The Cord October 24, 2018

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 59 ISSUE 9 • OCTOBER 24, 2018

WHAT’S IN YOUR CARDS THIS HALLOWEEN?

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

MILTON FUNDS PULLED

HALLOWDRAG IMPRESSES

FALLING FOR OCTOBER

OUA CHAMPIONS

Waterloo’s 2018 municipal election winners

Laurier’s new campus fiscally cut by Ontario

UW’s drag club takes the stage at Wilf’s

Exploring autumn’s “basic” cliches

Men’s baseball gets revenge on U of T

News, page 4

News, page 6

Arts & Life, page 8

Opinion, page 14

Sports, page 15

2 •

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

VOCAL CORD What is the most creative costume you’ve ever been or seen?

@cordnews

The Cord

@thecord.ca

CordNews

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“A bubble gum machine.”

–Daniela Nicolas, firstyear biology/chemistry

“An opening fridge.”

–Verdon Hemsley, firstyear mathematics GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

UW Drag Club took to the stage at Wilf’s on Laurier’s Waterloo campus for the first annual Hallowdrag event.

“A Freudian slip.”

–Eliza Moratz, third-year global studies

“The Wendy’s mascot.”

–Ryan Arndt, second-year environmental studies Compiled by Margaret Russell Photos by Jackie Vang NEXT ISSUE OCTOBER 31, 2018

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

DO YOU HAVE A PASSION FOR WRITING? VOLUNTEER FOR THE CORD! WWW.THECORD.CA/ VOLUNTEER 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

Olivia Jones John McMorran Jamie Mere Jennifer Webb Yana Manevska Victoria Marshall Rachel Burns Alicia Lavigne

Defining your identity

by Alyssa Di Sabatino

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

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Quote of the week: *Goes bright red* - Web Director, Garrison Oosterhof after Editor-in-Chief Safina Husein asked if he wanted her to buy him a Dick Tunnel

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

News

• 3 NEWS EDITOR HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR AARON HAGEY news@thecord.ca

HEALTH

CHRISTY REGALADO/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

Thrive Week advocates for mental health MARGARET RUSSELL LEAD REPORTER

This week, Wilfrid Laurier University is holding its third Thrive Week.

This week-long event focuses on the importance of mental wellness at university and more specifically, thriving as students.

The event is appropriately running during Laurier’s busy and stressful midterm season and hopes to provide students with the opportunity to learn about and practice self-care.

“The idea behind Thrive Week is to build positive mental health and break down that stigma,” said Karen Ostrander, director of the Student Wellness Centre.

“It’s really all about building resiliency and [connectivity] for students at Laurier.”

Thrive Week at Laurier started in 2017 and has come to fruition within the last three semesters.

Thriving refers to not only emotional and mental health but physical health as well, which is why success relies on the collaboration of various departments at Laurier rather than just one.

The idea was adapted from the University of British Columbia and involves efforts from the Wellness Centre, department of athletics and recreation, as well as the Martin Luther University College.

“It grew into campus-wide initiative,” said Melissa Pare, wellness coordinator for Laurier athletics and recreation.

“Adriana Falcone and the I Move My Mood team have put together an awesome schedule for us this week.”

Sunday, Oct. 21 was the commencement of this week’s itinerary of wellness-themed events with ‘Get Active! Glow in the Dark Zumba’ at the athletic complex.

“This was a huge hit … it was incredible,” Pare said.

The fitness event saw 78 students in attendance and is a new addition to Laurier’s Thrive Week.

On Monday — or rather “Fuel-Up Monday,” smoothies and trail mix were made available in the athletic complex, as well as a nutritional seminar made possible through Thrive Week’s partners in Food Services, a time management workshop and later on, a music and meditation session.

Tuesday was dedicated to providing educational resources for students when using the Athletic Complex workout facilities.

“We [had] our personal trainers working with students to do workshops on recovery and perfecting forms,” Pare said.

Also, in the concourse, a Mental Health Resource Fair at which several partners with Laurier’s

Wellness Centre were present to converse with students about thriving.

On Wednesday, Oct. 24, group exercise classes in the athletic complex will be free all day, as well, a 50 per cent off group exercise pass promotion will be made available to students.

Thriving is about wellness and it’s multi-faceted, with sleeping, eating and physical activity and your mental health.

-Melissa Pare, wellness coordinator

The Wellness Education Centre will be hosting a self-care and resilience workshop at 10 a.m. If you’re a fan of furry friends, there will also be a “chilling with dogs” event at the Martin Luther University College.

Thursday’s focus will be on “telling us how you Thrive at Laurier,” Pare said. “We just want to get students talking about what they

do to take care of themselves and improve their mental health.”

This theme will include a “living your best life share” at the athletic complex, with hopes of facilitating an open discussion about mental wellness on campus between students.

Also, an art therapy session at the Martin Luther University College and a graduate studies and graduate student wellness open-discussion seminar at the Wellness Education Centre.

On “Feel Good Friday,” Oct. 26, free fresh fruit will be made available for students at the Wellness Education Centre, between 10:00 a.m. and 12 p.m.

The athletic complex will be hosting more workshops and seminars with a stress buster, guided meditation, as well as a nap session, where students can get an afternoon recharge and a free energy bite following.

On Saturday, the final day of Thrive Week, the men’s and women’s basketball teams will have their home-opener games in a double-header against Western.

“Athlete mental health is something that’s often overlooked,” Pare said. This game will facilitate fundraising for mental health initiatives.

All of the events are provided to Laurier students for free, and a full

itinerary can be found on Laurier University’s website. Last spring, the Student Wellness Centre, at both Waterloo and Brantford campuses, held feedback sessions to provide students with the opportunity to discuss their concerns, as well as provide the Wellness Centre with the opportunity to improve and make modifications.

“We’ve made some physical changes to our space. Process wise we’ve really tried to integrate a means for folks to indicate maybe on paper why they’re coming in … we’re trying to be cognizant of [confidentiality],” Ostrander said.

They’ve also made changes to their website in order to clarify the services they provide in order to better understand student concerns, connect students to resources and provide the most effective mental health support.

“Thriving is about taking care of yourself and putting yourself in a position to be successful,” Pare said.

“A lot of people will hear ‘mental health’ and get all stigmatized; as in, it’s all about having a problem. Whereas thriving is about wellness and it’s multifaceted, with sleeping, eating and physical activity and your mental health. It’s everything put together and you need to build a complete puzzle of overall wellness.”

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

GIVING BACK

Halloween for Hunger gives back to Laurier HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus Food Bank will be hosting their annual Halloween for Hunger event on Oct. 27, where students can sign up in teams of three or four to go trick-or-treating to collect non-perishable food items from around Waterloo to go back to the food bank to support students.

“Basically the event is a trick-ortreating food drive: so we look for canned goods and any non-perishable food items people will give in the KW area. It’s more of a residential area, so we’re just asking them if they have any extra stuff that they can give out. It’s completely volunteer based: so not just those with the Food Bank,” said Alex Klingmann, the food bank coordinator

at Laurier’s Waterloo campus.

“It goes mostly to Laurier Food Bank, but any expired items we would donate to other KW services that are able to make sure the food is safe and then still give it out, so that nothing goes to waste,” Klingmann said.

The aim of the event is to expand the inventory for the services that the food bank can provide to students, as the food bank works on a 24/7 basis to be able to help out students who are stressed physically, mentally and financially.

“Every Wednesday we are in the concourse for the Farmers’ Market, where we sell fresh product at cost to students, just to give them an option that’s healthy and on campus so they don’t have to [go] out to Walmart to get food,” Klingmann said.

On top of weekly events like

the Farmers’ Market, the food bank also hosts monthly pancake breakfasts and yearly events, like Halloween for Hunger, as well as their Boar’s Head Dinner, where students can pay five dollars for a three-course meal — each year’s dinner being catered by Wilf’s.

“The last Tuesday of the month we have our pancake breakfast where we just give out free pancakes in the concourse and the next one is going to be on Oct. 30.

On Nov. 27 will be our Boar’s Head three-course dinner and those are available to all Laurier students,” Klingmann said.

As for their next event, Halloween for Hunger, they are aiming to provide the most impact to Laurier as they can and encourage volunteers to come out on the twenty-seventh to help out fellow Golden Hawks.

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

“Last year we did get over 800 items just from the one day alone and in previous years they have gotten over 1000 items — which is crazy.” Klingmann said.

“Volunteers can sign up on our event page, there are Google Docs for any Laurier student, so they don’t have to be a food bank volun-

teer: they can sign up to volunteer as either a trick-or-treater or a driver.”

