News

Elizabeth Dicesare

The anthropology department at Wilfrid Laurier University may soon be facing some major cuts.

Michael Carroll, the dean of arts at Laurier, explained that earlier this year the anthropology department hired a professional mediator to help settle issues that had risen between faculty members. However, he could not comment on the nature of these issues.

A motion was passed at the faculty of arts meeting last month to change the anthropology department to a program. The motion passed with 13 in favour, and 11 against.

“It’s an unfortunate series of events,” Carroll stated.

Of the four anthropology professors contacted by The Cord, only one, Tanya Richarsdon, replied. She declined to make a comment.

This proposal was also passed at the arts divisional council, but still needs to be approved by the WLU senate later this month.

Anthropology is currently the smallest department within the faculty of arts. There are currently only five full-time faculty members, and 82 declared majors. Of the five full-time professors, three have made formal requests to be transferred to other departments.

“In order to preserve Anthropology for an option to students, the proposal was made to convert it from a department to a program,” explained Carroll. “It will still be offered as a joint-major, but not a single major.”

Courses for the upcoming 2012-13 academic year will still be taught. However, in the future, Carroll explained that contract academic staff might need to be hired to ensure enough courses are taught. The professors requesting transfers will be able to continue teaching anthropology courses, but only if they decide to.

“In future years, I’m hoping they will teach courses that will either be in anthropology, or will count towards an anthropology degree,” said Carroll, adding that cross-listed courses are common in other programs.

He also emphasized that the faculty of arts will do everything in its power to ensure current anthropology students are able to take the courses they need to finish their degrees.

“We are committed to ensuring that students who have declared an anthropology major, including students who have declared one this year, will have available to them the courses they need to complete that major. We are honouring our commitment to existing anthropology majors,” Carroll emphasized.

Brendan O’Driscoll, a fourth-year anthropology student, was unimpressed and expressed many concerns upon hearing about the situation.

“The change is quite disheartening,” he said. “As a student who has been involved in the department ... I’m concerned that the kind of anthropology that will be offered to students after this change will be less insightful.”

O’Driscoll also added that he was worried that the switch to a program will lower enrollment, and that current students will lose interest if the number and variety of courses become limited.

“I think it reflects badly on the faculty and the university in general for no longer having an anthropology department alongside all the other social sciences,” he continued. “Anthropology is a staple of any arts faculty.”

Carroll, however, emphasized the need to preserve anthropology within Laurier’s faculty of arts.

“The whole goal here is to ensure that anthropology survives.”

Sports

Shelby Blackley

LONDON — As part of the West all-stars of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) football teams, the Laurier Golden Hawks star players did not disappoint.

In the annual East West Bowl, organized by the Canadian University Football Coaches Association (CUFCA) and hosted by Western University, full back Isaac Dell, receiver Alex Anthony and defensive back Felix Odum represented Laurier in a week of training, practices and evaluations, culminating with a final all-star game on the last day.

Despite a loss Saturday afternoon to the East team, Dell, Anthony and Odum did not come back empty handed.

“It was different playing with a lot of different guys,” Odum said. “We only had four days to really get used to playing with each other, but everyone here is a great athlete so it was a much higher level of football, but it was great.”

In partnership with the Canadian Football League, the East West Bowl brings 90 of the top university football players together for an evaluation camp. The camp allows scouts from various CFL teams to examine the prospects for the draft the following year.

In the closing all-star game, the East team defeated the West 24-16. The East’s kicker, Brett Lauther of Saint Mary’s delivered five field goals while Acadia running back Zack Skibin scored the only touchdown.

Odum returned two punts during the match while Anthony returned one.

As a conclusion of the week, the game was a chance for the players to perform and test the skills and plays that were put together only four days earlier.

“It was tough,” Anthony said regarding the change. “It was really physically and mentally exhausting- coming together with guys from all across the country and putting in an entire playbook in four days. “It was tough but it was a great experience and I’m really happy to be here.”

The East West Bowl also gives the individual players a view on the upcoming season. For each player, it is their senior year with their respective universities.

“You come out here, you see how you stack up against some of the best players across the country,” said Dell. “And then you take what you’ve learned, mistakes you’ve made, and try to apply it in your training camp the following year.”

News

Yvonne Lemieux

April 16 marked an important day for women working in science and mathematical fields in Waterloo region, as the Wilfrid Laurier University senate approved the development of The Centre for Women in Sciences.

The centre will open this fall and reach out to Laurier and the rest of the community. With Waterloo being “a part of the Technology Triangle” there is a lot of potential for the centre to thrive and build strong connections.

“The mission of the centre is to create a community for women in science that brings together not just women in the Laurier community but also others who are in the region,” said Shohini Ghose, the professor who will head the program.

The centre will be a hub that works to connect students with faculty across the different sectors of the sciences and those studying gender issues in the science community.

“Typically those social scientists are not talking to natural scientists,” Ghose explained. “It connects those two groups and that could lead to new collaborations and new initiatives.”

“There are certain areas of science, where the proportion of women is still pretty low,” added Ghose, noting that this was a main factor in creating the centre.

It will also aim to “develop mentoring at work and establish connections” between women in the sciences and different faculty and community leaders.

Other institutions in the region have already shown support for the creation of the centre including the Perimeter Institute, Conestoga College, the University of Waterloo as well as, according to Ghose, other companies that have expressed interest to collaborate.

But it is not only institutions that have shown an interest in the centre. Students also have something to look forward to as a student committee within the centre is being developed.

“I hope that this will also be student driven,” Ghose shared.

Students will have the chance to make connections and be a part of events but with their personal involvement there will be the possibility of student run workshops and conferences.

Over the next three years the university will be funding the centre to get it started, but then will apply for government grants and external funding from various companies and groups.

As the Centre for Women in Sciences at Laurier grows, Ghose said the main focus will be “communication and getting the word out as well as raising the profile of women and community in general.”

Opinion

Bree Rody-Mantha

The Ontario Ministry of Education has implemented a “credit cap” that would prohibit secondary school students from attending high school after they have completed 34 credits.

As a post-secondary graduate who reaped the benefits of attending high school for five years, my feelings on the subject fall somewhere between disappointed and disturbed.

When five-year high school was phased out in 1999, many students in my hometown chose to still stay in high school for five years to develop a better sense of what direction they were heading in. I was one of those students.

A lack of direction wasn’t my only contributing factor in deciding to stay behind. I wanted a chance to make some more money through part-time jobs. I also wanted to pour some more attention into my extracurriculars such as dance and theatre. I needed to mature quite a bit more before leaving. Most importantly, my parents were beginning to worry about the prospect of having three children in university at the same time.

My own sister, a 2002 graduate, was the only one of my siblings who chose to do her high school education in four years — despite being a student in the five-year program. She chose to fast track, largely to avoid the competitive double-cohort of 2003, and went off to major in biology. In a tragic twist of irony, my sister ended up dissatisfied with biology and switched her major to physics and radiation therapy, which she was unable to transfer any credits to and ended up costing her another two full years in school.

She is not the only person I know who has lamented rushing into university. I know countless students who have left school, changed programs or simply spent their four years in school completely depressed knowing that they were in a program that was not to their best interest.

I have also had many conversations with friends who have said that they would have taken a fifth year of high school had they even been made aware of the option. Many schools, unlike my own, seldom presented the idea of a fifth year as a plausible alternative for unsure students and even treated the option like a last resort for failures.

With the provincial government behind this stance, students have become even more discouraged from staying behind should they be unsure of their future.

The government justifies the credit cap by stating that they are attempting to encourage students to determine their future goals at an earlier age. This is exactly what causes problems for a lot of students. Teenagers are asked before they’re even pubescent to determine exactly what path they should be taking.

Had I listened to my fourteen-year-old self about career goals, I would be miserable in pursuit of a law degree — assuming I hadn’t dropped or failed out of my program.

University — news flash — is a huge expense. The fact that parents are willing to put thousands of dollars a year into a future their child is unsure of saddens me. The education system further perpetuates the problematic idea that everyone progresses and matures at the same rate, and those who do not follow this rate are punished.

Of course, the fifth year is not right for everyone. Some students are naturally far more mature or more convicted about their ideas. But the option should still be there, and should still be presented as a valid and viable alternative. Why shouldn’t students be encouraged to dip their feet into everything they can while it’s free?

The government thinks that it’s a travesty that nearly 13 per cent of high school graduates returned for another year after earning their diplomas last year. To me, I see that 13 per cent as a group of students who are avoiding potential depression and anxiety over program changes and dropouts over the next four years.

letters@thecord.ca

Bree Rody-Mantha is a Laurier graduate and former Features Editor and Lead Reporter with The Cord.

Arts

Wade Thompson

There has never been a movie like The Avengers ever before. Sure there have been sequels and spin-offs and even movie “events” where characters from a separate series come together for a much anticipated fan experience (ex. Freddy vs. Jason).

But no franchise has ever been built up over the course of four years, with five individual films leading up to a single blockbuster, as was the case with The Avengers. And the proof of that is in the opening weekend box-office.

I don’t think I need to get too deep into the plot of the film, as the previous entries have done a pretty good job of the that. In it’s most basic form, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) must assemble a team of “superheroes” in order to take on Loki (Tom Hiddelston), brother of Thor, and his alien army trying to take control of Earth.

The man tasked with putting all of the pieces together for this film was cult icon and self-professed comic book geek, Joss Whedon. And while some had their reservations, the man could not have created a more entertaining and satisfying movie. It is as close to being perfect as anyone else could have come.

The direction of the film was quite brilliant. It was crisp and succinct and still had the spectacle of a superhero movie. There were arguably more memorable single shots in this movie than in total from all previous Marvel entries.

What was really impressive, though, was the actual story of the film. How difficult and messy it could have been to incorporate four previously starring heroes, with a handful of other additions to the team and have a villain evil enough to take them all on at the same time, however, Whedon pulls it off beautifully.

The action is balanced between the characters. No one actor seems to outshine the other. He even gives lesser characters like Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson extremely interesting and pivotal story arcs. Even if you haven’t seen the other Marvel universe entries, you will not be lost as to what is going on. You might miss some of the subtle references, but there should be no confusion as to the main plot of this movie.

The actors themselves pick up where they each left off in their respective films. Robert Downey Jr. could probably play Tony Stark for the rest of his career and no one would complain. They really do a good job of inciting conflict between the different personalities amongst the team as well, having Steve Roger’s Captain America (Chris Evans) go head to head with the often cocky Stark, and demi-God Thor (Chris Hemsworth) taking on Bruce Banner’s Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in a rather fantastic fight sequence.

The standout amongst everyone, though, seemed to be Mark Ruffalo, being the only actor amongst the group to take on his character for the first time (Edward Norton portrayed Bruce Banner in The Incrdible Hulk). He really down plays the brilliance of Banner throughout and makes you anticipate the first appearance of his alter ego just that much more. Then, when he finally gets angry, it puts the movie into a whole other gear, which really seemed impossible even at that time. He may not be the best performance in the film, but he stands out because he still holds his own as the rookie amongst the other actors.

Another thing the movie does well is the sprinkling of humour throughout the script. There is a wittiness that further supplants The Avengers into the realm of the comic-book film. It’s not hokey humour either, but nice character moments that allow the individual personalities of the heroes to stand out amongst each other.

There are very few negatives to note about the overall movie. A couple times, scenes seem to run a tad too long, but that hardly retracts from how enjoyable the film is overall.

I could go on about the greatness of The Avengers, but the more I talk about it, the more spoiler heavy this review could get. I will stop myself here saying that this really is the best Marvel movie that has been made and outside of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise, is probably the greatest superhero film to date. Joss Whedon proved that he was the right man for the job, and if Marvel is smart, they would realize they have a nice consultant for any further entries of the series.

Go see this movie. It is an event to behold. (And make sure you stick around after the credits).

News

Elizabeth Dicesare

On May 3, Amos Guiora, a professor of law at S.J. Quinny College of Law, gave a lecture at Wilfrid Laurier University, speaking about religion and counter-terrorism in the Middle East, specifically with regards to Israel’s future.

He began his lecture by stating that he wanted to “lay out some basic ideas regarding simple issues: counter-terrorism, terrorism, peace in the Middle East and morality.”

Guiora was able to touch upon all of these topics from a personal standpoint, as he was previously stationed within the Gaza Strip with the Israeli military. He emphasized that the relationship between the United States and Israel is problematic.

“Sometimes they have a non-relationship, sometimes they have a rocky relationship,” he stated. “[But] without American involvement there will be no peace process [in the Middle East].”

The situation regarding Iran potentially obtaining nuclear weapons was also discussed, but Guiora concluded that no one really knows what would happen in that situation, despite the stakes being so high.

Guiora also spoke about the threat terrorism posed, stating that terrorists in the Middle East are “absolutely and totally dedicated and locked into their mission ... they are absolutely locked into their goals.”

This poses problems for the Israeli army, as counter-terrorism must be carried out legally, morally and in accordance with international laws.

He told the audience countless times that for counter-terrorism to be legal it “must absolutely respect the human rights of those who are trying to kill you.”

