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VOLUME 49 ISSUE 13
NOVEMBER 30 - JANUARY 18
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BLUNT FORCE DRAMA
SKI YOU NEXT YEAR
Fans put faith in director JJ Abrams for an epic resurrecrtion of the beloved Star Wars franchise.
A look at BC's best winter destinations when it comes to alpine terrain and après-ski memories.
CONTENTS
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WWW.CAPILANOCOURIER.COM
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02
03
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CRISTIAN FOWLIE
SHOW US YOUR TRUE COLOURS!
VACANT POSITIONS PILE UP FOR CAP U ADMIN
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM AIMS FOR TOP
Cover Art
Editor's Desk
News
Cap You
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19
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14
HOW CREATIVE FLOW CAN RELIEVE STRESS + ANXIETY
SLOW WALKERS
JACQUIE + KENNETH'S WINTER GIFT GUIDE
COLOURING CONTEST: DETAILS AND PRIZES
Features
Opinions
Columns
Caboose
COURIER STAFF Andy Rice
Therese Guieb
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR
Carlo Javier
Gabriel Scorgie
EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR
FEATURES EDITOR
Kevin Kapenda
Mark Crickmay
OPINIONS EDITOR
ARTS + CULTURE EDITOR
COLUMNISTS BRANDON KOSTINUK After a year of working in clandestine, the Courier’s elusive web editor and lead investigative journalist will now also be adding the columnist hat to his ever-growing role with the paper. In this column, Brandon will be talking about sports, but not just the X’s and O’s. He’ll be discussing the controversies and taboo subjects that surround the world of athletics.
MAX LEY
Christine Beyleveldt
Alva Tang
CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER
Cristian Fowlie
Syd Danger
ART DIRECTOR
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Tianyi Bao
Brandon Kostinuk
BUSINESS MANAGER
WEB COORDINATOR
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CONTRIBUTORS JACOB MUIR JESSICA LIO KEARA FARNAN
THE CAPILANO COURIER
SCOTT BARKEMEYER
ART BY CRISTIAN FOWLIE ...YES, ALL OF IT.
Max Ley is here to help. Much of the student population tends to live on a limited budget, which creates a hunger for cheap and accessible “student” foods and the occasional glass (or bottle) of wine. What Max will be doing is finding the perfect budget bottle to pair with your go-to snacks. Yes, we know, we should have this column every week.
ALEXA KWAN Alexa Kwan is so done with school. She is. She’s been graduated for two years and is currently working for a commercial mortgage brokerage. Here, she’ll be writing about life on the outside, beyond the protective boundaries of school. Oh and she’s got an Associate’s Degree from CapU’s Creative Writing program. She’s living proof that CapU can take you places.
KENNETH & JACQUIE We don’t know much about best friends Kenneth and Jacquie other than that they love fashion. However, we couldn’t give them a simple fashion column because you can only joke about Alexander Wang’s wang so many times before it becomes stupid. Instead, they’ll be our very own federal election fashion police. Hey, maybe they can even sway a vote or two!
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
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SHOW US YOUR TRUE COLOURS! Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Every year just before the Christmas break, the Capilano Courier finds itself in a bit of a pickle. Our production cycle grinds to a halt, leaving an issue lingering on stands for over a month until school resumes in January. For a weekly publication, that’s certainly not ideal, but it’s a fact of life for just about every university newspaper in the world. The biggest problem by far, however, is what to do for that final issue. Do we give it a theme like Christmas or winter or sparkles or do we carry on as normal, praying that everything we write is still relevant in the new year? Nobody ever knows. This challenge was one of the first things I thought about when I took the reins of the Courier back in April. I knew this time of the year would come, and before we got there I wanted to have a plan. We’d need something eye-catching and current, but with a good shelf life as well. Thankfully, by September I knew exactly what we were going to do, and I still don’t think it’s ever been done before. For Issue 13 (this one and this one only) we would break away from our regular style and redesign the paper entirely in the form of an adult colouring book. Now that we’ve pulled it off, I’m starting to realize how crazy of an idea that was. Our fantastic art director, Cristian Fowlie, took on the mammoth task of illustrating the whole thing himself — all 14 article illustrations, plus the intricate front and back covers. Our production manager, Syd Danger, took a wrecking ball to our usual fonts and layout. Our community relations manager, Alva Tang, rounded up some killer prizes for anyone dedicated enough to colour the pages. Even our printing company agreed to let us change the paper stock so that the entire thing would be colourable!
But why make an adult colouring book in the first place? Well, as exams draw nearer and the fall semester comes to a close, stress is almost inevitable. Millions of people around the world have turned to creativity as a means to relieve their anxiety and decompress after a hard day, with activities like origami, knitting and colouring being considered among their favourites. Over the past year, adult colouring books have risen to the top of Amazon’s bestsellers list and are anticipated to be one of the most in-demand gifts this holiday season. That’s why we thought it might be fun to publish one of our own, to give you something to scribble on in the hallway between lectures or to use as colourful wrapping paper under the tree. By no coincidence, this week’s cover feature is devoted entirely to the topic of creative stress relief, the psychology behind it and the different stimuli you can enjoy from each activity. I wasn’t kidding about the prizes either. If you turn to the back cover of this issue, you’ll find all of details for our ‘Colour the Courier’ contest which runs until Jan. 18. We’ve got ski passes to Cypress Mountain, guest spots for Vancouver Brewery Tours and day trips to Capilano Suspension Bridge. Plus, there’s some great swag from LUSH, Steve Nash Fitness and Kicking Horse Coffee to give away as well. Winners will be announced every week with a grand prize given away at the end of it all. So break out those felts and pencil crayons and show us your true colours!
Fun fact: In Grade 4, my entire class was asked to write and illustrate a make-believe story about a troll. My attempt at his upper limbs ended up looking so deformed that the teacher thought they were boobs. After a brief chat about troll boobs and proper classroom conduct, she soon realized I was actually just a terrible illustrator and suggested that I hire professionals for all of my future projects. I did, and that’s how I met the Courier's production team.
Fred’s piece this week discusses a valuable life lesson, but it’s hard to separate that from his tearful self-loathing. Is he this whiny in person?
THE VOICEBOX with Carlo Javier
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
#CAPTAINAMERICACIVILWAR
You have no idea.
The only good thing about the currier it’s the art everything else sucks
Is Gabe suffering from a lack of dates? His horoscopes are starting to sound cynical.
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Although the art in the currier is terrific, I’d have to disagree with you. Here at the currier, we actually have a tremendous selection of curry. Our red, yellow and green curries are all fantastic. Have you tried our vindaloo lamb? That’s my personal favourite. Our Steph Curry is pretty good too.
K. So you guys are in that office of yours every Friday, all day. I was wondering… what do you guys eat? We usually have a democratic process for determining what we want to eat, albeit it tends to be discriminatory towards lactose intolerants, vegetarians and vegans. Other than that, for the most part we like to eat anything that delivers. Andy likes Indian, thus the aforementioned selection of curries.
VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13
Thanks for the increased amount of text messages I got as the year went on. We’ll be back next semester — so should ya’ll. He is.
Could you help and alleviate that problem?
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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NEWS
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VACANT ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS AT CAP U
Sudden departures leave vacancies for deans, managers and top-level admin Therese Guieb EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR After a series of departures and retirements announced prior to the Christmas break, Capilano University is looking to fill several top administrative positions over the coming months. Peter Hedley recently left his position as manager of Student Affairs after a year with the institution. Borjana Slipicevic, senior Communications advisor, also tendered her resignation. Both left their positions at CapU in November. In addition, Cindy Turner, vice president of finance and administration, along with Jean Bennett, dean of the Faculty of Education, Health & Human Development and Sunshine Coast, have announced their retirement. Turner has been working for the university for over ten years and claims that her leaving on March 2016 will not be a burden to the school’s affairs. “Actually, I’m leaving at a good time in terms of the work that I do,” she said. “It actually is quite a natural time to leave. As you can imagine all of our work isn’t on the same schedule as the academic schedule.” As one of the most important leaders on campus, Turner governs several divisions at CapU which include the Internet Technology (IT), Human Resources (HR), Facilities and Finance departments, as well as Contract Services and Capital Planning, plus the policy and conflict resolution people. “A lot of my work is in the coordination of
those departments between each other and with the academic department I look after legal budget, the investment committee and the Capilano Foundation.” Her successor has yet to be determined and the school is still on the hunt for a replacement. “A search of this kind usually takes about six months,” said Turner. After 21 years of serving for CapU, starting as an ABE professor, Bennett is also retiring from her position and her last day will be on Dec. 31. “I’ve been at Cap for 21 years, had a number of different roles. I’ve been a dean for eight years now and I was just ready to go,” shared Bennett. The acting dean that was chosen to take over her role before a permanent dean is hired is Kim McLeod. who is currently the chair of the School of Tourism Management and Outdoor Recreation. Bennett stated that an acting dean does the same roles as a dean but is hired only for a period of time before an actual dean is hired. According to Bennett, responsibilities of the dean of Faculty of Education, Health & Human Development and Sunshine Coast include “making sure that we’re providing what we said we would provide to students, that departments are mounting the courses, delivering the curriculum and following on the various procedures of the school.” Bennett is also responsible for three different programs at the North Van-
couver and Sunshine Coast campuses. “There is the School of Allied Health, the School of Education and Childhood Studies and the School of Access and Academic Preparation,” she noted. More positions are soon to be vacated, consolidated or created as well. Acting dean of Business and Professional Studies, Leighan Crowe, will end her term on August 2016 and a permanent dean is still yet to be determined. The manager of Systems Analysis position is also vacant, following the departure of Niloufar Torabi. Hugh Swan, the manager of Facilities, has recently stepped down. Peter Walsh was named the new manager of student affairs, after joining CapU on Nov. 23 and Sarah Parker has taken over the senior communications advisor position from Slipicevic. A new position, associate vice president of Student Success, has been created to assist Dr. Richard Gale in his role of vice president, Academic and Provost. The university has hired the Vacouverbased firm PFM Executive Search to find a suitable candidate. As was announced last year, current president and vice chancellor Kris Bulcroft will be vacating her position in July 2016. The change in the administrative staff at CapU is noted by Parveen Mann, the University's director of Human resources, to only be “normal.” Mann added, “In an organization of our size — about a thou-
sand employees or so — from time to time we do get employees transitioning in and out, so I would say it is sort of characteristic for an organization to do this from time to time. We don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing — I mean, it’s something that normally happens.” During the CapU Board of Governors’ meeting on Nov. 17, it was stated that new hires for Aboriginal and Community Outreach and Teaching and Learning are in the midst of a search process as well. The roles for the positions weren’t thoroughly discussed during the meeting, and in a recent interview with the Courier, Mann added that she wasn’t aware of them. However, Turner explained that the creation of the new positions was the result of the Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2018. “We didn’t have some of these positions to begin with in the beginning of this budget year. We had the Strategic Plan so we could follow and advocate it,” said Turner. “We picked the most important things. The community, the executive, the board, everyone recommended that we do the Strategic Plan and follow through with it so a lot of those are coming out of it directly and we’re going to see more of those in the future.” More information regarding the vacant positions and search progress for new deans and top admininstrators will be available in the Courier’s Jan. 18 issue.