“In general, it’s just a positively great initiative that really brings the Laurier community and the general KW community together to help students in need.” Klingmann said.

force that the Waterloo Region is facing, especially in the IT sectors.

“The way we’re growing, with rapid technological change, I mean the technology is just changing relentlessly and fierce global competition, we’re going to have to get more and more people into the workforce,” Tibbits said.

Moving into the future, Tibbits said the college has plans in the spring to expand one of the wings of its downtown Kitchener campus — estimated currently at a $40 or $50 million project — into down-

town Guelph in the next two or three years, as well as growing their accredited engineering school in Cambridge.

“We offer a much wider range of programming than universities do and sometimes people don’t understand there’s also very high-level [programs] … what we’re hoping certainly [is] that more Laurier and Waterloo graduates, who aren’t necessarily going onto graduate school, might take a look at the college to compliment their education,” Tibbits said.

CAMPUS

John W. Tibbits campus unveiled AARON HAGEY NEWS EDITOR

After 58 million dollars and just 18 months of construction, President John W. Tibbits of Conestoga College looks upon the recently finished addition to its campus, named in his honour, admiring 150,000 square feet of pristine Waterloo architecture.

In a ceremony held at the new campus on Oct. 18, the college came together in supporting the many contributors who helped make Conestoga College’s newest development possible, and give them a glimpse into the campuses future potential.

The new campus is now going to be host to a number of flourishing programs within the college’s educational umbrella: this includes its substantial culinary hospitality, information technology and “language instruction for new Canadians” programs, which will help newcomers to Canada or “nontraditional students” with the goal of language training for employment purposes.

Present at the ceremony were members of Cowan Insurance, one of the project’s largest donors at four million dollars, the construction company who put the work into bringing the space to life, GSL Construction, the architects and engineers who helped to orchestrate and give reality to its vision of expansion, as well as members of the board, past board members and its employees.

What began in the spring of 2016 would not have been as successful without the support of a number of influential contributors: including the Government of Canada’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which supported the project with $14 million, the provincial government’s additional two million dollars, as

well as two million dollars from the college’s student government.

The other $38 million was from the college’s own reserves, so none of the money was borrowed.

With its IT program in particular, there are plans to move all of the programs to the Waterloo campus.

A number of a new programs have already been added to that campus — and eventually that will be the home of all the IT programming at the college.

What we’re hoping certainly [is] that more Laurier and Waterloo graduates ... might take a look at the college to compliment their education.

-John Tibbits, president of Conestoga College

With enrolment growth this year already around 1500 students, the new campus plans to expand that number by between 2000 and 3000 in the new two or three years, with a current total of 16,500 full-time enrolled students.

Conestoga College as a whole can be appropriately described as an “equal opportunity” educational facility — and Tibbits’ description of its goals agrees with that.

“The university [for example] draws mainly from the upper socioeconomic quartile, we draw equally from all four: there’s people that maybe they’re unemployed [and] need to find a way back in the workforce [or] maybe they’re underemployed,” Tibbits said.

“Maybe they’re university grad-

uates; we have quite a few of those who may be having difficulty finding a job, they might come to the college and might do a grad certificate in [one of our programs].”

Tibbits remarked upon the reason why the expansion was made, noting that it followed a belief that “wherever there’s demand, we’ll grow.”

“When I got here years ago, this was not a big ‘foodie’ area, as far as sophisticated restaurants, but the demand for people in the culinary area is quite substantial … [there’s] just a huge shortage in the culinary/hospitality/tourism area … and then the other one I think is quite clear [is] IT in this region,” Tibbits said.

“I think there’s thousands of jobs going wanting — in other words, there’s jobs there, but they can’t fill them. That’s why … we have [these] programs [at this campus], so that people could have a better chance of getting jobs” When it came to the choice of location, the area on University Avenue in north Waterloo was a simple pick for the college’s new campus.

“The primary reason is we have the land. We owned twelve acres of land, we had a place to build and Waterloo is a great location because of the student housing.

One of the fastest growing parts of our business is university grads coming in and getting skilled up,” Tibbits said.

“There’s more and more university graduates coming to college … locating it there already makes a lot of sense: a student graduates from Laurier and they want to come to college to get a certain skill to help get a job — then we’re just down the street.”

The main focus of the college, however and one of the main reasons for this expansion, is to meet the demand for the growing work-

FILE PHOTO

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018 GETTING INVOLVED

The Perch gives getting involved a new look MADELINE MCINNIS FEATURES EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University’s Students’ Union’s new resource for clubs, The Perch, has now been released across all campuses.

“Essentially, what it is on behalf of students, it’s like a Facebook for clubs where they’ll be able to go and access all clubs, associations and the events that they’re putting on,” said Sara Clark, vice-president of clubs and associations at Laurier’s Students’ Union.

At the presidents’ training for the website on Oct. 18, the website was also compared to Facebook on several occasions.

The app aims to connect students and clubs with each other.

Depending on the requirements of the club, some associations can be joined directly through the website.

“It’s just an easy one stop shop hub to get involved on campus,” Clark continued.

At the very least, it will provide contact details for the executives — or “leaders” as they are called on the website — and the social media contacts for the clubs in order to find out how to become a member.

The website also provides a change for presidents, executives and general members who are already involved on campus.

The aim from this perspective is to streamline the approaches of clubs to all of the necessary information and forms for proper administration.

during the demonstration because, as was the hypothesis of the presenters, it was unresponsive with so many people logged in at once.

It’s just an easy one stop shop hub to get involved on campus.

Sara Clark, vice president of clubs & associations

JACKIE VANG/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

“We’re now going to be managing all of our clubs and associations through this software,” Clark said.

Forms that were previously found on the clubs and associations subsection of the Students’ Union’s website are now available through The Perch, such as on and off campus event forms.

By filling out the forms on the website, it also generates an event that members can mark that they are attending, similar to Facebook events.

“We’ll be tracking all of their

activities through the app,” Clark said. This is not unlike the system that was already in place for on and off campus event forms, but now all of the forms can be done through the new website.

Clark also mentioned at the presidents’ training that filling out forms for reoccurring events should be much easier with the new software, as previous events’ information will be saved on the website.

“It should generally look like this [going forward], but I think on behalf of clubs and their function-

ality with it, it will probably change a little bit,” she said.

Furthermore, the new website should streamline the Laurier Experience Record process. Ideal-ly, students’ extracurricular involvement will be uploaded through The Perch at the end of the year, but this aspect of the app is still in a pilot stage.

The launch has not been without any hiccups, however.

Club presidents who were required to attend the mandatory Perch training were also asked to not to follow along on the website

“Right now, I would say that this year is very much a pilot project with this. We’re testing it out, kind of seeing how it goes and then there will definitely be some changes to it just in terms of the functionalities,” Clark said.

Overall, however, Clark is confident that the website will be a benefit to students across all campuses at Laurier.

“In the past … there’s been a gap for students as to how they can get involved and have ac-cess to clubs and associations on campus,” Clark said.

“This just seems like a really great way to for all students to just be able to go to one spot, be able to see everything and anything about how they can get involved.”

WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE

Edna Staebler winter 2019 writer announced MARGARET RUSSELL LEAD REPORTER

Wilfrid Laurier University has recently released their author selection for the upcoming winter term’s Edna Staebler Writer-in-Residence.

Canadian novelist Gary Barwin will be joining the school on campus from Jan. 14 to Mar. 22, 2018 to share his expertise as a multidisciplinary author, poet and composer with the study body.

On Oct. 22, Laurier will also be welcoming Alison Pick, the Edna Staebler Visiting Writer for 2018, who will be on campus until Nov. 2 for two weeks of engaged learning with students and faculty. “[With regard to] the writer-in-residence program, we’ve split it now between a winter, longer residency and a smaller visiting writer in the fall,” said Tanis MacDonald, associate professor in the Department of English and Film Studies and chair of the Edna Staebler Writer-in-Residence Committee.

Laurier offers several awards and residencies in honour of Edna Staebler’s legacy. Staebler was a Canadian author and philanthropist, whose roots were here in Waterloo and established the award for creative non-fiction at Laurier University in 1991.

We’ve split it now between a winter, longer residency and a smaller visiting writer in the fall.

-Tanis MacDonald, associate professor

MANRAJ SINGH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Edna Staebler writer-in-residence program was added in 2013 and the visiting author program in 2017.

“The idea with the writer-in-residence — and the visiting writer too — is that professional writers will come and work on their manuscripts at the university, do public talks, talk to students in classrooms and do some one-on-one with students who are thinking about the writing life,” MacDonald said.

