Mock Trial Club returns to court

After weeks of preparation, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford Mock Trial Club held a civil and a criminal mock trial at the Brantford Superior Courthouse on Friday, Nov. 25.    Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, an associate professor and the program coordinator for the law…

Categories: Features

Universal rules are causing harm at homeless shelters

CONTRIBUTED CANVA / THE SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY —I was asked to describe my job badly,  I said I watch people die and am often required to tell them they don’t get to eat.    Disclaimer/ Trigger warning: In order to protect…

Categories: Features

Closure.

Photo of Alexander Singh /Contributed Image I want to thank the Editor-in-Chief at The Sputnik for giving me the space to grieve and create healing.    To Alexander Singh; Gone too soon; this is a cliché, most people say this…

Categories: Features

Summer Loves: A short story

  ALAN CHEN / UNSPLASH PHOTOGRAPY   The heat from the early morning sun warmed my skin, flushing it pink with the sky’s reflection. I sat on my front doorstep, waiting for Jack to pick me up in his old…

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Facing Challenges: ‘She called me and said, I have Cancer’

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE Pictured: (left) Danielle Gledhill, Mike Gledhill, Nancy Gledhill, Nicole Gledhill (17) and Dylan Gledhill (15) Danielle Gledhill was getting ready to face the challenges of coming to a new campus this past September at Laurier Brantford when she…

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Paying attention to your neighbours: Meet ‘Kevin’

CRAIG VAN MANEN / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY   Writer’s note: This is the first in a series of profiles that feature our neighbours in downtown Brantford who are a part of the homeless community. At times the real names of these…

Categories: Features

Listen to your neighbours

GRAPHIC BY NATASHA O’NEILL / EIC If you’re a student at the Laurier Brantford campus,  you’ve come to realize that the streets of our campus are all too familiar with homelessness.  It’s easy to ignore the many unfortunate and sad…

Categories: Features

A landlord’s advice to new prospective student renters

HIRZE ZEHRA TALPUR / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY Laurier’s Brantford campus is fast-growing in terms of its student population and that can create a scramble when it comes to students renting for the first time. Residence at Laurier is only guaranteed for…

Categories: Features

Skating season in full swing at Harmony Square

VARSHA SRIGANESH / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY Snowy evenings, frost bitten fingers and toes, rosy cheeks and red noses all mean one thing; winter is here in Brantford. Harmony Square, the heart of Downtown Brantford, is made into a skating rink in…

Categories: Features

Bubble tea gets popping on campus

HIRZE ZEHRA TALPUR / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY Brantford’s first traditional bubble tea shop has opened on campus.  Moon Tea is located in downtown Brantford at 75 Dalhousie St., Unit 103, directly behind Coffee Culture and overlooks Harmony Square.  The shop has…

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the historical buildings of downtown Brantford

Federal Building – 60 Dalhousie Street The Federal Building, located two blocks from Market Square, is an example of the Beaux Arts architectural style. Beaux Arts originates from the École des Beaux Arts in Paris. The style was popularized in…

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The Sputnik’s Declassified School Survival Guide

New beginnings provide a perfect occasion to pioneer a new persona. The ideal way of doing so is to gift yourself with the tools and techniques to support this endeavour. The passing of wisdom from trials and tribulation that are…

Categories: Features

The decline of volunteer engagement

All Judy Gilbert-Lindsay had to do was put on the red shirt and her dogs would wag their tails with excitement. Unfortunately for both her and her dogs, though, Gilbert-Lindsay had to retire the red shirt to the back of her closet.  …

Categories: Features

Throw away bi-erasure this Valentine’s Day

We are familiar the idea of straight love as well as queer love. But there are people who are left out at this time of year.   Bisexual people are not well represented by Valentine’s Day nor in many other aspects of life.…

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What Laurier thinks about feminism

Feminism is known as the second most hated “F” word in the English language, simply because people do not understand its true meaning.  Merriam-Webster defines feminism as “the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes”. However, according to an article on…

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The evolution of adult cartoons

If you’re like me, you have spent an enjoyable evening or two watching a marathon of Family Guy, South Park or The Simpsons. Be it on television or a streaming site, it’s the perfect way to destress, clear your mind and just pause…

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Hurricane Hannah always first place

Sprint cars: or in other words, go-karts on steroids; these high-powered race cars are designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks and can be heard even before stepping onto the racetrack.   Sprint cars…

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A home far, far away

Imagine stepping off a plane into a brand new place. Within minutes you realize how different it is from your home country; the weather is not the same as home and you start to miss the warm breeze you’ve grown up with; the…

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A quarter life crisis hangs over us all

Maybe it was when you spontaneously bought a dog in second year. Perhaps it was when you changed your major for the fifth time. It could’ve been when you tried out for the varsity cross-country team even though you hated running. I don’t know . . . at some…

Categories: Features

Artist feature: Steven Elmo Murphy

Local musicians are always a good find. Looking for something you have not heard before, or even something original can be frustrating, especially online. Luckily, there happens to be a lot of local talent in Brantford. Brantford native Steven Elmo Murphy has been creating music…

Categories: Arts & Culture, Features

Brantford commuters guide: Parking 101

In the first year of my undergrad I spent more money paying off parking tickets than I did on books. Easily. As it turns out, it would have been more financially beneficial for me to just buy a parking pass,…

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A visit to Lebanon

Imagine leaving your home. Not by choice, not for a vacation, but being forced to run because you have no other options. Now imagine not knowing if or when you can ever go back. Syrian refugees have made homes for themselves in several countries…

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A cry-er for attention

Where would a farmer, a town crier, and the poster boy for colon cancer awareness meet? Sounds like the beginning of some corny joke but I actually got a legitimate answer for you. Meet Larry Davis, a man from Burford…

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Near death experiences

It is never really thought of if one day you just do your thing and you see your life flash before your eyes. For Brittany Legault, she unfortunately experienced just that. It was a warm sunny day on Jul. 2,…

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Life after Laurier

Looking back, there are a couple of things that I would change about my first year at Laurier. I would have loved to get more involved with the school, taking advantage of all the clubs that were offered on campus.…

Categories: Features

Somewhere over the rain-bro

This article is based on the story of William S. from Sydney, Australia. At 19 I was in my second year of university, hated my degree, and was at the verge of dropping out and finding a regular job. I…

Categories: Features