CSU IN TALKS TO BUILD NEW STUDENT UNION BUILDING
Board of Directors meeting discusses donations, Compass cards and spring events Christine Beyleveldt
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CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT Capilano Students’ Union’s (CSU) Board of Directors held a meeting on Nov. 26, during which the board discussed the highlights of the fall semester and reviewed the various committees’ plans for 2016. To commence, Nancy Smeal, chief returning officer of the CSU, gave feedback on the CSU’s contributions toward the U-Pass referendum. John Kinsley, Queer Students’ Liaison presented his plan to host a second annual Gender-Bender week on campus in the spring semester. During the week, the Queer Students’ Collective would host a community fair and dinner, host workshops on campus while the last day would be a “Gender-Bender night of fun,” according to Kinsley. CSU President Zach Renwick mentioned the possibility of constructing a student union building on campus, a
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discussion that has been highlighted in a number of meetings already. According to Renwick, the obstacles lie in obtaining permission from the university and finding a suitable location on campus property, although architect Tony Yip has already proposed to design the future building after his success on previous student union building projects throughout greater Vancouver. Vice president of Student Life Kate Phifer addressed the board with her plans to host another Rail Jam in 2016. For three consecutive years, Capilano University has transformed the Cedar courtyard into a rail park for the skiers and snowboarders among the student body, and each year the student-run exhibition attracts hundreds of spectators. According to Phifer, the Student Life Committee’s goal is to bring in 800 attendees, and a budget of $500 will be
required to fund the event and acquire prizes for the competitors. On a more serious note, Business and Professional Studies representative Michelle Gervais addressed the topic of incoming Syrian refugees. She motioned to have donation bins set up in the CSU Members Centre, and for the organization to release $100 in funds in order to rent vans and drive donated supplies to the Middle Eastern Centre in Surrey. As of Nov. 27, 1,500 refugees arrived in the outskirts of Vancouver. To conclude the meeting, Gervais also touched on the recently raised issue of the Compass Card dispensers in the Birch building and the Library. As of Nov. 30, dispensers will be removed and students will be able to acquire their Compass Cards from the Cap Card centre in the basement of the Arbutus building for no extra cost.
Keep Up With the Courier Find up-to-the-minute campus news at CapilanoCourier.com and on social media. @capilanocourier
NEWS
THERESE GUIEB
EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR NEWS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM
A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
CapU Women’s Studies department to host memorial service on campus Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT On Dec. 6, we remember 14 women who were murdered at École Polytechnique at the University of Montreal in 1989 in what can only be described as a misogynistic attempt to take revenge out on the lives of female students. Capilano University’s Women’s and Gender Studies department and First Nations Student Services hold a memorial service every year for the women murdered at École Polytechnique as well as the numerous missing and murdered indigenous women across the country. This year’s memorial is set to take place on Dec. 3 at the Kéxwusm-áyakn Pavilion in the courtyard between the First Nations Centre and the Birch building. Women’s and Gender Studies faculty member Efrat El-Hanany made it clear that the event is not just for women. The organizers wish to include all students, staff and faculty. “It's a human and social concern that everyone should be aware of,” said El-Hanany. Following a short memorial service for the women who have lost their lives to violence over the years, the documentary Marker of Change: The Story of the Women’s Monument by cinematographer Moira Simp-
son will be screened in the First Nations Centre, and Elder Ernie George will follow up with a blessing. The premise of the film follows the seven-year struggle of Capilano College students to erect a monument to all women who have been murdered by men, as El-Hanany explained. "In memory and in grief for all women murdered by men.” The inscription on the monument read, “For women of all countries, all classes, all ages, and all colours." The monument was erected in
Thornton Park in 1997 on the anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre. As Simpson attempts to explain in her film, the name of the murderer will always be remembered, but few will remember the names of the victims, and that is why the topic needs to be open for discussion. The inscription in particular sparked outrage and debate in the media, but the project drew so much attention that artists competed for the privilege of designing the monument, and won by Toronto artist, Beth Alber.
“The event on Dec. 3 is intended to provoke a shift in Canadian consciousness, from denial to healing to societal change,” said El-Hanany. Gender-based violence is deeply ingrained in Canadian society, and it’s a problem that isn’t given the attention change-seekers believe it needs. As El-Hanany and the students of the Women’s and Gender Studies program point out, while a small number of men are accountable for the crimes committed against women, a much larger number can also play pivotal roles as bystanders who can confront abusers and make society a safer place for both genders. “Gender violence is a men’s issue that involves men of all ages and socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds,” she said. Behind the scenes, an incredible effort was poured into this event. Many weeks of correspondence between marketing and communications and the programs involved in hosting the event were necessary in order to bring dedicated organizers together. El-Hanany noted that the event is designed to unite students in remembrance.
SUNSHINE COAST CAMPUS HOPES FOR MORE SERVICES CSU representative reveals needs for student body Therese Guieb NEWS EDITOR
the election for spring in Squamish, so every year we would have to have a byelection for Squamish,” explained Phifer. "But as far as Sunshine Coast, we’re just going to really try and get Sarah to find someone to succeed her.” The CSU headquarters in North Vancouver keeps in touch with Villeneuve frequently to keep her in the loop with the CSU activities in all three campuses. “I’ve spent a lot of time with her on the phone just because she really wants to be involved but there is a lot of learning and its really different because here it’s really easy for us to do what we do, but for her its way more a challenge because she really doesn’t know much about the CSU,” said Phifer. Training the student representatives is key to get them to have their initiatives present at the satellite campuses. In December, the CSU will be having a director development weekend to train the student representatives. “Its two days long so it’s all day Saturday and all day Sunday, and that is really training what it means to be on the CSU,” noted Phifer. “We are trying to do everything we can, it’s a learning curve for us too because we’ve never had these reps, so there is nothing really in place as far as this is how we train people.”
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about what’s coming up, more different classes that are being offered,” she said. Villeneuve also wants to see the CSU app coming to Sunshine Coast to keep students better informed about current events. “I know compared to the Vancouver campus we are so much smaller, but definitely creating awareness and letting everybody know that we are sister universities, so if something is going on in North Vancouver, we are still part of all the Cap students,” she continued. “They’re super small, and what we want to do is help them to figure out a way for them to feel like they’re more part of the campus… We want to give them a voice to the university, to demand more services and stuff for them,” added Phifer. “The thing that we can do that’s easy is take them handbooks, bring them information about our health and dental plan, and even throw events for them out there.” Since programs at the satellites campuses differ in length and size than in North Vancouver, it can often conflict with long-term plans that the representatives might have for their respective campuses. “It’s really hard because in Squamish, their program actually starts in the fall and it’s a one-year program so there isn’t going to be anyone to run in
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Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) services are now available at Capilano University’s Sunshine Coast regional campus. During by-elections held in October, Sarah Villeneuve was voted as the CSU student representative for the Sunshine Coast, finally bringing a CSU presence to the area. According to Villeneuve, although the CSU is now present on the Sunshine Coast, it still has a long way to go in terms of offering services similar to North Vancouver’s CSU headquarters. “I’m actually still learning about it [the CSU],” said Villeneuve, “I was really excited about it, especially because nobody had a lot of information about it, and I think that’s what made me really excited to apply for the position knowing that we have something and every student pays into it and we didn’t really know that it was something that was offered.” Student planners from the CSU were available on campus at the beginning of the fall semester as well as posters about the by-elections. Villeneuve claimed that these were the only visible pieces of signage that were present which prompted her and other students
to want to learn more about the organization. “Right before [by-]election day, there was a posting that went up in our student room, and it was the same time when the 2015/2016 planners went out, and before that, as far as I know, there was no other sign that existed in our school,” she noted. “We’ve never had reps from either Squamish or Sechelt and this year we do, and I’ve actually been out to Sechelt twice this year to try and figure out how to help them because they feel really disconnected,” said Kate Phifer, vice president of Student Life at CapU. Budget for the Sunshine Coast campus is one of the biggest factors in restraining the CSU headquarters to help campus representative fulfill their plans for their campus. “Here we have so much more and they have so little, but it’s really hard when we’re not going to school out there, so having someone that can actually represent us and what goes on out there [is important] because it’s hard for us to really know,” added Phifer. Now that the CSU is more visible on campus, Villeneuve pointed out that she wants to start organizing activities and creating more opportunities for students in comparison to the North Vancouver campus. “I believe the other campuses have more job fairs, more information
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COMPASS CARD DISPENSERS TO BE REMOVED
Students will no longer be able to purchase U-Pass and Compass Card on campus Therese Guieb NEWS EDITOR
Compass Card dispensers will be removed from their location outside the Capilano University Library on Nov. 30. While this may seem like a confusing outcome following a Nov. 19 referendum that approved continuation of the U-Pass, the Capilano Students’ Union assures the student body has nothing to worry about. “The university taking away the dispensers was always in the plan because when Translink first introduced the Compass Card, they used the universities as a testing ground to upload the Compass Card,” explained Sacha Fabry, Capilano Students’ Union’s vice president of University of Relations. “They wanted to make sure the transition was as smooth as possible so whether or not the U-Pass referendum passed it would still be removed.” The Compass Card and U-Pass BC are two different fare programs that Translink offers. “The Compass Card is something that is universal to Translink. Everybody that takes tran-
sit from now on is going to be needing a Compass Card unless they’re just needing a one way fare, which can still be printed,” noted Fabry. “The U-Pass is a program that specific to university students and the referendum was about that. So every person who takes transit, has a Compass Card that you load electronically.” As a result of the removal of the dispensers on campus, students can no longer obtain their Compass Card at CapU. Instead, students will need to purchase their card at approved retailers, which include Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs and 7/11. A complete list of the approved retailers is available at Translink.ca. “Everyone who is coming into the university is expected to already have a Compass Card and what they will be loading onto it is the specific U-Pass program which is $40,” said Fabry. Students will have to pay a $6 deposit when they buy the card, but the $6 will be returned to them through the form of a bus fare loaded on to theEN card.
