Toadlane Winter 2017

Waterloo Co-operative Residence Incorporated

Winter 2017

toadlane

A WCRI Publication For members, by members

Editor & Layout Manager: Ashley Nicolas Contributors: Kelly Kou, Troy Mazerolle, Lisa Ni, Mariam Rajabali, Shubham Verma & Karthiga Vezhavendan

Editorial Policy

toadlane is first and foremost a publication for, and created by, members of the Waterloo Co-operative Residence Incorporated (WCRI). toadlane welcomes all submissions, and strives to foster an open forum for discussion and community expression.

The publication is rooted in the cultivation of respect and acceptance. As such, material which is deemed as overtly offensive will be denied publication and otherwise subjected to modification at the discretion of the editor. Material of offensive nature includes, but is not limited to, racism, foul language, and general obscenity.

Content is published at the editor’s discretion, in conjunction with the approval of WCRI’s executive director. Suggestions and inquiries concerning content are welcome.

Why “toadlane”?

In 1844, one of the first co-operative initiatives was composed in an English pub. Drafted as the “Principles of Co-operation,” the document was coined at ‘Weavers Arms’ in Rochdale, England. The pub dubbed its customers as ‘weavers.’ It was these weavers who went on to form the first housing co-operative.

Establishing itself as a co-operative in 1964, Waterloo Co-operative Residence Incorporated (WCRI), made the decision to produce an internal publication. When the time came to name their newest addition to the community, the committee looked towards its cooperative roots and found that the original Weaver’s Arms was located on a path called Toad Lane. The rest was history.

Stylized as ‘toadlane’, the name pays homage to the beginnings of cooperative initiatives. By bridging the history of the past with the ambition of the future, toadlane represents the importance of community and is one of many initiatives which helps foster a foundation for the future of co-operatives everywhere.

toadlane Through

1978

1986

1979

1989

the Years

2013

2006

2009

2017

Looking Ahead: Volunteer Positions at WCRI

By Kelly Kou

By Kelly Hi, I’m Kelly. I’m the Inter Co-operative Council (ICC) Chair this term, and I’ve been either the incumbent or closely connected to every volunteer position at WCRI. Here I’ll be reviewing and giving an insider’s take on them all.

Social Representative unlimited, elected at DGM Easily the most #lit position at WCRI. Social committee has a budget of $3000 termly, so they have room to bring you the big social events – Halloween, Snow Ball, Pub Crawls, you name it. Only social representatives and CEGs can vote to pass money, but anyone can receive pi bucks for attending social meetings or helping out. You get 10 pi bucks for the position, as well as 5 pi bucks for every social committee meeting.

Social Chair 1, elected among Social Representatives Your job is pretty boring, but also pretty hard to mess up. The chair of the social committee keeps detailed minutes of the meetings for bookkeeping purposes and coordinates planning of the events. You can only vote on social committee to break a tie, but you report to and have a vote on ICC.

If the commitment of a social representative is slightly too minimal for you, consider stepping up to chair. You receive 25 pi bucks for the position as well as 5 pi bucks per social committee meeting.

Judicial Representative 1 per division, elected at DGM Super low-commitment – this is probably the position with the highest free-food-to-hours-worked ratio in the entire structure. Theoretically, you’re supposed to hear appeals for any fine at WCRI and have a working knowledge of all relevant policies.

Practically, you have two hearings per term where you deliberate whether “my grandmother died,” with no proof, is a good enough reason to miss a DGM. You receive 10 pi bucks for the position, as well as 5 pi bucks per hearing.

toadlane editor 1, elected among toadlane contributors I don’t even have commentary for this one.

There hasn’t been a publication of toadlane since June 2015 because no one wanted to be the editor, so I’m just amazed that the position is actually filled this term.

You’re responsible for setting an editorial policy at the beginning of the term, and producing a polished virtual and/or print publication from all the submissions you receive. You report to and have a vote on ICC. You receive an unknown amount of money as an honorarium per publication.

The actual amount of the honorarium must be buried deeper than Excalibur if even I don’t know what it is.

Judicial Coordinator 1, elected among Judicial Representatives The chair of the judicial committee.

Although you can only vote to break a tie, you do have the power to kick out any judicial representative, if that’s the kind of thing you like to hold over someone’s head. It’s your responsibility to manage the judicial committee emails, so your mailbox may be subject to slander from people who didn’t like their hearing results. You receive 25 pi bucks for the position, as well as 5 pi bucks per hearing.

