THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
VERITAS UNVEILS FRESH NEW LOOK News, page 3
#TEXTBOOK BROKE
HUMANIZING THE HOMELESS
HIGHLIGHTS AT TIFF 2018
SERENA WILLIAMS
LAURIER ALUM SEES SUCCESS
OUSA fights for lower costs at the bookstore
Taking a look at resources in Waterloo region
The up and coming films to watch out for
Tennis player’s gendered controversy
Former soccer player becomes star bodybuilder
News, page 3
Features, page 8
Arts & Life, page 10
Opinion, page 14
Sports, page 16 PHOTO BY GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR
2 •
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
VOCAL CORD If Laurier had mental health kits, what do you think should be included?
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
CordNews THIS DAY IN HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 19 1796: George Washington gives farewell address as president. 1849: First commercial laundry established in Oakland, California. 1947: Baseball player Jackie Robinson is named 1947 “Rookie of the Year. 1952: “Adventures of Superman” TV series starring George Reeves premieres in syndication in the US.
“Weighted blankets.” –Emily Khorsandi, thirdyear communication studies
1970: “The Mary Tyler Moore” show premieres for the first time on CBS. 1986: “Captain EO” with Michael Jackson premieres. 1988: Baseball player Jackie Robinson is named 1947 “Rookie of the Year.
“Essential oil diffusers.”
1996: “Skylight” opens at Royale Theater in New York City.
–Lindsay Babcock, third-year communication studies
EVA OU/PHOTO EDITOR
Ben Braun is a third-year student at Laurier and first-year pitcher for Laurier’s varsity baseball team.
“Stress balls.” –Akshat Soni, fourthyear BBA
2004: Britney Spears weds rapper-dancer Kevin Federline in California.
WANT YOUR NAME PUBLISHED IN PRINT? VOLUNTEER FOR THE CORD! VISIT WWW.THECORD.CA/
“Fidget cubes.” –Mustafa Raza, firstyear BBA and Computer Science
VOLUNTEER FOR OPPORTUNITIES.
Compiled by Margaret Russell Photos by Jackie Vang NEXT ISSUE
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Michael Oliveri
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 arts@thecord.ca
CORD STAFF
OPINION EDITOR Emily Waitson opinion@thecord.ca
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Safina Husein editor@thecord.ca
SPORTS EDITOR Pranav Desai sports@thecord.ca
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sadman Sakib Rahman creative@thecord.ca
GRAPHICS EDITOR Kashyap Patel graphics@thecord.ca
WEB DIRECTOR Garrison Oosterhof online@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Eva Ou photos@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR Hayley McGoldrick news@thecord.ca
ONLINE EDITOR Katherine Weber online@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR Aaron Hagey news@thecord.ca
VIDEO EDITOR Sarah Tyler video@thecord.ca
FEATURES EDITOR Madeline McInnis features@thecord.ca
LEAD REPORTER Margaret Russell news@thecord.ca
LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Abdulhamid Ibrahim sports@thecord.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Jackie Vang photos@thecord.ca SENIOR COPY EDITOR Sara Burgess copyeditor@thecord.ca SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Jazzmine Gabert editor@thecord.ca CORDCAST PRODUCER Brielle Huang cordcast@thecord.ca
CONTRIBUTORS
EDITOR’S CHOICE
John McMorran Olivia Jones Alicia Lavigne Jake Watts Josh Goeree Brittany Tenhage Jennifer Webb Yana Manevska Victoria Marshall
Alyssa Coppolino continues to make Laurier proud By John McMorran
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Care Schummer at care.schummer@wlusp.com or 519-884-0710 ext. 3560.
COLOPHON The Cord is the official student newspaper of the Wilfrid Laurier University community. Started in 1926 as the College Cord, The Cord is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors. Opinions expressed within The Cord are those of the author and do not necessarily refl ect those of the editorial board, The Cord, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Inc. All content appearing in The Cord bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent. The Cord is created using Macintosh computers running OS X 10.10 using Adobe Creative Cloud. Canon cameras are used
for principal photography. The Cord has been a proud member of the Ontario Press Council since 2006. Any unsatisfied complaints can be sent to the council at info@ontpress.com. The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 4,500 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000. Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada. The Cord has been a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP) since 2004.
PREAMBLE The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy. The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to
reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff. The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate. The Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body. The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper.
Quote of the week: “My favourite part of my job is being Garrison’s Bitch!” - Online Editor, Kate Weber, while filming the Cordography.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
News
• 3 NEWS EDITOR HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR AARON HAGEY news@thecord.ca
STUDENT LIFE
#TextbookBroke looks for cost effective alternatives MARGARET RUSSELL LEAD REPORTER
As the semester commences at universities across Ontario, many post-secondary students find themselves conflicted by the cost of course materials. The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), an organization dedicated to representing the needs of undergraduate students across the province, relaunched the campaign #TextbookBroke to address the matter of practically unaffordable course materials and rally towards creating more reasonably priced or cost-free options for students. Shannon Kelly, vice-president of finance at OUSA and vice-president of student affairs at Laurier’s Students’ Union, discussed the campaign, OUSA’s mission behind it and how they are on campus speaking with students and faculty. “The [original] campaign was started in British Columbia in 2012, and it was adopted by OUSA earlier this year and it’s our second time launching the campaign,” Kelly said. It was concluded by OUSA after the first campaign launch that stu-
dents, on average, were spending a minimum of five hundred dollars on textbooks per semester. OUSA’s #TextbookBroke campaign hopes to “reduce these costs by moving towards open-education, which is basically open-access textbooks online that are publicly accessible and free. It’s modelled after Europe which has the largest open-education system in the world,” Kelly said. The campaign provides insight towards the reality of just how expensive textbooks can get and how students who are unable to afford course materials are inescapably negatively impacted. There is much emphasis on the value of utilizing technology for education through open-access materials. This semester’s #TextbookBroke campaign ran from Sept. 10 to 14 on campuses across Ontario and will continue on social media until Sept. 21. The first launch of #TextbookBroke back in January of this year was the first campaign of its kind to reach Ontario. There are now eight undergraduate representative schools in Ontario that take part; Laurier, Waterloo, McMaster,
KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Brock, Western, Queen’s, Laurentian and Trent-Durham.
As part of the campaign’s initiative to get a dialogue started with
the student body, they had set up a booth in Laurier’s concourse last week. “There’s a huge line outside the bookstore at this time of the year, so we’ve been having volunteers talk to people while they’re in line,” Kelly said. “We had a raffle as well for a student to win a one-hundred dollar gift card from the Students’ Union.” Volunteers from #TextbookBroke had been handing out cards for students to fill out while waiting in line: “I spent ‘blank’ amount on textbooks but I could have spent it on ‘blank.’” The majority of which students mentioned groceries, rent and other essential expenses. OUSA’s next steps involve potentially meeting with professors and faculty at Ontario representative schools, including Laurier. “We definitely have long ways to go in terms of meeting with professors, because faculty are ultimately the people who choose the textbooks,” Kelly said. “We met with the bookstore prior to this campaign because we didn’t want to seem like an anti-bookstore campaign — they do a lot of work in trying to save student dollars.”
FOOD
Veritas Cafe brings a new energy to campus HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS EDITOR
Veritas Café is known around Laurier for many reasons — the main being that it is a great hangout spot for students. Patrick McMahon, the operations manager since January 2017, has a passion for providing quality food to Laurier for many years. McMahon has a history of working for Laurier food services, as he was the restaurant and catering manager of Wilf’s six years ago. McMahon’s mission at Veritas, however, is to provide quality food to students and utilize local, fresh ingredients. In an effort to revitalize and revamp the space, renovations for the space started in June 2018, and the café’s reopening launch was on Sept. 17. “The biggest difference is that we’ve added double the space. Our GSA office moved into the Peters, so we went from having 42 seats to having 80 seats, and it also allows us to have private events booked and so we don’t have to close the café which was pretty common before.” McMahon said. The space also changed to a more modern look, having white tiled walls, wooden tables, and two sliding barn style doors that open
up to reveal the extended space, decorated with a chevron-style wall using their new Veritas “V” as the pattern. Other than space for the customers, Veritas has also doubled the space in their kitchen and is working on plans for the future in their newly expanded kitchen.