gs n i v a r c one’s y r e v e to
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Boston Pizza and the Boston Pizza roundel are registered trademarks of Boston Pizza Royalties Limited Partnership, used under license. Here To Make You Happy is a trademark of Boston Pizza International Inc. © Boston Pizza International Inc. 2012.
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In an event that the student loses the Compass Card, they would have to buy another from the approved retailers to replace it and again reload online. “There are some students who are going to think it’s a good thing. Some students are going to think it’s going to be inconvenient,” said Fabry. “Students who have never had experience with the
card, who don’t know that they have to go to this place, it’s going to be difficult for them to understand and they will need some help transitioning.” According to Fabry, the CSU will be promoting the new system on their social media pages while CapU will also be providing information about the cards through its student email service.
Keep Up With the Courier Find up-to-the-minute campus news at CapilanoCourier.com and on social media. @capilanocourier
CAP YOU
CARLO JAVIER
EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR CARLO.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM
SETTING SIGHTS FOR NATIONALS
Blues Women’s volleyball team aims for top spot heading into second semester Jacob Muir CONTRIBUTOR Despite a rocky start, the Capilano Blues women’s volleyball team remains intent on securing a shot at the national title. The theme of the season has been how the Blues had to quickly integrate their rookies into the collegiate level of athletics. “We have a lot of potential, but six of us are rookies and six of us are returning,” explained second-year player Danae Shephard. “It’s hard when we have to rely on the rookies… at the university level there’s so many nerves,” added Keeley Bell, a rookie herself. However, the rookies, who make uphalf of the team, have brought an intensity and enthusiasm to a group that has been building since day one. “We went to Santa Barbra for a week at the start of the season, and since then we’ve gotten miles better,” Bell said. Skills, performance, consistency and cohesiveness were both on Shephard’s and Bell’s lists of improvements. They both credit their head coach, Cal Wohlford for the team’s growth, “We like Cal
and sometimes he likes us,” said Bell. “He’s the right amount of tough.” Unfortunately, the girls have had more than its fair share of tragedy. The team expected to have a star in Isabella Lima, a former volleyball pro from Brazil. However, a virus rendered Lima unable to play. “When we were in Santa Barbra, she picked up a virus. When she came back she was not
feeling well and was really run down so she went to the doctor and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. They thought she was having a heart attack for a while,” explained Bell. “The whole left side of her body was hurting and then went numb. The virus attacked Isabella’s nervous system and her whole left side was paralyzed. Now she’s rehabbing and she’s
coming back in a week.” It’s unclear at this point how soon Lima will be able to play, but the team is at a turning point. “The first half of the season, we looked more towards building the skill on our team and getting consistent,” said Shephard. However, the team still has a ways to go. “We need to stop focusing on the little things. When we are enjoying the game, we play our best,” she added. Regardless of anything the team may be lacking, the attitude going forward is visibly different. “Second semester we’re going all out,” Bell exclaimed. We want to come first in our league. We want to sweep. We don’t need to be first (to make playoffs) but that’s the goal we’re setting so that we can make sure everyone’s playing to their full potential.” The team has to make the top three spots in their league to make it to provincials and then be in the top two to make the leap to nationals. Both Shepherd and Bell agree that the team is headed for the title. The Blues women’s volleyball team enters the winter break second in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) with a record of seven wins and three losses.
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— VANCOUVER SPORTS PICTURES
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WHO YOU: CHRISTINE HOPPENRATH
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Stories from the classroom, at home and abroad Jessica Lio CONTRIBUTOR Christine Hoppenrath, a Communications instructor at Capilano University, has been described as highly dedicated and one of the nicest teachers at the school. She’s known for her extensive history of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) both locally and abroad, as well as for her unbridled love for cats. Like many students in the arts, she picked her major because she loved learning about it, not to find a job. She wound up earning a degree in Sociology and found herself backpacking through Southeast Asia after graduating. “I got inspired, went back to Vancouver to study to be an ESL teacher,” she said. “I loved it and one year later, I got a job back in Japan.” This was just the beginning of her adventures teaching ESL. When she returned from Japan, Hoppenrath worked at UBC as an assistant for the international program before eventually completing her master’s degree in Sociology of Education. In the 1980s, she taught ESL to refugees in Vancouver and travelled overseas again to teach in Korea and Hungary. Since then, she has written and edited textbooks, adopted two adorable cats and taught grammar and business writing at CapU. When asked about her travels abroad, she spoke with excitement and nostalgia. For Hoppenrath, the best parts of working as a traveller were meeting new people, immersing herself in diverse cultures and getting to enjoy amazing cuisines. Whether it was looking for the best kimchi in Seoul or the bars and cafés of Hungary, each neighbourhood was fun to explore. “I met so
many great people, you get really close with your colleagues, you’re always going out with them and laughing as you stumble around in a different culture. I never dreaded going to work because it was so much fun,” she said. Although she didn’t want to name a single place as her favourite, she shared some of the best things about working in Eger, a small town in the Eastern part of Hungary. “I would just walk along the cobblestone streets to work — it was my dream.” Hoppenrath recalled sharing Slivovitz (plum brandy) with her colleagues at morning faculty meetings. “I’d bring my coffee, there’d be snacks for breakfast, then the coordinator would pull a bottle out of his filing cabinet and we’d all have our schnapps. The meetings were so great. That’s what we need here,” she mused. Although there were plenty of classroom customs she had to learn, she was able to manoeuvre her way around how to behave, what to wear and figuring out how things operated in each school. “As sensitive as I was, there were always funny cultural mistakes I made as I stumbled along,” she confessed, adding that “You never figure out the culture completely. The longer you’re in a place, the less you understand of it — you lose all your stereotypes and it gets more confusing in a way.” Hoppenrath believes the key to learning new languages is through reading and surrounding yourself with people who speak the language. While some of the best learning can happen in classrooms, she has found that one of the biggest challenges of keeping
— CRISTIAN FOWLIE
students engaged is dealing with the use of phones or computers. “It’s hard to compete. I’ve had to teach shorter, punchier lessons,” she said, “It’s human nature to get distracted, but it’s a new issue and that makes it an interesting challenge.” While there are many theories about teaching language and grammar, Hoppenrath has developed her own way of keeping students engaged. “[Grammar] is not the sexiest topic, but I try to make it as interesting as possible. When I’m demonstrating a grammar point, I try to bring in my favourite things — cats, shoes and chocolate. I’ll show some slides of my cats and then incorporate apostrophes into the lesson.” Hoppenrath joked that students could get away with watching cat videos in class, as long as they showed them to her too. She maintained an optimistic outlook and expressed admiration for her students. “I think the international students are really motivated,” Hoppenrath commented. “Writing papers about complex issues in another language can be tough, but I get to see them improve
and the progress is just incredible.” When asked about her two cats, Hoppenrath showed a photo of the pair — one black, one white. She introduced them as Sefid and Pashmaloo, names that were picked out by her former students which mean ‘white’ and ‘hairy woman’ in Farsi. She disclosed that she sometimes joked with her students about the cats deciding what marks to give out. “One time, Sefid chewed up a student’s homework. She just pulled it out of the pile, chewed it and scratched it up to pieces. I had to give it back to the student and say ‘my cat ate your homework.’” Despite her desires to travel and see more of the world, Hoppenrath still loves Vancouver and plans to call the city home. She loves keeping in touch with former students, especially those who have cats and will send her pictures, but when we asked her if she had plans to adopt more cats, she was reluctant to answer. “My husband says no. He’s worried about me turning into a crazy cat lady. He loves them too, but he says two is enough… Who knows, maybe when I retire, we’ll have more!”