ICC Chair 1, elected by previous term’s ICC Like I said, ICC technically stands for “Inter Co-operative Council,” but that’s obscure and inaccurate. A more accurate name would be “Inter Divisional Council,” but I think having a council named “IDC” is a little too onthe-nose [quietly sips tea].

ICC is comprised of all the CEGs, the social chair, and the toadlane editor.

The chair, usually a senior member and established community leader, keeps the ICC meetings running smoothly, takes detailed minutes for bookkeeping, and acts as the liaison to the members, board, and staff. It’s just as monotonous as the social chair’s job, just a little more high-stakes. You receive an honorarium of $100, $200, or $300 depending on your performance, as well as 5 pi bucks per ICC meeting.

CEG 1 per division (parachuting and doubling possible), elected at DGM Technically stands for “Community Engagement Guide,” but no one knows what that means, so you can think of them as “diet dons.” CEG is pronounced like the wooden barrel that holds copious amounts of alcohol, and they’re all contractually obligated to laugh at any joke you make about this.

You do about half of what a normal don does: keep posters updated, send out weekly emails, and plan events – the rules-enforcing/security half is the job of WCRI’s after hours assistants.

You report to ICC and you have a vote on both ICC and Social Committee. This position is perfect for you if you’re interested in being in a don-like position without having to make sure your division is obeying curfew or unlocking doors for people who forgot their keys at 4 a.m. You receive an honorarium of $1, $2, or $3 per constituent depending on your performance, as well as 5 pi bucks per ICC meeting.

Director 10, elected at a termly general meeting Only the whole membership is higher than the directors in the WCRI hierarchy. Ideal candidates for director are responsible, driven, approachable, and insane in the best possible way to endure 7-hour-long board meetings for no pay. You discuss and enact policy changes, work with the executive director, and set the vision for WCRI’s future.

Unlike the above positions which are held for a period of 4 months at a time, holding the position of Director is a yearlong gig. You receive 25 pi bucks for the position, as well as 5 pi bucks per board meeting. You also get free meals during board time and an opportunity to go on a board retreat every term.

Learning How to Live Co-operatively

The WCRI board of directors and executive director head to the Neill-Wycik Student Co-op and Hotel for their annual retreat

By Mariam Rajabali

By Kelly Kou, On March 11-12, the board of directors and our executive director spent the weekend at the Neill-Wycik Student Co-op and Hotel for our annual Visioning Retreat.

Kicking off the day, we did a training session Did You Know?

Like WCRI, the Neill-Wycik on the principles of policy governance, WCRI’s adaptation of the governance establishment was founded by system, and reviewed the specifics of students in the 1960s. Located membership linkage and our monitoring in downtown Toronto, it process. During the training, we went into becomes a backpacker hotel detail on how to monitor our executive director, and practiced evaluating during the months of May to monitoring reports. In the coming weeks, August. the board will be working with our executive

director to approve the 2017-2018 budget and continue working on our strategic plan.

On Saturday afternoon, we spent a few hours with the Neill-Wycik board of directors. This was a vital component to our retreat as we were able to connect with another group of volunteers and brainstorm solutions to common issues that co-operatives face – which we anticipate will lead to future discussions with our members.

For us, this retreat gives us an opportunity to reflect upon and create a vision for the future of WCRI. Throughout the course of the two-day retreat, board members deliberated over the importance of an engaged community at WCRI. We discussed the systems we have in place, ways of inspiring intrinsically motivated actions in our co-op, and brainstormed some of the methods in which we can recognize members. As community is vital to the co-op model and we recognize the importance of having member-initiated leadership in our community, the board will be working closely with our volunteers to discuss how we can assist in strengthening the WCRI community fabric.

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to get involved with any of WCRI’s projects, we encourage you to reach out to the board of directors at board@wcri.coop.

Coffee & Cramming

Instead of sticking it out in the library, haul your books to one of these cafés to load up on study time and caffeine. And hey, the Wi-Fi is free.

By Ashley Nicolas

By Kelly Kou,

1

DVLB

2

Short for “Death Valley’s Little Brother,” DVLB is a coffee shop located in Uptown Waterloo. Lots of wood furniture, great indie music, and muted lighting make for the perfect environment to write that reflection paper you’ve been meaning to do, or focus on catching up on the semester’s assigned reading.

