivers, in order to build the awareness that there is an alternative solution,” Quinn said.

Monarch has been established at Waterloo’s Accelerator Centre’s Jump Start program and is now operating at the Reactor space. This program is currently hosting over

JACKIE VANG/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

30 early-stage start-up businesses in the region.

The company has patents pending for their adaptive clothing solution and are expanding their market to men, which is in the design process, as well as a younger demographic.

“While we initiated our product

marketing on the senior market, because of the personal experience with my partner’s mother having Alzheimer’s, the reality is that people who have disabilities extend well beyond the senior group,” Quinn added.

“We can all benefit from an easier dressing solution.”

CONFIDENCE-BUILDING

One Girl event hopes to impassion and empower women SARAH TYLER VIDEO EDITOR

On Nov. 24, 2018 a One Girl workshop was held in Veritas Café at Wilfrid Laurier University. Run primarily by Lindsey Feltis, a Laurier psychology and communications alumna of 2018, this event served girls aged eight to 13-years-old.

One Girl is a series of workshops held to encourage girls to realize their full potential and to build confidence. One Girl is part of something bigger, called One Woman; a global social enterprise, which means it is a business, however any money is reinvested into women in developing countries.

It’s an opportunity for women and girls to empower other women and girls around the world, giving them access to things such as education.

At this point, One Girl is still establishing itself in the Waterloo region, so this past Saturday they combined workshops to include girls of the entire age range and had 25 sign-ups. There are generally two workshops, “One Girl — Inspired” for ages eight to 10 and “One Girl — Encouraged,” for ages 11 to 13.

At the workshops, which are held monthly, they start off with registration and by making name tags, then continue with explaining what One Girl is and the values of One Girl — to create a safe space for girls to engage in open dialogue and fun activities surrounding topics, such as self-compassion and

SARAH TYLER/VIDEO EDITOR

mindfulness.

Lindsey Feltis herself is currently pursuing her masters in developmental psychology here at Laurier.

During her undergraduate degree she took on many leadership roles such as being an icebreaker, Laurier ambassador, Five Days for the Homeless coordinator and ambassador coordinator.

She found the position with One Girl and fell in love with the passion behind the program and the goals of Sharla Brown, the founder of One Woman. Brown has the belief that women all over the world have similar struggles and just want to do good, be good and

To be able to work with girls aged eight to 13 ... to teach them skills, teach them about self-compassion and teach them how to be a leader is pretty cool.

-Lindsey Feltis, psychology and communications alumnus at WLU

be empowered.

“For me to be able to work with girls aged eight to 13, which is a crucial and vulnerable age, to be able to teach them skills, teach them about self-compassion and teach them how to be a leader is pretty cool. [It] makes me wish there was something like One Girl around when I was eight and 11 and 13 and struggling with self-esteem or body image,” Feltis said.

Feltis indicates that a good mentor is about “empowering the person you are mentoring, actually figuring out what they need and who they are and how you can take who they are already, embrace it

and ignite a passion.”

A key element of One Girl is the idea that being a girl can be really challenging and young women are often full of insecurities.

“It can be tricky being a girl, period. I think for me it’s acknowledging and admitting that I too as a woman struggle and have insecurities. I grew up with anxiety and ADHD and that made things challenging sometimes, so the fact that I am now being given a platform where I can talk about my struggles and help girls overcome theirs is incredible,” Feltis said.

When asked about being a good mentor, Feltis emphasized the need to find out how you can take who the person you are mentoring is already, embrace it and ignite a passion.

During the event one young girl asked: “what if I have a lot of compassion for other people, but I have no compassion for myself?”

This question drew shock from the women leaders in the room, in particular, in that something so serious could be on the mind of a girl so incredibly young and vulnerable.

It displays the necessity organizations like One Girl and One Women to be in our neighbourhood.

“I try to leave people and places better than I found them, so I think at the end of the day, being a mentor is about leaving people stronger, better and more inspired than when we found them,” Feltis said.

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018 ENVIRONMENT

Laurier aims to become more sustainable with summit AARON HAGEY NEWS EDITOR

Last Friday, Nov. 23, students, faculty and others were able to partake in the first-ever Laurier Sustainable Summit, hosted by the Laurier Sustainability Office and Laurier Naturalists, in the Hawk’s Nest at the Waterloo campus of Laurier University.

Bringing together over 50 students, groups and associations interested in sustainability efforts, speakers from WWF Canada, the Region’s waste and recycling centre, as well as the Office of Research Services, dedicated and environmentally-conscious individuals presented their thoughts on sustainability.

“Over the last few years, I found that a lot of those groups were doing very similar things, but not doing them together, collaboratively — at least rarely,” said Tyler Plante, outreach and program coordinator of Laurier’s Sustainability Office.

“There’s been an increase in the number of groups and [the] volume of students that are interested in sustainability here on campus, so we thought it would be a really good idea to get them all here together and talk to each other, so we can hopefully have a greater collective impact than groups working on their own silos.”

The main goal of the event was to build the collective student voice for sustainability at Laurier, as well as facilitate network-build-

ing and cooperation efforts towards eco-mindfulness.

However, Plante made sure their role in the event was to act only as a catalyst for these actions — not as a motivator.

lights the growing need for a shift in the conversation of sustainability. It is one that has been reflected on an international level as well.

“One of the things that we’re focused on here on campus is waste reduction; both in terms of the waste that leaves our campus, in terms of recycling, organics and landfill streams, but also reducing waste at the source — so the amount of waste we generate to begin with,” Plante said.

One of the things that we’re focused on here on campus is waste reduction ... in terms of the waste that leaves our campus ... [and what] we generate.

I think the first step is bringing all of the students that have the passion and the diverse perspectives that they bring.

-Tyler Plante, program coordinator for WLU’s Sustainability Office

“I think that anything that comes out of this needs to be student-led, at the grassroots level. I hope that something does come out of it, but I think the first step is bringing all of the students that have the passion and the diverse perspectives that they bring,” Plante said.

From business to geography and arts students, as well as the full spectrum of first-years to MBA’s with a few PhD students in attendance, diversity in perspectives was definitely accomplished at the first sustainability summit.

“I think bringing them all together, in one room, with the overarching umbrella of sustainability,

-Tyler Plante, program coordinator for WLU’s Sustainability Office

NAME/POSITION

that is the goal for me,” Plante said.

Looking to the future, Plante hopes for more events and collaborative opportunities like these.

“I think this is a long time coming, I’d like for it to grow … I’m really thrilled that we sold out, we

hit capacity,” Plante said.

Given the timing of the event, both taking place during the holiday season and Black Friday, a holiday typified by consumeristic excess, materialism and waste, the Laurier Sustainable Summit high-

“We have a lot of great resources with our food services department, with our Veritas Cafe, with our Students’ Union, as well as the infrastructure that we’ve got in our residence buildings and across campus.”

“So really, I would challenge the community here to be conscious consumers as we head into the holiday season,” he said.

MOTIVATIONAL

“Happy Hawks” inspires hope SAFINA HUSEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EVA OU/PHOTO EDITOR

The Happy Hawks campaign is coming back to Wilfrid Laurier University’s campus at the end of the month to bring students a little bit of cheer amidst exam season.

The campaign — which was originally launched last year for spring exams — aims to engage and connect the Laurier community.

Laurier alumni and community members are being given the opportunity to write out messages of encouragement, comfort or advice, which are then passed out to students around campus.

This term, Happy Hawks is set to take place on Dec. 6, the first study day allocated for the fall term exam period.

“My hope is that we can provide alumni with the opportunity to reflect and reconnect,” said Danielle Braun, alumni officer at Laurier and creator of the Happy Hawk initiative.

“For students, it’s really just an idea that we brought on to brighten the days of our students while they’re studying for exams.”

In addition to the motivational and comforting messages, Happy Hawk gives students free coffee and snacks, which are provided by the initiative’s sponsors such as

Awake Chocolate, as well as campus partners like Veritas, Laurier Food Services and Wilf’s.

To gear up for the campaign — which will be taking place on Dec. 6 — Braun and her colleagues have encouraged alumni to fill out a Happy Hawk postcard.

It’s really just an idea that we brought on to brighten the days of our students while they’re studying for exams.

-Danielle Braun, alumni officer at Laurier, creator of Happy Hawks

In specific, Alumni have been writing messages for the campaign at various Laurier Alumni events that have taken place throughout the last several months.

“It’s been really well received because they can think back and put themselves in the shoes of students while getting them to fill out the cards,” Braun said.

Alumni and community members are also able to submit mes-

sages online or on social media by using the hashtag #HappyHawks.

“My colleagues and I will write those messages out by hand onto these cards so that we’re handing them out to students along with coffee and chocolate and other treats that are donated to the campaign,” Braun said.

Not only does the campaign allow alumni to reflect on their time at Laurier and give the advice they wish they had heard during stressful times like exams, it also provides an opportunity for engagement.

“We provide alumni the space to write out their social media handles, so if students want to and are comfortable doing it [they] can then take a photo of the message or quote they received and then write back to the alumni and say thanks, so that we’re building those connections and the engagement,” Braun said.

“It’s also fun because alumni will see how it impacts the students which is really nice.”

Happy Hawks is a multi-campus initiative and will be taking place at Laurier’s Waterloo, Brantford and Toronto campuses.

“I really just wanted some positivity going around,” Braun said. “I’m also a student, as well as working and I know those messages really help sometimes.”

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018 WELLNESS

ENTERTAINMENT

Laurier Sleep Week HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS EDITOR

MADELINE MCINNIS/FEATURES EDITOR

Second Wilf’s craft beer festival HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS EDITOR

On Nov. 22nd, Wilf’s, along with Laurier Campus Life: Waterloo and the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, hosted the second-annual Craft Beer Festival in the newly renovated space of The Turret.

Participants could buy tickets for a dollar each ticket for advanced buyers or five dollars for three tickets at the door, to receive samples from different breweries who were present.

The event also featured live music from Ontario artists Datsunn and Jessie T for particpants to hear while enjoying their brews.

“We had an attendance of roughly 150 people, that was really good.

Seven breweries were in attendance and one was a moonshine company from Elmira so that was a huge hit with everyone. We [also] had three local vendors from the area selling cool stuff to get people thinking about the holidays,” said Nikki Corless, the vice president of programming & services for the Students’ Union.

“We had a nice little drop-in, event style, where people could buy tickets at the door and come in and taste test all the different samples.”

I think it went over better this year. The feedback was really positive, because we added so many elements compared to last year.

