Issue 5 - October 19, 2016

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 ISSUE 5 WWW.THESPUTNIK.CA @SPUTNIK_NEWS THE SPUTNIK

THE NEW ACTIVIST IN RESIDENCE 2

MOVIES THAT WILL SCARE YOUR PANTS OFF 2

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Yes, the Yes Men are in Laurier Brantford

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christina Manocchio eic@thesputnik.ca PHOTO EDITOR Kathleen Binder photography@thesputnik.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Gurleen Lall leadphotographer@thesputnik.ca GRAPHIC EDITOR Sai Gnanaharan visual@thesputnik.ca WEB EDITOR Kurtis Rideout web@thesputnik.ca NEWS EDITOR Shreya Shah news@thesputnik.ca ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Anya Eland FEATURES EDITOR Dellesia Noah features@thesputnik.ca ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Matthew Burley arts@thesputnik.ca SPORTS EDITOR Devon Momy-Gamache sports@thesputnik.ca OPINION EDITOR

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THE SPUTNIK ADMIN PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Meghan Roach (519) 884-0710 ext. 3565 president@wlusp.com ADVERTISING Care Schummer (519) 884-0719 ext. 3560 care.schummer@wlusp.com MANAGER OF OPERATIONS Jamaal Owusu-Ansah manager@thesputnik.ca EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp.com Treasurer John Pehar Vice-Chair Abdiasis Issa Director Mynt Marsellus Director Maddy Cutts Director Matthew Burley Director Fred Kuntz The Sputnik is a bi-weekly campus newspaper intended to engage and inform the community.

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Shreya Shah News Editor Laurier Brantford has found itself in some hot water for this year’s choice of the new activistin-residence.

The activist-in-residence program, which was launched last year, focuses on social justice issues. The role of the activist-in-residence is to act as a resource point for students who are looking to facilitate social justice awareness for a cause of their choosing. This year, the mantle is to be taken up by Sean Devlin, a filmmaker, comedian, and a member of the Yes Men. The Yes Men are a social activist group founded by Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos. They are best known for their pranks, hoaxes, and use of satire to hold corporations responsible for their actions.

In their own words, the Yes Men explain their technique, “What we do is pass ourselves off as representatives of big corporations we don’t like. We make fake websites, then wait for people to accidentally invite us to conferences.” Once inside, the Yes Men work to expose corporate greed.

In their movie, The Yes Men Fix the World, they are known

as Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno. The movie begins with the due impersonating members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce which they state, “is a large corporation that is reported to lie to the public on behalf of even bigger corporations. They spend nearly half a million dollars a day trying to convince the U.S. government to do really stupid shit – like killing environmental regulations and undermining workers’ rights.”

The Yes Men hold a press conference in which they state that the Chamber will be reversing its position on climate change and will work to impose a carbon tax. When the press conference was revealed as a prank, it led to the Chamber having to admit to challenges regarding climate change.

Two weeks later, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce changed its policy and position to support, rather that oppose, climate change legislation.

As a guest of the digital media journalism program, Sean Devlin will be working alongside students to create a Yes Lab. According to a WLU news release, “The lab will bring together students, faculty, an activist group or a non-governmental organization (NGO), members of the local community and the Yes Men to develop effective and educational activist projects.”

Abby Goodrum, Digital Media and Journalism profes-

sor and sponsor for this year’s activist-in-residence program explains why the Yes Men were chosen, “The primary reason I thought to bring Sean Devlin to be our activist in residence was so that he could work with students and the community to create an action around any issue.

There are a lot of different issues students and our community members might be interested in tackling. I know that we already have several students who have indicated an interest in trying to do something around Nestle’s use of water around Wellington centre.”

Despite their work for social greater good, many have criticized the Yes Men for using controversial tactics. Peter Shawn Taylor, who is an editorat-large for Maclean’s magazine, has been vocal about his opinion of Laurier hosting the Yes Men. In an article published with the National Post, Peter refers to the decision as, “proof of a colossally dumb idea.”

Laurier has been quick to respond. “[Peter Shawn Taylor] is a columnist who often writes very negatively about Wilfrid Laurier University. In his mind, what the Yes Men were doing was unethical. It’s an indication that this is was a columnist who knew nothing about them and didn’t care to do any research about them. He had the column written before he even called,” Goodrum explained.

Journalism Professor Dr. Kenneth Werbin also supports Laurier’s decision to welcome the Yes Men. “First and foremost, the Yes Men draw attention to an incredible range of social and environmental issues through their tactics. Sometimes some of their tactics are criticised, but to my mind what the Yes Men are doing is highlighting, in their actions, the broken bonds between journalists and the public…. Reporters are increasingly under pressure to produce more stories with fewer resources, and they increasingly rely on press releases and press conferences. The Yes Men highlight the broken bonds that exist.

They are highlighting the fact that this is what the news media is doing … without questioning the expert voices of authority behind them. The Yes Men, like many other media satirists like Jon Stewart or Steven Colbert or John Oliver, are using the broken bonds to provoke the public to rethink how the media is operating… It’s important to question expert voices of authority and it’s an important thing to think critically about.”

The first Yes Lab will run from Oct. 22 to Oct.23 and an official launch party will be held for Sean Devlin on Oct. 24.

What to watch on Netflix this Halloween Stephan Reilly Staff Writer Halloween is just around the corner and that means people are in the mood for spooky and scary. Whether it’s exorcisms, 80s horror or a hypothetical (or not) future America where crime is legal once a year, there is a lot on Netflix for those who want to get their horror on. We thought a list of the scariest and spookiest movies and shows on Netflix would help people make the most of their scary viewing parties this season.

The Taking of Deborah Logan Directed by Adam Robitel (Paranormal Activity), The Taking of Deborah Logan is a found footage film that follows postgraduate student Mia Medina (Michelle Ang) who decides to study Alzheimer’s for her PhD thesis. She chooses to study an elderly woman, Deborah Logan (Jill Larson), with Alzheimer’s as Deborah slowly deteriorates.

But it becomes clear that there is something more than Alzheimer’s happening to Deborah. There’s something else happening to her, something

horrible...

Sinister When true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) is struggling to find the inspiration for his next book he decides to move into a house where a real serial killer lived decades before.

But as soon as he starts his writing he discovers he might have gotten a little more than he paid for. Things around the house are strange, like closing doors and things moving without being touched. But things go from bad to worse when Ellison discovers a box of old films in the attic that belonged to the serial killer. He then has to decide whether to keep trying to write his story or move his family out before it’s too late and someone gets killed again.

Would You Rather When a family illness makes Iris (Brittany Snow) desperate for money to help save her brother’s life, she unwittingly agrees to a high stakes game of “would you rather” where the survivor gets whatever they want from aristocratic, sadistic host, Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey

Combs). Iris plays against seven other contestants who all have their own desperate reasons for playing. Would You Rather has some of the most grotesque, gory scenes in any horror movie on Netflix. From stabbing your leg with an ice pick to cutting your eye on a razor blade, it’s definitely not a movie for the squeamish.

The Silenced The Silenced is a dark, thrilling Korean film that still manages to terrify despite a language barrier. When Shizuko is transferred to a new boarding school she must quickly learn the mysterious nature of what happens to its students in order to survive. Set in the 1930s during the Japanese occupation of South Korea, there is a great atmosphere that carries throughout the film that maintains the tension. Definitely a must watch for fans of horrors and thrillers.

