Capilano Courier | Vol. 49.5, Issue 19.

14 ARTS & CULTURE – The lasting allure of vinyl records, despite our digital obsession

8 SPORTS – Meet four pillars of the Capilano Blues 2016-17 women’s volleyball team

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE 19 APRIL 3 – 9, 2017

SER VIC E BE F OR E SE L F 12

CONTENTS

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Cover Art

News

Campus Life

Special Feature

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Arts & Culture

Opinions

Humour

Columns

THE STAFF

COLUMNISTS

SYD DANGER

FROM CUSTOMER TO COMEDIAN

Andy Rice

CAPUMA MAKES ITS MARK IN NEW ORLEANS

404 ERROR: LGBTQ+ CONTENT DENIED

THERAPY DOGS

THE FOUR TYPES OF APRIL FOOLS PRANKSTERS

Carlo Javier MANAGING EDITOR

carlo.capcourier@gmail.com

Marissa Del Mistro Your favourite voice of reason is back, and this time, she’ll be a voice for the people and organizations making Vancouver the best Vancouver it can be. Titled “Reign Vancouver,” this column strives to inspire and challenge the meaning of happiness, community and inclusiveness with each individual interview.

Gabriel Scorgie FEATURES EDITOR

specialfeatures.capcourier@gmail.com

ART

Pamella Pinard ART

ART

NEWS EDITOR

opinions.capcourier@gmail.com

Juliana Vieira

Annie Chang

news@capilanocourier.com

OPINIONS EDITOR

Syd Danger COVER ART

Kevin Kapenda

Jessica Lio

REIGN VANCOUVER: NO CREEP ZONE

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

editor@capilanocourier.com

THE PROBLEM OF PLAGIARISM IN UNIVERSITY

Ashley Bulthuis Aidan Mouellic Communications student Aidan Mouellic has been writing for student publications ever since he began his collegiate life. In this column, he’ll be exploring ways to defeat the self-deprecating habits that we develop amidst the stressful environment of university. He’s like the human version of a Run the Jewels album, minus the bravado.

ART

Paul Yates PHOTOS

Rachel D'sa WORDS

Andrew Yang WORDS

Justin Scott

Connor Svensrud

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

WORDS

arts.capcourier@gmail.com Max Ley

Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

campuslife.capcourier@gmail.com Cristian Fowlie ART DIRECTOR & LAYOUT DESIGNER

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 19

artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com

More wine! One of last year’s most popular columns is back to expand your wine pairing horizons. As always, Max Ley will be keeping his choices to a student-friendly budget, making the pairings ideal for your pre- and post-exam drinking sessions.

Bonus: this year, Max will also be touching on the world of beer and cocktail pairings.

Helen Aikenhead WORDS

Noah Penner MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

multimedia.capcourier@gmail.com Andrew Yang

Therese Guieb COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER

community.capcourier@gmail.com POSITION AVAILABLE! BUSINESS ADVISOR

Recent Capilano graduate Andrew Yang is now starting his adventure outside of the school boundaries. His column is sprinkled with pieces of wisdom accumulated through his unique work experiences with occasionally ludicrous events and human interactions. A boring yet practical advice for finding jobs: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

business.capcourier@gmail.com Brandon Kostinuk WEB COORDINATOR

web.capcourier@gmail.com

THE CAPILANO COURIER is an autonomous, democratically-run student newspaper. Literary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste and legality. The Capilano Courier will not publish material deemed by the collective to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Courier Publishing Society.

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EDITOR'S DESK

JUST FOR THE RECORD… Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF This musical product was created before the iPod was even a glimmer in Steve Jobs’ eye. It was meant to be enjoyed (both sonically and aesthetically) as a physical product – preferably on a belt-driven turntable and a clunky set of Pioneer speakers. Sure, you can stream the very same songs and the very same album online, but you’re doing both the music and yourself a major disservice if you don’t at least try to track down the original LP to experience it the way it was first intended.

How else are you going to feel what it’s like to get up from your chair to flip Side A over to Side B, or hear all of those charming snaps, crackles and pops that gurgle soothingly throughout? Trust me, having your roommate sit on your lap while eating a bowl of Rice Krispies cereal doesn’t quite offer the same effect.

Let’s not forget there’s a nostalgia component to this argument as well. I know those records must have meant something to my parents when they first purchased them back in the 70s and 80s, just as they hold sentimental value to me today.

(You can learn a lot about the people who raised you simply by descending into the basement of your family home and picking through a record pile as if you’ve just found the musical equivalent of Drumheller!)

Each one is like a little snapshot in time, and I’m sure my parents can recall where they were and what they were doing in life when they first unwrapped them.

Let’s face it, your kids and my kids simply aren’t going to be doing that with our Spotify playlists. So, it begs the question: if we have nothing physical to remember our music by, how will our music be remembered? Does our cultural scrapbook exist solely in our Internet search history?

(Good Lord, I hope not…)

Our grandparents’ scrapbooks were drawers full of handwritten letters. Our parents’ scrapbooks were their record collections. Ours are probably going to end up being tattoos, Facebook walls and Pinterest boards. That’s pop culture, for you!

To be honest, I’m cool with it, as long as we don’t forget that record-keeping (of any kind) is important. And maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t be putting all of our faith in the world’s ever-changing assortment of technology to do it for us.

THE VOICEBOX with Carlo Javier

How can I contribute to the Courier?

Where have you been all year?

What do I need to do to be featured on your Humans of Capilano series?

If you’ve really been paying attention, you should’ve figured out the pattern by now What do I need to do to have Cristian Fowlie draw a portrait of me?

THE CAPILANO COURIER

You need to have at least 300 connections on LinkedIn and his email address.

Hi! We’re an ecstatic young indie pop band looking to get our album cover done, wondering if Cristian Fowlie is down – we’ll pay him in fame and royalties!

Let’s hear the album first, I’m Mr. Fowlie’s agent and we only work with the highest of qualities.

The Voicebox is back! If you have any questions, concerns or any other bitchin’ to do, text it over to our boy Carlo at 778-865-2649. “Please text me,” he says. “No one else does.”

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When I moved to Vancouver almost 10 years ago, I didn’t go to HomeSense or Ikea and buy one of those large, oversized paintings of the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum. I brought a crate of old records and a bag of binder clips and hung those all over my walls. (I dare you to try that with an mp3!)

How many things have we tried to shrink and digitize over the years but somehow failed to render completely obsolete? Books and newspapers are another great example. No matter how many battery hours and authenticallysounding page flips can be programmed into our iPhones and Kindles, we still keep going back to the real thing.

I feel the exact same way about LPs. Sure, you might be able to store your favourite albums conveniently in the cloud now, but you won’t be hanging them on anything – and you certainly won’t be getting a fancy fold-out poster or any longform liner notes, either.

Think of your favourite song at this very moment. Can you name all the backing musicians who play on it? Do you know who wrote it? How about the person who designed the cover?

If this were the 70s you would still have all of this information at your fingertips – but in 2017, a time when Google has pretty much been elevated to demigod status, not even the almighty search engine can save you.

These are the little details that have gone by the wayside as things have shifted toward a trend of mp3s and streaming sites. (I’m glossing over CDs on purpose here, because they’re basically just a smaller, more high-tech version of the LP – more specifically, one that still allows you to hold something in your hands.)

Nowadays, tracks and albums have been reduced to just a single file folder, no more visually appealing than the assignment you might have saved onto your desktop this morning. The days of 12-by-12 album covers being something we can all unwrap and enjoy are largely over – unless you’re willing to pay top dollar for the new Bruno Mars record at Urban Outfitters. (You aren’t, are you?)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a regular stick in the mud about musical evolution by any stretch of the imagination. I have a monthly Apple Music membership, I use Spotify and I've long since abandoned my obsession high-fidelity audio files, but I am a firm believer in consuming things as authentically as possible. For example, the new Thundercat album was recorded last year and mixed for likely nothing more than a pair of iPhone earbuds. That’s fine – I’m happy to enjoy it that way.

However, the Eagles’ Hotel California was recorded in 1976 for a 12-inch vinyl release, and even if I do keep a digital copy close by for driving, jogging and all-around computing with the relevant technology of our day, I am still blown away by the original LP that hangs on my wall and occasionally spins under the needle of my record player.

NEWS

ANDREA EBY WINS FACULTY ADVISOR OF THE YEAR AWARD Business instructor who led Case Competition team to final round acknowledged for her passion and enthusiasm Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

When the Capilano University Marketing Association (CAPUMA) students returned from New Orleans with a second place finish in the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) Case Competition, they weren’t the only prizewinners. Their instructor and mentor, Andrea Eby, was named Faculty Advisor of the Year, an award for outstanding commitment to student teams.

Eby described the honour as overwhelming.

She later learned that CAPUMA President Mark McDonald had written a letter to the AMA nominating her for the prestigious award. “The first time I opened it, I read it two times right away,” she remarked. “It’s such an honour to have students take the time to write this and [know that they] feel this way about me. This is what makes my work very worthwhile.”

McDonald admitted that Eby was the team’s first choice. “It was a no-brainer.

Andrea is constantly going above and beyond for her students,” he said. “She’s been so helpful as CAPUMA’s faculty advisor, giving us feedback on our plans and reports, suggesting association initiatives, sitting in on meetings and responding to any questions we have at [a] minute’s notice.”

As President of the CAPUMA, a collegiate chapter of the AMA, McDonald keeps himself informed of events and when he saw the open nominations for the Hugh G. Wales Faculty Advisor of the Year Award, the Case Competition team

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NORTH SHORE MLA CANDIDATES TO VISIT CAPILANO UNIVERSITY AHEAD OF PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS The CSU is hosting three separate forums to help increase student voter turn out and connect students with different parties Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

To encourage voting among students ahead of the upcoming provincial elections, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) is inviting each of BC’s three main parties to take over the Library Members’ Centre for a set of 90-minute forums.

On Thursday Mar. 30, candidates

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believed Eby would make an excellent candidate. Kelsey Singer, Ileana O’Keefe, Chris Critchley, Sara Dal-Santos, Ludwig Coleman and Cheyenne Kuckein all contributed towards the nomination.

Eby worked with the Case Competition team from the get-go. The Case Competition, she said, is like brand management boot camp. Applications are already open for 2018. Reports, which take an entire summer to complete, must be submitted in December and are then reviewed by Eby, who selects the team. “It’s the equivalent of about two to four courses worth of work, so it’s a lot of work, and it’s very practical so lots of stuff that you do in industry you do with the case,” she said.

Between regular meetings with the team and one-on-one consultations and coaching hours, she estimated that she gave the team approximately 15 hours of undivided attention each week as they were gearing

up for the final round.

Aside from her work with CapU’s Case Competition team, Eby sits on the board of the BC chapter of the AMA and has judged Marketer of the Year since 2015. As the only faculty member on the panel of judges, she enjoys working with other industry leaders. Prior to teaching at CapU, Eby was a brand manager for Dr. Scholl’s, Black Diamond Cheese and Cadbury, and had what she described as blend of experience in sport and consumer packaged goods. As an instructor, she relies on her previous industry experience to coach students. “You don’t leave one and go to the other; I think to do the job well in business you need to stay in touch with industry,” she said.

“Nominating her for this award was the least I could have done,” said McDonald. In his letter of recommendation to the AMA, he mentioned that one semester, Eby helped

a student win $12,000 in scholarship by encouraging her to apply, as she does with all of her students, and writing a moving letter of reference. Later, she helped that same student to get a job with Marathon Marketing Services. Case Competition team lead Pauntehah Poursaba also received an CapU bursary just before the final round in New Orleans the week of March 15 to 19. “I give her a little bit and she’s just jumped on it and I think that is the beauty of Cap; you have the ability to take advantage of opportunities here,” Eby recalled. A former student followed in Eby’s footsteps and went on to become a brand manager after graduating.

As a recipient of the Faculty Advisor of the Year award, Eby will speak at the conference next year about her role as a mentor and instructor to 1,500 people. “So between now and then I need to go dress shopping,” she added.

and representatives from the BC Greens came to CapU, followed by the BC NDP on Tuesday Apr. 4 and the BC Liberals on Tuesday Apr. 6. The three forums will take place between 11:30 and 1:00 p.m. The following week, the CSU will throw its last election-related event in the form of an all candidates debate for the North VancouverLonsdale and North Vancouver-Seymour.

BC Green hopefuls who attended their forum on Mar. 30 included North Vancouver-Lonsdale’s Richard Warrington, North Vancouver-Seymour’s Joshua Johnson and West Vancouver-Capilano’s Dr. Michael Markwick, a faculty member of CapU’s School of Communication.

Surrey-Guilford candidate, Jodi Murphy, and Burnaby-Deer Lake hopeful Rick McGowan were also present.

BC NDP candidates who may be present at their tabling on Apr. 4 include North Vancouver-Lonsdale’s Bowinn Ma, North Vancouver-Seymour’s Michael Charrois, and West Vancouver-Capilano’s Mehdi Russel. There is a strong possibility NDP candidates running in Burnaby and Vancouver may also attend.

BC Liberal contenders who could visit CapU on Apr. 6 include North Vancouver-

Lonsdale’s Naomi Yamamoto, North Vancouver-Seymour’s Jane Thornthwaite, and West Vancouver-Capilano’s Ralph Sultan. All are incumbents vying for reelection. According to CSU Organizer Patrick Meehan, BC Liberal candidates from Vancouver could possibly attend as well.

The CSU chose to host these forums so that they could connect students with the different parties in a way that wasn’t viewed as partisan, or favouring one contender. “I think the first is that it’s important to bring candidates out to meet students as an engagement tool. We’re facilitating engagement in politics for our members, without being partisan,” said outgoing CSU President Sacha Fabry.

Of course, since the forums are partisan, both local candidates and staffers from each of the three parties are likely be on hand. On Apr. 10, CSUsponsored campaign proceedings will wind down with an all-candidates forum between individuals running in North Vancouver Lonsdale and Seymour. The all candidates forum will not be restricted to candidates from the three major parties.