OVER AND OUT
Campus events wind down for holidays; will resume Jan. 7 with CSU open house Carlo Javier
THE CAPILANO COURIER
VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13
EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR Winter break’s impending arrival is a welcome sight for Capilano Students’ Union’s vice president of Student Life, Kate Phifer. For now, just like much of the Capilano University community, the CSU will be taking a break from hosting events and programs for the campus, with plans ready for the new year. “I think for this semester we’re pretty much done with everything,” said Phifer. “Nothing else is gonna happen until the new year.” This past semester, students saw several events and programs that Phifer helped put together for CapU. The semester began with the well-received CSU Welcome Back Barbecue, and fea-
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tured several other successful community-building celebrations throughout the semester such as a film festival and last week’s De-Stress Week. “I’ve learned a lot. The Welcome Back Barbecue was awesome, the film festival was great — even this whole week of De-Stress ended up being better than I thought it could’ve been, but it’s been busy,” Phifer said. Although De-Stress Week marks the end of campus-based events that the CSU will be organizing, the spring semester hopes to re-ignite the strong community involvement that grew apartment during the fall semester. Returning students will be treated
with the festivities of the CSU Open House, slated for Jan. 7. The event follows the formula of the Welcome Back Barbecue but will have a focus on the collectives and clubs that operate under the CSU banner. “We’ll be promoting all the clubs, collectives and committees to let everyone know about the different ways they can get involved,” said Phifer. The Open House will be held at the CSU Library Lounge and food and drinks will be available. Furthermore, on Jan. 21, CapU will once again get to host the increasingly popular Rail Jam, the in-house ski and snowboarding event that’s been organized within CapU grounds for the past
three years. Like always, the organizers of Rail Jam will be cooperating with a charity with the goals of providing auxiliary aid with an organization dedicated to spreading goodwill. This year, Rail Jam will be working with the Project Change Foundation, a group that dedicates its resources in supporting individuals and smaller groups that operate with the goals of starting positive change in their respective communities. For now, at least once finals are over, students will get to enjoy a much-needed break from a busy school semester, “It’s been hectic. It’s been super, super busy but it was a lot fun,” Phifer said.
FEATURES
GABRIEL SCORGIE FEATURES EDITOR SPECIALFEATURES.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM
SKIING IS BELIEVING
Learn the A-B-Skis of British Columbia’s winter destinations Carlo Javier EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR
return by the end of a night – an ounce of homegrown weed. Beyond the conventional big mountains, BC is home to many other locations that offer fantastic options for skiing and snowboarding. Here are some of the best that the province has to offer:
FERNIE ALPINE
Noted for its substantial amount of annual snowfall, Fernie Alpine Resort shines as one of the (last) beacons of why people want to go to Fernie. It offers 10 lift services and 142 trail runs. The mountains in this part of Rockies are also open in the summer for Downhill Mountain biking, hiking and taking cool Instagram photos. Top elevation: 2,149 m Base elevation: 1,068 m Skiable area: 2,500 acres
WHITEWATER SKI
Located in Ymir Bowl, Whitewater Ski Resort stands as one of the oldest ski hills in North America. Whitewater is only a 15-minute drive away from Nelson, BC, which sounds amazing considering Nelson is a ridiculous eight hour drive away from Vancouver. It contains 46 designated trail runs, which is evenly split between the intermediate and expert levels. Beginner levels don’t get as much love because beginners go to Grouse. Top elevation: 2,045 m Base elevation: 1,615 m Skiable area: 1,180 acres
REVELSTOKE MOUNTAIN
This one’s already in the record books for boasting the longest vertical drop of any resort in North America. It’s aiming to become the largest overall resort in all of North America once the entirety of its trails is finally completed. Currently, Revelstoke has 40 designated trails and four lifts in service. Aim high Revelstoke, get on that Guinness book! Top elevation: 2,225 m Base elevation: 512 m Skiable area: 3031 acres
RED MOUNTAIN
where. It’s got well-known programs and facilities that accommodate cross-country skiing, which is a must considering it’s literally like crossing a country when finding this place. The closest city is Vernon, which Consumer Report ranked as one of the six best cities to retire to in North America. Top elevation: 1915 m Base elevation: 1155 m Skiable area: 3,965 acres
KICKING HORSE
This isn’t PETA’s favourite resort but it does feature the fourth-highest vertical drop in North America. It’s got 106 trail runs that are quite evenly distributed across levels of skill. It even features a set of expert trail runs for the daring type. It features wonderful backcountry access and is also proud of its high-speed gondola, the Golden Eagle Express, another piece of transportation more reliable than Translink. Top elevation: 2,450 m Base elevation: 1,190 m Skiable area: 2.750 acres
BC’s ski and snowboard community is an undeniable entity. Based on the province’s natural terrain alone, it’s easy to see why British Columbians are fond of the backcountry and snow. “I think it’s such a hub for [ski culture], it’s incredible,” Palmquist said. “There’s lots of product development that happens here, companies like Endeavour for example, who are based in Vancouver and they have a lab in their office space where they can make boards within 48 hours and they’re out riding them on the North Shore.” Despite the culture, many of the province’s resorts, particularly the mountains closer to the Lower Mainland have made a conscious move towards alleviating the perils that come with the lack of snowfall. For Palmquist, though there really isn’t much different between simple skiing on artificial and natural snow, there is a restriction to ride options. “You can’t get into all that super fun backcountry, through-the-trees, waist deep snow. But you’re getting up and down the hill.”
There seems to be a pattern here. Red Mountain is also another one of the oldest ski hills in North America, so it’s at the point where boasting that a certain ski hill in BC is older than another is clearly pointless. It’s got a healthy 110 runs that are noted for being geared towards intermediate and expert skiers. It’s also a convenient five-minute drive away from Rossland in West Kootenay, which is convenient if you lived in Rossland. Top elevation: 2,072 m Base elevation: 1,185 m Skiable area: 4,200 acres
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SILVER STAR
Found in the depths of the Shuswap Highland in the Monashee Mountain range, Silver Star resort is literally resting in the middle of no-
— CRISTIAN FOWLIE
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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13
Winter’s arrival signals many things for Vancouverites. For one, students get a much-needed break from the ever-stressful confines of school. Some choose to travel out of the province or country, while others elect to enjoy the comforts of their homes. Once the temperature plummets and the snow — or in the Lower Mainland’s case, the cold rain — drops, the insatiable desire to stay blanketed in the warmth of a bed becomes irresistible and the growing proverb of “Netflix and Chill” evolves into a lifestyle. Winter also marks the opening of BC’s ski and snowboard resorts. Big name locations such as Whistler Blackcomb, Grouse Mountain, Cypress Mountain and Mount Seymour stand as among the most popular winter destinations in the province. However, there are times when a bigger establishment doesn’t always mean better — particularly in the ski and snowboarding community. Andrew Palmquist is a freelance graphic designer and outdoor enthusiast. He’s worked at action sports and fashion e-commerce site JRH Agency, as well as BC’s largest independently owned sports retailer, Comor Sports. Throughout his career, he’s managed to find ways to amalgamate his skills with illustration and his passion for everything outdoors. For Palmquist, other than the amount of snow on a mountain, one of the telling signs to a good ski resort is the community that surrounds it. “Besides good conditions, easy enough to get to, that small mountain feel is what I like, that whole sense of community just buzzing around the mountain,” he said. One of Palmquist’s most memorable experiences came at Mount Baldy in southern BC. “That is a gem of a spot. That is a true ski-town,” he exclaimed. The small community vibe is ever-present in Mount Baldy. The town, which Palmquist describes to be roughly the same size of Capilano University, is centred on its two chairlifts that the community operates through funding that’s either been raised or donated. Palmquist came across Mount Baldy two years ago, right before the resort closed due to bankruptcy. He recalled one of the lasting moments that truly defined the resort’s sense of community. A few of his friends made a jump at the ski run as the sun began to set. The group was ready to call it a day as the impending darkness started to hinder their vision, only to have one of their neighbours offer to bring out his snowcat just to shine the lights on their jump. During this time, Palmquist and his group also met lodge neighbours who so happened to have needed some ski wax, and the age-old adage, “generosity breeds generosity” was reaffirmed. After giving away a bunch of wax and even t-shirts to those in need, Palmquist found himself and his friends a friendly gift in
GOING WITH
Harnessing your creative brain may
Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Adding a craft project to your to-do list during times of stress might seem like a recipe for coming unglued, but many experts are touting evidence to support the opposite. The topic has been frequent fodder for news organizations like the New York Times, Huffington Post and CNN, all of which have highlighted a renewed interest in activities like knitting and origami, as well as the rise of colouring books for the adult market. When anxiety sets in, people are looking to lose themselves in something fun, creative and cognitively forgiving — even if they only have a few minutes to spare. That feeling of complete artistic absorption is what renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “flow,” the ideal balance between boredom and stimulation. This state of mind allows a person to forget about what’s troubling them, focusing only on the task at hand. When people talk about being “in the zone,” this is the zone they’re speaking of. “If you have an activity that absorbs enough of your attention — not too much that it becomes stressful, but just enough — then there’s no room in your mind for those random thoughts that make you feel bad,” explained Dr. Janet Waters, a longtime instructor in Capilano University’s Psychology department. “It fills your consciousness, and when you’re immersed in that activity that you know how to do well, either you’re skilled enough at it like origami or it doesn’t take a lot of skill like colouring, you can just let the flow happen.” Knitting offers a whole other set of benefits. “With knitting, the flow comes from
the repeated action,” she said. “It’s repetitive but each row is different enough and you’re following a pattern so you have to concentrate a little bit — not terribly, but enough. It is that lovely middle ground; it’s not boring but not too intense.” Alex Patterson, an avid crocheter and private knitting instructor, agrees. “I think anytime you are doing an activity where there’s a lot of repetition, it’s easier for your mind to kind of turn off and let go of the worries of the day and just kind of reboot,” she said. “Knitting is a very repetitive thing, especially if you’ve got a more simple project going on. I tend to have several different projects on the go all at the same time. I’ve got something that’s pretty mindless and simple and then I’ve got things that are maybe a little bit more challenging or if I’m trying to learn a new skill, or if it’s just a pattern that I really love and I want to be wearing it at the end of the day.”