The Purge: Anarchy A step up from the first movie, The Purge: Anarchy takes the concept defined in the original and expands it to a whole city. It is set in a future where Trump,

I mean, where a wealthy, white president creates a law that once a year all crime is legal for 12 hours. The poor who can’t afford protection are victims while the wealthy hide behind their walls. In addition to being a violent, suspenseful film, it provides a philosophical perspective.

Stranger Things If you really feel like a Halloween marathon, there’s over eight hours of Stranger Things available for your viewing pleasure.

Set in the 1980s in rural Indiana, the series pays homage to Sci-fi movies of the 1980s like E.T. and The Goonies. The show follows the strange disappearance of a little boy and the extraordinary lengths his friends and family go to find him. With great writing, acting and visual effects, Stranger Things is one of the best things on Netflix. And its creepy premise and scary story makes it perfect for Halloween.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19 ,2016

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NEWS Reading into reading week SHREYA SHAH | NEWS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Kayana Smith Staff Writer Reading week is a time to catch up on sleep, friends and some school work. This fall is Laurier’s third and possibly final reading week concluded Oct. 14,.

“Fall Reading week here at Laurier Brantford started in the 2014/2015 school year to address students’ personal wellness,” said Adam Lawrence, Dean of Students.

Reading week was created as a three-year trial to assess the benefits that a break can have on students and faculty prior to midterms. Seeing as the fall reading week falls around the time of the Thanksgiving holiday, many students take the opportunity to visit family and refresh themselves for the first time since the beginning of the semester. Many

universities across Ontario participate in a fall reading week including Brock University, Carleton University, McMaster University and York University.

Reading week gives students the time to prepare and focus on the material being taught in class. Lawrence finds that “the first six weeks of university can be a big change from what students were doing in the summer months. Being able to go home and have that time to reflect and recharge is beneficial for the student body.”

This is especially true for first-year students who are just getting into their new schedule. Students experience a lot of stress within the first few months, and reading week gives them the opportunity to look after their health.

First-year Business Management student, Sarah Hwozdyk, found it “a little difficult adjusting to life at Laurier” in September and has dedicated her reading week to de-stressing and studying. Mental health has become a huge global topic, and reading week allows students the time to take things slow and not be burdened with heavy workloads.

“Student feedback is a huge contributor to the continuation of a fall reading week,” said Lawrence.

The three-year trial was put in place by the academic planning committee to determine if reading week can help with personal wellness. So far, reports have shown that it has been a success. Lawrence finds that the committee has received a lot of

positive feedback around the establishment of a fall reading week.

There are assessments made after each reading week by the academic planning committee.

Based on feedback from students they assess if reading week is helping with stress, anxiety and wellness. They also look to see if reading week is causing more stress for students when they come back, and look into whether reading week is beneficial for the faculty.

Dr. Erin Strahan, a strong supporter of the fall reading week, provides a psychologist’s and instructor’s perspective. “There is a lot of material needed to be covered prior to midterm exams, and by having that break, students are able to really focus on studying.”

Strahan finds that reading week de-escalates stress by giving students a break. “Students are more likely to use their fall reading week effectively to manage their stress because they actually use it to study. Fall reading week is more effective for students than the winter break because they take advantage of having studying time rather than indulging in a vacation.”

Administration still needs to assess the benefits of reading week on faculty members, as well as the majority of the campus opinions. However, positive feedback is being received and assessments will continue to be made after this reading week to evaluate its overall success.

What’s with the purple ribbons?

Rylee Wolfkamp Staff Writer As part of Child Abuse Prevention month, Brant Family and Children’s Services (BFACS) have expanded their campaign to push for the public’s awareness.

One way that BFACS have amped up their campaign is by showcasing large, purple ribbons around parks and partnered agencies. Each ribbon has a tag reading, “It takes a village to raise a child. Help keep children in our community safe,” along with the organization’s phone number and website.

“We tried to figure out a way to make a public statement …

People are always moved by visuals,” said Jill Esposto, director of service at Brant Family and Children’s Services. “We actually bought purple plastic tablecloths, cut them up and tied them around the trees in Victoria Park.”

“For the most part, most of our

local communities will be participating in different ways, such as wearing purple,” said Esposto.

“It’s to learn about what we do but also about what’s good for all children, families and communities.”

According to their website, BFACS is an organization dedicated to the well-being and safety of youth. It provides supports and services to families, children, and youth in need in Brant County, Six Nations and New Credit.

“We hope people stop and look and take a moment not just to read this and call if they have questions, but also to really think about the needs of children and families, and how we can support families to make sure they’re healthy and have healthy children,” said Esposto.

According to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, some telltale signs of unrest in a home is a child who does not want to go home, may not be

wearing appropriate clothes for the weather, is not properly supervised, shows self-destructive or aggressive behavior, shows signs of serious anxiety or depression, is afraid of a certain person or a family member, or is afraid of adults.

Section 72 of the Child and Family Services Act States that, “The public, including professionals who work with children, must promptly report any suspicions if a child is or may be in need of protection to a Children’s Aid Society. The act recognizes that people working closely with children have a responsibility to report their suspicions. Any professional or official who fails to report a suspicion is liable on conviction to a fine up to $1000” “People who call often think they need to prove that this has happened,” said Jill Esposto.

“The job of our agency is to help explore that situation with them and make a determination

whether we need to go out or not.”

“Our first line is always to keep children with their families.

That’s where children belong.”

The campaign is asking the public to “GO PURPLE” on, Oct. 19 to raise awareness about child abuse.

Purple ribbons are tied around trees as a symbol to raise awareness for child abuse prevention month Kathleen Binder/ The Sputnik

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WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016

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Farewell Piston Broke, hello Devlin’s Advocate

Anya Enland News Asisstant Editor After eight years of wonderful food and a pleasant atmosphere, Piston Broke is saying goodbye to the Brantford community but Devlin’s Advocate.

Eloise and Randall Huszczo are the original owners of the Piston Broke. They are moving on from this business to focus on their manufacturing business, R&W Metal Fabricating and Design Inc.. However, not all is lost. Ryan Devlin and his father, Chris Devlin, have bought the Piston Broke. They are known in the Brantford Community for their own restaurant and catering business: Devlin’s Country Bistro and Catering.

“Our original plan was to take it over, keep the name and everything the same, operate and

get to know the business and switch it as we felt right as time went on,” said Ryan Devlin. “As we came in here and saw the changes that needed to be made and the way we wanted to operate, we started working on them.

After deciding the changes, we wanted to make, we decided to change the menu entirely to match what we are good at. To go further, we decided to change the name and incorporate our name and brand into it, given we have a large customer base in the area. We kept the student population in mind because we know it’s a place student’s frequently visit.”

The Devlin’s are aware of the impact the Piston Broke has on the community, especially among university students.

They are planning to cater to both with their new restaurant, Devlin’s Advocate. “We are very gracious of the business [from our customers] and we want them to continue to be good supporters, if not better customers than they were before. We’ve

taken the same area and location and changed the décor to be more relaxed and to look like a place where everyone is going to want to come and hang out,” said Devlin.

The Devlin’s are working very hard to make their new restaurant one that everyone will love.

“It will be a great place for all students to come to kick back, relax and enjoy some casual beverages and great food. It will have more of a lounge feel than a pub feel,” said Devlin.