Guiora reminded everyone that at the end of the day, you have to remember that your enemy is comprised of other humans, and that you have to always live with the consequences of your actions.

However, mistakes are made within the Israeli military. “Nineteen year old soldiers who are standing at checkpoints ... hate what they’re doing,” Guiora said. “[They] have fully loaded M-16s...and they’re scared shitless; that’s a combustible combination.”

In order to ensure the military acts in accordance with international laws, they are trained to obey only moral orders. Guiora was personally involved with integrating this new concept of morality in armed conflict, and stated its importance is based on legality, philosophic beliefs and practicality.

He reminded the audience that “if you [continue] to kill innocent people randomly, then you do nothing more than create the next generation of suicide bombers. If you conduct yourself unethically, if you conduct yourself immorally, the consequences are enormous.”

At the end of his lecture, Guiora reminded the audience to be pro-active.

“[We need to] really ask ourselves, what is the relationship between the state and terrorists? And more importantly than that, what is the relationship between the state and itself?”

News

Shaun Fitl

On April 30, Wilfrid Laurier University announced that Micheál Kelly was chosen as the new dean of the school of business and economics (SBE). Kelly looks forward to working with the SBE’s strong academic foundation to proactively develop its external networks as Laurier plans for the future.

According to Deb MacLatchy, vice-president: academic and provost at Laurier, the skills he has demonstrated with his contributions to the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, as well as his work for various innovation advisory boards and in the Government of Canada, make him an ideal leader for SBE initiatives and fundraising.

She added that the university’s search committee was “very impressed with [Kelly’s] combination experience in academia, business and the federal government, as well as his personality and his ability to build relationships.”

During Kelly’s time as dean of the Telfer School of Management, from 2000 to 2010, the school was given a 25 million dollar gift — the largest naming endowment ever received by a Canadian business school — from Ian Telfer, an MBA graduate from the University of Ottawa.

“It gave us a tremendous amount of ability to do things that we were not able to do before,” Kelly told The Cord.

As Laurier is now fundraising to name the SBE and the new Global Innovation Exchange (GIE) building, it would seem appropriate that the new dean should have experience with this kind of accreditation.

“I think Laurier is a little bit like Telfer when I started,” said Kelly. “It’s a great school [with] good students and a really strong foundation, but it doesn’t get the kind of recognition it deserves and I think part of my job is to make sure that it does get that kind of recognition.”

With WLU looking to the future to expand and potentially become more prominent both nationally and globally, funding is a primary issue and requires progressive action to resolve. As Kelly recalled from his time as dean at Telfer, “we raised a fair amount of money during my ten years there because we knew that if we wanted to be the kind of school that we wanted to be, we needed to be aggressive in getting a naming endowment and raising the funds.”

In a new, smaller environment Kelly will no doubt need to continue this proactive fundraising style to secure Laurier’s own endowments.

“What really attracted me to Laurier is the quality of students, the quality of the experience they offer, the kind of the culture and the atmosphere that I see on campus and what I see as a really strong commitment from the senior administration to build the business school out and make it one of the top business schools in the country,” he explained.

The new dean hopes to take the opportunity to build on WLU’s small community foundation with his extensive contact networks developed from time working across Europe, the United States, Asia and Silicon Valley technology firms.

Efforts to innovate the SBE could shift it away from its relatively small-scale nature, but Kelly emphasized that what he is trying to do is more about “building on what is there as supposed to setting off in a direction that is completely new.”

He assures that Laurier’s administration does not want to move the school away from its community feel and that students would be no less involved.

Kelly’s predecessor, Banks, was interim dean after Ginny Dybenko stepped down in January 2011 to pursue other opportunities at the university.

“It’s tough to be an interim dean because everybody knows that you’re only going to be there for a short period of time but he did a phenomenal job,” Kelly said.

Now with a longer time frame to get his job done, the new dean has the time he needs to act as a good leader for the SBE both internally and externally. MacLatchy is confident that Laurier will benefit from Kelly’s skills and references.

“We think that he is the right dean for 2012 and moving forward,” she said.

-With files from Justin Smirlies

Local

Justin Smirlies

After the recent visits of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Progressive Conservative (PC) leader Tim Hudak to Kitchener-Waterloo, provincial New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Andrea Horwath was in the region Friday afternoon, signaling that the upcoming byelection in the Kitchener-Waterloo riding has huge importance.

Horwath greeted supporters at the Princess Café in Uptown Waterloo, the previous office location for Isabel Cisterna, the NDP candidate in the provincial election last fall.

Hudak was in town on Wednesday, while McGuinty visited K-W on Thursday.

Throughout her visit, Horwath stressed that politics in the existing provincial government need to be done differently.

“[The public] can vote for a party that can role up their sleeves and that has demonstrated that they are going to work hard on the behalf the people or they can vote for a someone who is representing a party that want all the power, which would be the Liberals,” she explained.

The visits from each leader came a week after long-time PC MPP Elizabeth Witmer resigned to become the chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board under the McGuinty government.

McGuinty himself gave the position to Witmer and a lot have speculated — in particular the NDP — that it was given to Witmer so that the Liberals could have an opportunity to gain a majority government.

Horwath said that the people of Ontario don’t want this, “The Liberals were really out of touch with their two majority governments, they weren’t listening to everyday folks.”

“I think at the last election, people of the Ontario were pretty clear that they didn’t want to see the same old politics of cynicism, the same old politics of arrogance,” she added.

In terms of both federal and provincial politics, the K-W riding has traditionally been Liberal or Conservative. When asked how the NDP will overcome this, Horwath believes that the sense of engagement that already exists in the community will work to their advantage.

“Overall, it’s going to be a very interesting campaign, I think the people of this riding are going to be very engaged,” she continued. “People are ready to have politics be done differently in this province. I think people of K-W have a chance to talk about whether or not they want to see politics be done differently as well for their riding."

Horwath is unsure who will be the local NDP candidate in the upcoming byelection and said they are currently in the process for finding one. Under the discretion of the premier, the byelection must happen within the next six months.

If it happens during September or October, the student population will be a lot larger and may have an impact on the outcome.

“I think every person who has the eligibility to vote should be encouraged to vote. So it’s whether its students or not, anything we can do for them to participate in the electoral process is extremely important," Horwath explained.

“I’m hopefully when it does come that the campaign is one that does justice of this province. So it’s about ideas, it’s about issues, it’s about real important things, as opposed to just political power interests of the government.”

Local

Justin Fauteux

11 local research projects will be getting a helping hand from the Ontario government.

Kitchener Centre MPP and Minister of Community and Social Services, John Milloy, joined representatives of Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo and Perimeter Institute at UW Friday morning to officially announce the recipients of this year's Early Researcher Awards (ERA). The ERA program is designed to help recently-appointed Ontario researchers carry out their projects.

Milloy, who until last October's provincial election served as the minister of training, colleges and universities, stressed the role that supporting research can play in helping Ontario's economy.

"In a time such as now, there is always the question, 'how do we create jobs?' And we all know there's no easy, straightforward answer, but there are answers," he said. "One of the biggest surrounds the notion of ideas. How do we encourage people to come up with great ideas and explore them? How do we move through basic research and how do move through to commercialization and jobs? What it involves is supporting people at all stages of that process."

Currently, the ERA program helps fund 63 projects at 19 institutions, in nine Ontario cities. University of Waterloo president Feridun Hamdullahpur said it's no surprise that nearly a quarter of the projects are being done in Waterloo.

"We often wonder, what's in the water in Waterloo?" he quipped.

"Two universities, plus Perimeter Institute, this is living evidence that this place is where innovation happens."

Of the 11 local research projects, 8 are being executed at UW, two at Laurier and one at the Perimeter institute. The University of Waterloo researchers are receiving a total of $1.12 million, while Laurier's two projects are getting $280,000 and Perimeter Institute $140,000.

The projects stretch across all academic disciplines and involve the study of everything from quantum mechanics, to cultural integration in Greek literature, to non-virus based gene therapy.

Laurier's two award recipients were Jennifer Baltzer, an associate professor of biology and Laurier Barclay, an associate professor of business. For the university's director of research services Sally Gray, getting these types of grants is indicative of the growth in research at WLU in recent years.

"I've been at Laurier since 1996 and in the research office since '98 and back then it was a one-person office. We were in the same office as graduate studies," she said.

"Over the years, it's grown to the point where now we have a full VP: research, who reports directly to the president and the office is growing again to adapt to the changing research environment externally."

Baltzer's research focuses on climate change effects on Canada's boreal forests. Most of this work takes place in the Northwest Territories, studying permafrosted areas. Barclay, meanwhile, is currently researching unfairness in the workplace and how people overcome psychological traumas caused by this unfairness.

Sports

Shelby Blackley

Golden Hawks men’s football star Shamawd Chambers has a new home out west.

In Thursday’s Canadian Football League (CFL) draft, the Edmonton Eskimos chose the wide receiver, sixth overall, to join their program, with general manager Eric Tillman who described Chambers as, “tremendous upside, [and] excellent speed.”

Chambers, standing at six-foot-three, 210 pounds, has been named an Ontario University Athletics Second Team All-Star in consecutive years, recording 562 yards, 80.3 yards-per-game and five touchdowns in seven games with Laurier in 2011. He also registered the top 40-yard dash time at the CFL scouting combine, posting a time of 4.42.

Chambers will join Austin Pasztor from Virginia State in Edmonton, who was chosen fourth overall in the draft.

Chambers was originally ranked third overall, being drafted three spots later. Offensive lineman Ben Heenan was chosen first overall by the Saskatchewn Roughriders, with Jabar Westerman picked second by the B.C Lions, who traded their pick with the Eskimos.

Chambers is the first Golden Hawk to be selected in the first round since 2007, when the Calgary Stampeders took Justin Phillips fifth overall.

In addition to his selection, Chambers will also attend a mini tryout camp for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles next week for an invitation to their main camp.

Former Hawk Courtney Stephen was taken two picks after Chambers when the Hamilton Tiger Cats him eighth overall.

Stephen played two seasons at WLU, with his breakout year coming in 2009 when he was named a First-Team OUA All-Star and Second-Team All-Canadian. Following that 2009 season, Stephen transferred to the University of Northern Illinois.

Local

Lindsay Purchase

Elizabeth Witmer’s resignation last Friday as the Kitchener-Waterloo MPP came as a shock to the many who have supported her in the region for over 20 years.

Witmer will be assuming the role of chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) for a five-year term. She was appointed by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.

“At this point in time, based on personal reasons and family considerations, I made a decision that I believe was the right one,” she commented. Witmer is considered to be highly qualified for the position, having previously held the positions of Minister of Labour and Minister of Health, among many others.

A byelection must be held in the Kitchener-Waterloo riding within a six-month period. Although most pass without consequence, this election could have major implications for the Liberal party.

Not including Speaker Dave Levac, the Liberals currently hold 52 seats in the province out of 107. The number of combined seats held by the opposition sits at 53. Should the by-election be won by the Liberal party, they would hold an equal number of seats to both opposition parties. The Speaker could then vote in the instance of a tie.

Political analyst Barry Kay, who is a political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, recalled, "I can’t think of a byelection that at the provincial level, maybe at any level…where so much was riding on one byelection.”

When asked about the potential impact provincially of the byelection, Witmer responded, “I think you know that the impact is a little bit overstated.”

She continued, “I think it’s kind of premature for all of the speculation that is going on.”

Eric Davis, who ran against Witmer as the Liberal candidate in last fall’s election, has already expressed plans to run again. “I ran last fall because I wanted to ensure that the progressive values of Kitchener-Waterloo were represented at Queen’s Park and that hasn’t changed,” he said.

According to Kay, the Liberals may have a greater chance for success in the upcoming by-election than in previous years.

“As long as Elizabeth Witmer was the [Progressive] Conservative candidate, she made the difference to keep the riding Conservative,” acknowledged Kay. “With her out of the way, the Liberals have a real chance.”

Davis did well in last fall’s election compared to previous candidates, coming in second by a margin of approximately 3,100 votes.

Former Green Party candidate J.D. McGuire stated in an email that he was “considering vying for the Green nomination in the upcoming byelection,” but would take some time to decide.

While polls will play a large part in determining when McGuinty decides to call the election, the absence of much of Waterloo’s student population over the summer may be taken into consideration. “I think the students being around in the fall will help at least a little bit of the margins in terms of how it might come out in an otherwise close election,” he added.

Witmer will continue to represent Kitchener-Waterloo at Queen’s Park until a new MPP is elected. As of now, she is unsure who will be running for the Progressive Conservatives in the byelection.

“I really enjoyed the interactions that I’ve had with the people in this community,” Witmer concluded. “That’s what I’m really going to miss.”

—With files from Justin Smirlies

News

Justin Smirlies

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is not letting their guard down against what they believe is a violation of academic freedom.

On April 27, CAUT’s council and membership passed a motion that could potentially mean the imposition of a censure on Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo (UW) if the two institutions don’t loosen their academics ties with the Centre of International Governance and Innovation (CIGI) at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

“We had a very lengthy discussion of the issues,” explained Jim Turk, executive director of CAUT, noting that if the universities don’t amend their governance agreements with the Balsillie School they will put forward another motion to censure in November.

