Issue 8 - November 19, 2014

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Wednesday, November 19, 2014 - Issue 8 // www.thesputnik.ca

News 2 On Campus 4 Features 6 Arts & Culture 8 Sports 10 Opinion 12

Partnership with Laurier likely page 3

New reports show Brantford’s living wage far above minimum wage page 2

Brantford ruling makes history page 3

Where will you be next year? page 6

Your flu shot excuses are stupid page 12

Brantfords Farmers’ Market Open year round . Friday 7am - 5pm . Saturday 7am - 2pm Laurier Students get 10% discount Located close to Laurier downtown campus & residences . 79 Icomm Drive

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The Sputnik

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

News Taylor Berzins | news@thesputnik.ca | @sputnik_news

New report sets living wage in Brantford at $14.85/hour

Davis Vallesi Staff A report completed by the Brant County Health Unit has calculated that the living wage in Brantford is $14.85/hour.

The report was released on Nov. 4 by the Brant Brantford Roundtable on Poverty, to coincide with Living Wage Week being observed across Canada from Nov. 2-8. The study was developed using the Canadian Living Wage Framework, as well as the living wage calculator developed by Hugh Mackenzie and the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives.

The report calculates the livable hourly wage (at 37.5 hours per week), for four different family types in Brantford: a single person, a single parent with one child, a single parent with two children, and two parents with two children. The living wage of $14.85 is then derived from the average of these four calculations.

According to the Roundtable’s press release, “The living wage is an hourly rate of pay that provides a household with sufficient income to cover the basic costs of daily living which includes amongst other things: housing, food, clothing, and transportation, while also allowing for participation in the community.”

The purpose of the report was to determine the wage that would allow families to cover basic needs as well as achieve a

New report sets the living wage in Brantford at $14.85/hour. Ontario’s minimum wage is currently $11/hour. (Photo by Cody Hoffman) reasonable quality of life, including items such as a membership to the YMCA and a monthly family dinner. Some noteworthy expenses not included in the report are home ownership, cell phones, or debt repayments such as student loans.

An important principle highlighted is the difference between the living wage and minimum wage. Currently at $11.00/hour, Ontario’s minimum wage is deemed an insufficient wage to live on, according to the report. Although the majority of poverty scholars agree that the minimum wage is insufficient, debate will always remain regarding the methods that should be used to determine a living wage.

Canada, for instance, does not have an official system for defining poverty or finding a living wage. There are multiple methods used by Statistics Canada for

Interested in a Bachelor of Education?

measuring poverty, such as the market basket measure or low income cut offs. It can be difficult to decide on a uniform living wage, due to the fact that people are very diverse and have diverse needs.

Marc Laferriere was a former co-founder of the Brant Brantford Roundtable on Poverty and once served as a national director for the organization Canada Without Poverty. In discussing the report, he highlighted the complexity of poverty and contextualized the different arguments that can be made surrounding the living wage.

“One the things you have to look at is if you’re making $11.00/hour or $14.85/hour and you’re a student who lives at home, who is sixteen, this is really good money.

But what has happened is a lot of those service jobs are no longer being filled by students in summer jobs. They are being filled by 55 year olds or 25 year olds who are finding themselves excluded from things that previous generations used to be able to participate in, like home ownership,” Laferriere stated.

“It’s interesting, I posted this on my Facebook page, asking could you live off $14.85/hour? And some people were like, yeah I do but barely, and most people on my page were actually saying they think it should be higher. And yet, there are many

Brantford to celebrate 40th Santa Claus Parade

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who think it should actually be much lower; but that’s around opinion,” he added.

Sherry Lewis, manager of community programs at Brantford Native Housing, provided her opinion on the idea of someone supporting themselves on minimum wage.

“I think that it’s definitely a challenge,” Lewis stated. “I don’t think you could live independently and be comfortable on minimum wage. I find people who are working minimum wage jobs usually have one or two of those, or they’re communal living with roommates to try and reduce expenses. It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly a struggle; if you’re living on minimum wage then you’re accessing other anti-poverty programs in the city, such as food banks.”

Rien VandenEnden serves as the executive director for the Out of the Cold emergency shelter program, caring for the poor in Brantford. When asked if the minimum wage is sufficient, his opinion was clear.

“The minimum wage definitely isn’t and the living wage isn’t either, if it doesn’t come along with benefits and things like that,” he stated.

VandenEnden also pointed out that many of the individuals working at minimum wage do not receive full time hours, making it very difficult to afford basic necessities such as food and housing.

Laferriere raised a similar point in speaking about the rise in part time, temporary work. He stated, “So we’re replacing full time, permanent, benefited jobs, with temporary, low wage, precarious jobs and you’re finding 55 year olds competing with their 25 year old kids for these temp jobs. What future are we looking forward to here?”

Laferriere believes that both corporations and government should be accountable for this problem, and have a role to play in improving the situation.

“I think you’re going to have to see an increase in wages, but you’re also going to have to see the government make choices: choices around affordability, choices around regulation of gas prices, choices around whether they allow or disallow the infiltration of temporary work services and choices around things such as affordable child care.”

JCI is celebrating its 40th anniversary of the Santa Claus Parade in Brantford.

The parade will take place as it does every year on Nov. 29, the last Saturday of the month.

According to Jessica Collins, acting president of JCI Brantford, the main goal of the Santa Claus Parade is to kick off the festive season in the community.

“There is no feeling like the one you get when you see the looks on children’s faces as they watch the parade and wait to get a glimpse of Santa, it truly embodies what the parade is all about,” said Collins.

Entrants in the parade have the opportunity to choose any of the themes used in any previous Santa Claus Pa-

rade from its entire history. Collins says she expects to see a lot of creative ideas on display this year.

JCI has been running the Santa Claus Parade since the beginning and this year we are celebrating 40 years of Christmas.

JCI will be in charge of the float carrying Santa Claus through the parade.

“This great event couldn’t happen without all of the amazing volunteers that brave the cold year after year,” said Collins.

JCI Canada, Leadership and Training for Young Professionals is a group dedicated to creating positive changes in their communities, most known in Brantford for organizing the Santa Claus Parade each year for the past 40 years.

JCI Canada also provides training opportunities to its members not just at the local level, but also at national and international levels. “With hundreds of chapters all over the world, there are also many travelling opportunities that members can take advantage of,” said Collins.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

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News Taylor Berzins | news@thesputnik.ca | @sputnik_news

Court ruling: ‘Aboriginal right’ to choose treatment EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Layla Bozich eic@thesputnik.ca PHOTO EDITOR Cody Hoffman photography@thesputnik.ca ART EDITOR Neha Sekhon visual@thesputnik.ca WEB EDITOR Dylan Kellendonk web@thesputnik.ca COPY EDITORS Roberto Belardi Dana Tenn-Miller SECTION EDITORS Taylor Berzins - News Josh Adesina - On Campus Karly Rath - Features Dillon Giancola - Arts & Culture Kyle Morrison - Sports Brittany Bennett - Opinion CONTRIBUTORS Anthony Fusco Julian Panchaud Nadine Saba Miles Smith Davis Vallesi Melissa Weaver WLUSP BRANTFORD 202-171 Colborne St. Brantford, ON N3T 2C9 (519) 756-8228 ext, 5948

MANAGER OF OPERATIONS Nathanael Lewis nathanael.lewis@wlusp.com

PRESIDENT Dani Saad (519) 884-0710 ext. 3565 dani.saad@wlusp.com ADVERTISING Tammy Rowe (519) 884-0719 ext. 3560 trowe@wlu.ca The Sputnik is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ontpress.com or call 416-340-1981.