The Piston Broke closed on Oct. 8 to make room for the Devlin’s to do renovations. They are trying for a soft opening on Oct. 17, but the grand opening will be on Oct. 21.. The process to completely renovate the restaurant has been very fast- “We only got in here this Monday [Oct. 10] so we closed down for a week for renovations, replacing all the floor, repainting the walls, opened up the far room and the bar, but we have lots of long-term plans for renovation.

We will be going through a lot

The closing of the Piston Broke makes way for the opening of the Devlin’s Advocate Kathleen Binder/ The Sputnik

of changes the next few months but this is the first phase of construction and decoration,” said Devlin.

Change can be tough but the Devlin’s are planning to keep some things the same. “The decor is welcoming and upbeat.

Live music will still remain. We

will still offer our student discount of 10 per cent on all food items. There will still be 13 beers on tap. None of that stuff is changing. People will still be able to enjoy all the things they love,” said Devlin.

Clowns are now creeping around towns Taylor Burt Staff Writer ‘Creepy’ clown sightings have been making headlines in the U.S. and Canada, but some people would suggest that they are not as ‘creepy’ as everyone thinks.

Benjamin Radford, a member of the American Folklore Society, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer Science magazine, and author of several books including Bad Clowns, explained that these clown sightings are nothing new and in fact have happened before.

“The current clown scare is actually only the most recent. There have been several throughout history and in recent years. In fact some of these clown scares date back to the 1980s,” said Radford.

The clowns are not considered to be harmful, as most of the scares are pranks. There have been stories of clowns harming people, most are believed to be hoaxes and rumors.

Radford believes one of the main reasons this phenomenon is growing is because of the use and accessibility of social media.

“People are sharing these scary clown stories and pho-

tographs on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere.

It’s a ready-made viral meme.

It’s perfect for going around the world in minutes. You have a story that’s both scary and funny, horrific and humorous all rolled into one. Who can resist a scary clown photograph?” said Radford. “All you need is one high profile scary clown video or photo to go viral, and the copycats, by definition, will be of clowns.”

Some say that the videos and photographs floating around social media are making people believe that everyone else is scared of the clowns, so they should be too. Radford explains that this is not the case.

“Even though this is being shared widely on social media, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everybody who forwards or likes it endorses it. Just because a given scary clown photo has been seen 1.2 million times, doesn’t necessarily mean that 1.2 million people actually think a clown is going to kill somebody, it just means they are having fun with it and sharing it,” said Radford.

An additional way social media is grabbing hold of this phenomenon is through false threats and rumors. Schools may get empty threats from a person dressed as a clown, but they will take it seriously.

“Schools and police will always err on the side of caution.

If there’s any plausible chance

that someone might actually do something, of course, they are going to lock down the school and call the police. It doesn’t mean the threat is eminent or plausible, it just means they are better safe than sorry,” said Radford.

These actions are what scare people into thinking there is a real threat when really the schools are just being proactive.

“Especially in today’s environment, that’s taken seriously. In a post-Columbine and Newtown era, threats against [a] school, no matter how absurd or ridiculous, whether they are made by clowns or teenagers or anybody else, are going to be taken seriously,” said Radford.

Many reports are rumors, and police are called on many occasions to false sightings. According to a news article by Paige Desmond, police were called to 11 incidents this month in the Waterloo Region. Brantford Police have also been called to sightings. Inspector Dave Weidrick of the Brantford Police stated, in an email, “We were called to a sighting, but the clown was gone upon our arrival.”

The original sighting was in Greenville, South Carolina, though there seem to have been fewer since then. “We have not received [any] reports in over a month,” said Master Deputy Ryan Flood, Public Information Officer for the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.

Many people have thought that this sudden rise in clown sightings had something to do with the upcoming remake of Stephen King’s It. Radford thinks differently. “I don’t think it’s a publicity stunt. It’s not good publicity,” referring to the worried people that see and hear about these clowns.

The fear of clowns is known as Coulrophobia. This particular phobia is rare, although many feel it is common. People usually feel uneasy around clowns as opposed to altogether scared, according to Radford. Being uneasy or uncomfortable around clowns usually comes from a bad experience as a child such as watching a scary clown movie.

Very few people grow into a fear of clowns.

The scare with the current clown phenomenon has to do with people not knowing who is behind the mask.

“You have an adult who is dressed as a clown, wearing a mask, who is wandering around, outside of the context in which we usually encounter clowns,” said Radford. “The clown is the ultimate stranger danger.”

Children see clowns as silly, happy beings at birthday parties, but adults see them as an unidentified individual.

“The mask provides anonymity. And therefore a lack of accountability. If you know who the person is or you can identify them, then you can hold them

accountable for their actions,” said Radford.

As Halloween approaches, some people may be getting nervous about others dressing up as clowns. Radford said that people shouldn’t worry, as these clowns are not harming anyone. The whole experience will die down soon and just be the “clown scare of 2016.”

“Children are in far greater danger on Halloween of being hit by a car crossing the street in costume then being attacked by some crazy person in a clown costume,” said Radford. “The research is very clear. The average child is in far greater danger of being killed or molested or harmed in any way by their parents or their caregiver, somebody they know, then somebody on the street.”

Radford further explained that if someone wanted to commit heinous crimes, they could do so without dressing up like a clown. Dressing up like a clown would be far more work and the person would be more likely to get caught.

Other police departments contacted didn’t have anything to say on the topic.

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Is Waterworks Park the perfect place to build a bike park?

Hyrra Chughtai Staff Writer In 2014, the Brant Cycling Club proposed an idea for a bike park in Brantford. The location remains an issue, however. Waterworks Park, near the Grand River, has been suggested and accepted, but not by everyone.

Kim Harrison and Lynda Stockton are advocates from Brantford that dedicate their time to communicating that it is not a good idea for the Bike Park to be set up in Waterworks.

They are part of a movement called the Brant Naturalist Association. They work alongside Katy Wilson and Bill LaSalle, who also help the spread the message.

“Our fear is that this proposal, because it was brought up this year, after they have planned for two years, is that … the meadow where the deer have their babies and feed them in the wintertime is going to be ripped up,” said Stockton.

The natural habitats aren’t the only thing worth preserving.

Some also say that Waterworks Park should be preserved as a heritage centre.

“The houses that were down there were war-time houses that were built down on the watershed. In that area there were a lot of factories, so when the men came back, they could work in the factories. It has a lot of history,” said Stockton.

Duncan Ross, the Brant Cycling Club’s president, and their vice president, Rick Weaver, who is the councilor of Ward 1 in Brantford, had started the project on Sept. 8, 2014. Since then, the location of the park had changed multiple times, but has now settled firmly on Waterworks Park.

“The sign said, ‘coming soon: come find out about Bike Skills,’ so we all assumed as users of the park that it was city hall putting on a meeting for people to talk about and have a consultation about the fact that they are making plans. As it turned out when we went to the meeting on July 1 [2016], there were some upset voices in the neighbourhood,” stated Harrison.

The Bike Skills Park is being produced for mountain bike enthusiasts, but is not entirely open or free to the public.

“There is a membership, it’s $60 for a membership and $40 for insurance. There is not one picture that shows youth; it’s all adults,” said Stockton. “They have been pushing the kids but from our perspective, it isn’t for family or kids, especially if you’re going to be charging a fee for a bicycle club membership.

Which parent is going to pay $100 for each of their children to go out and enjoy it?”