-Kelsey Richard, programming & promotions manager for the SU

The breweries in attendance included Waterloo Brewing, Redline Brewing, Royal City Brewing Company, Wellington Brewery and Murphy’s Law Distillery, the Elmira company that makes moonshine.

“I think it went over better this year. The feedback was really positive, because we added so many

elements compared to last year. I think last year we had six breweries in total and basically an iPod plug-in,” said Kelsey Richard, the programming & promotions manager for the Students’ Union.

“I think having the moonshine distillery there was very cool. It was different and people loved it because I know a lot of people are not specifically beer fans, so having that there just so people could try the moonshine was really cool.”

There was also food available at the event, as it was in part hosted

by Wilf’s, which further attracted participants to stay at the event and enjoy some food while trying out new beers they may not have had a chance to previously.

“We had four appetizers that people could order and people really took advantage of that. They sat down, they stayed longer this year which is cool because they were able to watch the entertainment and eat, so the turnover wasn’t as quick,” Richard said.

“There was a lot of people in the room at once rather than people causing traffic and coming in and out like they did the last time.”

On Nov. 21, the Wellness Education Centre hosted their Healthy Sleep Week, as one of their ongoing themed weeks they hold throughout the year. The Wellness Education Centre was located in the concourse, along with ACCQ Sleep Labs, giving tips, referrals and kits to students to promote healthy sleeping habits and enhance the student experience.

Many students tend to neglect sleep in the name of a social life, assignments or studying, which has more of a detrimental affect than a positive one. Students and adults in general should be getting around seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

Sarina Wheeler, the manager of wellness education, encourages students to attend these events in order to gain knowledge about the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep, as well as how failing to do so can impact their academic performance.

“We have run sleep week last year. Wellness education is just in its second year with it’s holistic approach with the seven dimensions of wellness, so we theme wellness education weekly. There’s a new one every week and sleep is a big enough issue for students that we run it twice a year,” Wheeler said.

“Most students don’t need the full sleep lab, but they do need sleep hygiene.” Meanwhile, the peer wellness educators created sleep kits with eye masks, ear plugs and herbal tea that were given out to students in the concourse and solarium.”

ACCQ Sleep Labs was present during Healthy Sleep Week and are a business that operates locally.

ACCQ was in the concourse giving referrals and sleep tips to students, as going to ACCQ is covered by OHIP.

They also encouraged any students with concerns to get an assessment from the lab.

Dana Tadross, who works in Patient Education & Community Outreach Services at ACCQ, was eager to help students understand the importance on rest and to help them improve in any areas they may lack.

“We had quite a few students take the referral forms and student health services were very good, so we set them up with referrals there,” Tadross said. “Students can see one of our physicians, we have a team at the lab that are all for different specialities; some are neurologists, some are psychiatrists, some are in medicine. They would talk to you once you arrive as the referral comes from a family doctor and everything is covered

by OHIP.” The benefits of sleep are endless; as it is scientifically proven that not getting enough sleep causes deficiencies both physically and mentally and students need the most sleep for brain function, but tend to sleep the least.

“We gave out information packages and we think students were quite receptive and wanted to learn more about sleep, so we would be happy to help out at all and told them to call us at any time,” Tadross said.

The Wellness Education Centre runs these themed education events each week throughout the semester and is currently focusing on stress and anxiety education.

“The Wellness Education Centre is the educational branch of the Student Wellness Centre. We want students to learn mechanisms themselves, so they can be better at understanding how they are more than just a student. We have our minds and our bodies to take care of and all the dimensions of health interact [with one another],” Wheeler said.

NEWS • 7

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

REVIEWING THE STUDENTS’ UNION BOARD The following reviews are based off of interviews with the Students’ Union Board of Directors to reflect on the year and if they best represented Laurier undergraduate students.

TARIQUE PLUMMER PRESIDENT & CEO

ADAM KOVACS

CHAIR OF THE BOARD

OWEN BOURRIE

VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD

In two short semesters, President Plummer has managed to accomplish a great number of things within his position as president and CEO. President Plummer has accomplished several points on his platform that he set out to achieve during the campaign period.

In specific, President Plummer has fulfilled over seven tasks that were outlined on his 15-point platform. A more recent accomplishment, for example, was the launch of The Perch, the President Sponsorship Program, and more.

President Plummer’s success in seeing so much of his platform come into fruition has created a sense of credibility and accountability for himself as president.

President Plummer has also strived to uphold a sense of visibility and transparency. He consistently makes an effort to work at the Brantford campus one to two times per week.

A large accomplishment that President Plummer has made on the Brantford campus has been the expansion of study spaces for students.

With a completely new lineup of directors this year, President Plummer has played an integral role

in ensuring directors have the necessary resources and knowledge needed to be effective during board meetings.

President Plummer has shared guidance and advice when necessary in order to ensure that meetings run smoothly and directors have the tools they need in order to engage on the board table efficiently and effectively. However, the advice and thoughts he shares at meetings often sway some directors, as he is seen as a knowledgeable figure and the most experienced person at the board table.

As such, President Plummer is encouraged to continue to be objective when providing guidance to directors during meetings.

As a new member of the board table, Chair Kovacs has proved himself as an effective Chair and CGO of the Board of Directors throughout the past several months.

Coming into a role with no prior experience on the board, Chair Kovacs stepped up to the head of the table and his hard work and dedication has been demonstrated through the board’s successes.

Taking over for a board that struggled due to their lack of experience last year, Chair Kovacs’ commitment to training and and fostering a positive environment has shown clearly through the board’s ability to make productive strives forward in each meeting.

Chair Kovacs conducts himself in an organized and professional manner, both on the board table and outside of meetings.

He keeps directors on track and focused during

meetings and ensures that agendas are followed closely, while fostering positive, effective discussions amongst the board. With Chair Kovacs’ guidance, board meetings have been run smoothly and have been productive, overall.

Chair Kovacs struggled to get directors to attend summer board meetings at the beginning of the term.

Although the issue did persist for multiple meetings, Chair Kovacs did eventually intervene and professionally communicated the importance of attending meetings to the entire board, ultimately solving the issue of poor attendance.

Chair Kovacs is encouraged to continue being a strong leader to directors as they entire their third semester as a board.

Vice-Chair Bourrie has been a prominent individual on the Board of Directors throughout the past several months.

He has successfully fulfilled the role of Vice-Chair of the board through his openness and his willingness to help other board members.

Vice-Chair Bourrie has strived to be a liaison between the directors and the chair.

He has made himself available to directors who may not be comfortable expressing their thoughts or concerns directly to the chair of the board.

In his first year on the board of directors, Vice-Chair Bourrie has strived to be transparent and engaged during board meetings.

He has done a successful job fostering a positive

and collaborative environment during meetings.

In addition to his position on the board, Vice-Chair Bourrie has worked on the Student Life Levy Committee, is a co-founder of Best Buddies Laurier, member of Laurier’s Moot Court Club and works at the Athletic Centre.

Vice-Chair Bourrie is easily considered one of the strongest members on the board table.

His enthusiasm, positivity and work to create genuine relationships with the other directors, capabilities and strengths, both on the board table and outside of meetings, as well as his service to the board, was noted and commended by multiple directors.

8 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Starting his term as a member of the Board of Directors, Director Beck was determined to create an inclusive board team and create a more engaged relationship with the student community.

Director Beck is encouraged to make more of a presence at meetings, both physically and vocally, to demonstrate a greater commitment to the board.

Although Director Beck has regretfully been unable to attend a board meeting at the Brantford campus this semester and was unable to attend a board meeting in Waterloo, he was adamant about being present through conference or video call.

Director Beck recognized a learning curve amongst the directors of the board due to lack of experience,

but notes everyone makes the regular effort to improve.

When not a member of the board, Director Beck is the co-president of the Association of Political Science Students, as well as co-vice president of events for Laurier’s Pre-Law Society. Director Beck maintains friendly and professional relationships with his fellow board members.

ways prepared for the meetings and isn’t afraid to ask questions.

He has also been involved with many committees even while in co-op; including being part of the Student Life Levy committee, Get Out and Vote committee, the finance committee and was even a delegate at the general assembly for OUSA.

BRODY SPOURDALAKIS

Though Director Spourdalakis, like the others, is a first-time director, he is looked at by his peers as one of the strongest members of the Board of Directors.

Although working a full-time job in Toronto for coop may seem like a hurdle for some, Director Spourdalakis continues to put forth an effort that goes above and beyond for the board.

Director Spourdalakis is known to always question the decisions made by the board: not to challenge them, but rather in an inquisitive way that ensures each decision made is what is best for the board and the student body as a whole.

Some may say he is the ideal director, as he is al-

KAWUKI JEROME

As a first-time member of the Board of Directors, Director Jerome has consistently come to board meetings well-prepared and ensures that his points and arguments are always well-punctuated with facts or supportive reasoning.

Making a commitment to be vocal about the issues he is passionate about, Director Jerome has executed his desire to show the other board members what he is capable of, as well as promoting what is in the best interests of the student body.

He has accomplished his campaign’s platform approach advocating for a multi-campus awareness, bringing Brantford more consistently into the board’s

discussions.

Director Jerome is encouraged to keep conversations in meetings relevant to the topic being discussed, as there has been a noted tendency for issues to become repetitive at times, which he steps back from.

Director Jerome is currently involved in Student Life levy at Brantford, Hiring & Recruitment and one of the inspector committees.

He has missed one meeting, but it has not impacted his relationship with the rest of the board. They have maintained cohesion and strong personal connections without compromising their professionalism.

Director Toameh is a first-time member of the Board of Directors this year. Director Toameh has been present at almost every meeting and has been to Brantford once this term.

She is a part of Best Buddies Laurier, is a Residence Life Don, Chemistry IA and is vice-president of Finance for the Eye-to-Eye club.

Director Toameh has also demonstrated her commitment to fostering a positive relationship with other directors both on the board table and outside of meetings.

Along with many of the other inexperienced directors, Director Toameh struggled to gain confidence and become comfortable voicing her thoughts on the

board table towards the beginning of her tenure. As such, Director Toameh has struggled to contribute consistently and frequently. As her term has continued, Director Toameh has become more comfortable speaking during meetings and continues to improve.

As such, Director Toameh is encouraged to continue to ask more questions and voice her thoughts more frequently during meetings.

Actively seeking out roles to get involved while on the Board of Directors, Director Vigneswaran is an asset to the board, as he is an outgoing member who understands the line between formal and friendly on the board.