We’re still serving fresh, local food, we just want to be serving it faster.
-Patrick McMahon, Veritas Operations Manager
“We’re opening with a pretty similar look in food, but we’re planning on expanding that with take home dinners for busy people, we’re launching an online marketplace for students and faculty to be able to order direct from farmers and pick-up in the café.” McMahon said. “The change in our layout in the kitchen and our service area - we
used to have a bar and got rid of it - is so that we can speed up our service so we’re a little bit quicker at lunch and dinner time so we can get customers in and out of here because we know everyone’s busy.” Even though Veritas has increased their space both for customers and staff to help speed up service, they will not be compromising what they stand for. “We’re still serving fresh, homemade quality food, our principles haven’t changed with renovations, we’re not just trying to capitalize on the space. We’re still serving fresh, local food, we just want to be serving it faster,” McMahon said. Putting together quality meals that will help students sustain healthier lifestyles on campus are a main priority for the employees at Veritas. “We really pride ourselves on the ingredients, we really spend some time finding the best ingredients to go in. The first thing we look at is where it’s coming from, it does set us apart. I know the dining hall and Wilf’s do that too, but our top priority is finding the ingredients and then we set our prices. We bring in from local bakeries, we are not buying cases of anything from anywhere,” McMahon said. Veritas is now officially open
SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
for business to all students and is somewhere that can be used as a study space, somewhere to grab a bite to eat, or one can even grab a drink with the wine, beer and spirits they carry in house. “It’s a really fresh, modern, rustic looking space, it’s comfort-
able. We’re not going to rush you out of here if you want to come in and have a coffee and spend the afternoon doing homework. We want to welcome everybody here, it’s not just about us selling people food; it’s a place for community.” McMahon said.
4 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
RECOGNITION
Edna Staebler Award shortlist MARGARET RUSSELL LEAD REPORTER
Earlier this month, Wilfrid Laurier University released the shortlist for the 2018 Edna Staebler Award for creative non-fiction. The award, established by the award-winning journalist, writer and philanthropist Edna Staebler herself, has been presented annually by Laurier since 1991. The award, being the only award of its unique genre in Canada, is presented to a Canadian writer of a first or second published novel who has retold a true story with Canadian context or setting, as well as a strong, compelling, literary construction. This year’s shortlist was compiled from 62 overall submissions that were then reduced to the long list of fourteen submissions, then finally to the shortlist of three nominees. “Those 14 are submitted to three judges. Those three judges are Anne Russell, an associate professor in English and Film Studies, Sharon Brown, a librarian Emerius, and Bruce Gillespie, an associate professor of Digital Media and Journalism. And those three judges
select the shortlist and the winner,” said Richard Nemesvari, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Wilfrid Laurier University. “It’s a funnel process.”
The winner receives $10,000 dollars, which is one the larger literary awards in the country — certainly it’s the largest for creative non-fiction. -Richard Nemesvari, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at WLU
The genre of creative non-fiction, specifically novels that are eligible to be presented with the Edna Staebler Award, require the author to tell a factual story with devices of fiction such as original research, dialogue, the depiction of personal discovery or experience and a creative, interpretative approach to the subject. The three submissions that have
been selected for this year’s Edna Staebler Award are as follows: Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Pauline Dakin, Life on the Ground Floor: Letters From the Edge of Emergency Medicine by James Maskalyk and A History of Canada in Ten Maps: Epic Stories of Charting a New Land by Adam Shoalts. This year’s Edna Staebler Award winner will be announced during the third week of September; however, the winner has already been decided by the three jurors. “The winner receives $10,000, which is one the larger literary awards in the country — certainly it’s the largest for creative non-fiction,” Nemesvari said. Once the winner has been announced by the university the author will be invited to campus to perform a reading of their book. Laurier will also host an award ceremony as well as a private dinner. The winning author’s reading, which does not have a confirmed date as of yet but will take place sometime in October, will be open to the public for viewing and will also be announced sometime within the next couple of weeks. Synopses of the three books
EVA OU/PHOTO EDITOR
on this year’s shortlist have been published on Laurier’s website, as
well as a complete list of previous winners.
EXPLORE K-W
GARRISON OOSTERHOF/FILE PHOTO
Doors Open: A unique look into Waterloo Region SAFINA HUSEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The annual Doors Open Waterloo Region took place this past Saturday Sept. 15, 2018, giving residents of Waterloo a unique look into buildings with noteworthy architecture or history. This year, the event featured 34 sites which were opened to the community for the day — many of which would be otherwise closed to the public. “We try to have people think about the buildings they use everyday. Some of these buildings you can’t normally get inside, but somebody uses them,” said Karl Kessler, coordinator of Doors Open Waterloo Region. “You walk or you bike or you drive by these places and wonder what goes on inside: whether
they’re brand new or 150 years old.” Kessler iterated that the main goal of Doors Open is to allow attendees to pause for a moment and appreciate the buildings, architecture and history that surrounds them. “We all use buildings, but we take them for granted... they’re like the air around us. They are our surroundings. But this is a chance to pause once a year and think about our built environment in a really deliberate way and have people interpret them,” Kessler said. Importantly, those giving tours and talks at each building or site as a part of Doors Open, was also given the opportunity to reflect on the heritage or significance of the building they work in every day. “It’s a chance for everyone to kind of stop and think about our
It’s a chance for everyone to kind of stop and think about our buildings and how we use them and what makes them special. -Karl Kessler, event coordinator
buildings and how we use them and what makes them special,” Kessler said. Some of the more anticipated sites included Catalyst137 as well as Deloitte, both located in Kitchener. As well, the newly opened Idea
Exchange library located in Cambridge was a place of curiosity to many participating in Doors Open. “It’s an 1885 post office that’s been redone into a fully digital library and I think, from what I’m hearing, they had a lot of visitors for Doors Open,” Kessler said. “I think people are really curious to go behind the scenes and get a guided tour of that building. Each one of these is really interesting because they are adaptive reuses of heritage buildings.” The newly opened Martin Luther University College on Wilfrid Laurier University’s own campus was also open to the public and saw approximately 250 visitors as part of the event. “They had a really good turnout. I think people are really curious about that renovation as well. They did a beautiful renovation
on the existing buildings, and very appropriately, renovated the inside in sync with the original design but brought it up to modern standards, they added lots of services there,” Kessler said. Martin Luther University College — formerly Waterloo Seminary — recently underwent a $90 million renovation. The renovated space was open as of this past September and officially changed their name this past summer. “They left as much alone as possible and it really feels like it’s the 1960s original building so I mean, they were appropriate in each part of it according to its architectural significance,” Kessler said. “When they added that new entrance facing Bricker, it had minimal impact on the older building because it’s got a modern building… it was a beautiful renovation.”
NEWS • 5
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018 LIBRARY
New commemorative book benches at WPL ALICIA LAVIGNE CORD NEWS
Two new “book benches” have found their place at the Waterloo Public Library (WPL) thanks to the heartfelt donation of Frank and Delores Dorscht Steffler. The couple donated the benches as a way to honour the memory of their parents: John and Mary Ann Dorscht and Leander and Rose Steffler. Although they were delivered and placed during the beginning of summer, the benches have not been officially unveiled as of yet. However, the Waterloo Library displayed the benches on their Twitter once they were placed with plenty of positive feedback. Anjana Kipfer, WPL marketing and communications manager, discussed the upcoming unveiling ceremony which will take place Thursday Sept. 20 at the main branch of the Waterloo Public Library at 10 a.m. She has worked at the library for five years and graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2001. “We thought it was a fantastic idea, they had this idea about the book shaped benches, which we felt was perfect,” Kipfer said. “Mayor Jaworsky is coming to the ceremony, and the chair of our library board, Karen Coviello Scian, will be there as well. And
hopefully, the Stefflers will be there as well if they can make it,” Kipfer said. The idea for these stone benches arose when Frank and Delores decided to commemorate their parents with a donation. They were directed to the library early in the summer shortly after expressing interest in commissioning something special for the city.
... He felt that they really wanted to honour their parents’ memory and do this kind of thing in their spirit.
