The Cord September 25, 2019

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 60 ISSUE 6 • SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

SHANTAY, YOU STAY. Canadian queens enchant Turret crowd.

Arts and Life, page 9

STUDENTS PROTEST

NO PADS, PERIOD.

CAN I GET AN AMEN?

LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE

SWINGING FOR SILVER

Housing conditions questioned

Cambridge council rejects proposal

RuPaul star takes the stage

Pop star deserves a break

Golf team finishes second at Brock

News, page 3

News, page 5

Arts & Life, page 9

Opinion, page 13

Sports, page 16 PHOTO BY BRIT KOVACS

2 •

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

VOCAL CORD What is a movie or TV show gem” that you’d recommend?

@cordnews

The Cord

@thecord.ca

CordNews THIS DAY IN HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 25

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

1789: Bill of Rights passes Congress.

1897: American author and Nobel Prize laureate, William Faulkner, is born.

1912: Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is founded in New York City.

E: “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Wedding Planner …”

1926: Henry Ford announces an 8-hour, 5-day work week.

1926: Mackenzie King is re-elected as Prime Minister of Canada.

A: “What’s the one that has Kate Upton, and they end up dating the same guy”

1934: Lou Gehrig plays in his 1,500th consecutive game.

E: “… and one of them’s married to him — is it The Other Woman?”

1939: German Luftwaffe strikes Warsaw with (fire)bombs.

A: “Yes! That’s it! I love that movie”

1941: Brooklyn Dodgers win their first pennant in 21 years.

E: “Dirty Dancing, that’s a hidden gem — it’s actually not hidden, it’s actually just a gem.

Grease is also very good,” – Emily Khorsandi, 4th year communications & Alida Swart, 3rd year communications

1962: USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR.

BRIT KOVACS/PHOTO EDITOR

This is Bowie. the pride and joy of our Photo Editor, Brit. She’s The Cord’s most energetic reader and our occasional model.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

1969: Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is born.

1975: The Franco-Ontarian flag is raised for the first time, at Laurentian University in Sudbury. In 2001, Ontario’s Legislative Assembly will officially recognize the green-andwhite flag as representing the Francophone community in the province.

1976: A rock band is a formed, which would eventually become U2.

“Master and Commander, the Russel Crowe movie.”

1981: Sandra Day O’Connor sworn in as first female supreme court justice.

–Stuart Murray, 4th year history

1992: NASA launches the Mars Observer.

1987: IBM Announces “Micro Channel Architecture.”

2016: World’s largest radio telescope at 500m wide in Guizhou Province, China begins operating.

“How to Get Away With Murder, that’s a good one.”

– Sara Hancock, 1st year communications Compiled by Aaron Waitson Photos by Emily Waitson NEXT ISSUE

FILE PHOTO

The Cord celebrates 70 years of publication in an archived issue cover from September 25, 1996.

OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Victoria Marshall copyeditor@thecord.ca

CORD STAFF

SPORTS EDITOR VACANT sports@thecord.ca

CORDCAST PRODUCER Jade Hosick cordcast@thecord.ca

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Waitson editor@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Jamie Mere graphics@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR VACANT creative@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Darien Funk photos@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Kashyap Patel online@thecord.ca

ONLINE EDITOR Kathleen McCullough online@thecord.ca

NEWS DIRECTOR Hayley McGoldrick news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR VACANT video@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR sophia Cole news@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER VACANT news@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Alyssa Di Sabatino arts@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Sydney Macdonald photos@thecord.ca

OCTOBER 2, 2019

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Diana Edworthy Emma McVicar Jackson Carse Esme Rigden-Briscall Olivia Jones Joseph DeFilippis Jennifer Webb Lauren Symbolik Laura Thompson

“Brooke Lynn Hytes slays The Turret stage” -Jade Hosick

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Kurtis Rideout at kurtis.rideout@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

2018: Comedian Bill Cosby sentenced to 3-10 years in jail for 2004 sexual assault, first celebrity to be jailed in the #MeToo era.

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: “I’m a strong bitch.”

- Photo Editor, Brit Kovacs, when talking about what it was like growing up with men.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

News

• 3 NEWS DIRECTOR HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR SOPHIA COLE news@thecord.ca

ACTIVISM

Students protest housing issues HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

The Revolutionary Student Movement’s (RSM) Waterloo chapter organized a student housing rally that took place on Sept. 23. following a massive data leak of over 6000 maintenance requests that came from the tenant portal for users living in buildings owned

by Accomod8u, a Waterloo-based housing company, especially pertaining to many buildings on Albert Street.

Although almost 800 students had said they were interested in attending the event, the weather had deterred many participants and less than one tenth of those who said they were going to attend the rally at Waterloo City Hall were present.

Many students have personal stories of situations where they had lived with bugs, asbestos, broken appliances and other unsafe living conditions that weren’t getting fixed by their landlord or property owners for months, if it all, though the average costs of student housing range from $600 a month upwards.

“All of my roommates are still

students, I have been very aware of these issues, even since my first year seeing the amount of buildings that have gone up and the amount of houses that have been bought from locals and converted back into rentals is really obvious that the environment in the city is changing,” said Colin Chin, one of the organizers of the rally and Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo campus alum.

“All of us have heard horror stories about rental properties and bad experiences with renting and landlords, it’s always been an issue, it happens all over the world but right now with the recent scandals and data leaks it’s been a lot of attention on it and now is the time where people need to make a change,” Chin said.

In the Accommod8u data leak, maintenance requests from December 2017 and onwards were leaked, not only from the renting company, but also KW4Rent, which are both owned by the same parent company, Prica Global Enterprises.

Not only were in-unit issues not resolved, but tenants also had problems with move-in dates with new properties under the parent

company such as the new building TheHub, where students were promised units would be ready for move-in but had to be put up in hotels for weeks.

“We want our voices to be heard in terms of city council, that’s why we’re having people bring testimonials and their own stories, we also have the data about the Accommod8u leak, on a wider scope we want to show the range rental companies have in this city and bring it to their attention that it’s a systemic issue, it’s not just single companies and landlords but it’s students haven’t had protection for a long time,” Chin said.

The hope for the rally was to bring attention to city council members that many young students are exploited as tenants because of their inexperience in renting, with many cases of unsuitable housing not being dealt with until a parent gets involved.

Students will continue to be their own advocates for safe and suitable living situations, working with both their property owners and the city to ensure young people are no longer being taken advantage of in the Waterloo housing market.

SIDNEY MACDONALD/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

ECONOMY

Laurier professors speculate on recession possibility SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

The tenth Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis (RCEA) Macro-Money-Finance conference which took place on Sept. 13 and 14 at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo zeroed in on the topic “Is a recession coming?”

“Economics defines a recession as an overwhelming and widespread decline in economy activity which lasts for a period of time, which may be a quarter, two quarters or longer, and affects major sectors of the economy,” said Jerzy (Jurek) Konieczny, professor of economics and Wilfrid Laurier University and director of the RCEA. Emmanuel Farhi of Harvard University and Enrique Mendoza of University of Pennsylvania were the keynote speakers at the event, which centred its overarching topic on their areas of expertise.