Taylor Berzins News Editor On Friday Nov. 14, a judge at a Brantford court ruled that the family of an 11-year old aboriginal girl has the right to determine how to proceed with her leukemia treatment.

The losing side huddled together after the verdict was read, talking in hushed tones and the family rejoiced, cried and called their loved ones.

The dispute began this past August when the mother of the 11-year old girl (neither can be fully named due to a publicity ban) withdrew her daughter from chemotherapy at McMaster Children’s Hospital. McMaster’s prognosis was that the girl would live for six months to a year without chemotherapy, and that there was a 90-95 per cent likelihood of being cured if the girl pursued chemotherapy.

Concerned for the girl’s wellbeing, the Hamilton hospital urged Brant Family and Children’s Services to investigate. When the FACS refused, the hospital launched a legal application to have FACS take over care of the girl in order to continue her chemotherapy, rather than allowing her the option of withdrawing from chemo and pursuing traditional treatment.

The final ruling of Ontario Justice Gethin Edward means that the family has garnered the right to pursue any treatment they feel to be best for the girl, in particular traditional medicine over chemotherapy.

Justice Edward is a familiar name when it comes to aboriginal rights. Judge Edward headed an initiative that opened Brantford’s Gladue Court, or Aboriginal persons’ court, earlier this year. Gladue Court is a court system in which adult aboriginal offenders can be linked to aboriginal based services through sentencing that promotes indigenous community based rehabilitation. During the initiative to bring a Gladue system to Brantford’s courts, Justice Edward spoke to Laurier Brantford Criminology students during the faculty’s 2013 lecture series on ““The Role Of Gladue in the Court Room”.

MAKAYLA SAULT: Earlier this year, after an inquiry launched by McMaster Children’s Hospital, Brant’s FACS investigated the conditions in which another Six Nations girl, Makayla Sault, withdrew from her chemotherapy while being treated for leukemia.

A press release by the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nations states, “Brant Child and Family Services fulfilled its obligations under the Child and Family Services Act, and conducted an investigation. The agency concluded that Saults were a loving, capable, responsible and diligent family, and that Makayla and her parents were not only legally entitled to make decisions regarding her care, but had made a difficult but reasonable decision concerning that care.

According to the New Credit First Nations press release, while enduring chemotherapy for 11 weeks, Sault experienced many sideeffects including, “Septic infections, organ damage (which is likely permanent), severe weight loss, vomiting, mouth sores, curvature of the spine, dangerously high levels of toxicity, and devastating pain, nausea and exhaustion.”

Sault’s family withdrew the girl from chemotherapy in order to pursue a more alternative type of natural medicine that was more consistent with traditional aboriginal medicine. Florida’s Hippocrates Health Institute, an establishment run by a licensed nutrition counselor, is servicing Sault’s treatment. Hippocrates is licensed in Florida as a “massage establishment”, but its website boasts a “Comprehensive Cancer Wellness Program”. The establishment’s mantra is “let food be thy medicine”, and they offer cancer patients treatment which includes, “a broad range of Regeneration Medicine Treatments, Specific Refined MindBody Interventions for Getting Well and or Staying Well, OndaMed BioFeedback Sessions for Stabilizing the Emotional Energy Field, Personalized Stress Management, and Nutritional Protocols to Maximize Recovery.”

Sault began to relapse this month. Christian musician Adam Crabb posted a call to prayer on Facebook on Nov. 6, citing that Makayla had only 24 hours left to live, “Please pray for the Sault family. Their only giving this gal 24 hours to live...But I know we serve a big God! She needs A miracle. Pray Pray!!!

Her name is Makayla.”

A float in honour of Makayla appeared in the Six Nations Christmas Parade on Nov. 15, and her father Kenny Sault posted to Facebook that Makayla is “alive and well”.

The family of the girl, after fundraising

to raise the $18,000 needed for treatment in Florida, is also using Hippocrates as an alternative to chemotherapy. While speaking to CBC, the girl’s mother explained that Hippocrates is not indigenous, however its services are “complementary” to the indigenous medicine the girl is currently taking.

THE NOVEMBER 14 DECISION: Justice Edward’s groundbreaking decision on Nov. 14, was made without the mother or her daughter stepping foot into the Brantford court, and efficacy of the medical treatments of Hippocrates wasn’t focused on in court.

In delivering his verdict, Justice Edward stated, “[The mother]’s decision to pursue traditional medicine for [her daughter] is her Aboriginal right. Further, such a right cannot be qualified as a right only if it is proven to work by employing the western medical paradigm. To do so would be to leave open the opportunity to perpetually erode aboriginal rights.”

“Our communities have two girls and families directly affected by this decision.

Both families are loving, diligent, and conscientious in the care they provide for their daughters, and in the decisions they make concerning their medical care. Both have elected to discontinue chemotherapy, and are relying, instead, on traditional medicines.

Forcing a First Nations child to undergo unwanted, mainstream medical treatment is an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the child, our cultures, and our nations. Had our children been forced into treatment, it would have had a disastrous effect on their emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being.” said Six Nations Council and Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation in a statement release on Nov. 14.

“The Court affirmed that our use of traditional medicines was integral to our cultures, historically and today. The Court recognized that our right to use our medicines is not subject to the approval of western medical practitioners.”

In response to the final decision, McMaster hospital released a statement saying, “Our motivation has always been and remains that this child receives life-saving medical treatment in a timely manner. The judgment today acknowledged that the process we chose was appropriate. We have always supported this family’s decision to use traditional aboriginal healing practices in conjunction with conventional medical treatment. We remain committed to support this child’s treatment with compassion and respect.”

1,500-year-old artifacts found at future YMCA site Davis Vallesi Staff

An archaeological assessment has led to the discovery of ancient artifacts at the construction site of the Laurier-YMCA The Sputnik is an editorially independent Athletic Complex. The site is located south newspaper published by of Colborne Street between the Grand River Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications Hall building and the city parkade, with (WLUSP) news of the discoveries surfacing Oct. 31.

WLUSP Head Office The findings have stalled construction of 205 Regina Street the complex as archaeologists are currently Waterloo, Ontario analyzing the area, and continue to discover N2J 3C5 new artifacts. The investigation of the site is being conducted by Archaeological Research The Sputnik is a proud member of the Canadian Associates Ltd., in conjunction with the University Press (CUP) Haudenosaunee Development Institute, the Opinions expressed in The Sputnik are those of the Six Nations Elected Council and the Missisauthor and do not necessarily reflect the Editorial saugas of the New Credit First Nation. staff, The Sputnik, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Among the findings are chert flakes, Inc. which are a material used to make tools, as well as various fragments of pottery and FRONT PAGE PHOTO CREDITS dishes. Experts believe that some of these Main: Cody Hoffman cultural materials may date as far back as AD Left: Cody Hoffman 500, while others are from the nineteenth cenCentre: Cody Hoffman tury.

Right: Cody Hoffman Dr. Gary Warrick, a Laurier Brantford professor, has a master’s degree in archaeology and formerly worked as a Regional Archeologist with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Although not directly involved with the investigation, Warrick has been following the developments closely and states this is the

Artifacts were found at future YMCA site. (Photo by Cody Hoffman) most significant archaeological discovery he has seen in Brantford, during his fourteen years teaching at Laurier.

Warrick estimates the archaeological investigation will continue into December, with construction resuming immediately after its completion. The YMCA expect a delay

of similar length, allotting two years for construction to be completed and sticking to an opening date of 2017.