-Anjana Kipfer, WPL marketing and communications manager
They are avid supporters and advocates of the library which made their request especially compelling to the library management. The couple and the library worked together with Ed’s Concrete, a company out of Stratford, in order to commission the benches. A bronze plaque engraved with the couple’s names has also been recently added to the bench
JACKIE VANG/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
in preparation for the dedication ceremony. Although the relationship between the Steffler’s elders and the library is unclear, Kipfer believes that Frank and Delores’ parents were supporters of the library the same way their children are, and
many admire how they are so eager to give back to the community with these various donations to local sites. The Stefflers have also donated to other organizations across the city, including another bench for the Parkview Cemetery where their
parents are buried. “One of the notes that Frank had sent me, he said, he felt that they really wanted to honour their parent’s memory and do this kind of thing in their spirit,” Kipfer said. Especially to give back to your community in that way.”
TECHNOLOGY
Hack The North comes to UW JAKE WATTS CORD ALUM
From Sept. 14 to 16, the University of Waterloo hosted their annual hack-a-thon, Hack The North. The annual event brings students from all over the world to engage in a non-stop, 36 hour competition to create novel and interesting pieces of software and hardware to be assessed by a panel of judges. To kick off the event, Chamath Palihapitiya, founder and CEO of the venture capital firm Social Capital and owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, gave competitors some advice:
What I do think is important is ... go prove to yourself that you can start something and finish it and not be afraid of being judged and failing. -Chamath Palihapitiya, founder and CEO of Social Capital
JAKE WATTS/CORD ALUM
“I would encourage you to do two things. One is be realistic. Which is, I do not intend to give you some glib thing about, ‘yeah, go solve breast cancer in the next
48 hours because it’s going to be great!’ It’s not true and it’s not accurate,” Palihapitiya said. “What I do think is important is something else, which is: go prove to yourself that you can start something and finish it and not be afraid of being judged and failing,” Palihapitiya said. Palihapitiya’s advice cut against the ethos of hack-a-thon and tech culture, wherein raw speed in workflow and the ability to whip up revolutionary products in little time — as in the time allotted for competitors at hack-a-thons — is valued highly. “So it doesn’t really matter, to be quite honest, what you do in the next 48 hours in my mind, it matters that you take away that thread: [So you can say] ‘I started, I created a plan, I broke it down into small bits, I finished it, I’m proud of it and I don’t care how people judge it,’” Palihapitiya said. “Now take that, amplify that and then go work on something hard and do it over the next ten years.” Part of Palihapitiya’s break from that ethos could be tied to his career trajectory: from a successful tenure as an executive at Facebook, where he focused on user growth, to his founding of Social Capital, which focuses on funding companies that tackle some of the biggest problems there are in important areas like education and healthcare. Problems that, as Palihapitiya noted in his talk, can take a long time to solve.
Hack the North, for its part, scheduled various workshops and activities for competitors to engage in over the duration of the weekend, many of which may not have had direct relevance to hacks they may have been working on, but were on offer regardless.
[So you can say] ‘I started, I created a plan, I broke it down into small bits, I finished it, I’m proud of it and I don’t care how people judge it.’ -Chamath Palihapitiya, founder and CEO of Social Capital
There were workshops focused on using specific software tools and associated prizes from tech companies for submitting a successful hack built with those tools. There were also therapy dogs, yoga and massage sessions in addition to more in-depth sessions on topics like virtual reality, machine learning, data science and blockchain currencies. For those competitors who chose to sleep over the 36 hour competition, there were also air mattresses available for them as well.
6 • GAMES
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
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GAMES • 7
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
RADIOLAURIER.COM
MIXTAPE MIX NO 4
CADMIUM // PINEGROVE MATTHEW // SHORTLY
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 andm ust be addressed to your life. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@thecord. ca no later than Monday at noon each week. Dear Life,
BITE THE HAND // JULIEN BAKER RADIO // SYLVAN ESSO FALLINGWATER // MAGGIE ROGERS FEVER DOGGS // SLOTHRUST RUBICON // DANNY MICHEL CUT YOUR BANGS// GIRLPOOL SKIN // SOCCER MOMMY BEAUTY ROUTINE // MOTHERS BLEAK BAKE // KING KRULE GOODBYE // PORCHES TOPANGA LAWRENCE // CHARMER LOST // SORCHA RICHARDSON HONEY // ILL SPECTOR SIZE OF THE MOON // PINEGROVE WALK AWAY // SLOTHRUST DJ KHALED IS MY FATHER // SPOOKY BLACK TOMMY’S PARTY // PEACH PIT FINDERS KEEPERS // SHORTLY
TUNE IN ONLINE
Perfection. We strive for it everyday But shit always seems to get in the way of Perfection. A word that is used so often in classrooms across the world to demonstrate an exceptional piece of work. Perfection. No one knows the true meaning but just like beauty it could be in the eye of the beholder. Perfection. Each and every day try to get bolder so we don’t get crushed by a boulder of misery because we didn’t reach, Perfection. Sometimes we don’t realize that we need to make an exception for the great work that we’ve done, and continuously undone just to reach that one goal above all.
Perfection. Like an eternal fire that gives people a desire, but in reality, nothing is close to Perfection.
Dear Safina, You aren’t as funny as you think you are.
Sincerely, Brenden Miller
Sincerely, You know who
Dear Life,
Dear Pranav,
Thank you for the numerous sex shops near the university. Having a new vibrator is making the stress of school much easier to handle. Sincerely, Buzzin’
Why do you laugh at all of my jokes? Why do you like Garrison more than me? Sincerely, You also know Dear Seminars,
Dear Life, You never realize how important something is, how close you hold it to your heart, and truly appreciate it’s existence until it’s gone. Sincerely, Breathing from both nostrils
Why do you have so many readings? Alternatively, why do we never talk about the readings? Sincerely, Not complaining, saving lots of time by not doing them Dear Hummus,
Dear 205, Be cleaner. Sincerely, I’m allergic to dust
Nothing completes me like you do and there is no greater love than the love I have for you. Sincerely, Sorry arts and life, my heart belongs to hummus
8 •
FEATU
FEATURES EDITOR/MADELINE MCINNIS/FEATURES@THECORD.CA
Opinion Editor, Emily Waitson, discusses the resources available to those in need in Kitchener-Waterloo I have lived in downtown Kitchener (DTK) for roughly 14 years of my life, residing steps away from central DTK spots like Victoria Park, Charles Street Terminal and City Hall. I’m also located near the less acknowledged, yet imperative, markers of social assistance that provide our city with places of refuge and much needed support for those in need. I’m a minute away from OneROOF, I passed by the House of Friendship every day when I walked to school and I go by the welcoming windows of The Working Centre every time I make my way through downtown. Over the past few years, businesses like Google have established Waterloo Region’s tech sec-tor. Beautification efforts to improve the downtown streetscape have been continuously put into motion, and the ongoing construction of the LRT has been the focal point of Kitchener-Waterloo expansion since its approval back in 2011. Through all of these endeavours to make our city more vibrant, more prosperous and more pleasing to look at, there is a noticeable area of neglect in this detailed process of re-imagination that has been left at a standstill. Despite all of the unique localities this promising region has to offer, there is a prevalent problem connected to KW and cities like it in Southern Ontario that is difficult to ignore — people experiencing homelessness. Although a report released on May 4 documented an apparent 12 per cent decrease in people experiencing homelessness from 2014 when similar data was compiled, the issues that these people are facing have become even more complicated. The report documented a total of 264 people experiencing homelessness on April 23, with 85 per cent stating that they were living long-term in shelters and the remaining number spending their nights in short-term, public shelters or tents. Sandy Dietrich-Bell, the chief executive officer of OneROOF Youth Services, noted, “I’m not necessarily seeing an increase in numbers, but we’re certainly seeing an increase in the severity of need in what we call the acuity. Their acuity needs are higher and much of that is related to the fact that they have complex issues.” “Gone are the days where someone has just had a fight with mom and dad and they just need a temporary place to stay. Most of the youth that we’re seeing have very complex issues: lots of mental health [problems], drug addiction, violence and abuse in their history. Our numbers are remaining steady, but the issues are definitely a lot more difficult to manage,” she added. These issues are particularly difficult to tackle for a shelter like OneROOF, as it is the only shelter in the Waterloo Region that is targeted towards youth experiencing homelessness or youth at risk. “We are the only youth-specific shelter for young people in Kitchener-Waterloo, and al-