The selection for the placements of each year’s authors is conducted by a selection committee that receives many applications from talented Canadian authors, all eager for the opportunity to engage with our campus.

“We run a competition and advertise throughout the literary community for a 10-week residency for a writer who works in any genre. They need to submit a writing sample, their CV, two letters

of reference and a plan for what they’re going to do when they’re at Laurier,” MacDonald said. “[Gary Barwin’s] first novel, Yiddish for Pirates, won a number of awards … he’s also been a working poet for a couple of decades and he has a PhD in music and works as a music educator — so he kind of does everything,” MacDonald said.

Barwin has done residencies at a number of other post-secondary

institutions including Western University and McMaster University.

His residency at Laurier will extend beyond the Faculty of Arts to the Faculty of Music, as well the Martin Luther University College.

“He also said in his application that he was interested in liaising with the people over at the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, because he wants to talk about the dual genocides; the Indigenous genocide in Canada and the Jewish genocide in Europe,” MacDonald said.

Barwin comes from a background of ethic and spiritual Judaism.

“He’s someone who explores the difficulties of history and brings comedy towards what is tragedy also,” MacDonald added.

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

GOVERNMENT

Waterloo 2018 municipal election winners recently announced AARON HAGEY NEWS EDITOR

Late Monday, Oct. 22, the unofficial winners of the 2018 municipal election were announced, putting Dave Jaworsky once more in the position of mayor of Waterloo and Tenille Bonoguore as the councillor for ward seven.

Jaworsky won in a landslide victory at 17,307 votes, obtaining over three times the votes of the next candidate, Kelly Steiss, at 5,530. Bonoguore won in what was comparatively a much closer race, getting 1,750 votes — 40.82 per cent — against Elizabeth Sproule’s 1,335.

However, the overall voter turnout once more reflects the unfortunate disinterest and apathy of the voting population towards municipal government, with 24,843 eligible voters participating — just 34.22 per cent. This is a decrease from 2014, which was 35.93 per cent.

On the optimistic side, ward seven had the highest voter turnout out of all the other areas of Waterloo. With a staggering 47.7 per cent involvement, the ward had an 11.67 per cent higher turnout than the next highest, ward one. Bonoguore, however, was not surprised.

“It usually does, we usually run higher than average. But as I was door-knocking, I was just encouraging people to vote, cause I really hoped that we would break 50 per cent and I’m so excited that we got close to that,” Bonoguore said.

“To be honest though, I was not hugely surprised at the turnout, because everywhere I went, people were engaged.”

“They were interested and they really cared about what was going to be happening uptown and who was going to be in that space,” she said.

CBC News was the first to report on the victory party at Maxwell’s in Waterloo. Jaworsky took the opportunity to offer his first words to the rest of the voting population.

“I think the city spoke up and said the positive leadership is what we need in Waterloo and they looked at the track record of my council and our team at the City of Waterloo and said that’s what we want four more years of,” Jaworsky said.

“I’m very proud of what has happened here tonight getting such a major victory.”

According to an official blog post from Jaworsky’s campaign, he has clearly outlined what the next steps of his incumbency will hold.

“My platform for the next four

years outlines my vision for keeping Waterloo’s economy growing, continuing to build our vibrant and caring community by supporting strong neighbourhoods and helping people get active,” Jaworsky said.

“It involves promoting public places though our facilities, including parks and libraries.”

“It focuses on the issues that matter most to you — our residents, including having an effective and efficient government,” he concluded.

Bonoguore, as newly elected ward seven councillor, will soon have the opportunity to focus on some of the ward-wide priorities that she sees as an issue, such as traffic, as well as getting a better understanding of the city’s current and future plans.

“There are issues [like traffic] in uptown west that are also being felt in uptown north and other parts of the ward,” Bonoguore said.

I would like to maybe bring some of these people together, to at least find out what’s happening across the board.”

“I’d like to get a good handle on what projects have been approved, what’s coming down the line and start piecing together that view of uptown, where it’s going and where we want it to go,” she said.

CONRIBUTED IMAGE

SATELLITE

Government cuts funding to Laurier’s Milton campus Province of Ontario opts out of fiscal commitment to WLU’s newly approved satellite campus SAFINA HUSEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Government of Ontario released a statement late in the day on Oct. 23, 2018 stating that they will no longer be funding the recently approved Wilfrid Laurier University Milton satellite campus.

“Our government is committed to restore accountability and trust in Ontario’s finances. This includes making difficult decisions about projects across the province,” reads the statement from Merrilee Fullterton, minister of training, colleges and universities.

The statement, found on the Ontario Government website, lists three post-secondary campuses which will not receive further funding.

In addition to Laurier’s Milton campus, the statement lists York University’s Markham campus and Ryerson University’s Brampton College. “… we now know that Ontario faces a $15 billion deficit, about two and half times the estimate provided by the previous administration,” the statement continues.

“As a result, the Ministry is no longer in the position to fund the following projects given the province’s new fiscal restraints.”

Laurier’s Milton campus has been a decade-long project in the making.

This past April, the Ontario government confirmed they would commit $90 million to building the new campus.

The campus — which was in partnership with Conestoga College — was set to focus on programming in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Laurier had originally planned to enrol their first set of students in a leased building in 2019, while aiming to have the entire campus fully finished by 2022.

Laurier is disappointed by the sudden cancellation of planned funding for campus in Milton.

-Kevin Crowley, director of communications at Laurier in a statement

“This measure will help make government more effective and efficient and will ensure all spending is delivering the best value for the people of Ontario,” concludes the government statement.

“Laurier is disappointed by the

sudden cancellation of planned funding for campus in Milton,” read a statement from Kevin Crowley, director of communications and public affairs at Laurier.

“Wilfrid Laurier University appreciates the financial challenges facing the Ontario government, but we are deeply disappointed by the sudden news to cancel the university’s new campus in Milton.”

“Laurier has worked with the Town of Milton and numerous community partners since 2008 to bring the benefits of post-secondary education to this fast-growing community.”

“As we have seen with Laurier’s successful campuses in Waterloo and Brantford, post-secondary institutions fuel economic and social prosperity in the communities in which they are located.”

“The site of Laurier’s proposed Milton campus is strategically located mid-way along the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor, a perfect location for contributing to the tremendous economic potential associated with this partnership and which would benefit the entire province.”

“The university looks forward to continuing its work with the Town of Milton and area partners to explore all options for keeping the dream of post-secondary education alive in this vibrant community,” the statement concludes.

GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

NEWS • 7

EQUALITY

Part Four: Back to the drawing board, looking forward SAFINA HUSEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

This story is part four in a series released by The Cord. Parts one through three, found online at www.thecord.ca, discuss alleged accounts of sexism and various disfunctions which took place amongst the 2017-18 board of directors.

As the 2017-18 board of directors’ tenure is now over and a new set of individuals have taken their place, reflecting on the past conflicts and dysfunctions gives the new directors an opportunity to learn from the past board’s shortcomings and move forward, striving towards fostering a strong presence on the board table.

With no returning directors from the 2017-18 year, the new board of directors have little experience; however, their fresh take on their roles might show to allow for room to improve from last year’s inconsistencies. However, this year, the 2018-19 board of directors is made up of 11 male directors and only one female director.

Although almost all directors who spoke to this great imbalance flirted with the possibility that this lack of female representation comes as a result of the way women were treated this past year, however, also pointed to the fact that this year is not the first time there is a gender imbalance on the board.

“I think that the board didn’t facilitate an empowering environment for women at all. People see that,” Rezkalla said.

Since 2013, as per The Cord’s past reporting, there has been a significant imbalance with regards to the ratio of female-to-male directors. In the past six years, there have been two female presidents.

In this same time frame, there have been zero women in the role of chair and CGO of the board, and only one vice-chair of the board.

The Cord reached out to Lana

I think that the board didn’t facilitate an empowering environment for women at all.

People see that.

-Emily Rezkalla, former director of the board

Toameh, the sole woman on the current board of directors, who consented to an interview regarding her thoughts and experiences on being on a board with all men and, moving forward, how to continue to encourage female representation.However, Adam Kovacs, the current chair and CGO of the board, requested that The Cord refrain from publishing Toameh’s interview, in order to follow Students’ Union policies that state only the chair, being himself, is able to speak on behalf of the board. Although female representation on the board is lacking, many directors agreed that this

imbalance stems from lack of empowerment and encouragement.

“Our school doesn’t do a really good job empowering people. They just kind of have these billions of different of opportunities which is great … but there’s no empowerment. People who identify as a marginalized community or a historically marginalized community don’t usually feel empowered,” Bonnell said. “I think we should have done a better job at mentoring people outside of the board … I think we should be working together to empower students.”