Being part of the finance committee, monitoring auditing of the finances and involvement in DECA means that first-time Director Vigneswaran has a busy schedule, but he still fulfils his duties as a director and brings many valid questions to the table when making decisions on the board.

His attendance at meetings has been adequate, as

he has missed a few and only one in Brantford.

Knowing that the board still has much to work on is one of Director Vigneswaran’s concerns, as many times it seems the board goes over on meeting minutes, though productive. He knows that they need to stick to the schedule more often, but with help from the executive director, the board has been seeing improvements.

ADAM BECK

LANA TOAMEH

PIRRANAVAN VIGNESWARAN

NEWS • 9

WEDNESDAY, NOEMBER 28, 2018

OSMAN ALWI

SAMEED HUSSAIN

SHUKAN SHAH

KAREEM ELLIOTT CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

CHRISTOPHER DONNELLY

The first term for Director Alwi has been a lot to adjust to, being a first-time member of the Board of Directors. Despite being shy and more reserved, Director Alwi has grown in his position over the term, voicing his opinions and beliefs and asking questions as he has begun to break out of his shell and comfort zone.

There are still opportunities for growth for the director in the new year, as his shyness manifested itself in being unable to get his point across at board meetings as effectively, as well as more communication outside of board meetings.

One of his major campaign platforms has been to bring more recognition to the Laurier Brantford

campus. Moving into the next semester, this will be a fundamental goal that he wishes to see accomplished.

Though Director Alwi’s relationship with his fellow Brantford Director Hussain has been very effective, it brings with it the tendency to vote in unison: an issue that been identified as needing improvement.

Director Alwi’s various involvements: working with the Foot Patrol, the Hawk Team, the criminology students’ association in Brantford, Hiring & Recruitment, the Student Life Levy Brantford and more. These responsibilities have not compromised his involvement in board meetings, as he has only missed one.

As both a first-time member of the Board of Directors and first-year student, Director Hussain has made it his mission during his first term as a board member to bring a greater general sense of awareness and recognition to the Brantford campus, alongside Director Alwi.

Director Hussain has been credited for providing good questions and feedback during meetings, as well as facilitating critical and forward-thinking during discussions.

Director Hussain was contacted by The Cord to conduct his midterm review but did not respond to the interview inquiry.

Although being new to the Board of Directors this term, Director Shah has been recognized as a strong member of the board and always voices his opinion strongly.

He joined the board without a concrete platform, but was mainly focused on making the students’ voices heard.

Director Shah has maintained healthy and positive relationships with his fellow board members and remarked upon the professional nature of the meetings.

Director Shah has missed two board meetings in Waterloo and attended one meeting in Brantford this

term, but strives to improve attendance in the future.

Director Shah notes that sometimes the board meetings’ communications have gone in circles amongst directors, but attributes this to the importance of making sure everyone is on the same page.

Outside of the board, Director Shah is part of the senate, vice-president of operations at SURO, is a RAC referee and works part-time at the Merchant of Tennis.

Director Elliott can be described as one of the more realistic members of the Board of Directors and his performance this term has reflected that.

Though a number of points from his campaign, including involving more international and first-year students and improvements to the wi-fi, have gone unfulfilled, that comes with it the understanding that his personal agenda may not always fit into the larger scheme of the Students’ Union.

As one of the more broadly-involved directors, being involved with the first year project, playing basketball and RIC for intramural basketball, Director Elliott reflects the diversity and passion that he wants to see

mirrored in the student body, as well as the needs of the broadest spectrum of groups.

Director Elliott has not missed any meetings, but has not yet been to Brantford and as such is an opportunity for growth next semester.

Director Elliott has created and nurtured relationships with some board members, such as his working relationship with Director Jerome.

However, it has been noted that a focus for next semester should be building upon other relationships with board members that go beyond the professional.

Even in his first year as a director, Director Donnelly has made an impact on the Board of Directors, as he always has a strong but educated opinion when it comes to making decisions on the board.

He maintains a friendly relationship with other directors outside of the board, but knows that on the table he must act in a professional manner and his questions to the board follow accordingly.

Director Donnelly has made an impact on fellow directors: he fits seamlessly into the board despite not having previous experience and is not afraid to ask the tough questions that some other directors may fear

will rock the boat.

On top of his director duties, Director Donnelly is a residence life don, as well as a member of the Association of Political Science Students, the History Students’ Association and the North American Studies Students’ Association. It keeps him constantly busy as he tries to improve the student experience for many faculties and make an impression on his first-year students.

These reviews were written collaboratively by News Editor Aaron Hagey, News Editor Hayley McGoldrick, Lead Reportor Margaret Russell and Editor-in-Chief Safina Husein. They are based on observations from board meetings and interviews with directors, chair and president.

10 •

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Arts & Life

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR EMILY WAITSON arts@thecord.ca

CONCERTS

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Indie band The Paper Kites takes flight at Maxwell’s EMILY WAITSON ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR

On the chilly evening of Nov. 23, a long line of people — primarily couples and small groups of

friends — waited impatiently outside of Maxwell’s Concerts and Events to see The Paper Kites.

Around 7:30 p.m., the reasonably sized crowd was ushered through the doors where I was

able to meander around the space before the opening act.

Having never been to Maxwell’s before, it was underwhelming, but about what I expected from a smaller venue.

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The smell of stale beer and offensively bright neon signs aside, the vibe was relaxed and eager with the majority of the people who were standing around me undeniable diehard fans of The Paper Kites beyond just a passing, “oh yeah, they’re cool.”

I fall somewhere in-between the casual listener and dedicated super fanatic. I really like their music and listen to their songs frequently, so it was intriguing to hear how excited people were about them playing there.

The opening band was a Toronto-based group, Wild Rivers, and they proved to be a breath of fresh air before the main event.

The four musicians who took the stage were laidback and didn’t seem to take themselves too seriously, with the lead singer, Khalid Yassein, using his dry sense of humour to fill the space between their songs for the amusement of the audience.

Casually poking fun at their own music genre, he quipped, “That was our only happy song. The rest is depressing. That’s all indie bands are, just sad.”

The Paper Kites came on stage to an awestruck crowd about an hour later in near darkness, red strobe lights filtering through blinds stationed at the side of the stage.

It was unexpected and for a second I caught myself thinking that I was watching a performance in someone’s apartment with how personal and close-knit the atmosphere felt.

Hearing their music always makes me want to stare moodily out of a rain-streaked train window — their calming songs lulling me into a peaceful state of being — and experiencing them live was no different.

I didn’t seem to be alone in this feeling either. The people around me were swaying dreamily in tune with the music, captivated by the band. Endearingly quiet and humble, Sam Bentley wooed the crowd with his Australian accent and awkward charm.

He encouraged everyone in the room to enjoy their music as I’d never seen a band do at a concert before.

He joked lightly, “The last time

we were in Waterloo two years ago and we dubbed them the ‘loudest crowd.’ Maybe this year we could break the record for quietest.”

And with little to no effort, the crowded concert room fell to a hushed silence. His acoustic strumming wasn’t overpowered by baseless chatter, and the respect everyone there seemed to feel for him was genuine.

Through the relative silence, Bentley commented that for the next song, he liked to play it with all of the lights turned out, in the pitch dark.

Encouraging an audience-wide chant to turn off the buzzy and bright coat check sign after he remarked through a chuckle, “I think that bloody coat check sign will ruin the illusion of darkness,” it was turned off and the room was able to fully enjoy the music we had come for.

As I looked around me, multiple people were mouthing along to every word and I heard one, not-your-typical-indie-band-fan remark loudly, “that was fucking amazing.”

Something that you don’t often feel at concerts is a sense of intimacy and a true connection with the band onstage in front of you.

The people around me were swaying dreamily in tune with the music, captivated by the band.

Yet, The Paper Kites did just that.

Their ease and realness with where they were and who they were playing for made their performance so much better to experience.

Smaller venues and lesser known bands can put on shows that are unexpectedly beautiful and enjoyable, and this night was no exception.

ARTS & LIFE • 11

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018 HOLIDAY MARKETS

Christmas market disappoints JACOB ARAND STAFF WRITER

FANI HSIEH/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

On Saturday, Nov. 24 the Kitchener Market, located on the corner of King Street and Cedar Street in downtown Kitchener, hosted a “Christmas Market.”

I put that phrase in quotes not only because it is a direct quote of their Facebook advertisement but also because it is a stretch to give that name to the experience I had.

The Kitchener Market isn’t much to write about on a normal day and anyone who has been there will understand what I mean.

It serves its purpose, allowing vendors from around the area to sell their wares to consumers from around the area but it’s not really my scene. The only thing that will get me to go there, aside from a pretty cheap slice of pizza, is the promise of a Christmas Market that I have to write about for the paper.

So let’s unpack this, shall we?

The Kitchener Christmas Market was comprised of about seven vendors, each one selling possible holiday gifts as well as decorations.

This segment of the Kitchener Market was upstairs, firmly tucked away from the rest of the scenery almost as if to separate the experience from the rest of the market

in order to give you the best time possible.

There was very little done to the cold interior of the Kitchener Market that would allude to it being Christmas, or even winter time.

Or to hide the shame of what was delivered. I’m not sure which one was the true reason for the placement.Funny enough I didn’t know the Christmas Market was happening. I mean, I knew it was going on because I was there for it, but walking through the front doors provided no different of an experience than the Kitchener Market on a regular day.

There was very little done to the cold interior of the Kitchener Market that would allude to it being Christmas, or even winter time.

I’m not one for being bombarded

with Christmas music during the holidays, but come on.

The only people you’re going to get at a Christmas Market are the people who want to be at a Christmas Market. So who was this market for? In my opinion, the Kitchener Christmas Market, while depressing in appearance, would serve the general public who would be at the Kitchener Market on a Saturday morning regardless.

Seeing locally made items that would be perfect as a stockingstuffer for little Johnny while going out to buy some tomatoes would be a nice surprise and a great start to the weekend. But for people like me, people who went to the Kitchener Market for this promise of festivities, it was disappointing. Also, why call it a “Christmas Market”?

First of all, it’s November. Second of all, the Kitchener Market is one of the more multicultural spots in the area, with vendors selling food and products from all areas of the world. I’m not about to go into a rant about political correctness, but it seemed out of place to call it a “Christmas Market” when the vast majority of people in attendance will be celebrating different holidays.

Oh well, ’Tis the season.