The purpose of the conference is to bring leading researchers in the macroeconomic, monetary economics and financial fields together to present and discuss their work relating to the encompassing theme of the conference.

While discussion on the possibility of a recession was chosen as the theme of this year’s conference, the selection has more to do with the availability of speakers than

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

an economic crisis looming on the horizon for Canada.

“Two months ago, there was a sign in the U.S., the long term interest rates fell below the short term interest rates, it’s called an interest rate inversion and before the previous five U.S. recessions it happened. It happened only once within the past 40 or 50 years without a recession,” Konieczny said.

“But the Canadian economy is sol-

id; there are no signs of a recession.

I can’t see any Canadian originating reasons for a recession.”

Despite the fact that there have not been any red flags in the Canadian economy as of yet, individual countries’ economies are always changing and influencing each other, as is the global economy.

“Of course there is another possibility which is a recession in the U.S. which makes people pes-

simistic. Export to the U.S. would be falling and people would reduce spending, that could be a reason for a recession,” Konieczny said.

As an individual, there are steps you can take towards self-preservation in the wake of recession.

“If you’re afraid you may lose a job, than maybe you shouldn’t be spending. You should delay purchases you can, not like delaying going to the movies but if you need

a new car and you can use your old car for a year longer,” Konieczny said. “Of course if everyone does that it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy – people start worrying about a recession, they cut on spending just in case and a recession happens because of lower spending,” Konieczny said.

“At the level of policy makers, central bank reduces interest rates to fend off a recession and federal government, because it’s not something that the provincial government does typically, the federal government would increase its spending to counter the reduced spending by consumers.”

Recession also directly affects university students, especially graduating students, and universities as a whole.

“Going on the job market in a recession is not great,” Konieczny said.

“It will impact students because if they graduate in a recession it will be harder to get a job and it can have longer term consequences in that the experience with this job might not be the greatest and might not be consistent with their qualifications.”

“Second, if there is a recession, there is higher competition for universities because people who are not getting a job decide that they want to improve their education.

So people will see higher demand for university space.”

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 BRANTFORD CAMPUS

Leading Laurier researchers recieve provincial funding Bree Akesson, an associate professor in the faculty of social work, will be using the funding to research into the experiences of war-affected families, focused primarily on Syrian and Lebanese refugees in Ontario SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Two associate professors and researchers at Wilfrid Laurier University will be receiving provincial funding from Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Bree Akesson, Associate Professor in the faculty of social work and social justice & community engagement at Laurier’s Brantford campus, will receive $140,000 for her research into the experiences of war-affected families.

“I have worked in different contexts such as with Palestinian families in the West Bank or Syrian families in Lebanon. I am specifically interested in how mothers and fathers parent in these con-

texts of adversity,” said Akesson in an email statement.

Akesson’s project, “Families Under Fire: Practices, Rights, and Well-Being in Contexts of War, Displacement, and Resettlement” uses interactive storytelling website to share the stories and experiences of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon.

Medically, I think that understanding the chemistry that bacteria makes can help us deal with things like antibiotic resistance by either making new antibiotics.

-Horsman, Associate Professor

“In my most recent study with Syrian refugee families in Lebanon, I gathered detailed, rich and emotional stories of families’ lives in Syria, the journey from Syria to Lebanon, and their current lives in Lebanon. Families shared these stories with tears and laughter, and they often told me how relieved they were to share their stories,” said Akesson.

“Some families admitted that they had never shared these stories before, and they were glad to have shared. Others felt empowered to be asked to tell their stories, because they felt that their stories had been neglected both within and outside their communities.”

The funding Akesson receives will be used to provide salaries for both undergraduate and graduate level research assistants who will be trained to participate in a research project that examines the experiences of recent refugee families in Ontario.

“My students are critical to my research. I have an amazing team of international and Canadian research assistants who have helped in so many aspects of the research.

They also challenge me in surprising ways. For example, one of my RAs consistently asks how our research can actually change things for the populations we work with.

I take her challenge seriously, and now I try to share my research in more creatives ways beyond mere academic journal articles.”

Akesson is also the recipient of the Ontario Early Researcher Award, something she is honored to have achieved.

“It was the third time that I applied for the award, which makes

it even more special. I appreciate that the award really values the development of my research team, which is so critical to me being successful in this kind of research.”

Geoff Horsman, Associate Professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry and leading researcher in his field, will receive $97,651 for his research into how bacteria can create different molecules.

Horsman’s research has medical and chemical applications, both of which address pressing issues in their respective categories.

“Medically, I think that understanding the chemistry that bacteria makes can help us deal with things like antibiotics resistance by making new antibiotics or understanding how bacteria evades our current antibiotics and how we can get around their defenses,” said Horsman.

Families shared these stories with tears and laughter, and they often told me how relieved they were to share their stories.

-Akesson, associate professor

“In the environmental aspect of our research, we deal with developing sustainable processes for making things. So, often commercial chemical manufacturers do chemictry in things like organic solvents, they use high temperature and pressures, things that are not environmentally friends.

Bacteria are really good at using enzymes, they’re natural catalysts, they’re just proteins, and they’re not environmentally toxic at all.

They can perform the same reactions, even better in many cases, just in water and normal temperatures and pressures.”

The provincial funding Horsman receives will be used to purchase a piece of infrastructure called a mass spectrometer, equipment which will greatly increase research efficiency.

“This is a really important piece of instrumentation for measuring the mass of molecules, you can really get a lot of information about what’s being made from the bacteria using this instrument. We currently don’t have one on campus so we have to go elsewhere and spend lots of our money on getting this information elsewhere, so this will be very important to support all of our research projects,” Horsman said.

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 POLITICS

Cambridge council rejects pad proposal HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

The City of Cambridge has been in the critical eye as they decided not to pass a decision brought forth to provide free menstrual products in multiple centres in the city, following in the footsteps of London, Ontario, who has already sucessfullu moved forward with this project.

“I brought forth the motion after talking to constituents who requested this action. I was happy to support their cause. I proposed that Council approve the motion in principle and send it to staff for a future report on its implementation. My proposal was rejected in favour of a staff report with costs prior to any acceptance of the motion. This is backwards in my mind.

I don’t believe costs will prohibit the implementation of the motion, so it made sense to know whether or not Council is in support of the motion before asking for staff involvement,” said Donna Reid, ward 1 councillor in an email statement.

The Period Purse, an organization where people can fill up purses with menstrual products to give to those experiencing homelessness, has many chapters throughout Ontario including one for the tri-cities. Cambridge resident Kevin Hiebert, co-leader of the KWC chapter, said that one pad would cost the city about 21 cents.