These voter awareness events tie into

the CSU’s “Count on Our Vote” campaign, which is providing students with resources to register to vote, and asking that they commit voting in the interest of their future. “Count on Our Vote” is an Alliance of BC Students (ABCS) initiative being carried out by its five student society members, who represent over 60,000 students.

“The hope is that by getting as many students to commit to voting, the ABCS’s lobbying efforts will carry more weight in a similar way that labour unions, industry groups and professional organizations with large memberships do,” said Fabry.

“The second is that the CSU has a role in helping our students vote, because we advocate for a host of things like housing and public transportation. The more students vote, the more all parties will listen to our asks. Politics is transactional by nature; governing parties make decisions in part on where votes are, and if students aren’t voting, students won’t be paid attention to.”

For more information on the party forums and the all-candidates meeting for both North Vancouver ridings, refer to the calendar section of Csu.bc.ca.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

WHAT’S NEW WITH THE CSU? Plans drafted to fill vacated VPUR role and take on CUBES as a club Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

On Friday, Mar. 24, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) held a Board meeting in which they reviewed the results of the referendum held between Mar. 21 and 23, among other business. All of the CSU's questions were approved by students during the three-day voting period. These questions included typing all CSU fees to CPI (Consumer Price Index), increasing the Student Union Building Levy, and the creation of three new fees for clubs and events, recreation and intramurals, and external advocacy. Following a discussion

CAPILANO MARKETING STUDENTS MAKE NAME FOR THEMSELVES IN NEW ORLEANS Capilano University Marketing Association takes silver at prestigious US competition Rachel D’Sa CONTRIBUTOR

of the results, the board drafted plans to fill the role of VP University Relations and Services, vacated by Jullian Kolstee last month.

Women Students Liaison Emily Solomon presented planning tools for a self-defence workshop and a Sexual Violence and Misconduct (SVM) Information Works, which were both approved by the board.

Solomon stated that the self-defence workshop would include two separate sessions, one during a half block and another in the universal lunch hour.

Accessibility Justice Coordinator Alysa Huppler-Poliak brought it to the board’s attention that there was enough money left in the budget to fund the workshop, so it would not be necessary to charge students a $5 attendance fee.

Solomon explained that the fee was an accountability measure as there are limited spots, although she later moved to remove the $5 admission fee and replace it with an RSVP list. The SVM Information Works is a follow-up to the

/CAPILANOCOURIER

SVM Policy Consultation held at Capilano University on Feb. 9, which will centre on feedback received from students during the consultation. Stacey Forrester, who facilitated the Feb. 9 discussion, will also host the Information Works.

Senate Representative Michelle Gervais also announced that Monday through Thursday, the CSU would be launching Count Our Vote, where students would be encouraged to pledge to vote in the BC provincial election on May 9. VP Student Life Beatriz Miralles reminded everyone that De-Stress Week would be Mar. 27 to 30, including an art corner, yoga, massages and puppy therapy, as well as a screening of the film That’s Just Crazy Talk in the Nat and Flora Bosa Theatre on Wednesday, Mar. 29.

In other business, the board discussed filling Kolstee’s vacated role as the VP University Relations, despite the fact that the position will no longer exist next year. The position will be replaced

with the VP Academic and the VP Finance and Services, which have been filled by Andrew Willis and Perry Safari respectively. The current term still has two months remaining. The board voted to allow internal nominations for a period of 10 business days and to appoint a new VP University Relations and Services at their next board meeting on Apr. 7 and provide the appointed VP University Relations and Services anti-opression training within a one-month period.

Finally, Business and Professional Studies Faculty Representative Marissa LeSire announced that the CSU is in the process of taking the Capilano University Business Enterprise of Students (CUBES) on as a club due to cuts to their funding.

President and VP External Sacha Fabry proposed forming a negotiating committee including members of both the CSU and CUBES. An email was later to be sent out to members of both organizations inviting them to submit nominations that the CSU executives would consider.

lectures done at bigger universities.”

McDonald believes the best part of the competition is how it allows a diverse group of marketing undergraduate students to connect with peers from all over North America and beyond, in a fun and insightful way.

“Through the American Marketing Association (AMA), CAPUMA has been able to foster relationships with other university marketing associations such as BCIT, along with fostering relationships with businesses interested in hiring marketing students postgraduation. Overall, we enjoy the opportunity to meet like-minded students and industry professionals,” said McDonald.

Case captain, Poursaba notes that going to into a large competition was very intimidating, especially since it involved going up against schools all across North America with renowned business programs, and tens of thousands of students. The case itself was centred on the US market, giving the team a disadvantage right off the bat.

As most students know, group projects come with their fair share of challenges. While he relished competing in the final round, Poursaba concedes it was a challenge scheduling time for group meetings with the seven students, who are also part-time workers.

“Missing some members, myself, Adam and Tom ended up staying at school for 24 hours straight working until 15 minutes before the case was due. At about 6 am we realized we were a page over and had to take out paragraphs, any unnecessary information,” said Poursaba.

With that said, Poursaba believes the team gave it their all and runnersup is a finish they are proud of. “Suffice it to say, we really pushed ourselves to the limit and put everything we had into the paper. No matter what obstacles popped up in our way, we kept going and never gave up.” said Poursaba. “Overall, we could not be more proud to have represented our school and showed what Capilano students and faculty are really made of. Also, placing second doesn't hurt either.”

THE CAPILANO COURIER

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 19

From Mar. 15 to 19, the Capilano University Marketing Association (CAPUMA) competed at the American Marketing Association's 39th International Collegiate Conference, placing second out of approximately 150 other universities and colleges present at the event.

Their remarkable run at the competition, held in New Orleans, LA, began in Sep. 2016, when a call to business students to enter was made.

After a selective process, assessing individual “problem solving” submissions and presentation skills, seven case members, Pauntehah Poursaba, Tom Kramer, Phoebe Chung, Vermie Pacson, Chris Critchley, Adam Wong, and Robert Dromey, were named to the case team to represent CAPUMA at the competition.

The case team was led by captain Pauntehah Poursaba and presented to executives from eBay. CAPUMA President, Mark McDonald, credits this win as a testament to the strength of the business faculty, the BBA program, and its marketing stream.

“CapU's business school has gained significant traction in the past few years, and case competitions such as these are great examples of the strength of our program,” he said. “CapU’s business and marketing instructors do a great job of using real-life scenarios to apply textbook knowledge, as opposed to large room

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CAMPUS LIFE

WHO YOU

Oksana Soychuke on balancing schoolwork & lifeguarding – COLE BAYFORD

UPCOMING EVENT Rock The Boat III: All aboard!

Andrew Yang CONTRIBUTOR

On Apr. 8, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) is hosting the biggest party of the year, a nautical adventure aboard the Queen of Diamonds yacht launching at 7:30 pm from the Plaza of Nations. The popularity of Rock the Boat for two years prior warranted transforming the year-end yacht party into an annual occasion, and CSU Vice President of Student Life Beatriz Miralles claimed this year is going to be different from the previous two events in a hyped fashion.

“Rock the Boat has always been successful since who doesn't want to party on a boat?” she said. In response to the higher demands from the student body, Miralles

LIGHT CONVERSATION AT THE TEAHOUSE Languages Department hosts series of informal learning sessions Christine Beyleveldt

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 19

CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

Capilano University offers a plethora of services for students learning English as a second language, but for native English speakers, it can be hard to practice a foreign language enough to maintain it.

This spring, the Languages Department will be hosting informal workshops outside of class time – available for students, faculty and staff with a rousing curiosity about the four foreign languages taught at CapU. Languages instructor Tong Chow explained that the idea to invite more people to learn about the Languages Department came from the French teachers. Originally, it was planned that a French Soiree would be hosted one evening, but they concluded that an informal event held during the universal lunch hour would draw more students. “We used to have a Languages Department gathering for all languages, that was a couple of years ago, but we found that this time it works better if it’s dedicated to that one language so students can focus,” she said.

Thus far, the Languages Department has hosted a French Café, Hispanic Cafeteria and a Japanese Kissa.

On Wednesday, Apr. 5, Chow will facilitate a Chinese Chágua˘n at 11:45 am in room 117 of the Arbutus building.

Chágua˘n is the name of a play published by Chinese novelist Lao She in 1957 and its also the Mandarin word for teahouse, which is the environment Chow wishes to model.

She explained that as an instructor, she wants to stand back and let students practice speaking the language and explore the stations without her interference. For that reason, she and her language lab associate, Joan Li,

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Connor Svensrud

also noted that the party will have not one, but three party buses to shuttle students to the afterparty at Celebrities Nightclub, which she managed to secure at the reduced cost of just $1,700.

“It is hard to make an event after exams since people travel, but before exams it’s a busy time for everyone, myself included. We try our best to cater to the majority of the student body and look out [for] their best interests,” she said. “The improvements include making the experience unique each year and to make sure students get their money’s worth.” This year, the Student Life committee has organized for professional DJs Julez, McBeathers and Giuliano Rascan to perform on board, and Miralles added that improvements have been made to the menu.

Passage, an on-board Seafarer’s Dinner, which includes a variety of pastas and salads, and a drink ticket for the afterparty at Celebrities, will be included. As of Mar. 31, tickets are officially sold out.

will be serving tea throughout the session.

Unlike a language lab, an additional hour to class instruction where students practice their speaking skills, students with little or no experience can practice the basics with more experienced students. “I think a multi-level language learning or teaching [session], especially if it’s student-centred, will work,” she said.

Although speakers will all have varying levels of skill and confidence in their abilities, Chow stressed that having a relaxing atmosphere where students can try to make their first pronunciations at the encouragement of their peers – rather than an instructor who is wellversed – or practice speaking to one another, is a better foundation to begin building a new vocabulary.

“Many people think that Chinese is a very challenging language to say the least,” she said. “We want to expose people to the language and get them to overcome that fear of learning.” It’s the Chinese characters that scare beginners, but the grammar is simpler than that of any Romance language according to Chow. Writing words out in the English alphabet and saying them out loud is actually quite simple.

“There’s also diversity in the Chinese ethnic culture, mainly between Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong or local overseas Chinese. We have a very strong, vibrant Chinese community or communities in North America,” she said, adding that knowing a language like Mandarin is especially useful in a city like Vancouver, where it’s an impressive addition to any resume, and in some cases even necessary.

She also wants to provide students with the opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture, and will provide fortune cookies and dumplings, recipes, and have a calligraphy station set up where students can try their hands at the brush strokes.

Chow has taught at CapU for 20 years and facilitates four Chinese courses at the 100 and 200 level. The Languages Department hopes to host more informal language cafes in the future. Chow, who is also the co-coordinator of the department, plans to raise the topic at their next meeting on Apr. 6. Until then, the Chágua˘n is open to all students and faculty interested in learning about the Chinese culture and language.

CONTRIBUTOR

An old adage goes that the trick of being a student is balancing courses with extracurricular work. Oksana Soychuke is currently in her second year of General Arts and Sciences at Capilano University with a focus on psychology, and is one such student who has dared to find the answer to it. She works hard to find that perfect balance between schoolwork, a personal life, hiking with her rescue dog Luna and a job that has been seven years in the making.

Aged 20, Soychuke has spent the last three years working as a lifeguard and swim instructor at Ron Andrews Community Centre, and is now up for a new position as a supervising lifeguard. Her love of the water, she explained, bloomed from many happy hours spent splashing around in the pool as a child. “I loved the pool as a kid,” said Soychuke. “My mom took me a lot to public swim and swimming lessons, and I really enjoyed that.”

While she was taking her training courses, which she began at the age of 14 and completed at age 17, she also swam competitively for the Chena Swim Club. Much of that time spent in the water helped her find her calling teaching kids the invaluable life skill of swimming, and has given her the skills of a natural role model.

“My favourite part is definitely instructing,” she said.

“I love being with kids, I love hanging out with them.

It’s always great to see improvement and to make kids and parents happy.” Soychuke explained that her mom and her uncle were also lifeguards, and that encouraged her to look to the pool to find work. Although she has admitted she’s had to contend with a few poolside emergencies, as any lifeguard would expect. The first time she felt that she was more than a lifeguard and truly a lifesaver was while she was volunteering for an aquatics program with the Special Olympics, and had to carry a large male athlete to safety after nearly drowning.

On dry land, Soychuke shows another kind of initiative to overcome obstacles in her path, both timewise as well as emotionally. “Classes, school, all of that comes first,” she said. “It always has to be the priority…

Unfortunately, motivation and procrastination are a big problem for me,” she admitted. As a psychology student and someone who has faced her own personal challenges with it, Soychuke highlights the importance of addressing mental health and wellness, especially at an early age.

“I suffer from depression and anxiety, and it impacts my focus and motivation, but I manage to push through it all,” she said. Soychuke advocates for raising awareness about mental health and illness, dedicating her time to classes such as Abnormal Psychology where she studies the effects of all mental illnesses and disorders. She believes there is a stigma surrounding mental health, and that an early education can play a significant role in breaking down those barriers. “Starting the education of mental disorders in a healthy, positive light starting at the elementary school age, raising individuals to be open about their emotions and symptoms, and increased promotion for access to help is crucial for decreasing stigma,” she said. When hard pressed to juggle numerous responsibilities, including poolside supervision and rescue, it’s important to remember to take care of oneself first and foremost.

CAMPUS LIFE

THERAPY DOGS

With exams just around the corner and many students scrambling to finish end-of-term assignments, stress levels are high. On Tuesday, March 28 St. John’s Ambulance showed up at CapU with therapy dogs for students to snuggle. Here’s a little puppy love to see you through to the end of the term.

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SPORTS

RETURNING THE FAVOUR With one year of eligibility left, Kelsi Boroevich decided to come back home Carlo Javier MANAGING EDITOR

Kelsi Boroevich had all the right reasons to leave Capilano University and the Blues women’s volleyball team. She was studying psychology, and there were no bachelor’s degrees in psychology waiting for her at CapU. She had made significant progress in her game since the moment she donned the Blues jersey, and the logical step for her was try out for a bigger league.

So Boroevich packed her bags and enrolled in Brock University in Ontario.

You couldn’t blame her for leaving. “I wanted to transfer and play on a higher level and get my degree,” she said.