IN KNIT TO WIN KNIT Patterson works four days a week at Three Bags Full, a popular yarn shop in Vancouver’s Riley Park neighbourhood. “We have such a diverse group of people that come into the store,” she said. “We’ve got students, we’ve got adults, we’ve got older
GRAB A PEN OR TEN
adults, we’ve got men that come in, and it’s really cool to kind of see how broad the scope is and all of these different people with all of these diverse backgrounds and they’re all just drawn to the same thing for kind of the same reasons. “Knitting is one of those great things where you can get so much out of it,” she continued. “You can do it purely for stress relief and only do simple projects — I know a lot of people where that’s exactly why they do it — but there’s also the creative outlet too. People like to experiment
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and play with colour. It’s the tactile nature of it, I think, that draws a lot of people to it.” Knitting is also quite portable and is widely accepted in a variety of social situations. “It’s very easy to do in those quiet times of the day, or those weird times of the day, like if you’re sitting in the doctor’s office,” said Patterson. “Instead of browsing your phone you could be knitting, or when you’re watching TV you could knit and actually be accomplishing something, so I think in a society where everything’s so jampacked it’s nice to be able to actually feel like you have some visual representation of how you’ve spent your time. “I think it helps a lot of people focus as well,” she added. “One of my co-workers has told me a couple of times that she knit her way through university because in her lectures she would always have her knitting with her and it would always help her focus and retain a lot more information.” Waters had a similar experience during her own educational pursuits. “When I was in graduate school, crochet and knitting was a real fad. My niece, recently in graduate school, is doing the same thing — she took up knitting. She said many of the people in graduate school were knitting because it was such a relief from the intense mental concentration that they have to do. This busy handwork really helped them relax.” Despite working long hours in a veritable world of wool, Patterson still turns to knitting as a way to decompress at the end of a shift. “I find it really relaxing, so especially at the end of a hectic day if I just get a chance to sit down even for 20 minutes to knit that really helps me to unwind,” she said. “And I just like the idea of making something at the end of it all.
For those who are lacking the time or skill to create a project entirely from scratch, there are plenty of other crafty activities available. Adult colouring books are undoubtedly at the top of that list, providing a relaxed and easy way to interpret the skeletal structure of someone else’s art. These books have been a hot-ticket item heading into the 2015 holiday season, taking up entire tables at local bookstores and dominating the bestsellers list on Amazon. com. “I have one myself,” confessed Waters. Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford has been widely credited with starting the adult colouring movement after publishing Secret Garden in 2013. Since then, the book has sold over one million copies, with other authors following suit with versions of their own. Vancouver artists Carrie Wong and Wi-
THE FLOW
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tek Radomski are part of this growing list of trend-setters. After a successful Kickstarter campaign that wrapped up this past August, the couple unveiled their book, Legendary Landscapes, at the beginning of No-
post them on social media to show off their progress or show off their work,” said Wong, remarking how Facebook has replaced the family fridge in that regard. “I’m part of a number of adult colouring groups on social media and they have members like over 20,000. It’s crazy, you know. Someone posts a coloured picture and they can get 300 likes in an hour.”
A TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY
vember. Available at London Drugs, Opus Art Supplies and online at Colorworth.com, the 12-inch by 12-inch publication is a sight to behold, with 86 pages of locally-themed illustrations awaiting endless combinations of colour. “Some people are using coloured pencil crayons, some people are using watercolour pencils, markers, all sorts of things,” said Radomski. “Some people go for shading that’s really detailed, some people go very fast with scribbly colours. Everyone has their unique styles.” “It’s cool to see different people’s takes on the same piece,” added Wong. “The same piece can be coloured countless different ways.” It’s that level of choice that Waters and other psychologists believe to be an enticing bonus of adult colouring. “In your creative project you have control,” she said. “I think that is a big element to it, and the playfulness of it too.” “You stop thinking about [stress]. You just think about the colours and it really brings in a lot of creativity,” said Radomski. “You don’t have to use too much logic. You’re sort of relaxed and just filling in all the shapes and putting in interesting beautiful colours all over the image.” When the page is finally finished, there comes an opportunity to share it with others. “A lot of people like to take pictures and
While the Internet may have taken over as the easel of choice for most of the world’s amateur artists, it’s hard to imagine a digitized version of origami or the ability to knit a scarf on an iPad. For those activities, human hands will likely always be required, but for colouring it’s an entirely different story. In the past few years, there has been a wide assortment of apps popping up online. The most popular, Colorfy, is currently offered for free on iTunes and utilizes a tapto-colour interface that eschews many of the usual motions one would associate with a pencil crayon. “That’s boring,” said Waters. “I like the motion of the colouring.” Patterson feels much the same when it comes to knitting. “I find it’s kind of a way to get grounded and reconnect and find some kind of humanness,” she explained. “At the end of the day, digital things get turned off and they’re cold and they’re hard and there’s nothing animate about them, but with knitting it’s almost like getting back to your roots.”
Not every activity will appeal to every individual though. For some, an app may even be the preferable option. “I think that probably different activities appeal to different people,” said Waters. “Somebody with good fine motor skills would be interested in knitting and origami but somebody who doesn’t
have good fine motor skills in their fingers wouldn’t be. Colouring, everybody could do. “It could be a personality difference too — extrovert versus introvert,” she continued. “Extroverts might like a flow activity that they would do in groups. Introverts would like one that’s private and pe rsonal.” Several times a month, Wong and Radomski host a colouring meet-up at the Vancouver Public Library downtown, attracting individuals with both traits. “Basically it’s a social colouring session,” explained Wong. “A lot of people just chat and colour and share different techniques that they’ve learned.” “You can colour by yourself at home but it’s nice to come out every couple weeks, have a coffee and chat about things and colour at the same time,” added Radomski. Patterson meets regularly with several of her knitting friends as well, just to socialize and exchange ideas. “They don’t call them Stitch ’n Bitches for nothing,” she laughed. In contrast with origami, colouring and knitting, which are solo activities that can be done in groups if desired, there are others that require large numbers of people in order to work at all. “Like drumming circles,” said Waters. “I was in a drumming circle for years. Even though I never played an instrument I could drum as much a as a drumming circle needed me to, but the flow in that case is more of a group flow. It’s immersion. The feeling of flow is the immersion in an activity where now you’re not just concentrating on your own creation. You’re concentrating on the creation of the group as a whole, and the group can take you off in a direction you wouldn’t have gone into yourself. “All of these activities are non-verbal, at least not talking out loud,” she continued, “So it’s a different language altogether — the language of colour and colouring, the language of sound and drum circles — and it really takes you out, again, of that mental place of intense concentration and mental effort. If you know what you’re doing you can almost let your fingers do it. You get into that rhythm, you get into that flow, then it’s just time to relax and let your troubles go.”
— CRISTIAN FOWLIE
relieve stress and reduce anxiety
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THE BEST CANYON LIGHTS YET
'Tis the season to be festive at Capilano Suspension Bridge team really, truly enjoy working during the Canyon Lights as well. “Who couldn’t? They are spreading holiday cheer to everyone who visits!” The display has now been going on for a decade, and it only gets more exciting as time goes on. “Every year the event gets bigger and better,” she says, “Guests thoroughly enjoy our lighting experience. It has become a holiday tradition for so many Vancouverites. People like traditions, especially around the holiday season. It gives you a special feeling when you visit here, it’s almost magical.” Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is also the home of the world’s tallest living Christmas tree, standing at 153 feet. And of course, it receives its fair share of decorative lighting as well. Whether visiting during the daytime or at night, visitors will feel the festive holiday spirit throughout the park. “Canyon lights really gets you in the mood for Christmas and the holiday season with the lights galore and music playing,” says Chala, “We hope to see those who haven’t visited Canyon Lights to come and check us out. We hope to make Canyon Lights their holiday tradition as well!” For more information, visit Capbridge. com/explore/canyon-lights.
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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13
In the festive spirit of the holidays, making a trip to visit the Canyon Lights at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is a must! “Canyon Lights has become a holiday tradition for many families,” says Stacy Chala, communications manager of the Capilano Group. “It is a great way to enjoy a West Coast rainforest with the beauty of hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights. It is an absolutely stunning event!” From Nov. 27 to Jan. 3, the park will be swept over with enchanting lights and activities such as the Treetops Adventure, Cliffwalk, a Snowy Owl Prowl, the decorating of gingerbread cookies and much more. “There are activities for children and families, or couples can enjoy a romantic walk around the park checking out all the light displays,” says Chala. This year, the park will also be featuring a brand new interactive show called VocaLites. “It is a voice activated light show,” she says, “There are four microphones and the lights in the area change according to your pitch and speed of your voice.” Every January just after the previous year’s display has finished, the planning for another Canyon Lights begins. “Lighting is purchased, design schemes are adjusted, new technology is explored,” Chala says. “The lights themselves go up starting the day after Labour Day.” The staff and volunteers of the event put in copious amounts of effort to ensure that visitors get the best experience possible. Chala stated that she and her
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ADVERTORIAL
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MEET YOUR MAKER
CLAIRE HENWOOD, FLORIST Therese Guieb EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR
— COURTESY OF GARDENPARTYFLOWERS.CA
First dates, graduations and special occasions seem incomplete without the presence of flowers, but many don’t seem to think twice about who, where or how bouquets and floral arrangements are created. These common blossoms of nature are reported in an article by CNBC to rake in more than $2.1 billion a year on Valentine’s Day alone, making flowers one of the most sought after commodities on the market. Claire Henwood, a fourth-year Communications student at Capilano University, has been working as a florist since she was 18 years old. Since then, she has grown to understand the demand for flowers and appreciate the natural beauty behind the commodity through her designs. At 21 years old, Henwood has managed to become a floral design teacher at Garden Party Flowers and has had her floral arrangements used in corporate events and weddings at locations like the Vancouver Rowing Club and the UBC Museum of Anthropology.