“I believe that free menstrual products in city washrooms is a service needed for personal

hygiene and health of women. It is a further evolution to the provision of toilet paper. It will not be an expensive program as it’s intended as a stop gap measure when women are caught without a product when it is needed. The motion with a staff report will come back to Council ASAP. I hope it receives approval,” Reid continued in her email statement.

I believe that free menstrual products in city washrooms is a service needed for personal hygiene and health of women. It is a further evolution to the provision of toilet paper. It will not be an expensive program.

-Reid, ward 1 counsellor

DARIEN FUNK/PHOTO EDITOR

Some council members believed that people should not be “entitled” to these products and that they don’t feel comfortable having them given out for free in public places, despite the fact that menstruation is a naturally occuring

process in many bodies.

Following the inclusion of all-gender bathrooms, the school board has also given out free menstrual products in these bathrooms to eradicate the shame felt by having a period, and also the high costs of period products, all of which are no longer taxed due to the tampon tax movement which lifted all taxes on these products as

of Jul. 1.

Despite other cities successfully rolling out a program like the one suggested by Reid, many other residents feel it should be out of their cities hands and should be the public health responsibility at a regional or provincial level.

Others argue that if menstrual products should be placed in public facilities, so should diapers and

that taxpayers will continually have to pay for more and more with no end to what is provided in sight.

Pam Wolf, ward 5 councillor, also added in an email statement, “I am very disappointed that Council did not pass this motion in principle and then direct staff to come up with steps for implementation. The cost of a pad is 21 cents. This is a low price to pay for dignity.”

STUDENT ASSISTANCE

Resources offered to students facing housing concerns VICTORIA MARSHALL SENIOR COPY EDITOR

In the last few weeks, student housing activists from the two Waterloo universities and beyond have rocked the boat with their calls for change in the housing and apartment market.

Monday Sept. 23 saw the first of many demonstrations in the fight for fair housing, but the hustle and bustle around the Accommod8u scandal and KW4Rent allegations have left students wondering what resources they can reach out to if they have housing concerns.

One of the upcoming actions with a potentially huge impact is the petition for fair housing conditions in collaboration with UW activist Sylvia Skoruch and local MPP Catherine Fife.

Students are encouraged to share their testimonies by email with the office of Catherine Fife, which will be compiled into a master document and presented at Queen’s Park when the legislature is back in session.

According to Sylvia Skoruch’s recent post in the Facebook group

“STUDENT HOUSING CRISIS IN WATERLOO, ” anyone interested in sharing their landlord or student housing experience is urged to email their testimonial to CfifeCO@ndp.on.ca. The subject line of each email must be “In solidarity with Sylvia Barbara Skoruch, here is my testimonial” or it will not be acknowledged in the legislature.

For more immediate situations requiring assistance and/or intervention, Laurier students facing student housing issues are urged to contact the Student Rights Advisory Committee (SRAC) through the Students’ Union on campus.

The SRAC provides a number of resources to WLU students for a variety of housing concerns: if you would like to know if your unit is a legally licensed rental, the committee can point you in the right direction.

If you would like guidance on how to contact your landlord regarding a maintenance issue, the committee can give you an information sheet with prompts and suggestions to help you get past the formalities of landlord-tenant communication.

The SRAC can also get you in contact with Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (WRCLS). If you qualify as a low-income individual, you may be entitled to receive free legal counsel pertaining to your housing issues.

It’s important to note, however, that this is generally considered a last resort.

If civil action isn’t an option for you but you’re interested in legally pursuing the matter at hand, you can file a complaint with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) under Social Justice Tribunals Ontario.

This provincially-run justice outlet is the place to go if you would like to formally document the issues you’ve faced with your housing. Just be advised that the cost to file a complaint is $50.00 and you don’t get to choose the date in which you attend the tribunal.

Despite the scheduling and financial difficulty the LTB can impose on students, it has its highlights: all tenants, students included, have exactly one year from the date of the incident(s) they’re concerned about to file with the Board.

SIDNEY MACDONALD/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Once you attend your date, you are also given the opportunity to access free legal counsel, and you may also opt to go to mediation with your landlord to negotiate a settlement before the Board formally hears your case.

Although the Accommod8u scandal may now seem like a dis-

tant memory, especially to those who weren’t directly affected, it’s still crucial that those helping students move forward get to hear our voices. If you have a concern you would like to highlight through our MPP, Catherine Fife, or would like to address through the SRAC or LTB, you have every right to do so.

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

EVENTS

Laurier to host Walls to Bridges Instructor ALYSSA DI SABATINO ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

On Sept. 26, Lawrence Hill, University of Guelph professor and author of The Book of Negroes, is set to come to Laurier to present on his experience as an instructor for the Walls to Bridges creative writing course, offered to students at Grand Valley Institution for Women. Kitchener’s women’s federal prison.

The event will start at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Faculty of Social Work at Laurier’s Kitchener campus, located at 120 Duke Street West.

“In order to be a Walls to Bridges instructor, you have to take a fiveday instructor training [course] that we offer at the Grand Valley Institution for Women,” said Dr. Shoshana Pollack, professor at Laurier’s Faculty of Social Work, and director of Walls to Bridges Canada.

“Lawrence came and took that training for it with us, and as a result he is now teaching a Walls to Bridges course at the Grand Valley Institution for Women with students from the University of

Guelph,” said Pollack.

Walls to Bridges is an educational program that brings both incarcerated (“inside”) students and non-incarcerated (“outside”) students together to study post-secondary courses in prison classrooms.

Walls to Bridges allows students the opportunity to work alongside each other in a classroom setting, where all the classmates are peers.

Both inside and outside students learn the content together, with the goal of earning a course credit.

“Every student, whether they’re incarcerated or not, benefits by getting a course credit if they complete the class, and one of the things it does for people who are imprisoned is [it] gives them access to education — post-secondary education — which is only available in a limited basis through correspondence courses for the women in prison,” said Pollack.

Hill’s creative writing class, which is taking place this semester, consists of approximately 10 University of Guelph students, and 10 students from the Grand Valley Institution, all of whom applied for the course by writing a letter of

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

interest.

“When you bring together two groups of students who would not normally have the opportunity to study with one another, it provides the opportunity to break down stereotypes and assumptions that we each have about one another, and in that process, it builds bridges,” Pollack said.

Canada’s Walls to Bridges program hub, which began in 2011, is based out of Laurier’s Faculty of Social Work, and is partnered with

the Grand Valley Institution for Women.

Since its inception, the Walls to Bridges program has been able to offer courses at other Ontario universities, including: Ryerson University, York University, University of Toronto, University of Windsor and University of Ottawa.

The universities provide tuition bursaries and the necessary course materials for inside students and pay for the professor’s time while teaching the course.

In a statement on the Walls to Bridges website, Hill is quoted saying, “[Walls to Bridges] exemplifies courageous and innovative ways to expand mutual understanding, intellectual advancement, empathy and respect in Canadian society.“ Since students who complete the course can earn credits that count towards their post-secondary degree, many inside students choose to continue their education upon release; a nod towards the program’s success.