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12 • ARTS & LIFE

2018 year wrap-up

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

FILMS #1 Black Panther Breaking multiple box-office records including the highest-grossing film by a black director and the second-highest grossing film of 2018, Black Panther dominated theatre screens with unshakeable force upon its release. It elevated the often tired-out superhero genre to new and exciting heights, standing as a strongly — acted and captivatingly crafted piece of cinema, which isn’t always an easy feat for movies in the MCU. Out of the countless movies released in the Marvel universe, Black Panther delivers a cast of characters and a storyline that feels tangible and genuinely well-thought-out — a refreshing example for what all hero movies all have the potential to be.

#2 Tully Charlize Theron could probably act her way through anything and make it look effortless, but Tully was a standout film for many reasons this year. Theron’s ability to go from playing a post-apocalyptic badass with one arm to a worn down mother who wasn’t expecting to become pregnant with a third child is impeccable. The movie depicts parenthood with raw honesty and humour, blending the two together to create something that feels painstakingly truthful to real life.

This lesser-known film is lifted into a praiseworthy story by a script that hits home the struggle of self-acceptance and the difficulties associated with the mundane challenges we face day-to-day.

#3 Eighth Grade With a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 99 per cent, Eighth Grade achieves what most coming of age films fail to accomplish: being relatable to their target audience. The painfully normal setup of the movie and its age-appropriate characters are what make this palpably awkward and often uncomfortable-to-sit-through story a success. The authenticity of the teen experience in the days of social media and the overblown tragedies we perceive at this age comes together to deliver a strangely healing hour and a half where we can relive the trials of adolescence. Touching on anxiety, self-image, bullying and relationships, Eighth Grade deservesd the love it received for how accurately it depicts the issues we experience in our formative years.

MUSIC #1 thank u, next Ariana Grande #2 This is America Childish Gambino #3 Girls Like You - Maroon 5 ft.

Cardi B This song is too catchy for its own good.

Every time I hear it, I sing along to it without thinking and I can’t decide whether it’s gotten to the point where I’m absolutely sick of it or I still like it. Either way, the massive popularity of it and the viral music video that featured numerous famous female faces stands as a positive, female-centric song. It’s chart-topping success and Cardi B’s climb to fame through this and her arguably more catchy single “I Like It,” pretty much defined the most played music this summer.

Another song that I dedicated an article to — “This is America” is one of my top most listened to songs from this year. The song and the music video became the most talked about pieces of pop culture news during its release and it currently has 434,970,224 views on YouTube. Donald Glover is someone I think of as a genius and whose list of talents never seems to stop growing. Rife with cultural, political and subtle historical references and an addictive beat that you instinctively bop your head to, Gambino sets himself apart from the rest as a musical powerhouse. I also can’t wait to hear him voice Simba in the upcoming Lion King movie set to release in 2019.

There’s a reason why I wrote an entire opinion article about this song. The now massively popular single has broken numerous records for a first-day release and a female artist, proving that Grande’s talent as an artist is unwavering. It has a replayability that’s undeniable and a message of empowerment, self-love and strength of spirit despite the outcomes of past relationships.

Grande has grown on me a lot over the past year and she has built her brand and music on being a shameless woman who doesn’t need to explain herself to anyone — which is something that I can definitely get behind.

ARTS & LIFE • 13

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

PEOPLE #1 Christine Blasey Ford

#2 Stan Lee

#3 Emma González The 18-year-old activist who dominated television screens with her powerful presence, Emma González survived the Parkland shooting in Florida and used her experience to rally for much-needed support and recognition for gun control in the United States. Her powerful activism gained viral recognition when she delivered a heartbreaking speech against gun violence, calling “B.S.” on the lack of action by the politicians funded by the NRA. González’s outspoken, fearless dedication to an issue that continues to be relevant with each passing day has inspired endless support and rallies for change.

After he tragically passed away at age 95 on Nov. 12 of this year, the world mourned the loss and celebrated the life’s work of a legendary comic book icon. Stan Lee revolutionized Marvel and transformed it into what it is known for today through his passion and creative vision. His decades of work with Marvel made him a beloved figure in the superhero universe and shaped the genre into the outrageously popular series of books, films and TV shows that it is today. His cameos in Marvel movies were what kept them light-hearted and rooted in the man who started their legacy, and his absence will be felt by fans across the globe. Lee’s impact on the famous world and characters we know and love so well will never be forgotten.

TV SHOWS #1 The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina This show is worth the hype and I ended up enjoying it so much that I had to pace myself while watching it so that I didn’t finish it too quickly.

Sabrina is a show that completely subverted my expectations. I knew I’d like it, but it proved to be way more engaging than I originally thought it would be. Kiernan Shipka plays a badass little halfwitch and her character is the embodiment of “I don’t give a fuck” — when you defiantly tell Satan that you won’t sign the Book of the Beast, then you know this is a person you don’t want to fuck with.

Fearless, feminist and flawed in all the right ways, she guides the show with her stubborn, scrappy attitude. There’s a considerable amount of diversity and representation the show, and the characters are far from one-note placeholders. Creepy, funny and romantic, Sabrina should be here to stay.

#2 Queer Eye I have not met one person who isn’t completely obsessed with Queer Eye. A show that’s sure to make you cry with every episode that you watch, the Fab Five provide their various areas of expertise for people in need of life changes that ultimately go deeper than a simple makeover.

The show’s formula is perfect for binge-watching and its sweet, charming cast give it the heart that makes it so loveable and popular.

#3 Big Mouth Big Mouth is an animated series that has gained immense popularity over the past year. Receiving praise for its approach to addressing adolescent issues through humour, it currently has a 100 per cent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The intentionally off-putting animation style paired with their cringe-worthy storylines makes for a relatable Netflix series that people can’t get enough of. I personally love when animated shows get a lot of hype since cartoons get too much of a bad rap for not being “worthy” examples of television. Much like Bojack Horseman, Big Mouth is turning adults over to animated comedies and I’m excited to see where Netflix takes it next.

Christine Blasey Ford became known the world over when she publically accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the summer of 1982. She later testified against him during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing thousands of people watched as she stood as a pillar of strength and dignity while recounting the trauma she experienced as a teenager. Despite endless death threats, harrassment and the need to move four times because of it, she does not regret coming forward. Ford, regardless of the disheartening outcome of that trial, is a figure of resilience and empowerment for survivors everywhere.

Her story was told with courage, giving hope to sexual assault victims like her.

14 • ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

RECIPES

The Cord tastes: homemade holiday drinks MEGAN XAMIN/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

SARAH TYLER VIDEO EDITOR EMILY WAITSON ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR

Four people from The Cord gathered together to make and taste-test three holiday-themed beverages to see which ones worked the best.

The key was to see if these were drinks that we would drink again, that we’d pay money for and if they were worth the effort to create in the first place, especially given our busy and time-consuming schedules as students approaching exams.

Looking to the McCormick website, we took a “Spiced Caramel Apple Cider” recipe that we altered to suit the ingredients we had one

hand.

With a prep time of five minutes and the addition of whipped cream and caramel drizzle on top at the end, it was definitely the most unexpectedly tasty drink out of the selection.

The ingredients we actually used: - 5 cups apple cider - 1/3 cup of caramel sauce - 2 tsp vanilla We then heated it to a simmer in a pot and served from there. It made about four mugs worth of the drink and tasted tart and very sweet.

The next recipe we followed much more closely and it was taken from the Ashlee Marie website whose namesake clearly know a thing or two about making hot chocolate. That said, this drink

was called “The World’s Best Hot Chocolate” and serves roughly five people.

We used the ingredients listed with only slight alterations: - 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/2 cup granulated sugar - 1/2 tsp salt - 1/3 cup water - 4 cups milk - 1 tsp vanilla From there, we followed the remainder of the instructions by mixing the ingredients as directed in a saucepan.

This drink was very different from the first one, but it still turned out tasting amazing and seemed to be the favourite across the board.

We added whipped cream and dark chocolate chips as the finish-

ing touches, and that made all the difference. Comforting, chocolatey and definitely something you’d want to sip on just before Christmas.

The last recipe we tried was from the website Port and Fin called “Maple Cinnamon Latte.” This recipe serves one and was changed slightly to include lactose-free milk and more maple syrup.

The ingredients we used: - ¾ cup lactose-free milk - ½ cup coffee (we used Tim Hortons brew, straight from the paper cup) - 2 tbsp maple syrup - ¼ tsp cinnamon, plus more for garnish An important note is to consistently monitor the drinks when being heated to prevent over bubbling and also that the heat

is not too high. The sugars will caramelize and create solid bits at the bottom of the saucepan and should be poured through a fine mesh strainer into a mug.

This drink was also pleasing to taste, but the chunks of cinnamon that floated at the top congealed together, making it a bit lumpy to drink.

The flavour was delicious, the consistency was the only downside and none of us could taste the maple syrup at all. If anything it just made it taste a bit sweet, but not maple-y.

In order to jazz up your holiday drinks you can also add liquor such as Baileys or Kaluha and decorate the top for cafe style personalization with sprinkles, candy canes, marshmallows or cinnamon sticks, as desired.

Cord Picks: Best recieved gifts Alyssa Di Sabatino/ Opinion Editor Last year for Christmas, my boyfriend surprised me with a pair of concert tickets to see Vince Staples and Tyler, the Creator in Toronto.

The concert was in February, so there was a significant time period between me receiving the gift and actually getting to go to the concert, but I loved having something to look forward to, and he and I made an event out of our Toronto trip.

Vince Staples is my favourite artist, so seeing him live was incredible and I was immediately star-struck upon seeing him on stage.

Tyler, the Creator is also an amazing stage presence, and the crowd absolutely loved him; it was a very unifying experience.

I think the best part about this gift was the fact that I had told my boyfriend in passing that I had wanted to go to the concert, but I had no actual intention of initiating the ticket purchases myself.

He picked up on the fact that I wanted to go and orchestrated the whole thing for the two of us.

The gift was more than just a material purchase; it was the experience that came along with it that made it so great.

Hayley McGoldrick/ News Editor A record player from my sister. It was one of those things I always wanted but when I would’ve had enough money to buy one I always spent it on something else because it wasn’t a necessity, yet listening to music on one is unreal.

When she first gifted it to me, I coincidentally had one record, Ariana Grande’s “My Everything”, that I had bought before even having a record player because it was purple and I thought it was pretty.