In fact, reaching out and encouraging women to become directors is only one step in striving to foster a diverse board of directors.

“I think we should be focussing on how we can empower females to run for that position, but also how we can empower an LGBTQ+ youth or an Indigenous person,” Hakim said.

Indeed, it does seem it is the role of the board and the Students’ Union to recruit a diverse group of individuals to run for the board of directors that reflects the diverse population of the student body they represent; however, some prior directors claim the treatment that Rezkalla and Wojtanowski faced on the board could have had a negative on this year’s imbalance.

“We see this everywhere, there’s females in general [that] don’t feel empowered enough to take that position of power and to feel that and to not have that self doubt and to really just take control of their situations,” Wojtanowski said.

“I think that this year, with my experience that I had on the board and if anybody had watched even one or two meetings in consideration for running, I think it definitely would effect my decision to run if I was in their shoes.”

In this way, women considering running for the board who had been paying close attention to meetings which took place in 201718, could have seen the way which Rezkalla and Wojtanowski were treated by the men on the table.

“If a female is at a meeting or watching the videos or talking to the board members and they feel like sexism is present at that executive level, then if I was a girl, I wouldn’t want to run either,“ Hakim said.

Looking forward, prior directors hope that the new board take the initiative and necessary steps to recruiting a more diverse group of individuals.

“The board has to take the responsibility and the onus that if we don’t have great representation of a particular gender is partly because we didn’t do enough to get those individuals to run,” Plummer said.

Plummer feels, however, that although there is a gender imbalance on the board, the Students’ Union as a whole can be considered to be balanced as women are in the majority of Plummer’s newly hired executive team for the 2018-19 year.

“Looking forward for next year, I’m hoping that the chair and CGO and the board does a good job of going to marginalized groups’ centres, but also, empowering them to run for these positions,” Hakim said.

INFOGRAPHIC BY GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

8 •

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

Arts & Life

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR MICHAEL OLIVERI arts@thecord.ca

LOCAL

Pumpkin patches to pick your perfect jack o’lantern EMILY WAITSON ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

goods and activities to take part in during October. There is an admission fee of $5 per person during the week and $10 on weekends. They are open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Oct. 31.

There are few things more seasonally appropriate during the month of October than pumpkin picking.

Whether you bring them home to bake into a pie, display on your porch or carve into a spooky decoration, pumpkin picking is a fun activity no matter how old you are.

Luckily for those of us who enjoy it, we aren’t just limited to grocery stores this fall in order to buy our pumpkins. There are plenty of locally owned pumpkin patches where you can pick your perfect jack o’lantern, so make sure you take advantage of them before the season comes to a close.

Good Family Farm Pumpkins Located only seven minutes away from KW, this farm boasts 26 varieties of squash, 21 varieties of pumpkins and 10 varieties of gourds that you can buy for affordable prices from their roadside stand. They’re open daily until Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m..

Payment: Cash only Address: 909 Bridge St. E. Waterloo Shantz Family Farm A popular autumnal day trip for families, schools and friends, this

Payment: Cash, debit and credit Address: 9365 10th Sideroad, Milton Nauman’s Farm

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

148-year-old farm founded in 1870 hosts a corn maze, straw maze, farm animals, a Snack Shack that sells fresh pumpkin pie and other baked goods, as well as offering produce for sale and their “U-Pick Pumpkin Patch.” They’re open daily until Nov. 1, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Payment: Cash only Address: 1544 Bleams Rd., RR#2 Petersburg (Wilmot) Herrle’s Herrle’s Country Farm Market Herrle’s is a beloved family-owned local farm that grows and sells seasonal produce, including the perfect pumpkins for baking

and decorating. Offering a variety of baked goods and fresh fruits and vegetables, this market is open daily until Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. 6 p.m. on weekends.

Payment: Cash, debit and credit Address: 1243 Erbs Rd, St. Agatha Snyder’s Farm This popular fall destination frequently used as a photo backdrop for Instagram photos has a wide variety of activities available for the public. With two haunted houses, a corn maze, barnyard, bakery, pumpkin patch, their well-known

Fear Farm and more, this spot is the place to go if you’re looking for food and fun in-between your pumpkin picking. They are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and require an entry fee of $14.99 on weekends and $10 during the week.

Payment: Cash, debit and credit Address: 936685 Blenheim Rd, Bright Andrew’s Scenic Acres An expansive farm that offers pick-your-own produce, an animal corral, a haunted forest, baked goods and a winery. This location has an extended list of festive

A casual and welcoming farm experience which offers thousands of pick-your-own pumpkins. They are nestled in the Mennonite farming community of St. Clements and are open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Payment: Cash, debit and credit Address: 3250 Hessen Strasse, St. Clements Strom’s Farm and Bakery Celebrating 40 years of “Fall Family Fun,” Strom’s offers numerous activities like their “Pumpkin Chuckin’ Slingshot,” five-acre corn maze and wagon rides. Their admission fee is $15 per person and they are open until Oct. 28 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m..

Payment: Cash, debit and credit Address: 5089 Wellington Rd 32, Guelph

LGBTQ+

Hallowdrag event takes the stage ALICIA LAVIGNE STAFF WRITER

The University of Waterloo (UW) Drag Club made their debut on Wilfrid Laurier University’s campus at Wilf’s this past Friday with their “Hallowdrag for Humanity” event.

They partnered with the UW chapter of Habitat for Humanity and raised $204.05 through a bake sale which accompanied the drag show. All of the donations will be given to the charity.

The show was a great success with many skilled drag kings and queens gracing the stage such as Manny Manila, Aria Arachne, Treasure and two local Laurier performers — Morgan Rivers and Velma Bones.

The entertainers showcased an array of talents from breakdancing to lip-syncing and rapping.

One of the coordinators of the event and president of the UW Drag Club, Lee Mousa, met the president of the UW Habitat for Humanity group through a club networking event and they were excited to collaborate with each other for charity.

“I thought it was great because I don’t think the club has ever done a fundraiser and this will be our

very first one,” Mousa said.

Lee also collaborated with Jeyas Balaskanthan, manager of Wilf’s and director of hospitality services at Laurier, for the event.

Balaskanthan iterated that he was excited to host the club for the night. “[Balaskanthan] was extremely welcoming and extremely accepting, it was a pretty smooth correspondence,” Mousa said .

Mousa has also expressed interest in having the Hallowdrag for Humanity show become another annual event, much like Drag Me to the Bomber.

He has plans to have a “Winter Holiday” themed show around the time of UW’s winter break. The club has had most of their shows at the University of Waterloo over the years, including venues such as The Bombshelter Pub and P.O.E.T.S Engineering Lounge.

The Bomber show is an annual tradition where the club partners with the UW Glow Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

However, as of late, the Drag Club’s executive team has taken an interest in expanding their horizons and branching out into Laurier.

“We’re gaining a lot more atten-

tion, we’ve got a lot more people interested in us, why restrict ourselves to UW?”, Mousa said.

“There’s students other places and Laurier has always been very closely tied to UW.” The UW Drag club is a student-run, inclusive group.

They encourage anyone to join no matter what their gender identity or sexual orientation may be or what school or country they come from.

“We’ve had a professional drag queen before be a part of the club.

She was a queen in Las Vegas and she ended up in KW and she was in our club for a summer which was amazing,” he said.

Mousa mentioned how drag is about breaking gender norms and realizing not everyone is able to fit into a box in terms of their identity.

“We just generally try to promote a wider definition of drag than the mainstream media likes to portray,” Mousa said.

After talking to members of the UW Drag Club, it’s clear that they love what they do. It’s both heartwarming and enjoyable to witness their passion and advocacy through their performances on stage.

“The whole purpose of drag

GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

is to try to break down gender norms and what everyone expects everyone else to look like or act like based on how they look and we just try to completely throw that out of the window and be like, listen, you can’t fit people into a small box, that’s not how it works,” Mousa said.

“And, we also want to promote the idea that it doesn’t have to be men dressing up as women, it’s more than that.”

“It’s about people trying to express their gender and explore their gender identity, instead of just people dressing up as something,” he said.

ARTS & LIFE • 9

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24 2018 ENTERTAINMENT

Let’s do the Time Warp again

MADELINE MCINNIS/FEATURES EDITOR

The Rocky Horror Picture Show continues to attract Halloween theatre audiences after 43 years AARON HAGEY NEWS EDITOR

If you ever see a collection of eccentrically dressed individuals sauntering towards your local cinema this Halloween season with a seemingly random assortment of items — rubber gloves, rice, toast, a newspaper, squirt guns, playing cards — and sometimes even hot dogs, then they might just be going to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The movie, immediately recognizable for the trademark pair of red lips that precedes it, has become a cult classic — one that encourages droves of people dressed in their best character costumes towards local theatres who have showings of it around Halloween.

