Opinion

Making the most out of your Reading Week

SHOFFANA SUNDARAMOORTHY

OPINION COLUMNIST

Reading week is fast approaching. For the students who moved off-campus for their class, they have a chance to go back home this coming week. Of course, it can be challenging in deciding whether to catch up on all school work or take the whole week off to treat yourself.

The truth is … you can do both. Moderation with the work-life balance is crucial, and therefore, I would like to recommend some tips to ensure you’re making the most of your Reading week.

Reflect on your semester so far

Going into Reading week, you would have attended a week’s worth of lectures, tutorials, and/ or labs. Take a moment to think about what exactly you are doing well, alongside what you need to improve on.

Ask yourself the following questions. “Was I able to attend all my classes? Did you leave yourself enough time to finish assignments, or did you leave them to the last minute? For the first half of the Fall semester, do you recall yourself feeling more burned out and/or unproductive?

These questions will provide direction in the development of your game plan for Reading week. You can establish realistic goals that will provide a visualization of what you want your final result to be, such as completing your schoolwork or feeling more well-rested.

Get organized

Write a to-do list of the courses that you want to work on for the week and from there, break down each course into the exact tasks (ex. Completing readings or starting essays). You should then write down an approximate time duration that you intend to work on each task.

To-do lists make schoolwork less daunting and more manageable. It is a way that allows you to set clear expectations for what must be done and prioritize the more important tasks, verify that you have not forgotten anything, and makes you feel less stressed.

Though, organization does not have to stop after Reading week. Whether through a planner or online calendar, try outlining a typical school week by making note of class times, extracurricular meetings, and so forth. Planning out your week like a blueprint gives you a visual overview which will help you instill a sense of a consistent schedule alongside how much free time you have.

Do not procrastinate

We all have our moments where despite an impending deadline, we end up leaving something to the last minute. It is okay to do occasionally, but making a habit out of it will do you more harm.

For some, it may be hard to study back home due to distractions. I recommend going to a local café, the library, or even studying outside to get a change in working environment. If you have trouble studying by yourself, arrange a study date with your friends and that will motivate you more to start your work. Do not push yourself and remind yourself that it is completely to take breaks as long as you go back to working afterwards.

In the event that you are already caught up with your courses, you can use the extra week to actually get ahead in some of your academics. Things get busier towards the second half of the semester, so getting stuff out of the way will put less pressure on you.

Spend time with family

Remember, having a great Reading week means moderation and spending time with your family is important. You may have not seen them in a while, so it is great to catch up on how everyone is doing. Go out of your way to plan a family event, whether it is visiting a local Fall fair or an at-home movie night.

This week also gives you the chance to confide in your family about your school experience. Learning in a hybrid/ remote format is not suited for everyone, so many have been dealing with their own issues. Your family is one of many in your support system, so openly talking with them can make you feel better and strengthen your familial bond.

DARIEN FUNK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Focus on your health

In the heat of the moment, the first half of the semester may have led to us sacrificing some hours of sleep or not going out as much as we should. A healthy body and a healthy mind can go hand-inhand. Beyond the schoolwork, Reading Week is supposed to be your chance to relax and treat yourself.

Take the time to establish consistent sleep schedules during this week to bring back the remainder of the semester. As for physical health, do it in a way that feels right to you, whether it means going to the gym, attending a Zumba class, or simply walking around the neighborhood.

Mental health is also important. If it means bringing your favorite show or having a spa day at home, make time for your favorite activities to relax. In addition, try to practice mindfulness and living in the moment to detach yourself from any outside stressors.

Again, Reading week is not about prioritizing work or play over one another, but rather equally in moderation. We may all have different goals and expectations for our Reading week, which is completely fine. Make the most of the time you have and instill habits then to carry on for the rest of the semester.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE Who should win the Nobel Peace Prize?

known for the creation and production of dynamite, dictated that his large fortune would be used to set up a series of prizes for achievement in these categories upon his death.

The most controversial choices are always for the Peace Prize. Innovation in physics and chemistry is easier to quantify. “Peace” remains hard to define in a world such as ours.

Some atrocious choices haunt the list of Peace Prize winners. Henry Kissinger, for example, received the prize in 1973 for his work on a Vietnam ceasefire. Those who criticize this choice claim that Kissinger is the architect of crimes against humanity in half a dozen countries.

Upon receiving his award in 2009, President Barack Obama claimed he viewed the choice as a “call to action.” And there I was, under the impression that prizes are given for doing something, not in the hope that it will motivate someone to action. He was even brave enough to acknowledge that giving the award to a leader whose country was fighting two wars seemed odd.

My dissatisfaction is completely bipartisan. The prize was intended to be awarded to an individual who worked for peace between nations and the reduction of standing armies. These choices hardly made the cut.

Another group that has historically made the cut with no justification is organizations. I’m talking about the UN World Food Programme, last year’s winner, and the European Union, among others. The original mandate by the founder of the prize specificized that it should be given to individuals. Our modern sensibilities, if we can call them that, should not allow us to act like changing dying wishes is a noble act. If you want to award a peace prize to an organization, make a new prize.