I’ve now got a collection of most of my favourite albums on vinyl due to it, including Vampire Weekend, Arkells, Childish Gambino, Bon Iver, Kings of Leon, Tame Impala, John Mayer, Arctic Monkeys and even Harry Styles’ records that just take you to another world when listening to it.

I also get to spend a lot of time in cool record stores now because of it, and though paying $30+ a record is a hefty price tag, the experience of hearing your favourite album played on vinyl for the first time is priceless.

Emily Waitson/Arts & Life Editor

I always say love giving people gifts more than I like receiving them and that’s completely true. I get a thrill out of putting effort into a gift for someone I care about, which is why I always feel so awkward opening the ones that I get — and I’ll probably cry over it since the thought of people putting thought into a present for me makes me emotional. Although I’ve been very lucky to have been given the most thoughtful gifts by so many lovely people in my life, one of my favourites is from my grandpa. A few Christmases ago, my adorable, 92-year-old grandfather picked out a stuffed rabbit wearing a dress that has “Emily” stitched on the front. It looked exactly like a bear I used to love and take everywhere with me as a child. Pair that with the card he had very shakily signed with “Love Grandpa” (my mum typically fills out his cards now because he’s unable to do it himself, so this would have been a challenge for him) and it was so unexpectedly sweet to open that Christmas morning that, lo and behold, I got teary-eyed over it.

Sometimes the simplest things are the most heartwarming, and it’s a gift that I plan on keeping for the rest of my life.

MADELINE MCINNIS/FEATURES EDITOR

Garrison Oosterhof/ Web Director When I was growing up, hockey was everything to me.

I would blow out the candles on my cake thinking about getting a new hockey stick or eat a double folded chip wishing for the newest set of gloves.

By far my favourite present was when my Dad got me a hockey net for Christmas.

When it was my turn to open a

present all he said was to go check the garage (so I knew it was big!) and the anticipation as I ran there only built my excitement.

I stayed there for the rest of the day shooting puck after puck.

The net ended up lasting me many years and endured all kinds of dents and marks before a final fatal slap shot broke it altogether.

The crossbar still hangs ceremoniously above the garage door as a symbol of my teenage years.

• 15

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Features

FEATURES EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS features@thecord.ca

Unwrapping the Christmas Controversy Features Editor, Madeline McInnis, looks into diverse celebrations this holiday season “I think it’s always good to be cognizant of other cultures, and to say ‘Happy Holidays’ is the safe route” - Laura Goldfarb

“I hate when they say that. Just say Merry fucking Christmas.”

I remember this man from my hostessing job when I was in grade 12. This time of year, I always wished my customers Happy Holidays as they left for the night.

This man didn’t seem to like that very much, and made that loudly clear to the woman he was eating dinner with as they left the restaurant.

I’m Baptized Catholic myself, but I knew that some of my customers wouldn’t be. Apparently, at least to one person, I was participating in the so-called war on Christmas.

I still am, if that’s the view that you take. The holiday season is called that for a reason — of course we have Christmas, but we also have Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, misoka and countless others.

So, this war on Christmas — is it really even a thing? Do people honestly believe in it, or are we all overreacting?

“I don’t think a lot of people would be offended if you said Merry Christmas to them,” said Laura Goldfarb, a third-year student here at Wilfrid Laurier. Goldfarb is also co-president Hillel Laurier, a subsection of the largest Jewish campus organization in the world.

“I think it’s always good to be cognizant of other cultures, and to say ‘happy holidays’ is the safe route.”

Goldfarb, despite not celebrating Christmas, is still looking forward to the holiday season. She, as well as others who identify as Jewish, will be celebrating Hanukkah around the same time that Christians will be celebrating Christmas.

“Hanukkah is basically the Jewish festival of lights.

It’s eight days long

and it basically celebrates the Jews winning the war over the Greeks in some point in history. That’s kind of a very crude explanation of an important tradition,” Goldfarb said.

“The only thing Hanukkah really has in common with Christmas is that it comes around the same time every year,” she explained.

“When you say Merry Christmas, you’re not acknowledging Hanukkah. That’s just the truth,” Goldfarb said. “So when you say happy holidays, you’re acknowledging that holiday too, which is nice because Jews love Hanukkah! It’s a fantastic holiday.”

Goldfarb also shared some of the traditions associated with Hanukkah, including lighting the menorah, spinning dreidels for chocolate money and eating jelly doughnuts. Not coincidentally, Hillel will be in the concourse with jelly doughnuts soon.

“These are some customs that everyone will like — you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy them,” she said.

However, if there is one holiday that has been secularized the most already, we’d have to come back to Christmas. Even a large number of atheists celebrate Christmas with their families. Is this really the war on Christmas, rather than accepting other religious holidays around the same time?

When I asked Joseph Goodwin, campus minister, St. John Paul II Student Centre, and the Catholic Chaplin as part of the multi-faith resource team here at Laurier, whether he believed in a war on Christmas, he strongly answered with a no, through laughter.

“I don’t think anybody in the history of Christmas has ever decided ‘war on Christmas’ is appropriate, unless they were actively, violently persecuting Christians, which has happened sometimes throughout history,” he said.

“People who want to secularize the winter season, I don’t think they are warring against any particular festival or religion.”

Both Goldfarb and Goodwin had a similar response when asked whether or not they’d be offended if someone wished them well on a holiday that they didn’t personally believe in.

“I’m Jewish. If you say Merry Christmas to me, I say Merry Christmas back and I’m not offended at all,” Goldfarb said. “But other people may have different reactions to it.”

“I’d say happy Hanukkah right back, because it would appear that this person is Jewish, and if they said happy Diwali or happy Eid to me, I’d assume that they’re Hindu or Muslim respectfully, and I’d say it right back to them,” Goodwin said.

That’s not to say that Christians want to relinquish all hold on their religious holiday this season, though. Christmas is an important holiday that Christians still hold onto very tightly.

“My prime directive is not to be diverse and accepting. Everyone has their own worldview that they approach life with,” Goodwin said.

“Mine centers around being a Christian, so that’s not an exercise in diversity, that’s an exercise in being who I am.”

“Of course, I support and encourage everyone to be who they are,” he continued. “As a Christian celebrating Christmas, part of my sort of incarnation of truth is to go into the world and be who I am and show God to people.”

"It’s almost out of my mind to think ‘how do I go about being diverse and accepting.’ Because I’m a Christian, I’m accepting because that’s the model of Christ.”

As for a last takeaway message, both Goodwin and Goldfarb looked to a positive note on the holiday seasons. “[Christmas] is the time when we should be the most open — the most tolerant,” Goodwin said.

“There’s no Christian culture that’s there to be reclaimed.”

“If you’re the type of person who really wants to be aware, be respectful and appreciate other cultures, go with happy holidays, there’s nothing to lose,” Goldfarb said.

To each of you, happy holidays.

On behalf of all of us here at The Cord, I hope the holidays you celebrate — no matter what they are or aren’t — are rewarding, restful, and remarkable.

The Cord reached out to various other religious Laurier groups

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Happy Holidays from WLU Student Publications

18 •

PHOTO SPREAD

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

LOOKING BACK AT 2018

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

PHOTO SPREAD

• 19

PHOTOS BY EVA OU/PHOTO EDITOR, JACKIE VANG/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER, SAFINA HUSEIN/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, YITIAN CAI/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/CREATIVE DIRECTOR, MADELINE MCINNIS/FEATURES EDITOR, DOTUN JIDE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

20 • GAMES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

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DRUNK TEXT ROMANCE // CYBERBULLY MOM CLUB LITTLE DREAMER // FUTURE ISLANDS YOU’RE SOMEBODY ELSE // FLORA CASH STEEL BIRDS // SLOW PULP LIVE WELL // PALACE UPTOWN FOLKS // DOPE LEMON

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. Submisssions can be sento dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear 2018, I’m feeling particularly sentimental right now, so I’ll allow myself to be a little sappy. Even though it hasn’t been perfect, I’ve had a great year. I’ve pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and grown a lot with my confidence, I’ve made some amazing friends, I love my job and I flew on a plane for the first time in my life. To everyone at The Cord, I love you all and I’m proud to be a part of our weird, wacky little work family.

Sincerely, Em

RETURN TO // #1 DADS

Dear Bina Mehta,

EVERY DAY’S THE WEEKEND // ALEX LAHEY BITTER // PALACE ONE MILLION LOVERS // THE GROWLERS COME DOWN // SYLVAN ESSO COAL MINE // SYD ARTHUR

You’re the best! It’s so obvious how much you care about your students and how much effort you put into your courses. Thank you for everything you do! I don’t know how I’d survive Global Studies without you!

Sincerely, A greateful Student Dear Laurier,

SUDOKU

ALWAYS FOREVER // CULTS SUBURBIA // PRESS CLUB COME ON MESS ME UP // CUB SPORT FEEL THE WAY I DO // THE JUNGLE GIANTS TROUBLED MIND // DAN MANGAN SO SOLDIER // #1 DADS & AINSLIE WILLS KEEPING TIME // ANGIE MCMAHON PURE BLUE // PHOEBE GREEN

TUNE IN ONLINE

There are too many people on this tiny campus. It takes me twice as long as it should to get to class since I have to fight through crowds. If you want to bring more students in, you need more space.

Sincerely, Cramped Dear Alyssa, You’re the best Opinion editor ever!!! Keep doing what you’re doing.

Sincerely, <3 Dear life, Why is everything always due at the same time.

Sincerely, I’m in fourth year and still leave it to the last minute, why am I like this

Sincerely, Snoot Dogg Forever Dear THE CORD, T - talking nonsense H - having fun (when we should be working) E - enjoying each other C - cooking up content O - ordering (mediocre) food R - realizing our mistakes (too late) D - damn good year Let’s make the next one even better.

Sincerely, I’m Sentimental Dear CH, One more day until two of the best two months of my life.

Sincerely, You’re my favourite

Dear Coffee, Dear Santa Safina, Why taste so good but make big anxiety?

Sincerely, Gotta go fast

Please bring me nuggets for Christmas. I have been a good Cordie.

Sincerely, Nice

Dear Safina, Dear Stomach, Thanks for being an incredible boss. During the summer I felt like this position just wasn’t for me and I was failing, and you always reassured me everything was OK. Now I can’t picture not being here, we kill it every week and I can’t believe it took me so long to become a Cordie.

Why the HECKINBOB can you go 16 hours without eating but as soon as 8pm hits I begin to eat like i’m in a hot dog eating contest?

