57 Issue 04
What’s up with the Banner Drops for Palestine?
The Capilano Blues capture Bronze | Take care of yourself, my love Palestine Through the Ages | A South Asian Hand An End-of-Year Recap as a Western-Born Punjabi | The Top 10 Best Places to Stop in Your Tracks
Co-Editors in Chief
Avery Nowicki (they/them)
Sara Brinkac (She :) They :D He :0)
It is the end of the year. There are many emotions. The body is feeling the effects of exhaustion. The mind is feeling the effects of stress. There is hope, determination, pride and love that keep us going. There are many emotions. Swirling around us. I am solid. I feel all emotions fully. I do not run away from my fear. I am not consumed by my criticism. I am solid. I feel it all. I smile to it all. I accept and love all feelings that pass through me. I am not carried off by storms. I remain still. I remain calm. I smile to all that passes through. I enjoy all that passes through. I am clear of mind. Both feet are on the ground. Here in the present moment. Seeing everything for what it is. Seeing the happiness available to me presently. I am solid. I am clear. I am happy. I am alive.
Are you alive?
All my love, Sara Brinkac
Business Manager
Prem Monpara business @capilanocourier.com
Social Media Manager
Glitter Esquivias socialmedia @capilanocourier.com
Sports
Video Production Manager
Laura Morales videoproduction @capilanocourier.com
Zine Manager
Mia Lancaster zinemanager @capilanocourier.com
Production Manager Andy Poystila production @capilanocourier.com
News Beat Reporter Niko Williamson beatreporter @capilanocourier.com
Art Director
Angelica Blanch design @capilanocourier.com
News Editor
Livia Pica newseditor @capilanocourier.com
Letters Editor
Jordan Tomlinson letters @capilanocourier.com
Videographer
Kiki Evans videographerkiki @capilanocourier.com
Crew Writer
Sean Finan
crewwritersean @capilanocourier.com
Humour Editor
Adam Wallace humour @capilanocourier.com
Crew Writer
Kate Henderson
crewwriterkate @capilanocourier.com
Crew Illustrator
Jordan Richert crewillustrator @capilanocourier.com
Videographer
Lucas Isidoro videographerlucas @capilanocourier.com
Crew Writer
Yasmine Modaresi crewwriteryasmine @capilanocourier.com
Crew Photographer
Sophie Serendip crewphotographer @capilanocourier.com
Videographer
Christien Di Angello
videographerchristien @capilanocourier.com
Crew Writer
Lily Rosen crewwriterlily @capilanocourier.com
Advising Manager
Freya Emery
Ren Zhang, Millie Beatch, Jasmin Linton, Yasmine Modaresi, Kayla Prince, Alan Jenks.
Millie Beatch, Cassandra VP, Val Kruglikovskaya, Mesh Devkota, Rachel Lu, Ren Zhang, Jasmin Linton, Amalia Meyer, Andrei Gueco, Cameron Skorulski.
Cover Art & Photo Series
Sophie Serendip.
Photo Series Model*
Lucas Isidoro.
Head on over to capilanocourier.com for more featured articles!
Interested in contributing?
Email editor@capilanocourier.com for potential writers, and production@capilanocourier.com for interested illustrators and/or photographers. Illustrators and Photographers are required to send a portfolio or sample(s) of work.
*Preview Photo Series Models: Lea Krusemeyer, Kate Henderson, Nicolás Munaretto, Sofia Musa.
All kinds of topics were addressed, ranging from budget talks, Israel’s war on Gaza, classroom campaigning and board member accountability
The Capilano Students Union (CSU)’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is a bustling event, featuring heated back and forths between attendees about upheavals to the CSU structure and free pizza. It’s an occasion for the general student population to exercise their influence over the CSU, and decide how and what the union will advocate for you on its behalf. First, the financial statements for the previous fiscal year are presented, then bylaw changes and proposals are voted on by those in attendance. Finally, lunch and a raffle. This year, it was held in the CSU Lounge in the Library on October 29, 2024, with around 94 students in attendance.
Ren Zhang (they/them)
Contributor
Millie Beatch (she/her)
Illustrator
The set time was 11:30 a.m. At the entrance, people received a package with the CSU Annual Report, financial statements and a voting placard. They trailed in, filling the room with buzzing chatter, and took their seats. At the front of the room was a projector screen and a long table with microphones set up for Executive Director, Chris Girodat, Office Coordinator Mayank Maini, VP External, Arpan Randhawa and Hassan Merali, the External Meeting Chair. To the side, there was a microphone set up for attendee comments and questions.
The first speaker to present to the crowd was Saulo Ferreira, the CSU’s Financial Controller, who presented the financial statements for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. They reported that CSU has been accumulating funds for the new Student Union Building over the last few years, and that CSU is in a strong financial position right now, with “no reason for concerns.”
The first four motions on the agenda were related to improving CSU accountability and democratic practices, all recommended by the governance committee and approved by the previous Board of Directors. The first, about required reports submitted by Board Members, was passed unanimously. The second was about putting previously unofficial eligibility criteria for members of the Board into the official bylaws, and was passed. The third and fourth motions, which also passed without controversy, proposed that it be mandatory for CSU position candidates to provide biographies and campaign platforms, including mandatory attendance for candidate forums for students to learn about the candidates.
All Capilano University students can add proposals to the AGM’s agenda if they’ve collected a minimum of 100 signatures to support it. The last three resolutions came about this way.
Resolution 5.2.1 proposed that the CSU advocate for CapU make a statement on Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon, and to make the university’s investment portfolios public. It was brought by Livia Pica on behalf of Cap Students for Palestine. In her statement, she spoke about how CapU has the responsibility to support students, faculty and community, and that their lack of a statement on this pertinent issue was harmful. They noted that CapU has made statements about world events in the past, namely the war in Ukraine. They highlighted CapU’s ties to Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), which has substantial shares in the weapons industry and in fossil fuels. Two attendees in favor spoke about the importance of transparency and knowing where students’ tuition was going: “This is our money.” One student argued against the motion, saying that CapU should “not take any responsibility” on this issue. His argument was challenged by the last speaker, who rebutted that CapU is not neutral and reiterated the first speaker’s point of CapU having made political statements in the past. The motion passed with a majority vote and one dissenter. Chris Girodat, an Executive Director for the CSU since 2013, commented that the
Israel-Gaza resolution was the first agenda item in a long time that was associated with emotion and brought up by students.
“The student association sector has changed significantly over the last decade, and that’s mostly driven by demographic shifts,” Girodat added. “Universities are reliant on life support from international students,” which means that engagement with the CSU has taken different forms.
The next two resolutions were contentious among students, with more than 15 students lining up to speak at the microphone.
The first, proposed by Niko Williamson, requested that the campaigning ban in classrooms be reversed. Williamson made the case that banning classroom campaigning would intensify campaign harassment, that students they’ve spoken with preferred candidates speak in the classroom and that students had the right to campaign in an accessible way which still allowed veto power from professors. Angad Brar, the CSU President who was away at the time of this meeting, submitted a statement against this motion that said the classroom should be reserved for learning and studying,
– Chris Girodat Executive Director of the Capilano Students’ Union 13
and that students paid for their time to learn; five students making a five-minute speech in class would take up twentyfive minutes, Brar wrote. The next twenty minutes consisted of impassioned statements from audience members who got up to speak, and Merali stepped in numerous times to keep speakers on track as well as reminding audience members that side conversations were not welcome. After a long line of speakers, some of which spoke twice, the motion was defeated by a 2/3 majority.
The second resolution, agenda item 5.2.3, was proposed by Laura Morales, who collected over 100 signatures but had to leave the meeting early for an exam. The item was composed of two sections, which split during the meeting at the bequest of an attendee into two separate resolutions. Section A proposed to “rescind the decision of the Board of Directors to delay the implementation of in-person and camera-on attendance requirements.” Section B aimed to prohibit the postponement of the implementation of policies. It was made clear from speakers that if the motion passed, Board
Members who hadn’t respected the regulation in the months between the original and later implementation dates would be implicated. Several people took turns at the microphone and the discussion continued. Several times, Merali reminded students not to bring up specific individuals’ circumstances, and to think about the policy in a broader way. Finally, it was time to vote: Both A and B sections of the original motion were defeated separately. Morales commented afterwards that she felt “disappointed, especially for not being able to stay and argue in favour of the motion I proposed,” but she added that she’s “hopeful about the changes in election procedures; I think it will be a game changer to have mandatory attendance at candidate forums and to have campaign platforms that allow students to vote better informed.”