though shelter is not the answer to the issue, it certainly is part of the continuum to break the cycle of homelessness. What we’re lacking is the rest of the continuum,” Dietrich-Bell said. “So, for example, there’s no supportive housing units available to the adult homeless population, let alone the youth population.” And while there are shelters in the surrounding area that are available for people of varying needs, including temporary housing, the resources that are required to build and maintain a sustainable foundation to live off the street is what is really essential for long-term progress. “So when there’s no affordable housing in the community and a landlord has many folks vying for the same apartment, it’s not likely that they’re going to opt to give it to a young person who’s facing barriers and is homeless. There’s also, and has been for many, many years, a gap in the availability of substance abuse programs and timely mental health programs,” Dietrich-Bell said. When there is no additional government support for non-profit organizations like OneROOF, the House of Friendship or the YWCA, donations, recognition and assistance from the community are invaluable in keeping their doors open and facilities running. “We don’t receive any provincial or federal funding, so we rely on the community and grant writing and each year we have to start over and hope that we continue to garner the support,” Dietrich-Bell said. “There’s lots of ways to get involved either monetarily [or] by [the] giving of your time and space.” Along with donations, a step forward to improve the way homelessness is treated is changing the way we see the people who are affected by it. It is incredibly easy to cast judgement on the people you walk by on the street and assume they are living the way they do for a particular reason you know nothing about. While walking through Downtown Kitchener especially, it is a common occurrence for me to see commuters giving a wide berth to someone who is asking for money. Businessmen in suits distractedly step over people sleeping on the sidewalk, like they’re nothing more than litter. The general public behave like the problem lies solely in the people who are affected by these difficult circumstances, as opposed to the city, who should be prioritizing the funding for the services that could effectively help those experiencing homelessness. “People need to see them as individuals first and their circumstances second. We get into trouble when we start labelling people and seeing only the label. Our fears and our ignorance gets the better of us and then we treat them as less than human beings,” Dietrich-Bell stated. “Here at OneROOF, we never use terms like ‘homeless youth’ or ‘drug addict’ — we always put the youth first. So, we’ll say ‘youth experiencing homelessness’ or ‘youth that has an
URES
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018 • 9 addiction’ because we want people, by the virtue of the way we speak, to see the human beings first and their situations second.” When speaking with Julia Manuel, director of the Waterloo Region Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centre, she detailed the services available for these survivors: “Our program is one of 35 centres across the province, so we’re a part of the sexual assault domestic violence network and our program is unique in that we have 12 social workers [and] 12 nurses that respond as a team to both St. Mary’s hospital and Cambridge [Memorial],” she said. Unsurprisingly, women, men and youth who are in unstable living situations or are homeless are at a higher risk for numerous potential risks and dangers, such as sexual assault. “I want to say that we see a correlation between sexual assault and homelessness. We do see women who come through who are not always necessarily homeless in that they’re living on the street, but what we see a lot of are women coming in who are victims of human trafficking,” Manuel said. “They are in this community and are seeing they don’t really have anywhere to go. We have women who come out of relationships who are now saying ‘I don’t have anywhere to go now, because it was his home’ or ‘her home’ and ‘now I can’t go back there,’ or ‘they’ve kicked me out’.” “We see that a lot with young kids, like young teenagers, where they’ll come in and say their parents kicked them out or they’re from group homes — so they don’t actually have a home. People live on the street, but they’ll bounce from place to place and then may get assaulted [that way],” - Dietrich-Bell, CEO OneROOF she said. Exposure to the numerous dangers are heightened due to not having a home, which is an aspect that she has seen through her work with the program. “I would say that, given that they’re going into environments where they’re not really sure… they’re taking what they can get. As long as they don’t have a roof over their head, that’s definitely a vulnerability for them.” Programs like this are highly needed, as they give victims in a variety of circumstances and living situations options to choose from on their own terms. This program connects them with the support they want and need individually, which is why they work well for people experiencing different levels of these complex issues. “Our big role, the main message that I would give to any victim, is that we provide options — if you want the police or you don’t want police. We can provide you with medications, we
can connect you with resources, we can also provide short-term, ongoing counselling and/or refer you onto the community agencies,” Manuel concluded. Nearly all of the services that are available for people experiencing homelessness and the risk factors connected to it are located in Kitchener. The expansion of these resources has yet to reach many parts of Waterloo and Cambridge: places that would seemingly benefit those who are affected and in need of these services, but are not solely located in Kitchener. Increased accessibility, financial support and acknowledgement of the growing need for resources such as mental health services, substance abuse programs and affordable housing are what is vital for Waterloo Region’s ability to flourish. The ongoing expansion and growth of Kitchener is relatively positive for a city that began in 1854 as the Town of Berlin. But with all of our advancements, we shouldn’t be gentrifying our humble roots so that the people who need the social services provided by the tirelessly good-doing shelters and assistance programs in the area are pushed to the outer edges for the sake of appearances and convenience. Attention to the innovations that have been brought to the Waterloo Region and the ones that are being planned for years to come is fine and well, but it should not impede the much-needed progress that needs to be made for the people who need it most. In the 2014 detailed document, “Ending Family Homelessness in Waterloo Region,” an outline of how to help families and those experiencing homelessness in the region, follows a thorough list of ways the community can support and change the methods that our cities are using in order to provide these people with assistance. This online resource is incredibly helpful in understanding a very complex social issue that should be seen as a cycle to work towards preventing, rather than a seemingly simple series of problems that we can collectively hide and ignore. One of the “Essential Elements for Ending Homelessness” that is listed says “Home: A sense of belonging to a personal space. Home is personal and self-defined.” I am incredibly privileged to have a place in Kitchener to call my home. My hope is that we can continue building and improving this city so that the people who are experiencing homelessness and are less fortunate, yet equally deserving, can be given the same chance at a home to call their own.
People need to see them as individuals first and their circumstances second. We get into trouble when we start labelling people and seeing only the label. Our fears and our ignorance gets the better of us and then we treat them as less than human beings.
LAYOUT BY SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
Arts & Life
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR MICHAEL OLIVERI arts@thecord.ca
FILM
The highlights from TIFF The Predator
MICHAEL OLIVERI ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
TIFF 2018 has come and gone already. For those who didn’t have time to volunteer, or have the money or star status to walk the red carpet, it seems the festival flew by. For all of you who have not had a chance to see what’s going to be releasing to local theatres soon, here is a run-down of what is most anticipated and exciting about this year’s lineup. Halloween This is by far the film I am personally most excited for. As a horror fan, the Halloween franchise is one of those big, iconic bodies of films that have always been enjoyable. The 1978 original film absolutely terrified me when I was younger, and it seems that sense of terror will return in this new sequel. The trailers suggest a return to form for the franchise, relying more on actual suspense and tension rather than a more visceral type of horror present in the Rob Zombie reboots. Another bonus is that initial reviews are overwhelmingly positive, perhaps this is the Halloween film we deserve.