At Brock, the former Blue was not only able to pursue her education to its fullest, she also played for the Badgers, their varsity volleyball team playing in USports – then known as the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS). “I really enjoyed it, it was a faster pace; everything’s a lot harder, everything’s a lot faster,” said Boroevich.

Then, with just one year left of eligibility, Boroevich came back. She had decided to further expand her education

– PAUL YATES

and pursue human kinetics, and admitted that she didn’t fit with the Brock Badgers as well as she did with the Blues.

“That was pretty awesome,” said Blues head coach Cal Wohlford. “Having a player that left and came back because she wanted to finish her last year with those girls and with our program, we’re pretty proud about that.”

Boroevich’s return to the Blues completed the team’s unprecedented number of fifth-year players, a rare distinction in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST). With Sarah Hughes at the setter position, Kira Sutcliffe playing right side and Kolby Richter in the middle, the Blues were already well-

equipped with veteran leadership and experience heading into the 2016-2017 season. Boroevich’s return to left side was a pleasant surprise that further augmented the Blues’ attack.

“Playing CIS and just having a little bit more pressure on her for performance at Brock and bringing those skills back her has helped quite a bit,” said assistant coach Lauren Stockstad. “She’s a completely different player now than she was two years ago.”

Boroevich’s impact on the court was immediate. “Over the year at Brock, she got stronger, came back as a bigger, heavier hitter and definitely a really good server,” said Wohlford. Her excellence on

FROM WALK-ON TO BLUES VOLLEYBALL STANDOUT Kira Sutcliffe sets sights on pro clubs after spectacular Blues career Kevin Kapenda

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NEWS EDITOR

It’s hard to imagine a three-time First Team All-Star and conference Player of the Year giving up on their sport, but after a difficult start to her career at Thompson Rivers University four years ago, Kira Sutcliffe did just that. “I was stuck there with a new coach and signed for two years. I had one of the worst experiences of my life, with the first year especially bad,” said Sutcliffe. “The coach at the time, who is no longer there, made the two years I played for him really bad.

Being 17 and not knowing how collegiate volleyball worked, he was a huge bully.”

Sutcliffe initially landed at TRU after being recruited by a familiar face, then interim head coach Cal Wohlford. “I was actually recruited there by the current head coach at Capilano, Cal Wohlford.

He recruited me there right out of my U-17 year of Team BC,” said Sutcliffe.

“I started volleyball in grade 11. I was a super late bloomer. He was the interim coach there and at the end of the year, somebody else got the job.”

Injured and unhappy with her time at TRU, Sutcliffe returned to her hometown of Osoyoos, BC to take time away from

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the sport. Wanting to return to school and volleyball a year later, Sutcliffe reached out to Wohlford, now head coach with the Blues, and got the answer she wanted. I spent the whole year at home, and then I approached Cal saying that I wanted to get back into a volleyball and he told me he had a spot open. So, then I came here and played four years.”

Since arriving at CapU in 2013, Sutcliffe’s time with the Blues has been nothing short of spectacular. Recognized three times as First Team All-Star in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) conference, and once as its absolute best, Sutcliffe insists none of these accomplishments would have been possible without her coaches and teammates. “Getting player of the year,

my first full year playing here, was a complete shock. I was not expecting it at all,” said Sutcliffe. “I can't take all the credit. I've had wonderful teammates and coaches who have pushed me to get there.

Me receiving the award is awesome, but it's them, too.”

In terms of the mark she’s made on the PACWEST and the Blues program, Sutcliffe is happy to have changed the way other teams view CapU with her big play ability. “A lot of the coaches from the league [were] stating why they voted for me, which was really cool. Many of them said I changed the way they see Capilano. Before, the offence was really spread out, but when I was brought into it, they knew that once I got the ball, I was going to get a kill. It was nice to hear

the serve quickly became a weapon for the Blues, and by the end of the season Boroevich finished at the top of the team with 31 aces, also ranking sixth in the entire PACWEST. “I think this year that was something I decided that I wanted to do,” she said about her serves. “In my earlier years, Cal [Wohlford] always told me that my job was to put my serve in, but this year, he wanted me to get points off it, so that was something I really worked on.”

For Wohlord, the intangibles in Boroevich’s game were also welcome additions to the Blues, “[Boroevich] had little bit more maturity and confidence in herself, which was good,” he said. “It was a pretty good added bonus for this year.”

With her collegiate playing days coming to an end, Boroevich is planning on diverting much of her attention and energy to completing her degree in human kinetics, although she fully expects volleyball to remain a big part of her life.

“I think I’ll definitely still play, because I have a lot of friends from Cap that have graduated and they still play, so I’ll have people that I can go to and play with, but it’s not as competitive,” she said.

As one of the four fifth-year veterans leaving the team, Boroevich knows that they’ll be leaving a hole in the Blues fabric, but she hopes that the next line of girls continue on the culture they’ve built over the past years. “Everyone says it goes so fast and it does. I really hope that they keep the team culture that we’ve built because everyone is so close and I really hope that they hold onto that.”

I can come back and make a big change in the league.”

Though the Blues have reached the semi-final stage in each of the last three provincial tournaments, the only thing Sutcliffe was not able to add to her long list of honours is a provincial gold. “It's hard because the last three years, we've had people saying ‘this is the year.’ Not going to lie, this year was the worst because we were up in that semi-final game and we were going up against Douglas [College] as the more mature, experienced team. It was their program's first time ever being in a semi-final at provincials, whereas it was our fourth, and my personal third,” said Sutcliffe. “There was definitely some nerves and hesitance. It was tough because there was four of us out there in our fifth year and it was tough because we don't have the whole 'maybe next year' thing. It was this year and that's all we had.”

As for the near future, Sutcliffe is aiming to play professionally in Northern Europe for at least a year. “Coach Cal thinks it's a really good option for me to take on next. It's nice to have his support.

One of my best friends is playing out in Norway right now and he used to play in the league for Camosun. Part of his contract is helping out with the women's team and since he knows their coach, he's trying to get me to go out there,” said Sutcliffe. “I had to make a highlight video and post it to YouTube, which I've done.

I'm basically just sending it to coaches now.”

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KOLBY RICHTER REFLECTS ON FIVE FRUITFUL YEARS OF COMPETITION Blues middle blocker on how volleyball has shaped her life Jessica Lio OPINIONS EDITOR

When Kolby Richter graduated from high school in Vernon, BC five year ago, she decided to leave her hometown. With her bags packed, she was ready to begin her journey at Capilano University in the Tourism Management program and join the Blues athletics family as middle blocker for the women’s volleyball team.

“It was the best thing I ever did for myself,” Richter said, looking back at her experience on the team. “Volleyball has shaped my life. Every place I’ve gone, every detail, was because of volleyball…

Some people might say it’s just a sport, but it’s taught me so much about handling situations and working with people.”

Now, as she nears the end of her time at CapU, Richter knows the journey didn’t come without its ups and downs, but she knows it was the right choice. Throughout her time as a Blue, Richter has played and competed among women from all over the world, getting to know people of all different backgrounds and personalities.

Reflecting on her early years on the team, the confident 22-year-old smiled at the thought of Blues head coach Cal Wohlford

– PAUL YATES

seeing potential in her, even when she first joined the team with little competition experience aside from playing on her high school team.

“Kolby always brings a little bit of the entertainment factor… She’s got a very genuine open heart. She brings a lot of positive energy and a lot of good, clean fun to the game,” said Wohlford, describing Richter as a passionate player who always celebrates others’ success on the court as much as her own. “I was really proud to see her go out playing with her best volleyball in the past five years.”

It was her passion and perseverance that got Richter through difficult times along the way, helping her build strong relationships with her teammates and giving back to the community through working with the Tourism and Outdoor

Recreation Student Association. Richter even had a hand in orchestrating the successful return of the Stuff the Bus fundraiser in November 2016, which was held in benefit of Vancouver’s Covenant House.

“It was the first really big event for our association and we got a lot of support from people on campus. It was kind of crazy. We put in a lot of work; we really wanted to make it something that could pass on to the next year,” Richter recalled.

As for the legacy Richter and her fellow senior players will leave behind with the Blues, Wohlford believes the traditions and values they instilled in the team will remain in the program in the coming years. “A little bit of them will always be there, even though they’re not going to be at the gym,” he said.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN Sarah Hughes may be graduating, but her time with the Blues won’t soon be forgotten Justin Scott ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

– PAUL YATES

for the year, so she sat on the bench and she kind of was with me,” said head coach Cal Wohlford. “She got a good feel and understanding of what I was coaching and what I felt like; she saw the things that I saw.”

The team’s captain was not only a leader on the court, she also set an academic precedent off the court. In 2016, Hughes was a Scholar Athlete Honourable Mention. She credited the lessons and values gained from volleyball as a part of her academic success.

“Pretty much everything in volleyball, especially at my position as a setter, is kind of everything that you do in business,”

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hitter in 2011, but after tearing her ACL in the October right before her second season and subsequently missing the entirety of that year’s campaign, she transitioned to the setter position – a move that allowed her to rediscover her passion for the game.

“It was physically hard and mentally hard,” she said. “I learned through that, that I am mentally tough, I can go through things like adversity and still succeed afterwards.

So, I think that's maybe where I got my confidence from.”

In addition to discovering a newfound confidence within herself, Hughes’ year off also allowed her the opportunity to see the game from a new angle. “She was out

she said. “I need to work with people; just like there's teamwork in volleyball, that's exactly what we do. I need to be a leader [on the court] and I do that in business, I need to do things that sometimes maybe I don't want to do but I'll do it anyways, so they're both kind of the same thing.”

Over the past five years, the Blues women’s volleyball program has been one of the best in the PACWEST. Unfortunately, one thing that has eluded the team is a championship. Hughes will leave Capilano with one silver medal and three bronzes, one of which was won this year. Looking back on the season, Hughes has mixed emotions. “It went well, very well, I guess; obviously not the result that we wanted, but I think there was lots of improvement, which was nice,” she said.

For Hughes, however, it’s not all about winning. She takes immense pride in the growth the program has seen during her time. Her memories and bonds shared with teammates are the most gratifying rewards of all. “Winning things, that's fun – I like to win, I like to be in the tournaments,” she said. “We went to nationals one year which was really great, but I think it's the people that you're spending it with, all the girls that I've had throughout my years have been so great and I've had so much fun.”

Graduating in June, Hughes now finds herself looking ahead. She focused her studies on the human resources side of business, but doesn’t see a future without volleyball in it – in terms of playing and coaching.

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When it comes to competitive sports, at any level, being named a First Team AllStar can be a career highlight – for Sarah Hughes, however, it’s just part of the job.

Over the past five years, the Capilano Blues women’s volleyball team captain and business student has taken home enough hardware to make the local Home Depot jealous, all while facilitating for her teammates and leading a successful Blues program.

Over her five-year tenure with the program, Hughes was named team MVP from 2015 to 2017, she took home one Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) Second Team All Star award in 2015 and secured PACWEST First Team All Star awards the two following years. If that weren’t enough, in 2017 Hughes was named an All-Canadian by the Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).

“My goal was to be a [PACWEST] FirstTeam All-Star, I never really thought of All-Canadian,” she said.

Hughes came to Capilano as a left-side

Before their last home game this season, Wolhford brought the fifth-year players aside and asked them to take a moment to recognize how they were feeling — he didn’t want them to let the moment pass them by.

“You never think about the last time you play in your home gym. It’s just another game,” Richter said, but even though she didn’t know how to feel in that moment, she knew her coach was right, because once the whistle blew, it would be volleyball time.

This year, the Blues finished their 2016-17 season with a bronze medal win at the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) Provincial Championships, and Richter could not be more honoured to have finished off her five years with her team. “Every single girl on that team, I would support them 5,000 per cent and I know they supported me. I can leave happy, knowing that I’ve played the best volleyball I’ve ever played and that I enjoyed my time, every minute of it.”

After graduation, Richter’s first goal is to travel and be immersed in different cultures all around the world, but looking back at the past five years, she knows what she’ll miss most is being able to compete. “The feeling I get while I’m playing volleyball, whether I’m having the best game of my life or the worst, there’s no way to counteract that. But in a bigger sense, I’m just going to miss being part of a team. No matter what, you always have someone to go to. The road trips, the constant dance parties in our locker room and the crazy things that just happen out of the blue. I’m going to miss the memories for sure.”

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Been Caught Cheating The problem of plagiarism in university

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Imagine you’re sitting in your basement after a long week at school, playing video games. This is your first chance to relax all week. Then your phone rings — it’s a call from a former co-worker who you haven’t spoken to in a while.

“Hey, I have a friend in a political science class who needs a paper,” she asks.

“Everyone at work knows you’re really informed… I was wondering if you have a paper he could submit?”

The question comes as a surprise to you, and you tell her no, knowing that what she’s asking is unethical.

“I know, but he doesn’t have any other options. He’s desperate,” she responds, not letting up. Then, like music to the university student’s ears, you heard the magic words: “We’ll pay you.”

Sam Camara* was a third year university student when he got this phone call and his coworker was offering him $100.

“At that time, I wasn’t working. I was in between jobs and I had bills to pay,” Camara recalled. “I said, ‘Okay, fine. I’ll sell the paper for $100.”

It’s been a year since the exchange, and Camara hasn’t talked with the buyer since.

“I didn’t do any following up simply because I didn’t want this weighing on my conscience. I’ve kind of forgotten about it.

I don’t really feel too bad about it either,” Camara admitted.

Camara’s situation is in no way unique.

A survey dating back to 1963 found that around 75 per cent of students admitted to cheating at least once throughout their post secondary education career, according to the Boston Globe. Similarly, 68 per cent of students who took part in a Rutgers University questionnaire also confessed to academic dishonesty. It’s clear this is nothing new in academia, but the Internet has made it exponentially easier for students to access.

For students sitting at the other side of the table who need an essay written or an assignment completed, websites like UnemployedProfessors.com are something of a godsend. The website allows students to post assignments and accept bids from “Unemployed Professors” who are willing to complete them for you. Whether it’s a research paper on Marshall McLuhan, post-Confederation history of Canada or Abstract Expressionism, you can rest assured that your assignment will be in good hands — for whatever price you choose. Students even get to ask for revisions if they aren’t happy with the

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BY JESSICA LIO I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y J U L I A N A V I E I R A initial final product.