“The motion passed with only one vote against. It passed overwhelmingly. The only voice against was the president of the University of Waterloo faculty association.”

CIGI, the Balsillie School and the two universities believe that CAUT is making outlandish claims about the governance documents that were passed by the senates of UW and WLU.

CAUT maintains that Laurier’s and UW’s affiliation with CIGI, specifically in regards to CIGI’s position on the Balsillie School’s board of directors and research chairs, has too much of a role in the school’s direction for research.

“We disagree with their point of view about the document,” stated Deb MacLatchy, the vice-president: academic and provost at Laurier. “All we’ve seen is a motion, so there’s still no definition of what they think is wrong with the governance document in regards to failure with academic freedom.”

Thomas Homer-Dixon, the CIGI chair of global systems at the Balsillie School, strongly disagrees with the stance of CAUT and openly questions their motives.

“I think CAUT’s position is fundamentally misguided, [CAUT IS] wrong not only on the facts in terms of the nature of the agreement between the three institutions, but also, frankly, CAUT’s position includes quite extraordinary factual misrepresentations and outright innuendo about the nature of the agreement,” he explained.

To Homer-Dixon, the motives of CAUT are not clear. He added, “The real issue is, why are they doing this? What’s going on? What’s their agenda?”

With the timeline of six months, Turk hopes that WLU and UW take this motion strongly into consideration and that they come to a “satisfactory solution.” York University — who was originally under the threat of a censure by CAUT in March — recently dropped a potential research deal with CIGI.

“So, in our view, a donor, corporation, a private think-tank has no business being at the table of the discussion of those things [academics],” Turk added.

Fred Kuntz, the vice-president of public affairs at CIGI, asserted that all the documents with WLU and UW protect academic freedom. In addition, the preliminary documents with York allowed everything to be governed under York’s existing policies and practises.

“It appears to me that they are launching attacks on the senates [at WLU and UW] which include their faculty members at Laurier,” he said.

When asked if an actual censure would tarnish the reputation of WLU and UW, Turk replied by saying, “Absolutely.”

“But we’re not in the business of wanting to censure places, we’re in the business of fixing problems,” Turk continued.

The two universities and CIGI think otherwise.

“I think the two universities will shrug and move onto their business, I don’t think it’ll mean much to them,” said Homer-Dixon, adding that this may have more of a detrimental impact on the Balsillie School. “I think, given that the Balsillie School is still a young and a fragile endeavour, it’ll have more consequences on us, in terms of student recruitment.”

Though the universities have rejected the motion by CAUT, Turk plans on discussing with the president of each university in the hopes of getting what CAUT wants.

“We’re really hopeful that the administrations will talk,” he concluded. “There’s no indication that they wouldn’t enter into discussion to find a solution.”

News

Cord Staff

A two-vehicle accident sent two people to the hospital with minor injuries shortly before 2 p.m. Monday afternoon.

According to an eyewitness, the accident occurred when a grey Chevy 500 traveling south on King Street struck a black Ford Equinox that was turning left into the plaza at 255 King St. Both vehicles' airbags deployed and police, ambulance and fire rescue were all called to the scene.

After the passengers were removed, firefighters needed the jaws of life to separate the two vehicles. According to Constable Slater, the Waterloo Regional Police officer on the scene, two people were sent to Grand River Hospital, primarily as a precaution.

Local

Cord Staff

After almost 22 years at Queen's Park, Elizabeth Witmer has decided to call it quits.

Witmer, the Progressive Conservative MPP for the Kitchener-Waterloo riding, which encompasses both Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, announced Friday afternoon that she would be giving up her seat in the legislature to take over as chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, a role Premier Dalton McGuinty nominated her for.

Witmer has become a fixture of provincial politics in the region, being first elected as MPP for Waterloo North in 1990 — the riding was renamed Kitchener-Waterloo in 1999. She then won every subsequent election, most recently resuming office in October of 2011, when McGuinty's Liberals won a minority government.

During her career, Witmer served terms as minister of labour, environment, education and health, as well as deputy premier under Ernie Eves from 2002-03.

Kitchener-Waterloo will hold a byelection within the next six months to fill Witmer's vacated seat. Before the PC Witmer's resignation, the governing Liberals were one seat short of 53 and a de facto majority (speaker Dave Levac is a Liberal).

Should the Liberals claim Kitchener-Waterloo in the byelection it would bring the governing party and their opposition to 53 seats apiece — the PCs currently occupy 37 seats, the NDP 17.

The Cord will continue to follow this story.

News

Yvonne Lemieux

Five mountains, five thousand dollars and a raised awareness of heart disease, stroke and healthy living; these are the goals of Erik Kroman, 22, and Hardik Patel, 22 who will climb to a cure this May.

Kroman and Patel are both graduating Wilfrid Laurier University students and “were looking for a good way to conclude [their] experience” at Laurier. Giving back to the community by working with the Heart and Stroke Foundation seemed like a strong venture to end their university career.

In an interview with Kroman and Patel, they expressed their passion for living a healthy and active life and how they ended up organizing an expedition to climb five different mountains across North America.

“It just seemed to all make sense, naturally evolve,” Kroman explained.

So the two planned a climb that will see them in Alberta, British Columbia and Alaska climbing mountains over 11,000 feet up into the sky. Each mountain holds its own obstacles and dangers but the trust the two climbers have in each other will make the journey seem more manageable.

They have set a goal of $5,000 but “the most important thing would be raising awareness for the cause,” Patel shared. The money raised during each climb will be dedicated to specific problems that the Heart and Stroke Foundation are faced with. The first two climbs will be dedicated to heart disease, the next two will focus on stroke and the final mountain will be conquered for the promotion of healthy living.

In preparation for the climb, aside from countless hours of both physical and mental training, Hardik and Patel have been working hard to promote the cause through their website but mostly by networking with the university and wider community.

When the duo started their mission they were greatly supported by the faculty of business (where they were both teaching assistants) and word quickly spread about the climb and the dangers of heart disease and stroke.

“Even if [the students] don’t donate or even if they don’t go to the site they are still reading their e-mail,” Kroman said, “and they still see that people are doing stuff like this.”

And this is key to the awareness that Kroman and Patel are trying to raise. As word spreads about the cause, more people are following the work they are doing. Only two days after the launch of their website they had over a thousand visitors and more continue to look at it.

“One quarter of deaths in North America [are] due to heart disease,” Patel revealed and that is just one of the shocking statistics list on their website.

“That’s why this charity makes so much senses because the effects are so wide spread,” Kroman continued, “100 per cent goes to [Heart and Stroke Foundation]”

As these to Laurier graduates get ready for their expedition next month, they look forward to informing more people about heart disease, stroke and living a healthy and active lifestyle while gaining support for the foundation.

Opinion

Frank Valeriote — Liberal Party Critic for Agriculture

Dear Editor,

MP Peter Braid is acting recklessly, putting his community members’ health at risk. He is supporting legislation that will reduce food safety oversight and make major cuts to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Canadians remember the devastating impact on many families from deaths caused by the Listeriosis outbreaks. We know that more needs to be done to protect consumers, but in a callous and misguided move the Conservatives are making the problem worse. They have decided to cut food inspectors and eliminate programs designed to proactively identify unsafe meat and other food products.

Bowing to industry pressure, Conservatives are also eliminating enforcement of product labelling in spite of widespread violations. Consumers will now be responsible for determining whether companies’ claims about nutritional information, such as levels of cholesterol, sodium and sugar, are true. For those with serious health conditions like peanut allergies or diabetes, false claims could prove deadly.

Waiting for Canadians to get sick is not a food safety strategy.

Liberals are opposing these cuts because Canadians deserve to know that food they buy at the grocery store is safe and that manufacturers’ health claims are true. I encourage Mr. Braid to reverse his reckless position and put Canadians’ health first.

Frank Valeriote, MP

Liberal Party Critic for Agriculture

News

Justin Smirlies

Unfortunately, this year’s annual Year End Party on the Wilfrid Laurier University campus didn’t go off without a hitch.

On the night of April 21, 14 students, who were employed by the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, were charged by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in violation of the Private Security and Investigative Services Act (PSISA).

The students who received summons were found to be conducting security roles at Wilf’s and the Turret without proper licensing, a strict requirement for all establishments in Ontario. What the employees specifically did to violate the act and the identities of those charged have not yet been released to the public.

Mike McMahon, the general manager of WLUSU, stated that he is unsure at this point of whether or not the union will be fined, but they do face the possibility since they operate both Wilf’s and the Turret.

“We don’t know, they don’t [Wilf’s and the Turret] exist as business entities, we operate them as businesses, everybody who works there is an employee of the students’ union,” he explained. “So the students’ union has not been charged, yet.”

According to the press release provided by the OPP, they will lay a total of 33 charges, which include “nine counts of working as an unlicensed security guard, 18 counts of employing an unlicensed security guard and five counts of failing to wear a uniform which complies with regulations.”

The violations were brought to the attention of the OPP by a complaint on Saturday night. Led by Staff Sgt. Rick LePage, the Anti-Rackets Branch Provincial Security Enforcement Unit (PSEU) came to the campus once they received the information.

While LePage couldn’t comment on the specifics of this case, he said that the enforcement of the PSISA has been a challenge.

“I think that some places have chosen to take a chance that there will not be enforcement of the act. Sometimes you do it and get away with it, and sometimes you do it and there’s information that leads to the police to attend and where we have to check if you’re compliant in the act,” LePage explained.

He added, “It’s not necessarily what you call yourself, it’s the duty that you perform that determines whether or not you’re performing security guard functions.”

LePage stated that because the persons involved in the case have been issued “part-three” summons, their set charges and fines have not been defined yet. That will come once those students go to court.

In an attempt to avoid any issues with security, WLUSU, the Waterloo Regional Police and Laurier Special Constables met prior to the event. About 39 licensed staff were hired for security reasons on Saturday.

“We did not employ them to be in a security role, but they were certainly employed for the night,” added McMahon about the persons charged.

Nick Gibson, the president and CEO of WLUSU, stated that they will be supporting the employees who were found to be in violation of the act. “We’ll be defending all the employees; we’ll be using our legal counsel to support them,” Gibson said.

Those charged can receive a fine up to a maximum of $25,000 and up to one year in custody.

According to LePage, the PSISA has been a challenge to enforce not just in Waterloo region, but also for all of Ontario. He hopes that persistent press releases, check-ups and reminders will ensure that security functions at establishments remain legitimate.

“The act was changed in 2005, and in 2007 it was put into law, so the law has been around for four to five years. And we’ve been in the Kitchener-Waterloo area approximately five times in the past year or two years to enforce the act,” he said.

Arts

Yvonne Lemieux

Nick Faye & The Deputies latest album The Last Best West, which was released in May 2011, brings an honest and rock flavoured sound to the ears of its listeners through each of the eight tracks on the album.

Faye’s music is that of long car rides and small towns. Inspired by the prairies of Saskatchewan, Faye shared in an e-mail interview that the album “was kind of a reflection of how [he] never really appreciated [his] home until a few years back.”

With a farmer for a father it is no surprise that Faye grew up helping out on the farm and eventually became a little antsy in his small town. But the comprehension of what the Prairies meant to Faye really sunk in one day when he was “driving into the most beautiful sunset to play a show in Moose Jaw, [and realized] that ‘this’ was home, and [he would] always be connected to the province.”

Faye’s music portrays the Prairies in a beautiful light using an assortment of instruments. The album includes songs accompanied by guitar, bass and drums but also the sounds of a trumpet, violin and accordion throughout the tracks. “I always strive to have at least one accordion part in my albums,” Faye acknowledged, “As for the other instruments, I usually just try to envision the different parts, and then I look at the talents of my friends around me.”

But the added instruments do not take away from the natural sound of the music. “You won’t hear a mind blowing solo or crazy experimental sound,” Faye said about the album. It is the catchy lyrics that get stuck in the listener’s head for days that makes the music stand out.

The band itself grew once Faye started writing music at the age of sixteen. After seeing various local shows in Regina he “really wanted to be a part of the energy and the musical community” and began his music career by writing acoustic songs and playing in bands with friends.

As Faye wrote he “envisioned [his music] being played with a full rock/pop sound” and started his own band with friends Adam Ennis, drums, and Bryon Chambers, bass, piano and vocals, and worked on recording a first album. Faye approaches his music randomly letting “life happen” and then “writing snippets of songs as they come [to him].”

Currently Faye is working and only playing the occasional show in Regina. He has some material on the go and wants to hit the road with the full band in the future, possibly sometime next year.

“I’m really proud of the songs and how it turned out,” Faye stated. The album The Last Best West is free to download and Faye encourages music listeners to check it out and let the music grow on them.

Life

Vanessa Tharen

Summer is fast approaching along with the enormous weight lifted off our shoulders from studying, exams and homework. With the end of torturous schoolwork comes for many students the return to your beloved hometown for four months to catch up with high school friends, home cooking and the return to working life.

Though many of us are excited for this break from reality, it is common for students to face the challenge of adjustment. After all, for eight months of the year we can virtually do whatever we want, whenever we want. This freedom can be harshly shifted with the sudden shock that now you may have your parents to answer to once again.