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GAMES â&#x20AC;¢ 21

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018 WORD SEARCH

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• 22

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO opinion@thecord.ca

Editor’s Note:

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Nostalgic for 2018 so far. Just like every other year, this past year has brought forth it’s challenges and it’s also brought new opportunities.

It’s exciting to think back to how things were a year ago and reflect on how things have changed in ways you never expected them to.

To name only a few, this year brought me my job at The Cord.

This year has brought me people that I now call my best friends.

More recently, this year brought me one of the most important people in my life. And it’s because of all of these things collectively that I will always look back so fondly on 2018.

I truly think that the unexpected things can be the best things to enter your life. And it’s because of all of these meaningful things - and the special people I’ve met - that have happened that makes me nostalgic for the past year in the best way.

But it’s also because of these people and these moments that also makes me look hopeful into the new year, I’m so thankful for all the moments that I have had and I’m excited to hold those moments close as I move into 2019.

All of these moments and people have taught me things that have made me better than I was a year ago. And for that, I wouldn’t change a thing about 2018.

I’m excited for the new year and to keep moving forward and to see what the future has in store, but before I do, I think I’ll hold on to some of my favourite moments of 2018 just a little bit longer.

SAFINA HUSEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With the fall term wrapping up and coming to an end, I think many of us are inevitably thinking about how we will be starting the new year.

Although looking to the future and setting new goals and resolutions is important, I think it’s equally as important to take a moment to reflect on the past year and everything it has brought.

It can be easy to throw each year aside, thinking about how last year’s resolutions still remain unmet or untried. And as such, thinking about starting a “fresh year” can be a comforting thought.

For me, thinking about moving into the new year makes me nostalgic for 2018.

But for me, thinking about moving into the new year makes me nostalgic for 2018.

On a personal level, I think 2018 has been one of my favourite years

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

23 years down, a lifetime to go SARAH TYLER VIDEO EDITOR

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Today is my twenty third birthday.

Yes, I am still in my undergrad and yes, I do have goals for myself. I have spent four and a half years at Laurier and honestly still do not want to leave. We often have a timeline in our minds, or at least I do, and it often relates to how old we are.

Did you ever think to yourself that you wanted to be married by a certain age, have a house and kids or hold a dream position at work? I thought I would be married by age 25 as I am sure many have previously.

Do I think that goal was realistic?

Maybe for someone else, but not for me and I think it was highly impersonal. By now I planned on having a miraculous number of milestones checked off my list and yet I am proud of who I am even though I have different accomplishments under my belt.

Each person has the unique experience of living their own life with billions of factors contributing to one’s individuality. It is okay to also move through your lifetime at

a different speed than other people. This is a fact that I often have trouble accepting. I sometimes feel like I have fallen behind.

I took a year off between high school and university to hold multiple jobs, take some fun courses and work on myself. It was definitely not what I originally planned to do, but it ended up being beneficial for me in the long run. Then taking a fifth year in university, I am now “two years behind” those who I graduated with in high school.

I have realized it is so much more important to me to have selfgrowth and personal understanding, which makes me who I am and who I share with the world.

This is silly, as there are a variety of directions that my friends and acquaintances went. Everyone has their own path and I have mine; it is unfair to oneself to compare ones so-called progress to that of other people. I have realized it is so much more important to me to have self-growth and personal

understanding, which makes me who I am and who I share with the world.

I may not ever have a house of my own, or at least for a few more years, and I’ll get married only if the time is right for me. These are both traditional goals and might not be suitable for my personality and preferences at all. Maybe I will focus on work and value the relationships with people I interact with on a daily basis and decide to give back to my community in a multitude of ways.

I am slowly becoming more and more comfortable with taking the next step as this year progresses.

The next step however does not need to be one specific mappedout route; it will be alright if I change my mind or need to deal with uncertainty. Do I go to grad school right away? Do I get a job?

Do I travel? Do I pursue a creative passion? I cannot control every aspect of my future and I know from the past 23 years that an immense amount of my “foolproof plan” will change for the better.

It’s time to realize I can flow with the current and put my full heart into whatever I am doing at the present time, because that has proven to be what I do best.

Age may just be a number, but it’s how you allow yourself to embody the essence of yourself at that age which truly counts.

• 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Opinion

OPINION EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO opinion@thecord.ca

Celebrating the holidays with seasonal depression ELIZA MORATZ STAFF WRITER

Now that daylight savings time has ended, it can feel like the entire day happens in the dark. If you’re like me and don’t wake up until later in the day, you may only have 5 or 6 hours of sunlight to enjoy.

For many people, this change is unpleasant. For those with mental illness, however, it can really take a toll.

I’ve dealt with depression throughout my life, but when I was diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) a few years ago, it finally made sense why I spent most of the winter tired, moody, and drained of energy.

SAD is a type of depression that is related to the seasons changing, most often occurring during the fall and winter months. While many people may experience a dip in their mood when the tempera-

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

ture drops, SAD is much more than the ‘winter blues’ that many people experience. Common symptoms can include fatigue, oversleeping, weight gain and feeling hopeless, among others.

While such symptoms are distressing at any time during the year, they can be especially annoying during the holiday season. Once November hits, things become busier than ever for university students. Not only do you have to worry about final papers,

projects and exams, but it’s also the time of end-of-term parties, holiday dinners, seeing family and much more.

This can be overwhelming for anyone, but for those living with a mental illness like SAD, it can be particularly exhausting. Staying in when it seems like everyone else is out having fun can be rough. For many people, they don’t want to be missing out, but their mental illness makes it difficult.

Depression can also cause

people to lose interest in activities that they used to like. When you’re expected to enjoy all the parties and get-togethers, other people may see you as cold or unfriendly if you don’t.

Personally, it feels like I’m always tired during the winter months. I sleep in and go to bed early, and it’s not unusual for me to take a nap during the day.

This often means that I’ll miss events or that I don’t feel up to go out with my friends. Frequently, this causes feelings of guilt. I don’t want to be the person that ruins the holiday season for everyone else.

It’s important to remember that it’s not my job to make other people happy, and it’s not your job either. The holidays will happen whether you love them, hate them, or skip them entirely. Above all, your health should be your number one priority.

We’re constantly told that the holidays are supposed to be full of fun and cheer, but for those living with a mental illness, it’s much more complicated. All of the presents, decorations, music and food

in the world can’t cure a mental illness. It’s okay if you’re still struggling during the holidays. In the end, they’re just another day.

There can be a lot of pressure to do everything. It’s okay to cancel plans or skip a party if you’re not feeling up for it.

Remember that your mental health is more important than dragging yourself to a party that you won’t enjoy anyway. At first, your friends might be upset that you can’t do everything with them, but those that really care about you will want you to put your health first.

If you notice that one of your friends is acting different or isolating themselves, reach out to them, but respect that they may not have the ability, or the wish, to take part in all the festivities.

While it’s normal to experience a slight change in mood during the winter months, if it’s impacting your day-to-day life I encourage you to reach out to someone you trust, whether it’s a friend, a family member, or a healthcare professional. You don’t have to live life in the dark.

24 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Gift giving isn’t commercialistic ALYSSA DI SABATINO OPINION EDITOR

For a lot of people who celebrate, Christmas preparations dominate a large portion of the year. Before Halloween is even over, candy canes and advent calendars are being sold in stores, and by the time November rolls around, “Winter Wonderland” has been played a hundred times over in every mall.

People spend countless hours picking out gifts for their family, friends, coworkers and significant others.

They prepare for the annual celebration by cooking traditional foods and finally gathering together with the ones they love.

Christmas is often associated with Christian religious traditions and the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. But because it is a public holiday, it is celebrated by millions of people around the world and many of those people have no religious affiliations with Christianity.

Not too many other holidays in Western culture have that kind of unifying power. The holiday is about more than just its religious origins, although those are important, it also holds weight in a cultural aspect.

One of the core aspects of the

holiday is known to be gift giving and exchanging.

Exchanging gifts is symbolic of love and friendship for many people, and holds religious context as well (i.e. when the disciples brought frankincense, gold and myrrh to baby Jesus).

Obviously, there is a certain degree of commercialism intertwined with Christmas, just as any other holiday.

But the whole point of giving gifts is the selflessness of it.

I’ve heard many people denounce the commercialist aspect of holidays that inevitably follows suit with the celebrations. But if you think about it, commercialism only adds to the festivity and joy of Christmas.

There is definitely a universality to the holiday; it doesn’t matter who you are or what you believe in, giving and receiving gifts is a great feeling, so it’s no wonder that so many people choose to participate in Christmas.

Take the five love languages, for example. It outlines the ways that people most often express or

accept love; receiving gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service or devotion and physical touch.

While gift giving and receiving may be the most obvious one, several, if not most, of the love languages are expressed during the holiday season time as well.

For a lot of people, Christmas is a time where they can express forms of love that they otherwise might not be able to express for whatever reason.

Obviously, there is a certain degree of commercialism intertwined with Christmas, just like any other holiday.

But the whole point of giving gifts is the selflessness of it. Commercialism only serves to endorse that.

The ads that are often featured during the holiday focus mainly on giving, rather than taking, and that money is better spent when it is being spent on someone else.

During the holiday season, people are more inclined to be selfless, not only to their friends and family, but to those in need as well. Charitable giving is known to increase during the holiday season, with about 20 per cent of all charitable donations being made in December alone.

Even if you don’t have excess money to spend, you can still donate your time, or create a memorable experience for someone else, which in some ways is even more valuable than a material purchase.

The influx of shopping that

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

happens during the holiday season greatly benefits companies and retailers, and it is a greatly profitable time.

But if you’re still worried about becoming too commercialized during the holidays, try shopping local.

There is no rule book that explicitly states that you have to endorse whatever you perceive to be the commercialism of Christmas.

Do and buy only what you feel you are able to, there are countless ways to express love and gratitude without spending a single dollar.

Christmas music should only be played in December Christmas music in November, it takes away that special feeling of past Christmas nostalgia and of future Christmas-loving sensations.

Also you take away time to listen to other new music that came out in November, like Michael Bublé’s new album Love.

JOSH GOEREE STAFF WRITER

There are a few things in life that are inevitable: death, taxes and endlessly playing Christmas music around this time of year. Since the end of Halloween, most people who like Christmas music have dusted off their Apple Music and Spotify playlists and have been blasting Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey non-stop.

From Dec. 1 to Dec. 25, it is socially acceptable to play Christmas music to one’s own content.

The problem comes when people overplay it, which happens every single year.