GAMES • 7

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 SUDOKU

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

All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life.

Scoliosis, So we meet again. I know I’ve never been one to have good posture but what do you expect from me when I have to carry the team on my back?

Sincerely, QB1 Dear Life,

Dear life, These sudoku puzzles are too difficult. More like sudok-can’t. In all honesty, I love sudoku puzzles but the Cord’s are the hardest I’ve ever done!

Sincerely, Perplexed

Sincerely, No More Flaming Couches

Dear Life,

Dear Life,

The Laurier Plague is really testing me this year.

To Taylor Swift, Lover is a masterpiece and I will stan you forever.

Don’t let the haters get you down.

Shake it off.

Sincerely, Tired and Snotty Dear Life,

COLOURING

To the students partying this weekend, Please don’t make me more embarrassed of this school than I already am. We’re better than that.

At least save it for St. Patrick’s Day.

Sincerely, Swiftie 13

Brooke Lynn Hytes slays the The Turret stage

PHOTOS BY BRIT KOVACS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

Arts & Life

• 9 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO arts@thecord.ca

The Q and A at the end was probably the best part. Brooke Lynn answered all questions, some funny like when she revealed that fellow Drag Race contestant Nina West had to do her elimination walk a total of four times while bawling her eyes out (it’s funny now, but probably not so much then).

Some questions were more serious, like the moment where one girl asked how she should come out to her parents, Brooke Lynn

JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR

She sashayed, she shantayed and she was a panther on that stage last night.

On Sept. 23, Laurier hosted a drag show featuring drag queens from the KW region and special guest, runner up in RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11, Brooke Lynn Hytes.

From the moment you stepped into the Turret, the energy was something to behold.

It appears Brooke Lynn Hytes captured the attention of people from all walks of life on the Laurier campus. Everyone who was waiting in line to get in and everyone who was sitting and ready to go was allowed to be one hundred per cent themselves without fear of judgement.

The show started off with the introduction of the host for the evening, Drag Queen Miss Drew, a Queen from the tri-cities with over 20 years of experience, lip-syncing to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen.

Miss Drew immediately grabbed the attention of the crowd as she sung towards different people within the audience.

In her second set of the evening, she entered the stage in a ball gown wearing a tiara. Miss Drew discussed how all of her tips would be going towards three charities around the KW region. She asked a young man to come up on stage to

The moment finally came where Brooke Lynn Hytes made her way on stage for her performance of “Sorry Not Sorry” by Demi Lovato...

BRIT KOVACS/PHOTO EDITOR

sing a song and a large amount of people came forward to bring up tips for him.

This part of the show was one of my favourites, as it showed that people can really make a difference in the world.

After Miss Drew’s entrance, she introduced the next queen to grace the stage: Divinesque, a former Miss Gay Toronto who now works around the tri-city area. Her invitation of three young men to join her on stage for her song, a classic by drag queen trailblazer Divine, “You Think You’re a Man” got the

crowd hyped and energetic. Her second set featured “I Will Survive”

by Gloria Gaynor, and during this performance the entire crowd was singing along and dancing with the amazing queen.

The next queen to grace the stage was Regina West, a relatively new queen who was able to hold the attention of the crowd as she danced to Katy Perry’s “Roar.”

The moment finally came where Brooke Lynn Hytes made her way on stage for her performance of “Sorry Not Sorry” by Demi Lovato, the song from the iconic lip sync

on RuPaul Drag Race season 11 which featured a double Shantay (safe) between Hytes and eventually winner of the season, Yvie Oddly.

She did a similar thing that she did on RuPaul’s Drag Race, that involved a spin which removed one wig in favour of another and a bikini rather than the poncho that she started the song in.

She then performed “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Celine Dion, definitely making up for her snatch game performance of the Canadian artist.

really thought and gave her genuine advice, creating a space where the girl was loved and accepted by everyone in the room, noting that if they do not approve, LGBTQ+ people have the opportunity to make their own families.

As RuPaul always says, “Love is love is love;” and that was the atmosphere created in the Turret last night.

Before she left the stage, Brooke Lynn asked to make this a yearly event, so my fingers are crossed that she will be returning in the near future.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

10 • ARTS & LIFE MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS

Hidden gem films on Netflix AMICHAI ABRAHAM ARTS & LIFE CONTRIBUTOR

When you open your computer or turn on your TV and fire up Netflix, you are instantly presented with hundreds of options on what to watch.

You’ll usually scroll through the ‘trending’ section, see all the recently added Netflix original content, or that nostalgic movie you’ve just been excitedly waiting for them to add.

Or maybe they’ve added a popular movie from last year that was playing in theaters that you never got the opportunity to see.

You likely won’t be considering the movies that are in the background of the grand Netflix stage.

They could be good but then again who knows?

Well, let it be known that there are many hidden gems on our favorite media service provider.

There are lesser-known movies worth checking out which have otherwise been lost to the oversaturation of other movies and shows.

Here are a few that are definitely worth your time:

Mid90s- Drama Written and directed by Jonah Hill Starring: Sunny Suljic, Olan Prenatt, Na-Kel Smith Mid90s is Jonah Hill’s Directorial Debut on the big screen. While Hill himself is mostly known for comedies, this film certainly is far from falling under that banner.

That’s not to say that this movie

has no comedic elements. There are plenty of genuinely funny moments, but this film carries out more of a dramatic tone.

Taking place in the mid 90s (shockingly) we follow Stevie (played by Sunny Suljic) , a young boy who has just moved into a new town.

With loneliness and a tough home life, Stevie goes out, joining a group of older skateboarding teenagers who are a poor influence on the child, introducing him to drugs, alcohol, stupid decisions, etc.

We follow Stevie’s highs and lows in the group as well as the lengths he takes in order to maintain his social standing.

The film’s setting attempts to create an authentic 90’s experience for the audience, even going as far as to film the movie using more classic techniques and equipment to give a better 90s feel in the visual presentation.

The vast majority of the movie is starred-in by children and teen skateboarders with very little acting backgrounds between them, making their great performances all the more impressive.

Check this movie out if you want a grounded drama with touching/ relatable themes.

The Witch- Horror Written and Directed by Robert Eggers Starring: Anya Taylor- Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie The Witch (stylized as The VVitch) is a movie that stands out

from the already oversaturated horror genre. It accomplishes this by going into a unique setting, and by extension creating not just a scary movie, but an interesting story as well.

This unique setting is a 1630s Salem farm, where a family of pilgrims resides. The youngest child of the family disappears while he was being watched by the oldest sibling, Tomasin.

The family falls into a depression and Tomasin is blamed for the disappearance by many of her relatives.

Further events lead the family to believe that they are being tormented by a witch and mistrust runs rampant through the farm.

This film is beautifully shot with some very frightening scenes, without having to rely on cheap horror movie cliches (jump scares, unintelligent characters, etc.) If you’re a fan of horror, this is a much watch movie for you.