Aside from the cost and opportunity, there has also been an incident involving a bicyclist

on the trails, which impacts liability with Brantford. “We have evidence that an individual hurt himself on one of these bike parks … He is now a quadriplegic. It took him and his family eight years to get any compensation.” Stated Harrison.

“The mayor originally stated to us, I believe it was the meeting for us on [Sept.] 14, that there wouldn’t be any liability to the city,” said Harrison.

According to Harrison and Stockton, Waterworks Park was not the original space for the bike park, and the suggestion seemed to come out of nowhere.

“There were three parks initially. We had a confirmation, Earl Haig was one that we agreed upon at the Bike Skills

Task Force. We agreed that Earl Haig would be the best location because it’s sensible, [and] it’s accessible to the trans-Canada biking trail” said Kim Harrison.

When asked where she would like the bike park to be relocated.

Stockton said that she believes the ideal location for the bike park would be close to restaurants, washrooms, and parking.

On Oct. 18, there will be a protest at Brantford City Hall, 100 Wellington Square at 5 p.m.

“We would like to see community members of all ages get involved from Brantford and Six Nations, especially youth. In particular, we are hoping that students from Laurier Brantford and campus clubs join the cause, such as the Laurier Brantford

EcoHawks and the Laurier Student Animal Rights Committee (LSARC),” stated Victoria Readings, a Laurier Brantford Alumni.

Readings would like to see the overall goal of having the park relocated and moved to a more appropriate area, where no wildlife is disturbed.

“This development poses a threat to countless plant and animal species as well as the broader Brantford community.

The choice of location for this development is unacceptable and environmentally irresponsible. This peaceful protest is an opportunity to make our concerns known, to organize, and to have our voices heard by all stakeholders,” stated Readings.

effective strategy for engaging our communities in imagining new possibilities that link individual and structural determinants of health to strengthen and heal the relationships between our communities. As a lasting work of art, the mural serves a reminder that we live, work and study on the lands of the Haudenosaunee people. Those of us who are not Indigenous have a responsibility to the lands and to the people of this territory. The mural helps us to remember that social justice is the work we all need to do to begin to address the historical and contemporary injustices brought to these lands by colonization,” Oliver said in an email.

Dr. Kari Brozoski is an Asso-

ciate Professor of Health Studies and Health Administration at Laurier, and also a co-applicant and researcher in the program.

During these workshops, she looks at generational influences within Indigenous culture.

The mural painting allowed the youth to work together.

Youth attending the workshop worked with artists to create the mural.

Projects similar to the TAG help to repair the relationship between Indigenous and nonIndigenous peoples that have historically been weak. Although there are currently no future plans for murals to decorate the downtown, there are still many more workshops and much research to come.

Creating relationships through murals Mural located on Market Square Mall. Kathleen Binder /The Sputnik

Chritina Manocchio Editor-in-Chief The walls of the Market Square mall are looking more colourful with artistic murals covering them.

Groups of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth took part in Laurier’s Transformation Action Graffiti (TAG) project. This initiative is a part of Laurier’s strategic plan to strengthen their relationship with the Indigenous community. The initiates show that Laurier is serious about the Truth and Reconciliation Act

and is implementing certain recommendations within the act.

The youth worked with Escuela Mapuche artists from Chile to create the mural.

The idea was proposed by Bonnie Whitlow, an aboriginal student support co-ordinator who met the artists while visiting Six Nations. After seeing the work created by the artists, she thought it would be a positive addition to Brantford. “I’ve always seen the disparity and divide between our two communities, and it always bothered me,” said Whitlow.

The workshops are attended by about 40 people from ages 14 to 24, and focus on allowing non-Indigenous students to better understand the history of the

Indigenous community. The research is looking into the what the participants take away from the workshops, and evaluating the impact of perspectives, leadership and cultural pride.

“I proposed to Vanessa that could we use art to do a project with the youth,” said Whitlow.

“Have native and non-native youth come together and talk about what’s important to them, what friendship actually looks like, what healing the relationship looks like. [To] have them tell us their story.”

Vanessa Oliver is an Youth and Children’s Studies Assistant Professor, and is the Lead Researcher and Project Coordinator in TAG project.

“Arts-based methods are an

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THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016

FEATURES

DELLESIA NOAH | FEATURES@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

“My costume is not consent”

Dellesia Noah Features Editor With Halloween right around the corner, many students will be dressing up as their favourite characters this year. To paraphrase Cady from Mean Girls, Halloween is the one time of year where a person can be as provocatively dressed as they want and not be judged for it. You won’t find any judgement in this article either, but unfortunately provocative costumes come hand in hand with unsolicited, non-consensual, sexual advances. For some people, it’s only something they have to endure one night out of the year, but for others, they participate in an active community where it’s Halloween every day.

Meet Rae Luira, Summer Edwards, and Pearl Nguyen, three female cosplayers who have had their fair share of unsolicited sexual advances while cosplaying.

Luira is a student at the university of Toronto, She’s been cosplaying since she was 13 but didn’t get seriously into the performance art until 16. Luira made the decision to cosplay as male characters when she first started out and didn’t transition into female characters until later.

“When I was 16 I bared my midriff at events and people were really gross with me as compared to when I was a guy, nothing happened” Luira said.

That wouldn’t be the last time Luira had to endure sexist or pervasive comments or actions. At another event Luira came dressed

in a police outfit, “One guy interviewed me and asked ‘how much could I pay you to wear this out into the streets?’ insinuating that I was dressed like a prostitute. That was an uncomfortable moment.”

At another event Luira was ready to push the envelope a little more by playing characters with more sex appeal. A photographer had approached her online saying he wanted take pictures of Luira at a convention.

“During the shoot he pulled my skirt up, at the time I didn’t really think much of it...I learned later on that photographers should never touch models without asking,” Luira said, “He kept telling me my boobs look great.” The experience really put Luira off and she later found out that that same photographer has harassed other girls.

Edwards is a free-lance photographer, she started cosplaying when she was 19. In Edwards’ earlier stages of cosplaying she described her experiences as, not super bad, but it wasn’t until earlier this year when Edwards played Catwoman that things shifted.

“This guy approached me and asked ‘will you hit me with that whip? I’ve been a bad boy,’” Edwards said, “I was like oh god no.”

This occurrence sadly isn’t out of the ordinary for Edwards. Edwards constantly gets hit on the most because she doesn’t look like your “stereotypical Asian.” Edwards is bi-racial, half-Sottish, half-Filipino, with a curvier figure which, in her experience, makes her receive the most of these sexist comments.

People like to fetishize and strip away Edwards’ humanity, for no other reasons other than the fact that she is bi-racial and curvy.

Comments like these really taint the safe-space cosplayers have built

Cosplay creates a community where people get to geek out and be themselves. Photo courtesy of Rae Luira

for themselves.

Nguyen is also a student at OCAD university, she started cosplaying at 14 when she was introduced to it by a friend at her language school.

At the beginning of Nguyen’s cosplay experience, she would go for characters close to her age, who were cutesy and innocent in demeanour. Now Nguyen likes to play more “bad-ass” female characters. It wasn’t until Nguyen was 16 that she too also started to realize the hypersexualisation of cosplayers.

“I am now a little more conscious about modesty,” Nguyen said, “I

want people to be more attracted to the craftsmanship of the work.”