Soon after, droves of people left, dissolving the meeting due to not meeting quorum.
CapU has not only unveiled three brand new Bachelor degrees, it has also widened the selection of programs available at the Squamish Campus
Sean Finan (any)
Crew Writer
Sophie Serendip (they/she)
Illustrator
Capilano University is expanding. Three new degrees will be offered starting in Fall 2025. The new arrivals are the Bachelor in Arts in Writing and Literature, the Bachelor of Environment and Society (Environmental Studies), the Bachelor of Environment and Society (Environmental Sciences).
The BAs of Environment and Society (ENVIRON) represent a new, interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental issues. Students, according to Cheryl Schreader, Convenor at CapU’s Geography Department and one of the developers of the degrees, will be able to, “engage in a wide range of environmental issues from diverse perspectives.” The list of disciplines included in the program is almost endless – Schreader mentioned anthropology, biology, ecology, economics, geography, government and politics, history, Indigenous studies, ethics and statistics. The objective of this variety, Schreader explained, is to provide the, “knowledge and experience essential to working within communities to apply science-based approaches.” It follows that in-person fieldwork would be of great importance in ENVIRON. Students in both degrees will engage with community partners, such as Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative, to work on real world environmental issues. The Bachelor in Environment and Society (Environmental Studies) will be offered not only on the Main Campus in North Vancouver, but also on the new Squamish campus.
Furthermore, in Fall 2025, several other programs that were previously only accessible at other campuses will make their debut in Squamish. They are the Bachelor of Business Administration, the Education Assistant Certificate, the Diploma in Kinesiology and the Tourism Management Co-operative Education Diploma.
The Bachelor of Arts with a major in Writing & Literature seeks to merge the study of literature with in-depth training in writing. It offers two areas of focus for students to choose from: Critical and Creative Writing or Literature and Culture. Leah Bailly, a Professor in the English Department and designer of the degree, aims for the program to feel like a, “cohort [or] community of writers and people interested in literature, with upper-level seminars, Indigenous literature classes, creative writing workshops and experiential classes.” The degree will be a breakthrough for CapU, which currently only offers two-year Associates of Arts diplomas in Creative Writing or English. Literature students will gain access to opportunities such as Literary Publishing (ENGL 396/397)—that is, the class behind CapU’s literary magazine, The Liar —Teaching Writing + Literature (ENGL 369), a Practicum with the Capilano Review (ENGL 465) and Study Abroad. Current Associate of Arts students will have the easiest time transferring to the BA, but Bailly points out, “major requirements are slim,” and it’s easy to transfer from any program and, “the Major requirements in 15 classes, or three full-time terms.”
CapU students enrolled in the Fall 2025 semester have much to look forward to. The new Bachelor programs are a substantial improvement for prospective and current students, who now have access to a wider selection and can make choices tailored to their preferences.
Cap Students for Palestine has now organized three banner drops. We attended the second, and are here to explain what’s going on.
Millie Beatch (she/her)
Contributor
Cassandra VP (she/her)
Illustrator
The student activist group Cap Students for Palestine (CASP) hosted a banner drop in the Birch Building cafeteria on Wednesday, October 30. CASP is a newly formed student-led organization dedicated to on-campus advocacy for Palestine as Israel’s war in Gaza rages on. Since their inception in July, CASP has been orchestrating banner drops as part of their mission to raise awareness about the brutal ongoing war. The conflict has, among other things, been characterized by United Nations (UN) experts as a genocide against the Palestinian people, and Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank was further deemed unlawful by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Beyond the recent banner drops, CASP’s activist efforts range from chalk messages on campus sidewalks to joining the upcoming nationwide student strike for Palestine on November 21st. Capilano University’s small, but outspoken, coalition is part of a larger network of student activist organizations across Canada rallying in support of Palestine. Their common goals include keeping the student body informed, advocating for those affected here at home and in war zones and mobilizing students and faculty to pressure post-secondary institutions into divestment from and vocal condemnation of the ongoing genocide.
The green, red and white banners displayed messages like “Land Back from Turtle Island to Palestine” and “CapU divest from genocide.” Another read “Look up Nakba,” a term that encompasses both the 1948 Palestine war and the wider, continuous dispossession of Palestinians since the conflict’s genesis. This speaks to one of CASP’s primary objectives: to raise students’ general awareness of the ongoing war, what preceded it, its current state and what might be to follow and how all of this relates to CapU. A large part of this is the group’s focus on divestment. This means “holding our institutions accountable because they invest in genocide,” as a prominent CASP member, who asked to be referred to as Max, relayed. Israel’s war effort in Gaza depends heavily on foreign investments; CapU is financially partnered with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), a Canadian bank that not only contributes to funding several fossil fuel industries (covered by the Courier earlier this year) and invests in the weapons manufacturer General Dynamics, which supplies Israel with fighter jets and bombs. As Max put it, “divestment from banks [is important] because if we can’t stop the war itself, we can at least stop funding the war.”
Max further characterized the banner drop as necessary to “raise awareness, [...] so people know we exist [and] so we can get as much support for this movement as possible[.]”
Students who were present for the drop, although aware of the current genocide in Gaza, seldom knew about CapU’s connection to the war or CASP. CASP’s actions have yet to gain wider traction on campus, but their actions concern all CapU students and their displays are two-fold, not only meant to challenge the university’s complicity but to advocate for student awareness of where their money goes and what their schooling supports. At the CSU Annual General Meeting on October 30, a motion created by CASP calling for the CSU to pressure CapU to release its financial records was passed. The group considers this a step toward financial transparency, which will hopefully allow students to better understand where their money goes and give them space to challenge that, with eventual divestment waiting in the wings. When asked to comment on divestment, Capilano’s Director of Communications, Linda Ong, said that “CapU’s investments are entirely within pooled funds, making it difficult to divest from single securities within a pooled fund,” and that CapU is committed to, “socially responsible investing.” What CapU is willing to do will likely become more apparent in the coming months as the CSU moves forward with the recently passed motion.
Despite the interest from nearby students, all were reluctant to give their names for comment. A large part of this was a fear of retribution from the university, especially for student employees of CapU. In light of the ongoing tension between pro-Palestinian student activists, universities and police across Canada, combined with CapU’s reactions to CASP’s activism, their concerns are for their safety as students and as protestors. Sam (pseudonym), a member of CASP, said that CASP’s activism has been closely surveilled by the university, sometimes veering into action. Pro-Palestinian messages in chalk were almost immediately erased, posters stamped by the CSU were promptly taken down and security officers were always present at their banner drops. “They haven’t been too obvious about their suppression and surveillance, but to any person looking out for it, it’s blatant,” Sam said. When the university was asked for comment on this, it redirected to CapU’s Code of Conduct and discrimination, bullying and harassment policy.
Max and Sam made sure to emphasize the hypocrisies on CapU’s part. The university is simultaneously committed to local decolonization here while remaining silent on Israel’s colonial project in Palestine. Max pointed out the irony in the use of CapU’s money, which is also student money, to vicariously destroy institutions of higher education in Gaza. The Courier cannot independently verify the accusations made by CASP, and the university did not state explicitly whether or not security is present at banner drops (they did, however, state that “[t]he University is private property; any graffiti that is not part of campus-related events is washed or removed; this includes chalk.”) In any case, CASP members feel that the university is working against them. Sam projects that, “in a couple years all the universities will say they were against the genocide, but we will remember their silence and complicity. We will not forget.”
“The university is simultaneously committed to local decolonization here while remaining silent on Israel’s colonial project in Palestine.”
Avery Nowicki (they/them)
Sara Brinkac (any)
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Val Kruglikovskaya (she/they)
Illustrator
Capilano University raised the bar while hosting the 50th CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championships at the new Squamish Campus
This past week, Capilano University hosted the 50th annual Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Soccer National Championship on the newly turfed field at CapU’s Squamish campus. CapU’s athletic director, Georgette Reed, and her team worked tirelessly to ensure the event’s success, while also setting a new standard for future championship hosting.
The tournament featured 13 matches with eight teams competing over four days of play. Teams travelled from Vancouver Island, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and as far as Nova Scotia to compete in Squamish. Despite the cold November evening, excited families and supporters filled the stands. Some even laid out picnic blankets, thermoses in hand, to watch the pre-game warmups. Shouts of “Jeu sur!” and “Faisons ça!” echoed as players practiced.