Brian Rosborough, Senior Executive Officer at Laurier Brantford, is handling the matter seriously nonetheless. “Ensuring that the archeological site is managed properly and that we are undertaking appropriate community engagement and stewardship activities is a priority for Laurier and the YMCA,” Rosborough stated.

Bryan Webber, Vice President of Financial Development for the YMCA of Hamilton/ Burlington/Brantford had similar sentiments, stating, “The archeological process is an important step in developing a facility that will enhance the health and wellness centre and we’re pleased this process creates an opportunity to contribute to the understanding of the historical richness that characterizes this region.”

The target membership for the LaurierYMCA Athletic Complex is approximately 7,000 members, and the YMCA is currently considering the operation of a Youth Centre in the facility. The complex is intended to attract both students and members of the community; the YMCA’s website states, “The Recreation and Athletic Centre will play a significant role in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Brantford.” Through the partnership, Laurier and the YMCA are hoping to offer a facility that exceeds what either side could have produced independently.

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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

On Campus Josh Adesina | oncampus@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikoncampus

Annual career fair for criminology and law students a success

Josh Adesina On Campus Editor The annual career fair for criminology and law students took place on Nov. 14 in the RCW lobby. The event allowed students to touch base with professionals, learn about career opportunities and gather information about different organizations that can employ students after graduation.

Jennifer Hicks, a career consultant at Laurier Brantford’s career centre, was the head organizer of the event.

Hicks has organized several career fairs in the past and was able to make sure the appropriate individuals were in attendance. “We basically start planning the event in the summertime. I have an invite list so I can start calling organizations and make sure my list is up to date,” said Hicks.

Some of the professionals in attendance were employed by the RCMP,

Criminology and law students were able to speak with professionals about future careers at the career fair. (Photo by Marissa White)

Canadian Border Service, social service agencies and the military – according to the website Laurier Brantford’s Career Development centre.

The event was run between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and allowed for students to talk to senior employees, police officers and representatives about career information.

Criminology and law students in

search of voluntary work ought to utilize their time and network with different organizations to see what interests them. It is important for students to be informed about opportunities that will prepare them for work after graduation. Although the skills that are developed in the classroom are essential, recruiters will keep an eye out for those who have some kind of ex-

perience in their fields. Hicks was able to give advice to criminology students looking for experience. “I encourage every student to think about the area they are most interested in. The criminology and law areas are very broad and there are so many options. Volunteer work is a great way that you can gain experience while you’re still a student, along with being strategic with your summer jobs.”

Oliver Tawadrous, a third-year Criminology student that attended the event, spoke about his thoughts.

“I’m still not sure about what to do towards graduation but I feel like this fair helped a lot.”

Lastly, Hicks was able to speak about voluntary positions available to students. “A lot of the organizations will have summer positions – particularly the government. A lot of them do the postings for that really early, around January and February. The earlier you start searching, the better chance you have of securing those jobs.”

Don’t forget to check out Laurier Brantford’s Career Development centre for more information about criminology and its career opportunities.

Unlocking the mysteries of networking with LSA

Melissa Weaver Staff The Leadership Student Association (LSA), in partnership with Gen-

Next, raised $725.02 at their networking event on Wednesday, November 12 for Brant United Way. The event which was hosted by Amin Ali and moderated by Shawn Allen ended up being a successful first event for LSA. The speakers included: Kevin Magee, a network security professional, Sherri Bocchini, CEO of the Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation, Meaghan Bowler, a District Branch Manager at CIBC, Sarah Disher-Neddow, owner of Dairee Delite and Marc Laferriere, a professor at Mohawk Col-

lege and co-owner of The Brant Advocate.

The speakers discussed the process of networking from; attending the event, breaking the ice, the follow-up tips for young people seeking employment and connecting with professionals in various fields. One of the tips emphasized by Bowler and Laferriere was to ‘treat networking like dating’ by focusing on first impressions and being personable and genuine.

Sikander Panag, creator of the event, came up with the idea last year after

distributing a survey to leadership students asking what they would like to change. Confidence and communication were two popular subjects. The purpose of the event was to not only to educate students on the importance of networking in business but also in our personal lives. “We are always told about the importance of networking but there isn’t a class on it,” Panag explained. We need friendships for our personal lives, and we need networking for our business endeavours.

Award-winning author Arno Kopecky speaks at Laurier Brantford Laurier Brantford welcomed Arno Kopecky, author of The Oil Man and the Sea and winner of the 2014 Edna Staebler award for a brief Q&A session on Thursday, Nov. 13. Kopecky was interviewed in the DAL building by Professor Bruce Gillespie, and was able to share details about his new book.

Kopecky resides in Vancouver and is an environmental journalist that has written for several publications such as the Globe and Mail, Foreign Policy and The Walrus. Over the last few years, Kopecky’s work has involved researching about subjects such as free trade agreements and how oil projects have affected indigenous communities. The book Oil man and the Sea was about the Northern Gateway Pipeline’s that have been built between Alberta and British Columbia. During the interview with Bruce Gillespie, Kopecky spoke about a variety of subjects such as; the groundwork behind his newest book, his experience sailing towards the Great Bear Rainforest and the importance of reaching out to the communities living there. “Northern Gateway was in the news pretty much every day at the time. The people who

were talking and writing about it – most of them were from Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. There were very few voices that came from the Great Bear Rainforest. It seemed like there was a void in how this issue was being discussed and treated in the news.”

In addition, Kopecky shared details about the difficulty of journeying towards the Great Bear Rainforest.

“There was not a single road in the Great Bear Rainforest. The only way to get there was is if you had a boat,” said Kopecky. It was the fortune of Kopecky’s friend purchasing a boat that gave him the opportunity to sail and cover the story. “At the end of 2011, a good friend of mine who happens to be a photographer, bought a 41-foot sailboat. It was a dream of his, and he found a good deal and bought it. We thought about checking out the Great Bear Rainforest because there was a huge story unfolding there,” continued Kopecky.

Kopecky was also able to give advice to the younger generation of aspiring reporters and authors – being an established author and journalist,

himself. This advice can benefit all students in pursuit of a journalistic career.

“Be creative with your funding. You probably won’t get enough money to live on with your first or second book contract. Don’t try to have a book be the very first thing you publish. I did a lot of years of traditional journalism for newspapers and magazines.” Kopecky continued and touched on his idea of a traditional way to create a book. “You can collect a bunch of big features, and those features together can become a book. That is the most traditional way of doing it – your book is the final combination of a number of articles.”

Lastly, Brian Kloet, a Criminology student shared his thoughts on the event. “I’m writing a research paper about the Northern Gateway Pipeline. I wanted to know what he found out when he was there. What he said about the indigenous people I found interesting.”

You can purchase The Oil Man and the Sea at Amazon.com or at the university bookstore.

Edna Staebler award-winning author Arno Kopecky (Photo courtesy of www.arnokopecky. com)

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

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On Campus Josh Adesina | oncampus@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikoncampus

Laurier students install Before I Die wall in RCW

Karly Rath Features Editor On Thursday, Nov. 13, the Before I Die wall was officially introduced to the Laurier community.

Below the yellow and purple title of “Before I die…”, there is a chalkboard for students to share their dreams anonymously. The phrase “Before I die I want to” (written in English, French, Mohawk, Spanish, Dutch and Italian) is followed by blank lines for anyone passing by to fill out.

The four students who made the wall in the RCW lobby, Nicole de Soysa, Anisha Sivasankaran, Chelsea Dawson and Kayla Doucette, had the honour of being the first to share their dreams. “[Writing on the wall] makes me proud,” de Soysa said. She hopes that this project encourages people to “stop and think” about their dreams and aspirations.