Nguyen said she experiences more fetishizing inside personal relationships with significant others than in the cosplaying community. “I don’t really tell my significant other that I’m into cosplay. As soon as I tell somebody that they like to turn into a sexual fantasy,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen recalled a previous relationship where her partner pushed her to bring her cosplaying into the bedroom, “I said no. I spent months working on this costume I wasn’t about to have him rip it off.”

Despite all these negative experiences, the one reason all these women still loved to participate in cosplay is that it allowed anyone whoever felt like an outsider to join a community where people could genuinely be themselves.

Gamer girls vs. the gaming world Jelena Vulić Staff Writer In an industry in which the consumers are split almost perfectly between men and women, one would think that the gaming world would make an effort to better appeal to both sides of its consumer demographic. In fact, a study conducted by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2014 concluded that women made up 52 per cent of all gamers.

Yet this significant demographic experiences a wide range of sexism, from the creation of a game to the experience of it.

The biggest complaint female gamers have about the industry stems from poor female character design. It’s hard enough that female characters are rarely protagonists compared to male characters. Add over-sexualized female characters into that equation, and the industry gets half of its consumers feeling outraged, if not uncomfortable.

Does that mean that games can simply fix this by avoiding female characters with unrealistic body proportions and skimpy outfits that don’t make sense? Not necessarily. Becky Mansfield, a second year Psychol-

ogy student, argues that misrepresentation can even go beyond sexy female characters. She stated that even if a game avoids over-sexualization, games tend to make female characters “really small,” “traditionally feminine,” and “almost childlike,” in order to clearly point out the difference between the larger male characters.

Scott Nicholson, Wilfrid Laurier’s professor for the Game Design and Development program, suggested that this occurred more often than not in digital games, more specifically AAA games, in which the work force was dominated by white males. “When you have people who are in positions of power, they want to bring along others like them, which creates that situation” said Dr. Nicholson. Dr. Nicholson elaborated on this by pointing out how digital games tended to mimic movies, which too often gives the simple narrative of a man saving the damsel in distress. This would also explain the rampant female oversexualization found too often in video games, as movies tend to do the same thing.

The issues don’t stop in the games themselves though. Another con-

Gaming industry needs to bring diversity into work force. Mike Rykov / The Sputnik

tributor to the sexism in the gaming industry seems to come from fellow gamers, as Dayna Rose, a first year Game Design and Development student points out. “It’s a little bit negative because they see women as not exactly capable of doing the same things.” She went on to explain how she even feels deterred from playing online multiplayer games, as well as first-person shooters. This was due to having past experiences of being attacked in online chat rooms, specifically because she was a female, as well as being intimidated by the idea that certain games were only meant

for the male gamers.

So how can this problem be solved? For companies, fixing this issue means taking the risk of trusting different people to do the job.

Bringing diversity into the workforce, just like any other industry , is key not only to bringing in new ideas, but also to making sure that the product can be bought by the maximum number of people by catering to the consumers’ wants and needs. As for consumers themselves, the simple answer would be to not buy the games that encourage the sexist culture. However, as

Dr. Nicholson reasons, this answer just isn’t realistic because people don’t buy games with the intent of marginalizing a group of people.

The better solution, in his opinion, would be to show support to gaming companies who create stronger female characters in their games.

The more these companies realize that people buy more games with stronger female characters, the more they will be encouraged to make such games.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016

THE SPUTNIK

7

FEATURES

DELLESIA NOAH| FEATURES@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Through the Time Capsule: The Man in the Middle of Victoria Park

Dellesia Noah Features Editor Joseph “Thayendangea” Brant is the name of the man whose form is erected in stone in Victoria Park.

Born in March of 1743 by the Cuyahoga River in what is now present day New York, Brant grew to be many things in his lifetime. He was a Mohawk militant, a political leader, and a converted Christian. But even with this information I couldn’t really tell you who Brant was. There are stories in favour of Brant and other stories that are against him.

At the time of his life, the place where Brant was based is considered the original homeland of the Haudesaunee people. “The Mohawks were keepers of the East because they were the most Eastern nation,” said Whitlow.

The Mohawk and four other nations were considered the five nations until they adopted the Tuscarora making it Six Nations that we know today. “They would adopt any nation as long

as they believed in the Great Peace, regardless of their nationality,” said Paula Whitlow, Museum Director at the Woodland Cultural Centre located at Six natons in Brantford. At the time, neither Canada or the United States existed, settlers were just arriving in regions and claiming land.

Brant was raised with more British influence than the rest of his Mohawk peers. Brant favoured Sir William Johnson, an official of the British empire and deemed the British agent to the indigenous peoples of that region, “He was basically like the Donald Trump of today, he owned a monopoly of land,” Whitlow said. British ideology of ownership did not align with the beliefs of the Haudesaunee which is: no one owns land, rather all live off the land.

When the American Revolution broke out, the Haudesaunee people agreed to remain neutral but because of Brant’s alliance with Johnson and the British, he convinced the Mohawk peoples and many others to fight in a war that, “wasn’t our fight,” as Whitlow described it. “That’s how us as Haudesaunee people ended up losing our land.” The objective was for them to maintain their sovereignty and their

homes, but It was a battle they ended up losing.

Brant made an agreement with Sir. Fredrick Haldimand to come to the Haldimand tract which is where Laurier Brantford is located today. The arrangement was for the Haudesaunee people to acquire six miles on either side of the Grand River as their new home.

“This is where a lot of people thought he was a traitor to his people,” said Whitlow. “He played the game.”

Brant began leasing land to non-indigenous people so that Six Nations would also earn an income. “This area was also chosen because we are surrounded by three great lakes, how ironic is that? The largest population in Canada today and they can’t even drink water from the tap,” Whitlow said. After the American Revolution the Mohawk along with their British alliances moved to the region that is now known as Brantford.

Brantford was named after Brant but he never really spent time in these parts. He advocated for the Mohawk chapel, the oldest structure in Ont., to be built, but otherwise he was mostly at his other home in Burlington. The home he had built here in Brantford was said to be

The statue that stands in Victoria Park. Kathleen Binder/ The Sputnik

quite magnificent, but it could never be found.

THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016

9

ARTS & CULTURE MATTHEW BURLEY| ARTS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Clerks: Brant Stero’s John O’Neill

Murder she wrote: Unsolved Brantford murder mysteries

Matthew Burley A and C Editor Brantford’s downtown is home to a wide variety of shops and small businesses. These businesses define Brantford, but what defines the businesses? This is the inspiration behind “Clerks”; getting to know those who know us so well. From our shoe size to our favourite item on the menu, these business owners make us feel more like family than customers. With that being said, let us shine the spotlight on John O’Neill, owner of Brant Stereo.

For those who don’t know, what is Brant Stereo and what are you guys all about?

It’s a consumer electronics retail store that’s been in the downtown core since 1973. I opened up on Oct. 6, 1973 which coincided with the first day of the Yom Kippur war, which led the Arab oil embargo, which led to a big recession. Not the most appetizing time to open up, but when you open up a business and you immediately enter a recession, that becomes your norm because you don’t know anything different.

So you guys have been around since 1973, what changes have you seen around Brantford since you opened the shop?

Well, when I opened up there wasn’t really a north end. The north end you see today didn’t exist. I was 21, so when I was in high school, the south side of Memorial Drive. existed, and the north side of Memorial Dr. was a cornfield all the way to St. George Road. That’s where the city ended basically. The downtown in particular, it suffered, I think, significant mismanagement from the city councils of 1979 to 1985. If you go onto Colborne Street today, you notice that they have extremely wide boulevards and sidewalks.