This musical science-fiction horror-comedy film satirizes and plays parody to a number of sci-fi and campy horror movies.

It takes the audience through the unfortunate misadventures of two very plain people whose car breaks down in the rain near a castle, their

interactions with one mad scientist hell-bent on finding love, his group of merry misfits and a whole lot of nonsensical fun.

It’s a funny experience because it’s totally participatory, right? It’s a fun show for people that have never been there before ...

-John Tutt, owner and programmer of Princess Cinemas

Though it came out in 1975, the legacy of Rocky Horror is such that it may just as well have come out this year — in fact, it’s popularity seems to be growing exponentially as time goes on.

So much so that this year the Stratford Theatre Festival has shown interest in Rocky Horror and has begun doing theatrical

performances of it.

But why has this movie remained such an influential and popular attraction? What is it about this film that was transformed, through its audience, into such a beloved and interactive activity?

What is it about cult films, like The Room, The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction or A Clockwork Orange, that inspire such admiration and mimicry?

John Tutt is the owner and programmer of the Princess Twin and Princess Original Cinemas in uptown Waterloo and has seen firsthand what the legacy of Rocky Horror is like.

The theatres began putting on annual showings of Rocky Horror in 1986 and now offer up to eight shows that sell out every year — and Tutt thinks he has a pretty good idea why.

“It’s a funny experience because it’s totally participatory, right? It’s a fun show for people that have never been there before and also it’s a fun show for ‘I’ve never done that! What’s it like?’ so for the [new

fans],” said Tutt.

“And it’s a mixture of that, it’s just a wild experience. It’s not like anything else; you get to yell at the screen, there’s characters you get to know, it is the participatory experience … so that’s the allure … it’s a little bit edgy, it’s a little bit rock-and-roll, sexy — sorta ticks all the boxes.”

Aside from the occasional older crowd who comes to the shows to relive the experiences they had years ago, Tutt says that it’s mostly the younger, female-skewed demographic that comes to the showings. And the clean-up, he says, is “horrendous.”

But he understands that comes with the territory, as well as the fun of the experience.

Cult classics are a difficult-to-understand niche of film adoration, but Tutt believes that one of the main reasons that Rocky Horror gained so much popularity is because, like others, “the audiences, they owned it.”

“They discovered it and they just started to own it … it takes on a new life … because they gotta

be campy, they have to be a little bit bad … and The Rocky Horror Picture Show … it’s sort of tonguein-cheek and also it’s pretty brave in [what] it depicts,” he said.

... so that’s the allure ... it’s a little bit edgy, it’s a little bit rock-androll, sexy — sorta ticks all the boxes.

-John Tutt, owner and programmer of Princess Cinemas

Whatever you decide to do this Halloween season, consider making the brave step and checking out your local showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Get involved in the silliness and the fun. As someone who has gone to two before, you won’t be disappointed.

NIGHTLIFE

Bars that’ll make you say boo-yah KATHERINE WEBER ONLINE EDITOR

Picking a bar for your Halloween plans can be daunting at times.

What bar is going to be the most lit? And where can you go so you don’t have any FOMO? Don’t worry, The Cord has you covered for your Halloween nights out.

Bar Rayna

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

This new attraction has been open for a few weeks now and if the club scene is what you long for I recommend giving this one a try!

Claiming this night as their “infamous hip-hop Wednesday nights.”

On Saturday, Oct. 27, Bar Rayna will have guest spots available until 11 p.m. and doors will be set to open at 10 p.m. A costume contest

will be underway with cash prizes available.

Chainsaw If you would prefer to have a more chill night out, I highly recommend Chainsaw. They will be having their Harry Potter themed night along with karaoke and cash prizes available for best costume.

It’s best to act fast on this one as tickets are near to selling out. Don’t forget your butter-beer, as this event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Brixton Brixton will be having their fifth annual Halloween party on Saturday, Oct. 27. Doors will be open at 10 p.m. and cash prizes for

costumes are available. The rankings of this are as follows: $400 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place. Hosted by Bacardi Brixton, it will have lots of festive drinks available along with the guest list, booths and bottle service.

Phil’s Taking the crown for best Wednesday night bar Phi’s might be your unanimous choice for Halloween night. Doors will be open at 9 p.m. and cash prizes will be available for best costumes.

Hopefully, these above options will get your creativity flowing and you’ll win some cash. Go out and enjoy yourself to beat down the stress of midterms.

10 • GAMES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

SUDOKU

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

All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submission can be sent to dearlife@thecord. ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear Halloween, Why you gotta be on a Wednesday this year?

Sincerely, Disappointed Dear Life, Riverdale scared the hell out of me.

Please send night lights.

Kobe Dear Volunteers, News wants you. News needs you.

This is cuffing season. We’re trying to wife. Or husban. We’re lonely.

Sincerely, The News Section Dear People, Get ready to grow your November beards.

Sincerely, Movember Man Dar Garrison, Stop being completely against it.

Sincerely, Sarah T Dear Pranav, You need to make more gains bro

Sincerely, Naked and afraid

Sincerely, Your boss

Dear Laurier student body, Dear money, We NEEEEED DEAR LIIIIIIIIIIIFFFEEEEEEEESSSSSSS Sincerely, Safina

I want to fix things. I want to get back together like last week.

Sincerely, Wallet

Dear Laurier student body, Dear Waterloo, Please volunteer for The Cord, we’re so desperate.

Please be more interesting.

Sincerely, No News Volunteer

Sincerely, Section content requirements

Dear Lebron,

Dear person,

Make your free throw.

Call us shitty, but we aint a magazine.

Sincerely, eye roll

Sincerely,

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

GAMES • 11

WORD SEARCH

BASEBALL ELECTION GOVERNMENT KEHLANI PUMPKINS SPOOKY CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL HALLOWEEN MILTON RESULTS THRIVE CRICKET GHOSTS HEALTH OCTOBER ROCKYHORROR

CAN’T GET ENOUGH? CHECK US OUT ONLINE. @THECORD.CA @CORDNEWS WWW.THECORD.CA THE CORD IS HIRING A SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR. EMAIL EDITOR@THECORD.CA FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY.

• 12

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO opinion@thecord.ca

President’s Note: Second hand, first place without question the majority of compliments that I receive are directed at my second-hand pieces.

As a student who’s been very much on a budget, it’s been sometimes difficult to accept I won’t be rocking the newest and latest to lecture but thankfully I’ve found other ways to stand out.

Thrifting and second hand might not be a world you’re familiar with yet, and it might seem a little chaotic, but those are by far the best parts about the experience.

The uncertainty of the hunt, the thrill of adventuring to new locations, and the satisfaction of a truly rare find is all part of the charm.

While I do look forward to my weekly thrifting expeditions, the thing that truly keeps bringing me back is the affordability.

This is because I often find myself being indecisive with larger purchases and its significantly easier to justify spending twenty dollar’s on a jacket that would be hundreds more at the mall.

If trendy clothes on sale sounds like your thing but thumbing through hundreds of clothes to find them does not, don’t worry.

Thankfully in Waterloo there are lots of different types of thrift quality and some stores only sell the best of what’s donated.

Unfortunately, midterms have put a hold on my thrifting for right now but Halloween is just around the corner and if there’s one thing thrift stores deliver on every year, its costumes.

TERRENCE MROZ PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

If you’re like me, you might spend a little more time than you should people watching in the concourse, 24 lounge or Lazaridis study spaces.

Personally, it’s because I’m often procrastinating starting my assignments, giving strangers back-stories or waiting for my soul mate to walk through the nearest doors.

However, despite my motivation on any one particular day the one thing I always make sure to do is make a note of the styles of clothes that pass by.

It’s where I get a lot of my own inspiration from and a great study break if you appreciate a proper fit.

After a lot of “phases” and four years of undergrad, I’ve started to grow into my own style and understand what works for me.

Since joining the WLU Fashion Society and studying under the influence of some of my more style conscious friends, there’s one timeless rule I believe any student can bank on.

“If it looks good, it doesn’t matter where it came from.”

Now, even I’m a sucker for some brands and especially an exclusive drop if Travis Scott is involved, but It’s occurred to me recently that

EDITORIAL CARTOON

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Judy Blume book set to be film ing and have dreamt of one day publishing my own works of YA fiction and she certainly set the bar high for doing it right and making it memorable.