“We’ve done everything athlete-forward,” said Reed, as she oversaw the athlete’s station in the gymnasium, a place filled with snacks and goodie bags. Reed, who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, took great care in creating a meaningful experience for the athletes. Watching the game from a cracked-open door with a colleague, Reed shared the pride and excitement she felt seeing the event unfold.
Reed discussed the event’s efforts to support female athletes, including a full female referee team, online mental health resources for players, reduced waste and streamlined event access passes. One special touch was the animal-themed souvenirs given to each player–symbols of their provinces. For example, the Capilano Blues received orca whales, while the Alberta team got snowboarding bears. These souvenirs often spark joyful trading between teams, and Reed recognized the opportunity to connect athletes with similar passions and role models, especially at a national event.
The gym itself was a testament to the care put into the event. A competition bracket board tracked the matches, foam rollers and recovery tools were available for tired athletes and an on-site physiotherapist station offered additional support. On the opposite side, a press station awaited interviews. Reed proudly noted that the press area had been set up earlier that day when a local U15 girls soccer team had come by to take photos with players from Vancouver Island University (VIU).
During the event, a cheer erupted from the stands as College Ahuntsic’s Les Aigles (The Eagles) scored the first goal of their game against Concordia Thunder, which sealed their victory and sent them on to the finals. This set up an all-Quebecois final match between Les Aigles and Les Nomades (The Nomads) from Montmorency College in Laval. For CapU, this meant a shot at bronze and a potential rematch against the VIU Mariners, the team that had narrowly defeated them for the provincial title in October.
In the end, Les Nomades took home the National title, while CapU secured a hard-fought bronze by defeating VIU in their rematch.
“We don’t get a lot of big sporting events here [in Squamish], so it’s really cool that this is going on,” said one excited teen in a crowd of giggles huddled around a reporter’s mic. Members of the local U15 girls soccer team reflected, “It was just really cool watching women play,” followed by a chorus of nods and laughter. Another added, “A lot of the games in the city are just Whitecaps.”
The energy of the event was evident everywhere; injured athletes cheering from the sidelines, families with bullhorns and noisemakers, coaches, donors and local children running excitedly through the crowd. It was a wholesome community atmosphere that captured the spirit of the event.
The U15 players, inspired by the skill and determination of the athletes, shared their excitement. “You can hear them talking the whole time,” one said, impressed by the communication and spacing they saw in the play. They hoped to apply these lessons to their own upcoming games and dream of playing at the collegiate level, like the women they saw that night. Before leaving, one of the teens said, “It’s nice to see people to look up to,” and all agreed.
Wins, wins, wins… but who is there to watch?
Lea Krusemeyer (she/her)
Sports Editor
Devkota (he/him)
Illustrator
Being busy is part of being a university student; between assignments, midterms and presentations, it often seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day. But while many of us are just getting through our academic to-do lists, student-athletes are doing double duty, balancing the responsibilities of school and sports. Capilano Blues athletes show up, put in the work and win games for the school as well as themselves. So, shouldn’t it be the norm for us to show up and support them? Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. The bleachers at many Capilano Blues games remain empty, and you have to wonder, why aren’t we there?
One of the primary reasons goes beyond a simple lack of interest. Since Capilano University is a commuter school, most students don’t have the time to stick around after class. Games typically start after 5 p.m. and by that time most of us are already on our way home. “Most days, I simply go to class, go to my car and then drive home,” says Andreea Maxinianu, a fourth-year Communication student at CapU. It’s a routine many students at CapU share.
“Supporting our teams isn’t just about showing up for a game. It’s about creating a sense of pride and belonging on a campus where that often feels lacking. ”
Another issue: CapU doesn’t exactly make it easy to find information on games, or even to feel connected to athletics. CapU’s student-athletes spend most of their time in the Centre for Sport and Wellness (CSW), disconnected from the main academic areas. Unless you’re a regular at the on-campus gym, you might never set foot in the CSW, which is the main place to get information about games, scores or the history of the Capilano Blues. “On a normal day spent between classes in Birch or the Library, I rarely see advertisements for games or even a game schedule. I really don’t know what the Blues are doing most of the time,” says Aylin Polo, another fourth-year Communication student. Without visible promotion, it’s hard for students to keep track of what’s happening or feel connected to the teams. While information about games can be found online, many students don’t know where to look.
Beyond promotion, there’s a bigger issue, CapU doesn’t deliver on the culture of college sports the way schools in the U.S. do. Divya Kumar, a third-year student, summed it up well: “There are no cheerleaders, no fireworks, none of the fun things I see at U.S. schools’ games. For me, who’s not an expert on most sports, there needs to be entertainment. Otherwise, I get bored.” While some might argue that the game itself should be motivation enough, it’s hard to deny that the sports culture at CapU is missing the showbiz factor. A bit of fanfare and excitement could go a long way toward making Blues games feel like an experience, not just a game.
Although it seems easy to blame the school for a lack of promotion and fun, it wouldn’t be fair to blame them alone. Sure, the university could do better with promotion and scheduling, but building campus culture is ultimately up to us. Imagine a packed gym, students cheering celebrating every point the Blues score.
Supporting our teams isn’t just about showing up for a game. It’s about creating a sense of pride and belonging on a campus where that often feels lacking. So, next time you walk to the parking lot, make a detour through the CSW. Grab a friend and show up to a game. Let’s bring the energy and, who knows, maybe with enough attendance, there may be cheerleaders one day, too. 23
It’s Friday when I arrive at the Capilano University Centre for Sports and Wellness (CSW)—formerly the Sportsplex (I can see why they changed the name)—at noon, hoping to get a workout in before my afternoon cinematography class, so that I don’t risk throwing my back out lifting C-stands for three hours. Being a Crew Writer at the Capilano Courier, it isn’t often that I have to use my entire body to write an article (usually it’s between my fingers and brain) but it’s safe to say that I put my whole booty into this one.
I started going to the CSW sometime last month. For some reason, I decided that I was going to try going to the gym again. When I was a few years younger I already had a routine of going to the gym and it always felt intimidating and uncomfortable; like everyone was clowning my deadlift form behind my back. Now, I normally climb at The Hive, an indoor bouldering gym. When I went to the CSW though, I felt a deep sense of comfort and peace.
I’m not sure exactly what it is. It could be the kindness of the people working at the desk, it could be the small cozy atmosphere, or the windows allowing natural light into the room or maybe I’m more comfortable in my skin than I used to be. I just really like it there. Even at its busiest, I never have to wait more than a few minutes to use a piece of equipment.
Now, it’s becoming a routine; most days before or after class, I go to the gym. When I don’t go for a few days, I start to miss it a little bit.
There are a solid amount of treadmills, barbells, bikes and more for such a modest room. I imagine that if you lift more weight than I do, you might have difficulty finding the weight you need, as the plates are often mismatched and misplaced. For most students at CapU, I assume this wouldn’t be a huge deal, but it’s something to consider.
A bonus for beginners or anyone who wants to improve their form is the QR codes on each machine. There are demonstrations from student-athlete Marco Proverbs showing you how to do each exercise right. Thanks, Marco!
The changing rooms are clean and don’t smell that bad, most of the time. I’m afraid that if I say this, people will assume I smell bad and I can’t distinguish my own stench, but I think they genuinely do a good job of upkeep.
Also, did I mention that it’s completely free? I know. Finally!
Something we have that University of British Columbia (UBC) doesn’t! If you’re looking to try it out, all you have to do is sign up and fill out a waiver on the CapU website. If you want to go to the gym together let me know, or if you already go, come say what’s up. Let’s get buff and blissful. 25
Millie Beatch (she/her)
Contributor
Rachel Lu (she/her)
Illustrator
1 2 3 4
Mum’s going back home because Grandpa’s in the hospital. She’s sitting down across from me at the dinner table. Her huge, unused wooden paddleboard stretches out behind me on the wall; the table is slightly dented inward. She thinks it might be his time. Are you sad , I ask. No It’s definitive. I feel like I’ve already grieved him, you know? she says.
In second grade we raise butterflies. Nobody wants to free them now that they’re so beautiful, but we let them go in the blackberry bushes. So many tiny orange and black butterflies circle the field that recess. I take one home that has a bent wing and decide to care for it with my neighbour Alison. My dad comes up with a name: Strawberry Demon Destroyer. One night we leave Strawberry Demon Destroyer outside in the rain, and he dies. I try to bury him but the ground is frozen, too solid for the grave.