She adds that seeing everyone bustling around the wall smiling feels rewarding. After all of their hard work, the creators were thrilled at the lineups that formed to write on the wall.

“It’s so crazy to see everyone writing on it today,” Doucette said.

Some of the aspirations shared on the wall include “Climb Mount Kilimanjaro”, “Say sorry to Ian”, “Save a life” and “Marry my high school sweetheart”.

“Whether it’s a big dream or small dream, they are all dreams,” de Soysa said.

The lines quickly filled up and so

Jeff Cheeves, 66, is a first-year criminology student at Laurier Brantford who wants to graduate before he dies. (Photo by Cody Hoffman)

the writing has spilled onto all areas of the wall. After taking pictures to document the covered wall, it will be erased periodically to give a chance for others to write or draw on it too.

First-year criminology student Jeff Cheeves, 66, wrote that before he dies he wants to “graduate from Laurier”.

Retired, Cheeves has decided to “keep his mind fresh” and enjoys attending class and doing the homework, despite the challenge of essay writing.

His son, a Nipissing University graduate, is presently teaching overseas in China. He told his father, “When you graduate, I’m coming home.”

This project was a collaborative project between four students from the course Representing Canadian Iden-

Sex in the Dark promotes sexual conversation on campus Melissa Weaver Staff University is a time to explore not only your interests and career paths, but also a time to explore new relationships and sexualities. Residence Life and the Wellness Centre promote safe sex by having condoms readily available at all times. First-year students are targeted as Ben Chester, an Expositor Don said, “Safe sex is important in all years - especially first years. This is the first time many students are living independently in an environment where they are free to act as they wish. Residence Life and the Wellness Centre help to encourage, inform and supply the needs to be safe and practice safe sex.” Shaun McCracken, Residence Life Area Coordinator also added that, “The program was built to target a first-year audience that is going through a major transition in their life by coming to university.”

Sex in the Dark is an event that has now been running for four years.

The event was coordinated by Residence Life and held at the Expositor on Wednesday, November 5th. McCracken explained that the main objectives were, “to allow students an opportunity to anonymously ask or answer questions

regarding sex or relationships and discuss LGBTQ, to promote Safer Sex Awareness, along with the importance of consent and to provide students with information regarding Laurier services such as the Wellness Centre and Brant County Health Unit.”

The group was separated into males and females. They then anonymously sent in their questions via text, whilst the opposite sex would respond to them. While some students took the event seriously, others did not and it affected the outcome of the event for others. “I feel that it should have been directed differently so that even the people who weren’t mature enough for this could see the essence of it. Sending an anonymous text is mixing something serious with something people are used to on a daily basis. Showing that our generation can’t talk to each other face-to-face with this issue is part of the problem,“ suggested Emilie Audet, a frustrated participant. McCracken noted that “There are important efforts occurring through the work of many departments and our Wellness Centre for safer education. It is a continuous process and I look forward to promoting it.”

tities, CT285, Professor Ian MacRae, Teaching Assistant Amber Richardson and Local Artist Irena Zenewych.

Prof. MacRae chose to bring this community-based project to his students so that they could learn outside of the classroom and break down the usual hierarchies. He said that the process has been rewarding for everyone involved. “[This project] is about fostering good vibes like the one you feel right now,” he said.

Along the bottom of the wall, there is a landscape of Canada coast to coast, painted by the four students, collectively. Dawson says this was an effort to illustrate how the aspirations represent Canada. An important aspect of the Ca-

nadian identity is closely related to international ties.

Sivasankaran hopes that the inclusion of six languages, which were chosen using a survey, helps people think about diversity and community-building.

“I hope LEAF students write on it too, regardless of language,” she said.

There are more than 525 of these walls spread across 70 countries around the globe, written in 35 languages.

The Before I Die wall, sponsored by the Faculty of Liberal Arts, will remain up for at least four months, though there is a chance it will become a permanent part of Laurier Brantford.

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The Sputnik

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Features Karly Rath | features@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikfeatures

At this point in the year, students must start making decisions about where they will be next year. (Photo by Cody Hoffman)

Where do you see yourself next year?

Nadine Saba Staff

Believe it or not, fall semester is coming to an end. For many students, this means it is time to start planning where to go next year.

We have compiled some tips based on the opportunities and resources available to you so that you can point yourself in the right direction.

Job Searching

House Hunting

Further Education

Employment Consultant Jennifer Hicks at Laurier Brantford’s Career Services located in the SC Johnson building, said all graduating students are a part of the Graduating Student Employment Service (GSES).

“We work with employers, and the employers start their recruiting as early as September so they will do the interview process and hold the job for you until you [graduate].”

Anne Muniandy, a fourth-year criminology student, works at a law firm as an assistant to the law clerk. She said her goal for next year is to secure another job at another law firm to branch out. “A lot of people complain that they don’t have the prior knowledge or experience to walk into a job [interview] and get hired,” said Muniandy.

“The best way to do it is to volunteer and to branch out to different employers.”

Many students worry about a lack of work experience on their resume, but academics, volunteer experience and extracurricular activities are beneficial to include.

Hicks said, “The resumé is about highlighting your best skills for the job you are applying to, so you want to have a targeted resumé for every application.”

Laura Bassett, Associate Vice President of Laurier Brantford’s University Affairs, said the Student Rights Advisory Committee advises students on both their academic rights and landlord-tenant rights.

“We do lease reading, so if students are nervous about signing their first least and don’t know what to look for, we [help],” Bassett said. “If they’re having a hard time getting in contact with [landlords] we can help them write letters, we can help them fill out paperwork for the landlord tenant board.”

Frances Liang, a first-year student, began looking for off-campus residence in late October. She said it is easy to find places to live but it is necessary for students to visit potential homes and talking to landlords before settling on a place.

Liang advises students to “start early and make sure you know who you want to live with for the rest of your university career.”

The house hunting process can be worrying. Liang said, “I have my heart set out on [a place] but I’m scared it’s not going to happen so you [must] always have a backup plan.”

Going back to school is an option for many graduating students, whether they want to pursue a master’s degree, postgraduate certificate or diploma programs at college or even try an apprenticeship.

Nicole Rodrigues, a youth and children’s studies student in her fourth year, hopes to attend teacher’s college. She said she was always interested in education but after completing placements as part of her program, she found her passion in teaching.

Rodrigues recommends attending open houses of potential schools. She attended the University of Toronto’s open house for the Masters of Education program where she spoke to both faculty and students.

“Actual students [told us] what it’s like and how to get in or how to better prepare your application to apply … things professors or recruiters wouldn’t tell us.”

Top tips: Keep an eye out for weekly emails from the GSES that are sent out with new information. Visit the Career Planning website at http://navigator. wlu.ca/career/student/planning.htm to book appointments to narrow down your interests, skills and goals to determine your options.

Hicks hosts a workshop on preparing students for job fairs, which will run before the next job fair. The fair will take place in Waterloo on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2015, and Brantford students can take a bus to the event.

Top tips: Check out the booth in the RCW Lobby on Nov. 19 and 20 for more information on your tenant rights like what to look for or avoid in a lease. There will also be a House Hunting 101 session on Nov. 24. Search trusted websites like www. places4students.com to get in touch with landlords. If you are interested in upperyear residence, contact the Residence Life Office at brantfordresidence@wlu.ca.

Top tips: Make sure you read the program descriptions carefully before you apply to a school, keep track of application deadlines and know what to include in your application such as a letter of intent and reference letters.