WHAT DREW YOU INTO PURSUING YOUR CAREER IN BEING A FLORIST? Well, what got me started was I worked for my cousin in New Zealand. They just needed some help in their flower shop as an administrative assistant, so pretty much I answered the phone, took the orders, processed flowers. I was really dedicated to learning all of the flower names when I was there and I didn’t do any designing, but I was really excited to learn the industry. When I came back to Vancouver, I had a bit of time to think about it and I had just worked in customer service industries but they just didn’t really draw me in that much. I was like ‘I’m going to try and pursue this [being a florist] and see if I can make a little money while I’m going to school.’ Then, I started working at Whole Foods. It was a much bigger department than it is now, and I started off and they were like ‘alright, go make a bouquet.’ Customers came in and I had to do it right away, and so that was really difficult. I just had to jump right into it, and it was hard at the beginning but slowly as it got easier, I began to enjoy it. After the fear disappeared, it got fun.
I developed my style when I was first learning. The way that I would make things is I would see certain designs and go ‘oh I’m going to make something like that.’ And so I would see the colours and see the textures and I would see the style and I would try not imitate it, but it would inspire me. I would describe my style as a garden style. I like differing heights of things, I like texture, I like surprising bursts of colour, but I also like monochromatic. I like a couple of colours and I like things to be simple. Garden style is more like a wild flower and just picked from the garden. It’s very in right now, it’s very different to more modern and compact arrangements that were quite trendy five to six years ago.
Small businesses are always difficult, especially in a city like Vancouver. It’s very competitive because flowers are something that’s grown. It’s like food in that it’s unpredictable of what’s going to grow. There is a lot of shipping and you need to ship things around the world to get specific flowers. Weddings, for example, is a big industry and it’s very competitive about who gets the clients and who gets the business. One of the challenges in the offseason is finding work to do and for business owners I think they have a lot better chance of doing things but for individual designers, it’s very difficult to do this for a living. It’s not that well paid, especially to start — if you want to learn, you either have to find somebody you will apprentice for and maybe get paid while you’re apprenticing or interning, which is similar to what I did.
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Always time. As a student, there is never enough time to do the things you need to do. The workshops are extra work and one of the challenges is always trying to find the time to do it and to prepare for them. The other challenge for me was getting up in front of people and realizing that I was the expert. For the longest time, as somebody who works in customer service, the customer is always right. And then going up in front of people and being the expert and being the person that is dictating how they’re going to learn was kind of hard for me to understand because I’ve never considered myself as an expert. When
HOW DID YOU DEVELOP YOUR SIGNATURE STYLE?
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES FLORISTS FACE TODAY? THE CAPILANO COURIER
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE WITH TEACHING STUDENTS DURING YOUR DESIGN WORKSHOPS?
you’re teaching, you have to see yourself that way and you have to be confident in your own abilities and your ability to communicate what you’re trying to say to people.
ARTS & CULTURE
MARK CRICKMAY
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR ARTS.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM
A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY An epic epoch of eccentric endeavours Mark Crickmay
—C RIST IA
Star Wars has always been a film for the whole family while remaining an epic epoch of eccentric proportions, if you will. Resurrecting the disappointment of the original trilogy’s ugly stepchild, the prequel trilogy, is a task that only the likes of JJ Abrams could possibly handle. James Armstrong, event coordinator (among other titles) for the Vancouver Fan Expo, stated his opinions on fans’ reliance for a revamped series. “There’s great hope, a lot of redemption on the fans’ part and this is generational, younger folks and older folks alike,” he said. The culture craze surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens is astounding. From toddlers’ toys, to tantalizing tenured adult collectables, the craze has engulfed the world. If there’s one thing that’s almost for sure, it’s that Disney will likely play a positive role in giving the series the lift, and dark edge, that it needs.
NF OW LIE
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
If we’re being honest, there have been very few torrential failures by the animation/film giant Disney. Whether it’s solely Disney’s takeover of the Star Wars Franchise or not, cultures and markets of all kinds are in a craze that can’t be stopped over the revitalization of fantasy series. “I challenge anyone to compare Disney’s failures to other studios — sometimes they’ll have an idea that comes out that they’ve had under wraps and for the most part it’s a very positive turnout. I was very happy when they bought [the Star Wars franchise]. It’s the right marriage. Disney will not blow Star Wars. It was a lot of money [exchanged] and I’m sure they’re very sensitive to that,” said Armstrong. “It’s going to be successful with Disney heading it up — no one markets like Disney Studios does.” Sara Van Lange, director of communications for Cineplex, had only positive remarks for the excitedly-anticipated Star Wars Episode VII. “This is the highest demand for advance tickets that we’ve seen in our history for any opening weekend. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is already breaking records and its only November,” she stated. “We’re seeing lots of excitement, engagement and conversations online on Cineplex’s social channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Fans are also telling us that they’re excited to see the film by buying advanced tickets to our Marathon Events as well as the film’s opening weekend.” The hectic scramble for advanced tickets sold out within days. This kind of anticipation is rarely seen in films alone — but, of course, Disney would have a large part in creating an entire world from it’s cultural rendition of Star Wars and not letting it just be a movie.
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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13
DISNEY STRIKES BACK
“Disney owning the Star Wars franchise in my mind has added weight to the interest and culture in multiple ways,” said Brittany Pehleman of Tasmanian Comics. “Marvel, also being owned by Disney, was able to relaunch a host of new Star Wars titles and give that medium a new face. Disney is such a large and well-known name that them owning Star Wars alone shed a new light on a franchise some had forgotten about, as well as adding resources other companies may not have been able to provide.”
RETURN OF THE ICONS It’s safe to say that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has turned the marketing industry upside down. “The merchandising they’ve connected [Star Wars] to speaks to all the different segments. The toy lines are amazing [including anything] from impulse buy for children to high end expensive things for adults. The best example would be Lego, that relationship between toys, films and video games, that marriage has been done so well,” stated Armstrong, considering the careful selection of multifaceted marketing plans paired with iconic figures and stories. “Marketing in general in Hollywood has stayed clear. They’ve given Star Wars it’s week, weekend, season. There’s no point in going up against it. It’s basically going to be who can get it out first and how far their reach is,” explained Armstrong. Van Lange shared similar sentiments, but in
a more nostalgic manner. “I think what is particularly exciting about Star Wars: The Force Awakens is that the series has been producing movies and subsequently fans for nearly four decades. For many of us, watching Star Wars brings us back in time. It makes us nostalgic and want to share stories and experiences from when we were young with the new generation of fans,” commented Van Lange. In a world where Star Wars already holds the Guinness World Record for most successful film merchandising franchise it’s hard to imagine how that could have been topped — and yet, in this case, it may just happen. Pehleman shared her sentiments about the reach that Star Wars has today. “As a comic book store and a small business we are excited to see all the new faces that have come from the Star Wars relaunch. So many people come into Taz with the hopes of finding Star Wars-related things, and with the new comics and collectibles its always rewarding to see how we can help that passion grow. People are trying new things and learning about new mediums they may not have known they would enjoy before the Star Wars craze piqued their interest. “Fans will always surprise us in how we prepare for something they love,” Pehleman continued. “We have had customers here at Taz who are putting on variety shows, creating Cosplay outfits to wear to the first screenings, to having Star Wars marathon nights with friends either at home or in venues.” It’s safe to
say that the infrastructure and institute of Star Wars is reaching further now than ever before.
THE FORCE AWAKENS The anticipation for the new Star Wars sequel continues to grow as the film gets closer and closer. JJ Abrams may be a Star Wars fanboy, but can he deliver a similar public love affair that he did with Star Trek now that he’s chosen a passion of iconic interest? Armstrong lent his opinion on the matter. “I think the general populous has said they’re dissatisfied with the last three episodes, and JJ Abrams has gone through the efforts with his reboot of Star Trek already. But all the way along, Abrams said he’s not a Star Trek guy — he said he’s a Star Wars guy.” Armstrong placed strong concerns that Abrams being a superfan could be either beneficial or detrimental to the reprised series. “There will be expectations and comparisons, the one thing I personally hope that is restored is the mystique instead of explaining everything with science mumbo jumbo — I’m sure that Abrams is aware of that," he explained. “I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s really going to live up to the hype.” “I personally am excited to have JJ Abrams is taking the reigns on this one,” said Pehleman, reinstating confidence in an already successful film icon.. “I have always enjoyed his work and believe he has the skills as well as the experience to make this movie a memorable one.”