The Predator is another sequel/ reboot for a franchise that has been put on the back-burner for the past few years, a franchise that also relies on action and tension. Unfortunately, the Predator franchise has been mistreated with its last few instalments, and the hope with this 2018 film is to revitalize interest with an incredibly gory and visceral experience. Trailers hinted that the film would be a subversion on the classic films because of the introduction of a bigger, badder Predator for both humans and a solo predator to deal with. Unfortunately, reviews have been, at best, so-so. The most criticism seems to be directed at the writing and sense of representation, while praising the violence and action. Regardless of reviews, I think many Predator fans will go out to see this exciting new addition. Colette Colette has been presented as another film in the tradition of a modern prestige film period piece. Set in late nineteenth century France, the film is a biopic on the famous author of the time, Colette. The trailer depicts the successes, struggles and turmoil surrounding her life, writing and relationships. The trailer also suggests the LGBTQ+ element of the film with
Colette’s relationship to another female character. Early reviews are positive, but time will tell when the film receives its wide release later this month. First Man First Man is another popular biopic that screened at TIFF this year. This one from the director Damien Chazelle, of Whiplash and La La Land fame, is the story of Neil Armstrong, his experiences in preparing for space travel and of the Apollo 11 program. This film looks particularly intense from the trailer, often framed in uncomfortable close-ups, Ryan Gosling’s performance as Armstrong has been highly praised. First Man promises to be a gripping thriller that has also been discussed as a heavily nominated film for this year’s Oscars. If Beale Street Could Talk If Beale Street Could Talk is the latest film from Barry Jenkins, the greatly anticipated follow-up to his 2016 film Moonlight. The film is adapted from the James Baldwin novel of the same name from 1974. The story centres on two young black lovers in the 70’s, Fonny and Tish. Fonny is accused and jailed for a crime he did not commit and Tish sets out to prove his innocence. Adding to the emotional stakes, Tish finds out she is preg-
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nant and races to free him in time for the birth. The trailer depicts an emotional and tense film, framing characters in close-up’s, and focusing on raw emotion in every shot. Jenkin’s camera has the same emotional and sympathetic gaze as in Moonlight but transported to a period setting. Early reviews give praise to the film and it is beyond exciting to see Jenkins continue to expand his filmography. A Star is Born
A Star is Born is a remake of the classic 1930’s American film. Starring and directed by Bradley Cooper in his directorial debut, the film also co-stars Lady Gaga in what is raved about as a show stealing role. Early reviews argue that the film is just as good as the original story, exploring similar themes and having a steady, unified visual approach. While the story is not a new one, the well lauded film promises to be a hit on wide release.
SERVICES
Subscriptions that are the best for student budgets EMILY WAITSON OPINION EDITOR
I’m always hesitant to spend money on an app or a subscription service, since you never know how well it will work out and it can be difficult to cancel it depending on what you choose to sign up with. I’ve gone through an unending trial and error process with subscriptions and there are definitely some standout options that are worth it more than others. Plugging in your credit card information, downloading something and forgetting about it is always one of my biggest problems, so you have to figure out what it is you’re willing to dedicate your attention span and money into. 1. Spotify Premium ($9.99/ month) - I love Spotify and I’ll never regret signing up for Premium. It’s perfect for when I want to listen to music on the go, it’s introduced me to new artists who I probably
wouldn’t have heard of without it, it has great playlists for any mood or vibe you can think of and the perks that go along with paying for it are worth it. You can sign up for a free trial for 30 days to see if you like it and cancel it at any time, there aren’t any ads, you can download whatever music you want and there’s unlimited skips, which is perfect for picky people like me when you just want to find the right song for your morning commute. 2. Headspace ($7.99/month) Meditation has slowly but surely become a very needed and valued part of my daily routine. You read about it everywhere on millennial blogs and health oriented Instagram pages who rave about its benefits, but its not an easy practice to start doing on your own everyday if you’re particularly stressed, anxious or busy. This is why I really like Headspace. They have a collection of guided meditations to choose from for various moods and themes, you can set alerts on your phone so you don’t forget to do them, there’s “sleep sounds” and more. Andy Puddicombe’s soothing voice is
that I regret reading, it encourages me to keep up with important world events and I’m more of an informed person because of it. If you’re going to put your money into a reliable news source, this would be it.
KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR
just the right amount of calming direction you need, putting Headspace at the top of my list. 3. Netflix ($8.99/month) - This seems like the most obvious choice out of all subscription options, but it’s definitely something I know many people don’t directly pay for themselves. They use the same account as their parents or their friends all share one. When the day comes for you to actually pay for your own streaming service, it’s good to know that it is worth the money. Although pric-
es have gone up over the past few years, its popularity holds merit. As an entertainment service that is significantly more affordable than cable, Netflix — despite complaints that the Canadian site doesn’t have enough movies — holds up in the long run for movies and TV shows. 4. The New York Times Basic Digital Access ($1.00/week) - For unlimited article access on the app and website, this subscription is worth the money if you like reading articles every day. There hasn’t been an article
5. Zombies, Run! ($2.99/month) - Ever wonder how long you’d last in a post-apocalyptic wasteland? Well now you can find out! This app is a lot of fun if you’re looking for a more unique way to get into exercise and become a bit more active. It’s one of the most entertaining apps that I’ve used and it immerses you into a story while improving your running abilities. You complete missions as you transition through a narrative and you can integrate your own playlists into the app as well. Opting into zombie chases encourages you to run faster, as the sounds of the undead grow louder if you slow down. It tracks your pace, distance, time and number of calories burned. If you want to feel like you’re living in the world of The Walking Dead while breaking a sweat, then this is the perfect app for you.
ARTS & LIFE • 11
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018 FESTIVAL
True North provides KW with a rare beer experience You could tell that a lot of thought and care had been put into the flavours and tastes of each brew.
SAFINA HUSEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
True North Beer Festival took place this past Saturday, Sept. 15. Craft breweries from all over Ontario gathered at Lot 42 in Kitchener for the festival’s third and final event of the season. The festival’s first two events took place in Brantford and then Prince Edward Country this past summer. The event, which saw a solid turnout of people throughout the day, began at 2 p.m. and its after-party took to the later hours of the night, ending at around 1 a.m. The festival provided attendees an opportunity to sample approximately 75 rare, craft beers from all over Ontario that they would otherwise not be exposed to in Waterloo. For example, many of the breweries present at the festival have little or no distribution outside of the town in which they reside. Almost every brewery had a selection of approximately three different beers, providing an array
SAFINA HUSEIN/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
of both lighter and darker brews to choose from. Personally, I stuck to sampling IPA’s and the lighter brews that were offered. However, the array of beers gave the opportunity to try flavours that you may normally stay away from. Each beer I tried had a very unique taste. You could tell that a lot of thought and care had been put into the flavours and tastes of each brew.
Of the beers I sampled, Compass Brewing from Timmins and Manitoulin Brewing from Manitoulin Island were the ones that stood out the most. Various breweries from the Waterloo Region were also present at the event, including Abe Erb Brewing Co, Block Three Brewing Co, Descendant Beer and Bev Co and Elora Brewing Co. To add a unique touch, some beers featured were farm-to-glass brews, as well
as startup breweries that have only been in business for under a year. The festival also featured a Prosecco bar and a craft cider option to provide a variety of drinks. In terms of food, instead of bringing food trucks to the event, organizers brought in local chefs to arrange different samples of food. Reeghan Peister, from the Good Food Truck 509, Nicole McNeely, from Indulge Kitchen, and Shane White, from Swine & Vine were
the three local chefs present who provided food. Aside from the great food and drink, the event had a great selection of entertainment that paired well. Several games, like giant Jenga and bean-bag toss, were set up. As well, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. was a DJ playing music for attendees. After 6 p.m., however, various bands took to the stage. Live bands included Future Peers, Casper Skulls, the Bandicoots, and Theoretically Nameless Band. Overall, the festival was a great day of supporting small, local businesses within beer, music and food all brought together into one location.