EMILY WAITSON ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR

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

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

DIRECTOR Rosalind Horne

CHAIR Terrence Mroz

DIRECTOR H.G. Watson

VICE-CHAIR Shyenne MacDonald

TREASURER Garrison Oosterhof

DIRECTOR Maiya Mistry DIRECTOR Aaron Hagey

PRESIDENT Terrence Mroz president@wlusp.com FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com ADVERTISING MANAGER Care Lucas care.lucas@wlusp. com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp. com HR MANAGER Paige Bush hr@wlusp.com CORPORATE SECRETARY Maiya Mistry

It was recently announced that Judy Blume granted film rights for her classic 48-year-old novel, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, to writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig.

This book was a cherished piece of fiction to me when I was younger and I still hold it near and dear to my heart.

It was a rite of passage for me to read the novel for the first time — and my mother read it before me when she was my age. It felt important for me to read it and it’s a fond part of my pre-teen years that I’ll remember for the rest of my adult life.

The book is a pinnacle coming of age story that presents young girls with a plot that feels tangibly real and genuine, making it a timeless work that’s held true to its message over the decades since its original release in 1970.

Judy Blume has always been a woman I deeply respect and admire, harbouring all of the professional qualities that I hope to emulate one day in my own career.

I’ve always been drawn to writ-

As wary as I can get about my favourite books being turned into movies, it does excite me nonetheless.

When my boyfriend surprised me last year with a place in her online MasterClass, I couldn’t believe I would get a chance to learn from someone who established her authorship so soundly in the world of tween writing.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret broke boundaries for its time and was banned in certain schools and libraries because it, heaven forbid, discussed aspects of young girlhood like puberty, faith and attractions to the opposite sex.

It has stood the test of time and aged well, providing a worthwhile piece of literature for the film

industry to adapt.

I am incredibly passionate about the value of YA and children’s lit to reading as a whole and I’ve taken as many classes that focus on it as my English degree will allow.

I believe in the power of producing the right kind of stories for younger audiences, to give them fictional characters they can learn and grow from while proving that they can be just as poignant and valuable as work made for adults.

As wary as I can get about my favourite books being turned into movies, it does excite me nonetheless.

And in this case, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, will be reworked to suit the screen by the writer and director of the very well received and overall wonderful teen film The Edge of Seventeen.

It helps that this filmmaker is a woman, as I believe that she is the right fit to tell a story that discusses periods and has young girls chanting the puberty-fuelled mantra that’s tied to the book — “I must, I must increase my bust!”

I hope that this movie adaptation will be a successful and faithful one so that more stories like it can be brought into focus and appreciated.

And regardless of whether or not the film is amazing or not, if it encourages more people to read the works of Judy Blume, then I’m happy.

13 •

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018 OPINION EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO opinion@thecord.ca

Discussing the post-apocalyptic AARON HAGEY NEWS EDITOR

There is a simplicity, poignancy and versatility to the post-apocalyptic genre of entertainment that so often dives into the deepest, most primal parts of our brains, asking us “how would you survive if the world fell apart? Could you?

Would you want to?”

If you’ve ever watched shows like The Walking Dead, The 100 and Jericho, movies like Train to Busan, The Road, Mad Max: Fury Road and I Am Legend or read books such as World War Z, The Hunger Games and The Stand, post-apocalyptic fiction tells tales that hit frighteningly close to home — especially because they’re intentionally designed to feel realistic and likely to happen.

They are most often depicting dreary, depressing dystopian situations where all hope for humanity is lost and the persistent heroes must overcome significant odds to tell the story of the strength and perseverance of the human spirit.

But they can also be told as a prophetic warning of sorts — a glaring glimpse into the potential future of humanity — a meta-

phorical wagging finger in the face of a defiant society who sees no wrongs in how they’re moving forward. Black Mirror, for instance, is a show that does this very well.

For example, in movies where the plot is “X (often a scientific or military blunder) goes wrong, leading to humanity’s downfall,” this is often to point out that, at the end of the day, humanity as a species has the capacity to be incredibly short-sighted, foolish and greedy, which can be incredibly chaotic in the right circumstances.

Interest in stories that tell the tale of what happens after the collapse of humanity have existed since humans have been able to write.

But it isn’t as if our society has spontaneously erupted with interest over this kind of fiction; in reality, interest in stories that tell the tale of what happens after the collapse of humanity have existed since humans have been able to

write.

In 1826, for example, Mary Shelley wrote a science-fiction novel called The Last Man, wherein the narrator comes across as series of prophetic writings left inside a cave, which tell the story of a plague that ravages the earth in the year 2073, leaving the “last man” alone to tell the story of the remains of humanity.

Some scholars believe that the story was an elaborate metaphor, as her stories often are, for the isolation that she felt after losing many of her close friends, including Lord Byron (fellow poet and author) and Percy Bysshe Shelley (poet, author and husband).

A lot of other post-apocalyptic fiction focuses on this theme as well, to really hit home the fear it evokes.

Even in the ancient period, fascination with a hypothetical apocalypse (especially involving floods), its impact on humanity and how they would react to it, was of significant importance to many cultures, whether it was the biblical story of Noah and his Ark, the Book of Revelation or the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh.

As is the case in a significant amount of religious literature, these stories would have primarily served an educational role, guiding and shaping young minds towards many of the fundamental cultural ideals of their society. They existed

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Turkish consulate controversy JOSH GOEREE STAFF WRITER

For as long as there have been people to criticize those in power for their misdeeds, there have been those with power who wish to silence their critics. In the last three weeks, the story of Jamal Khashoggi thoroughly demonstrates this.

Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi

Arabian-born journalist who has been critical of Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS), the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. MBS is next in line to the throne of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to an article from the BBC, Khashoggi was also close with the Saudi royal family for decades and served as an advisor before committing a self-imposed exile last year.

On Oct. 2, Khashoggi went into the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork confirming he was divorcing his ex-wife so he could marry his Turkish fiancée.

He was followed by 15 Saudi agents

with ties to the Saudi government and security services, one being an autopsy expert, into the consulate where he was killed and dismembered with a bone saw according to a New York Times article from Oct. 9.

Saudi Arabian representatives allegedly denied that Khashoggi had died for over two weeks and apparently noted that he even left the consulate. On Saturday, it was finally admitted that Khashoggi was in fact killed in the consulate but that it was the result of a fistfight. They did not mention what happened to his body.

FANI HSEIH/CORD ALUM

to be able to convey the “do’s” and “don’ts” that go into assimilating into civilized life.

In the modern era, then, we can say that post-apocalyptic fiction takes on a similar role. Through a combination of entertainment and information, this unique kind of fiction helps inform us about crucial information that might be of use if humanity were to ever actually fall apart. A lot of it is even applicable outside of the realm of the supernatural.

Though it may seem trivial or silly, learning the 33 rules of

To put it simply: MBS is trying to ‘BS’ the world into believing that he has done nothing wrong.

I believe there is no way that MBS did not know about these 15 Saudi agents going to Turkey. And it just so happens that a journalist, who was also a former close advisor to the royal family, who was critical of MBS was “accidentally” killed in the Saudi consulate? I feel the Saudi statement given on Saturday is absolute garbage. Even Republican Senator Bob Corker, in an interview with Jake Tapper on Sunday, believes the Saudis have “lost all credibility as it relates to explaining what happened.”

President Trump on the other hand called the report “credible” on Friday, but pulled back his comments on Saturday in an interview with the Washington Post by saying “obviously there’s been deception, and there’s been lies.”

Trump earlier last week didn’t seem to give much thought to the slain journalist. At first, he was even questioning if the US should be involved because Khashoggi wasn’t an American citizen. Then, on Thursday, he nonchalantly noted that ‘it certainly looks’ like Khashoggi was dead.

This response from the president doesn’t surprise me. Trump doesn’t care about reporters, let alone a journalist who contributes to the Washington Post. Earlier in the week, he was praising a congressman who body-slammed a reporter back in 2017 and once called the press “the enemy of the

Zombieland or survival tips from The Zombie Survival Guide might come in handy in case of an apocalyptic scenario — and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the dead rising.

With the state of the world being what it is and the uncertainty of what the future may bring becoming more of a concern in the minds of the average person, it comes as no surprise that the question of “how might you deal with a potential post-apocalyptic scenario?” is becoming a more pressing preoccupation these days.

The explanation from Saudi Arabia, and the response from the US president, were underwhelming and shameful.

American people.”

Any comment made by Trump this past weekend to the tune of caring about slain reporters is as credible as the report given by the Saudis. In other words: garbage.

Trump has shown time and again that he only cares about something if it is a benefit to himself, if someone praises him or if he is being heavily criticized. Even a psychology undergrad student like myself can see he shows the signs of a malignant narcissist.