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WATERED OUT
Vancouver should assign water restrictions on households Keara Farnan CONTRIBUTOR According to a recent article published by CBC News, our water supply is gradually decreasing due to overuse by Vancouver residents. Vancouver’s population continues to increase annually, which has taken a toll on both our surface and groundwater supply reservoir amongst other factors. If the government does not begin to monitor water usage more stringently, through initiatives like household allotments or rations, Vancouver could see increased demand for water across the continent and world, affecting our own supply in the near future. Groundwater is an essential resource that should not be taken advantage of. Groundwater from BC aquifers is filtered through a purifying infrastructure to ensure safety and health regulations. Due to its purity, our water is considered to be one of the best in the province, which may be a hindrance in this case, considering our supply is running low. “Ground water is a super-important
resource,” said Tom Gleeson, a University of Texas based hydrogeologist in a November interview with CBC News. “It’s used by more than a third of the world’s population every day for their drinking water and it’s used by agriculture and industry,” he concluded. There has never been an enforced rule against excessive household water usage in Canada. However, if ground and surface water reservoirs, which respectively supply 25 and 66 percent of BC’s population with water, continue to shrink due to overconsumption, it is something that our provinces may need to consider. Any plan to impose water restrictions by household in Vancouver would be a step in the right direction, considering the circumstances. Our population does not like to be bossed around, or told how to live their lives, but it’s evident that when it comes to water usage, there is room for improvement. This past summer in San Jose, California, for example, residents were told that they would need to pay between $3.21 and $3.91 USD for 13 units of water between
the months of May and September. If they exceeded their 13 unit household ration, they would have to pay double, or $7.12 USD per unit thereafter. This model of punishing overconsumption, which has been used throughout the Southwest — California, Nevada, Arizona and parts of Texas — is what Vancouver should implement north of the border if we are to get serious about conserving water. “We have six people in our house, and one young girl who is blind. It takes longer to bathe her,” said Jim Walker last May in the San Jose Mercury News. “Why should a family of six have the same amount as a family of two?” It doesn’t make any sense.” These comments came at a time in which California was going through its worst ever drought, one that saw water rations being imposed in cities throughout the state. Water restriction rules are normally be based on the number of people living within one household. It is not fair to limit a family of four or more to an amount of water suitable for a couple, as no one is going to be able to benefit with such little supply. Each family should
have enough water to bathe, drink and heat their water-tanks, so as long as its consumed within moderation. “I’m cutting back as much as I can,” stated Walker. “If everybody does their part, we can get through this. It’s all a matter of choice, and all of us caring about everybody else in the community”. In order for these rules to benefit our population her in British Columbia, people need to be open-minded and ready to listen. As a large group of people we are the ones who are in charge of whether our water supply will continue to run low or not. With growing awareness and support for environmental initiatives in a city like Vancouver, there is no better time for us to supplement words with action by coming down hard on those who consume more than their fair share of water in our communities. While it will not be easy to convince homeowners to pay more for excessive water use, the long term benefits of water rationing far outweigh the negatives. The key to conserving BC’s precious water supply is to start early so as to ensure that we are never want for a resource that is essential to human life.
spend less time stuck behind a horde of distracted dumbasses. At this point, should we even be calling it a “Fast Track” lane though? It’s fast, sure, but compared to what? If anything, it’s a return to normal. People simply want to be able to walk at a decent pace once again, which they haven’t been able to do since computers became pocket-sized. Nobody is asking to leap like a gazelle through their local mall, shopping bags and saggy boobs swinging to and fro — though that would give the cell phone zombies some fantastic material for a Snap Story. The experiment at Liverpool One was only temporary, lasting from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8, and by all accounts it succeeded in public support
but failed in logistical practicality. Painting a few dotted lines on the ground isn’t exactly an obstacle for anyone or anything, especially if there is no signage, policing or legislation in place to give people the warning and incentive to stay within them. It’s like the unspoken escalator rule where smart people keep to the right and all the keeners climb skyward to the left. Someone always screws it up, creating a bottleneck two thirds of the way to the top. The same thing would happen with these walking lanes. All it would take is one old grandpa on a slow crawl to the washroom or a couple of tourists with selfie sticks to derail the entire operation. Unless malls were to install physical barricades to separate pedestrians (which they would never do so long as the incentive is to get people of all walking speeds into their stores easily and impulsively) then I don’t foresee any “Fast Track” being effective. While it’s devastating to think that things might be stuck the way they are, I’m afraid that’s the grim reality of a technologically-dependent society. Before anything can truly change, our culture must reboot — much like our phones — to understand when it’s time to text and when it’s time to walk. That’s why I’m going back to my original plan of stretching infants’ earlobes. Frankly, it’s far easier and more humane than brainwashing an entire population. You can’t fix stupid, but you can always poke a few holes in it and give it a fancy pair of light-up earrings.
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Sure to make you lose your mind Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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ing out that slow walkers marred the shopping experience for 47 per cent of their customers. Pavement hogs and pokey pedestrians topped the list of pet peeves while other scenarios like “battling through crowds,” “people checking their phones” and “middle of the street chattering” weren’t far behind. Younger shoppers were most keen on the idea with nearly 70 per cent of respondents between the ages of 16 and 24 voicing their support. People aged 55 and over were much more resistant, with only 37 per cent offering their approval. In a different survey that I happen to like way better, nearly 29 million Britons of all ages said they would welcome a “Fast Track” pedestrian lane to allow them to
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I’ve had a solution for slow and indecisive pedestrians rattling around my brain ever since I was old enough to wipe my own ass. It’s simple: take each and every newborn baby that comes into this world, strap it down, pierce both of its ears and increase the diameter every time it has a birthday. These holes will be fitted with a set of light-up turn signals and as the child gets older and more cumbersome, the indicator lights will get bigger. Strobe mode will tell me when this child is about to run and hazard flashers will come on whenever the little bastard stops to look at a toy or becomes so infatuated with something in its nasal cavity that it loses all ability to move. If this idea of mine makes it past the prototype stage, I’ll be adding a remote-controlled “shock” button as well, just to nip any tantrums or prolonged joyful singing in the bud. It’s really the perfect solution, other than the fact that it’s going to take some time to implement. Thankfully, the Argos catalogue store in Liverpool, England has come up with a more immediate and all-ages way to combat slow walkers — by painting a “Fast Track” pedestrian shopping lane onto the floor of the Liverpool One Centre. And unlike a major flaw in my plan, their idea takes care of dawdling adults too — everyone from cell phone zombies to the decrepit seniors who shuffle around the Food Court like they have Thor’s hammer for feet. Argos didn’t just do this on a whim. The company surveyed 1,505 people online, find-
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PARIS CONFERENCE OF THE POMPOUS
Environmental summit won’t live up to hype with a solid climate deal Kevin Kapenda OPINIONS EDITOR Before the heinous terrorist attacks of Nov. 13 were carried out in Paris, France, you would have probably been hearing stuff about the city in other news, albeit for totally different reasons. Paris will be hosting the United Nations environmental summit, known as COP or Conference of the Parties, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 11. While there is much hope for Canada at the conference, and the rest of the world, it is unlikely anything much will come of this meeting other than some potential diplomatic philandering. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the French government should skimp out on their bulk order of wine, as this COP is expected to be one of the most attended ones in a while. Getting the world’s nations to agree on a truly effective environmental regime, one that has teeth and slaps binding emissions reduction targets on all the parties, is like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while riding a unicycle. These deals require high levels of sensitivity and compromise between na-
tions, which can be difficult to achieve. So difficult, in fact, that on Nov. 20, Canada’s new Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion told reporters that he was doubtful Paris would produce a substantive deal. In the weeks leading up to our federal election, and COP21, much attention was paid to our former prime minister’s legacy on climate change, and how the perception of Canada has changed around the world since Harper’s government withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol in 2012. While the Chretien and Martin Liberals never did much to push for carbon pricing in Canada and reduce our emissions, they did take the first step in 1997 by signing on to Kyoto and agreeing to get dinged “one day”, if we didn’t reduce our emissions by that date. Well that day was in going to be in 2013, if our government didn’t pull out of Kyoto, and so Harper did, angering large blocks of environmentalists in the battleground provinces in Quebec and BC. The idea is that if taxpayers lived to see the day in which Liberal inaction and Conservative support for the energy industry led to international climate penalties, voters would
force Canadians to get tougher on the environment. Until Canada signs onto a treaty with binding emissions targets, there is no level beneath that in which Trudeau’s Liberals can say they are acting on the environment. Saying no to a pipeline here and there, and protecting lakes that were in no danger of being contaminated for votes won’t cut it outside of our borders. While the Liberals have promised to work with the provinces to implement more carbon pricing, and a potential federal scheme in the near future, Trudeau hasn’t promised a whole lot other than killing pipelines in Canada. While it’s not the most concrete climate policy, crippling the oil industry by severely limiting where it can lay pipeline might be the initial first step unrealistic environmentalists will look back on as groundbreaking one day. For now though, it’ll be Harper’s old emissions targets Canada will bring to Paris as potluck appetizers with the hope of finally being cool enough to talk to Denmark, Sweden and Brazil again. While Trudeau is still in honeymoon with the rest of the world, and will be under no pressure to
prove himself in Paris, he will have to eventually agree to binding emissions targets in the next couple years or he won’t be feeling so much love at future COPs. Lopsided political analysts claim that Canada’s reputation on the world stage waned and that this is our chance to get it back. While this may be true, it is also entirely subjective and dependent on who you ask. Our old government put us in the same pro-growth basket as Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, all of whom are still “homies” of Canada for now. While the distance between most of the countries at COP21 are just too wide to bridge politically, that doesn’t mean Japan won’t be getting down with Denmark on Friday night. Diplomacy is all about living in the moment and sorting out the details or major issues afterwards (babies?). So enjoy your super “legit” wine and cheese sessions in Paris, diplomats of the world. While you probably won’t strike a solid deal this time around, there’s always a next time. Let’s just hope you guys can finally agree on something one day. Preferably in a few years or so, as our planet literally depends on it.