Mum cradles me on her bed. She still has the sea-green quilt Karuna tore up years later. I need to tell you something. My mother died. Grandma is dead, she says. Is it bad that I’m not sad? Grandma was sick for 12 years. No , I say.
The house floods while Mum’s still in Calgary. Grandpa’s delirious, thinks people are trying to kill him all the time. He warns his girlfriend that his daughters are out to get him. I sit in the library googling mad cow disease, zombie deer disease, prion disease humans, brain disease rapid onset . It goes on for years; the proteins in your brain misfold very, very slowly. We throw pink and grey towels on the ground and soak up the clear, narrow water.
5
I’m thinking of lost medical records, black teeth and gambling debts. Leaving home at sixteen; sickness, four little girls and a rose garden. He never calls.
6
7
My grandpa was born in Medicine Hat. Rudyard Kipling said Medicine Hat has, “all hell for a basement” because of the natural gas below its plains, a sea of it. Medicine Hat the Gas City, the scent of opportunity; hot dogs, candycoloured face paint, sticks of firework that shoot up like geysers. Dinner at 5 p.m., mom who prunes the rose garden, a Cadillac fixer-upper, all those scenes in Born on the Fourth of July of the American Dream before it explodes, blue fire in the sky. Four little girls with sparklers in their fists.
What do you think about death , I ask her. Nothing, because I don’t think about it , she says. We kick gravel in Blue Park. It’s cold, so I’m wearing Grandma’s crocheted hat. Why? When my neighbour’s dad died, I stared out my parent’s bedroom window at a bright, uneasy scene, red, white and blue, everything glowing like a hot plate. The light rolls in slow, cuts into the night. Why don’t you think about it ? She replies steadfast. Because I’m not going to die. I nod because it’s true.
Heat from the flames burned against her cheeks.
That was one of the only things Esme could seem to remember about the fire that tore down her village; her home.
The heat and the smell. It had been three days since she had left the carcass and ashes of her home with her wailing sister in tow, and she was still wading in the thick scent of smoke.
Amanda, her blubbering sister, hadn’t stopped crying since they had left. She sat on a rock across from Esme, tears streaking her pale, ashen face. She looked almost transparent against the darkening forest, like she wasn’t really there. Just a shadow following Esme’s trail.
The sisters had been making their way through the dark woods that surrounded their village, trying to get to West Port, the next closest trading town. It was their only option now that their home had been destroyed. The flames had sprung up around them methodically, almost as if it was the result of something deliberate and planned. Since then, the journey had been nothing but trudging through mud, navigating an impossibly thick wood and trying to ignore the growls of hungry animals. The addition of Amanda’s sobbing was trying on Esme’s patience.
“Do you think we’ll see anyone again? Mother? Father?” she whimpered, not taking her eyes off the ground. The sisters had been separated from the rest of their family in the chaos of the fire. Esme hadn’t noticed it was just the two of them amidst the mayhem. It was Amanda’s frantic screaming to go back to the house that finally startled her enough to move. Their only hope was that the family had
Jordan Richert
Jasmin Linton (she/her) Crew Illustrator
the same idea to head for the bay. “What if we never will?” She pressed again. Esme couldn’t bear to think that far.
“We should keep moving,” She croaked, ignoring Amanda’s pleading tone. They ran out of water over an hour ago, and breathing in the chilled air as they walked burned her lungs and throat. She gnawed on her lip; in her state of dehydration, she couldn’t help thinking of all the crying Amanda had been doing. “It’s just over this last hill and then we can get more food and water,” She said, trying to focus her sister’s attention on other things, trying to motivate her to get up. Amanda, sensing Esme’s reluctance to speak further, just slowly nodded and stood. Esme followed.
“You’re buying me something sweet once we get down there” Amanda huffed, not bothering to look back.
Esme just sighed. She stood up, grabbed their bags—what was left of their lives—and went after her sister.
The sky above them was gray, turning and pulsing as they made their way down the dock. The wooden planks under their feet were slick with heavy rain already and Amanda clung to Esme’s soaking sleeve like a child. It was getting hard to hold up both her and their stuff.
“I’m so cold,” Amanda sniffed against Esme’s coat. She could hear the chattering of teeth despite the loudness of the whipping wind.
“The ship is right here!” Esme snapped, feeling as cold and worn as Amanda looked and having the decency to not whine about it. Amanda said nothing, just burrowed
her head against Esme’s shoulder. She sighed, and dragged her sister the rest of the way up the dock; at least she wasn’t whining anymore.
The ship towered above them once they reached the ramp up to it. Three giant masses shot up from its high deck, holding up wide, white sails that tugged and pulled with the strong winds. The deck’s black paint looked inky slick with rain. It was already busy and bustling with sailors, all eager to clear the storm.
Esme wrestled a spot onboard without much trouble, only a single deckhand had objected, raving about the superstition of having a woman on board, “What bad luck she’ll bring us!” he yelled, looking up and down at her disheveled appearance. However, he was overruled by the glares from other shiphands grumbling about the delays with the storm. No one stopped them. Esme couldn’t help but sigh in relief. If anything, the sisters were rushing to leave the bay as soon as the anchor was up. She had all but helped heave it up on board herself. She was finally content when the bay was a small dot behind them.
two cots pushed against the wall and a small, round table and chairs close to the door on the opposite side. A lone candle sat on the table, flickering with the jostling ocean. Amanda slid into one of the chairs, hugging her arms around herself. Esme put their bags down on the bed and sat down across from her.
“I think we need to part ways once the ship docks,” Amanda said. Her voice was small, Esme could barely hear her with the wind and water rattling the cabin from outside.
“What are you talking about? Why?” She said, beginning to pick at her nails in her lap to hide them from Amanda’s view.
“You know why, Esme.” she said, Esme couldn’t meet her gaze.
“No. What do you mean I know why? Where is this coming from?” Esme got up and turned away, unable to hide how red and hot her face was becoming. Why was her heart pounding? Amanda stood, her sister’s hand resting on her shoulder, a welcome weight, grounding her to the cabin.
Fortunately, the sisters were given their own private cabin, most likely due to their ash covered faces and clothes. Thankfully, it was warmer than the forest with
“Look at you, you look sick… you’ve avoided talking about what happened, and I bet you’ve been so focused on me for the past five days, you haven’t even processed what 29
happened.” Amanda’s tone was clipped, the volume rising with the waves outside. Esme turned to her, eyebrows raised at the sound. She couldn’t remember the last time her sister had raised her voice.
“I have been trying to get us safe!” she retorted. How dare Amanda disregard all of her hard work? “I was the one to salvage our stuff, I was the one to decide where we would go and how we got there, what have you done except mope around and cry about home!”
“Exactly Mimi, it was your home . How can you not be absolutely destroyed now that it’s gone?”
Esme’s retort stuck in her throat at Amanda’s words. She had been so focused on getting out, getting somewhere safe, had she been able to mourn? Esme knew things were serious when her sister used her childhood nickname.
“You need to let yourself mourn Esme, I can’t do it all for you.”
“What do you mean for me? You’ve always been the more emotional one.” Amanda didn’t say anything, just looked at her with pity-filled eyes.
“Think about it, Mimi,” she said, using Esme’s childhood name. That did nothing to ease her mind, she could feel weight pushing on her chest.
“I am thinking about it, and thinking about it is making me more angry!”
“No, listen. Why do you think you were never sad or upset the entire trip?” Esme shook her head again, not wanting to hear Amanda continue. Deep down, she knew where this was going and she was terrified to see it end. “Because I was for you . That’s why I’m here Mimi.”
Esme could feel tears start to streak down her cheeks. Amanda, turning her sister to face her, gathering Esme’s hands in hers and guided her back to the table. The two sat down. It was quiet for a beat before Amanda finally whispered, “I’m here to do your hurting for you.”
Esme blinked, dumbstruck. The world seemed to tilt, Amanda’s look of expectation with it.
“Don’t be stupid Amanda, we’re sisters, two different people, I just grieve differently.” Amanda just sighed, closing her eyes.
“I can’t spell it out for you anymore Mimi! I’m not real !” Amanda gripped her hands tighter, but the comfort and warmth she felt from her sister just a moment ago was gone, evaporating with the drop of Esme’s stomach. She couldn’t see, she couldn’t think, all she could hear was the rushing in her ears.