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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

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Features Karly Rath | features@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikfeatures

The life-altering decision of organ donation

Karly Rath Features Editor When deciding whether you want to donate your organs after you die, many questions can arise.

Can I still move onto my afterlife if I’m not whole? Are my organs actually going to be useable? Can I pick what organs I want to keep? Should I give my body to science?

Third-year Laurier student Cinthya Fernandes struggles to even contemplate these questions as it means facing the fact she will one day die.

“There’s going to be an internal struggle for quite some time yet.”

According to The Gift of Life Network, in 2013/2014, 25 per cent of eligible Ontarians are registered to donate. Brantford’s current registration rate is above the provincial average, sitting at 32 per cent.

Cara Humeniuk, 19, advocates for people to register as on organ donor by hosting and volunteering with Give the Gift of Life events to raise awareness and by sharing her knowledge with the people around her.

“I have friends who have had kidney, pancreas and liver transplants and [I have seen] how their life has changed,” she said.

“A lot of the time, people don’t realize how important organ donation is until they are somehow affected by it.”

“I think the biggest myth about organ donation is that doctors won’t work as hard to keep you alive if you have registered your consent,” Humeniuk said. Certainly, this is untrue as doctors will do their jobs to save their lives regardless of if you are a donor or not.

Registered donor Lynn Nguyen, 21,

Brantford’s current registration rate is above the provincial average (Art by Neha Sekhon) studies science at University of Waterloo.

She immediately signed up to donate her body for both transplant and science but has since changed her mind.

In her anatomy class, she dissected a cat carcass and learned a lot about the body during the process. Even though she was not being disrespectful, she saw it as a body to learn from and not an animal. She recalls how difficult it was to cut through the skin

and shared that, in her experience, “You don’t think, ‘This used to be alive.’”

Fernandes brings up another concern with donating to research: you are not quite sure how your body will be used. She mentions the fear that her body would be put on display at Body Worlds, the educational exhibit of real human corpses.

In contrast, registered donor Ilona Andersen, 23, believes donating to research is

ing all this info from you,” Pelone says.

“It’s a complete invasion of privacy.”

De is quick to point out that this is an extreme in customized marketing. His company, which has done work for clients such as TD Bank and Wilfrid Laurier University, offers customized marketing but on a less individualized scale. Stryve Digital Marketing only uses Facebook’s demographic and geographic information. Although Facebook can use statuses, ‘likes’ and other activity for its targeting, this information is not available to advertising agencies.

Facebook was in hot water earlier this year for conducting a psychological experiment on hundreds of thousands of users by manipulating their newsfeeds to be more negatively emotional than they truly were.

This may not be used for marketing but this incident demonstrates the power that digital companies have, and do, exercise.

Customized marketing varies depending on the medium, company and consumer. It can be as simple as placing the consumer’s name right into the advertisement.

Stryve’s customized marketing looks at online behaviour like “what people are looking for, where they are looking for it, what type of search terms they’re putting in, how often they search for something” to make strategic decisions. Their target audience’s behaviour can allow them to choose what social media platform to use, for instance. They also use statistical probabilities like if a particular gender clicks on a different ad than another.

“It doesn’t really matter what an individual is doing, to a marketer. We want to

understand how many people are doing it,” De said.

Although there are negative effects, customized marketing can also improve people’s advertising experience. Instead of wasting time, perhaps these ads are genuinely useful.

“The benefit to the consumer… is that you really only get to see the ads that interest you,” De said.

Chris Gabriel, 19, likes that his advertisements are tailored to his interests. He says that the video game ads he sees regularly keep him up-to-date. But Gabriel is not

potentially even better than transplantation.

“It contributes to understanding, whereas if it’s just helping one person, then it’s not even for sure going to take. Whereas if it’s for science, there’s a pretty good chance it’s going to help at least somebody.”

Nguyen has no doubt that donating her body to science would result in more than “just a lesson”, it would contribute to medical knowledge on how to save lives in the future, such as in surgery.

Although Nguyen wants to change her registration to exclude science, she still will give her organs for transplant despite her parents’ wishes. Their Buddhist beliefs mean that Nguyen will be unable to continue to her afterlife if her body is not whole.

But Nguyen is not religious and she believes since it is her body, it is her choice.

Some have a concern that they will be unable to have an open casket funeral if their organs are donated. But, for example, skin is not harvested from the face.

Many do not realize that simply signing your donor card is not helpful if it is unavailable when needed. Donors must sign up online at beadonor.ca or in person at ServiceOntario, in order for your consent to register through your health card.

When you register, there is an option available to exclude particular organs: Kidneys, eyes, liver, skin, heart, lungs, bone and pancreas. So, if you have reservations about certain organs, you could still consent to donate the others. Nguyen, like many, is most hesitant about donating her eyes because it feels more “personal” and “creepy”. “[Your eyes] are attached to your identity,” she said.

Beadonor.ca states that one donor can save up to eight lives and help up to 75 others with their organs and tissue. As of Sept.

30, 2014, 1,558 Ontarians need an organ transplant.

“You give the gift of life to patients waiting for a life-saving or life-enhancing transplant,” Humeniuk said. “If you had the chance to save or change someone’s life, wouldn’t you?”

Using your online behaviour for customized marketing Karly Rath Features Editor In perhaps the most Big Brother-like marketing incident that has ever hit the media, a large department store determined a girl was pregnant before her father did.

Data analysts working for Target discovered that women who later signed up for a baby registry had similar purchasing habits while pregnant, such as an influx of unscented lotion. Target was able to correlate these statistics with other women and if they matched, they estimated that she was expecting and would proceed to send her baby-related advertisements.

Target, aptly named in this case, did just that. A father was furious that his daughter was receiving personalized maternity ads and called to complain since she was quite young. But soon he called back to apologize, since he found out that she was indeed expecting.

Incidents this intense may not be common but what some describe as ‘creepy’ marketing happens all of the time.

“I’ll look up Las Vegas flights on Expedia, then log onto Facebook and they’re advertising the exact flights I was searching,” Laurier student Christina Pelone says.

Laurier alumni Sourov De, co-founder of Stryve Digital Marketing, says that this marketing strategy is called retargeting. De explains how “the product literally follows you around the internet”.

“What happens is that browsers can track your cookies and understand your browser history,” he said.

“It’s scary to think that they’re collect-

always pleased with these targeted ads.

“They can get pretty annoying from time to time, especially if they repeat themselves and all you get is the same ad,” he said.

Customized marketing is a new field that is continually growing as technology progresses. Like many business tactics, it can be both positive and negative depending on the circumstance.

Next time you are online and see an ad pop up, think about why they want you to see it.

Companies turn your online behaviour into data used to market their advertisements in a more effective manner. (Photo by Christina Manocchio)

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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Arts & Culture Dillon Giancola | arts@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikarts

Comedian Gerry Dee to perform at Sanderson Centre this week

Dillon Giancola Arts & Culture Editor Comedian and every-man Gerry Dee is coming to our city to perform his stand up at the Sanderson Centre on Friday, November 21. I had the chance to speak with him this week about the new season of Mr. D, Brantford and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

You just played Fredericton and are soon playing North Bay and Brantford. What’s it like playing the smaller cities?

It’s no different. I don’t find any difference in the size of the city other than there might be more people in the bigger cities. We get great support in the smaller cities. The tendency might be for other people to skip them but we like doing them and they do well for us.

Yeah, if you live here you are always excited when people take the time to come. What comes to your mind when you think of Brantford?