REVIEW
New Netflix film disappoints MADELINE MCINNIS FEATURES EDITOR
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After the success of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Netflix seemed to be hitting it out of the park in the teen high school comedy movie department. Then comes Sierra Burgess is a Loser, which seems like a smash hit on paper, but didn’t quite hit the A grades that the character herself achieves in the runtime. Sierra Burgess is at the top of her class academically, but at the bottom socially. When Veronica, her polar opposite in every way, gives Sierra’s phone number to Jamey, the quarterback, under false pretences, Sierra attempts to start a relationship from behind the screen, all while pretending to be Veronica. Things get more complicated as Jamey wants to meet in person. Veronica and Sierra form an unlikely alliance where Veronica helps Sierra to catfish Jamey while Sierra tutors Veronica to impress her college freshman on-again-offagain boyfriend, Spence. What was likely supposed to be a lighthearted comedy about the struggles of high school hierarchies and the struggles of body image turned into a bit of a sadistic take on The Importance of Being Ernest
with a modern twist. Throughout the film, Veronica experiences way more character development than Sierra does. Veronica overcomes her nasty ways and tendency to look at people for not only their own looks but the looks of their friends as well. Sierra, however, doesn’t learn anything from her experience, and she never really has to face any consequences for her bad moral judgment and actions. The film made me more interested in Veronica than it did Sierra, and that is entirely the opposite point that it was intending. In intending to make a so-called “fat” character the centre of the production, she is seen to be both morally wrong and incapable of growth. I’m still not exactly sure why her story ended the way it did, due to the countless morally questionable things that she did throughout the runtime. The most frustrating thing about the film, however, didn’t come from the plot or characterization at all — it was the texts on screen. Jamey and Sierra often text each other back and forth, but their texts are only displayed on their phone screens, not read allowed or put into subtitles like everything else. Unless you pause the film to read the texts they exchange, I wouldn’t suggest watching this on anything except a laptop. Trying to read their texts on a TV set was ridiculous and impossible, and it began to be more of a joke
as to what they were saying than anything else when I had to pause every five seconds. Speaking of jokes, if you’re not a fan on cringe humour, I’d suggest that you avoid the film, especially some of the scenes in the middle. My boyfriend had to run to another room the first time Sierra and Jamey met in person — and it wasn’t good cringe humour like in the film Eighth Grade either. If the film has anything going for it, it’s the cast. Shannon Purser, of Stranger Things fame where she played the viral hit character Barb, plays Sierra, a band-nerd girl attempting to differentiate herself enough to get into Stanford. Noah Centineo, the heartthrob Buzzfeed won’t let you forget from his role as Peter Kavinsky in To All the Boys, plays Jamey. The cast also includes Kristine Forseth, a relative newcomer, as Veronica, and Chrissy Metz of This is Us as Veronica’s mother. Other star-studded names include RJ Cyler as Dan, Sierra’s best friend and biggest competition for college, William Peltz as Veronica’s smarmy college boyfriend, Spence, and Lea Thompson and Alan Ruck as Sierra’s parents. Unfortunately, that’s about the extent of the prestige of the movie and any reason why you should watch it. If you like Barb, go re-watch Stranger Things. After all, Sierra Burgess, both the character and the movie, is a loser.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
Editorial
OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca
Editor’s Note: Is a photo really worth it? The visitors that came to see their sunflowers had done damage to their crop and to their overall farm. Now, I’m not here to tell anyone that we should be using social media less. I am just as guilty as everyone else at the sunflower farm who was looking for the perfect photo to post to my Instagram. However, what I observed from this situation is that there are certain limits to which we should adhere when prioritizing getting just the right Instagram photo.
SAFINA HUSEIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
This past summer, my friends and I went to a sunflower farm called Boggle Seeds located approximately 40 minutes away from Waterloo. The farm had 74 acres of sunflowers the farm’s website iterated to interested visitors that the crop only blooms for approximately two weeks, making the farm a pretty cool summer day trip for those within its proximity. Upon arriving at the farm, it was clear that the sunflowers were the best backdrop to getting that perfect photo for Instagram — and in accordance, almost every single person at the farm was doing just that. We saw people who were having photo shoots, taking professional photos with their kids, and of course, posing amongst the flowers with friends. I noticed people with tripods for their professional cameras, people who brought ladders and stools just to get the perfect angle for their shot. It was like seeing the behind-the-scenes of hundreds of Instagram accounts. And, amongst the hundreds of people, there was almost no one simply enjoying the sunflowers. The day after we visited the farm, it got shut down due to overcrowding. Thousands of visitors were parking illegally on a busy highway, crossing in between cars, which caused the police to be called who proceeded to shut the farm down. In an article in The Globe and Mail, the owners of the farm stated that they would be unlikely to open up their farm to the public anymore.
... there are certain limits to which we should adhere when prioritizing getting just the right Instagram photo.
Amongst 74 acres of sunflowers, hundreds of people chose to put aside appreciating nature and the handwork that a family had put into growing a crop from which they earn the money they need to live from, all because of social media. At the end of the day, all of us can agree that getting that Instagramable photo is far less important than respecting the livelihood of a family, or putting your life at risk by parking and crossing at unsafe times on a busy highway. It’s crazy to me that we’re so focused on creating the perfect persona for ourselves online that we often forget about our actions in real life say so much more about us than the pictures we post.
These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources. The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP.
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KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Becoming more independent KATE WEBER ONLINE EDITOR
I always knew I wanted to live away from home when picking a university, what I didn’t know would happen would be the independence I gained from doing so. This allowed me to find time for myself and tap into who I am and find what I love doing. Growing up, we are always rushed to find out who we are and to solve this big mystery of how we will serve society in the future. For some this takes decades but for me, I was able to find who I was when I was alone at school. Whoever said that high school is the greatest years of our lives clearly did not make the most of their university experience. This whole notion of a wilding university experience is quite cliche nonetheless. I like to look at this portion of our lives as a leap towards independence. Yes have fun, yes take some you time, but be smart with how you manage your time because this will be a key element of building who you are — not only in a professional, but also how you go about your
everyday life. Once I really started to focus on what I needed to get done for work and school, I completely lost the notion of fomo.
Growing up, we are always rushed to find out who we are and must solve this big mystery of how we will serve society in the future.
Also, whoever made fomo a thing clearly did not read my article about being independent, but that’s another topic of discussion. Being okay by yourself builds strength and allows one to process issues in a timely manner through rational thoughts without your peers convincing you to not think like the true self you are. Furthermore, one notion I like to laugh at is how society denotes the act of going out to eat alone or going to the movies alone. I respect people that do that and it’s
something I am slowly building the confidence to do. In high school, I can confidently say that I never felt good walking alone down the halls. However, the Kate of today finds peace in her alone time both at home and strutting on campus with her music too loud on her headphones. She would tell her high school self to be herself because there is only one version of that — so commodify that shit! This may or may not sound like something you have heard from your nagging mother before and you are probably rolling your eyes at this article. If you did, however, make it this far into the article I ask that you take one thing from it. One anecdote I like to live by is the rule airlines give before departure, “please ensure that your oxygen mask is properly fastened on yourself before assisting others.” Not only is this super important for flying due to the scarcity of oxygen at such high altitudes, but also for your mental well-being as a growing adolescent. When you are okay with who you are, your thoughts become more rational — ultimately allowing yourself to be there for your friends in need. Put karma aside and focus in on those you love after you find true love from within.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
Opinion
OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca
Putting your health before everything else MADELINE MCINNIS FEATURES EDITOR
This past week I was supposed to be at TIFF, volunteering outside a few of the theatres, doing the best I could to both pad my resume and enjoy the festivities for what they are — one of the premier film events in the world. Instead, I sat at home watching movies on the small screen from an ancient X-Box that serves as my DVD player. The thing is, I got sick on the day of my first shift after overextending myself at the Get Involved Fair. After a really rough night, of which I’ll spare you the details, I called in sick. The next day, I wasn’t feeling much better and, two shifts down, I wasn’t going to be able to make my minimum number of shifts. This opportunity was something I was really excited for and something that wasn’t easy for me to give up. My mental health suffered a lot: I was recently told that I need to volunteer more if I want to be competitive in various kinds of applications, and I was genuinely looking forward to the festival for a fun, engaging way to break the back-to-school stress, so missing TIFF felt like it was the end of the world. There was literally nothing I
KASHYAP PATEL/GRAPHICS EDITOR
could have done differently, and that’s a hard thing for me to digest. Do you remember those triangles from high school philosophy class? It’s called Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and it’s where the triangle builds on each next thing when the previous requirement for a happy life is filled — and Maslow, bless him, put basic health needs as the foundation for a reason.