“You’re real. You’re my sister” Esme sobbed, she couldn’t grapple with this information, it didn’t make any sense. “You’re real!” She grabbed at Amanda’s hands, up her arms, cupping her face. She could feel wet tears there. How could she feel them if Amanda wasn’t real?
“I’m not Mimi,” Amanda gingerly brought Esme’s hands away from her cheeks, but still held them tightly, “you just believe I am. But it’s time to stop, you’re out of danger now and it’s time to learn that you need to take care of yourself.” Esme’s nose was running, her tears turning her into a blubbering mess.
“How? How can I keep going without you though?”
“You can do it, you’ve been doing it this whole time, remember? Through me.” Amanda’s voice was gentle, Esme closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I can try.” she finally whispered, not daring to open her eyes. The warmth blanketing her hands slowly faded.
The waves had seemed to calm down and weak sun rays lit up the cabin, contrasting the warm glow of the candle. Esme took another deep breath. The flame in front of her flickered before going out in a small plume of smoke. All that was left to light the room was the pale sunshine–but it was light, nevertheless.
Yasmine Modaresi (she/her)
Her existence radiates my livelihood in fervent polars.
Soul shining through her human shrouds, she is as profound as Jibrāil’s radiance in the presence of prophets,
Yet her form is marked with the archetypical profanity of Babylon’s harlot.
Neither divine nor tarnished by sin, her light is grey;
The turbulence of Mother Nature held in her fragile mortal form.
An enigma and a guide,
She is my soul’s oasis,
The northern star leading me across the Sahara on my final Hajj,
And a comforting comrade walking the holy pilgrimage, hand in hand with I.
Were I to die of thirst here on the desert floor,
Forced to endure the fate of vermin,
I’d rather that my last taste be of her
Ren Zhang (they/them)
Crew Writer Illustrator
Than that sweet water of life, for she is lovelier than nectar.
It is the maker who sends the winds and glad tides heralding mercy;
But she is the messenger bringing waters of baptism from the paradise above;
She is the wind that carries the breath of life;
To drink her is to be salvaged.
To breathe her is to be alive.
She is divinity and profanity, creator and creation, the essence of nature personified.
In life, let me absorb her profanity;
In death, let me absorb her mortality.
Before and after her metamorphosis, I worship her with every fibre of my being.
Food scarcity and disparity can be hard to talk about, but the Student Union is doing what it can to help bring down CapU students’ monthly grocery bill.
“Eat your fruits and vegetables” has been a loaded phrase since childhood; a need, but not necessarily a want. But for students moving out for the first time, it seems nutritional value has to come at the expense of affordability. Whether it’s a week-long streak of instant-noodles, dividing a large pizza or rationing takeout leftovers. Soon, anyone would be craving some fresh veggies. I remember my first time home for the holidays during first year. My mom asked what I wanted her to cook, the “magic first meal” home. I asked for a salad. She still talks about this every time I visit, shocked that I would actually want to eat a vegetable. I also remember my return to campus that spring. Walking through the Library, I spotted rows of boxes filled with carrots, potatoes, onions and apples. This was Capilano University’s Produce Pop-Up, a weekly event designed to give students free access to produce, the now coveted fruits and vegetables.
To better understand the significance of CapU’s food disparity services, it is important to observe the history of Canadian student pre and post COVID-19 food disparity. A 2015 survey conducted across Canadian universities indicated 39 per cent of students experienced food disparity. More than a third of university students experienced food scarcity before the pandemic, and it appears to have only worsened since. According to Toronto’s ‘The Sandbox Project’ with a Meal Exchange—a study conducted in 2021—60.4 per cent of students could not afford nutritious meals. This survey elaborates that 24 per cent of students report being financially worse off in the face of the post-pandemic job market. All of this taken together, these postpandemic factors still linger as indicated in a 2023 Student Food Insecurity Report by Concordia University, where 67 per cent of students are still facing varying degrees of food insecurity. The report also indicated a lack of “campus discussion” and “coordination among” their food resources.
The Produce Pop-Up is Capilano Student Union’s (CSU) method of initiating campus discussion about food disparity and providing free fresh foods to students. The Pop-Up runs every Thursday from 11:30am to 12:30pm in the CSU Library Lounge. As shared by employee Asmara Benzireg, CSU Representatives purchase inseason produce from the local Superstore, and have been able to expand scale gradually. “The budget for the produce pop-up has been steadily increasing each year, which is great,” Benzireg says, continuing to describe the high demand for food resources at CapU referencing the CSU’s non-perishable food resource, the Community Cupboard. “Student Affairs partners with food banks, filling our Community Cupboard. We find ourselves restocking it every day,” she said.
After speaking with Benzireg, I opened the Community Cupboard and found it filled with only two cans of tuna and a couple bags of Mamasitas. If anything, this indicates consistent use, but brings to question whether there is too high of a strain on this resource at CapU.
While Benzireg mentioned student’s firm grasp on resources within arms reach, she also emphasized that there are two programs that often go unnoticed. The first is CapU’s partnership with the group Quest Food Exchange, a local “non-profit grocery market” organization with locations available throughout Vancouver, including one in North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale. With Quest, CapU can provide students with a film to sign up for a free membership. Benzireg describes this as a prime opportunity for students who wish to affordably grocery shop.
“67 per cent of students are still facing varying degrees of food insecurity.” *** ***
If students are low on food supplies and funds, the CSU offers a personal shopper through their food hamper initiative. “We can provide [students] with supplies for a week,” Benzireg explains. “Carbs, protein, non-perishables, whatever to get students through the week, and then we can set them up with Quest for long-term resources.” She also echoes the same issue of “campus discussion” Concordia mentioned when referencing its own food disparity resources. While the CSU maps the blueprint for longterm student food access, only students can initiate usage and discussion of resources; the ones that require a bit more planning, as well as the ones within arms reach.
A brief history of the complex identity of Palestine, Judaism and the rise of Political Zionism
“Still, with the turbulence of war and occupation littering human history, the Palestinian people had always been recognized as the natural inhabitants of their native land.”
For many people in the West, the Israel-Palestine conflict may appear to be a series of violent events rooted in deep-seated religious and political differences. However, a glimpse into the Middle East through the lens of Western media tends to be filled with biases and oversimplifications, which fail to address the region’s complex history that has culminated in the modern Israel-Palestine conflict. What is rarely given recognition in Western media is the fact that this conflict isn’t new, and the histories of Palestinians and Israelites are much more complex and surprising than short news excerpts can cover. While key phrases and ideologies like ‘Hamas,’ ‘Israel’ and ‘Zionism’ frequently fill the chyrons and headlines of news pieces, the distinct histories of these words — which shape the current ideological and political climate — often go unrecognized. A brief overview and introduction to the central elements of the conflict is often needed to facilitate a more thorough understanding of how today’s ideological division manifested.
For over 3,000 years, Indigenous peoples have resided in what is now called Palestine, using the sea and the land to sustain themselves in tandem with the natural rhythm of the changing seasons. One of the earliest records of the Palestinians dates back to 2285 BCE in Ancient Egypt. Perhaps due to the Indigenous population’s close relationship with the ocean, the Egyptians referred to the inhabitants as the ‘Sea People’ or the ‘Palesets.’ While the Indigenous population was constant, so too was colonial occupation throughout history, leading to ever-changing semantics when referring to the name of the people. For example, following the Roman occupation of modern Palestine in 135CE, the Romans renamed Judea “Syria Palaestina” following the crushing of Bar Kokhba as a way of legally diminishing the relationship between the Jewish people and the surrounding land. Still, with the turbulence of war and occupation littering human history, the Palestinian people had always been recognized as the natural inhabitants of their native land. A once commonly accepted reality, this narrative first began to shift around the end of the 1800s with the emergence of European Political Zionism, an ideology which sought to establish a Jewish ethnostate as a rebuke to the ongoing discrimination inflicted on the Jewish diaspora in Europe.
Before the founding of Israel, Zionism was a project with foundational aims of protecting Jewish populations rather than colonization. Across Europe, the Jewish diaspora had been oppressed and stripped of access to fundamental social and political freedoms for generations. Dating as far back as Medieval Europe, Anti-Semitic laws resulted in the persecution of Jewish people, forced conversions as well as systemic legal restrictions that set Jewish Europeans behind their peers in terms of land ownership, prohibitions and access to civil rights.