Try: The cappuccino

3

Balzac’s

Not far from the University of Waterloo’s campus sits Balzac’s, a snug little coffee shop on the ground floor of Blair House. Accessible from the sidewalk, Balzac’s is open to the public and houses what they call “communal tables,” which encourage you to share your space with a stranger. Don’t worry, if you really do need your space, you can still sit down, or even grab a seat at a bar stool along the windows, or the long tables at the back.

Try: The date squares

Settlement Co.

Settlement Co. is another Uptown Waterloo coffee shop, just down the street from DVLB. Lined with cozy, bookish décor (no seriously, there are books along the sides), it makes for a great place to get your mental gears rolling. The variety of tables (long and rectangular, intimate and circular, booth and chair) make it a great place to spread out your books and tuck in for a long day of studying. It’s notably brighter lighting, in comparison to DVLB, is also a plus.

Try: The apple cider

4

Williams

When all else fails, there’s always the trusty Williams. With a location in both the University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier campuses, along with a spacious post in the University Plaza, Williams is well known for its fresh and vibrant take on the café scene. The Wi-Fi can be spotty, but the rice boxes are delicious.

Try: The chicken rice box

Fancy Toasts Under $5 Looking for something quick and easy? Try something new, while stocking up on those Omega-3’s with a new twist on the avocado.

By Lisa Ni

By The Upgrade: golden egg + avocado toast

The Classic: salt & pepper avocado toast

Take half of an avocado, and scoop the avocado out of its skin using a spoon.

Slice into even pieces and place over toast. Season with salt, pepper, and minced garlic as desired.

The Vegetarian Option: corn salad + avocado toast

Boil an egg in boiling water for 7 minutes on maximum heat. In the meantime, take half of an avocado, scoop the avocado out of its skin using a spoon, and place into a bowl.

Season with salt, pepper and some lemon juice. Take a fork and mash the avocado until it’s slightly chunky. Remove the egg from the heat and run it under cold water when the timer goes off. Spread the mashed avocado evenly on a piece of toast and place your peeled egg on top of the avocado. Slice egg into even pieces and let the yolk spread over the avocado toast.

Season with paprika if desired.

TIP: Make it pescatarian-friendly by replacing egg with mayo and canned tuna.

Place 2 tablespoons full of corn into a bowl. Dice a quarter of a red bell pepper and place into the same bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and lime as desired and toss! Take half of an avocado, scoop the avocado out of its skin using a spoon, and place into a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and some lemon juice. Take a fork and mash the avocado until it’s slightly chunky.

Spread the mashed avocado evenly on a piece a toast and add your corn salad on top.

Alternatively, you can replace corn salad with cherry tomato spinach and balsamic vinegar salad!

Riddle Me This Tired of studying your brains out? Take a break and try some of these mind-boggling questions.

By Troy Mazerolle

By Kelly Kou,

1

Someone has stolen Bill Gates' car. There are four suspects and they make two statements each. The statements made by the housekeeper and the chauffeur are false; the valet makes one true and one false statement; the butler makes two truthful statements.

Assuming A, B, C, and D represent different people, who makes each statement? And ultimately, who is guilty?

A. I am not the housekeeper. The valet is guilty.

B. I am not the valet. The housekeeper is guilty.

C. I am not the butler. The chauffeur is guilty.

D. I am not the chauffeur. The butler is guilty.

3

What word or phrase does the puzzle below depict?

NFREIEENDD = DFREIEENDD

SOLUTIONS

2

I have four cards. On one side of each card, there is a number and on the other side is a colour. The cards can be either red or blue, and the numbers are all integers. I put the four cards on the table and the sides visible to you are 3, 8, red, blue. You want to ascertain the truth of the following statement: "If a card has an even number, then its coloured side is red". Which cards should you flip over to test the truth of this statement? You may flip up to two cards.

1. A is the housekeeper, B is the butler, C is the valet, and D is the chauffeur.

The housekeeper is guilty.

2. Check the 8 card to see if the other side is red, and check the blue card to see if it has an odd integer. Checking the other two cards will not tell you anything.

3. A friend in need is a friend indeed

Term in Review

Between move-in day and final exams, here’s what we’ve accomplished in four months.

By Karthiga Vezhavendan, Shubham Verma & Mariam Rajabali

Shown: Make Your Mark mural painting, board of directors retreat, brunch club, Chinese New Year celebration, board-member social, board of directors retreat, Tour des Chambre event, North & South end of term social, and St. Patrick’s Day event