CapU communications instructor Bill Van Luven has been teaching at the university for more than a decade, and he knows that plagiarism and cheating are some of the oldest tricks in the book.

In his current position as the professional and applied learning (PAL) convenor, he oversees a number of courses that are taken by students across many different programs — a situation that always has faculty concerned about plagiarism and cheating.

“It is a stressful situation… You want to save time, you want to get a high mark.

So, you know, you cut corners,” Van Luven said. “Often, these habits are usually not started in university. People have profited from this strategy in the past so they bring it with them.”

Most school administrations are aware that students may not always be intentionally trying to game the system.

International students, for instance, may find it challenging to avoid plagiarism if they have gone to school in countries where the academic conventions call for different standards and expectations. Many domestic students may also struggle with the concept of plagiarism if they haven’t been held accountable for properly citing research sources in the past. To mitigate this, CapU offers numerous chances for students to learn how to avoid plagiarism upon entering the university.

However, students who intentionally

“...the average GPA among cheating students was higher that that of noncheating students.” cheat without being caught know they can benefit from their actions. In New York City, Fordham University even found that on average, the average GPA among cheating students was higher that that of

non-cheating students.

To address this concern, the school offers professional development workshops in May, with plagiarism being one of the topics. Faculty are given strategies to dissuade students from cheating, identify when documentation of sources is authentic and shape assignments in such a way that it wouldn’t be worth it for students to cheat — a strategy that Van Luven refers to as making assignments “bomb proof.”

Instead of assigning standard essays on generic topics, instructors can embellish assignments or introduce procedures that encourage students to complete assignments honestly.

For instance, students may be asked to stand before the class and give a presentation on their research topic well in advance of an assignment’s due date.

This helps students crystallize their topic and think through any problems they may encounter before they get stuck on the assignment, while bringing down the chance of the final product being plagiarized.

It’s not about “wagging fingers” and telling students not to cheat, according to Van Luven, but rather trying to prevent students from falling into what he calls a “silly trap” — making a simple mistake and finding out that it has enormous ramifications later in their lives.

Van Luven remembers going to university in an era when academic freedom and expression were “sacred”; however, it was also an era in which the Internet was in its infancy. Traditionally, for many instructors, the “first line of defence” was asking students to cite their sources, but in this day and age, citations no longer do the trick.

“Now, of course, it’s so easy to cite anything. You may or may not have read anything and yet we have an expansive list of impressive looking citations. Unless you carefully follow the thread, it could be some of those citations are phoney,” Van Luven explained.

With assignments being submitted electronically and the ability to store documents in data banks, Van Luven knows how easy it is for sophisticated plagiarism-detection software to catch somebody, even years down the line after they have graduated and progressed in their careers.

“I would tell students to really think about it, because even long after, you want to get a good night’s sleep, with your credentials in tact… It’s probably not worth

it, because it all comes down like a house of cards. How do you go back and recover?”

The future of teaching will likely see a shift towards reflective learning, according to Van Luven. This style of assessment will ask students to reflect on their experience in the course and talk about

“Van Luven knows how easy it is for sophisticated plagiarismdetection software to catch somebody, even years down the line after they have graduated and progressed in their careers.” what they found most valuable in the course or how they think the material can be applied to their own future. This way, the focus shifts away from how students can cut corners to get a good mark, and towards how they can derive value from the assignments. Suddenly, it becomes all about their own personal growth and they are reminded of how the work will benefit them.

In the meantime, Van Luven hopes students will do some soul searching and ask themselves what they really want out of their education experience.

“If you’re stuck with an assignment and you’re tempted [to cheat], do something that almost nobody does… go talk to the instructor. If an assignment makes no sense to you or you don’t see the value in it, speak up.”

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TO FEEL NORMAL AGAIN On BC paramedics and the seemingly never-ending cycle of loss.

BY CARLO JAVIER ILLUSTRATIONS BY SYD DANGER

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ave howson will never forget his first day on the job.

He was already in the ambulance when dispatch phoned in. They were headed to a different location, but when a higher priority call comes, everything else gets diverted. He already had an idea of the severity of the accident before he even got out of the vehicle. A man on his motorcycle had just been hit by a car, and as the ambulance pulled in the by the scene, Howson could still see dust rising from the ground around the victim.

He was terrified. He did not expect his first day on the field to be of this magnitude and no amount of mental preparation could have prepared him for a brutal motorcycle accident.

Eight minutes is the standard scene time for paramedics when dealing with any sort of trauma. Time and speed are of utmost importance during the procedure, as oftentimes the victim needs an operating theatre more than they need first aid. The moment Howson’s feet touched the ground, he knew he had to quickly do a spinal packaging and check for any bleeding or breathing issues. If there was anything that he could stabilize within the scene time, he would have done that also.

He also knew just how bad the accident was. He had tried to cut off the victim’s motorcycling gear to expose the injuries, but the process was taking too long. “I could tell he was so pale,” Howson said.

The ambulance team managed to get out of the scene in just six minutes, but for Howson, those six minutes have lived with him forever.

The victim was in the emergency room for half an hour, and later died in the operating room from an aortic tear.

“That was nine years ago and I remember his face like it’s today.”

Howson never intended to become a paramedic. The 33-year-old has always been interested in ecology and conservation. He attended then-Capilano College from 2006 to 2008 under the General Science program, and transferred to the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) to pursue his degree in ecology. During his time at UBCO, Howson attained his paramedic license and started to work part-time for the British Columbia Ambulance Service.

Since 2009, Howson has been a parttime paramedic, and has acquired an irregular full-time position in the western section of the Lower Mainland this past month.

In terms of responsibilities, there are not many differences between a parttime and full-time paramedic. Parttimers often work in rural areas and small communities, whereas full-timers find themselves working in the bustling industrial cities in the Lower Mainland.

Howson usually shows up between 15 to 30 minutes before his shift. He puts his uniform on, does a safety check of his ambulance and medicine supplies, then signs in to a computer that tells dispatch his ambulance is staffed and ready to go.

On most days, the few minutes spent doing a pre-shift check up is the only time Howson spends in his station. “It depends on your station, but in a regular busy station, you’ll probably be in the station for a minute at the start of your shift and then they’ll send you out,” he said.

Each working day lasts for 12 busy hours and breaks are often nonexistent.

“Especially in an urban area, there is no downtime. The only downtime there is, is downtime you make for yourself, so, like, at the end of a call when I’m cleaning, that’s my downtime,” Howson explained.

Sometimes Howson and his colleagues make do by “stealing” time, like quickly grabbing a sandwich from a gas station’s convenience store while they fill up the ambulance. At worst, they can call and beg the dispatcher for a moment to grab some lunch. “[Dispatchers] are so busy, you’ll have a call when someone’s really sick and they’re waiting 20 minutes, half an hour, so like my sandwich seems really low priority to that person,” he said.

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eing a paramedic is not for the faint

The job not only features minimal downtime, but its also marred by a high-intensity, high-emotion and high-stakes environment. From Howson’s personal experience, full-time paramedics do not last very long. Although he could not confirm the numbers of attrition rate, from the people he knew and worked with and the rumours he has heard, full-time paramedics tend to burn out after a year or two.

“When you’re done a call, you have a new call, and you press clear; like, ‘I’m done, I can take a new call’. The second your finger hits that button, there’s another call,” he said. “People don’t last much more than a year or two… the people that do stick around, it takes a special personality.”

As abundant as dispatch calls are, some of them are not exactly worth the 9-1-1.

Two years ago, Howson received a dispatch call to attend to an emergency in Burnaby. When he arrived in the house, a lady had told him that she was not sure if she was bleeding or not. “She thought she’d cut herself but she wasn’t sure she’d cut herself,” he said. “When I got there, she had no mark, no blood, no anything at all.”

The calls get worse. Howson has seen of heart.

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9-1-1 calls for sore throats, paper cuts and even runny noses.

“Some guy called me one night because he ran out of cigarettes and he wanted Nicorette, or some type of gum,” he recalled.

However, for Howson, the number of strange and almost humorous calls he receives could never outweigh the stress that comes with the serious assignments that happen far too often. And although the paramedic job features no shortage of macabre scenes filled with blood and gore, the morbid environments they so often find themselves in are not even the hardest calls to take.

“It’s not necessarily the blood or gore; sometimes it’s the emotional context like child abuse, elder abuse, just people that are really lonely and isolated. That kind of thing can be really impactful as well,” he said. “Certainly, there’s no shortage of death – with the overdose epidemic, we’ve seen way more dying than we used to.”

CERTAINLY, THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF DEATH – T WITH THE OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC, WE’VE SEEN WAY MORE DYING THAN WE USED TO.

past january, Victoria-based paramedic Josh Henshaw received approval to start a petition with the aims of amending the Fire and Police Services Collective Bargaining Act. As it stands, BC’s provincial government does not designate paramedics as an “essential service” and exempts them from the collective bargaining act that include other types of first responders.

In 2009, BC paramedics organized a strike that was quickly halted after the provincial government temporarily granted them with essential service status. The events of 2009 also moved BC paramedics to the Facilities Bargaining Association, grouping them with other health-support staff in hospitals, such as lab technicians and clerks.

Essentially, what paramedics are looking for are equal bargaining rights as other first responders in the province.

“We as paramedics and our union, we can protest and we can say ‘this should be this way,’ but we don’t have any teeth,” said Howson. The paramedics have until Apr. 10 to garner signatures of at least 10 per cent of registered voters in every electoral district to incite a referendum or legislative action. If achieved, having the same collective bargaining rights will allow BC paramedics to bring in a third-party arbitrator like Vince Ready, who then can help mediate their calls for increased resources.

“There’s no guarantee,” said Howson.

“There’s going to be things that don’t go in the way of paramedics, there might be things that rule in the favour of the province as well, so, it’s not necessarily going to be all good for the paramedics, but at the end of the day its going to be more ambulances and more cost.”

For Howson, the ideal outcome is for the BC Ambulance Services to remain a public-payer, single ambulance service for the entire province, a route he deems as the cheapest option.

“We just need more resources, we need more ambulances,” he said. “It’s not about pay for me; I would’ve stopped doing this job a long time ago if it was about pay.”

On Mar. 8, 2017, BC Health Minister Terry Lake announced that the province will be spending $91.4 million over the next three years on improving the BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS). his

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are beat up. The lack of staff and ambulances directly contribute to late response arrivals and, for Howson, the shortcomings on resources creates a domino effect that ultimately hurts a paramedic’s psyche.

“We don’t have enough resources and that means you get compassion fatigue faster; it means you get burnout from death, dying, tragedy faster; it means you hurt your back more; it means people complain at you more because you’re arriving late all the time,” he said. “So, kind of feeling like your appreciation from the public is decreased. All those things work together to making you feel kind of beat up.”

Despite seemingly fighting a losing battle, there are little things that Howson and his peers can take solace in. “Seeing someone smile that hasn’t smiled in a month, because they haven’t seen anyone, haven’t talked to anyone,” he said. “It’s not a job where there’s a lot of pats on the back, a lot of high fives; there’s a lot of sadness and frustration. It’s the little things that make it worth it.”

With a high burnout rate, Howson aims to extend his paramedic career by pursuing more education, particularly regarding specialized care. Increasing one's education within the paramedic system is entirely self-funded, and Howson plans on getting involved with more critical and helicopter care procedures.

With a four-on-four-off work schedule that totals to up to 84 hours of work per week, one of the most invaluable parts of Howson’s life is sleep. He admits that the first day of his days off are almost always dedicated to sleeping, and at this time of the year, he tends to spend his free time fishing. “Something quiet, the exact opposite of racing through traffic,” he said.

“Just trying to feel normal again.”

After seeing a lifetime’s worth of gore, death and tragedy, normal could very well be the new extraordinary. aramedics

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

The amplified funding aims to increasing the BCEHS staff by adding 60 paramedics and 20 dispatch operators in the fold.

The funding will also look to add six new ambulances to the service.

Though the news is welcome change, Bronwyn Barter, president of the Ambulance Paramedics and Emergency Dispatchers of BC (APBC) CUPE Local 873, said in an official press release that BC paramedics are still in need of continued support from the provincial government, stating that the additional funding is “not enough for paramedics to properly service residents of British Columbia.” Barter singled out BC’s rampant opioid crisis as a major factor in the setbacks that paramedics have faced.

Last year alone, BC paramedics reported 19,275 overdose-related calls in the province, with a majority of it pertaining to Fentanyl. “Obviously, that’s created a further strain on the system,” said Cameron Eby, provincial executive of APBC. “Where that affects everybody else is that, even though you or somebody in your family may not be a Fentanyl user or a drug user, you may need an ambulance for a heart attack or a car accident but the resources are strained because we’re busy dealing with overdoses, so that’s how it affects everybody.”

On Mar. 28, the APBC also started a campaign to further raise awareness about the lack of resources that BC paramedics are dealing with. “We’ve launched a campaign around the province to highlight resource issues that exist in British Columbia,” said Eby. Currently, BC paramedics only have a 30 per cent success rate in hitting the national average response time of eight minutes and 59 seconds. “In rural and remote BC, it’s even worse than that,” Eby revealed. “It’s a campaign that’s focused to highlight that fact and illustrate that when paramedics are able to get to a scene quickly, they can save lives.”

ARTS & CULTURE

RETRO REVIVAL

time collectors argue that there is more to vinyl than meets the eye… or ears, in this instance.

For student record collector and musician, Alec Perkins, vinyl collection is attractive due to its physical beauty and historical value. “As a musician I find it interesting to trace the ‘musical lineage’ of

artists that I listen to. So owning something like an original David Bowie record that my parents bought in the 70s – it’s something more than just listening to the music. It’s like a time capsule,” said Perkins.

Like many consumers, business and building owner of Vancouver’s Zulu Records, Grant McDonagh, finds nostalgia in vinyl and has formed a connection with it, having records around all of his life. To McDonagh, vinyl is a realization of the artist’s vision, and that aspect, along with other subjectives, can be seen throughout generations.