Having both migrated and been forcefully brought to Europe over a millennium ago from Judea and the surrounding regions—like Palestine— Jewish people in Europe were not permitted to fully integrate and receive equal treatment to their ‘White’ counterparts. The struggles of the Jewish diaspora in Europe are long-standing, and eventually, a long history of
systemic oppression and prejudice against Jewish Europeans culminated in the creation of the Political Zionism movement in the late 19th century by Theodore Herzl.
Today, Zionism has many colonial and genocidal connotations: as a Zionist entity, it is the Israeli government that occupies land that they are not legally entitled to. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967, adopted following the Six-Day War, called for the withdrawal of Israeli occupying forces during the conflict, and internationally deemed the territory acquired through war and conflict would be unlawful. Additionally, there have been several occasions on which the Israeli occupation has been legally recognized as violating the Geneva Convention, such as in the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion of 2004, where the court concluded that all Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967—including East Jerusalem—were illegal settlements.
Modern connotations aside, Zionism was initially an empowerment movement designed to address the problem of Jewish rights, and establish a political body which would work to defend the human rights of the Jewish diaspora. Herzl published his most famous political work in the late 1800s, Ser Judenstaat , or The Jewish State , in response to rampant discrimination against Jewish people. For the first time in history, the establishment of a Jewish ethnostate (i.e. a political entity or nation where the population is dominated by a single racial or ethnic group) was advocated for. In the First Zionist Congress of 1897—soon after the release of The Jewish State—numerous options around the globe were proposed for the location of this homeland for the Jewish people of Europe and the world, including Uganda and Argentina.
During the early conception of the Political Zionist movement in the late 19th century, the central motivation for Herzl and other Jewish rights activists was stated to be ending the systemic oppression of Jewish people. In other words, it is unclear whether early Zionists considered that establishing an ethnostate in a foreign land—with its own unique history and population—would result in colonial violence. Motivations aside, the genuine consequences of creating this state began to unfold during WWI, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The League of Nations granted Britain the Mandate for Palestine, and from that point onward, Palestine became the definitive building site for the Zionist Jewish National home, which would appropriate the name ‘Israel’ from biblical literature.
The occupying forces in Palestine have been ongoing since the official establishment of Israel in 1948, with near constant records of defensive and offensive movement between sides. The events of October 7, 2023 led to greater international attention, with Western media creating a firm ideological divide. Often highlighted in Western media is the fact that Israel has proposed what they refer to as peace treaties on several occasions prior to the events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing over 1,200 Israelis, and marking the beginning of a mass killing initiative on Palestinian civilians. Only a few months
“Israel’s bombing campaigns have targeted Palestinian hospitals, homes and refugee camps, forcing the people to continuously migrate as their homes and cities are lost to warfare.”
following October 7, in early 2024, there were approximately 25,000 Palestinian deaths, most of which were civilians. Throughout 2024, Israel’s bombing campaigns have targeted Palestinian hospitals, homes and refugee camps, forcing the people to continuously migrate as their homes and cities are lost to warfare. Over 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced since October 7, 2023.
The conflict continues to spark debates about the relationship between oppression and the ‘necessity of violence.’ Some argue that Israel has the right to defend itself, while others support the Palestinian people, who have endured what many call genocidal acts at the hands of a well-trained, heavily funded military. Still, some praise Hamas’ initial strike as an act of liberation, reflecting the idea that acts of violence are terrorism when perpetrated by the oppressor, but acts of liberty when perpetrated by the oppressed.
This is a brief overview of some aspects of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, and is non-exhaustive. While the history is complex, it is not as inaccessible as it sometimes appears. It can be difficult to tell the reputable news from the disreputable ones, but Al Jazeera often has very informative pieces about the ongoing conflict. There are also books available at the CapU Library such as On Palestine and Palestine: A Four Thousand Year War , which go into far greater detail about the history of conflicts in Palestine and the Middle East.
Are you alive?
From concrete brutalism to clear glass towers, Vancouver’s modern architecture often communicates a cold, corporate exterior. While the underground scene is covered in graffiti, what brings colour to the surface?
The bold colours and patterns present in South Asian artistry seem scarce for a city that has served as a hotspot for South Asian immigration since 1903. Low-profile cultural exhibitions are organized for those in the know, but there is a lack of reach among a wider audience.
One of the creatives who spotlights this cultural hybridity is Sandeep Johal, a visual artist and muralist based in British Columbia, with murals brightening the Lower Mainland and B.C.’s interior as well as places as far as Austin, Texas and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Johal was raised in Kelowna, where cultural diversity was scarce at the time, but community was not; she describes a surplus of support in her youth, her mother being the one to buy her art supplies. However, an art career was a foreign concept. “I didn’t know anyone who was making art or doing anything creative, white or brown,” she explains. “When you don’t have that role model, it’s hard to imagine that it’s a path that exists.”
Describing her pursuit of a biology degree, she says, “I just defaulted to sciences.” During her time in this program, as well as her Bachelor’s of Education at the University of British Columbia, Johal’s professors encouraged her to pursue art, insisting that she
was in the wrong faculty. This led Johal to conclude, “If I’m on my deathbed and I ask myself the question, ‘Do I regret not trying?’ I think I would be really disappointed.”
Although eventually attending Langara College for the Fine Arts Diploma program, from which she graduated with honours and a Design Studio Award, Johal did not immediately pursue art. “I didn’t know how to make a body of work. I didn’t know how to network. I didn’t know how to market. I didn’t know how to do anything.”
She goes on to say, “It was around the time of the recession of 2008, so people had no money. So, I ended up getting a proper job and I met my husband around that time.” After years of what she describes as a dead-end job, Johal’s husband encouraged her to pursue an art career in 2015.
Her artistic development can be described as the standard Western-born Desi experience. “I fell toward the status quo,” she says, explaining her subconscious rejection of her culture growing up. She describes being reintroduced to the beauty of her culture upon leaving her hometown and meeting other South Asian creatives, which led to a burst of creativity. This was, and has continued to be, a strong influence on her work.
“I always want to make sure that when people look at my work, they know it was made by a South Asian hand,” Johal explains. “I want it to be as bright and bold as possible because I really want people to see the beauty in our culture, too.”
Johal uses colours, textures and patterns accordingly to lighten the load of the meanings she conveys, as her favourite pieces are the ones centring women’s empowerment. She dedicated a temporary mural at the Vancouver Art Gallery to victims of male violence in England, Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. In separate incidents occurring in London, both women were abducted and murdered in 2021. Another piece in 2019 at Façade Fest was dedicated to Jyoti Singh, who was fatally attacked in 2012 by six men on a bus in Delhi, India.
Raise Your Words, Not Your Voice—a mural she painted in the height of the #MeToo movement—depicts a woman raising her hands to symbolize women allowing themselves to take up space both physically and metaphorically. Johal wants these pieces to serve as a reminder of hopefulness in the face of adversity, a concept which is conveyed in South Asia through patterns, bright colour and light. She poses the question, “You have to have some level of hope that things will change, otherwise what’s the point?”
Having been commissioned to paint murals across the city and pieces for gallery exhibitions whilst also creating in several mediums, Johal describes her work as penetrating many art communities in Vancouver. “I like to have my fingers in a lot of different things,” she says. “I think it’s important for me to diversify because it’s not easy making a living as an artist, obviously, we all know that. To survive, you have to widen your scope.”
Johal says she has been lucky to not have faced many barriers in Vancouver’s art scene. She goes on to say, “I don’t know if South
Asian artists are getting as much… What’s the word I’m looking for?” Her son chimes in, “Recognition?”
“Recognition! That’s the word,” Johal says. “I would like to see more emphasis on South Asian artists and not just the typical, ‘Can you make a Diwali show?’” She mentions her own South Asian friends in the art scene, saying she’d like “for all of [them] to succeed together and to move up in the community together.”
She goes on to reference Surinder Dhaliwal, a pioneer of Vancouver’s South Asian art scene, asking, “Who are the South Asian artists, trailblazers, in Canada, that came before us and how do we honour them while also mentoring and having relationships with younger South Asian artists?”
When asked what’s next for her career, Johal responded, “I’ll be working towards two solo exhibitions in 2025 and 2026, as well as some other exciting opportunities that I can’t announce yet.”
She’ll be continuing her experimentations with various mediums such as fabricated public art and plans to attend artist residencies.
Until 2026, Johal’s artwork can be found on banners along the Granville Strip in Downtown Vancouver. She also has various murals around South Vancouver.
To find more of Johal’s work and related updates, visit her Instagram page @sandeepjohalart and her website www.sandeepjohal.com.
