October 9, 2019
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THE NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO ENGINEERING SOCIETY VOLUME 40 ISSUE 12 | WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 9, 2019 Area 51 IW Goes to Cheese Club Should Sleeping be Prioritized Over Studying? Page 6 Page 8 Page 9 facebook.com/TheIronWarrior twitter.com/TheIronWarrior iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca Consider the Hands that Wrote this Letter OSAP Letter Writing Campaign QuinceMedia via Pixabay Student Loans - A Necessary Evil between terms, it’s much easier to see an issue doesn’t concern you the most the goal “to make politicians aware of GABRIELLE KLEMT why people in our faculty might be less is also not helping. In 2017, the former the experiences that students in Ontario 4A GEOLOGICAL reliant on OSAP to pay for school. But Liberal government made updates to are going through”, with an aim to you actually might be missing out on OSAP that included “free” tuition for reinstate funding. The campaign, which savings you could have had. low-income students, meaning some can be found at ousa.ca/signtheletter WUSA VP Education Matt Gerrits students without other access to funding gives students a direct avenue to contact Students take up their pens in protest. has broken the numbers down so we for education received grant money to their local MPP – the more students Seven hundred letters and counting. don’t have to. Engineering students cover the cost of their yearly tuition. from across the province participate, The numbers are growing, the voices likely will save approximately $1,400 Some people might call this socialism, the more MPPs will be aware of their are getting louder, students should not in tuition this academic year. Students while others might call it trying to constituents’ concerns. be ignored. in upper to middle income families break the cycle of poverty. I might be Often it may feel like students are This article began out of frustration ($100-170k per year) will receive a biased so you should make your own political pawns, but we don’t need to when I realized that I am not eligible for reduction of $1,500 to $5,400 in OSAP conclusions. accept political strategies if we don’t independent student grants. Although grants and loans, leaving even those I don’t have time to get into how much like them. If you feel affected by this this is my fifth year out of high school who don’t necessarily need it at a loss “reduced tuition” harmed the other half change or you know someone who and my mother is retired, I am ineligible of $500-1,400 for the year. This doesn’t of students at this school. Suffice it to has been, sign the letter, have your because the limit has changed to six even consider the low-income groups. say that some international students friends take a few minutes out of their years. I tried to drum up indignation in In fact, changes to OSAP repayment saw their tuition increase by 62.1%, day to sign it too. It literally took me my classmates only to discover most mean that students now have even less which is allowed because there are no less than 3 minutes to sign, and that’s of them don’t use the Ontario Student time to repay their loans than they did caps for raising international fees. because I included a personal story; if Assistance Program. In fact, my tirade before – only 6 weeks out of school and Are you feeling hopeless? Are you you choose not to, it will take you less was cut short when someone pointed already you need to be able to come up feeling helpless? Well don’t, feel than 1! You could do it in class, on the out that tuition had been cut by 10% with enough money to cover your entire empowered because we are allowed to toilet, eating your toast, I don’t judge, this year. student debt. You’d better hope for one make ourselves heard! Giving students but if you care then it’s important to In a faculty where tuition for four hell of a signing bonus! a voice is exactly what the OSAP Letter- let your representatives know that you months exceeds what students in every The other side of the problem is that Writing Campaign is all about. The are engaged. Don’t forget, we are the other faculty pay for eight months, a lot there are a huge number of people campaign was started by the Ontario future and politicians need to take us of engineering students welcomed the for whom the 2019 changes to OSAP Undergraduate Student Alliance into account. 