“We get people of all age groups, anywhere from the teenager to 70-yearolds, buying vinyl; specifically, those looking to fill holes in their collection,” said McDonagh. He believes there are many reasons to collect, and that is why there is a massive age range in vinyl consumerism.

Though McDonagh finds satisfaction in the crackles and all the other quirky effects that come along with vinyl, he treasures the visual and experiential aspects. “The artwork is the part and parcel of it. A lot of the classic bands sort of thought of the one-side-two-side format. There's almost like a part one and part two, which I think artistically works quite well.”

For Capilano University professor and record enthusiast, Ted Hamilton, sound is everything, driving his passion towards the music form since his early childhood.

“As a kid I used to come home from grade one, throw on some random record that I pulled out of my dad's record collection, put the headphones on, crank up the volume and just tune out for an hour or something like that,” he said. “I think I just loved that feeling and I can never get it – like no matter how sophisticated people make their earphones these days, it just always

cuts off high-end and low-end and it's all just this kind of weird flat mid-range sound. So when I’m at home I chose vinyl even though it leaves me with reduced options, because it's the feeling I’m after that I can only get in that way.”

Collecting up to 2,000 records in collaboration with his brother, Hamilton began his collection due to convenience, but later out of habit. For most, vinyl produces not only music but also an immersive experience. Hamilton noted that although it’s easier to encounter various songs through listening to digital forms of music, there is a passive side to it that is less fulfilling and impactful than taking something out of a sleeve, flipping it around and throwing it on a platter. “You have to kind of make decisions when you listen to records in a way that – in a lot of times you abdicate the decision making process just by hitting shuffle,” said Hamilton.

With records making a comeback, Hamilton analyzed why this may be in a world seemingly moving forward with technology. “I think vinyl is becoming a thing again for the same reason why certain drugs have become popularized again, or why people seek out certain extreme experiences in life. It's because the more we live our lives on little screens, the more people want some kind of alternative to that. And the more that makes up everyday reality the more that it's almost like you turn back to this traditional, physical world as like a weird vacation from everyday life,” said Hamilton. “I think that something has happened today with vinyl that they are not technologically necessary anymore, but maybe we’re in this kind of weird golden-hour moment where there can be this renaissance of this vanishing cultural form, where it takes on this beauty of its latter days.”

were working on the team were from a lawyerly background,” she said. “So while they had the verb or the noun prompts for each card, they didn't really have a clear vision of how they wanted to bring it to life.” The only restrictions given to Petrovicz were that all the illustrations had to be from a first-person perspective.

Good Spirts, on the other hand, is a far more personal project for Petrovicz. The graphic novel, which is written by Joey Donaldson and illustrated by Petrovicz, tells the story of Prost, a fictional bartender who works at the Jade Mug Tavern.

Inspired by other graphic novels of the fantasy genre, Good Spirits may have all the classic fantasy elements, but according to Petrovicz, its story is very unique. “We both love fantasy, and drinking, and we wanted to kind of pick a different setting than your traditional fantasy story,” she said as she explained that the tale is actually based in the Jade Mug. “The story, without giving too much away, is kind of a metaphor for creativity.”

With Zombie Fight or Flight already in stores, Petrovicz is focused on finishing Good Spirits as she and Donaldson recently received some encouraging news.

“Good Spirits is going to be launched at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) in May,” Petrovicz said with excitement. “I wasn't expecting to be accepted into the show. It’s a pretty prestigious show for comic art.”

After debuting the work at TCAF on

May. 13 and 14, Donaldson and Petrovicz will be back in Vancouver for the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival (VCAF) on the 20th and 21st of the same month.

Petrovicz is also looking forward to a gallery show she will be a part of based out of Minnesota’s Grey Art Lab. “They're putting together a choose-your-ownadventure style gallery show,” she said.

“They're reaching out to 150 artists and we each will be creating either a creature or event or a treasure or a place or the story.” Petrovicz will be creating an event.

While her business is booming at the moment, Petrovicz can remember a time when she was not the thriving freelance artist she is today. Back in 2013, she was a member of CapU’s prestigious IDEA school of design – an experience she looks back on with mixed emotions. “On one hand, I was really excited about the program and being a part of it,” she said.

“I feel like I gained a lot from the time that I spent there.” However, Petrovicz also felt that much of the work she was doing in the program wasn’t as challenging as she had hoped it would be, and found herself under-motived.

No matter, she looks back on her time fondly, and to this day benefits from her time in the program. “I still have connections with many of the people that I met there, and I still get work through them, and have referred work to them.”

Once the craziness of Good Spirits dies down, Petrovicz is looking forward to working on some more personal work.

“I'm looking forward to some opportunities later in the summer when I'm done with Good Spirits,” she said. “Hopefully working on personal projects.” For now, though, Zombie Fight or Flight is available at select local retailers and Good Spirits will be available at VCAF in May.

Understanding the prominent return of vinyl records to the music scene Rachel D’Sa CONTRIBUTOR

– PAMELLA PINARD

While many swear that a vinyl record is as useful as a VHS, according a census put out by The Guardian, in 2016 vinyl consumption reached a 25-year high.

Though the analogue sound storage system has been carrying a bad rep recently, being connected to pretentious collectors after the ‘Urban Outfitters aesthetic,’ long-

RACHEL PETROVICZ IS IN GOOD SPIRITS The Capilano grad has had an exciting six months, with more to come in the next few Justin Scott

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 19

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Launching a successful Kickstarter campaign is both ambitious and challenging – launching two within the same month is damn near unheard of. For local artist and Capilano University alumna Rachel Petrovicz, however, it was how she closed out 2016. Petrovicz, who also goes by the name Tuna was part of two campaigns that launched in October of 2016, both of which reached their fundraising goal.

Zombie Fight or Flight is an exciting new take on how card games are played.

The game, which, as you may have guessed, is based on a zombie apocalypse and requires its players to come together to last a week, or seven whole turns. Created as a conflict resolution tool, Zombie Fight or Flight is meant to bolster teamwork skills and bring its players together.

While Petrovicz was not part of the game’s inception, she brought her talents to the game’s artwork, an undertaking she looks back on fondly. “All the people who

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@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

PROZZÄK IS BACK AND STRONGER THAN EVER

Although Dada said that his experience with situations where he’s been forced to talk to a crowd was helpful in quelling any nerves he might have had, his first night of stand-up comedy came with zero prepared material. “I know I’m funny, I know that, but how can I be funny on purpose on stage?” he recalled thinking to himself before taking the mic. “I kind of made a joke about possibly crashing and burning on the stage for the first time.”

Since that fateful night, Dada has been a frequent Saturday night performer at Goldie’s, and has also performed on Benny’s Bagels’ Thursday night stand-up and even at invite-based performances like a routine he did at local SFU show late in January.

He’s also started to build material, writing out ideas on a notes app on his phone. Much of Dada’s content is rooted in observational comedy, often crafting ideas and gaining inspiration when he’s out with friends. One of his bits that received a raucous reception during his SFU

performance was centred around Tinder, and another was about how his parents gave his sister and himself Nigerian names, but “gave up” and named his brother “Nathan.”

Dada admits that he’s been fortunate thus far to have received a warm reception for his routines, but he also admits that he’s had to work and cater his material towards a certain crowd.

His performance at SFU was a particular surprise for the young comic, noting a stark change in demographic that he hasn’t necessarily performed in front of at Goldie’s. “There was a lot more black people there first of all,” he said. “That was different because that was my first bigger African crowd, and telling my jokes I do have to cater it to a certain demographic because people won’t find the same kind of things funny.”

As of late, Dada has faced the challenges of scheduling. Having to opt out of some shows due to the increasing workload from school. A third-year business

administration student, Dada also works at a Kingsway branch of TD Bank, further restricting the time he can dedicate to his comedic craft.

Despite his recent scheduling troubles, humour is very much a language that Dada speaks well. He’s a life-long class clown, who, during a late-March show received an unforgettable compliment from a spectator.

“The biggest compliment I’ve got was, I performed right before the intermission and someone came up to me and thought I was the headliner and they were about to leave, so that was like a ‘wow, I’m actually getting better at this,” he said.

For now, Dada has no immediate or concrete plans to take his comedic work to a bigger platform, “Right now, I’m really just doing this for fun.”

Whether he chooses to pursue greater heights in comedy or not, one thing is clear about Dada: he had an opportunity and he took the shot. Now he’s got a slot in one of Vancouver’s thriving late-night entertainment industries.

Justin Scott ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

While many think of the little green and white capsules when they hear the word Prozzäk, for a certain group of Millennials, Canadians in particular, the term brings back memories of fictional cartoon musicians who dominated Much Music’s programming in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Originally members of The Philosopher Kings, based out of Thornhill, Ontario, Jay Levine and James McCollum’s musical ambitions eventually led to the creation of Simon (Levine) and Milo (McCollum), the made up, animated members of Canadian pop duo Prozzäk.

The group first burst onto the scene in 1998 with the triple-platinum selling album Hot Show, and while selling over 240,000 albums in Canada is a notable achievement, the formation of the duo is almost, if not more, impressive. “We were pretty at odds in [The Philosopher Kings], it actually got physical one night in Montreal,” said Levine. “After that, we were like, 'listen, we actually have this commonality here,' and we wrote the song “Europa” and started to really connect musically, and it worked.” The two have been friends ever since.

While the characters of Simon and Milo are fictitious, the content of the music is inspired by Levine and McCollum’s real lives. Levine explained that by creating characters for themselves, McCollum and he were able to put themselves into their music more freely, without directly associating the topics with their lives.

“I envy people that can do that,” he said, “That can take themselves so seriously

JUST FOR LAUGHS How a random night at Goldie’s Pizza turned Ola Dada into a local stand-up comedian Carlo Javier MANAGING EDITOR

On an inconspicuous November night, Capilano University student Ola Dada did something that most people would never even consider doing.

“I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty drunk,” he admitted.

With no experience whatsoever, Dada went down to the basement of Goldie’s pizza, took the mic and did a stand-up comedy routine. “I asked the lady if I could do it, and she said I had to be signed up or hired, but because I had so many of my friends with us, she let me do it,” he said. “I did pretty well the first time.”

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McCollum’s passion for their Prozzäk project was reinvigorated, and what started as a new single turned into a new album. It also inspired a short tour of Canada late last year that saw the group sell out numerous shows across the country, including one at Vancouver’s Rickshaw Theatre. “It was a surprise that people were still interested,” said Levine.

With their first album, Forever 1999, celebrating its 10-year anniversary this past week, the duo is once again hitting the road. Starting out east, Prozzäk will make their way across the country, landing at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom on

Canadian duo is touring the country and offering local musicians the opportunity to share the stage

THE CAPILANO COURIER

that they can just put their pain out there.”

The basic narrative of Prozzäk’s albums is that Simon is on a constant search for love, but is unable to find it, and continuously gets himself into precarious situations due to his hunt.

Prozzäk continued to see success over their next two albums, but released no new music for over a decade after 2005’s Cruel Cruel World. Both Levine and McCollum continued to thrive in the music industry, just not together.

However, after a somewhat impromptu performance at Toronto’s Atomic Lollipop music festival in 2015, Levine and

Friday, Apr. 14.

Levine and McCollum added even more excitement to their tour by teaming up with Tournado, a company that offers local musicians the opportunity to open for their favourite bands. “A friend of mine actually started this company called Tournado and I love the mandate of it,” Levine said enthusiastically. “I think it's a really cool thing for local acts to get in front of a bigger audience. You can put your music out online, you can do all that stuff that we have now which we didn't used to have, which is awesome, but one barrier that really still exists is how do you get a real gig in front of new people to hear you?” he explained. All local groups need to do is apply online, and the winners are announced about a week before the show.

Regarding Forever 1999, the duo has rediscovered a passion for their Prozzäk project. While it maintains the musical stylings and continues the narrative of the groups past releases, Forever 1999 has an evolved sound – and is the pair’s strongest release yet.

“It's not so much a business anymore, it's just fun,” reflected Levine. “When we were doing it in the late 90s and early 2000s it was much more about ‘is it selling?

What are the radio chart positions?' Now it's not like that. Now it's just pure fun and we made an album that we're proud of, and we get to go out there and share with people.”

How’s Simon’s hunt for love going on the new album, you may be wondering?

“Simon is, right now, in a sex and love addicts anonymous program, a 12-step program,” said Levine. “He had something good for a while, but blew it as usual.”

With the Apr. 14 show fast approaching, local musicians are encouraged apply soon for the opportunity to open for Prozzäk at the Commodore. In terms of Prozzäk’s future and Simon’s love life, Levine and McCollum are playing it by ear, but are “thinking of developing a musical theatre show based on the characters, and [Simon] might just figure it out in that format,” according to Levine.

Tickets for Prozzäk’s show at the Commodore Ballroom are available on Ticketmaster.ca and bands can apply to open the show at Tournado.net/prozzak.

SHORTS

NUMBER 1 ANGEL Charlie XCX Cristian Fowlie ART DIRECTOR

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 19

Number 1 Angel is Charli XCX’s strongest work yet – and it's only a mixtape. Well, mixtape is a bit of a loose term these days.

Other than its short play length, Number 1 Angel is a polished jewel of a pop track.

Sonically, it’s a “Best Of” Charli’s career. It has the goth electronic pop of True Romance, The riot grrrl snarl and electric guitar of Sucker and the super-slick PC Music production of Vroom Vroom. It’s a satisfying mix of familiar sounds pushed to exciting new heights.

Charli is at her best when she’s with friends. Like her hits with Icona Pop, Iggy Azalea or Lil Yachty, Charli’s energy is elevated by collaborations with other pop oddities and rising stars. On Number 1 Angel it’s all-female features, many who are women of colour, queer or both.

Album opener “Dreamer” features Starrah, a queer black writer, rapper and producer (most notably on Rihanna’s “Needed Me”). Chicago rapper Cupcakke fiercly delivers her hypersexual lyrics and comical wit on “Lipgloss”. And MØ joins a growing group of queer pop artists singing with the proper pronouns when she breaks up with a “she” on a “Pull Up (3AM)”.