Inspiring the next generation of femme jazz musicians
Kayla Prince (she/her)
Contributor
Andy Poystila (he/him)
Illustrator
It’s November 10, 2024 and you’re sitting in a full audience, bustling with anticipation. Capilano University alumni and band director Casey Thomas Burns takes the stage of The Pearl—a night club in the heart of downtown Vancouver—in a sparkly green pantsuit. Behind her is the rest of her 11-piece big band, The Leading Ladies. Tim Reinert, promoter and organizer of Infidels Jazz live shows across Vancouver, opens the show by saying, “they are the hardest working big band in Metro Vancouver.” Horns back Burns as she addresses the crowd, and the band jumps into the first of nearly a dozen vocal features of the evening, marking their biggest collaborative show to date.
Burns and Riley Poystila are both CapU Jazz Studies alumni, and two of the founding members of The Leading Ladies big band; an energetic ensemble that’s inspiring young femme and non-binary jazz musicians across Metro Vancouver and the province.
Burns began the band in her second year at CapU in 2019. “There was a concert series going on at Presentation House that I was helping to organize that was focusing on women in jazz,” she says. “For the last [show] of the year…I wanted to get more people involved.”
This one-off performance at Pres House sparked the initial idea to start what’s now become The Leading Ladies, getting together a big band of all women and femme-presenting musicians. “There [were] not enough women in the program to do a big band, but we had enough to do a little-big band,” she explains. “That’s how the band first came together, because I did this one show with the help of Jill Townsend.”
Poystila has been playing upright and electric bass in the group since that initial show started it all, and they’ve loved the group dynamic ever since. “It’s the most welcomed I’ve felt in a band. The happiest I’ve felt in a band. The people I’m playing with are genuinely my friends and we have fun making music.”
Since their conception five years ago, The Leading Ladies have toured across the province on numerous occasions, opening the Tofino Jazz Festival in June 2024. They’ve amassed a number of diverse sets for different occasions: modern big band tunes featuring Vancouver-based arrangers and composers, a New Orleans style parade set, classic Winter/Christmas music, a swing dance set, and now a new collection of R&B tunes, which the group performed at The Pearl back on November 10, alongside five of Vancouver’s top R&B vocalists.
“Ladies Night” jazz jam sessions happen on Tuesday nights every couple of months, inviting women and non-binary individuals of all ages and skill levels to come together, bring their horns and call a tune. “The result of it has been that we now have this cool community where 10 plus years of [CapU] jazz alumni and femme folks from across the city know each other, [and] make music together pretty regularly.” Burns remarks that “That’s not something we saw before we started doing this, so it’s been cool to create that for other people.” Building community has been a common theme in talking with the two Leading Ladies members. They support other women and people in music, both within their band and anyone outside of it.
These days, the little-big band has been putting in the work rehearsing for their upcoming shows, including a 15-show educational residency at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby, and for their hip winter performance of Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite, which they remark is a Christmas favourite for many. “It’s just great music and we get the chance to work with a full sized jazz orchestra.” The show sold out last year, and so The Leading Ladies have brought it back by popular demand, hosting both a matinee and evening show this year. You won’t want to miss them on Sunday, December 14, 2024 at the Brentwood Presbyterian Church. Tickets go on sale soon for both performances.
You can find more information about the group from their Instagram page @leadingladiesmusic or their website http://www. leadingladieslittlebigband.com/ for updates.
A
Alan Jenks
As one of the many instructors of KINE 112, I appreciate the discussion surrounding the recent article and the opportunity to clarify our position as instructors of KINE 112. First and foremost, our goal is to ensure that students are equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to make informed decisions about their health, including understanding their body’s nutritional needs—a core learning outcome for any introductory nutrition course.
It’s important to emphasize that all instructors of KINE 112 are qualified professionals with extensive backgrounds in health sciences and nutrition education. Our faculty is well-versed in the subject matter and continues to adapt to evolving student needs by providing accommodations when required. This includes offering alternative options, such as working with pre-collected dietary data for students who find personal tracking challenging. These measures ensure that all students can successfully complete the course while safeguarding their mental health.
Additionally, Dietary Analysis (DA) assignments are standard practice in nutrition courses across various institutions, and they fall squarely within the scope of what is expected in first-year education. While we understand the concerns raised, students enrolling in KINE 112 should expect to engage with content related to nutrition and health, as this is the primary focus of the course. If a student feels that such an assignment may not be a good fit, they are welcome to explore other elective options.
We remain committed to creating a supportive learning environment where students’ well-being is prioritized, and we are considering updating the course description to make it clearer that dietary tracking is part of the curriculum. Our faculty’s goal is to provide transparency and accommodate students whenever possible, while maintaining the integrity of the learning outcomes in KINE 112.
A collection of stories outlining the liminal space struggle of trying to be both “Indian” and “Canadian” enough during the holidays inspired by Edward Said’s postcolonialism
Jasmine Garcha (she/her)
Arts and Culture Editor
Andrei Gueco ([pronouns])
I grew up being told I smell like curry, that only men should have moustaches and that my mehndi —my henna— looked like shit stains. I didn’t realize it was racism until I learned what race was.
Now, it’s hard not to see it everywhere. On every Instagram post about Indians globally, even in India, the comments are flooded with racism. We don’t live up to ‘‘model minority” standards. Or, I guess, they don’t. I’m not always considered one of them.
I hate when people call me “one of the good ones” when they wouldn’t consider my parents the same. I have the accent, sure, but not the full pantheon of Western values. I still eat with my hands and grease my hair with coconut oil because I value the wisdom of my ancestors over the words of your scientists.
After stumbling over explanations, I snap back into the moment when a man tells me he’s always wanted to be with a brown girl. I leave the bar. I should have spent my birthday at home.
Being called “foreign trash” was simple, but now, Western men call me exotic and the women draw SpongeBob characters with mehndi that I used to only see at weddings.
Dussehra—the last day of a festival called Navratri— marks Lord Rama’s defeat of Ravana, the 10-headed demon king. Hindus celebrate by blowing up Ravana. Recreations of him, I mean.
My mom taught me this. We’re not Hindu, but some of Ma’s school friends were. They visited each other’s places of worship, Hindu mandirs and Sikh gurdwaras
On Dussehra, Sikhs visit the gurdwara for prayer and kirtan , which is like musical prayer. I used to take kirtan classes at the gurdwara where I learned to play harmonium, a British instrument used in classical Punjabi music. I quit because my kirtan teacher hit me. That was what she had learned back home. I, being born in Canada, was taught that this is wrong.
Following Dussehra, Diwali celebrates Rama’s return from battle. On this day, Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Diwas for a similar reason; our sixth Guru’s return after escaping imprisonment.
Bandi Chhor was on Halloween this year. I don’t know which was the priority, if any. I wore Lululemon leggings under my kurta to visit the gurdwara . We didn’t visit on Dussehra, but my Nani , my maternal grandma, sent me greetings on WhatsApp that day.
“My Indian friends call me Canadian and my Canadian friends call me Indian.”
For Sikhs, the end of the year is a time of mourning for the tenth Guru’s four children who were martyred in the Battle of Chamkaur.
However, we live in the West. So, we put up a tree, threw a party and exchanged presents on Christmas. We wore ugly Christmas sweaters, of which I own five, and ate mac and cheese. My cousins organized games after conducting TikTok research about Christmas-related activities.
Ma says since we live in the colonizer’s country, we have to play by their rules. I wonder if she felt the same about India.
I still don’t know whether to call myself Indian. I call myself Punjabi in ethnicity and Sikh in religion. My birth certificate tries to make me feel comfortable calling myself Canadian. But Indian? The pendulum swings back and forth.
My Indian friends call me Canadian and my Canadian friends call me Indian.
When friends ask if I celebrate Christmas, I can’t say yes without also explaining that although my family is not Christian, the holiday has come to transcend religion. We celebrate in a Canadian way, not a Christian way.
My Indian friends didn’t invite me to garba for Navratri, but I don’t know how to dance, anyway. I don’t hear from them around the holidays.
It’s almost the Gregorian New Year. The Sikh New Year is marked by Punjab’s harvest, so I wear yellow in anticipation although it won’t happen for another few months, I think. We didn’t learn Sikhi’s Nanakshahi calendar in Sunday classes at the gurdwara
My children will celebrate Sikh holidays despite not getting the day off. I still question why the Gregorian calendar rules my life in a country that was force-fed Christianity in the first place.