The first thing everyone thinks of

Gretzky; the two are synonymous. I also think a little bit of David Hearn because I have a golf background. But yeah, the Sanderson Centre has been a very supportive venue for comedy, andthere is Phil Hartman’s background with that theatre, and his life and comedy and that is celebrated there as well. It’s nice to be able to do it and I think it is my second or third time there. I haven’t been there for two years. It’s such a great venue.

Yeah I just saw Jeremy Hotz there last month.

Yeah, he’s a very funny guy.

So season 4 of Mr. D starts soon right?

Yeah, January 20th.

Is that what you have for work right now mostly?

Yeah we are editing the show. I am doing the tour dates ,so between that and family. This is a little bit of downtime because I am probably doing only four or five dates a month, so there’s a lot of family time and getting ready for the holiday season and stuff.

And Mr. D is a big part of my time. We just finished shooting and we were always hopeful that we’d get another season but you never know.

What can we expect from the new season? Is it the best one yet?

Gerry Dee is performing at the Sanderson Centre on Friday, Nov. 21. (Photo courtesy of Gerry Dee)

Yeah, I think it is the best one yet.

A lot of the characters really took off; we added a couple new characters to the cast. There’s some funny storylines and everybody stepped up their game.

Let’s talk some sports. I know you’re a big fan. Who do you watch?

I generally watch the Leafs, Raptors and Jays. I’m a big Toronto sports fan so I try to stay on top of that. When I have shows I don’t get to watch the games. But I’ve been a lifelong fan of all the Toronto sports teams, because I’m born and raised here.

What are your thoughts on the Leafs so far?

I think the NHL is a lot tighter than it used to be, so an eighthseeded team can win the Stanley cup. We’ve seen that. So the goal for Toronto is to make the playoffs and see what happens. We had that epic fail here two years ago when they lost to Boston and blew that lead, who knows what would have happened. I think they are firing on all cylinders lately; it seems to go up and down with them.

So hopefully they have a long run of some success. And the Raptors are just a real presence in the NBA right now which is exciting.

Who makes Gerry Dee laugh? What comedians or shows do you like to watch?

I grew up laughing at John Candy, he was the big guy for me. The SCTV gang was funny and SNL. I probably have 5 or 6 sitcoms that always make me laugh. The Office, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Cheers, it’s generally that kind of tone that I enjoy.

Is there any new material or topics that you explore on this tour?

Yeah there’s some new stuff. I generally talk about my life and what’s happened since I’ve been there last.

You know we have a great comedian out there right now, a guy named Graham Chittenden who’s from Brantford, and he’s going to open for me.

I assume he’s one of the better things to come out of Brantford comedy-wise in some time. So that will be exciting, him being in his home town. He opens for me on a lot of my tour dates. The people will get a treat to catch him as well.

So some students here have seen you before, but for those that haven’t and are reading this interview, why should they go check out your show?

What can they expect?

I think if they’ve seen the Mr. D show, they might want to see where that all started. It started with the stand-up and my life as a teacher. It’s generally for everybody, I don’t address a lot of topics that are too crazy, and it’s generally things that we all relate to. If they like Mr. D they might think it’s interesting to check this out too.

Yeah I first got into you from watching The Score.

Yeah that was a lot of fun. I liked doing that.

Well thanks for taking the time talking to The Sputnik. Good luck on the tour.

Thank you.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

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Arts & Culture Dillon Giancola | arts@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikarts

Brantford author Joan Minnery releases new book

Miles Smith Staff Local Brantford activist Joan Minnery released her first book entitled Walking My Way Back To Me this week.

Minnery hosted a book-signing at St. Mary’s Hall on November 3, offering copies of her book and the viewing of her memorabilia.

This is the first book release for Minnery, who details the transformation of her body - and by extension her soul. The book, being in production for close to four years, has come to be a huge inspiration for all of Minnery’s many friends and family. The book signing later had an intermission in which Minnery herself led an impromptu class of Zumba.

“My ultimate goal is to tell my story,” said Minnery. “There is a lot of misconceptions that people have out there about people who are overweight, and I wanted to dispel that.”

Minnery’s story details how she herself shed over 150 lbs through her own method: “Put Down the Fork and Get Moving”. Minnery’s theory

Joan Minnery, with her son B.J. and Miles Smith at her book release party. (Photo courtesy of Heather Cardle)

is simple: eating right and exercising regularly. This means eating from all food groups three times a day and ultimately eating home cooked meals.

Although she praises the “Put Down the Fork and Get Moving” method, Minnery makes it clear throughout her book that although this method worked for her, it may not have the same life-changing results for everyone.

Being a writer is just the newest identity that Minnery has gained, al-

ready being a Zumba and dance instructor, a professional entertainer, a journalist, a blogger, a health advocate, a professional speaker, a music instructor, a health advisor and a mother to boot. “She’s always where she should be,” said Lisa Hendon, Minnery’s daughter-in-law. Needless to say, Minnery is a huge part of the Brantford community, reaching out to all walks of life. “She’s always putting herself out there,” said Pam Humpartzoomian, a close family friend to

Minnery. “You can’t go anywhere and mention her name without someone knowing her.”

Minnery has been a huge influence on the community due to her numerous ways of outreach. She seeks to change each person “from the outside in”, providing an exterior change to stimulate an interior change. Always positive and a self-described pint sized Energizer bunny, Joan Minnery proves to be motivated to make positive impacts in whatever way possible.

Minnery draws much inspiration from her family, both her son B.J. Minnery, who wrote the foreward, and her life partner Keith Curley. Curley and Minnery shared their first kiss on the third of November. “I met him during my weight loss journey,” said Minnery “Nov. 3 is very prominent and very pertinent to me.”

Curley has motivated Minnery throughout her journey, providing her support. Nov. 3 is also the assigned night for the Zumba class that she teaches. “I began taking Zumba classes, then teaching Zumba classes, then got a little addicted to fitness.” said Minnery. “It has rekindled my love for fitness.”

Walking My Way Back To Me is not available from bookstores, but instead can be ordered from joanminnery.com.

It is available in both an e-book format, and in a soft cover, which is available for $20.

Lights, camera, action: Murdoch Mysteries returns to Brantford Miles Smith Staff Carriages and horses filled the streets of Brantford last week as Murdoch Mysteries set up a shoot on Darling St. The shoot involved dressing up Laurier’s own Carnegie building to look like a 1890s Toronto courthouse.

The shooting took up the majority of the day, providing the chance for onlookers to come and watch the shooting process. In breaks between shots, the stars would wander around Brantford, often going in costume for a bite to eat in the nearby vicinity.

“I love [the filming], I watch them on TV all the time.” said Beverly Bar-

rett, a local onlooker, “They should make more, there is a lot of beautiful old buildings up here.”

Public response has been overwhelmingly positive, attracting quite a few people to stop for a minute and see what their town could have looked like 100 years ago. There was no friction between the filming and the public, with the general crowd hushed as not to disturb anything. The stars of the show, though ultimately focused on their job, gave warm smiles and waves to the onlookers. However, no autograph sessions were put into place.

This is the second time in two years that the show has come to Brantford,

Murdoch Mysteries was being filmed near the Carnegie building. (Photo by Cody Hoffman)

often dressing up Brantford’s preserved historical buildings. This is not Brantford’s first, or last film debut however, with Silent Hill having previously been filmed in Brantford.

For those who may not follow the show, Murdoch Mysteries follows a young police inspector in 1890s Toronto by the name of William Murdoch.

Murdoch uses cutting edge science such as fingerprinting and trace evidence to solve some of the city’s most gruesome murders. The show also features Murdoch’s forensics team, including Dr. Julia Ogden and Constable George Crabtree.