I feel that awarding a peace prize to someone bogged down in partisan politics when they’re not busy doing good work might also be a misstep. This year, those figures would be Stacey Abrams and Jared Kushner. It’s really difficult to believe that Stacey Abrams is fully and completely committed to voting rights activism when she was trying to become Joe Biden’s running mate. It’s even more difficult when she takes money from Michael Bloomberg and then fails to endorse him. Jared Kushner is an equally inhospitable choice. The Abraham Accords were a productive step towards peace in the Middle East. Changing the location of the American embassy in Israel was not.

My first choice this year is Alexei Navalny. I’ve wrote about the Russian opposition leader before, and the passage of time has only been my admiration for him grow. If you want to give the Peace Prize to someone working to bring freedom, democracy and peace to millions, with complete disregard for the personal costs, you pick Alexei Navalny. Poison gas attacks, prison, hunger strikes, and being forced to watch eight hours of state television a day, and he still campaigns for Russian democracy. That’s the kind of person who should win a Nobel Prize.

Sports SPORTS EDITOR MARK CASCAGNETTE sports@thecord.ca LEAD SPORTS REPORTER ETHAN CAPLAN sports@thecord.ca

FOOTBALL

Mustangs defeat Golden Hawks 36-16 in second dissapointing loss of the season

MARK CASCAGNETTE

SPORTS EDITOR

Despite leading throughout three quarters and putting forth an impressive defensive performance, Coach Faulds and the Laurier Golden Hawks dropped their second consecutive game, losing to the Mustangs 36-16.

The Western Mustangs who returned home and entered the game as the top ranked team in Ontario, used a dominant fourth quarter to score 22 unanswered points and come back from a 15-7 deficit to improve their record to 2-1.

After Laurier’s defense shut out Western in the first half, the Mustangs flipped the switch in the second. After a slow start, Western was able to get their top ranked rushing offense in gear, starting the third quarter with a 51-yard touchdown rush by Keon Edwards, the conference’s second leading rusher.

Laurier’s offense struggled to move the ball down the field in the second half as Western’s offense got into a groove and the Mustangs capitalized on a Savaugh Magnaye-Jones 55-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter, to take their first lead of the game.

Freshman quarterback Taylor Elgersma started his second career game for the Golden Hawks after an ugly four interception performance last week against Waterloo. For the second straight week, Elgersma faced a mountain of pressure, matched up against another nationally ranked team and a fierce rival in Western.

Returning to his hometown of London this week, Elgersma played a strong game, despite not throwing a touchdown. Elgersma did not commit a turnover and was able to connect with Ente Eguavoen, Nick Peterman and Romy Simpson on some impressive throws.

After a one-sided loss to the Warriors, which saw Laurier give up 27 points in the first half, the Golden Hawks came out of the gates quick and caused frequent challenges to the potent Mustangs offense. Laurier shut out Western in the opening two quarters and was able to record three interceptions, and two fumbles in the game, increasing their league-leading total.

The Golden Hawks opened the scoring with two field goals and a single by Dawson Hodge. Hodge, who leads the OUA in overall scoring with 29 points has now begun his Laurier career, a perfect 12/12 on all field goal and extra point attempts.

Laurier went into the halftime break, leading 7-0 as the defense recorded three sacks and forced three takeaways, led by veteran linebacker Tommy Bringi and defensive back Christian Hutter-Coppin who each recorded an interception.

The second half was the main difference, as Western opened the scoring two minutes in with Edward’s touchdown run - the longest in the conference this season — before connecting on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Justin Nickson at the end of the third.

With Laurier still holding a slim lead with four minutes left, Hodge punted to Magnaye-Jones who had the first return touchdown in league play this season, putting Western up 20-16.

Two rushing touchdowns in the last two minutes, by Trey Humes, put the game out of reach and helped the Mustangs win their fifth consecutive game against the Golden Hawks.

On the strength of their dominant second half, the Mustangs rushed for three combined touchdowns, 257 total yards and nearly seven yards per carry, compared to less than 100 rushing yards by Laurier.

While only committing one turnover, the Golden Hawks committed nine penalties and punted the ball eleven times. Two areas that Coach Faulds will certainly focus on as the team looks to regroup, entering the thanksgiving holiday and their bye week.

While Peterman, Simpson and Eguavoen each had over 50 yards receiving, no Laurier rusher had over 30 yards on the ground as the offense struggled with balance and ultimately could not advance the ball in the later stages of the game.

The Golden Hawks have committed a slew of penalties in each of their first three games and will hope to get their offense back in gear after scoring only 28 combined points the past two weeks, after 37 in the opener against York.

The Golden Hawks drop to 1-11 against the Mustangs in Coach Faulds’ tenure and have not beat Western since the memorable Yates Cup Victory, 43-40, five years ago, in London. While falling to 1-2 on the year, the Golden Hawks can take some positives out of their matchup with Western. The defense played strong, while Elgersma and the passing offense showed some potential despite some growing pains in the second half. With three games down and three to go, the Golden Hawks will head into their bye week before a road matchup against McMaster (1-1). Laurier will be back in action two Saturdays from now, when they travel to Hamilton, to play the tenth ranked Marauders. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM EST on Oct. 16 and can be watched on OUA.TV.

FILE PHOTO