Hunt for the WilderpeopleComedy, adventure Written and Directed by Taika Waititi Starring: Julian Dennison, Sam Neill Hunt for the Wilderpeople is one of the lesser-known films made by Taika Waititi, who is also known for co-directing What We Do In The Shadows and for more recently directing Thor: Ragnarok .

This New Zealand film follows a newly adopted young teenage orphan, Ricky Baker (played by Julian Dennison) and his unwilling

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

new foster guardian Uncle Hec (played by Sam Neill) . After the death of Hec’s wife and Ricky’s new foster mother, he runs away into the forest (known as ‘the bush’).

He is found by Uncle Hec who plans on taking him home and putting him back in the orphanage, however, they cannot navigate back once Uncle Hec accidentally breaks his ankle.

What follows is a wild multiple month-long adventure which leads

to Uncle Hec being labeled as a fugitive, the duo becoming minor celebrities and the police launching a full-scale assault to capture them. Through the experience, the two become closer and begin to develop something akin to a father-son relationship.

This movie has comedy, action, drama and much more. I highly recommend this movie if you just want to lay back and have a good time during a screening.

ARTS & LIFE • 11

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 DECOR

What does your poster choice say about you?

Be careful not to be mistaken as such, hanging posters of The Big Lebowski, Animal House or anything out of the Playboy mansion is an immediate exile from any respectable social circle or organization.

These posters only hung to blanket rage-provoked holes in the walls, does their content really matter? Who better to cover absinthe-induced damage around the house than John Belushi anyways?

JACKSON CARSE STAFF WRITER

A lot of effort goes into decorating your room.

For some people, this is the only place they have to call their own hundreds of miles from home.

It’s important to surround yourself with whatever makes you most comfortable, even if what makes you comfortable is a poster of Detective Pikachu or an image of a rainbow-hued moose fiddling with drug paraphernalia.

4. You’re allergic to the sun Do you sit staring at your laptop until your eyes feel as if you bathe in chlorine water?

Have your curtains remained drawn for months while you vegetate in bed waiting for another video game that won’t help you lose your virginity?

Then there’s a good chance your walls are littered with 8-bit mushrooms and unsettlingly sexualized military personnel.

Those hanging posters of pixelated breasts or cross eyed dragons most likely own a loofah and tend to watch the Superbowl for the previously unreleased Marvel trailers.

It’s important to surround yourself with whatever makes you most comfortable, even if what makes you comfortable is a poster of Detective Pikachu...

That’s where Laurier’s poster sale comes in handy, the best place to buy a needless portrait of Post Malone’s oily hair.

Who wouldn’t want to scramble through a rickety maze of obsolete television shows and obscure political figures juxtaposed against landscapes of rolling hills and snapshots of malnourished koalas?

Your backpack becomes a weapon, disarming fellow shoppers through the towering walls of Kanye West and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The importance of “textbooks” quickly disappears when the sudden possibility of hanging Macaulay Culkin’s mugshot over your toilet becomes a reality.

You can tell a lot about a person by the posters on their walls. In fact, it’s a great way of forming a rational first impression, an internal way of deciding whether or not you intend on taking your pants off in front of this person.

Rooms filled with Minions decals and posters of Adam Sandler are likely to scare away even the

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

most Liberal of companions.

There are definitely posters to avoid, generalized tropes and stereotypes to divert associating with.

It’s very easy to come off as a complete psychopath simply based on the photos on your wall.

It doesn’t take much to fall right into the categorization of “frat douche”; a couple pictures of Kurt Cobain and some unidentifiable cleavage is really all it takes.

That being said, what do these choices say about you? How telling are these choices about your personality and lifestyle? Here are just a few of my guesses: 1. You’re academically motivated Maybe you’re biggest passion is academia. You’re in love with your program and never want to forget it.

Film majors hanging posters

of Wes Anderson movies and screenshots from Reservoir Dogs.

Business students displaying photos of DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort while Kinesiology students show off their knowledge of anatomy on their disturbingly accurate poster of the human body.

Those with more obscure majors are forced to get a little creative; a Communication major hanging a poster of Alexander Graham Bell, although fitting, comes off as a slight overkill.

2. You’re eccentric It’s surprisingly easy to give off the crazy vibe. The best way of doing so is simply by hanging nothing.

There’s nothing more terrifying than walking into a blank-walled sex cave smelling of Little Caesars and fresh caulking.

An old roommate of mine hung

Stay golden

VS

his only poster, left by the old tenants, by hammering it into the wall with fencing nails, not only reassuring my hunch that he strangled people in their sleep but also creating a physical, eye-level hazard.

Avoid making your room look like a carnival, posters of Austin Powers, Gene Simons or anything

by Stanley Kubrick shouldn’t even be considered without a straightjacket.

3. You’re a frat boy Do you sip light beers and pretend to smoke cigarettes?

Do you hang out on your front lawn and hide your Juul from your parents?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these, I bet you also have a poster of Ricky Bobby or McLovin’ hanging somewhere in your disgusting trap house.

These are just a few broad generalizations. At the end of the day, I don’t know who the hell you are.

If you’re into Glee or the Phoenix Coyotes and want the world to know, by all means plaque-mount a picture of Jane Lynch. Staple a Snickers wrapper to your wall for all I care.

My self-image is just as fake and constructed as anyone’s. I recently purchased a poster of Frida Kahlo having not the slightest clue who she was.

Scrolling through her wikipedia biography in the checkout line, I acknowledged to myself I was only buying this to raise my intellectual hierarchy, hoping my friends would be just as oblivious as I was.

Whether you’re hanging posters of recent Oscar favourites or you’re a pervert with a blacklight, do what makes you comfortable.

Who cares if your roommate doesn’t like horses, litter your room with equestrian merchandise if that’s what makes you feel at home.

not golden Public urination fine – $300 Excessive garbage fine – $550 Excessive noise & nuisance fine – $490

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THIS IS OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD. TREAT IT WITH RESPECT.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

• 12

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

Editor’s note: Queer Eye star speaks out EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jonathan Van Ness, one of the beautiful, vibrant stars of the Netflix hit Queer Eye, and my personal favourite on the show, was recently featured in an illuminating New York Times article that centered on the upcoming release of his memoir, Over the Top. Alex Hawgood frames the makeover guru in a different way than most people who recognize and like Jonathan know him to be, which is what this article does so well, it humanizes him.

And while I adore Jonathan for the infectious energy that he has and his endless bounds of positivity and kindness — it can be easy to fall into the assumption that he’s the vivacious “Yass queen” mantra persona every minute of the day.

Reading about him in a way that focalizes his vulnerability, his flaws, and the aspects that make him real is what made this such a stand out read for me.

Jonathan lives a life in the spotlight, an aspect and every day side-effect of his television show fame.

But it’s jarring to read about the reality of his recognizability and the more unpleasant nuances it presents during moments where he’s not having the best day, which the article notes early on.