The protagonist, William Murdoch, is played by Yannick Bisson, while the

supporting cast of Dr. Julia Ogden and Constable George Crabtree are played

by Helene Joy and Jonny Harris respectively.

Murdoch Mysteries airs on CBC Mondays at 8 p.m.

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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Sports Kyle Morrison | sports@thesputnik.ca | @sputniksports

Laurier Brantford’s extramural volleyball team is ready to win

Anthony Fusco Staff Ahead of their tournament on November 28, I talked with co-captains of the extramural volleyball team Brian Kloet and Lindsay Goudie. Both have been longtime volleyball players who continued to play the sport once they arrived at university. For Kloet, it’s his fourth year on the team and Goudie is currently in her second.

They both had similar experiences that got them into volleyball “I loved volleyball and played it all four years in high school. When I got to university I wanted to continue and play more,” Kloet said.

Goudie, who is currently in the middle of her first year as captain, was asked what responsibilities she deals with in regards to the team and how it’s run. “We organize the practices, make sure everyone shows up for the games on time as well as getting everyone to the various matches.”

Kloet added, “We are essentially the coaches of the team. But, we aren’t

The co-ed extramural volleyball team opens their season on November 28 at Centennial College hoping to improve on last year’s results and bring home a first place finish. (Photo courtesy of Laurier Brantford Athletics & Recreation)

above anybody else. We’re still just normal players and both of us know that.”

“There aren’t a whole lot of differences between this year’s team and last year’s team,” said Kloet. “We only lost a couple players and we have a few new faces, who are first years that came out. The team is bigger this

year, we definitely have more people,” Goudie concluded.

The squad will be travelling to Centennial College to take on a few teams that they are very familiar with when they enter their first tournament next Friday. “Centennial, George Brown, Lakeshore and Humber North and a couple other schools are planning on

the first one you hear about. It was played between the former Soviet Union and Canada. The Canadians came into the series expecting to fight and hit the Russian team into submission with ease.

They were in for a surprise when the Russians wanted no part of their fighting style. Instead, they decided to use their skill to cut through the Canadian ranks and make the series highly competitive. The Canadians won the Summit Series in the end, but their style of play was forever changed.

They realized that you don’t need to fight to be able to win.

A professional hockey player only has a small window for his career. If you are lucky, you can break into the league as an 18 or 19-year-old rookie and play until the ripe old age of 35.

There are a few notable examples of players who continue playing into their early 40s, but those are the exceptions. As a player you have a very small window to make your money and play the game you love.

Why would you jeopardize your chances by potentially getting hurt for a long stretch, or even worse, having an injury end your career? Nick Kypreos, now a hockey analyst for Sportsnet, is a prime example. He fought his way into the league, displaying a lot more grit than skill.

He made his living as an enforcer and that was what ultimately ended his career. He got knocked out in a fight by Ryan VandenBussche of the New York Rangers during a pre-season game. His head hit the ice and his career was over in the blink of an eye.

Blake Ralston, one of the assistant captains of Laurier Brantford’s extramural hockey team, weighs in on whether fighting has a place in hockey or not. “I believe fighting is always going to be a part of the game, and has been since hockey started. But, I feel like staged fights do not belong.”

Ralston further explained, “There’s a difference between staged fights and spur of the moment fights.

For a staged fight, all the players do is go out there, fight and then sit on the bench. But spur of the moment fights are good for the game. They are usually not done by an enforcer whose only job is to fight. They definitely bring a lot more depth and excitement to the game.”

I believe that Ralston is right.

Staged fights in hockey have no place in the game today. I’ll take it a step further by saying that one dimension-

showing up as well,” said Kloet.

The captains have high expectations for this tournament. “A top two finish would be ideal. Actually, we’re going to win. We play to win and that’s we hope to do,” Goudie and Kloet said.

In order for the team to win this year a few things need to go right.

Goudie made no buts about it. “We need to play as a team, have good communication and work a unit – not as a bunch of separate players who each do their own thing,” she said.

The team had a good season last year, finishing second in one tournament and third in another. They also play in a Monday night league and won it last year.

Kloet gets right to the point when asked about his personal goal this season. Simply put, “My goal is to win a tournament,” he said. Goudie took a different route and said, “It’s my first year as captain and I want to work on my leadership skills.”

Both captains know they have their work cut out for them. The college teams are going to pose a challenge and the new members need to be taught to play the same system.

Despite this, both Kloet and Goudie are ready for whatever comes their way. They believe in their team and are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to have a successful year.

Should fighting be eliminated from hockey?

Anthony Fusco Staff Whether you have played the game, are a hardcore fan or simply watch the game casually, every person knows about the fighting debate.

The debate rages day and night over whether fighting should be removed from the sport of hockey. There are tried and true arguments on both sides of the debate, so let’s take a look.

People who are against fighting in hockey have some strong arguments to make. A common theme is that fighting takes away from the true skill of the game and doesn’t do anything to benefit it overall. There are a couple solid arguments to prove this.

The 1972 Summit Series is usually

al enforcer type players do not deserve to earn a spot in an NHL line-up.

There’s also the issue of superstars fighting. Connor McDavid, considered by many to be the next NHL phenom, was recently involved in a fight during an OHL game between the Erie Otters and Mississauga Steelheads. The end result saw McDavid break a bone in his hand and potentially lose his roster spot playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.

McDavid has been a target for a long time; I understand why he decided to drop the gloves. But a player like that shouldn’t have to fight. Get a teammate to stick up for him. He’s much more valuable on the ice scoring than he is sitting in the sin bin. Fans want to see McDavid play, not be in the box, or worse, on the injured list.

When two players are competing hard and the tempers flare, or one teammate stands up for another, it’s perfectly acceptable. Fighting is a staple in hockey and it isn’t going to go away anytime soon; it’s a matter of keeping it clean and protecting the superstars.

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Sports Kyle Morrison | sports@thesputnik.ca | @sputniksports

Tough showing at UTM for men’s extramural basketball team

Kyle Morrison Sports Editor Laurier’s men’s extramural basketball team travelled to the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus this past Friday and left with little to show for it. After losing their two round robin games, they beat the University of Toronto Scarborough to reach the consolation finals, but got blown out by a final score of 54-26.

The team opened the tournament with a game against host team UTM and looked good in the first half.

At one point leading 23-13, the Golden Hawks led 33-30 after the 20-minute first half. But things changed drastically in the second half for the team, which ultimately was the tale of the tournament. The team played well and the skill is there, but they are not yet able to close out games.

UTM dropped 24 points on Laurier in the second half, highlighted by a 10-2 run to end the game en route to a 57-45 victory. Markeil Barnaby kept things close down the stretch, sinking one of two free throws to cut the deficit to four points with under three minutes to play, but that’s as close as the team would get.

Playing their second game back-to-back against Humber Lakeshore, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Laurier come out a bit sluggish to start. However the Golden Hawks came out hot, shooting a high percentage in the first half. Their midrange shooting was especially effective from centre Taran Hoogsteen, who had 13 points.

But once again, things fell apart in the second half. Hoogsteen and the Golden Hawks jumped out to a 29-24 lead, but finished on the opposite end of a 47-41 score. After two games, Laurier had been outscored 47-27 in the second half.

Co-captain Chuck Collins felt that not having their coach was a major

Co-captain Chuck Collins and the men’s extramural basketball team had a rough tournament at UTM, finishing with a 1-3 record and a 54-26 consolation final loss to Niagara College. (Photo by Kyle Morrison)

contributor to these second half collapses. One thing he would’ve been able to do is manage the substitutions better. “The main guys were coming in and getting us the lead, but then they were coming out a bit too quick,” Collins said.