I don’t know what it is about the holidays that makes people want to excessively hear Mariah Carey sing about how all she wants for Christmas is “you,” but now it’s time to put it to an end.

Just to make this clear: this is not a war on Christmas or Michael Bublé. Christmas music, like the voice of Michael Bublé, brings joy and happiness to many people around the world, especially in Canada.

It puts us in an excited and festive mood to dance and sing.

But playing it 26 million times for

The feeling of Christmas music should be of warm memories of hanging out with friends and family and not of sickening despair and endless anguish.

EVA OU/PHOTO EDITOR

a month straight drives everybody crazy. And do you know what else drives everyone crazy? Playing Christmas music 52 million times for TWO months straight.

So just as a rule, can we not play Christmas music until Dec. 1? It’s not a complete ban on Christmas music, but easing it down considering it’s only played around this time of year.

The main reason why people hate Christmas music is because it is overplayed. Just tune into 96.7

CHYM FM in KW and you will be bombarded with various versions of Frosty the Snowman, Last Christmas, Jingle Bells, and dozens of other songs to ring in the festive season.

It’s as if people play it excessively to put everyone in a holiday trance.

So, if that’s the case, then why are people playing it in November?

One other reason I saw on Spotted at Laurier’s account was that it was disrespectful to the troops because people were playing

Christmas music right after Halloween but before Remembrance Day. I don’t really get how playing Christmas music is insulting to the military or to the memory of those who sacrificed their lives.

But if they are saying that it’s way too early to play Christmas music, they’re right.

The feeling of Christmas music should be of warm memories of hanging out with friends and family and not of sickening despair and endless anguish. By playing

Thus, if we want to keep the spirit alive in Christmas music and not have it butchered with the feeling of never-ending holly jolly suffering, hold off on the “Winter Wonderlands” and “Here comes Santa Clauses” until Dec. 1. The wait will be hard, but in the end it will be worth it as we preserve that special feeling in our hearts this holiday season.

And if at all possible, try and mix up your Christmas music just a bit because listening to just Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey for a month straight will get boring real quick.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 , 2018

OPINION • 25

What no one tells you about getting married young ELIZA HEENEY OPINION COLUMNIST

“How’s married life?”

I get asked this question about twice a week these days, since I got married just before school started back up this September.

For the first few weeks after we got back from our canoe trip honeymoon, the question was “how was the wedding?” This was an easy-peasy question to answer, because it was our absolute most perfect day.

And that’s so cliche, I know, but really—it was. White dress, big bouquet, my guy in this amazing suit standing at the end of the aisle, beautiful music played by our close friends, heart melting speeches by our parents, a surprise comedy routine by my new husband that absolutely brought the house down, and a three hour dance party set to the flawless beats of the mid-2000s top 40’s.

The. Perfect. Day. Cue honeymoon-in-a-canoe, which was also amazing, and a week and a half later we had both moved into our new downtown Kitchener apartment, ready to start our third year of university.

Talking about those ten days is so fun — all the time. But, now that we’re into November, the question I get asked has changed.

Now, people say, “Hey, newlywed! How’s married life?” Because, naturally, I “know” what being married is all about, having lived it for a grand total of twelve weeks (**sarcasm**).

It’s no longer just about the wedding day, now it’s about being a wife, a partner, and starting this “next chapter” (so many fucking cliches). And so, obviously people who care about Calvin and me want to know how it’s going.

The thing is, I don’t even pause to think anymore before answering that question. My response rolls off my tongue: “It’s just amazing.

Wonderful. We’re on cloud nine.”

Add a sweet little smile and, BOB’S YOUR UNCLE, crisis averted. Lying, it turns out, is an amazing way to handle potentially disastrous conversations.

Here’s the truth: being married is hard. Wow, I know, right? You’ve never heard that one before. I know that literally everyone has heard that before; it is not news that being married can be tough.

Anyone and everyone with a pulse knows that being married is not sunshine and rainbows all the time.

So why doesn’t my answer reflect the reality of what I’ve experienced?

The truth is that there’s an enormous taboo on the reality of marriage. You aren’t supposed to talk about how it really is, especially in the first few months.

There is a lot of pressure on newlyweds, I have noticed, especially young, Christian newlyweds (that’s us), to uphold an image of blissful romance and perfect partnership.

The people asking the question “how’s married life?” do not want

to hear about the six million spats we have had over the state of the dishes in the sink.

They do not want me to talk about how I’ve already had to break that age old rule to “never go to bed angry”. And they do not want me to say that being married — so far — is the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do.

And I don’t want to hear myself talk about those things either, because I, too, want to believe in the romantic comedy version of our marriage, not the much more complex reality of it being tricky and emotional and tough and wonderful all at the same time.

But the thing is, if you ask pretty much any married couple, they’re gonna say the same thing: the first few months are beautiful but hard.

It’s a massive transition to legally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially become a brand new family, particularly if you didn’t already live together.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but here are some things that — if I’m being honest — we are struggling with: figuring out how to argue effectively when we’re tired, balancing housework with school as well as spending time together, learning how to divide chores that neither of us want to do, and grappling with some internalized patriarchy on my part that makes me feel like I’m the one who “belongs” in the kitchen.

I didn’t walk into this marriage blind. I knew that it wouldn’t be easy. But maybe the hardest thing about being married — and being committed to someone in general, married or not — is acting lovingly when you don’t “feel it.” Falling in love with Calvin six years ago was the easiest thing, but actively loving him when those feelings aren’t there is tough.

In the movies, commitment to someone is based on “feeling in love” all the time. But that’s not reality; feelings are fickle and undependable.

You can’t base a lifelong commitment to anything on feelings.

Calvin once told me that love is twenty per cent feeling and eighty per cent choice, and I think that’s so true.

I married Calvin, not because I felt in some particular way about him every waking minute, but because I chose him.

And now, as his wife and partner, I choose to love him every day, no matter how I’m feeling. And maybe that sounds unromantic to some people, but I really believe it’s the most romantic thing there is.

But even if it is romantic, that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard. It can be frustrating, exhausting, and impossible to do “perfectly.” And I should be able to talk about that, because it’s the truth.

So next time someone asks me, “how’s married life?” I hope I have the guts to be honest. Even if they were just hoping for a fake response to reinforce their own conceptions of what a blissful thing marriage should be, I want to be truthful.

And maybe that will be jarring for whatever poor soul asks me next, but I don’t think this taboo around the reality of marriage is helping anyone.

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

26 •

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca

HEALTH

The impact of PEDs on Laurier student athletes ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER

The choices you make are everything, especially at the stage of life when people are in university.

A lot is on the line and everything has an impact on your future.

For student athletes, this also comes in the form of using drugs, alcohol, and especially performance-enhancing drugs.

It isn’t always easy to stray clear of these things as a student-athlete.

With having a social life and partying comes alcohol and drugs which are a part of university culture whether people like it or not.

With the social status of being an athlete on campus, especially on a popular team, it can be even harder.

“Your head is like, ‘I wanna go out, I wanna drink with my friends’, right? It’s university culture but it’s almost like, does that fun and almost that blur outweigh how you’re gonna feel in the morning when you have practice? So, in terms of that, there’s a lot of positives you can gain in a social aspect,” fifth year rugby star Andrew Quattrin said.

The issue is what happens the next day when you have to get to workouts or practice. Being hungover or high is not exactly a push to being able to perform to the level required of a student athlete.

In regards to performance-enhancing drugs, the impact is totally different whether you’re caught or not. Studies have been done to show the impact it can have on people long-term and short-term.

“Once you’re on it, yeah you can come off it but you’ll never be the same. There’s no reason for that. It almost ruins the sport if some guys are cheating and some guys are not,” Quattrin said.

of them.

Effects of steroids such as infertility, infrequent or absent periods (for women), high blood pressure, increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture and of human growth hormones like vision problems, an enlarged heart, joint pain, muscle weakness, amongst a list of risks do not make it worthwhile. The issue is people will still make the choice to take them or other performance enhancing drugs.

One thing that is for sure, the

problem of performance enhancing drugs is more of a problem than people believe, and a case could be made that it is slept on by plenty of people.

“I think it is slept on. I think you almost don’t hear enough stories about people getting caught. At the start of the year, you do all these drug testing things and in my five years of university, I haven’t seen one guy come around doing drug tests. It’s almost like a scare tactic rather than they actually care,”

Quattrin stated.

The only sport where it has really been news is football and that got a big boost in 2010 with the scandal at the University of Waterloo when the football program got shut down for a year after receiver Nathan Zettler was arrested for possession and trafficking of anabolic steroids and HGH. Following that, Waterloo director of athletics Bob Copeland ordered the entire team be tested. The results of that came to be nine confirmed doping cases along with suspensions that were handed down.

From 2010-2014, there have been 14 university football players across every conference who failed drug tests since that scandal.

There were also four players who failed drug tests at the CFL combine from the CIS (now U-Sports).

The legalization of marijuana in Canada recently also changes everything. Will it be allowed in the world of sports here in Canada too?

Will there be further education on performance-enhancing drugs in the near future? Will there be more testing put forth?

There is a lot we do not know in regards to the marijuana legalization. While we may know its impacts from a health perspective, what about the impact it has on the lives of our student-athletes going forward?

The impact it has on one’s life once caught is immense because of the ban they would receive.

Some student athletes have futures in their sport, so a serious education of the impact of PEDs along with stricter testing to force the issue more needs to be done.

This cannot be something that flies under the radar because we see ourselves as having it better than in the U.S.

for the Hawks will take place in London, Ont. on Dec. 1 as they will compete in the Western Invitational. The tournament will be the last major swim competition for

the Hawks before they head for the winter break.

The Golden Hawk swimming teams are filled with talent and leadership. With big-time names

like Jasmine Raines, Jocelyn Chassie and Max Hughes leading the way, fans can expect better finishes and an increasing amount of medals in the new year.

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

The reason many get into performance enhancing drugs is to give themselves an advantage over their competition to reach their goals.

It usually begins with those who feel they need that extra push from what they are naturally capable of.

Thinking short-term though, can cause long-term effects though.

Whether they be anabolic steroids, human growth hormones or others, their effects are tremendous, especially for someone who ends up falling short even with the use

SWIMMING

Hawks put on a show PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks swimming team were in action this past weekend at the deBray Divisional Championships in Sudbury, Ont. It was a magnificent weekend for the women as they finished in fifth place overall. It was the individual performances of Jasmine Raines and Jocelyn Chassie that propelled the Hawks to finish fifth as a team.