Alexandra Cook, a third year student who is returning home for the summer as she did the last year, explained the change as a big adjustment for the first little while. “It’s hard to adjust at first because at school I’m on my own time, now I’m on my parents time table,” she said. Listening to parents’ wishes was also an adjustment for Cook. “It’s hard to go from doing your own thing for eight months, to suddenly having to listen to someone and their rules,” she added.

For some students the adjustment of moving home is just simply not for them. Ashley Somchanh is a second year student, who after the first summer at home decided to stay in Waterloo this time. “I didn’t like having to move back and forth for only four months, so I thought it would be easier to stay here for the summer,” she said.

The moving process was not the only thing that kept this second year from deciding to stay local. Somchanh had trouble dealing with the limited freedom that came with moving home. “I didn’t like how much freedom I lost living at home, it’s hard to adjust to not being able to do whatever you want,” she said, outlining a major reason as to why some students decide to stay in Waterloo over the summer months.

With the cons being obvious, there are some pros that make moving home enjoyable in the summer months. Less responsibility is often something to look forward to.

After the initial adjustment, Cook said, “It’s nice to have a break from all the responsibility too, especially not having to cook anymore.”

These differences can be especially challenging for first year students, making the transition back home for the first time. Somchanh suggested keeping in mind that it’s a big adjustment for your parents too.

Cook also provided some optimism, stating , “It’s hard for the first two weeks but then you adjust to living under your parents’ roofs again.”

No matter what the situation is it’s easy to take comfort in the fact that unless you feel like reading for fun, you don’t need to pick up a book for a solid four months. So enjoy home cooking and free laundry while you can because before you know it you’ll be back in class counting down the days until Christmas.

Opinion

John McKay — Defence critic for the Liberal Party of Canada

Dear Editor,

When undertaking the most expensive military procurement ever, respect for hard-earned taxpayer dollars should be priority number one. But when it comes to the costs of the F-35 stealth fighter jets, Peter Braid and the Conservative Party failed to be up front with Canadians.

Braid claimed in Parliament that "the F-35 is the right plane for the Canadian Air Force at the right time for our country." (November 18, 2010)

But the recent Auditor General’s report has shredded the Conservatives’ deception about the project: Stephen Harper low-balled Canadians on the project’s total cost.

The report confirms the government knew the F-35 would cost $25 billion, but told Canadians $15 billion — $10 billion less. That’s a $10 billion mismanagement of your money.

Nearly two years ago, the Liberals first raised a red flag about these concerns — only to meet with Conservative denials and deception.

Mr. Braid and the Conservative Party must stop being reckless with your tax dollars. Canada should hold an open competition to secure the planes our troops need at the right price.

Yours sincerely,

John McKay, Defence Critic

Liberal Party of Canada

Opinion

Bob Rae — leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

Many readers may have heard about the “robocall” Election Fraud Scandal in recent months. By now people have heard the reports of phone calls designed to deter supporters of particular parties from casting their ballot by misdirecting them to the wrong polling site, or harassing them so they won’t vote at all.

What may surprise readers, however, is that this election fraud was perpetrated in their own backyard, and the effects are very real. The Liberal Party has received multiple, credible complaints about election fraud in Kitchener - Waterloo. When we consider that Conservative MP Peter Braid only won by a margin of 3 per cent, we see the importance of each case of voter suppression being reported and investigated, if only to protect the legitimacy of Waterloo’s federal representative.

That’s why we are calling on voters to assist Elections Canada in their investigation in Kitchener - Waterloo. If you received a voice mail message misdirecting you to the wrong voting place or a harassing phone call during the last election, it is vital that you report it to Elections Canada at www.elections.ca/commissioner/complaint.aspx

This election fraud deprived the people of this community their say in choosing the person who represents you in Ottawa. This election fraud tried to silence Canadians and deprive voters in Kitchener - Waterloo of their right to vote. It’s a problem the head of Elections Canada himself called “absolutely outrageous” — and it’s up to you to make your voice heard.

If you were a victim of election fraud, the time to act is now.

Yours sincerely,

Bob Rae, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

Opinion

Diane Finley — Minister of Human Resources and Skill Development

The Harper Government is committed to ensuring the sustainability of the Old Age Security program for future generations.

As recently announced in Economic Action Plan 2012, we plan to gradually increase the age of eligibility for OAS to age 67, beginning in 2023.

Canadians who are 54 or older on March 31, 2012 (born on or before March 31, 1958) will still be eligible to apply for OAS at age 65.

There will be no reductions to the amount collected, and Canadians who are currently collecting benefits will not be affected. These changes will not affect the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The CPP has been adjusted over the years and is sustainable for the long-term.

We have ensured that the changes will be made with substantial notice and an adjustment period so that Canadians can plan for their retirement.

In Economic Action Plan 2012, we also introduced two new measures for OAS. In January 2013, we will start to proactively enrol seniors for OAS and GIS, eliminating the need for them to apply for these benefits. As of July 2012, Canadians will have the option to delay receiving their OAS benefit for up to five years. For every month an individual delays receiving OAS, their monthly payment will be increased for the remainder of their retirement.

Canada is undergoing a significant demographic shift and soon the number of seniors will nearly double. The ratio of workers to seniors is also changing. Currently, we have four working Canadians for every senior; by 2030, that will be reduced to two workers.

OAS is the largest individual transfer made to Canadians by the government and is completely funded by tax revenues. On its current path, OAS is unsustainable. If we do not act now, the Chief Actuary has projected the annual cost of OAS to increase from $38 billion in 2011 to $108 billion in 2030. That will account for nearly 25% of all federal program funding and is unsustainable.

Whatever the Opposition may believe, this is not an invented crisis. Unfortunately, their irresponsible approach to Canada’s finances would put seniors’ retirement benefits at risk.

Our Government is determined to take responsible, fair and prudent action to ensure that the OAS program is sustainable for all Canadians—now and into the future.

We are committed to providing a secure and dignified retirement for seniors who have spent their lives building this great country.

For more information on how we are safeguarding the OAS program, please visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca/retirement.

Local

Linda Givetash

After an evening of celebration with businesses, volunteers and government officials, Sustainable Waterloo Region executive director Mike Morrice admits that the environmental change the organization has brought to the community thus far is only the beginning.

Founded only three years ago by Mike Morrice, fellow students and alumni at Wilfrid Laurier University, Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR) announced in its annual report on Apr. 12 that it has expanded its membership for its regional carbon initiative (RCI) from 29 to 41 in the past year. Of those members, ten have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 42,550 tonnes — the equivalent of taking 10,000 cars of the road.

Morrice wants to see these numbers increase.

“41 organizations is certainly a good start but nowhere near the impact we’re hoping to have and the progress we’re hoping to see across this community as more businesses buy in to make measurable, meaningful changes,” said Morrice of the growing members SWR will help to set targets of lowing their carbon emissions.

One of the challenges he addressed in getting the attention of businesses is showing them how becoming more sustainable can ultimately help their bottom line. “There are examples from manufacturing to non profit ... that a business case has been successful for them and by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions they’ve been able to save money and attract better employees and really get ready for a transformational shift to a low carbon economy,” said the SWR founder.

An example that Morrice kept falling back to was his alma mater, WLU, which released their Sustainability Action Plan with the approval of the university board of governors last week.

“I’m very proud of the progress that university is making and the real steps they’re taking; that Laurier joined the RCI two years ago with real intention to put in place sustainability actions,” he said. “To now be at a point where in many ways that’s now coming into fruition ... that’s just really exciting.”

The five-year action plan Laurier has committed to includes a carbon reduction goal of 15 per cent.

In addition to carbon reduction in the region, Morrice hopes to look at other environmental factors, like water and waste, to help businesses and their employees become more sustainable overall.

Yet for making any of these goals a reality, Morrice said, “It goes back to the theme of the [annual] report — this is all about people of action.”

At many of the member organizations, SWR has inspired them to set up “green teams” among their employees to lead sustainable practices within the company.

Colin MacIntosh, property service manager for House of Friendship in Kitchener, spoke during the annual report announcement on Apr. 12. Exemplifying that three quarters of green initiatives are driven by green teams, MacIntosh said, “Our green team is the heart that will pump our sustainable initiatives throughout the organization.”

And while SWR’s focus is on sustainable practices in businesses, the behaviours they promote translate to the individual lives of employees.

Looking at the influence the push for sustainable practices is having, Morrice concluded, “There’s certainly a lot of transfer between behaviours and change practices in the workplace that definitely go home [and] create that larger cultural, social norm shift that we’re really excited about.”

Life

Brieanne Berry

Spring is upon us and it isn’t just about exposing pale body parts, wearing floral and actually working on your beach body — this is also the time to clear out the old and make way for the new.

Yes, I’m talking about spring-cleaning.

The biggest problem with being a shopaholic is that you dedicate precious time and funds to buy everything you “need” for each season and subsequently keep it stuffed away in the back of your closet when it’s no longer socially acceptable to wear. Personally, I try not to buy what I know I won’t wear — which is also why I always end up owning multiples of certain items that I know I will wear and end up bored with my wardrobe. I digress.

Spring-cleaning is a great excuse to open up some space in your closet for the oncoming season, but I do have one piece of advice: Do not pack up all your cold weather gear (this is also directed to you, sir, who is wearing shorts when it’s only 4 degrees outside).

Shifting weather means you’re more likely to get sick. There’s no way that you can enjoy the beautiful weather and show off your new look if you’re too busy sniffling.

I have an either/or rule when it comes to spring fashion, which means only one section of my body is exposed. For example, if I choose to wear shorts, I wear long sleeves or a cardigan on top. I consider this to be common sense, but recognize that not everyone is constantly freezing like myself.

Here’s a little “spring-peration” using the high-low trend (or the “mullet dress” depending on what you prefer to call it). I think the obvious confusion surrounding this style is the perfect way to address the confusing weather.

Life

Letizia Iuorio

The recent hot and sunny weather means it’s time to bust out the bright and bold colours. Coloured denim has become a very popular trend and it’s hard to ignore the bursts of colours that people are wearing around campus. No colour is excluded from this trend; they range from neons to pastel and primary colours. Bright coloured jeans may not be everyone’s taste, so consider a pastel coloured hue if you’d prefer not to turn quite so many heads as you pass.

Style options

For a casual look you can wear to class, pair your colourful skinnies with white tee and a jean jacket. For a dressier look, try wearing them with a blazer and wedges. Another fun option is colour blocking your denim with bold stripes, or similar contrasting colours and a colourful pair of pumps. Don’t be shy about your colored denim. This is a bold statement, but it’s also just a new pair of pants as comfortable as your favorite pair of jeans.

Where to get them?

The best places to look for affordable coloured denim are H&M and Forever21. My favourite pick is the denim brand called Bleulab. This brand offers coloured denim that is reversible, so you get two shades in one. You get a brighter colour on one side, and then the darker version of that colour on the other side. They’re a bit pricey, but it’s worth the splurge because you’re getting two pairs of jeans in one.

What is great about this trend is that the pants are as comfortable and casual like a regular pair of denim blue jeans, but with their own unique spin. This is not just a spring trend, so don’t be afraid to rock them all summer.

Life

Dear Life,

Turns out WLUSU isn't the only campus department with corrupt hiring processes.

Sincerely,

Biases Bug Me

Dear Life,

It would be nice if I could just have a nice dinner at Wilf's without feeling rushed and getting crappy service. It would be nice if it didn't take 40 minutes for a burger, and I didn't have a server looking over my shoulder as I put in a tip. Good riddance Wilf's, you make me happy to graduate.

Sincerely,

Mr. Server, go crazy with that penny

Dear Life,

While most students are studying for their exams in the coming weeks, I am still working on assignments.

Sincerely,

How many lab reports do I have to write to pass second year ='(

Dear Life,

I knew it was gonna snow, my psychic abilities told me so and everyone laughed at me! Muahaha

Sincerely,

Told ya so

Dear Life,

It ain't summer yet.

Sincerely,

Put that midriff away

Dear Life,

I am an atheist. I hate it when other atheists act like idiots. It really ruins it for us atheists who do not force their lack of religion on people who are happy in being religious, and who do not see living in harmony among religious people as a lost cause. I will never tell a friend, foe or complete stranger not to be religious in any case. My only issues with religion are when individuals either force their beliefs on others through fear, guilt, shame or any other negative force; or twist the meaning of their religion's teachings in order to form a (completely ludicrous) reason to commit harm of any degree to innocent people — I do realize that these individuals are, for obvious reasons, not representative of their religions in any way. Other than that, I have no reason to be bothered by religion. While I am happier without religion and always will be, it would be stupid of me to think that its presence in the world should have any bearing on how I live my life.

Sincerely, So can you.

Send your Dear Life submissions to dearlife@thecord.ca. All submissions are anonymous and should be no longer than 100 words.

News

Justin Smirlies

Since establishing its office at the Chongqing University of Science and Technology in 2007, Wilfrid Laurier University has been searching for ways to further cement the tie between the two institutions so that students and faculty have more opportunities to study and teach abroad.