You can’t do anything if you don’t have your health. Food, sleep, water, etc. are all essential for your success at whatever else you do. I sacrificed sleep, so the triangle came tumbling down on top of me: burying me in a stack of regret and ultimately led to both my physical and mental health getting flushed down the literal and metaphorical
toilet. That, perhaps, is a lesson to learn from. We’re only finishing up week two of the semester, heading into week three, so we’re probably not yet thinking of major assignments, but midterms are creeping up on us quickly. Pulling an all-nighter or surviving only on coffee may seem
beneficial at the time, but it will only make you suffer in the end. It may help for your midterm that day, but it’s not going to help for the midterm two days after that when you’re so tired you’re dozing on the walk back from Starbucks. Starting early, obviously, is the easiest way to avoid the last-minute cram that leads to the sacrifice of your health. The earlier you start, the longer you have to work on your assignment, and the less likely you’ll be to have to panic and rush through at the last minute. That, of course, is easier said than done. I get it, I’m a last-minute student too. Pulling an all-nighter every so often really does happen — but you also need to remember to do it in moderation and know your own limits. Sometimes, sacrificing the two or five per cent on the late penalty for a paper may be worth it if you’re really going to have to push yourself beyond your capacity. Your paper is probably going to suck anyway if you’re not even able to read what you are writing. Missed opportunities and regrets may come from putting your health before your wants, but it’s absolutely necessary. As they say, you have nothing without your health. Whether you want to volunteer at TIFF, finish your assignment in one night or even just hang out with friends, your health needs to be kept first, even when that’s a hard pill to swallow.
Family paying tuition According to Stats Canada, the average Canadian university student will have more than $26,000 in student debt. JOSH GOEREE STAFF WRITER
One of the biggest problems in university, aside from balancing course work, your social life and work obligations, is paying for tuition. While many people rely on grants, bank loans, OSAP and scholarships, some students are more lucky than others. I’m obviously talking about students whose parents pay their tuition for them. This can include things like Education Savings Plans (ESPs), lines of credit, or using their parents’ chequing accounts. These students don’t have to worry about student debt when they’re done school and can attempt to get into the workforce without worrying about paying monthly loan fees. However, I’ve noticed that people will actually demean students who have this luxury. This might be from jealousy, which is a fair point to make.
It’s a blessing from those who planned ahead and chose to help their children this way.
For some, it can vary. Some students may have under $10,000, while others will have upwards of $50,000. And that’s not even including post-grad expenses, which could raise that debt up over $100,000 for some programs. Here’s the thing with parents who pay for tuition — the decision to pay for a child’s post-secondary schooling is made well before the child can have a say in the matter. When my parents set up an ESP for me, I was one year old. I had multiple family members, includ-
MADELINE MCINNIS/FEATURES EDITOR
ing aunts, uncles and grandparents pitch-in to make sure I didn’t have any debt coming out of university or have financial stress during the four years I was at Laurier. It’s a blessing from those who planned ahead and chose to help their children in this way. If someone is offered “free money” for schooling, I guarantee that almost every student would take it. So, to go after someone for having their parents pay for schooling, when they themselves would likely take that money, is hypocritical and pointless. Some parents don’t, however, want to pay for post-secondary for their kids. I’ve heard the argument
that not paying helps young adults take more responsibility in life and to strengthen them for real life. This is a reasonable point too, because the decision to help pay for school is up to the philosophy of the parents. If they don’t want to, or don’t believe it’s right to, that is their choice. There’s even an automatic assumption that because someone has their parents paying for school that they have some higher level of entitlement than other students. For some, this is true. But for the most part, it isn’t. I’ve had my parents pay for my tuition for all of university through
an ESP, but I don’t brag about it or bother others who have to pay through their own means. It would be petty and rude to do that to others. But on that point, if you have family paying for your tuition, it does not give you any kind of entitlement or right to be snobby about it. I’ve seen situations where people have their parents pay for just about everything in university and they end up behaving entitled. If your family has gone out of their way to ensure that you don’t have any, or minimal, student debt after school, in return you can’t be openly bragging about it.
14
• OPINION
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
Serena Williams serves shade EMILY WAITSON OPINION EDITOR
Serena Williams is considered by many around the world to be one of the best professional female tennis players. The 36-year-old athlete holds multiple Grand Slam titles and has established herself as a respected woman in tennis. Despite her illustrious sports career, however, Williams has made headlines over the past few weeks regarding her clothing choices and a $17,000 fine that has reduced her to a stereotype and joke in the eyes
This power move is one that put largely positive attention on the tennis star for her subtle ability to clap back at an outdated and sexist criticism.
of several online critics. French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli was quoted saying that the bodysuits Williams typically wore would “no longer be accepted … one must respect the game and the place.” The fact that Williams’ outfits on-court are even being put into question is a ridiculously frivolous motion to begin with, but it’s made more questionable when her reasons for wearing them were health-related. Williams noted that she wears form-fitting pieces in order to prevent the blood clots she has been experiencing after she gave birth to her daughter last year. In response to the unnecessary critique, Williams graced the 2018
U.S. Open wearing an iconic black tennis dress and matching tutu statement skirt — a fashionable ensemble created by Louis Vuitton and Virgil Abloh in collaboration with Williams herself for Nike’s “Queen” collection. Legendary former American top tennis player, Billie Jean King, tweeted her support by saying, “The policing of women’s bodies must end. The “respect” that’s needed is for the exceptional talent @serenawilliams brings to the game. Criticizing what she wears to work is where the true disrespect lies.” This power move is one that put largely positive attention on the tennis star for her subtle ability to clap back at an outdated and sexist criticism. Yet, Williams was unable to escape scrutiny for long before she was accused of receiving tips from her coach during the U.S. Open final — something which she vehemently denies. When the call was made during the match, she immediately argued against it with umpire Carlos Ramos, heatedly stating, “I don’t cheat to win, I’d rather lose. I’m just letting you know.” She made three consecutive violations totalling $17,000: $4,000 for the coaching warning, $3,000 for smashing her racket in frustration and $10,000 for her “verbal abuse.” The incident is one which many, including herself, are labelling as sexist. The supposed “verbal abuse” that Williams issued was from saying “You owe me an apology. I have never cheated in my life. You stole a point from me. You’re a thief, too.” Male tennis players like James Blake have since spoken out on Twitter, claiming that they have said “worse” and never got penalized for it. The debacle is one which also sparked the creation of a Williams caricature drawn by Mark Knight and has since garnered its own slew of controversy for being “blatantly racist.” People were quick to tear apart the image over social media. As well as being an arguably racist depiction, the cartoon has been
criticized by other artists. Darrin Bell, an RFK Award-winning cartoonist, commented on the incident: “It’s not hard to caricature a black person. Just don’t do it like they did it 100 years ago.” The offensive nature of the cartoon has added further fuel to the “angry black woman” stereotype that has played a role in the treatment of Williams since her sportsmanship and honesty were called
Expressing anger and frustration should not be actions that are only tolerated with male athletes.
into question — raising important questions of why these microaggressions are still acceptable. Tennis has long been critiqued for being a “white man’s sport,” giving little allowance to women like Williams to show emotion or play the game as individuals worthy of the sport. Regardless of whether or not she would have won if the umpire had not penalized her, the point is that Williams was fined for defending herself. Expressing anger and frustration should not be actions that are only tolerated with male athletes. As Williams said herself, “I just don’t understand. If you’re female, you should be able to do even half of what a guy can do.” For a decorated, seasoned tennis player like Williams to be reduced to an unfair series of penalties and a racially insensitive cartoon is unacceptable to say the least. When in doubt, people should refer to her appropriately labelled tennis bag that she was seen toting at the U.S. Open, “AKA QUEEN” and treat her as such.