Raye, ABRA and 2007-throwbackhipster-rapper Uffie round out the features.

It’s an impressive list of artists shaping pop, rap and r&b, with Charli at the top.

Number 1 Angel shows her smart writing, cutting-edge production and firecracker personality. If this is what Charli considers a mixtape, then her upcoming third album has high standards to meet.

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YOU ONLY LIVE 2WICE Freddie Gibbs Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

For Freddie Gibbs in You Only Live 2wice, comfort is never too close and misery never too far. Using the short, eight-track project to reflect on his life to date, Gibbs paints a portrait of a life that will never be settled and always vulnerable to revenge or betrayal, the dilemma of all gangsta rappers.

Each and every song in the album, save for “Phone Lit”, offers a glimpse into Gibbs’ past, how success has turned kin into enemies, and how paranoia has forced him into isolation. For context, two of Gibbs’ associates were shot in late 2014 after beefs with Jeezy and Jim Jones, whom the latter was accused in tabloids for potentially ordering the hit. Not even two years later, Gibbs spent much of 2016 on trial, accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Vienna, Austria in summer 2015.

In “Alexys”, Gibbs reflects on his youth and friends back home, and how their greed and lack of ambition is forcing him to cut them off. Gibbs’ mistrust of everyone, except for cocaine and his mom, is explicitly conveyed in the song “Dear Maria”. The track pays homage to white gold, explaining the drug’s loyalty never strayed in the face of hostility from the police, associates, women and rivals.

All in all, You Only Live 2wice is a sobering look into Gibbs’ last two years as a persona non grata, dropped from Jeezy’s label, in spats with multiple rappers, mistrustful of his friends and on trial for sexual assault in Austria – proving you can never be too accomplished to lose it all.

AT WHAT COST

FEEL INFINITE

GoldLink

Jacques Greene Carlo Javier

Justin Scott

MANAGING EDITOR

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Much like his predecessor and Washingtonbrethren Wale, each passing GoldLink release seems like it’ll be the one to launch the DMV [DC, Maryland, Virginia] to the upper spaces of rap. With his debut album, At What Cost GoldLink showcases his dextrous ability to tip-toe the line of mainstream hip-hop hits and underground respectability, yet don’t be surprised if GoldLink still flies under the radar despite his excellent new album.

GoldLink raps with a seemingly arrhythmic tempo. He deceptively flows through beats with a nonchalant flow and has the capacity to suddenly turn on the jets for some impressive rapid fire delivery.

The KAYTRANADA assisted “Meditation” combines GoldLink’s ability to venture towards Twista-levels of rapping pace with Jazzmine Sullivan’s ethereal, jazzy vocals. “Herside Story” is a tour de force rap/sung collaboration with the talented vocalists of Hare Squead.

The emotive jam is a crossover waiting to happen, if only GoldLink had the airwave favours that the likes of Big Sean or G-Eazy gets.

In the Radiant Children-produced “Summatime”, GoldLink enlists the help of Wale-himself, and manages to prevent DC’s finest lyricist from completely stealing the show from him. Penultimate track “Some Girl” stands as one of the best and most irresistible song on the album, featuring the fast-rising Steve Lacy and a string-laden background that fires on all cylinders.

At What Cost is a terrific debut studio album for the up and coming rapper. Like his earlier mixtapes, the record exhibits GoldLink’s potential as a serious crossover rapper, but it also illustrates why he could very well snatch Wale’s crown as the DMV’s finest lyricist – just not quite yet.

While Jacques Greene has been a staple in the club music scene for nearly a decade, many don’t realize that the Montreal native has never released a full-length album – until now. Feel Infinite is Greene’s long overdue debut album, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Opening track “Fall” starts with a simple bass line and slowly builds, with new layers of synthesizers and vocals entering and exiting with expert fluidity.

This track sets the tone for the entire release.

With Feel Infinite, Greene taps into a blend of sampled and synthesized sounds, mixed with chopped up, soulful vocal samples that give the tracks deep soulful and emotional tones.

Greene’s affinity for blurring genres is on full display, showcasing the producer’s knack for taking what on paper could often be considered classic house tracks, and turning them into moving productions.

On the other hand, tracks like “True”, which features How to Dress Well, “You See All My Light” and “Afterglow”, aren’t driven by the same pulsing beats many of the other tracks are. However, they are three of the album’s standout offerings.

“To say”, “I won’t Judge” and title track “Feel Infinite” are some of the strongest and most energizing productions on the work, but due to the complementation they receive from the entire track list.

Greene fans couldn’t have asked for much more from the producer on his debut release. In classic Greene fashion, Feel Infinite pulls on the heartstrings, all while leaving the listener with no choice but to dance.

CALENDAR

3

MONDAY

4

TUESDAY

5

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

CSU MEMBERS’ CENTRE 1:00 PM TO 2:30 PM / FREE Put together by four Communication students, this forum looks to address Kinder Morgan’s controversial advance in First Nations land. The forum will include the participation of Benjamin West and Cedar George-Parker, two mainstays in the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s fight against Kinder Morgan.

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FRIDAY

VANESSA CARLTON

RIO THEATRE 8 PM / $25 Vanessa Carlton is easily one of the greatest one-hit-wonders of all time. The Nashville singer has released six other albums since her chart-topping global hit, and you wouldn’t be at fault if you didn’t know any other song from her. For just $25, you can catch Carlton at the Rio performing the same song over and over again, only to different melodies, tempo and the occasional rapping.

THE TRUE COST OF SITE-C DAM

KENDRICK LAMAR NEW ALBUM

ST. ANDREW’S – WESLEY UNITED CHURCH 7 PM TO 9 PM / FREE Just another political Monday we’ve got here. This panel will look to build an economic case against the controversial dam and will be including the participation of Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.

The event is free, or by a donation and all proceeds will go to the legal costs of Treaty 8.

THE INTERNET 12 AM / YOUR STREAMING-SERVICE MEMBERSHIP Or, you can just wait until 9 pm Pacific Standard Time and be a witness to Kendrick Lamar’s fourth studio album. The greatest rapper right now – yeah, I said it – already has one of the best aggregate critical reviews of all time and he’s just about to hit 30. Lamar is without a doubt the best rapper in the game right now, and has been since 2012. Every major release he does is basically a hip-hop holiday.

DESIIGNER VOGUE THEATRE 8 PM / $25+ People hate on Kanye West for many reasons and most of them are plain stupid. However, if you hate on Kanye for “gifting” the world with Desiigner, I’m with you. Desiigner is a teenage “artist” who somehow made it in the rap industry with some nonsensical grunting and yelping. If you’ve ever wondered why rap music is so prone to controversy and putdowns, Desiigner is the reason why.

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SATURDAY

SAKURA DAYS JAPAN FAIR VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN 11 AM TO 7 PM / FREE Put together by the Japan Fair Association of Vancouver, Sakura Days is another spring event that celebrates Japanese-Canadian history and communities. There will be a host of performances, lots of takoyaki and possibly even people dressed as anime characters.

It’s free admission, meaning this makes for a fantastic date, especially if you work for a student newspaper – especially if you run the news section.

WHEREVER I FIND MYSELF

ROCK THE BOAT

VPL, MAIN BRANCH 7 PM TO 8:30 PM / FREE Hosted by the Vancouver Public Library, the book launch of, Wherever I Find Myself: Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women, will bring the many authors who delved into their experiences as immigrant women in Canada. The launch, to be held in the Alice MacKay room, will surely be an eye-opener for those who may be unaware of the struggles that immigrant women face.

THE QUEEN OF DIAMONDS 6:30 PM / $35 Could you believe that Rock the Boat has made it to an unprecedented third year? This year’s nautical party will be headlined by a “Juelz” – not Juelz Santana though, but still probably a big deal considering the CSU is doubling down on how lit this is going to be. For any students looking for tickets, stay away from a tall business student who goes by the name of “Whitman” – he’s out there to scalp, folks.

KALEO ORPHEUM THEATRE 8 PM / $25+ The Icelandic rock band is continuing on the crossover success of groups like Sigur Ros and Of Monsters and Men, and if they keep up their momentum, they just might make an appearance on Game of Thrones before the series’ impending end. You may not believe it, but Courier news editor and selfproclaimed “Day One Drake Fan” is also a big fan of Kaleo.

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SUNDAY

PORT MOODY WINTER FARMERS MARKET PORT MOODY RECREATION CENTRE 10 AM TO 2 PM / FREE Established in 2008, the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market uses the slogan of “make, bake or grow”, which just reminds me of the old weed-smoking days with our MIA web editor. This market is coming close to its last legs this season, so don’t miss out on some rare and organic goods you can only get at the dozens of other farmers markets in the Lower Mainland.

HOPSIN

REGGIE WATTS

VOGUE THEATRE 8 PM / $33.50+ The enigmatic Hopsin has made quite the change from being a horrorcore rapper in the vein of a young-Eminem, to a conscious rapper not unlike Talib Kweli. The rapper, most famous for his use of white-coloured contact lenses, is a firm believer in the straight edge lifestyle, and I’m sure as hell his fans are primarily middle-class, teenaged white dudes who to drink and use derogatory terms. Good luck.

VOGUE THEATRE 8 PM / $40 As talented as he is, Reggie Watts is probably the only late night band leader who gets musically upstaged by his own host. Not his fault, though – that James Corden guy is entertaining. But Watts is quite the entertainer himself. As a matter of fact, at the time of writing this, I didn’t know whether Watts is coming to Vancouver to play music or do a stand up gig. Maybe both.

THE ZOLAS

THE CAPILANO COURIER

6

TSLEIL-WAUTUTH NATION AND KINDER MORGAN

VOGUE THEATRE 8 PM / $20+ Fun fact: we used to have an editor who claims that he used to be a member of The Zolas and that he was mixing some of their songs. This guy also happens to buy Topman clothes, keeps the tags and returns them before the return deadline. He also buys game consoles at Costco and returns them before the end of the 90-day period. The worst part? He’s fucking vegan!

QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE 8 PM / $50+ I may not be Canadian enough to know a great portion of City and Colour’s discography, but I do know that Dallas Green is a dope as hell singer. I’ve heard his collaboration with Pink from three years ago, and I’m still waiting on the follow up to their excellent Rose Ave. If it doesn’t come, I’ll make a folk-duet follow up myself.

KENDRICK LAMAR'S "HUMBLE"

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CITY AND COLOUR

OPINIONS

– ANNIE CHANG

404 ERROR: LGBTQ+ CONTENT DENIED How YouTube’s Restricted Mode is keeping LGBTQ+ narratives away from viewers Helen Aikenhead CONTRIBUTOR

While YouTube is often heralded as a democratic platform for creativity and diversity to prosper, a recent discovery has led content creators and viewers to question if the video streaming giant isn’t just as silencing as many other major industries. Users found that once YouTube’s Restricted Mode – used by many parents, schools and libraries – is activated, an alarming amount of LGBTQ+ content becomes unavailable; contributing to the long-standing tradition of marginalizing the voices

COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG Selling yourself as a personal brand

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 19

Gabriel Scorgie FEATURES EDITOR

Once upon a time, all you needed to do well in this world was go to high school and get what people used to call ‘employable skills’. Now, after spending years after high school getting a degree, people are saying that having that degree isn’t enough. Those who want to succeed in the job market are being told they need to turn themselves into personal brands. It sounds weird to think about people as products, but there’s a reason why it’s important.

No matter what, people who come into contact with you, either professionally or personally, will have an opinion of you.

There are few people in this world who are such blank slates that their presence

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already underrepresented in popular media.

Some have tried to argue that the restriction is only affecting the LGBTQ+ videos that contain sexual content and would just as vigorously block videos containing heterosexuality. However, a quick search for “Tegan and Sara” in restricted versus unrestricted mode will prove that this argument is a total throw away. The musicians viewed by many as icons for their advocacy of LGBTQ+ rights and justices, were very vocal on their Twitter account about the absurdity of the restriction. They directly addressed the company several times, including an invitation to speak with them personally for a chance to explain their exclusionary behaviour.

They also pointed out in a series of tweets which of their music videos were and were not affected by the restriction, commenting on the restricted video’s subject matter to make one point very clear; sexual or not, the only common thread amongst the videos were

themselves, two queer-identifying women.

Following a huge amount of backlash on their social media accounts and numerous calls to remove flags on LGBTQ+ content, the company finally released its much-anticipated response.

Unfortunately, their half-hearted statement read as an excuse for catering to the wishes of those who they, as indicated by action, value more as supporters, and was unsurprisingly met with disappointment.

YouTube described their Restricted Mode as an option for “the tiny subset of users who want a more limited experience” and attempted to excuse their limited availability of LGBTQ+ content, describing the blocked videos as those which “discuss more sensitive issues.”

They also concluded the statement with a dismissal of people’s plea for justice on this issue as “confusion”, a word which is certainly not new when it comes to the silencing of LGBTQ+ voices.

What’s missing from this statement

leaves no impression whatsoever. So, if people are going to form an opinion on who they think you are regardless of whether you try or not, then it’s worth putting in the effort to make sure that impression is as positive and accurate as possible.

The two most important things about building your personal brand are knowing what you bring to the table, and consistently putting forth the image of yourself that you want to promote. It’s as simple as being an artist and having your Instagram page dedicated solely to your art. Not memes. Not your breakfast.

Only the best examples of your art work. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses are important in painting that consistency. If you aren’t a social person, maybe trying to network five nights a week might not be a good idea for you. Instead, opt for a strong online portfolio that showcases your abilities.

If you’re still hesitant about the concept, just consider that everyone already represents a brand. Even police officers are a brand of sorts — when

people see the uniform there are a certain set of expectations we have. The same goes for priests. Why is it breaking news when a priest is found in a brothel, tied to a bedpost with a bible up his ass, but when the local bartender does it, nobody cares? Because priests as a whole are held to a certain set of standards, and being caught at the bottom of an orgy is what some might consider off-brand.