“We are looking at where we can expand our co-operation beyond the exchange [student program]. There are challenges with our students going and studying right now in Chongqing because of the language requirement,” explained Peter Donahue, director of Laurier International.

“We talked about mentoring programs amongst student professionals on both campuses, where we would have professionals going back and forth.”

On Thursday morning, the president of the Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Yan Xinping, gave a presentation highlighting the challenges and situations currently facing the institution and higher education in China. Chongqing, a municipality with a population of approximately 37 million, is growing tremendously on the international economic scale.

Yan had nothing but good words to say about Laurier’s growth in the education sector, noting the reputation of Laurier’s business and arts programs. With the use of a translator, Yan stated that Laurier had a “very beautiful and dynamic campus.”

“You have a very good strategy for the future,” Yan added.

For his presentation, Yan outlined the history of post-secondary education in China since the Maoist revolution in 1949 and how the current state of education is a result of those trends. But with a growing population and changing economic times, universities in China still face numerous challenges.

He explained that reforms in the funding model and the ability to distinguish itself from other universities as some of those challenges. Currently, there are 56 institutions of higher learning in the highly populated area of Chongqing.

Towards the end of his presentation, Yan spoke about Chongqing’s efforts in international study, stating that in 2010 around 265,000 international students were studying there with another 250,000 of students from Chongqing studying abroad in other nations. He hopes to increase these opportunities for Canadian students with Laurier’s help.

“International co-operation is a big trend right now, to share resources,” continued Yan, adding that he visited Laurier to encourage this exchange among the two universities.

Donahue echoed Yan’s statements, “It’s something that we want and try to promote a little bit more amongst to faculty these opportunities, to gain the experience of teaching over seas and then bringing it back to the classroom [in Canada].”

He added that Laurier International hopes to get faculty to teach intensive three months courses in the spring and summer months.

Yan closed off his presentation by calling for a closer “friendship” between the two institutions. “We have a bright future. We are a brother university,” he said.

Opinion

Scott Simms — Liberal MP for Bonavista-Exploits

Dear Editor,

People in Waterloo are about to lose access to CBC and Radio Canada because of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.

The CBC and Radio Canada television transmitters in Waterloo are being forced to shut down because the Federal Budget took the axe to CBC-Radio Canada’s operating budget. As a result, residents who get their TV signal from traditional over-the-air signal will be cut off from CBC and Radio Canada broadcasts. Particularly hard hit are seniors, students and the unemployed.

It didn’t have to be this way. If the CBC and Radio Canada had proper funding, they could have built modern digital transmission towers and improved access in Waterloo.

While Heritage Minister James Moore promised in the last election that the Conservative Party “will maintain or increase support for the CBC,” he quickly changed his tune after the election. Now he is has made deep ideological cuts to the CBC-Radio Canada’s budget, slashing 10 per cent of its funding.

Unlike the Conservatives, the Liberal Party believes that the CBC and Radio Canada is pivotal to connecting Canadians from coast to coast to coast and should be strengthened — not gutted.

Yours sincerely,

Scott Simms, Canadian Heritage Critic

Liberal Party of Canada

News

Linda Givetash

Dozens of red and white balloons were released into the cold wind this afternoon as a symbol of hope to mark World Parkinson’s Day.

Watching the balloons drift upward, the group of about 150 people from the Waterloo Region community affected by Parkinson’s gathered to raise awareness and celebrate the achievements of the Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Center (MDRC) at Wilfrid Laurier University.

“Our goal today was to celebrate the link between the Laurier community and all the patients and all the people that support our programs because internationally we’re having quite an impact on what we can do for Parkinson’s,” said Quincy Almeida, director of MDRC.

That impact is only growing. In addition to marking World Parkinson’s Day, it was announced at the event that Almeida has been chosen as the 2012 Early Career Distinguished Scholar by the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA).

Knowing that he had been nominated, Almeida said in an interview with The Cord, “I thought, well it’s very nice to be nominated but who could imagine you could win a North American award.”

“It’s a pat on the back for everyone here,” he added, expressing thanks to the staff and students at MDRC.

Among the Centre’s achievements, Almeida explained that MDRC would be releasing international guidelines for exercise prescription for Parkinson’s patients.

It is for this kind of progress MDRC is making in the study of Parkinson’s that Almeida said put Laurier and Waterloo on the map.

“It’s a huge challenge in the sense that we’ve accomplished what we have without a medical school, without a giant clinical training program here at Laurier and we don’t really have any hospitals that focus on movement disorders, Parkinson’s, neurological disorders here in town,” he explained emphasizing the significance of the work coming out of MDRC and the community support the centre receives.

Shelley Ralf, manager of special events for the Parkinson Society of Southwestern Ontario, who announced Almeida’s latest achievement, added that the announcement provides hope for the many patients who access MDRC.

“Right at the moment there is no cure,” said Ralf about the challenges of living with the disease and also highlighting the concern that by 2016 it is estimated that the current 100,000 cases of Parkinson’s in Canada will double.

The research at MDRC currently focuses on the basic science of understanding Parkinson’s, which translates to new rehabilitation practices to benefit the patients at the centre. However without certainty about the cause of Parkinson’s, treatment options have not reached their full potential. “The things that we have right now in terms of treatment have always been things that mask symptoms — but it’s not treatment and it’s not a cure,” said Almeida.

Looking to the future, the director of MDRC believes that the research focus will shift once a better understanding of the disease is gained and put more emphasis on why the brain creates the impairments associated with Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders.

“I think the only way we’ll get to a cure is if we can actually understand what causes the disorders in the first place.”

For those who stood outside with their balloons, creating the shape of a tulip to commemorate World Parkinson’s Day, the day’s announcements were another sign of hope that the research being done at MDRC will make living with the disease easier.

Arts

Gayle Ryan

Stepping into the dim, rather bare looking art gallery The Artery for a folk rock show is like stepping into a hipster’s paradise.

Hinindar, a local folk-rock band, took the stage for its CD debut, with Toronto’s Kite Hill opening and Bocce closing the show. The cozy venue was packed with fans on Mar. 31 and Hinindar delivered a worthy show.

Kite Hill, a drum, wind and string band, started the show with strong vocals and piano, relying on clear, ringing tones that evoke a sense of calmness. Ryan Carly joked lightly, setting a comfortable tone.

Hinindar played next and worked through the EP’s song list in progression, beginning with the CD’s title song, "Absalom." Steve Sloane, the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist, moved effortlessly through the album’s blend of quiet whispers and loud calls. Steph Yates complemented Sloane’s skilled guitar playing with hollowly-sweet back-up vocals and Jeff Woods completed the band’s sound with all of the other instruments.

Hinindar’s sound is a fusion of folk, country and bluesy guitar, with complex, unyielding lyrics that hint of isolation and loss. The sound is a sort of post-modern folk that relies heavily on old country, but blends electric guitar, keyboard and xylophone for a uniquely haunting, modern tone.

The band’s performance was polished and Sloane’s vocals seamlessly flowed from quiet, breathy tones into howling crescendos. "Hard Love II," the third song in the set, was especially well done; perfectly balancing the band’s fusion of quiet and loud, with strong lyrics that sent the listener into thoughtful reflection. But the strongest song of the set was the last song, "Sheila," in which Sloane’s vocals perfectly embodied the song’s sense of discontent and longing.

In previous shows Hinindar’s stage presence has been light and cheerful, with the members throwing in the occasional subtle joke to appease the crowd; yet Hinindar’s interaction with the crowd last Saturday was limited and rather staid. Despite the band’s generally solemn manner, Sloane did get a few chuckles and graciously thanked the album’s contributors between songs.

Bocce finished the show in an odd twist of genres. The band’s eclectic mix of video, electronic and instrumental music was energetically and skillfully delivered; but seemed out of place after Hinindar and Kite Hill’s more relaxed and serious notes.

Hinindar’s first CD shows an unusually high level of sophistication and complexity that passes the test of multiple listens, and the band’s live performance delivers the album’s layers and quality. Absalom might just be the push that Hinindar needs to shift from hometown gem to the big stage.

News

Yvonne Lemieux

During the Mar. 31 weekend in Hamilton, New York, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Debate Society sent four teams of two to compete at the Colgate IV Invitational Debate Tournament. The debate was held at Colgate University and hosted 48 different teams from around the world.

“The types of people [the Debate Society] went up against were just amazing, so it’s really spectacular to see people from Laurier do just as well,” said Matt Casselman, next year’s vice-president of communications for the Debating Society.

Laurier came home proud after the tournament with Kira Misiewicz and Jordan Schmidt taking 13th place overall in the tournament after defeating some very prestigious teams like the 7th world-ranked University of Vermont and teams from Sydney, Australia and Oxford, England. “They advanced through the quarter-finals, then they advanced through the semi-finals and they made it to the final round. Which is pretty spectacular considering the caliber of people who were in attendance,” Casselman explained.

The other three teams that competed at the Colgate Tournament were Bradley Wilkinson and Alisha Harkness, who placed 23rd, Matt Casselman and his partner Ann De Sequeria who came in 25th and George Lifchits and Arthur Situm who came in 35th.

In comparison to most tournaments the Colgate Debate Tournament was “a little more tame, in the sense that most people had English as their first language,” Casselman said. But they experience was still a great one, and this tournament in New York was only one of many trips the Debate Society took this year. Laurier’s Debate Society has traveled to most places in the world including different universities throughout Canada and the Untied States, the Philippines, England, Ireland and more.

“[Debate] is a really great opportunity to develop your critical thinking skills,” Casselman shared when asked what the organization had done for him. “When I first got to university I really was focusing a lot more on my studies and I lot less on current events,” he continued. Now, Casselman has developed a strong knowledge of current events and debate has helped boost his confidence.

The Debate Society meets once a week and gives students the chance to broaden their views, travel and meet other students with a passion for current events.

Bag O' Crime

Assistance Call from Public

Location: Fred Nichols Campus Centre

Reported: Mar. 26 at 3:40 p.m.

SCS received a report of a theft of a Blackberry Curve 9300. The complainant had been working in the Concourse near the Hub desk and left the item unattended on a table for two hours. He later notified SCS that the blackberry had been returned to him by a friend and no theft had taken place.

Theft Under $5,000

Location: Fred Nichols Campus Centre

Reported: Mar. 26 at 8:35 p.m.

SCS is investigating the theft of a skateboard in the FNCC. The complainant believes he may either have left it at Williams Fresh Café in the Food Terrace or somewhere in the Concourse. The skateboard is described as black with long board wheels. It has a logo similar to a Jack Daniels whiskey label on the bottom. It has the letters CK in silver paint on top and a silver coloured fish symbol as well. There are no suspects.

Assistance Call from Public

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 27 at 2:26 p.m.

A Special Constable was requested to attend a to residence room by the Residence Life staff to assist with the formal eviction of a 19-year-old male Laurier student. Proper documentation had been served on the student. The eviction went without incident.

Injured/Sick Person

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 27 at 6:11 p.m.

SCS officers attended to the student residence in response to a call for medical assistance. An 18-year-old male student was treated for a cut on his right hand after coming in contact with a ceiling vent. He was taken to Grand River Hospital by a friend for further treatment.

Fire

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 28 at 2:06 a.m.

SCS officers responded to a kitchen fire at a residence. Upon SCS arrival a small stove fire had been extinguished. Waterloo Fire Dept. attended as well and vented the area and cleared the area of smoke and allowed the students to return to the residence. The cause of the alarm was determined to be from excessive smoke from someone cooking and poor ventilation. There was no damage or injuries to report.

Injured/Sick Person

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 28 at 1:08 p.m.

SCS officers attended to the student residence in response to a report of a female having fainting spells. She was identified as an 18-year-old Laurier student who had suffered several fainting spells that afternoon. She was taken to Grand River Hospital by SCS for observation.

By-Law Complaint

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 28 at 12:17 p.m.

Officers attended a noise complaint by Residence Life staff at a residence. The occupants of one of the residence rooms were talking loudly and it was disturbing the residents. The group was asked to lower their voices. They complied. No further action was required.

Theft Under $5,000

Location: WLU Library

Reported: Mar. 28 at 2:46 p.m.

A male Laurier student reported his laptop stolen by person(s) unknown from the fifth floor of the library where he had been studying. His work station had been left unattended for approximately 10 minutes. CCTV video footage will be reviewed for possible suspects in the area at the time.

Property Descriptors: ‘Apple’ MacBook Pro 13” screen, silver in colour.

Unwanted Person

Location: WLU Library

Reported: Mar. 28 at 4:50 p.m.

SCS officers responded to a call of a person sleeping under the concrete porch outside the WLU library. Upon arrival the officers found a male sleeping on the ground. The male was identified as a 25-year-old transient. He was escorted from campus and verbally trespassed from all WLU controlled properties.

Suspicious Person

Location: WLU Library

Reported: Mar. 29 at 1:58 a.m.

Library staff reported an unidentified suspicious male who was observed using a computer on the third floor. He appeared to be “chatting” with a younger female on a video chat program. Apparently he had also been observed the previous day but it had not been reported. He was last seen leaving the library at approximately 2:10 a.m.