Jasmine Raines put on a show for Laurier once again, as she captured three gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200-metre distance breaststroke competitions. Raines capped off her outstanding weekend by winning a bronze medal with Jocelyn Chassie in the 4x50 meter medley relay.

Chassie also impressed with two

other individual bronze medals in the 50-metre freestyle and the 50-metre butterfly competitions.

The men’s team recorded a sixth place finish overall at the championships. The Hawks were led by fourth year veteran Max Hughes, who picked up a bronze medal in the 400-metre individual medley.

It has been a splendid start to the swimming season for the Hawks under new head coach Cathy Pardy. Pardy was announced as the head coach of the Golden Hawk swim program on Nov. 2, and this was her second competition in charge of the team.

Pardy is familiar with the Laurier sports culture as she coached the Golden Hawk swimming team under former head coach and Golden Hawk Hall of Fame member Dean Boles.

The next swimming competition

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

SPORTS • 27

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018 MEN’S BASKETBALL

GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

Golden Hawks get into top 10 SARAH TYLER VIDEO EDITOR

Last week, Laurier’s men’s basketball team was ranked No. 9 in the U SPORTS Top 10, ending a six-year dry streak.

The last time the team earned a ranked spot was in February of the 2011-2012 season at No. 10 but were previously ranked No. 5 in the same season.

This was Laurier’s highest ranking ever. According to head coach Justin Serresse, achieving the rank-

ing this early comes as a surprise and suspected that if the games this past weekend were to go well then, the ranking would come.

After winning both their games this weekend against the Laurentian Voyageurs and Nipissing Lakers, this gives the Hawks their fourth straight victory.

“We are very happy about it and you know we are proud of the fact that we were able to make it for the first time in six years and my first time as a head coach with only two and a half years on the job”, said

MEN’S HOCKEY

Serresse.

He claims he knew that the team has been playing well. However, he did not think they were quite there yet to claim a top ten spot. “We always strive to be able to be one of the best teams in the country.

That’s what you know we work for,” said Serresse.

The men’s basketball program has been in a state of rebuilding since Serresse was hired as head coach.

This includes working on the overall team culture and style of

play. This type of redevelopment takes time for adjustment, which may indicate why Laurier is finally seeing the team rise again this year.

With more incoming recruits that have been named rookie of the year and all-star players, there is an attempt to create a program that will be nationally ranked in the near future.

Serresse has commented on the current strength within the assistant coaching and the dedication to the team shown by both staff and players.

Serresse also mentioned as to why Laurier might not have been consistently ranked. “We are still a very small school … I think there is a difference between us and Carleton, for example, or Ryerson: all those teams that invest a little bit more in basketball. I think we’re slowly seeing this school investing in us a little bit more and I think that’s only going to help us recruit top players,” said Serresse.

He placed importance on having a well-rounded program full of support staff for the players, including supervision and support in academics, mental health, physical health, well-being and player development and proper training outside from just direct drill practices. This all gives “a little bit more of a professional approach and makes their life easier,” said Serresse.

Having these supports in place will not only attract players but give them the greatest confidence knowing that they will be taken care of and will be successful within university if they come to play for Laurier.

“We’re trying to build something bigger than just putting the basketball in the net, it’s a way of living, a way of doing things that’s going to create that culture that people are going to be attracted to and I think

that’s the key for us to sustain that top 10 program,” said Serresse.

With the top 10 ranking, there is hope for more of the Laurier community to attend games and to cheer on the Golden Hawks.

We’re trying to build something bigger than just putting the basketball in the net, it’s a way of living, a way of doing things ...

-Justin Serresse, Laurier men’s varsity basketball head coach

With a young and exciting team, the student population can be entertained and have fun while watching from the stands. Serresse said, “we’re trying to make them proud every single night around the court and we don’t just play for ourselves; we play for the school and our students. So hopefully we can feel a little bit of love … that would be amazing.”

The Hawks won 84-78 on Friday against Laurentian. On Saturday, they won 108-103 against Nipissing with fans and the team on the edge of their seats as they managed to overcome a seven-point deficit within the last 39 seconds in overtime.

Ali Sow, guard, broke the modern scoring record with 44 points, assisting greatly in the Hawks’ win.

Laurier now has an overall record of 7-3 on the season.

Their next regular season game will take place in the new year on our home court against McMaster on Jan. 4.

Scoring woes plague Hawks JOHN MCMORRAN STAFF WRITER

DOTUN JIDE/FILE PHOTO

“We haven't scored enough, I'll just put it that simple. We've had our chances and we haven't put [the puck] in the net enough.” Head coach Greg Puhalski did not mince words when asked why his team lost to Brock 2-0 last Friday, making them 0-2 against the Badgers this season.

This loss, however, comes on the heels of a win over cross-town rival Waterloo on Wednesday, Nov. 21.

However, splitting games 1-1 will not be enough for the Golden Hawks to make playoffs, and when asked about what it will take to win more in the second-half of the season, coach Puhalski returned to what has been his teams’ Achilles heel this season, “We need to score more. When you're not scoring enough it puts pressure on all areas of your game. We're getting the [scoring] chances, and it's just a matter of finishing when we get them. I mean, if you're getting chances you're accomplishing something, but you have to actually put the puck in the net.”

This year the Golden Hawks

have scored less goals than all but one team, but with gritty defense and goaltending, their record still keeps them within striking distance of the playoffs. Provided, of course, they score more goals in the second half of the season. But unfortunately, coach Puhalski said it best when he stated: “If [there was] a formula for scoring it would have been invented long ago.”

When you’re not scoring enough it puts pressure on all areas of your game. We’re getting the [scoring] chances, and it’s just a matter of finishing ...

-Greg Puhalski, Laurier varsity men’s hockey head coach

He went on to discuss some of the points he aims to stress in practice, but when pouring over the schedule, one can see that,

including non-conference games, seven of Laurier’s 12 losses have been by a single goal. It is not hard to imagine that a puck bouncing differently, or a penalty going the other way, and Laurier’s season could be looking entirely different. However, in next Saturday’s matchup, York does not intend to be Laurier’s first stepping stone toward the playoffs.

The Lions are 9-5 in conference play, and having dropped their last two contests, ensuring that they will be travelling to Waterloo hungry for a win.

But for students and athletes alike, this time of year can be especially trying; the weather turns sour while exams loom, and winter break seems like some faraway promise, too good to be true.

The playoff push for the Hawks starts now, and defeating York would be a sweet send off to the semester. Likewise, students writing final exams get a chance to solidify a semester’s worth of hard work.

So while the days may be short and the weather disagreeable, discipline and effort now will make victory that much sweeter.

28 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

2018 Laurier Varsity Team Standings Sports Editor Pranav Desai ranks the best Golden Hawk teams of the year

1. Baseball It was a fantastic 2018 for the Laurier men’s baseball team, to say the least. The Hawks captured their second OUA championship in team history after defeating the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the gold medal game of the OUA playoffs. The OUA title capped of a phenomenal regular season for the Hawks, in which they finished with a 13-5 record as they headed into the playoffs as the number one seed. Although the Hawks were happy with their great regular season, head coach Scott Ballantyne insisted that the goal for Laurier all year long was the OUA championship. Coach Ballantyne was named the OUA Coach of the Year, and deservingly so, as he has consistently led great baseball teams during his time at Laurier. Expectations will be higher than ever for the baseball team in 2019 as they will look to capture their third OUA championship.

2. Women’s Curling The Laurier women’s curling program has seen tons of success in recent years, and 2018 was no different.

The Hawks captured their sixth OUA championship in eight years as they defeated the Queen’s Gaels in the OUA playoffs gold medal game. The Hawks’ playoff run as a whole was extremely impressive, as they managed to knock defending U-Sports champions, the Laurentian Voyageurs in the quarter finals followed up by eliminating the U-Sports silver medalists, the Lakehead Thunderwolves. Their difficult playoff run proved that the Hawks were clearly the best team in Ontario. The Hawks national championship run didn’t go quite as well, but it was still an outstanding 2018 for the team thanks to their success in the OUA playoffs. The 2019 curling season gets under way on Jan. 19 with the Brock Invitational and the OUA playoffs start in February.

3. Men’s Rugby After a successful 2017 season, the Laurier men’s rugby team continued to rewrite the history books as they captured their first medal in team history. The Hawks finished the regular season with a 6-2 record, which put them in a position to host the first round of the OUA playoffs. The team had a chance at revenge against McMaster in the first round, as the Marauders defeated the Hawks in the bronze medal game last year. Laurier showed up in a big way this time around, winning by a final score of 31-13. Unfortunately, the Hawks’ playoff run ended in the next round at the hands of the Guelph Gryphons, but this meant that they would still compete for the bronze medal for a second straight year. This time, the Hawks faced off against the Warriors in a huge “Battle of Waterloo” and came out on top with a final score of 17-6. This team continues to make history year after year, and it will be interesting to see if they can manage to break year another record in 2019.

4. Women’s Lacrosse The Laurier women’s lacrosse team earned their best finish in eight years by winning silver in 2018 OUA playoffs. The Hawks received stellar performances throughout the season from Rose Williams, Kaitlyn Massey and Taylor Miller, amongst others, and that was the biggest reason behind their tremendous success. The Hawks finished the regular season with a strong 11-2 record, with their only losses coming against Western and Queen’s. After defeating Brock and Trent in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the purple and gold had to face the Queen’s Gaels in an intense rematch. Unfortunately, the Gaels proved to be too much for the Hawks and would win by a final score off 11-6. Nonetheless, it was still a great 2018 for the team and it was a seasons that the entire team should be proud of.

5. Men’s Basketball The Laurier men’s basketball team was recently ranked inside of the top 10 U-Sports team rankings. The team is beginning to garner a lot of respect, and with good reason. Under head coach Justin Serresse, the Hawks have shown consistent growth and improvement. The team has found ways to focus on the little things and it is easy to tell that the team’s chemistry is through the roof. Laurier finished the 2017-18 regular season with an overall record of 12-12, and they made the second round of the OUA playoffs where they ended up losing to the Brock Badgers. The Hawks record this season so far is 7-3 as they head in to the winter break. Second-year guard Ali Sow has been a big bright spot for the Hawks as he recently broke the modern day Laurier single-game scoring record with 44 points against Nippising.

LAYOUT BY: PRANAV DESAI/SPORTS EDITOR PHOTOS BY: DOTUN JIDE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR, SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/CREATIVE DIRECTOR, TANZEEL SAYANI/CORD ALUM