As he readies himself to begin a difficult conversation and divulge into a traumatic memory — the interview is interrupted by a fan of the show.

Teary-eyed and understandably emotional, Jonathan politely declines the option for a photo, and the girl makes sure to tell him that she loves Queer Eye before she

carries on, apparently completely oblivious to the conversation she just interrupted, with her own day.

Regardless of his fame and notoriety, I can’t imagine being in the middle of a difficult conversation or having a hard time, very clearly, too, I might add, and being expected to put on a happy face and pretend like everything is fine for the sake of a photo op.

As Jonathan says in the N.Y. Times article, “If you’re having a terrible moment or in the middle of a conversation about something serious, people don’t care. They want their bubbly J.V.N. and to get that major selfie.”

This small moment stuck out to me, and as I read through the difficulties he’s faced throughout his life — addiction, sexual abuse and an H.I.V. diagnosis — it furthered my belief that stories like Jonathan’s need to be told, and articles like this showcase how important it is to listen to them.

Reading about him in a way that focalizes his vulnerability, his flaws, and the aspects that make him real is what made this such a stand out read for me.

Jonathan’s fame is even more reason to admire him for his ability to be so vulnerable, especially in a current social climate of intense judgement and scrutiny.

Just from this article alone, I know that I’ll be picking up Jonathan’s memoir to read about his full story.

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JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR

I’m going to start this off by saying that my story is not your story.

Every person deals with things differently and I am in no way saying that what I am doing to help my own mental health will for sure help yours, but it might.

Hi, my name is Jade, and I struggle with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and depression.

I have dealt with all of these disorders for as long as I can remember.

I used to be the girl who would cry in class when someone slightly raised their voice at me. I used to have panic attacks in my high school drama room’s dressing room.

It was always sort of manageable — as in I was living my life and able to walk and function as a “normal” person.

I kind of just thought this was the way that I was built and that I would have to deal with this for the rest of my life.

But, in my second year, it hit a whole new level.

It got to the point where I had a panic attack for one straight week, my parents were terrified that I would do something detrimental, and I was scared as thoughts I had never had before started to pop into my head.

I wanted nothing more than for the numbness and the pain to go away, but for whatever reason I couldn’t get it to. I isolated myself, and only talked to my parents, roommates and a few other people if they reached out to me first.

I started to notice the little ways that people talked to me and how I would talk down to myself. Then, almost miraculously, something in my head switched.

I am now functioning better than I have in a long time. I think the reasoning is because I am so busy, I don’t even have time to think about my anxiety.

I am not giving my anxieties the time of day; they now need an appointment.

I work part-time, work at The Cord and have a full course load. I am currently busy for probably 16 hours of my day.

I guess what I am trying to get across is that keeping myself busy is something that helps my mental health. Now, when I have down time, I don’t even think those anxious thoughts because I’m so tired that I just want to watch a YouTube video or an episode of RuPaul’s

Drag Race or hang out with my friends.

My advice is essentially that finding your path to happiness does not begin by just lying in your bed. I did that, and it made everything much worse. You need to get up and try to work to fix it, it won’t get better until you allow it to get better.

I guess what I’m trying to get across is that keeping myself busy is something that helps my mental health.

I know this advice may seem over-told by people who you do not think experience any of this, but I’m here to tell you that it can work.

Mental health concerns are something that I will be dealing with my entire life, but I now know what to do to calm down my brain.

My parents know that I need to be kept busy and so do my friends.

People need to be aware of what is going on to help you stay healthy, that way you can have allies in all of your pain.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

Opinion

• 13 OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

Does Britney Spears need a conservator?

HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

DIANA EDWORTHY STAFF WRITER

As young people get older and move from their teens into their twenties, there is an increasing pressure to find a long-term partner and settle down.

Even if not dating to marry, society still tends to favour monogamous relationships over the current climate of university hookup culture.

The reality of the situation is that many university students just aren’t ready to settle down for the rest of their lives.

They aren’t looking for the commitment of time and energy that a serious, long-term relationship takes – and there’s nothing wrong with that.

University is a time to discover who you are and what you want in life.

For a lot of people this is a journey they need to go on independently, not with a significant other.

With apps like Tinder and Bumble, it’s easier now than ever to meet up with someone for a one-time hookup or create a friends-with-benefits relationship.

Many university students simply aren’t interested in dating and relationships.

They just want the freedom of casual hookups and fulfill their other social needs with time with friends.

Young people are proving that you don’t need a partner to be successful, you can be a whole fulfilled person on your own.

Of course, there is a stigma that comes with hookup culture people believe that it’s undesirable or unsafe to have multiple sexual partners.

As long as you’re making safe and smart decisions, there is no harm in hookups.

With access to birth control, condoms, and STD testing all on campus, there are so many opportunities to make sure that the sex you are having is as safe as it can be.

As far as having multiple partners being an undesirable thing to do, we all have autonomy over our own bodies and have the ability to decide what is the best thing for ourselves.

What someone else chooses to do with their body and who they choose to be with does not affect anyone but themselves.

Hookup culture is only becoming more and more prominent, especially in university communities.

It is important that students, and young people in general, learn to be respectful and accepting of the decisions of their peers.

Not everyone is ready to settle down into a lifelong relationship in their early twenties and they should not be expected to do so.

Britney Spears is an iconic household name, earning her the unofficial title of the queen of pop (though Mariah Carey may have something to say about that).

Britney has been in the public eye since the late 1990’s going on 20 years of performing after entering the music scene as a solo artist in 1998. Prior, she made appearances on children’s singing shows, starring in The Mickey Mouse Club in 1992.

Britney has been the standard for other artists to look up to, whether it be her unforgettable denim outfit duo with Justin Timberlake, her “I’m A Slave 4 U” 2004 MMVA performance with a boa constrictor around her neck, or quite frankly, that she is still able to perform on the stage after 20 years of being in the music business.

Everything has not always been fun and games for Britney though.

2007 will always be remembered as the year when Britney had a meltdown which included the shaving of her head and bashing in a car window with an umbrella

while screaming at the paparazzi.

At that point, she had been a performer for 15 years with no breaks and in the spotlight for a decade.

Britney has also been criticized for her live performances as she has been known to lip-sync her songs as she performs strenuous dance routines, including a Vegas residency at the Planet Hollywood hotel where she would perform almost nightly, yet not actially sing.

So, why is Britney Spears still such a concern in the public eye?

Comedian Heather McMahan has an entire Instagram highlight dedicated to the pop star labelled “Britney 911,” addressing many concerns about her physical and mental health.

Heather hypothesizes that Britney has not aged mentally past 18, as she spent all of her younger years performing and never getting to be a child.

Weird videos are posted to Britney’s social media accounts, including one of her working out with weird, tiny doll furniture in her home gym. Heather also says that Britney has a dead look in her eyes and as Heather says, “all she wants is to be is a high school cheer coach in Louisiana but there are too many people on her payroll”.