10% reduction in tuition by the Ford caused far more harm than a 10% off (OUSA) in accordance with their policy *Title inspired by the poem by government. When we can make money coupon could remedy. Apathy because on financial aid. Matt Gerrits described Aracelis Germay THE IRON WARRIOR 2 Editorial WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 Letter from the Editor It’s Voting Time (and Thanksgiving Too!) The Newspaper of the University of Waterloo Engineering Society your ballot). I’m not advocating for a party Think about it this way. There are people KIRSTEN EHLERS or a candidate. Obviously, I have my own all around the world who want to vote Editor-in-Chief 2A BIOMEDICAL political opinions but that’s not what I’m and can’t. You have this privilege and Kirsten Ehlers here to express. responsibility to vote. Go democracy! Let’s go through some of the excuses of What else is coming up? Thanksgiving. I Assistant Editor why someone wouldn’t vote and debunk look forward to stuffing my face with turkey Samridhi Sharma Back at it again. After the steep learning them. and stuffing and most importantly gravy. curve that was last week, I think I know 1. I don’t know anything about the Thanksgiving is a break from university Layout Editors what I’m doing now. candidates. I wouldn’t make an informed and a great opportunity to reunite with Kirsten Ehlers I’m really proud of this issue. The point/ decision. family. Inaara Ahmed-Fazal counterpoint by Yvonne and Inaara is really Now this is a serious concern. The Thanksgiving traditions are wild. I asked Yvonne Lalumiere good. I think it is a debate that we’re all election is an important thing and an the people in the office what their traditions Kenneth Hung experiencing right now. Hopefully, the PCP uneducated decision would be bad. The were while I was writing this and I love Samridhi Sharma will provide some clarity. stakes are quite high, right? That is indeed how families celebrate Thanksgiving so Also, the crossword is ABBA themed! I true. However, you don’t need to do intense differently. Copy Editors am a huge ABBA fans. Side note: if anyone research on the candidates. No one expects Yvonne’s family does slow-cooker Kirsten Ehlers is a disco fan the playlist ‘Discocover you to be able to recite any of the leaders stuffing because it’s faster, easier, and make Gabrielle Klemt weekly’ on Spotify is pure genius. I adore resumes. A quick google of the platform the turkey cook faster. Now, I’m impatient Inaara Ahmed-Fazal ABBA. My favourite song is Voulez-Vous. is sufficient. There are even videos online so this seem like a tradition I’ll add to my Kenneth Hung However, if I hear Waterloo one more time that tell you what the parties are all about. repertoire. I love how everyone in Yvonne’s Yvonne Lalumiere at Zehr’s… Fifteen minutes of TV news will give you family pitches in. They also get a turkey Akanksha Joshi We introduced a new column called plenty of information about the candidates. from a farm that Mrs. Lalumiere works at! Jessica Ehlers Dear Darla. This is a joint effort by all No TV? Don’t want to read more after Inaara’s family does an Indian spin on of the members of The Iron Warrior to reading for class? CBC has an excellent turkey. That seems wild. I am currently Photo Editor answer your questions. Questions can be political compass quiz that compares your asking her to bring me some back. She is Yvonne Lalumiere sent to [email protected]. Darla looks values to the political parties. A small not answering. :( Kirsten Ehlers forward to answering all of your questions. amount of research can make a substantial Akanksha’s family writes down what Kenneth Hung Another new addition are horoscopes! difference. they are thankful for and passes the slips Sanridhi Sharma We know it’s almost midterms so you need 2. I don’t like any of the candidates. around the table. Now, that’s the ‘Thanks’ more distractions so you can procrastinate. This is really a relevant concern for this in thanksgiving. Advertising Manager We had a lot of fun putting this together, so election. To this, I say vote locally. Whether Apparently people decorate for OPEN I hope you enjoy. you’re voting in Waterloo or home, take a thanksgiving? Both Yvonne and Akanksha I’d like to give a quick shout out to Jessica look at the candidates in the riding. Who decorate the house with fall colours. Is this Circulation Manager Ehlers (she’s my sister) from UOttawa for do you think will represent your concerns a thing I never knew about? OPEN pitching in with copy editing. I think she’s the best? Other traditions that we discussed the first member of The Iron Warrior who In Waterloo, the five candidates were turduckens (a chicken in a duck in a Web Editor isn’t from University of Waterloo.