Description: Caucasian male, 6”, 180 lbs, longer dark hair down to his neck and approximately 35-45 years of age, wearing black pants, dark hat, black jacket and was in possession of two knapsacks.

Library staff was advised to contact SCS if they saw the male again.

Theft Under $5,000

Location: Dining Hall

Reported: Mar. 29 at 11:30 a.m.

Dining Hall staff reported an unidentified male who attempted to steal food from the food service area. Four large take out containers had been filled with food not paid for and left to be picked up. A suspect was seen in the immediate area but left without taking the items with him. His image was captured on CCTV cameras. The matter is under investigation by SCS.

Suspect Descriptors: The male is described as East Indian descent, mid-twenties, 5’ 10”, medium build, with short black hair and wearing a blue jacket, red scarf, black pants and shoes.

Theft Under $5,000

Location: Science Building

Reported: Mar. 29 at 3:07 p.m.

A WLU student reported the theft of her bicycle from the bike rack on the south side of the Science Building. The bike is described as a blue coloured SC1800 Supercycle. There are no suspects.

Intoxicated Person

Location: Student Services Building Reported: Mar. 29 at 11:41 p.m.

SCS encountered an 18-year-old intoxicated female lying on the ground in the Quad. She was identified as a WLU student. She was taken home to her residence by a Residence Life staff member. The matter will be dealt with by the Judicial Affairs Council.

Fire

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 29 at 11:30 p.m.

SCS officers attended to the student residence at a residence in response to a small grease fire that had ignited on a stove. Upon their arrival the fire had been extinguished with a fire extinguisher. There was minor damage to the stove and no injuries were reported. The residents were temporarily relocated until the area was cleaned by Physical Resources staff.

Drugs

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 30 at 2:45 a.m.

SCS attended to a residence after receiving a report of suspected usage in one of the rooms. A small amount of marijuana and some drug paraphernalia was seized for destruction. Residence staff will be dealing with all seven students that were involved.

Property Damage

Location: 81 Lodge Street

Reported: Mar. 30 at 5:10 a.m.

A Physical Resources employee reported to SCS that a WLU service van in the parking lot had the passenger window broken out sometime during the night by person(s) unknown. The van was unlocked at the time, but nothing was reportedly taken. CCTV footage will be reviewed for possible suspects.

Theft Under $5,000

Location: Frank C. Peters Building Reported: Mar. 30 at 12:20 p.m.

A female student reported that she left her Laurier One Card in the building, and reported it stolen when it couldn’t be found. She checked One Card usage online and found that someone had used her card for a transaction in the amount of $15. The matter is under investigation by SCS.

Assistance Call from Public

Location: Student Services Building

Reported: Mar. 30 at 9:15 p.m.

A WLU student attended to the Special Constable Service Dispatch Centre seeking legal advice regarding a personal matter with an ex-partner. She has been receiving unwanted attention on her blackberry’s social websites from this individual. Advice was given regarding the possible implementation of a Restraining Order and to seek further advice from WRPS.

Drugs

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 31 at 12:01 a.m.

SCS officers attended to the student residence in response to a complaint of suspected drug usage in one of the rooms. A small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia was seized for destruction. Three non-WLU males were issued written Trespass Notices and evicted from the premises. The male student occupant of the room will be dealt with by Residence Life for the narcotic violation.

Drugs

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 31 at 11:36 p.m.

SCS officers attended to the student residence in response to a call of suspected drug usage in one of the rooms. A small amount of marihuana and drug paraphernalia was seized for destruction. The 18-year-old female occupant of the room will be dealt with by Residence Life for the narcotic violation. The guest, an 18-year-old male Burlington resident was issued with a written Trespass Notice and barred from entering any WLU controlled property.

Liquor Offence

Location: Schlegel Centre Reported: Mar. 31 at 1:30 a.m.

SCS officers on patrol encountered two 19-year-old male students inside one of the classrooms viewing private videos using the classroom’s AV equipment. They were also found to be consuming alcohol. One of the males was issued a Provincial Offence Notice pursuant to the Liquor Licence Act for ‘having liquor in an open container in other than a licensed premises, residence or private place.’ They were both sent on their way.

Disturbance

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 31 at 3:49 a.m.

SCS officers attended to a sixth floor lounge in the student residence in response to a disturbance taking place between several males. All was quiet upon SCS arrival. It was determined that several students had engaged in a verbal altercation concerning an intramural soccer game played the evening before. It then turned physical. No injuries were reported and no charges were proceeded with. The matter will be dealt with internally by Residence Life staff.

Assist Other Service

Location: Residence

Reported: Mar. 31 at 6:13 a.m.

SCS and WRPS officers attended to the student residence in response to a 9-1-1 call from a female about her having been followed by someone from a downtown bar. It was determined that the allegation was false. The intoxicated 19-year-old was identified as a student and transported home to her proper residence.

Intoxicated Person

Location: Residence Reported: Mar. 31 at 10:15 p.m.

SCS received a report of an unconscious and unresponsive female in the hallway of a residence. SCS officers attended and were advised that the female was found in the DAWB had been taken back to the residence. EMS was dispatched and the female was transported to Grand River Hospital for assessment.

Assist Other Service

Location: Off Campus

Reported: Apr. 1 at 3:11 a.m.

SCS were requested by WRPS Dispatch to attend to a report of an intoxicated male climbing a construction crane in a construction site off campus. SCS officers attended, and detained the individual until WRPS attended a short time later. The U of W student was issued a Provincial Offence Notice under the Trespass to Property Act by WRPS.

Property Damage

Location: Lot 3

Reported: Apr. 1 at 12:30 p.m.

SCS investigated a report of a parked vehicle having been damaged sometime overnight. Person(s) unknown had kicked a dent in the passenger side of the 2003 Toyota Echo. There are no suspects.

Opinion

Janice Lee

To the young man, presumably Laurier student who harassed me and my 12-year-old sister on the sidewalk Thursday evening, congratulations. You take first place in the Douchiest of Douchebag Awards out of all the "Bunny Hop" pub crawl participants. Incredible.

To loudly shout into my little sister's ear at 8 p.m. on Albert Street as we walked by a bunch of pre-drunken students — truly outstanding. You did it. You solidified my growing conviction that Laurier is more and more a cesspool of privileged, ungrateful humiliations to society.

I am embarrassed that I went to Laurier when I encounter young men like you. I feel less safe living regrettably close to the university. I feel sorry for the young woman who kept apologizing on your behalf. I assume she shared in my pity for your unacceptable face-palm behaviour. You scurried away, laughing, and smoking your little cigarette as I scolded you loudly. Young man, I am not your mother. Stop harassing children and pull yourself together.

—Janice Lee, Laurier grad 2010

Opinion

Carolyn Poirier

On March 31, a team of four WLU BBA’s (class of 2010) along with 300 other guests held a charity gala in Support of the Alzheimer Society of Toronto. The inaugural Memory Ball, was held at a downtown Toronto loft venue, Andrew Richards Designs.

The goal of the event was to raise awareness for the Alzheimer Society within a younger demographic. Alzheimer's is typically understood to be an 'elderly' disease; however, prevalence among the under 60 age bracket continues to rise, and has personally affected several members of the event’s founding committee.

The Laurier Waterbuffs, proved to be significant sponsors of this years event. There contributions of $1,000 went directly to the [Alzheimer] Society. The Waterbuffs have always been a philanthropic organization, which is incredible for a group that also has earned the reputation of throwing some of the best parties at WLU.

“I can’t thank the Waterbuffs enough,” said committee chair, Carolyn Poirier ’10. “They exemplified the Laurier spirit, and proved that even once you’ve graduated your Laurier network still has a huge place in your future endeavors. Further more they taught me a great lesson, if you want to do something for a worthy cause, throw a great party, everyone loves a party.”

Arts

Cameron Noble

I remember the first time I was exposed to The Office. Intimate and raw “documentary” style footage inspired humor by exposing awkward reactions and stupidity. Awkwardness and irony are the two dominating styles of comedy utilized in this century. Sitcoms using laugh track are still prevalent, as in the case of the increasingly popular How I Met Your Mother. Yet, more often than not, I’m attracted to comedy that experiments with different forms of humour that aren’t spoon-fed to the audience.

Arrested Development is an example of a successful sitcom that didn’t need to rely on joke set-ups and payoffs for the humor to be extracted. Humour was instead derived from everything from the narrator, Ron Howard, to the puns, deprecation and irony. Sarcasm and wit dominate shows; from H. Jon Benjamin in Archer to Cam in Modern Family, audiences don’t need to be told when to laugh.

This is not to say that sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother don’t succeed at what they’re aiming for, simply that the current state of humour is largely based around rambling awkwardness, confident machismo (read: Will Farrell) and intelligent sarcasm. Our culture is obsessed with self-awareness (i.e. Community) so anyone attempting to be genuinely happy comes across as phony. Reflection as a form of self-deprecation is an easy way to get a laugh — Seth Rogan has successfully built a career on making fun of himself and laughing awkwardly to appear charming. The objective is an aim to be real by addressing the audience so the producers/actors are in on the joke with the audience, such as on Community.

When I watch a show with a laugh track and I hear the “audience” in the background splitting their sides to a middling joke, the immersion can be broken. MSNBC Studies show that people are more likely to laugh when there is the presence of the laugh track, as a form of “peer pressure,” but when you’re sitting alone at home, failing to “get” a joke may completely break the immersion that the show is attempting in the first place.

To contrast this, a show like Archer continues to move at a blistering pace, never slowing down to allow time for the laugh track, so if the joke is missed, there’s no time to criticize. Programs without “help” also force better dialogue, relying less on punch lines than those with. This is not to suggest that we abolish the sincere form of the “classic” sitcom, because it still proves to be working; but we should welcome the new and diverse techniques of getting a laugh.

Opinion

Bob Rae — leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

Dear Editor,

Are you prepared to give up $13,000 during your golden years? MP Peter Braid and Prime Minister Stephen Harper think you are. That’s what the average Canadian will have to give up thanks to the federal budget introduced by the Conservative Party last week.

The Budget cuts retirement benefits by raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement from 65 to 67 years, forcing Canadians to postpone their retirement for 2 years. For low income seniors it’s even worse. They stand to lose up to $30,000 which could hike seniors’ poverty by up third.

It’s a massive hit to the least-well off. It’s mean-spirited and it’s wrong.

The Conservatives offered zero financial analysis to justify the cut because there is none. The OECD, the Parliamentary Budget Officer and other leading experts have all confirmed that Canada does not face a pension crisis.

The Conservatives are also using the Budget making deep ideological cuts. They are cutting $7.5 million from the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, $6.7 million from the Auditor General of Canada and $320 million from international development aid.

How skewed are these priorities? Take a look at what the government is not cutting: polls, advertising, bigger jails and stealth fighters.

Canadians should be asking Stephen Harper and Peter Braid how they can justify such a small-minded Canada.

Yours sincerely,

Bob Rae, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

Corrections

In the Mar. 28, 2012 article "Breaking the political 'mould,'" NDP leadership candidate's name Niki Ashton was misspelled as "Nikki Ashton." The Cord apologizes for the error.

Opinion

Peter Braid - Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Waterloo

With the passage of the Copyright Modernization Act (Bill C-11), Canada’s copyright laws will move into the 21st century with a framework that is forward-looking and flexible, bringing Canada in line with technological advancements and ensuring our continued leadership in the global digital economy.

Bill C-11 establishes an environment that promotes innovation, attracts investment, and creates jobs. It ensures that creators of artistic works and intellectual property can protect their investments and realize an income for their work. At the same time, it recognizes the rights of consumers, permitting the use of legitimately acquired material for user-generated content and allowing activities such as time-shifting, format-shifting, and backup copying.

This legislation was drafted following extensive consultations among stakeholders, where we heard a wide range of concerns and suggestions. Bill C-11 is a uniquely Canadian compromise that achieves a delicate balance of competing interests.

The educational community has a significant stake in the future of copyright law because universities are environments where creativity and innovation thrive. Furthermore, students and educators are consumers of a variety of media, and benefit from the sharing and dissemination of information and ideas.

In recognition of education’s significant benefits to society, the Copyright Modernization Act has expanded the fair dealing provisions to include education. This means that copyrighted material can be used to enhance educational opportunities, incorporating the latest technologies in a manner that respects the interests of the copyright owner.

For example, this bill legitimizes the use of copyrighted material in online courses, permits the digital delivery of course materials, and allows for the copying of materials that are freely available over the Internet. In addition, it allows libraries to digitize print material and provide it electronically through an interlibrary loan. And because the bill is technologically neutral, it will be adaptable to future developments.

As a member of the legislative committee that studied the bill, and an MP whose riding is home to two universities, I was in a unique position to evaluate the changes to copyright legislation with a view to ensuring that all the interests of the educational community were taken into consideration.

I heard directly from representatives of student organizations, college and university communities, school boards and education ministers, and creators and publishers of educational material. I believe the Copyright Modernization Act successfully balances all these interests, and will increase innovative learning opportunities for all Canadians.

At the same time, it provides critical protection for intellectual property and gives creators the option of using technological protection measures (TPMs) as a business model to optimize profitability. As the most innovative community in Canada, Waterloo has a stake in ensuring that creators can benefit from their ingenuity.