There’s really little in a way of parking available over there.

That was all a result of the bad planning by the city.

Brant Stereo is located near a number of campus buildings, and lots of students hear the music that comes from the shop. What made you want to start playing music on the street?

We’ve done that since 1973.

There was no one playing music on the streets and people liked it.

Have there ever been any complaints?

I’ve had two complaints. One fellow, who was a bit odd, said that I was being, “Satan’s surrogate,” by playing music on the street; I didn’t take him serious-

Brant Stereo owner enjoys tunes outside of his store. Mike Rykov/ The Sputnik

ly. I don’t know what band was playing. There’s a playlist going right now and it’s all on Spotify, it used to be on cassette at one point. When you put a playlist together you’ve got to take the songs with explicit lyrics out of the playlist. Tupac’s “California Love” is going to be the censored version. Another fellow, I believe he was someone with the university and that he was a part-time professor said the music was disturbing his mood or something (I didn’t quite understand where he was coming from) and I infringing his lifestyle. I was a little miffed by it, because I find it really funny since one of the most popular playlists that I play is the Beatles playlist. I’ve got students going by, literally it’s not unusual, to be singing along to a band that broke up 25 years before they were born; yet they know all the lyrics. We kind of giggle about that. Students come back that graduated eight or nine years ago for Homecoming, and they’ll come in. One person even calls it the “Beatles store.” Two people in 43 years to complain, I wish I was that popular with everything I do.

If you could have any piece of technology from the shop, what would it be and why?

Probably the new High-Res audio player from Sony. Most of these devices have audio systems, smartphones, etc. I mean, it’s a crappy audio system; the audio output, the soundboard sections inside phones are pretty chincy. So these devices from Sony, they cost about $1,200 but they sound like an extremely high end audio system and you can use them not just with headphones, but with the new network audio speakers that you can get. So you plug it into the wall, put it into your network and pull it up on your phone and away you go. But, if you use one of these High-Res audio players as your source, they all sound way better. Everything you use with that High-Res audio player sounds better. You take it, and

use it in your car stereo; sounds better. So, it’s a pretty top-dog product.

How do you feel about the growth of Laurier within Brantford?

As far as the university goes, it had a problem in 2006. 2006 was a watershed moment because at that point, there were a number of councillors that were openly saying that the city should not give the university any more money or support; that they should do it on their own. I disagreed with that. So what happened was I wrote a letter to the editor of the paper, essentially expressing my opposition to the concept and it was a danger, because there were three or four of them, and if you get a couple more they can do serious damage. If it gets enough votes, the worst idea will still pass. I spoke up about it, and then there was an issue with Harmony Square, and the developer knew my feelings and they were doing a grand opening for the square at the time; they had the mayor there and a few other people. So [the developer] came over and asked if I would like to come and speak. I looked at him and said, “You know what I think. You’ll know what I’ll say.” He wanted me to say it. So I made him a deal; I’ll make the speech but put me on last. No one is going to want to speak after I’m finished.

So he put me on second, and no one wanted to speak after me. It made a big front page story. After that, I had a number of people that donated money. I did a sign that pretty much said my opposition to the councillors. 2006 was an election year so I spoke up in opposition to some of the councillors. Leo (Groarke) took the picture of the sign and put it in his book. If you talk to him today, it turns out he has a picture of that sign in his office today. So do I support the university? Yeah Read the full story at thesputnik.ca

George Wong cutting the head off a chicken, in attempt to prove his innocence Photo courtesy of the Brantford Historical Society

Alex Vialette Staff Writer Though it might be a small and quiet town, Brantford has dark crimes and tragedies laying in the attic.

“What do you want me to tell you?” Said Nathan Etherington.

“Want me tell you a story?” Etherington is the Program Coordinator at the Brant Historical Society, based in downtown Brantford.

In the archive there are cases of bizarre and unsettling true crime cases, which make perfect reading leading up to All Hallows’ Eve. For those who do not know, Canada officially became a confederation on July 1, 1867. To mark the occasion, Brantford held a Confederation Day (Canada Day) celebration. One part of the celebrations was bringing in a tightrope walker to walk from the Commercial Hotel (which still stands across the street from Post House) to Market Square, which was the original city hall. Though everyone in town came to see the event, the tightrope walker vanished and was never heard from.

While he may have just skipped town, human remains were found in a tower when they tore down the old city hall. “So the local theory is that it was this guy from Confederation Day who was supposed to climb but he never crossed the rope,” said Etherington.

In the alleyway between the Commercial Hotel and St. Andrew’s Church there was an innkeeper named James Quirk. Late at night, one of the workers of the inn heard a man scream outside by the stable. After running outside, he found Quirk dead on the ground with major wounds to his head and blood everywhere. Either he had hit his head hard, or he had been brutally murdered. In

1902 when this happened, there was a theory that the last thing someone saw before dying was stored on the retina. To try and figure out what had happened, an autopsy was done where one of Quirk’s eyes was dissected to photograph the retina and identify the killer. Needless to say it came back inconclusive.

Lastly, in the 1930’s an American café used to stand in the gravel parking lot behind the SC Johnson building on Dalhousie Street.

The café was run by a Chinese family and had two immigrant workers, George Lim and Bob Wong. After getting in an argument over gambling debts, Wong wound up stabbing and murdering Lim in the kitchen of the café.

He fled the scene but was later found walking the road between Paris and Brantford by the police.

Wong pled not guilty, claiming he had attacked Lim in self defense.

Rather than swearing on a bible that he would tell truth, the trial followed a Chinese tradition that could be called almost occult by Western standards.

“The Chinese, their tradition for testifying was that they would have a chicken, and they would behead the chicken. They would swear on the blood of the chicken that they would tell the truth,” explained Etherington. The beheading can be seen in this photograph with Wong holding an axe, preparing to slaughter the chicken.

Wong was found guilty by the jury of murder and was sentenced to death, as capital punishment still existed in Canada at the time.

Wong was hung on Nov. 28, 1930, in the Brantford gallows on Nelson Street behind the jail.

These cases and a handful more are all part of the now discontinued “Murder and Mystery” walk done by the Brant Historical Society. More information on them can be found in the archive on Charlotte Street.

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THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016

SPORTS

DEVON MOMY-GAMACHE | SPORTS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Golden Hawks pitching disappears in playoffs

Devon Momy-Gamache Sports Editor After entering the playoffs with the best team ERA in the OUA, Laurier’s pitching was the team’s weakness.

In the double elimination tournament Laurier lost their last two games 21-17. In their last game Jake Tougas allowed six runs in only three innings. Five runs in the third ended the day for Tougas who was replaced in the fourth by Eric Seeves. Seeves allowed two runs in .2 innings pitched to ruin Laurier’s comeback attempt.

Laurier did attempt a come-

back in the bottom of the third scoring three runs to cut the deficit to 6-3. Playing a key role in the comeback was Jonathan Brouse. Brouse has been a star for Laurier all season and was named the OUA’s top hitter for the season.

The Golden Hawks rallied in seventh inning thanks to a pair of Home Runs from Callum Murphy and Adam Shaver back to back in the seventh. Trailing 9-6 in the eight Brouse would start another rally to cut the Guelph lead to one.

In the top of the ninth Kyle Symington allowed two runs to allow Guelph to build a three run lead. Symington entered the game only allowing two earned runs all season in 9.2 innings pitched, but allowed three runs over three innings in the last

game of the year for Laurier.