Britney’s latest venture in the news was due to her doctor dying

suddenly at the beginning of the month, after reports of Britney’s conservatorship case and not being given appropriate treatment came out. This came just months after her cancelling her Vegas residency as her dad had fallen extremely ill.

Her dad has been involved in a court case as he was to be her conservator and is to watch for the welfare of her children, though it is a hard responsibility as he is not allowed near Britney and ex-husband Kevin Federline’s children as he allegedly grabbed 13-year-old Sean.

Britney seems to be involved in a ring of people who try to control her to keep the money flowing as they are all on her payroll, and as soon as she tries to be the almost 40 year-old woman she is, something happens to incapacitate her.

It seems that being managed by your parents and living in the spotlight since the age of 12 means never learning the life skills to be your own person. Britney is trapped in a vicious cycle of people who don’t care about exploiting her and her shaky mental health as long as they get their bag at the end of the day.

Britney needs to be distanced as far as she can from these people so she can live a happy life with her kids out of the spotlight and into a better mental place.

Hookup Culture Over Relationships?

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

14 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

Why decor in classes should be a priority EMMA MCVICAR STAFF WRITER

Why are classrooms grey and beige?

Seriously, don’t you think a place that’s meant to evoke a positive attitude towards learning and inspire bright ideas should be … more bright and positive?

Every year at Laurier, there’s a poster fair advertising pictures students can decorate their rooms with.

Why wouldn’t you be interested?

Because really, who wants a boring room?

It’s uninspiring, feels cold and doesn’t leave any room for creativity or daydreaming.

So why are classrooms so boring in their decor?

I know it’s not in the budget to offer bright paint or pictures, but shouldn’t at least some sort of effort be made to increase the appeal of the classroom?

Think about being in elementary school. Can you think of a single classroom you had that wasn’t plastered with inspirational quotes and motivating messages?

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Of course, we’re not children, but everybody needs to be inspired by what they’re doing to be productive and happy, right?

I don’t know about you, but I personally have tons of posters left over each year when the new post-

er fair comes around - after a year of looking at the same pictures, you want a bit of a change.

When I started classes this term, I wondered if it would break any sort of rules to post my old posters around my classrooms.

At least then there’d be something other than grey or beige walls to look at.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should go after school boards for not putting enough effort into making beautiful class-

rooms a priority - but someone has to do something. It doesn’t seem so unimaginable.

Paint is cheap, posters are cheap, and local artists fill the streets of Waterloo, who want their work to be seen.

Wouldn’t it be neat if Laurier supported them by commissioning an art piece?

Imagine a mural in the Science Building, a mosaic in the concourse or a portrait in the DAWB. The school is filled with empty walls waiting for something to fill them.

Laurier needs more artwork.

I’d say we need better buildings in general, but calling for total reconstruction of something that’s already built seems a bit ridiculous.

Have you seen McMaster though? Or Guelph? Or parts of U of T? There are some gorgeous buildings there.

How can someone not feel driven to becomr knowledgable in places like those?

Laurier might not be the most beautiful campus, but it doesn’t have to be boring.

A coat of paint or a few good pieces hung up with some sticky tack or art commissioned from local artists can turn the school from being mediocre to a place of art and vision.

Hot Take: “Darties” on Ezra are overrated VICTORIA MARSHALL SENIOR COPY EDITOR

With homecoming just around the corner, Laurier students are getting emails and seeing posters reminding us to be respectful during “unsanctioned street gatherings,” better known to our first years as mattress and couch sacrificing ceremonies.

Based on last year’s St. Paddy’s bringing out crowds of 30,000 combined with the media response to Ezra’s Labour Day shenanigans, it would be reasonable to expect that the response to anything similar happening at homecoming could be strong and unforgiving. But honestly, who cares?

It seems that over the last few years, Laurier parties have become synonymous with Ezra Avenue.

As fun as the idea of meeting up with your friends in the frat boy ghetto is, it’s overrated. And I’m not so sure that its exponential growth is a great thing: here’s why.

Lately, the infamous Ezra has become more of a staple to the party culture of the whole province rather than Laurier alone.

St. Paddy’s doesn’t discriminate, but homecoming is meant to be all about Laurier’s school spirit.

With that being said, why do you need your 20 high school buddies from York taking the GO bus down just to pass out before noon?

You probably don’t. Laurier is a friendly school – and that probably means you have lots of friends here.

That’s not to say that your friends can’t come visit for hoco, but if they’re crashing on your floor just so they can rage on the street, it kinda defeats the purpose of coming together as the Laurier community.

In addition to the fact that the majority of the Ezra crowd comes from halfway across the province, the damage to property on the infamous street is definitely a concern.

I don’t live on Ezra – and thank god for that. The aftermath of these school pride extravaganzas usually results in mile-high piles of Somersby cans and mickeys of Smirnoff. To be honest, I find that pretty gross.

Obviously with a large crowd, it’s difficult to put your cans and bottles in the place where they belong – but that’s not the only issue.

Many students have their lawns trampled, roofs climbed, and cars dinged in the process of our collective chugging, and it’s especially important (during homecoming and year-round) that respect of other people’s safe places and personal belongings are key to staying golden.

It’s also important to remember that students aren’t the only people who are a part of the Laurier community.

The other residents, many of whom are young families, who live only a block behind Ezra Ave often have to deal with the aftermath of

FILE PHOTO

our party antics, like road closures, visible drug use, and tens of thousands of publicly intoxicated people.

Also, the purpose of homecoming is for alumni to come back and be able to show their families their experience.

If a mom or dad has to explain to their child why people are being pulled off the street on stretchers, what kind of example are we setting for future students?

In my experience, on both hoco and St. Paddy’s weekends,

I dragged friends to my dumpy apartments from 2 hours away just to half-ass day drinking before giving up and napping.

Call us lame, but “dartying” with tens of thousands of inebriated strangers was not our favoured scene.

Does that mean we’re doing it all over again this year? You betcha.

I guess for now, this is what being a Golden Hawk is about – but that doesn’t mean it needs to happen irresponsibly.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t

go to Ezra at all this year, or not bring your friends over, for that matter.

I’ll still be doing the same, but I personally don’t understand all the fuss.

I would personally prefer to save my dancing shoes for the bar instead of having them soaked in vodka and vape juice after coming back from Ezra.

But if this infamous “darty” is a part of the Laurier identity for now, we should all be partaking with a bit of courtesy in mind.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

Sports

• 15 SPORTS EDITOR VACANT sports@thecord.ca

BASEBALL

Explore Your

FILE PHOTO/TANZEEL SAYANI

Laurier knocks it out of the park Baseball team on the road to second OUA championship title JOSEPH DEFILIPPIS STAFF WRITER

After coming off of a dominant season last year, in which they were able to capture their first OUA championship title since 2013, the men’s baseball team has opened up the 2019 campaign poised to repeat their success.