A reporter was murdered in a consulate for questioning the actions of the future leader of his home country.

The explanation from Saudi Arabia, and the response from the US president, were underwhelming and shameful. They both show how far some will go to silence those who speak out to power, even if it means bringing a bone saw to a fistfight.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

14 • OPINION

Liking fall things doesn’t make you a basic person EMILY WAITSON ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte season is upon us.

Girls everywhere are posting pictures of Instagramable pumpkin patches and Bath and Body Works is likely rubbing their metaphorical hands together with glee over the number of people who are buying their seasonal candles by the basketful.

These are typically mocked aspects of fall weather that are connected to girls and their enjoyment of them.

The “basic bitch” trope has merit to it, like many other lightly mocking internet delegated terms, but it’s left me saying “who cares?”

I’ll be upfront and say right here, right now, that I fit into that category more easily than most.

I hoard fall-themed candles like it’s my duty, I sip on overpriced cups of spiced beverages with glee and I think Halloween is the best occasion of the year.

I love all things associated with

KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR

fall and I’d be a hypocrite to judge anyone else for it just because they share multiple photos of pumpkins and Pillsbury cookies on Instagram.

Liking popular things shouldn’t define you as an uninteresting or boring person.

That leads to a more common issue that I see with that particular line of thinking; the idea that you can only enjoy something with pride if no one has ever heard of it before or it’s just niche enough to

make you seem like an intellectually superior hipster.

Women who enjoy watching romantic comedies or wearing UGGs — even though I think they’re ugly as sin, but to each their own — shouldn’t be treated like they’re devoid of a personality because of it.

Men are praised for being bros, for liking common male interests.

Give a guy Fortnite, CrossFit and a beer and they’re respected, as much as anyone on the internet

can be.

Yet, our desire and fixation on presenting ourselves as unique sometimes impede in our ability to just enjoy things for what they are.

I love trashy television and crappy horror movies. I find them endlessly entertaining. Does that mean it’s my only pastime pleasure? No, but I shouldn’t be treated like I’m uncivilized because I don’t fill my time with independent experimental films — sometimes it’s nice to just turn off your brain and

enjoy the outrageous reality shows provided by TLC. Originality is a concept that I don’t really believe exists anymore.

No matter who you are or what you’re doing, it’s pretty much guaranteed that someone else has done it before you.

But so what? Why should our obsession with being the most original beings on the planet prevent us from just liking what we like, regardless of whether it’s “intrend” or not?

Heaven forbid someone else enjoys the once unknown craft beer you like or your formerly treasured indie band is now really popular.

Shared interests with multiple people shouldn’t be the ultimate downfall of a particular piece of entertainment or activity.

I don’t see the problem with girls huddled around their Starbucks cups trying to get photos of their coffee or posting snaps of their Blundstones in the leaves.

If it makes them happy, then more power to them.

I, like anyone else, can be judgemental about the things people do and what they choose to post online.

But if it’s harmless, at the end of the day it shouldn’t really matter to anyone else.

Defining your identity ALYSSA DI SABATINO OPINION EDITOR

On Oct. 12, 2018, R&B singer Kehlani announced her pregnancy on social media with her guitarist and partner, Javie Young-White.

Earlier this year, Kehlani publicly came out as queer, saying she was attracted to women, and men— specifically queer men, non binary, intersex and transgender people.

Kehlani also announced that her partner Javie was bisexual. She noted their similar sexual orientations and his understanding of her queerness and fluidity as one of the reasons they are so well-suited for each other.

Despite Kehlani being so open about her sexuality, many people were still shocked by her pregnancy announcement. Kehlani took to twitter saying, “Imagine thinking queer means lesbian and either means [being] unable to have babies,” in reference to those who were having a hard time reconciling her pregnancy with her sexuality.

Evidently, a lot of people are getting the wrong idea about what it means to be queer. A common misunderstanding seems to be the fact that many people are correlating pregnancy to heterosexuality, and queerness to the inability to procreate. Queerness is not as clearly defined to most people in the way that heterosexuality is.

The dictionary defines queer as “strange” or “odd.” It started to become commonly used as a derogatory term towards people who

displayed non-normative sexual or gender expressions. The term began to be reclaimed amid the AIDS epidemic by queer scholars, and is now finding its way into mainstream representation.

Despite this progression, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the term. In the wake of Kehlani’s pregnancy, it’s clear to see that we limit the idea of queerness, and what it means to be queer.

Rigid and narrowed conceptions of what it means to be queer are being spotlighted in this discussion, as many people base other peoples’ identities on their own idea of what queerness looks like.

Our own personal biases and assumptions turn this all-encompassing term into a binary, rather than a spectrum.

To be clear, queer is an umbrella term used by people who identify with the LGBTQ+ spectrum or as sexual minorities. In this way, it can refer to more than just samesex relationships. It’s important to note that not everyone identifies with this term.

Those who claim their queer identity have every right to live their own truth, and exist as they are in society regardless of the many misconceptions people may hold. Other peoples’ sexual identity isn’t ours to “understand” or make sense of. In Kehlani’s words, “Everybody should mind their business when it comes to other people’s sexuality.” The definition of queer isn’t owned by anyone; it is yours to define if you feel you identify with it.The bottom line is: straight or cisgender women are not the only ones capable of having babies. Queerness doesn’t prevent the ability, or desire, to have a child.

• 15

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca

BASEBALL

Golden Hawks win OUA title in dramatic fashion JOHN MCMORRAN STAFF WRITER

In the playoffs, an entire season’s struggle is compressed into a matter of innings. Each pitch, each at-bat possesses heightened importance, and in the crucible of the playoffs teams must be focused, unified and resilient when things go wrong.

The weekend started well enough. At 13-5, the Wilfrid Laurier University men’s baseball team entered the OUA playoff weekend as the regular season champions, and they demonstrated why in their very first game.

An offence led by Will Bibbings (two for three at bat for two RBIs) executed a 9-1 drubbing of Ryerson, while Austin Hassani’s effective pitching permitted only five hits and a single run.

However, game two on Friday afternoon saw fifth-seeded Guelph sprint out to a 10-2 lead by the top of the fourth. Sluggish at first, Laurier’s potent offence revved up with six runs in the final three innings, but Guelph was able to hold off the Golden Hawk comeback, winning 10-8.

When asked about the loss, Golden Hawks pitcher Kyle Symington explained, “it was a quiet bus ride.”

Entering game three, Laurier had to beat Queen’s by five or more runs to earn a favourable matchup in the semi-finals.

Pitcher Christian Hauck was well aware of his team’s fortunes when he took the mound that game, but as the day progressed the University of Toronto beat Brock, ridding the Golden Hawks of any need to beat Queen’s by five runs; all they needed was the win.

Except Christian Hauck wasn’t told this. Instead, he remained on the mound, continuing his masterful, near-shutout performance, that only in the seventh inning was

JON HALPENNY/CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

marred from becoming a no-hitter.

Laurier beat Queen’s 4-0 and when Hauck left the mound, Symington explained that the entire team was overjoyed to tell Braun that his performance had helped punch their ticket to the semi-final.

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks squared off against the Laurentian Voyageurs at 10 a.m.

Sunday morning, and quickly ran away with the contest.

First baseman Keifer Quick was the high-scorer for Laurier on the day, circling the Voyageurs bases for three RBIs, while A.J. Padmore’s pitching refused to yield even a single run.

Kyle Symington explained that, although upstart Laurentian had only found its first win of the

season during the playoffs, “we still had a job to do.”

Offensively and defensively, the Hawks rolled, and the 10-0 victory set the tone moving forward.

However, going forward must also including reaching backward, because facing off against the University of Toronto meant a rematch of last year’s title game.

In 2017 when the Golden Hawks and Varsity Blues met in the OUA championship, an early triple by U of T commenced their offensive march, that resulted in an 8-3 victory over Laurier and the OUA title.

Sunday began similarly, but even when U of T built a 2-0 lead going into the fourth, this mature, cohesive Laurier team did not panic.

Stalwart pitching by Ben Braun halted U of T’s offensive advance, while Symington explained that Laurier’s players were confident that it would only be a matter of time before their prolific hitters started making contact.

Laurier’s persistence was rewarded with a run in the fourth, and again in the sixth with two more.

On the mound, Kyle Symington pitched U of T’s batters to a deadlock, until, like a punch to the gut, U of T knocked off its third run of the day for a ninth-inning score, tying the game at three apiece. In the bottom of the same inning (tenth) Laurier’s offence failed to respond, necessitating overtime.

“My hands started to shake and

everything else, but we just stayed focused on what we had to do,” Symington said.