Laurier pitchers struggled all weekend including Christian Hauck. Hauck won OUA pitcher of the year in his first year after allowing only two runs in 27 innings pitched. In Laurier’s opening round win over Toronto Hauck allowed three earned, all in the first three innings, runs over six innings.

Laurier scored seven runs in the fourth inning in part because of two errors by Toronto. A 10-4 lead was all Laurier would need after four innings. The Golden Hawks held on to win 11-5 and set up a match with Waterloo.

Against Waterloo Andre Padmore recovered after allowing a run in the first. In the fourth with two outs Padmore ran into trouble and allowed seven straight runs without getting an out. The

bullpen Nick Cook pitched two shutout innings in relief as Laurier scored eight runs to tie the game heading into the seventh.

With Zach Lawrence taking over for Padmore Waterloo scored two runs to retake the lead with a Kyle Thalheimer Home Run. In the ninth with the bases loaded with one out Daniel Apostoli was up and got a sacrifice fly to reduce the Warriors lead to 10-9. Murphy stepped up to the plate with the game on the line but grounded into a double play. The loss put Laurier in danger of elimination heading into the Gryphons game.

The early elimination is a let down for Laurier based on their 15-3 record during the season in which they finished first in the OUA. Laurier was dominant on offence and defence. Laurier fin-

ished second in runs, although they lead the league with a team batting average of .308, OBP of .406 and SLG of .389 on the season. The offence was a team effort led by Brouse with the only other all-star being second baseman Jeff Hunt who made the second team.

The pitching staff led the conference with 46 earned runs on the season with 114 strikeouts.

The staff was led by a pair of allstars with Hauck and Symington being named to the first team.

The strength was the bullpen with five pitchers having an ERA under 1.93.

With Brouse and Hunt graduating the pitching staff will have to stay strong next year which shouldn’t be a problem with the top seven pitchers in ERA set to return.

Hawks blowout Gryphons in 5-1 victory Scott Maxwell Staff Writer The Laurier Golden Hawks got a big win last Friday, after dominating the Guelph Gryphons in a 5-1 win. The Hawks beat the Gryphons on Friday, Oct. 14, and are 2-0 at home to start the season. However, their 0-2 road record has them at 2-2 overall.

A couple of Hawks had big nights, as both Matt Franczyk and Christian Mroczkowski had three assist nights, while Derek Schoenmakers scored two goals.

Goaltender Christian Furlong stopped 31 of 32 shots in the win.

The game didn’t get off on the right foot for Laurier. Five minutes in Mark Raycroft gave

Guelph a 1-0 lead. However, the Golden Hawks responded well, as just four minutes later, Neil Aird tied the game at 1-1 with assists from Mac Clutsam and Franczyk. Only three minutes after that, Trevor Sauder gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead, with assists from Alex Annecchiarico and Mroczkowski.

The second period was even better for the Golden Hawks, as Schoenmakers scored his first goal at the 11:47 mark assisted by Mroczkowski and Franczyk to improve on Laurier’s lead. The Gryphons thought that they were going to get out of the period with just that, but with only 48 seconds left in the period, Luke Hietkamp scored (assist-

ed by Patrick Chore and Aird) to give the team a 4-1 lead, and more confidence going into the intermission.

The third period didn’t get much better for Guelph, as Schoenmakers scored his second with assists from Mroczkowsk and Franczyk, to put the game out of reach with a 5-1 lead.

Furlong stood on his head for the remainder of the period, as he stopped all 14 shots he faced to seal the deal for Laurier, giving them the 5-1 win.

This win came a week after their season opener in Toronto against the Ryerson Rams on Thursday, Oct. 6. The game saw the Rams take an early 2-0 lead. The Rams held this lead

throughout the game as the Golden Hawks would go on to lose the game 6-3. Schoenmakers was impressive, scoring two of the team’s three goals, but it was no match for the three point efforts from Brandon Devlin and Jamie Lewis. Furlong stopped 30 of 35 in the loss.

The team won their home opener on Saturday, Oct. 8, as they beat the York Lions by a score of 4-3, a game which saw the Hawks take a 4-0 lead before nearly blowing it. Andrew Fritsch and Danny Hanlon were both impressive in the win, as both of them had three points in the game. Furlong was solid as well, stopping 38 of 41 shots for his first victory of the season.

On Saturday, Oct. 15, the team had a rematch with York in Toronto, in hopes of sweeping the season series. However, York gave the Hawks a taste of their own medicine, as the Hawks lost 4-3. Fritsch and Hanlon proved that they liked to play against the Lions, as they both had two points, including a pair of goals from Hanlon. Chris Festarini stopped 34 of 38 shots in his first start of the regular season.

A big upcoming event for the men’s team is the annual Homecoming game for the Wilfrid Laurier campus in Brantford.

The game will be played at the Brantford Civic Centre on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. against the Waterloo Warriors.

Raptors on pace to be bridesmaids to Cleveland again

Adam Stocker Staff Writer The Toronto Raptors are coming off of their best season in franchise history. The team won a franchise record of 56 games and reached the Eastern Conference Finals, before losing to the eventual champions. The Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated them in six games.

The Raptors have a few questions coming into this season.

Can they improve on last season and reach the NBA finals, or have they peaked with the Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry core?

The answer to both of those questions will be determined by how successful the Raptors are

replacing key role players who left in the off-season when the NBA salary cap exploded.

Gone in the off-season are a trio of big men who played roles within the Raptors rotationLuis Scola will now be playing in Brooklyn and was the starting forward, before being phased out of the rotation during the playoffs. James Johnson is now with Miami after finding himself in the doghouse of Head Coach Dwayne Casey during both of his stints with the Raptors.

When Johnson found himself on the court he proved capable of playing both forward positions.

The big loss for the Raptors was the departure of Bismack Biyombo to Orlando for four years and $72 million. While Biyombo’s offensive game was limited to scoring in the paint, his rebounding and shot blocking presence will be difficult for the

team to replace.

Team President Masai Ujiri had a relatively quiet off-season after resigning DeRozan to a maximum contract extension.

While other teams went on a spending spree as soon as free agency began, Ujiri chose to wisely sit back and watch. The NBA saw a massive contract after many of the contract were signed. Role players such as Biyombo, who Ujiri signed the season prior for $3 million, saw his annual salary shoot up to $18 million. Biyombo was not an outliner; he was part of the trend this off-season.

Ujiri’s strategy was simple: let the other teams make mistakes dishing out long-term contracts that could be albatrosses within two seasons when the salary cap stabilizes. Ujiri was patient and it paid off. When the Boston Celtics signed free agent Al Horford

to a contract, they had to renounce the rights to restricted free agent Jared Sullinger and Ujiri jumped at the news. With the majority of NBA teams having already spent their newly found salary cap space Ujiri found himself in an advantageous position. Sullinger signed for one year and a third of the annual salary Biyombo received from Orlando.

While Sullinger represents a sizeable defensive downgrade from Biyombo, he does represent a sizeable offensive upgrade as well. In his lone season with the Raptors, Biyombo averaged 5.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 22 minutes a game. In his four years with Boston, Sullinger averaged at 24.9 minutes, 11.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, but just 0.6 blocks a game.