The job market has changed over the years, regardless of what your outdated textbooks may tell you. Employers aren’t just looking for a warm body to do the job they need. They’re also looking for someone who fits their culture. This idea started out as the classic interview question, ‘where do you see yourself in five years?’ It was them asking you to sell yourself. They were trying to figure out what you were hoping to get from them other than a paycheque. Maybe you value job security over upwards mobility in the company, but the place you’re interviewing at likes to see their new hires work their way up the ranks.

Or, a company will pay above average

(other than… everything) is an actual apology, a plan to fix it and a definition of what “sensitive issues” they deem worthy of restriction.

But why are the semantics here so important? Don’t all companies release unsatisfactory statements after wrongdoings? Well, yes, but what is unique to this situation is the long history of LGBTQ+ people and issues being categorized as taboo and brushed off with phrases such as “sensitive issues.” It is this inequality in discourse and visibility that made YouTube such a fantastic and safe space for LGBTQ+ people and their stories to be shared in the first place, acting as an inclusive and self-directed alternate to the mainstream media, which is anything but a plentiful source for LGBTQ+ content.

In many cases, youth learning to navigate the world and their own identities have very few places to turn to see themselves represented positively, if at all, and in recent years have turned to online videos for a sense of community.

They have also found educational resources through channels such as Everyone Is Gay, an advice channel created for youth which has been – you guessed it– restricted.

As this young demographic is the most common audience of the Restricted Mode, there is a significant impact on what stripping away access to this content could mean for their development and self-image. By branding these videos as “sensitive” or mature, or simply placing them in a category of otherness, the same discriminatory narrative in media that has hurt the LGBTQ+ community for generations continues.

YouTube’s statement is not to be “confused” as an apology, just as this restriction is not to be “confused” as simply an option for a limited viewing experience; there’s YouTube Kids for that. This is one of many instances in which the voices of LGBTQ+ people are kept out of the mainstream, which must continue to be called out until everybody has access to these important stories, and the ability to share them.

but demand their employees work more than average, but you’d happily take a reduced salary in return for more vacation days. It’s about finding the right person for the right job at the right company.

There’s very little reason not to build your personal brand. Maybe it sounds gross and you feel like a sell out, but if that’s the case then frame it differently.

If your stance on personal brands is that you think they’re weird, then find a way to incorporate that into your image. It’ll make you stand out. Take the strongest and most interesting parts of yourself and market that. If you do, it won’t take long to find buyers.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL POLITICAL PARTICIPATION Why public engagement in local politics is imperative to a strong community Helen Aikenhead CONTRIBUTOR

The ability to participate in our surrounding political landscape is both an essential and exciting aspect of citizenship. Regardless of ideology, the discussions held by political leaders affect everyone, and as such, it is critical that these conversations are happening in an inclusive and accessible space.

While online platforms have fostered a significant increase in accessibility to political figures, and are a great starting point in navigating the political environment, they don’t rule out the need for active and participatory encounters that take place in a face-to-face setting.

But where can these conversations

LOWER MAINLAND RESIDENTS UBER EXCITED FOR MORE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS Anything (except the status quo) goes Andrew Yang CONTRIBUTOR

be held, if not online? With a provincial election just around the corner, there are many opportunities for community members to get involved. On campus, the Capilano Students' Union (CSU) has organized meet and greets with BC party members for Capilano University students to speak with.

On Mar. 30, Green Party members visited the campus to give students a chance to get to know them as well as their policies. NDP members will be available on Apr. 4 to do the same, and Liberal members will follow suit on Apr. 6.

Off-campus opportunities for involvement also allow youth to engage with issues that affect others in their communities, namely those who are not students. On Apr. 20 at 7 pm, a nonpartisan, all candidates debate will be held free to the public at North Lonsdale United Church where MLA candidates from all three North Vancouver ridings will partake in a moderated conversation oriented around themes selected by local youth organizers. Events like this provide an opportunity to see how the different parties approach some of the issues most relevant to the local youth in a way that allows all sides to be heard.

Youth participation in political

discourse is a powerhouse that is often neglected; community events and campus engagement are important steps in reminding those with power in government that not only are youth eager to learn, but they are ready to engage.

Often, campaigns are geared towards an older demographic of voters. Of course, they are important to our democracy, but by getting wider demographics involved and actively engaging in these conversations, political leaders are reminded that they must also be accountable to the needs of young voters - needs that must be addressed in conversation and translated into policy.

Further, by bringing local politics to the public, the community is able to interact with the issues and voices that they are usually only exposed to through media. This change of perspective is a powerful motivator for future engagement and the potential to inspire even more participation; making it accessible to the everyday citizen. Rather than the usual top-down narrative of political discourse in which the public is told what is happening and how others feel about it after the fact, they are given the chance to raise their own concerns, and have the issues most

important to them be heard and acted upon.

By allowing open, non-partisan discussions, the echo-chamber of our own curated social media communities and peer groups are disrupted, exposing individuals to a more versatile and wellrounded discussion. This is important in challenging each other’s existing ideas in a meaningful way, and it can possibly lead to a greater understanding between people who hold an opposing stance. At the end of the day, exposing oneself to diverse views is beneficial in growing one’s own political ideology; a practice which is critical in building an informed and engaged democratic community.

Actively participating in local politics is the best way to stay informed about what is going on around you and provides the understanding and the tools necessary to be an active member of your community. By seeking opportunities to be involved in these conversations, individuals can be equipped with the power to make sure that the changes they want to see in their community actually happen. So, go to these events, reach out to your local MLAs and ask questions, because these discussions are for everyone.

-ASHLEY BULTHUIS

$3.5 million to install taxis with “crashavoidance” technology at no charge, while at the same time make claims processes and insurance more convenient and “affordable.” We’re spending money like a world-class city, yet our system isn’t even on par with smaller cities like Edmonton?

With great innovation comes inherent risks. There would be financial and

political setbacks from creating our unique version of Uber in Vancouver, just like when our Compass system faced constant delays for implementation. However, if we can use the opportunity to learn from the mistakes from Uber and Translink’s HR crises, Vancouver can finally stop being the laughing stock of the transportation industry.

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transportation regulators. Then there was price surging at the JFK airport during a taxi strike, using the protest of Trump’s travel ban to maximize profits. It doesn’t help either that Uber president Jeff Jones had to step down after six months being on the job. Uber’s PR crisis was so serious that the #DeleteUber trend on Twitter nearly became a dire threat to the company.

Still, backlashes from Uber’s internal strife and Vancouver’s Taxi Association don’t make the ride-sharing services any less desirable in Vancouver. In fact, the BC Liberals made a campaign that includes promises of bringing in Uber if they’re re-elected this May, and the news has been met with excitement from citizens in the Lower Mainland who are tired of the current unreliable transport options. So, how will Uber really make an impact in our city?

Currently, due to restrictions and limitations on taxi licenses being approved, there aren’t enough taxi drivers. This has led to unreasonably long wait times, drivers refusing to pick up passengers who are headed outside the area they want to drive and frustrated would-be passengers who have no other options. Suddenly, Uber shows up out of the blue, and anybody who can drive a car can participate in the sharing economy.

As passengers, we may be paying cheaper fares to Uber, but at the end of the day, it’s an American company that profits the most over our local economy.

If we consider how much the provincial government will have to spend, it’s better to go for broke by investing in a ridesharing program we desperately need for our sharing economy. Even if Uber can’t be approved in Vancouver, the province of BC will need to fork over $1 million to upgrade the taxi industry through an app that puts cab companies on par, technologically, with Uber and Lyft.

On top of that, ICBC will need at least

/CAPILANOCOURIER

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Do you want to know how much I hate paying for taxi fares in the Lower Mainland? Imagine partying so hard in Coquitlam that it’s past 2 am and Translink services are offline. There are no cars available for you either, so you’ll be forced to spend at least 30 minutes hailing a ride from a cab. When you finally get back home to the North Shore, you can kiss $65 goodbye for the entire trip. Sound familiar? Oh that’s right, most of us have gone through similar situations.

Considering the frustration of expensive and inefficient taxi services, it’s no surprise that petitions aiming to bring Uber to BC gain more support every year. Sure, this ride-sharing program can potentially upset the taxi monopoly, and those cab companies will most certainly start a turf war with Uber when their profits are on the line. But let’s face it, the more transportation options we have, the less money Vancouver’s Yellow Cab Co. and Translink’s gravy train can take out of our pockets.

Yes, Uber has its fair share of controversies lately, what with the sexual harassment allegations made by Susan Fowler and other employees. Not to mention evading regulations through stolen technology (aka Greyball) by denying passengers that are identified as

@CAPILANOCOURIER

HUMOUR

THE FOUR TYPES OF APRIL FOOLS PRANKSTERS And why most of them are terrible people Gabriel Scorgie FEATURES EDITOR

With April Fools’ taking place over this past weekend, some of you gullible fools were probably caught up in some hilarious pranks. As a result, we decided to break down the four types of pranksters that appear on April Fools’ Day.

If you or someone you know was a victim to this type of prank, there’s a very high chance that the person who committed said prank is a legitimate sociopath.

This person absolutely lives for April Fools’ Day. It’s the one day of the year where, in their minds, all their douchey behaviour is justified. As a result, they see themselves as being better then the average prankster. They started preparing for April Fools’ Day at the beginning of March.

Maybe they’ve been acting differently, getting touchy with the girl you have a crush on.

Make no mistake, none of that is happening by accident. It’s all building to the first of April where they drop the bomb on you, whatever it may be. These reveals can range from banging your crush, to having six months to live. Make no mistake, these people are the scum of April Fools who get some weird wrath boner when they see you suffer.

If someone pulled this shit on you this year it should be grounds for immediate un-friending.

The Heart Attack

This is the typical shock and awe prank, usually a favourite of edgy teenagers. The punch line is similar to the long con, but the major difference is that it requires very little forethought since the power is all in the execution. The trick is to know your target and prey on their biggest fear. Sadistic girlfriends tell their boyfriends they’re pregnant. Teenagers tell their parents they took the car and crashed it. Most people grow out of these types of pranks around the same time they graduate high school. Some, however, are still stuck reliving their glory days of being the starting quarterback and still think it’s hilarious to tell their best friend they’re moving across the world at the end of the week.

PEPPERONI CHEESE VEGETARIAN MEAT LOVER'S HAWAIIAN BBQ Chicken DEMOCRACY.

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 19 THE CAPILANO COURIER

The Long Con

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The Break-Up

These pranks have millions of views on YouTube. Usually goaded on by a radio station offering free tickets to some popular concert, all the caller has to do is phone their spouse and tell them they had an affair. I don’t know what the correlation is between people who try to win concert tickets from radio stations and spouses who fuck the gardener, but too many of these pranks have gone wrong for it to be a coincidence. If you’re even considering entering a contest like this, that may be grounds for a retrospective look at your life.

The Kids Prank

The quintessential prank.

Really, these pranks truly embody the true spirit of April Fools: slightly annoying, but harmless and ultimately all in good fun. Maybe someone brought you coffee in the morning, but instead of sugar they put salt in it. These are what April Fools jokes should be, and those who participate in this way should be applauded.

However, be careful. What may seem like a kids prank on the surface could be far worse. If you’re a guy and another guy friend gives you coffee or water there is about a 90 per cent chance that coffee has his cream in it and the water is filled with MDMA.

COLUMNS

GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’ My job is a joke and I’m broke Andrew Yang COLUMNIST

There are less than three months left until I walk across the stage for my graduation ceremony and I still don’t have decent full-time job with a respectable salary and benefits. Sometimes, I wonder what am I lacking and why employers are nowhere to be found in this city. Is it my work ethic?

Applicable skills? Social network? I’m trying to make ends meet and all I have to show for it are low-wage temporary positions and failed interviews.

I don’t mean to be a downer, but it’s a reality wake-up call for anybody who acts too confident for their own good. Believe me, life will find ways to give you bitter reminders of failure and mediocrity. Here are the latest examples of my dealings with detours to my career plans.

I applied for RBC’s Career Launch program, and I happened to match the criteria of applicants (24-year-old undergrads looking to develop work experience). It’s a rigorous program that hires 100 new employees across Canada, and I was lucky enough to make it through the first two interview processes. The third screening included a group interview, where I competed with other graduate students from UBC, SFU, UVic and even from Toronto (I’m the only one from Capilano University, so hurray for representation).

It took three whole months for the RBC Career Launch program to screen their candidates, but in the end, I got an email that said I didn’t make the cut.

It was discouraging, but I didn’t have to sulk all day long to face the harsh reality – there will always be others that are better than me in many ways, so I continued to search for my purpose in a work environment. With the help of job application websites and employment agencies, I landed myself a potential fulltime job. But here’s the catch: I need to work for the entire week to prove myself.

The place I worked at was Slack (the messaging app), and the tech company is headquartered in Yaletown. As a Day Porter (a fancy name for janitor), my responsibilities include cleaning up the kitchen, assembling IKEA furniture and minor handyman duties like switching light bulbs. I thought, “$15 per hour for this? Sure, why not?” But then my family reminded me that I have to go back to China to pay my respects at my grandpa’s funeral.

I consulted with my hiring manager about my situation, and I got a few condolences from Slack. The next day, I got a call that I can’t work at Slack anymore because my position as the “Day Porter” no longer exists.

Soon, I grew desperate to the point where I was willing to sign up a contract to work as a Logistic Data Entry worker at Iron Mountain, but the location is as far away as New Westminster. Guess what? I got a phone call from the job agency and the position was terminated way before I finished my paperwork. I couldn’t describe how much I wanted to scream and lash out from my inadequacy in keeping a job, let alone finding a decent income.

I’m lost, and I keep wondering what I’m supposed to do to deal with my quarter life crisis. There is no job security for having a bachelor’s degree, and I’m too technologically illiterate in coding. You know what? If I’m ever going to make it in Vancouver, I’m selling my parents’ house, because I’m so through with job-hunting.

– NHI HOANG

Grab a slice, help us out.

Quorum is 12. Pizza is delicious.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Capilano Courier Editor-in-Chief Elections Tuesday, April 11 at Noon Maple 122

To vote: You must be “special voting member”, which means you have contributed articles, illustrations or editorial skills to the Capilano Courier a minimum of three (3) times in the past publishing year.