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• 15
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca
FOOTBALL
Hawks’ dominant run over the Warrrios comes to an end ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER
The much anticipated Battle of Waterloo had a different vibe to it this year, especially for those who have paid attention to the rise of the Waterloo Warriors. That different vibe led to a different result as the Warriors broke Laurier’s 15 game win streak against them in a nail-biting 34-32 win. Led by Tre Ford, second-year quarterback, and Tyler Ternowski, star receiver, the Warriors have built a very dangerous and dynamic offence, and a consistently improving defence. While this may have surprised many, it did not surprise Laurier coach Michael Faulds. “I don’t think anything surprised us. We knew they were improving each and every week defensively and we knew offensively, their quarterback is super talented and they’ve got a good receiving core. We knew it was going to be a hard fought game,” Faulds said. “Despite the score from previous years, no one internally thought it was going to be that. I think some of the outside expectations were of scoreboards in years past but we knew they were a much improved football team.” After feeling each other out for the first couple of drives, Waterloo would break the game open first on a 49-yard pass from Tre Ford to fullback Kevin Boismier. From that point on, it would become a backand-forth shootout until the end of the first half, with the score being
GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR
22-17 for the Golden Hawks. There was no encore in the third quarter to the show that was put on in the first half though. Defence became the name of the game, especially for Laurier as they held the Warriors scoreless and went up 29-17. The fourth quarter is where everything changed. Starting out with a drive where the Warriors scored a field goal to only be answered by
Laurier with one to make it 32-20, they would flip the switch. Led by Tre Ford, the Warriors would go on a 75-yard touchdown drive with seven minutes left to make it 32-27, making the game close again after it seemed Laurier would run with it. “It’s not about stopping them. You try at times to maybe limit how much they get into free space,” Faulds said, in regards to the War-
riors dynamic duo. With 2:37 left in the game, the Tre Ford to Tyler Ternowski connection would hit the jackpot in free space once again. Ford connected with Ternowski for an 88yard touchdown down the middle on an intermediate route, the only play of the drive to stun the Laurier faithful making it 34-32. With the game on the line, the ball would be in Tristan Arndt’s
EVA OU/PHOTO EDITOR
“instant family.” Ben had nothing but great things to say about his teammates, and the team as a whole: “We don't have any holes that need to be filled, I feel like we have a team that we could field two different teams and both could contend in this league and win games. So our depth is second to none,” he said. As a new addition to the roster, Braun said he tries to be a “positive spark plug” to the team. His commitment as a member of a team sport shined through when he shared that he would do whatever it takes to help the team win: “If that means I am pitching one inning of the year or if I’m pitching thirty. Everything single thing I could do to help the team win I will do that.” When asked about his hope for the season overall, there was no hesitation in his voice when he stated, “win a championship.” Last season the Golden Hawks were silver medalists in the OUA Championship game, so winning a championship title is definitely not out of the question. It was clear that Braun is confident in the ability of his teammates to execute throughout the season and claim the OUA championship title.
hands to lead the Golden Hawks offense to victory alongside star receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. & co., who had a dominant performance for much of the day. After being stopped by Waterloo’s defence at their own 49-yard line on the first drive, the defence would get the Laurier offence another opportunity with 43 seconds left at their own 17-yard line. While they managed to get past half field, the Golden Hawks offence fell short in capitalizing on their opportunities and were not able to be their dominant selves in the clutch. “We knew we needed three points. The first drive, obviously we’re throwing it. We’re not opposed to running it but we knew we had to get chunks of yardage,” coach Faulds said. “We didn’t, so we gambled on the third down and our defence did a good job giving us another shot. So we had another opportunity and we made it a decent way down field but not close enough to get a field goal.” With the Golden Hawks having McMaster up next, coach Faulds was still optimistic about how his team will fare as the season progresses. “They were the better football team today, they were the better coached team. I just told the guys when we broke it down at the end, ‘the Yates Cup and the Vanier Cup isn’t decided on Sept. 15.’ So, we’re going to find out how we’re going to deal with this adversity and how we’re going to respond.”
BASEBALL
Laurier adds a new ‘spark plug’ OLIVIA JONES CORD SPORTS
Although Ben Braun is one of the new recruits to the Laurier Men’s Baseball team, he is no stranger to playing university level baseball. Braun is a transfer from NCAA Division I school St. Boneventure, and on Sept. 9, he began his career as a pitcher for the Golden Hawks. Ben began playing at the young
age of nine years old in little leagues within his hometown, but at age 15 Ben said his passion for the sport really took off and there was no looking back. His university debut was a game against McMaster where he pitched eight innings during the first game. “From start to finish it was a good game,” Braun said about his first game as a Golden Hawk.
“[The] team played great all weekend and I was proud to stand out there and play for the first time,” he added. Braun entered into an interesting role on the team as both a veteran university baseball player and a rookie athlete. Although the season only began a few weeks ago, Ben seems as though he is already fitting in nicely with the team of which he referred to as an
“We got off to a good start and I want [the team] to keep rolling, and I know that we have all the capabilities to keep winning.”
... we could field two different teams and both could contend in this league and win games. So our depth is second to none. -Ben Braun, Laurier baseball pitcher
When asked about a professional pitcher that he admires, Ben shared the late Roy Halladay. Halladay pitched for the majority of his career as a Toronto Blue Jay. Ben admired Roy’s game approach, mindset and that he was a “complete workhorse” on the mound. It is clear that Ben is passionate about the game of baseball, and that he has every intention to be an exceptional teammate and contribute to the team having a successful season.
16 • SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
ALUMNI
Alyssa Coppolino continues to make Laurier proud Former Golden Hawk soccer player and kinesiology graduate shines in ‘Bodybuilding Super Bowl’ JOHN MCMORRAN STAFF WRITER
Is it more difficult to look like an anatomy chart or to memorize one? An inside joke between mother and daughter, but also an accurate statement about Alyssa Coppolino. This past weekend Alyssa stepped under the lights of the Olympia stage: the Super Bowl of bodybuilding where the most muscular men and women on Earth pose one against the next, striation-for-striation, until a champion is crowned. Alyssa competed in the women’s physique category, which is the most muscular of the women’s categories. “Four or five years ago my division came out at the tail-end of female bodybuilding. I don't want to say [female bodybuilding] is completely gone, but it's definitely less popular than it once was … and that's where women's physique popped up, [encouraging] the more popular look of women's bodybuilding [again],” Coppolino said. Alyssa took sixteenth in the women’s physique category, and although it may be further from the podium than she would like, it was still an outstanding performance for someone who just earned her pro card (turned professional) in March, 2018. But how does a former Golden Hawk soccer player end up on the Olympia stage? “I think a lot of people start out reading Oxygen Magazine and Women's Health. I know for myself ,I wasn't [as interested] in lifting weights as I was playing sports like soccer ... I played all [four years] for Laurier, and when that was done I was still much too competitive to
stop doing something that involved competition,” she said. Alyssa’s craving for competition soon led her to bodybuilding, but it would be wrong to assume that her ambition was bridled to athletic success alone. In addition to the gruelling workouts required to be a physique professional, Alyssa also owns and operates Alyssafit: a business that provides custom weight loss and training programs, which Alyssa described as follows:
I have started a side project clothing line, and it’s actually called ‘cheat day clothes’ ... my slogan is ‘if you can’t eat ‘em, wear ‘em!’ -Alyssa Coppolino, Former Laurier women’s soccer player
“Four or five years ago, I started an online business and it's just grown and transitioned from lifestyle clients, to powerlifting clients, and a little bit of contest prep clients, both men and women, who are bodybuilding or not bodybuilding, fat loss, muscle building, all that kind of stuff,” she said. Being a professional bodybuilder and successful business owner is no small feat, so I asked Alyssa what her favourite cheat meal is — the sort of meal that you look forward to all week long — and her answer came in classic Alyssa fashion: “Oh buddy! That's a dangerous question! I have started a side proj-
ect clothing line, and it's actually called 'cheat day clothes.' It's all crop tops, sport bras, men's briefs, bikinis, figure suits, all with food print ... and sort of my slogan is 'if you can't eat 'em, wear 'em!'” Even during cheat meals, Coppolino’s ambition is front and centre, an ambition that has played a central role in where she is now. However, Coppolino pairs her fiery ambition with patience and humility, and when asked about her own training, and which body part she felt needed work, Alyssa immediately responded: “My arms! My damn arms! I've had to really work, because bodybuilding is so much about proportion and symmetry, so I've had to work very hard at bringing up my upper half to match my lower half.” In addition, she was quick to point out that her success was not earned in solitary fashion, because even the most accomplished need help from time to time. “I think it's super important, even for professionals, to get some sort of coaching along the way. We get a little bit of tunnel vision with our own thinking and our own methods, so I think it's really important just to expand your knowledge.” From kinesiology graduate and four-year varsity soccer player, to professional bodybuilder and entrepreneur, Coppolino sees what she wants and wills herself towards that goal. Her tenacity and ambition have allowed her to succeed in a wide variety of fields, all at the young age of 30. What’s next on Coppolino’s horizon is uncertain, but so long as her ambition and tenacity continue to burn bright, Coppolino will be one of the most exciting alumni representing the purple and gold.
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