Veteran players remembered losing to U of T. They likely felt a pang of horror when their rivals stole a run late in the ninth to tie the game and force overtime.

So maybe that is why it took a player unburdened by last year’s demons to break the tie.

After a scoreless inning for U of T, Laurier took the field in the bottom of the tenth, and Matthew Komonen’s bat brought the OUA championship to the purple and gold.

The rookie outfielder from Etobicoke connected for a walk-off single that culminated with a purple and gold flood, where his fellow Golden Hawk players rushed the field to join him and celebrate their title.

“When we saw that hit, that was it, the party was on.”

This 2018 championship is just Wilfrid Laurier’s second for men’s baseball, awarded to a team whose labouring for this victory began well before this year.

Kyle Symington explained that the difference between each of the title games, and the team’s morale during each is difficult to describe.

When pressed he kept returning to the phrase, “it’s just different,” which is maybe the best answer of all. It’s difficult to put your finger on that special ingredient, the extra little magic that puts you over the top.

Whatever the ingredient, this Laurier team had it in spades. Their season was one of strife, high highs and low lows, but this year did not turn out like last year.

Instead, up to the very last moment, they had everything they needed.

So this time when they squared off against rival U of T, the results were just different.

CRICKET

Laurier cricket club wins first ever championship OLIVIA JONES CORD SPORTS

Acceptance, happiness, and encouragement: three words mentioned when captain Bashar Ashfaq was asked what sets the Laurier Cricket team apart from the rest.

During homecoming weekend the Golden Hawks made their anticipated return to the 2018 American College Cricket Midwest tournament in Detroit, Michigan.

The team positioned themselves toward an outstanding team performance at the Midwest Championship, and triumphantly brought back their first ever championship title to Waterloo. “[The players] push you to work

even harder, and they are very happy for their [teammates’] success.”

And success it was.

Along with the title comes a spot to compete at the American College Cricket Nationals in March 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where 32 university teams will attend.

Of the 32 teams only two are from Canadian universities, with the Ryerson Rams attending alongside Laurier.

This win has been four years in the making, but not without the support of the Waterloo region cricket community in the early beginning to help establish the Laurier Cricket program.

Laurier Cricket began in 2014 with the extensive efforts of former

club president, Abdul Rehman Naeem.

Winning a championship opens doors for other people to come [to Laurier] and play the sport as well.

-Bashar Ashfaq, Laurier Cricket Club team captain

In fact, the Laurier Cricket team

recognizes Naeem as the “Father of Laurier Cricket” because he is someone who single handedly worked remarkably hard to get the word out to students and to the community that Laurier has started a cricket team.

The efforts of Naeem extend beyond the cricket field, as now students are being drawn to attend Wilfrid Laurier University due to the increasing popularity of the cricket program.

Ashfaq stated that one of the reasons he came to Laurier was due to the growing cricket program.

“Winning a championship opens doors for other people to come [to Laurier] and play the sport as well,” Ashfaq said.

The championship title will hopefully draw more students toward attending Laurier and being a part of the growing cricket program.

The Laurier Cricket team has without a doubt proven that they deserve to be recognized for not only their sportsmanship, but now for this significant moment in Laurier club history.

The club has seen a tremendous amount of growth and development since its inception and 2014, and this championship shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

It will be interesting to see where the Laurier cricket team goes from here. With the incredible amount of talent on the team, the sky is the limit for Laurier cricket.

16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

FOOTBALL

A difficult end to a disappointing season for the Hawks ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER

Brightest lights, biggest stage, highest stakes. These are the moments you live for in sports, especially as an athlete.

In the biggest game of the year, with their season on the line, the Laurier Golden Hawks took their biggest loss of the year against the number one ranked Western Mustangs, 46-13.

Western having not lost a game since the 2016 Yates Cup game versus Laurier, were the clear favourites in this one — but there was a strong belief on the Laurier side regardless of the doubt from outside the team.

This game started out tight, as Laurier’s defence played Western’s ground game better than any other opponent has managed to do this year.

“Well the biggest thing in us being in the game early on was the defence. They created turnovers, they really slowed down Western’s run, and with the weather, they gave us great field position on offence,” coach Faulds said.

Going into the second quarter with the score being 7-6 for the Mustangs, there was a severe weather delay due to lightning in the area.

Following that, Western scored 10 straight points to go up 11. Laurier came through with an answer on a wild turn of events.

After a questionable turnover on downs call where it seemed quarterback Connor Carusello crossed the goal-line on a quarterback sneak, Mustangs running back Cedric Joseph fumbled it at the

one-yard line on the next play and Hawks defensive back Malcolm Thompson recovered it.

Carusello redeemed himself quickly delivering a touchdown pass to Brentyn Hall to make it 1713 going into halftime.

“The challenging thing is, a couple of times we started with the ball in Western’s end and we had to settle for field goals. After the lightning break, obviously Western scored 10 quick points but then we were able to get a touchdown right before the half. We felt good how we were in the game.”

The second half turned out to be nothing pretty as nothing happened for Laurier and Western scored 29 unanswered (21 in the fourth), to run away with this one and holding onto their undefeated streak.

Ultimately, it’s a disappointing year.

There’s no sugar coating it. We’re not pleased that we’re out right now.

-Michael Faulds, Laurier football head coach

“In the second half, we just really couldn’t get anything going offensively. That was the challenge.

Kudos to Western, they have a really good defence but we would’ve liked to have been able to be more

TANZEEL SAYANI/FILE PHOTO

productive on offence and move the ball,” coach Faulds stated.

Following two straight Yates Cup game appearances and winning one of them, this was not the season anybody, including the team itself expected this year.

“Ultimately, it’s a disappointing year. There’s no sugar-coating it.

We’re not pleased that we’re out right now. The reality is, our goals and aspirations and where we’ve been over the last few years, it’s

trying to win a Yates Cup at the very least. Having had a chance to beat Western on Oct. 20, whether we had a chance now or in three weeks at the Yates Cup, we weren’t able to get it done,” expressed Coach Faulds.

Missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013, it will be back to the drawing board as the Hawks will be looking to find their way back into being the contenders they once were.

“There’s obviously pros and cons and you’d much rather be playing for real right now and be in the playoffs but we’ve got to make the most out of the opportunity we do have ahead of us. We’re positive as a staff that we’ve got a good returning nucleus.”

“We’re going to get a five-week jumpstart on recruiting and bring in another really good class. We’ve got a lot of time for this program to grow.”

WOMEN’S RUGBY

Desjardins makes history PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

The Wilfrid Laurier women’s rugby team’s season came to a crashing end at the hands of Western in the OUA playoffs.

But the end of the season was bittersweet for fifth year veteran Hayley Desjardins, who was recently named the OUA player of the year.

Needless to say, Desjardins had an outstanding season, and she became the first Laurier women’s rugby player to win this prestigious award.

With this being her final year at Laurier, this was the perfect way for Desjardins to end her Golden Hawk career.

“I’m sad the season’s over. We expected more of an upset with Western at the end of the season there, but regardless of that this is the best season I’ve had in all my five years playing with the girls,” she said.

“I’m happy with the amount of recognition women’s rugby is receiving this year. We’re a growing and developing program and we’ve accomplished a lot together,” she added.

Desjardins scored 25 points for the Hawks during the regular season, good for thirteenth in the conference.

Her standout performances were one of the biggest reasons behind the Hawks success this season and her presence on the women’s rugby team will be sorely missed.

She hasn’t just been a leader on a successful rugby team, Desjardins has also played a major role in the progression of the Laurier women’s rugby program through her consistent hard work year after year.

When asked what advice she would give to new recruits and the young players on the team, Desjardins mentioned the importance of patience.

“I would just say try your best.

Not everyone’s going to get one of those 15 starting positions in their first couple of years but you’ll eventually get there,” she said.

“I’ve learned a lot from some of our alumni. They’re some of the best players I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with.”

“This group of girls are also my best friends. I got to spend every day with them so I would just cherish being a part of the team.”

Even though Desjardins is ready to say goodbye to her university playing career, she still plans on staying involved with rugby post-graduation.

I’m happy with the amount of recognition women’s rugby is receiving this year.

We’re a growing and developing program ...

-Hayley Desjardins, Laurier varsity women’s rugby player

“I’ll definitely still be playing [rugby] in the summer season, probably with the Markham Irish Rugby club and I’ll be back to cheer the girls when they have home games,” she concluded.

Desjardins is a role model for all the girls on the women’s rugby team, and it’ll be intriguing to see how the Hawks move forward without one of their best players ever.

EVA OU/PHOTO EDITOR