And something Collins always stresses is composure, which was lacking in the round robin games. “We can’t get a 10-point lead … and think we’ve won the game,” Collins explained.

Fastbreak points allowed were also a problem. On too many occasions five guys would be going for offensive rebounds instead of hanging back in the event of an outlet pass from the opponent. This comes back to being composed and knowing your role on both sides of the court, Collins said. Overall the co-captain didn’t feel the defense played poorly, however. He’s confident that in a half-court set, they can handle themselves.

This was evident in the team’s third game in the consolation semifinals against UTSC. The Golden Hawks limited Scarborough to 20 points in

the first half and moved the ball well – over half the team finished with five points or more scored. When the final buzzer sounded, the Golden Hawks earned their first victory of the season, 61-49.

But the win came at a cost as both Collins and small forward, Gatluak Kong left with bouts of cramping.

The two combined for 29 points in the semifinal victory but weren’t able to start in the consolation final against the Niagara Knights.

It was a dreadful start for the purple and gold; the Knights scored the first 25 points of the game and that was a hole Laurier simply could not find their way out of. They kept it even in the second half, not allowing Niagara to increase their first half lead, but the game was well out of reach.

“You can’t have me and Kong pulling out with cramps because we aren’t getting enough rest. We have to have confidence and take care of our bodies,” Collins said.

With this in mind, Co-captain Alex Packer told Collins and the team the

importance of resting up this week before their next tournament on November 28. The productivity of a healthy Kong and Collins is important if Laurier wants to improve their showing at Humber College.

Although the results weren’t there, Collins knows the Humber tournament is going to be better because everything they went through at UTM was a learning experience for the team.

“This is our first tournament, we saw this kind of coming because it’s the first time we’ve all been playing together,” Collins said. “We’re happy all the bad habits are out of the way now so players know what to expect – so this won’t happen in future tournaments.”

“After [the way we lost] the boys are hungry for our next tournament. We all kept our heads up, I’m so proud of my teammates,” Collins said. “There’s certain times when you need losses [like the one against Niagara] so you can look back and see who you really are.” And Golden Hawks fans will find out exactly that next Friday at Humber College.

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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Opinion Brittany Bennett | opinion@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikopinion

If they can be a bully, we can be a tattle-tale

Brittany Bennett Opinion Editor What do you picture when you hear the word bully? I guess the image is going to differ between each individual and their personal experiences.

I personally see a young, insecure individual that lacks attention in some area of their life. I was so ignorant to even consider the concept of an adult bully until I myself, became the victim of some.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour includes the word bullying under their definition of workplace harassment, and it is mandatory for employers to set out a policy in respect to this issue. According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, a public service employee survey found that 29 per cent of employees reported to have been a victim of workplace harassment within the past two years in 2011. To me, that is a substantial amount of people to have felt emotionally uncomfortable in a place where they have to continue to return day after day.

Following the results of this public service survey, a new policy called the

Policy on Harassment Prevention and Resolution came into place the next year. Although the correlation is not directly stated, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat does state this in the introduction to the public service survey. Obviously somebody saw this 29 per cent as too large of a number.

I would have been of that percentage during my time at a summer job that one of my family members introduced me to. It seemed like the perfect summer job: good pay, full-time plus lots of over-time, and I even had a ride there and back every day. But, that soon changed.

I guess I would have to say the bullying started quite early on, for one of the employees at least. It was as simple as ignoring my existence. Ever been trained by someone who literally does not talk to you the entire time? It is possible.

This girl in specific was fairly popular in our area, she made connections with the team leaders and managers, and was fairly well protected from any form of discipline on the matter.

It wasn’t long until her group followed suit and things progressed.

They would send me bad parts, stare and give dirty looks, talk to one another and laugh in my direction; literally the shit you see in high school drama movies. One even became a team leader during my first weeks.

She refused to cover my washroom breaks and managed to put me in a circumstance that I soon found out no

one had ever been through, and resulted in two painful hand injuries.

I had the pleasure of enduring these circumstances over and over again 45 to 50 hours a week. I was stuck, I didn’t want to say anything because that was my family member’s career. So I moved on and continued to dread my life for the summer. It was exhausting, more exhausting than the long hours of physical work, more exhausting than my hand injuries, just straight out strenuous.

The idea that 29 per cent of federal workers may have been enduring this same feeling in 2011 makes my stomach sick. It is not easy coming forward, especially if your bully is in a place of protection and you are in quite the opposite. But also because that just sounds silly, an adult bully. It saddens me that these people have boring enough lives that it comes down to this pathetic form of control. But it is even worse that some people out there are putting up with this for years, while I only had a few short months.

My biggest regret was not coming forward, because now all I can think of is the future victims at the hands of these bullies.

Don’t make the same mistake that I did, because tattle-telling was just a word made up by that grade school bully anyways.

“The idea that 29 per cent of federal workers may have been enduring [workplace harassment] in 2011 makes my stomach sick.” (Art by Nathanael Lewis)

Your flu shot excuses are inaccurate Brittany Bennett Opinion Editor Having a needle phobia, I have succeeded in avoiding many shots/vaccines that are not mandatory, or otherwise forced by my parents. The flu shot being one of these, actually both I should say. I have only received the flu shot once because of the pressure from my parents. I ended up getting sick – as I usually do every winter season – soon after the shot. This resulted in the perfect excuse for me to never receive the flu shot again, but subconsciously I knew I was taking advantage of this.

I am not the only one to take advantage of this excuse. I have heard from many people that refrain from getting the flu shot because they claimed to have become sick with cold or flu like symptoms shortly after. Some probably truly believe the shot gave them the flu, others may be reluctant, or some may be just like me: avoiding the awful sensation of a fluid getting inserted into your body.

That feeling stays with me for days after I receive a vaccine or shot. It is an uncomforting sensation, unnatural, one that brings my anxiety to extremities and sends shivers down my spine – from the base of my scalp down to the very end of my tail bone.

What an odd thing to do, insert a virus into a person’s body in order to fight off other viruses. The very concept gives me goose bumps; but it works, and I have finally taken the time to actually do some background research to prove this.

You can’t get the flu from the flu shot. (Photo by Cody Hoffman)

It only took me one simple google search to find a liable source on the matter, and abracadabra, the flu shot was no longer the big scary monster underneath my bed. According to the official Ontario website, “You can’t get the flu from the flu shot.” The vaccine does contain a flu virus, but it is inactive and otherwise cannot not affect you like normal viruses do.

The official Ontario website also explains most people that get sick after the shot would have already gotten sick whether the shot was taken or not. They could have gotten the virus before the shot, or in the two weeks it takes for your body to build up its defences and develop the flu shot’s pro-

tection. Considering that the flu shot is said to prevent the flu in 60 to 80 per cent of healthy adults and children, another reason could be that you just are not in that percentage.

The vaccine does however protect you from viruses, three strains in specific. The World Health Organization identifies these strains through specific scientific research. They determine this through consideration of what strains are currently making people sick, how these viruses are spreading, and how effective the previous year’s vaccine was.

Along with every other city, the Brant County Health Unit encourages healthy adults and children to get the

flu shot every year – and they do so for a reason. The flu shot cannot give you the flu, at the bear minimum it could just not work for you, but every year the vaccine changes and adapts so if it does not work one year it still could the next. When it comes down to it, there is no harm in getting the flu shot besides the anxiety of the whole scenario. If you are anything like me, you will get the flu at the perfectly wrong time and could end up missing out on important things in your life because of it. It’s not worth it, so give it a shot, literally.