After our New Year will come Vaisakhi, marking the creation of Sikhi’s formal initiation, similar to what you would call a baptism. We celebrate with a mela , a parade, even here. Several blocks of South Vancouver will be closed.
When Sikhi’s initiation was created, second names that symbolize equality were added to our first. I’ve begun to change how I introduce myself in our English-first world; I now write my name first in Punjabi, then English.
My name is ਜੈਸਮੀਨ ਕੌਰ (Jasmine Kaur). You can call me Jasmine.
Sometimes things just can’t wait, so here’s a handy-dandy list to let you know where best to stop to answer that text or catch up with a friend
Gates Annai (she/they)
Literature Editor
Illustrator Cameron Skorulski (he/him)
Obviously, you can’t stop to answer your text on the bus; that would block so many people from getting past you! So, make sure you do it as soon as you step off, right in the middle of the doors. The people squeezing past will thank you.
Everyone knows Birch has the narrowest stairwells on campus which makes them a perfect place to stop dead in your tracks. Easily improve this location by bringing along a friend to stand next to. Other people can just choose another stairwell (that’s why there’s two!).
You know the entrance to the Library by the café? The one with the narrow passages through the security terminals that are high in traffic for people trying to get either in or out?
That’s one of the best places to clump up with a group of friends. High traffic means high possibility of running into someone you know and stopping directly in the entrance for a little chat!
In modern-day life, we’re often plagued with decision fatigue— there are just too many choices and not enough brain cells to make them—so why not give yourself a day off and decide to stay in the room you’re in or leave it? If dogs can do it, why can’t we?
Sure, people are lining up behind you while the line ahead of you moves forward, and sure, the cafeteria is full of so much space and seating that you could stop dead in your tracks literally anywhere else, but standing in a line brings the comfort of structure and certainty while you answer your text. So what if you don’t actually want to order anything?
This tip is great because you can do it practically anywhere on campus! Just wait until you’re walking somewhere with purpose and someone happens to be walking right behind you, and then stop in your tracks. Keeping your peers on their toes is civil service, good job you good human you.
Capilano University has several elevators available for students who may want or need to skip the stairs, whether because of a physical disability, injury or another critical consideration, which means you have several to choose from! Just plant yourself either in front of the buttons or the doors so that the person already juggling crutches can now also awkwardly try to get in behind you. It’s fun for both of you!
Humans are creatures of habit; we tend to sit in the same spot every class and follow the same routine to get ready for several hours of learning. That’s why it’s essential to stick to your routine of standing directly behind the chair someone else would like to sit in. Hey, the class may be over, but it was still technically your spot first, anyway.
They may be hungry, but your friend is texting you the most hilarious meme and your mom wants to know when you’ll visit for dinner next and there’s a lot of scrolling on TikTok you have to do first, so why not claim that space for your own? Studies have come out recently claiming that students actually don’t need to eat to be successful.
And the very best place to stop dead in your tracks either to talk to friends or answer a text is, of course, when you’re standing exactly where I personally would like to go! There’s just nothing better than winding around and through groups of people who aren’t paying attention when I’m already running late for class because the Phibbs line was two city blocks long and people were standing in it looking at their phones instead of getting on the bus so we already took off late and then I got off late because someone was blocking me in my seat and—
So, if you’re ever in any of these situations, make sure you take a second to zone out on your phone. Some things just can’t wait!
In a stunning turn of events, the CSU board has voted to decide that they should be completely absolved of any responsibility to actually do their jobs.
Adam Wallace (he/him)
Humour Editor
Andrei Gueco
Illustrator
“What could Richard Nixon have accomplished had those jerks Woodward and Bernstein not taken him down?” wonders a member of the Capilano Student’s Union (CSU) Board. “It’s questions like these that made me realize that it’s not us that’s the problem, it’s the system that tries to hold us accountable.”
While a controversial move within the room, the CSU Board has found their move hasn’t been met with pushback among the student body. When polled, a whopping 98.4 per cent of students agreed they, “don’t care what the CSU does.” Conversely, the lone student that said they did care about the CSU is described by classmates as being a “nerd.”
I sat down with a CSU Board Member who wished to be anonymous. Usually, we don’t allow publicly elected board members to hide behind anonymity, but they told me they’d get me expelled if I didn’t do what they said. I said they couldn’t do that. They said, “You wanna risk it, rubbytub-tub?” I hung my head and said no.
WALLACE: So what is it that the board really wants to get out of this vote?
ANON: Well, our main goal is to get paid to do nothing. It’s easy money. But then a bunch of jerks kept on getting on our case about it.
WALLACE: That seems unethical.
ANON : Who are you to judge me? Shut up. I’m making cash fist over foot and I don’t have to do shit. You’re just jealous.
All in all, I would say the anonymous board member has the faintest hint of a good point. Who amongst us wouldn’t want to make money while doing nothing? Now, we probably wouldn’t stoop to the level of seeking an elected position and vote to make it so you don’t have to do anything, but still.
55
by Sofia Musa
Beers for snobs
Prolonged state of sleep
Lottery game
Heave from extertion
14 Like an unpaid tab
15 Rhyming name for movies like The Proposal
17 To exchange money for goods or services
18 Type of indian dish made in a cylindrical clay oven
20 Corn husk mexican food
22 Partner of ends
23 Gimme Gimme Gimme artist
24 Mean things to call someone
26 Retail employees that stand by the entrance
Nocturnal bird
Chappell
Gives off
Not wrong
What students abbr.
Conjunction
Tomato
To injure
Bathroom perhaps
Fencing
Town leader
Woeful sound 36 Unit of measurement for air
37 Seth known for voicing Translink advisories
38 "Do the ____!"
39 Step between the manufacturer and customer
41 He who made a deal with the devil 42 Computer brand 43 Clapton who played guitar with the Beatles 44 Arrangement of 48 down, perhaps
47 It tells you how many kilometers are in your car
Canvas stand 32 Short for a sound expanding instrument 33 When repeated, slang for nutty
51 Like a chimp or a baboon 52 Ingredient in eggnog 54 Smoking utensil
55 Bitch-ass Andrew
57 Body part between the hip and the ribs
27 Gives off
58 On tap at a bar, perhaps
53 A very heavy 56 Video Game responsible
59 Icy Disney princess
60 Tolkien tree creature
Not wrong and not left 29 What students attend, abbr.
Looking forwards
First Aid Level 1 skill
Conjunction of atoms
Tomato sauce cooking vessel
61 Used to indicate a maiden name DOWN 1 Music and passion were always in fashion, here
Castor oil poison
2 End of a prayer
3 In an unplanned way
To injure beyond repair
4 Type of truck
Type of battery
5 Family member diminutive
The Princess and the
6 AW famous pop
7 Computer address
Biblical garden
South American herbal caffeinated drink
8 "You LIE! You are like ____"
9 Relating to the butthole
October birth stone
10 Eye infection
11 Camping bed, perhaps
Prepares volleyball for a spike
12 Bag maker Michael
15 Responsible for vision along with cones
16 Gravity Falls sibling
A very heavy amount
Here are some more articles to expect published on our website, capilanocourier.com:
• B.C election results: the resurgence of the Conservatives
• Why are we “The Blues”?
• Poem by Andrea Chiang
• “Coping with Rough Days”
• How to Get the Most Out of Your CapCard
• From Vietnam, With Love
• An Extrovert’s Dream (the end of the semester)
• An Introvert’s Dream to the End of the Semester
• The Most Heinous Tim Hortons Menu Items
• New Polls Indicate Everyone is an Irrational Moron, Except Me
CAPILANO UNIVERSITY is located on the traditional unceded territories of the LíỈwat, xʷməθkʷəỷəm (Musqueam), shíshálh (Sechelt), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and SəỈílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
We recognize our presence here as guests on this sacred land and deeply appreciate the privilege to work, study, and reside in this remarkable place. The Capilano Courier acknowledges that this gesture is just a starting point on the path to reconciliation, and we are committed to amplifying Indigenous voices and sharing their stories.
THE CAPILANO COURIER is an autonomous, democratically-run student newspaper that encourages literary and visual submissions. However, all submissions undergo editing for brevity, taste, and legality. We are committed to not publishing material that the collective deems as promoting sexism, racism, or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Courier publishing society.
Additionally, we prioritize a human-centered approach to content creation and do not support the use of AI in our editorial processes. We believe in the value of human perspectives and storytelling in our publication.
you alive?