Feb. 29, 2012

Cuts coming

THE

What the Drummond report will mean for Ontario’s universities

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926 Volume 52, Issue 25

News, page 3 thecord.ca

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Will the baby boomers sink us? With more attention drawn to Canada’s aging population of late, The Cord explores what the shift will mean for younger generations, including what it might mean for job prospects, social services and health care

In Depth, page 10

Hawks head to OUA finals

Inside The struggle to slumber Staff writer Alanna Fairey looks into the causes and effects of insomnia in university Life, page 12

Work stoppage looms

Hiring process under fire

As mediation between WLU and WLUFA kicks off, The Cord recaps the negotiations

Volunteers frustrated after WLUSU removes interviews from its hiring procedures

News, page 3

Campus, page 5

NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Paula Lagamba celebrates with the Hawk after Sunday night’s series-clinching win over Windsor. KEVIN CAMPBELL SPORTS EDITOR

With their varsity cohorts dropping like flies, Wilfrid Laurier women’s hockey has found themselves the last team standing (with the exception of women’s curling) in the 2012 Ontario University Athletics’ (OUA) playoffs. They’ve already pushed themselves farther than last year’s semifinals loss to Queen’s. But not without their scares. A 1-0 loss in game one of their semi-finals matchup versus Windsor had the Hawks reeling after posting 43 shots on Windsor goaltender Julia Ouroumis. But a convincing 4-1 victory in Windsor on Saturday afternoon paved the way for a winner-take-all

contest on Sunday night. And while most students were hypnotized by Angelina Jolie’s legs (for good or bad), or spellbound by the masterful oratory skills of Christopher Plummer and Meryl Streep during the Oscars, Laurier’s athletic finest went to work once again. And they came away with a 3-1 win, propelled by Devon Skeats’ two-point effort, including notching the insurance marker 5:36 into the final frame that put her Hawks at ease the rest of the way, and vaulted them into the OUA championships. And it’s become old hat for “Skeatsy” to bail out her mates when they sense an uncertainty in the final outcome. “She does it every year during playoff time,” said Hawks’ head coach Rick Osborne. “I told Skeats

before the game, ‘you need to use your quickness’.” The energetic team jokester exposed the Windsor Lancers’ defence down low when she took the puck and drove it home on a wraparound with numerous Lancers all over the ice trying to catch the Whitby native. “She was so quick, it was no contest,” said Osborne. Skeats now has 11 goals in 16 playoff games during her three-year tenure at Laurier. Those post-season numbers lead the team. “The playoffs are just a whole different vibe,” said Skeats after Sunday’s win. “I feed off that vibe; every game I get really excited and I’m Sports, page 19

Arts, page 13

Arts Collective underway A pair of third-year Laurier students have developed a community for up and coming artists from K-W