One illustration of this is the use of TPMs to protect the investments of Canada’s growing video game industry that employs approximately 16,000 people and generates $1.7 billion in economic activity. Stronger protection measures will ensure that this industry can attract investment and compete internationally, while creating high quality knowledge jobs in communities like ours.

At the same time, the free flow of ideas generates further discovery and innovation. To recognize this, Bill C-11 allows the circumvention of TPMs for legitimate purposes including reverse engineering, encryption research, and security testing.

Ultimately, a balanced and robust copyright regime will spur innovation, enhance competition and productivity, and ensure our place at the forefront of the digital economy.

Sports

Kevin Campbell

Cassie Campbell has one message for the nominees of the 2012 Outstanding Women of Laurier award.

Keep it up.

Continue playing sport at a competitive level, don’t halt your community presence and don’t let your academics falter.

Because you have been weighed, you have been measured and now the pressure’s on to stay in the spotlight and break down the barriers that are continuously thrust before you as a woman athlete.

On Thursday, the former team captain of the Canadian Olympic team and current Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster spoke in front of a crowd of hundreds at the Waterloo Inn and Conference Centre as part of Laurier’s annual award ceremony to recognize its top all-around female athlete of the year.

And as if there was any doubt, the articulate, media-friendly and confident skip for Laurier’s women’s curling team, Laura Crocker took home the hardware.

“This one’s very special,” said Crocker after the ceremony. “It’s very important to me as an athlete to give back and I try to do that whenever I can.”

Along with her natural skipping prowess on the rink, Crocker volunteers as a Little Rock instructor, assisting in the school program Rocks and Rinks, and she works with seven developmentally-challenged students in a local classroom.

“I have a picture frame in my room where I have a lot of the pictures of the kids and of the success that I’ve had to remind myself where I’ve been and where I want to be and I do hang my medals off that same picture frame,” said the skip.

Crocker is pretty good at what she does.

Three gold medals within the past three months have seen the fourth-year graduating psychology major’s stock rise meteorically within Canada’s curling elite.

Along with being named a two-time Academic All-Canadian, Crocker has won the Ontario University Athletics’ (OUA) circuit twice, and the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) tournament three times.

With her university career behind her, Crocker has big plans for her near future, but wasn’t in the mood to reveal the fine details just yet.

“I will be curling quite competitively but what exactly I’m doing is not confirmed yet… My main goal is playing in the Scotties [Tournament of Hearts] and winning the Scotties and getting myself to Olympic Trials.”

Women’s hockey forward and local Bluevale Collegiate graduate Caitlin Muirhead and women’s lacrosse goalkeeper Hanna Burnett were the other two finalists for the award.

In her keynote address, Campbell emphasized the pressure that these women have faced and will continue to face, and provided anecdotal advice to overcome their challenges ahead.

Campbell was the first woman broadcaster in Canada to ever provide colour commentary in an NHL game and discussed leaping out of her comfort zone to take on new forms of adversity and becoming comfortable with who you are, especially within an organization with so many industry movers and shakers like the CBC.

“I’m no Don Cherry, that’s for sure,” said the Richmond Hill native in an interview with The Cord before her speech. “I try to be myself and that’s the only way you can approach it… I try to ask hockey questions and try to get in the minds of the players. You won’t see me being too controversial. The players get enough of that. I’m looking for the positive stories and the human interest stories.”

The left-winger said her transition to broadcasting and sports interviewing has been a treat.

“I feel like I know the game and players treat me with great respect and I was surprised at how much the players knew about women’s hockey.

“They know about the program and a lot of them have daughters who play too so they’re asking me advice. It’s a fun job.”

Local

Linda Givetash

A blue Suzuki motorcycle and black Acura collided at the intersection of King St. and University Ave. this evening. The damage to the Acura appeared to be minor and no injuries have been reported thus far. The two northbound lanes on King St. have been blocked off in order for police to investigate the cause of the accident.

More to come.

National

Lee Richardson — CUP Ontario Bureau Chief

TORONTO (CUP) — Cuts to student aid and support for international students are just some of the proposals included in the Ontario provincial budget released March 27.

The post-secondary sector will, however, see the 30 per cent tuition grant continuing, with a recommitment from the Liberals to fund more post-secondary spaces, as seen in last year’s budget.

There will be cuts, however, to “streamline student financial assistance” following the introduction of the tuition grant, according to the budget, which was tabled Tuesday by Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.

The Ontario Work Study program will be cut, as will the Ontario Special Bursary and the Dr. Albert Rose Bursary. Several other grants will be eliminated, such as the Small Northern and Rural grant, which helps smaller colleges provide programs to attract students from smaller communities.

“With all the programs are being axed it actually means that for every dollar that’s being invested in student financial assistance, $1.20 is being cut back,” said Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario chairperson Sandy Hudson. “We’re actually taking away from students, not giving to them.”

Funding for the recruitment of international non-PhD students and study-abroad scholarships would also be cut, if the budget is passed.

But whether the budget will get the support it needs from the opposition parties remains to be seen.

Conservative Ontario leader Tim Hudak said that his party would vote down the budget, saying that the passing of the budget as is could lead to a situation where Ontario wouldn’t be able to cope with an “economic shock.”

“This isn’t structural reform in this budget; it’s simply knocking the can further down the road,” Hudak said, referring to the goal of eliminating the province’s deficit.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath also expressed disappointment with the budget, specifically at the lack of a plan to create new jobs. The budget only mentions protecting 170,000 jobs.

“There is nothing in this budget that speaks to the job crisis that Ontario has,” said Horwath. “It falls short on key fronts.”

Horwath announced her party would not necessarily vote down the budget immediately, because of concerns that doing so would trigger another provincial election only several months after the last.

Instead her party will, according to Horwath, have a discussion with Ontarians to decide whether to vote down the budget.

“We’re very frustrated by what we’ve seen in the budget,” said Hudson. “We hope that the opposition parties become a strong advocate for students — we need them to be.”

News

Yvonne Lemieux

This year from May 26 to June 2 Wilfrid Laurier University in partnership with the University of Waterloo will be hosting the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Congress is a conference that will be held over the course of eight days and hold different events and lectures from several keynote speakers. Sheldon Pereira, the project manager for Congress, said that some of the main objectives are “for students to recognize that academics are always looking to innovate and engage each other in conversation that will help stimulate research that has really relevant application” and “to showcase the great work and research that [the university does] in the humanities and social sciences.”

The event is hosted annually at a different Canadian university each year and welcomes “over 60 to 70 different associations to have their annual meetings,” Pereira shared. The congress is open to the community and with a variety of events planned their will be something for everyone to enjoy.

Some of the guest speakers that will attend Congress 2012 include “Margret Atwood, Jane Urquhart, Thomas Homer Dixon, Janine Brodie, Mary Eberts and a couple of other really exciting names,” Pereira gushed.

Aside from the “big thinker lectures” events will take place daily, including a scavenger hunt by the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE), the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) and Run for Life. This scavenger hunt is self-scheduled and delegates will get to work with “geocaching technology and some of the tools and mechanisms that the teacher use,” said Pereira.

The Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences is the “largest annual gathering of academics in North America,” Pereira explained. In hosting the Congress this year Laurier will get to “raise the profile of the work [the university does] in the humanities and social sciences” and hosting also gives the university the chance to strengthen “relationships within the university walls,” he continued.

Students are strongly encouraged to get involved with the Congress 2012, “I would like to stress the volunteer opportunities that are available, if not taking in a lecture or a big thinker or attending an evening festival. I think volunteering for this event is really a way for students to understand the culture of academia in Canada but then also participate in something that’s very high profile for the institution.”

The conferences schedule and all of the information on the events taking place during Congress 2012 can be found on the Congress website (www.congress2012.ca) and volunteer applications can be found on the Laurier website.

News

James Shin

Language is easily and naturally learned by young children through everyday interactions, but the same can’t be said about mathematics and numeracy.

Joanne Lee, an associate psychology professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, is addressing this issue through her research and community programs.

Lee specializes in developmental psychology of young children, focusing on the early childhood education (ECE) years of ages zero to four. She believes that just as language is instilled at this young age, “math talk” should be instilled as well.

Lee points to research that has found that going into kindergarten or first grade with a solid mathematical foundation lays down a trajectory path and predicts mathematical success in later schooling.

“The child that comes in with little counting knowledge will be at a disadvantage,” explained Lee. “The neurons [brain cells] are pruning and trimming. If you don’t lay the foundation, it’ll be more difficult. That’s why we have to start early.”

Lee has conducted experiments in the Child Language and Math Lab at Laurier with 30- minute play-session interactions between parents and their children were videotaped at their home. A variety of playing materials ranging from toys to books were supplied to be freely played with.

Lee discovered that math talk was rarely used between the parents and their children during this time – accounting for only seven to eight per cent of interactions. Math talk was coded by counting the number of times the five previously-set counting principles were used.

“Parents often times, with young children, tend to label objects. ‘Oh, look there’s a bird. Look there’s this.’ Often times their focus is vocabulary building,” said Lee. “And from that research, we saw there’s a need to help parents with strategies and pointers to instil math talk.”

And from that, the ECE program by the name of the LittleCounters was created in collaboration with Donna Kotsopoulos of the faculty of education at WLU. LittleCounters runs in local libraries and is made for children 12 to 39 months old. The five session program goes through each of the five counting principles in each session with the parents and children.

“We explain to the parents what the research has found and how to actually use it,” said Lee. But Lee stresses that formal teaching is not the intention of the program. “We’re not asking parents to drag their child to sit down and teach one plus one equals two. But we try to teach parents how to use stories, toys, snack times, and meals times to inject the talk about numeracy.”

Lee stated that the program has been successful with positive feedback and results to show for it.

“ It’s something fun, but yet the child is unknowingly learning math.”

Arts

Andrew Savory

Despite all the hoopla that has been circulating the current release of The Hunger Games, moviegoers should be mindful not to overlook another cinematic gem that was recently released.

Its name? 21 Jump Street.

Why should you see it? Let’s just say it’s a little more lighthearted than its dystopian neighbour in the theatre next door - one which garnered $155 million at this box office this weekend and saw crazed Twilight fans everywhere heading to their local Chapters for a new book to read.

21 Jump Street, based on the police drama that aired on Fox TV in the late ‘80s, is missing original cast members Johnny Depp and Peter Deluise, actors responsible for the success of the shows five seasons. Instead, the film introduces

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill – a new generation of actors proven more than capable of producing laughs that audiences will remember long after they have left the theatre.

The duo portrays characters of Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill); two cops down on their luck looking for exhilaration and excitement in their jobs on the force.

The downfall? They try to do too much. Ultimately, both cops find themselves being sent to an undercover drug operations police hub located at 21 Jump Street.

It is here that the two are given the assignment of going undercover in a nearby high school to discover who is supplying a new strain of synthetic drugs to the school’s student body.

In addition to giving Jenko and Schmidt the opportunity to prove themselves as officers, both get a chance to obtain personal satisfaction as they attempt to compensate for the faults they committed during their own high school careers.

Granted, for some viewers, 21 Jump Street may seem like Hollywood’s attempt to drawing upon the same old formula - releasing yet another comedy targeting youth with vulgar humour that may illicit uncomfortable memories of recent duds Due Date, Nacho Libre, and She’s the Man.

Fortunately, the film is quite the contrary to the stereotype as it is compelling beyond the basic laughs combined with the action-flick appeal that will draw additional audiences.

Not only is the movie hilarious - it embraces audiences and quite comfortably takes them back to a time where they can witness high school from a new perspective that reminds us of the fun had from grades nine to twelve.

Die-hard fans of the original series are rewarded with a nostalgia-inducing cameo from Johnny Depp – complete with a shocking plot development that will not disappoint.

Letters to the editor

Peter Eglin

When the two women co-presidents of a campus club conducting an event in the Toyota Solarium were recently confronted by a uniformed senior member of the campus police and told to take down a poster he deemed to be hate speech, they refused, so he took it down himself. This happened here, at this university, in broad daylight, and was reported in The Cord (March 21). While awaiting the University’s response to this prima facie violation of the students’ right to freedom of speech and expression, it is worth reflecting on what about WLU’s culture makes such an occurrence possible. I argue that it’s because the University is failing as a university. It’s become a commercial enterprise, not an inquiry-driven, educational one.

First, Canadian universities are terrorized by the Israel Lobby consisting of (members of) organizations, such as Israel on Campus, that promote the interests of Israel in Canada. See No Debate: The Israel Lobby and Free Speech at Canadian Universities by Jon Thompson (2011) and “‘Israel is the New Jew:’ The Canadian Israeli Lobby Today” by Reg Whitaker (Studies in Political Economy 74, Autumn 2004, 191-213). Whenever the issue of Israeli oppression of the Palestinians through ethnic cleansing, denial of the right of self-determination, war crimes, other breaches of international law including the 4th Geneva Convention, failure to comply with UN resolutions, massive and ongoing human rights violations, apartheid measures of separation and segregation, extrajudicial execution, torture, administrative detention, endless humiliating assaults on the dignity of Palestinians, decimation of the Palestinian economy, theft of their water and so on – all documented by the major human rights organizations, including Israeli ones - is raised on campus, the Lobby’s immediate response is to shut it down by whatever means possible. Spurious appeals to public safety, hate speech or an “uncomfortable environment” are underpinned by the claim, tacit or expressed, that criticism of Israel amounts to anti-Semitism. (Dialogue is often suggested instead of justice.) Such intellectual terrorism is transparent and self-evident. However, its obvious presence is not my principal point.