Through the first month of the season, the Golden Hawks currently hold a record of seven wins and two losses ...

Through the first month of the season, the Golden Hawks currently hold a record of seven wins and two losses, including six straight wins over the past few weekends.

The team’s start has been good enough to place the Hawks in a tie

for the top spot in the provincial rankings with the University of Toronto.

During the current six-game win streak, Laurier has outscored their opponents by an impressive score of 53 to five, reaching double digit runs in three of the games.

At the helm of this successful start to the year is pitcher Christian Hauck, who was just recently named the OUA Peak Performer for the week ending Sept. 15.

Hauck, a fifth year veteran of the Laurier team, threw a complete game shutout against the University of Toronto to earn himself Peak Performer status.

During the start, Hauck collected 15 of the game’s 21 outs via strike-outs, while only allowing one hit. He also became the only pitcher so far this season to hold Toronto to zero runs scored.

This is the second time that Hauck has been named the OUA’s Peak Performer, having received the honour previously in 2017.

Laurier has been able to succeed so far this year thanks to a great combination of contributions from both veteran players and new recruits, with 15 first year players being registered to the Golden

Hawks roster, many of which make a regular impact on the field.

This is the second time that Hauck has been named the OUA’s Peak Performer, having received the honour previously in 2017.

This constant crop of new talent is a necessity in the OUA to ensure that your team can stay competitive year over year.

With five regular season games remaining, the Golden Hawks will look to continue the hot streak that they have been on leading into the OUA playoffs. If the team is able to keep up the current level that they are playing at, it will be hard to picture a scenario where Laurier isn’t competing for the OUA title once again come October.

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16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

WINNING STREAK

WOMEN’S LACROSSE SEES 4 CONSECUTIVE WINS OLIVIA JONES STAFF WRITER

The Wilfrid Laurier women’s lacrosse team entered the season with a fierce focus, pulsing passion and a drive to succeed that led them toward opening the season with four consecutive wins.

With a four game win streak under their belt, the Golden Hawk women prove that they have the skills and abilities to propel them forward as they continue to face skilled opponents throughout the season.

Head coach, Erica Shortt, had a lot to share about this year’s rosters of players and the strength of the team that contributed toward those wins.

“We have some very talented players as well as leaders on the team this year. We are very lucky to have such a skilled team, where all players on the field have the ability to contribute equally and everyone

DARIEN FUNK/PHOTO EDITOR

has the drive to succeed,” Shortt said.

Unfortunately, this past weekend the Golden Hawks’ four-game streak came to a close as they faced Queen’s University, Trent University and Ontario Tech University on Saturday and Sunday at Alumni Field and University Stadium.

“Our team worked hard for the duration of each game this weekend. The girls also supported each other on the field, whether we were winning or losing,” Shortt said.

“There are always things we would like to see improved upon, but we just have to refocus this week and get back to playing our game, that includes solid communication and movement on defence, and maintaining possession of the ball,” Shortt said regarding the loses this weekend.

Emily Ferguson, team captain, had plenty to say about her passionate and talented teammates and what they did well together on

the field despite the three losses.

“This weekend taught us a lot about our team. On the field we were able to transition the ball and utilize fast breaks on offence to get points on the board while defensively we were able to make huge stops to try and swing the momentum,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson also shared what she taught is a strength of the team that contributed toward their fourgame streak.

“I would say the strengths of this year’s team include our deep bench, our cohesion, and our bench staff and trainers,” “We are very fortunate to have such a large roster of incredibly talented players who work well together both on and off the field and who are supported by a dedicated coaching staff and trainers to help us perform our best both physically and mentally,” Ferguson said.

This women’s lacrosse team is filled with hardworking and dedi-

“They are always able to make me laugh and put a smile on my face reminding me that even though we are at an extremely high

level of competition for women’s lacrosse, our ability to have fun as a team on the field is one of the most important things at the end of the day and a key contributor to our success,” said Ferguson.

The women’s lacrosse team is in a unique position to bounce back this upcoming weekend as they prepare to take on two teams with strong offenses and defences.

Coach Shortt expressed how they will be preparing this week for their upcoming games, “this week is just like any other this season.

We will be working on perfecting the little things, practicing our skills and drills in high pressure situations, and working on each player’s role in shutting down skilled opponents.”

Although the women’s lacrosse team ended their four-game win streak, they undoubtedly carry the skills, support and cohesion to add more wins to their already successful season.

we have five rookies on the team, first year with the team, and then five players who have been with me for up to five years. My experienced players have really stepped up this year — they’ve worked hard competed over the summer time, some of them played in Canadian amateur and Ontario amateur; I think those experiences have helped them and they’ve started the year off with a good start,” said head coach Jeff Colley in regards to the men’s team.

The women’s team ended with a fifth-place finish in the Western invitational with a score of 282, with Sam Zulian having the team best score of 92. The women improved their placement on Sunday as well, finishing fourth with a score of 262, with both Jamie Elsey and Sam Zulian tying for the eleventh-place finish with a score of 87 each.

“They’re young and building their confidence still, we’re looking to gain more experience in that tournament setting. I think they can compete for a spot at nationals; to get to nationals you have to

finish top five at OUAs and then they qualify for a spot, that’s definitely our goal,” Colley said.

“There are a couple women’s programs that are very strong; Windsor has a really strong women’s program and so does Waterloo, but I think that we can put a team out there that is going to compete for the OUA championship.”

The two teams will participate in the McMaster invitational, Waterloo invitational and the Guelph invitational in the next week before OUA championships begin on Sunday, Oct. 6 in Markham at Angus Glen Golf Club.

“Ultimately, the goal this year is for sure to win, I know my players and myself would be disappointed if we didn’t either win at OUA’s or get top three, and I definitely think we would be a strong candidate to compete for a national title for sure,” Colley said.

“Up next, we’re looking forward to our event that’s this upcoming weekend, Saturday and Sunday at Rebel Creek Golf Club.”

cated athletes who are passionate about the game, driven to prepare and practice, but not without having a little fun.

I would say the strengths of this year’s team include our deep bench, our cohesion and our bench staff and trainers.

-Emily Ferguson, Laurier women’s lacrosse team captain

TOURNAMENT HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

GOLF TEAM SET TO COMPETE

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks’ mixed varsity golf team had an eventful weekend at both the Western Invitational and the Brock Invitational, with the men’s team scoring a third place win at Western and then a second place finish at Brock.

The men’s side finished just being Guelph and Western during the Western invitational on Thursday, Sept. 19, with a team combined score of 315, just 16 points shy of Guelph’s 299 finish.

Henry Luel had the best average on the Laurier side, with a seventh-place tie finish with 77.

On Sunday, Sept. 22, Laurier had a higher finish improving their team score to 314, just one point behind the first-place Western team that scored 313.

Jaron Brown, a fourth-year veteran to the team, helped the team with a third-place individual finish of 76.

“We have a mixed team this year;