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To run: You must be a Capilano Courier Publishing Society (CCPS) member in good standing (a current student who has paid society fees, or an honorary member as voted by the CCPS board), and must not be members of the Capilano Students’ Union’s (CSU) executive council or board, employees of the CSU, or faculty, or administration, or staff of Capilano University.

COLUMNS

Final Extravaganza Max Ley COLUMNIST

THE CAPILANO COURIER

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Well, it’s been a stellar two years here at Sip, Sip, Hurray. We have had many amazing pairings over the years, ranging from Kraft Dinner with some Spanish Cava to poutine with a southern French Pinot Noir. All along the way, my goal has been to educate, help and show you that you don’t need a top-hat, a monocle and a butler to appreciate a fine drink while pairing it with an affordable meal. I love good food and good wine and I hope you folks have had fun along the way!

In honour of the fact that this column may possibly be my very last one, I decided to do a bit of a different thing today.

Consider this a bit of a “smorgasbord” column, and joined by my good pal, Editorin-Chief Andy Rice, we decided to try three different wines and three different beers with three cheeses and three types of chocolate! Yes, this is a tough job but somebody has to do it.

As you can see, I thought it would be best to go out with a bang. All that we purchased today is widely available for purchase, and of course, all items are well under $20. Instead of going into intense detail about any one specific pairing, I thought I’d go through each item, talk a bit about their tasting notes, and then give suggestions on what might pair well together and what might not. The goal then is for you to go out, give any of these a try and let me know what worked or what didn’t, or what amazing pairings you come up with yourself. Now let’s get started!

of guava, floral citrus and hefty ripe stone fruit. It does come off a bit buttery, citrus forward and unfortunately a little bit “hot” with alcohol. However, it’s still a very refreshing and easy drinking wine, perfect for a sunny day and a picnic!

1. KWV Classic Collection 2014 Sauvignon Blanc

I’m an IPA nut and this is one of my favourites in the city. Bridge is one of the best and brightest from North Vancouver and this North-East style

An inexpensive little white from South Africa. Light and elegant with nice aromas

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2. Mt. Boucherie 2013 Pinot Noir

Kelowna-based Mt. Boucherie is a classic BC winery. This Pinot is just lovely. A bit funky to start, with an old library book type of musk and some ripe berry aromas.

It’s a sharp, dry wine; a little bit tight off the top, but rich with cherry and earthy flavours. This wine is fresh, maybe a bit young, but a nice ripe Pinot that shows perfectly what an inexpensive red from BC can be.

3. Main Street Rye Red Tart Saison

Probably one of my favourite local seasonals, this is a great little saison that Main Street has absolutely nailed as a sessionable (despite that six per cent) and complex beer. There are aromas and flavours of cloves, gooseberries and bananas, all classic saison flavours.

And yet, this saison sports its sour beer disguise rather well. Flavours of intense sour cherries pervade this beer, making it surprisingly complex and a neat marriage of two styles.

4. Bridge Side Cut North East IPA

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IPA is such a star. Peach and tropical fruit flavours dominate this beer with a full and delicious mouthfeel. This beer consistently shows what a good and balanced IPA can be all about and I encourage any IPA naysayer to give this beauty a try!

5. Doan’s + Sons of Vancouver Altbier

This is a unique collaboration from Doan’s Brewing Company, one of the city’s smallest (and best) craft breweries, and Sons of Vancouver, one of the city’s smallest (and best) craft distilleries – just a short walk from Capilano University!

Their Altbier collaboration is flavoured with a tremendous amount of Amaretto, crafting a really interesting beer. It’s sweet and boozy in all the best ways, brimming with dark, malty notes and deep ripe fruit flavours. This is a total testament to the quality of Vancouver’s craft scene, marrying two fantastic producers to create a totally new, integrated and balanced product.

6. Stag’s Hollow 2012 Hart

I don’t drink many dessert wines but this is a lovely example of what a bunch of ripe Merlot and a talented Okanagan winemaker can do. Resplendent with dark sweet plum and berry flavours, this wine is just pure rich decadence. With a bit of age on it, this thing can open up and be a total star at any dinner party.

The cheeses we went for were a rich and sharp aged cheddar, a super smoky gouda with some light sweetness and a buttery and unobtrusive brie. The chocolates were

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a simple Hershey’s milk chocolate bar, a creamy and crunchy Cadbury Hazelnut bar and a salted caramel Godiva bar. As I said before, I don’t want to delve too much into what should or could pair well with what, but I’ll gladly point you folks in the right direction.

The white and the red were both too sharp and tart for the chocolates while the dessert wine was absolutely ideal. The brie was a great player with everything we tasted due to its unobtrusiveness, while the cheddar performed well with the white and most of the beers. The chocolates were not great team players with most, except for the dessert wine and the Altbier, which contained enough residual sweetness to hold their own.

As I said, there were too many combinations and pairings in this extravaganza to cover in just this column, but I highly encourage you to take some of these ideas and try them out yourself! Let me know what you try!

Everything I’ve suggested can be found at a reasonable price and can be a super fun date or hangout to do with the special people in your life.

I just want to finish by extending a huge thank you to everybody at the Courier for being so supportive of this crazy little column of mine. A big thanks of course needs to go to Carlo Javier, my ever-patient editor, and Andy Rice for being an amazing editor-in-chief and partner in crime for so very many of these tastings. And, of course, a big thank you to all of you who have read my column.

Keep tasting, trying, experimenting, and above all enjoying all the food and drinks in your life. Thanks for an amazing year!

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

REIGN VANCOUVER

and more importantly, I’ve managed to develop a healthier relationship with food and other drugs.

For a lot of us, food and weed are the coping methods used to help deal with the uncomfortable emotions of life. That temporary escape and rush of dopamine you get from stuffing your face with food or getting high may seem like a legitimate self-care tactic, but it’s not. Occasional self-indulgence is a wonderful thing, so long as it remains occasional – and for me it wasn't occasional.

I’m a skeptic and I was wary about the benefits of making positive lifestyle changes. I was willing to try because I know I couldn’t continue living the way I was, but I also wasn’t sure if I would be happy with the results. I’m happy to report that I’m content with how things are going – the changes I’ve made have significantly improved the state of my anxiety disorder and my

physical health. Working out a few times a week, socializing, only eating garbage on weekends and seeking better mental health care options have all helped in my battle against my self-destructive habits and it’s also made me aware of some other areas worth exploring.

We all want to be happy. How we achieve that is different for everyone.

Some of us are already there, some think that’s an impossible feat and others are trying as hard as they can to reach that place. Something I’ve noticed now that I’m in a better place emotionally and physically is that my mind has more available space in it to focus on being disappointed with my current state of affairs.

I’ve still got work to do but the storm is clearing and now I’m left to assess the scene. The aftermath is rarely pretty, but at least one can rebuild, and hopefully rebuild something nicer. When we’re

consumed by something, that’s all we can focus on and it detracts us from reality – a reality that is as beautiful or ugly as we deem it to be.

The main takeaway I’ve discovered on this ride has been that only you can be responsible for what it is that you want.

It may feel good temporarily to blame our parents for all our problems, but that won’t get you anywhere. All we need, we already have. That’s a popular Zen saying that, while true, is the opposite of how humans tend to live. A bear can survive its entire life with only it’s claws and instincts – I get pissed when my iPhone battery dies.

The amount of stuff a human needs to live a supposedly happy life compared to any other animal is telling of something.

Happiness is achieved through confidence and confidence is knowing that you can get what you're worth – or is confidence just not giving a shit? Who knows, that’s for you to find out. Safe journeys.

Marissa Del Mistro COLUMNIST

There is more to April than you may realize. This month is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and at a time when stories pertaining to harassment are at an unfortunate high, there is no better time to engage and strengthen Vancouver’s understanding and increase efforts of prevention.

Nightlife spaces, concerts and related events can be ruined instantly by unwelcomed interactions from other patrons. To better understand the discussion, the Capilano Courier met with Stacey Forrester and Ashtyn Bevan, the trailblazers behind Good Night Out (GNO), a DIY feminist organization working to make Vancouver nightlife safer to navigate for everybody.

Two years ago, Forrester and Bevan heard the concerns of the nightlife community, recognized the high harassment prevalence in Vancouver’s nightlife and began to take a stand. Adhering to the successful existing GNO model born in the UK, Forrester and Bevan established its Vancouver chapter.

GNO audits venues for their safety and harassment protocols, and offers workshops and training sessions for staff to learn tools to appropriately deal with situations as they arise.

“The campaign is [primarily] for women and femme-identifying folk and the LGBTQ community,” Bevan said. “Basically, people who are usually minorities on the dance floor.” GNO defines harassment as any unwanted attention or invasion of personal space.

However, they acknowledge and validate that these experiences are unique to the individual person. Therefore, venues are encouraged to create guidelines that are best suited to their events and patrons.

Venues that get on board with GNO are agreeing to be more conscious in their workplace. Harassment is not always

GET ON UP Progress report: how a new-found confidence is changing my life Aidan Mouellic COLUMNIST

We’re pretty pathetic in regard to how much we need to survive. Like all other organisms, we need the same necessities: food, water and air. My whole column this semester has been about defeating the excessive behaviour that has held me back, and in that regard I think I’ve been doing pretty well.

The changes that I’ve made to my diet, chemical dependencies and exercise regime have delivered noticeable results.

I didn’t have a ton of weight that I needed to lose, but I’ve lost about 10 pounds

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and never leave venues alone. However, by shifting the responsibly to include the venue, with trained and aware staff, GNO is contributing to a bigger cultural shift. “Whether [harassment] happens on the bus, the street, these behaviours are only going to be stopped by other people intervening and stopping it,” Forrester said. “So, venue owners taking responsibility is important.”

After two years in the city, GNO has been met with mixed feedback.

Underground spaces are much more receptive, but mainstream bars, such

No Creep Zone

THE CAPILANO COURIER

black and white, so an open-minded staff is integral. The training allows staff to understand the importance of dialogue with patrons and avoid language that includes victim blaming. There are posters visible for patrons around the venue so it is understood that the event is a safe space. Additionally, language including, “this event is a creep free zone” is included on social media pages, so this information is accessible and understood by interested patrons.

Vulnerable bodies have always been taught to watch their drink, stay in groups

as venues on Granville Street, are harder to infiltrate. To help make this paradigm shift, GNO joined a much bigger picture that is linked to more than just nightlife venues. Their workshops and trainings have been available to campuses, businesses and other spaces that want to get a serious grasp on harassment. “If a venue isn’t going to stand up for it, the general population out there will have your back,” Forrester said.

Capilano University is one of the campuses that GNO has already visited, and will be returning to, for a third session on Apr. 4. CapU is offering the student body the tools to better understand the issues that are prevalent in universities and colleges. So far, the two sessions have engaged students on navigating safely on nights out, debunking rape culture and centring survivors of sexual assault into policies. “We are basing this third workshop on direct feedback on what the students want and need to learn to be better advocates in these situations,” Forrester explained. The workshop is open to anyone interested and will take place in the student union from 11:30 am to 1 pm.

Further, Forrester and Bevan expressed the importance of confident allies and bystanders to this campaign. “Especially reaching male-identified folk in workshops,” Forrester exclaimed. “That is so promising to us, to be able to give them the skills to intervene. It’s ironic, but one of the strongest assets to our campaign is men.”

Community members looking to spark change are encouraged to volunteer in GNO’s efforts. There are unique opportunities that range from auditing venues, social media campaigns, helping with events and doing presentations. GNO celebrates community members’ contributions and reminds us that, “collectively we can help be the change we want to see on the dance floor.”

To learn more, or to get involved visit Goodnightoutcampaign.org/city/ Vancouver or GNO Vancouver’s Facebook page @goodnightoutvancouver.

CABOOSE

HOROSCOPES

THINKING CAP

IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK:

You’re finally getting laid… to rest at the Capilano View cemetery.

Q:

How many square feet of pizza do you estimate you consume each year?

“10 centimeters. I try and eat a little healthier than that.”

Andrew Wilson, fifth-year Jazz Studies AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18):

In case of emergency, throw the person nearest to you on the ground to give yourself an advantage.

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MARCH 20):

Life is like a box of chocolates. Very disappointing.

ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19):

You know that nagging feeling of impending doom? Yeah, that’s going to happen this week.

TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20): Lie on your resume.

LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22):

You didn’t expect the overwhelming response to telling people you travelled around the world for the past year to be, “you left?”

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 21):

Run faster. That bear isn’t getting any slower.

“Aren't pizzas round?”

Rebecca Zanni, first-year Musical Theatre

LIBRA (SEPT. 22 - OCT. 23):

There’s no reason to shower this week.

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 21):

Losing your virginity involved more handcuffs than you expected.

“I would say like four square feet. I only eat it two times a month.”

Jason Lee, first-year Engineering

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20):

Flattery will get you everywhere and anything. Including herpes.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21):

Congratulations on your Creative Writing certificate. Also, congratulations on being approved for welfare.

CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22):

Any attractiveness you may have gained by the recent weight you’ve lost has been offset by the equal amount of hair loss.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19):

“Like 15 to 20, I don't know – I eat a lot of pizza.”

Taylor Shipley, third-year General Arts

Life got you down? Good.

HUMANS OF CAPILANO TO ADVERTISE in the Courier’s pages, please contact us by phone at 778-855-9942 or email Andy Rice, our editor-in-chief, at capcourier@gmail.com.

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Hard Sudoku Puzzles 11

1

SUDOKU

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 19

Sudoku Puzzle

24

8 7 1 9 7

2 6 4 9 3 5 6

5 2 3 4 7 2 1 3 1 6 5 7 2 1

— DOMINIC GUIEB PHOTOS

“What made you love music?”

“I guess it had always been a way to express my individuality as a person. I've never really just levitated or focused on one certain type or genre. I try to keep myself very open minded to every type of music. Right now, I'm going to a jazz school and I'm preparing myself for a punk show on Friday. I guess it's made me open minded to people too. You can tell a lot about people by the music they listen to.”

“What's the name of your all girl punk band?”

“Club Sofa”