Secondly, what really bothers me is the University’s complicity in it. When I protested against the Israeli assault on Gaza in January 2009 the University tried to stop me, contacted the hate crimes unit of the Waterloo Regional Police and permitted a baseless complaint against me to be followed up by the (then) Harassment Office. During Israeli Apartheid Week in February 2009 then Dean of Students David McMurray decided that a poster depicting an Israeli helicopter gunship firing a missile at a Palestinian child standing on “Gaza” was to be banned on campus (beyond a single information booth). This was just after such atrocities had occurred in Gaza a month earlier, reported in the press and subsequently documented in the Goldstone Report. Regarding the co-presidents of L4P, campus police were evidently authorized to invoke and arbitrarily apply the hate speech law to several posters, including the helicopter gunship one and one likening Palestine to a Nazi concentration camp. Yet Gaza, to which Israel has laid merciless siege since 2007, has been likened repeatedly in commentary to a concentration camp or the earth’s biggest open-air prison. Read the damn accounts. Find out for yourselves. Then ask what has happened to this so-called university, with its motto, veritas omnia vincit.

Thirdly, like universities generally, WLU has become more like a corporation than a special place devoted to free, independent, critical inquiry in pursuit of truth. Numerous works have sounded the alarm from Bill Readings, The University in Ruins (1996) to James Cote and Anton Allahar, Lowering Higher Education: The Rise of Corporate Universities and the Fall of Liberal Education (2011). Consider the special attention devoted to image and reputation, not least the branding of the place, as if it is a commodity (the slogan – “Inspiring Lives of Leadership and Purpose” - being paradoxically reminiscent of some 1984 announcement from Orwell’s Big Brother or contemporary North Korea). Fresh off the presses is the Brand Standards Guide. As Gavin Brocket noted (The Cord, Feb. 29), the University allocated “$1.4 million for centennial celebrations and another $1 million” for advertising, and has pledged $2.5 million for a velodrome in Milton. While making surpluses it budgets deficits. Students are called “customers,” courses “product offerings.” Until thwarted by WLUFA it wanted up to one quarter of full-time faculty positions to be teachers only. It would have more than the current 35% of teaching done by grotesquely exploited, precariously employed contract academic faculty. It would have more online delivery and a higher student-faculty ratio. It would have poorer pensions and benefits. It is currently courting censure for paying obeisance to Jim Balsillie’s millions by allowing the capitalist’s private think-tank (CIGI) veto power over the academic decision-making at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (Judy Bates and Kathy Cameron, Letter, Record, Mar. 24).

Fourthly, as Robert Kerr noted (The Cord, Letter, Feb. 29), this is happening because the University’s $115 million corporate bond means it is beholden to the market and the bond rating agencies that enforce the market’s dictates. It must continually cut costs since the market’s only value is maximizing return on investment, for which “stability” is a pre-requisite. Stability means not rocking the boat. But this is the opposite of the ideal of the university as a place of free, independent, critical inquiry. In the words of the University of Toronto’s statement of institutional purpose: “Within the unique university context, the most crucial of all human rights are the rights of freedom of speech, academic freedom and freedom of research … These rights are meaningless unless they entail the right to raise deeply disturbing questions and provocative challenges to the cherished beliefs of society at large and of the university itself.”

Thus it is that when the University’s alleged commitment to the ideal expressed in its motto is put to the test, it fails so miserably. The female co-presidents of a campus student organization are humiliated, their rights trampled; a 65-year catastrophe of dispossession and human suffering is mocked or erased; the complainants (from Hillel, the “centre for Jewish campus life in Waterloo,” in this case) have their feelings most peculiarly attended to; the administration sends in the troops; the faculty and student body look on; and another nail is driven into the coffin of the university, as the Wilfrid Laurier Knowledge Corporation comes of age.

-Peter Eglin, Professor of Sociology at WLU

Letters to the editor

Gina Kish

With all the recent coverage LSPIRG has received in The Cord recently, I thought some clarification would be beneficial: LSPIRG is a student-run non-profit organization operating at Laurier for the benefit of the Laurier student population and the greater K-W community.

All Laurier students are LSPIRG members, unless they choose to opt out of the per-semester fee of $5.11. Membership means students have access to all LSPIRG’s events and workshops, can apply for special event or working group funding, have access to the resources and space provided by the LSPIRG office. These are just a few examples of what LSPIRG offers, for more info feel free to contact myself or another staff member at info@lspirg.ca.

Letters to the editor

Laura McDonald

Both the editorial and article about the Rainbow demonstration at UW were textbook examples of the skewed framing of protests: “Protesters were held back by a metal barrier and monitored by police” and “police officers were standing by to ensure safety.”

This is a troubling misrepresentation of the situation. We were not “held back” by a metal barrier. We (hardly just students, by the way!) were standing quietly on one side of the entrance for obvious logistical reasons. There was nothing to be “held back” from, as we weren’t trying to get anywhere! The only risk to safety was the oppressive and threatening presence of so many police – and yes, police are oppressive and threatening, especially when you’re queer or otherwise marginalized (or a “protestor”).

The barrier and police were entirely unnecessary – and sent a message that the university is only comfortable with support for the queer community within a restricted area.

People don’t need protection from queer folks and their allies. In fact, we were there to protect the LGBTQ community from the symbolic violence of honouring someone who uses his academic clout to spread views that lead to further violence against queer people. These views are the direct cause of gay-bashing and the restriction of civil rights.

Finally, Rice’s comments about the protest illustrate how much disparagement he does have for the queer community: calling people “tenacious” for their strength in fighting back against the oppression he is enacting upon them is patronizing and insulting.

Letters to the editor

Brian Shaposhnik

I am concerned that an article of such poor journalistic standards has been printed in The Cord. Not only is it full of grammatical errors and providing a skewed and incomplete account of the events that took place on campus, but it takes a radical anti-Israel stance in what should be a balanced news article.

It is absolutely inappropriate for a news article in The Cord to be making the claim that there is “apartheid of the [sic] Palestine.” This is a radical view expressed by very few extreme anti-Israel activists, and condemned internationally. In Canada, IAW and the BDS movement have been condemned across the political spectrum by many Conservative, Liberal and NDP MPs.

While the author of the article felt it was perfectly acceptable to present this radical view in the newspaper’s voice, she was extremely careful to put scare quotes around any mention of the very offensive nature of the materials being displayed by L4P, including a poster in the Concourse featuring a swastika.

Inciting hatred is a criminal offence in Canada, and Special Constables was enforcing the law by removing inflammatory material. The L4P organizers displayed exactly the same material last year and were then similarly advised to remove the hateful posters. But from reading The Cord’s account of events, readers would not get a sense of the serious nature of the incident. If the Cord cares about maintaining journalistic integrity and impartiality, a retraction is in order to address the dubious claim of apartheid.

Letters to the editor

Tamar Dobner

I am extremely disappointed with the article written in this past week’s issue of The Cord regarding Israeli Apartheid Week.

Firstly, did you know that neither the author nor the editor were actually present at any of the IAW events? How can you claim to provide an accurate representation of the incidents that occurred at an event that you didn’t even go to?

Another issue I had with this article was that the author should have contacted students who attended the events and were unaffiliated with either side to provide insight into how the images made them feel.

Further, Hillel Waterloo is targeted as the only group who opposed these images. There were many Jewish students not in Hillel, as well as non-Jewish students who felt offended by the IAW events. Nevertheless, the author singled out Hillel – a cultural Jewish organization without a political mandate.

The author writes, “The three ‘offensive’ images paralleled the apartheid of the Palestine to the Holocaust.” This sentence indicates that the author believes that there is apartheid in “Palestine.” Clearly, the author didn’t realize that not everyone believes that apartheid exists in Israel, or “Palestine.” As a school newspaper, The Cord shouldn’t have any political predispositions and should have refrained from making such an outright claim.

In conclusion, I don’t think that such an inaccurate article should have been published at all. If The Cord thought IAW was a newsworthy event they should have put in more effort to ensure that they were doing the story justice.

Local

Linda Givetash

While “Disconnected” may have been the theme of the third-annual TEDxWaterloo, the day-long event held at Kitchener’s Centre in the Square achieved the opposite. The 12 diverse performers and speakers engaged and inspired the equally diverse live audience of approximately 1,400, along with 400 local high school students streaming the event from the Chrysalids Theatre.

The broad reach of the “Disconnected” online stream in addition to impressive large venue dwarfed the event’s humble beginnings in 2010 of an only 400-person audience, exemplifying lead organizer Ramy Nassar’s introductory words on Mar. 21, “Let’s use this as a platform to communicate around the world.”

Defying gravity

Exploring the universe beyond the confines of the Earth can only ever be a dream for most; but for two Toronto teenagers, getting an outsider’s perspective of our planet became a reality after successfully launching a weather balloon into near space.

Matthew Ho, 17, spoke at TEDx about the fears, challenges and excitement he and his friend, Asad Muhammad experienced in formulating and seeing through their idea for sending a homemade weather balloon equipped with cameras and – quite famously – a Lego man 80,000 feet above Earth.

“We went into this project almost blind,” explained Ho in an interview with The Cord prior to taking the stage. The greatest challenge, he continued, is self-created, “That aspect of the fear of failure — all you have to do to overcome that is the passion and determination and that drive right.”

What surprisingly has impressed Ho equally to the success of the project is the online attention it has garnered. “The Toronto Star got a hold of one photo and they released it and that same day it just went viral,” said Ho. “We’re glad we can share our photos and share our experiences on such a global scale — that’s what excites us.”

Ho and Muhammad are looking forward to a second launch of the project in the next month with the additional support from Lego International. This time, they’ve set their goal to hit 100,000 feet. “Ideas are … only good in your head until you put them into action,” Ho advised to any students with similar goals. “All you need to do is go out there and pursue it.”

Impactful arts

“I sort of had the English degree feeling of ‘what do you do with a degree in English,’” said Shannon Blake, founder and artistic director of The Bench Theatre Initiative, about getting into her unique career.

Blake, who writes and directs plays in conjunction with Sanctuary, a drop-in centre for the homeless and marginalized adults, discussed the benefit of uniting art and community — a relationship she calls “artist-community interdependence.” Volunteering at Sanctuary while studying English at the University of Toronto, Blake and her peers had the idea to write and produce a play involving the members at Sanctuary, which would eventually become her first full-length play entitled “The Passages of Everett Manning.”

After her talk, Blake described the concept behind the play as “the idea of identity and how people’s identities are shaped in a particular way and how they can be reshaped through different experiences.”

Reflecting on what lead her to writing, Blake said, “I really enjoy stories and thinking about how stories are shaped and why we tell them.” “I think you can communicate really powerful things through story,” she added.

Leaving footprints across the globe

Travelling the world in a lifetime is a daunting task; doing so by foot is seemingly impossible. However, for Quebec-native Jean Béliveau walking across five continents was his reality for more than ten years as he tried to spread a message of peace.

Béliveau began walking and running after falling into depression in an attempt to improve his health in the late 1990s. During a run in November 1999, he reached the Jacques Cartier Bridge outside of Montreal and the idea dawned on him to just keep going.

Eight months later, and with the blessing of his family, Béliveau set out on his 11-year journey.

“I was not a traveller. I went to America, and in Canada the furthest west I had been was Niagara Falls and no more. I didn’t speak English,” said Béliveau, after his talk. Yet despite the challenges of culture, language and environment, he walked across the globe staying with 1,600 families and receiving support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

While his journey has given him a plethora of stories, one commonality he found in spreading his message was, “I saw that everybody wants peace. Just because we have different concept of peace, that is why we fight.”

Finding that his walk has changed his perspective of the world — “it’s like I’ve passed through my university” — Béliveau concluded, “We have a lot to learn from other people.”

Raising voices

“When I started speaking I was dawned by the fact that people would whisper to me ‘me too,’” said Alicia Raimundo who began advocating for mental health at the age of 13 after experiencing periods of suicidal ideation and depression. “I kind of realized that this is something, like every other kind of discrimination or stigma out there, this is something that we need to start fighting,” she said, in an interview before her TED talk.

Raimundo works to debunk the stigmas associated with mental illness and spread a message of hope — or in her words, to be an intentional superhero — to share the hope she was given from another woman combating mental illness. “I want to find other young people and pass the torch and get them to speak too because one young face is cool, but many young faces is amazing.”

Yet, regarding the difficulties youth particularly face in seeking help, she commented, “They don’t have the language, but they also don’t have the culture to be talking about it.”

Creating that culture is precisely why she go involved with TEDx. “If I can impact [an audience] to care about it, then we can move in that direction,” Raimundo said.

“That’s when we start a movement, when we get the average people to care.”