The Raptors nine man rota-

tion is good enough to win close to 50 games provided they stay healthy. But for the Raptors to match or exceed last season’s success, the Raptors need to find a contributor from one of the former first round picks, the team has stockpiled on the end of their bench.

Even if one of the Raptors provides unexpected production from one of their stockpiled first round picks, the team should be expected to meet the expectations last season. Barring any injuries to any star player within the Eastern Conference, the Raptors should finish second and again get eliminated by the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. For the full story look online at www.thesputnik.ca

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THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016

OPINION

JOSH ADESINA | OPINION@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS

Toronto transit, just take the car Avril De Silva Staff Writer Taking public transport in Toronto has never been the easiest. It is rather confusing in comparison to travelling on public transit in places like London, New York or even Amsterdam. Having a vehicle is close to being useless in cities like those. Although Toronto is a great place to visit and even live, aren’t we tired of its century old public transit? It’s about time we stopped using coins and tokens to get on the bus.

The UPX (Union Pearson Express) does make it convenient for passengers travelling from Pearson to Union station, but what about passengers traveling to Oakville, Markham or Scarborough? It is pricier to travel by taxi and obviously cheaper to take the train. We ought not to rely on taxis to be getting around the city.

One problem that is obvious in the development of Toronto transit is the people the government listens to. The voice of the youth must be factored in. It doesn’t look like they have been considered with the TTC fares rising, leaving kids with fewer options and a heftier price.

Fortunately, the Toronto Youth Cabinet are creating a platform for kids to have their thoughts heard, according to MetroNews. The platform will include surveys and allow for feedback.

This is something the city needs more of to keep efficient development of its transit on track.

Toronto loves being compared to big cities like New York, Paris and even Hong Kong. However, when it comes to public transit it ranks even below Montreal.

It is very inefficient for commuters from out of the GTA to travel without a rush. Also, TTC

fares are pricy in comparison to other public transport systems around the world. This is quite strange when, ironically, it is one of the most inefficient public transport systems.

The Presto card is something that was supposed to help Torontonians get through transit quicker. Unfortunately, according to the Star, 5 to 6 percent of Presto devices on streetcars have been malfunctioning.

These types of issues need to be taken care of immediately. However, the good news is that tokens, tickets and passes will not be needed anymore by 2017, according to Star. It’s about time!

This is why the United Kingdom’s transit has done so well.

An oyster card will allow you to use buses, trains and streetcars with ease. This is another key reason why the TTC has been quite sloppy over the years.

Another reason why the TTC has been stagnant is because of the Canadian transportation company, Bombardier. According to the Globe and Mail, Bombardier has been slacking big time with producing prototypes of new TTC vehicles to be tested. Ontario is growing tired of this and will be reaching out to other companies for help.

This explains why we still ride on buses that move like horse wagons.

On a typical business day, Union station is no walk in the park. The TTC is the most advanced public transport system in Toronto and many people rely on it on a daily basis. Either the TTC should have a solid back up plan or another company should intervene and improve its mess. Many other cities do not bicker but they build.

Canadians are tired and deserve a transit system that functions properly.

At this point who knows when Torontos transit will improve, Laura Groza/ The Sputnik

Be careful who you idolize

Ricky Pacheco Staff Writer The news of social media sensation, Kim Kardashian’s robbery, has been a steady source of controversy in the recent news.

It is always unfortunate to hear about someone getting victimized, and the news of Kim having lost $11 million worth of jewelry during a Paris heist quickly came to be the number one reported news story on social media. The story has sparked outrage among the general public as the seemingly topical news made major networks like CNN. In all the excitement of being informed on popular culture, we forget to recognize that these stories similar to Kardashian’s

are a common occurrence in everyday life. Not only that, but in only acknowledging the misfortunes of the rich while remaining aloof to the reality of injustices occurred to the disenfranchised, we promote a culture which incubates disparities between the privileged and the non-privileged.

Let us also not forget that Kardashian has an outrageously large amount of followers on social media. I can’t assume who they are, but it wouldn’t be necessarily wrong of me to think majority of them are young girls. A lot of younger females idolize Kardashian for her physical appearance and wealth.

Young girls all over the world follow her and want to grow up to be just like her; they want to ride around in luxury cars with expensive jewellery.

But we have just seen what can happen to a celebrity who

reveals their wealth too much. I am not saying it is because she is a female, I am saying that carelessly flaunting your wealth can make you a vulnerable target.

It is sad that this happened to Kardashian, as she is allowed to enjoy her hard earned riches.

However, she should consider the people that are idolizing her, and not set the wrong example for them.

Furthermore, consider the initial reaction of society when Colin Kaepernick and Gabby Douglas had made news on the world stage. ESPN reported at the time that the crowd had decided to boo as their first reaction to the athlete’s advocacy. In addition, independent.com recalls how Douglas was publicly criticized for forgetting to touch her shoulder during the national anthem at the Rio Olympics.

We must also be careful who we pick as our idols.

Mike Colter doesn’t owe you an apology

Josh Adesina Opinion Editor You would think by now that people would be fine with television shows having a bit more diversity. Wrong. Some of you are you going to read this and think, “Here we go again.” You don’t have to own up to it, but diversity is something that is necessary everywhere, especially in entertainment. Unfortunately, many people in 2016 do not agree with this. Ask Mike Coulter what I’m talking about, that is, unless he is too black for you.

Netflix just recently released a new series based on Marvel’s: Luke Cage. American Actor, Mike Colter is the man that stars as Luke Cage himself.

Based on the critiques I have heard about the show, it has already become a fan favourite.

Most of my friends have personally recommended it to me as well (shout out to the ‘Netflix and chill’ crew).

For those that know nothing about Luke Cage, it was originally a comic book character and was one of the first AfricanAmerican fictional superheroes, according to Comicvine.

Although several viewers are enjoying the new show, there have been comments made on the internet about Luke Cage being “too black,” according to the Huffington Post.

Too black? What about the shows like Seinfeld and Friends

that have little to no diversity?

I don’t recall people making hateful comments about these shows. How about the Gods of Egypt movie that was based on Egyptian Gods? None of the lead actors accurately represented the characters of whom they were playing. It is quite farfetched when you think about it because Egypt is a Middle-East-

Horowitz, said that British actor, Idris Elba whom most of us are familiar with, was “too street” to play James Bond, according to the Guardian. You can be the judge as to whether or not this comment was racist. However, all actors should have the opportunity to play lead roles. Even when they differ from the norm of a straight

Actors like Mike Colter and Idros Elba deserve lead roles like any other actor, Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik

ern country.

Furthermore, another reason why these complaints about Luke Cage are pathetic is because it is based in Harlem which was, and still is, a predominately black populated borough in New York. Should we complain about that too?

It is easy to dismiss this issue and pay no mind to whether actors should accurately represent who they are playing. However, the wrong message is being sent to the masses when we don’t see diversity in entertainment.

Movie and production companies ought to make sure that actors fit the roles they are playing.

Another instance similar to this was when British author and screenwriter, Anthony

Caucasian male.

A lot of people tune in to television to watch the latest movies and shows. Some of us are aspiring actors and want to see ourselves directly on the television screen. Diversity should not only be encouraged in movies but on campuses as well. As students, we should continue to encourage diversity around us. Don’t you want to see a diverse faculty in your lecture halls? Furthermore, we should be allowed to see a reflection of ourselves in the entertainment industry. If you or anyone has a problem with that, I’m sure Colter and Elba wouldn’t mind having a word with you.