END OF THE ALBUM ERA
Why iTunes and streaming has molded music into a singles driven industry Scott Barkemeyer
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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13
CONTRIBUTOR
Will the recent commercial success of singles bring about the end of the album era? When I talk about singles, I don’t mean people who are not in relationships, or the one dollar bills that American strippers pull out of their G-strings after successful nights at work. I’m referring to singles as in songs that are released by artists that were traditionally used to promote upcoming albums. The current generation of popular artists is not focused on writing 10 or 12 good songs to build complete, masterful albums. Instead, industry emphasis is now placed on producing three or four good singles to generate income through airplay on premium radio, digital download sales and royalties associated with online views. For example, this year Justin Bieber has released three good singles and uploaded as many videos for those songs to his official JustinBieberVEVO account. These videos range from four-minute audio-only versions to five-minute theatrical clips that feature worse acting chops than the aforementioned strippers. Despite their shoddiness, total views for these three videos on YouTube are now over 420 million. The album Purpose was dropped on Nov. 13 and has received mixed ratings, despite it featuring many chart-toping singles like “Sorry”, “What Do You Mean?”, “I’ll Show You” and “Love Yourself”.
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Going even further away from the idea of the album is Drake. His current hit, “Hotline Bling”, is not tied to an album and is not said to be included on future releases. The YouTube views are above 100,000,000 and in addition it has fared well on the charts around the world. This single song has arguably earned more for Drake than his previous album, with regard to digital download sales. So why would he add it to an album? Better yet, why would he ever release an album again? In the past, albums were opuses. Every song was selected and placed a specific order to give the listener an experience similar to one of a novel or movie. In previous decades, non-album singles would be akin to one-hit wonders. The only times we relive them are during a late-night karaoke session at the local bar, or cheesy movie. Do I blame contemporary artists for not being able to write more than one song? Not really as most did not even write their hit. There are professional songwriters who will never be household names that produce works played thousands of times a day. Modern music is a product of intensive marketing to earn profits. It was though that notion Adele would be the saviour of the album era with the recent release of her album entitled 25. Indeed she has been, selling just under three million copies in the United States
within five days of its Nov. 20 release date. In fact, due to piracy and declining music sales, Billboard claims that her record-smashing sales would be equivalent to eight million or so in 2000. With that said, most people are convinced that her success is unlikely to trickle down to other artists, with future projections for album sales still appearing bleak. There was a time when you would sit down and listen to an entire album pressing both the A-side and B-side, truly experiencing the music. Now, music is used in addition to tasks, or played through earbuds on noisy transit. Listeners do not seek the same experience from music as they did before, and as such most do not place the same value on a full album as they do on individual singles, the fast food of the industry. Apple and other corporations ruined the album by making the shuffle button. The audience cannot commit to listening to an entire album from start to finish anymore. Technology made their attention span far too short, and instead of having to fast-forward to the next song, we can simply just tap the screen of our music device. So can anyone actually save the album? Independent artists and bands that have yet to be admitted to the college of mainstream music still place heavy emphasis on albums. You will rarely hear their music, as they most likely won’t have radio sin-
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gles, unless you support them by purchasing their entire album. Maybe there will be a resurgence of the album. Trends are known to die out and get replaced. Artists often look at the past examples from their idols for inspiration. Maybe we will see the album and experience that is associated to them come back, or perhaps we won’t. But at least one can quickly skip to the next song if either a Bieber or Drake song comes on, so there may be benefits to the technology that assisted the death of the album after all.
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ATHLETIC DISCRETION
The numbers game: more to NBA than analytics Brandon Kostinuk COLUMNIST Understanding the value of every movement on the court. That is, in a nutshell, what player-tracking data or, when referring to the hardwood, National Basketball Association (NBA) analytics is all about. With the advent of advanced metrics some are now calling the world’s top basketball league the nouveau-NBA or new-era NBA. What it is, is the future of the NBA, but caution should be paid to the limits of analytics. Kirk Goldsberry, writing for Grantland, summarized aptly what analytics is in his piece “Databall.” Goldsberry, upon his first glimpse of advanced metrics in 2012, stated, “At the time, I was working on a giant, 27inch iMac display, and when I double-clicked that first SportVU file, data immediately filled the screen. “All I could see was an ocean of decimal points, trailing digits, and hundreds of XML tags sporadically interleaved among them. Right away, it was obvious this was the “biggest” data I had ever seen. “I’ll always remember my surprise when it occurred to me that everything on my screen amounted to only a few seconds of player action from one quarter of one game.” That, according to Goldsberry, was a “‘holy shit!’ moment.”
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, an MIT grad with a background in computer science, is well known to rely heavily on new-age analytics. In an interview with Kellogg Insight published on Feb. 2, 2015, Morey elaborated on the depth of data. “If you want to look at all the derivatives of movement in terms of position, velocity, acceleration, jerk — you can get all those things with the data that we now have,” said Morey, who in fact created the True Shooting Percentage statistic, which measures a player’s efficiency at shooting the rock better than any other stat out there. Reliance on advanced data is of course relevant to whomever the general manager and coaching staff may be. Some, like Morey, operate wholeheartedly by it, while others like 2015’s NBA champions use it sparingly in decision-making. “Everything is judged on the probability of winning a championship over a three to five year time horizon,” said Morey. “If the data we gather or a decision we make can affect that, we’re going to do it.” He elaborates, stating that the hiring of staff revolves around analytics knowledge and its use.“I live that, embody that, and we hire for that,” said Morey. Ex-pros, like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and others have derided reliance of advanced metrics, of analytics, to affect team management.
“I’ve always believed analytics is crap. Don’t work at all,” said Barkley during an inside the NBA panel in January 2015. The 11-time NBA All-Star went as far as calling Morey himself an idiot for believing in advanced data to the degree he does. The truth is, it’s not enough to look at the analytics and piece a squad together based solely on on-the-court stats. The human element is an important factor. While analytics gives a more round and robust view of a player’s ability, not just on offence, but on the defensive side of the ball, player development and mentality make all the data in the world superfluous. Further, the data is consistently changing. As ex-NBA pro and commentator Kenny Smith discussed, analytics can change over the course of a year. This is due to coaching, management and a player’s will to work at their craft. Personality, leadership and an ability to put teammates ahead of personal glory are crucial factors, outside of pure basketball talent, to leading a winning NBA campaign that runs 82 games plus playoffs, which are gruelling to say the least. If human factors are not considered, basketball products like Michael Beasley, Tyrus Thomas and arguably JR Smith can bubble to the surface and result in an ineffective starting five or team incapable of going the distance.
Since advanced stats still don’t examine a player’s work ethic, competitive drive, leadership skills and the overall ability to work with diverse team personalities, the predictive power of analytics when it comes to winning a championship remains limited. Simply put: advanced metrics analyzes the individual, granted, down to the minutiae, but it cannot judge chemistry or a player’s ability to stay healthy or his want to win — this comes down to the traditional eye-test and ability of management to assess a player’s overall mentality. Analytics is the future of the NBA. It has to be. But heavy reliance on raw data leaves crucial gaps in understanding a player’s full and future potential. It’s one thing to know if your guard is exhausted or if their playing style fits with the general scheme of the team, it’s another to read whether that same player’s attitude, ego and understanding will be a positive or negative impact to the team. Advanced metrics is here to stay because it works and is applicable, but traditional methods of sizing up basketball talent, for who they are, human products with human tendencies, must remain. After all, the NBA is not a league of robots — not yet, at least.
by both employer and employee. The CMHA describes being mentally healthy as having a positive impact on “personal and professional lives.” There is another aspect of health that has been commonly overlooked but is gradually making its way into the workplace, and that is financial wellness. American consulting firm Aon Hewitt conducted a study earlier this year where 90 per cent of the 250 large companies surveyed were looking to introduce or expand their financial wellness programs. The programs themselves are designed to help employees track where their money is going, build an emergency fund and better cope with financial pressure. The reasoning behind this? Reducing financial stress improves productivity. Personal finances can be a huge distraction at work, and according to a CNBC article, “financial wellness can trade down to actual wellness.” Health care costs were significantly lower in employees who participated in financial wellness programs. The work-life balance cannot be discussed without delving into the social aspect of finding a healthy balance. Besides
the fact that relaxing in social situations can relieve stress, there are aspects of being social that can positively affect a career. Being professionally successful, as much as it is about a particular individual, it is also largely affected by others around this person and how they interact. Building a strong social network is one way to advance your career, according to a Forbes piece titled “Investing In Your Life, 7 Simple Ways to Advance Your Career.” Maintaining professionalism on social media as well as ensuring that a recent resume is available via networking sites such as LinkedIn is also listed as being helpful. The majority of students have the same desire post-graduation: the dream job. The one with a strong salary, rewarding work and stellar coworkers. Getting there may seem like the hard part, but in reality it is remaining there that provides a mental, physical, social and financial challenge. Although timeconsuming, taking the time to balance these is the biggest step in being able to flourish professionally and making use of that hard-earned degree.
LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE
The importance of work-life balance Alexa Kwan COLUMNIST
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The top item that appears when ‘sick day’ is typed into a search engine is an article outlining the good and not-so-good reasons for calling in sick. Indeed, there are multiple sites that provide excuses for those who are not motivated enough to make it into work. Why is it that the only acceptable reason for an employee not to show up is being physically ill? After all, being a strong employee does not consist of merely showing up at your workplace every day and performing your assigned duties. Beyond the physical requirement of being at work, remaining mentally alert and driven is a very positive quality. Mental health, however, has typically been assumed to be less important than physical health. As stated in a 2013 article by the National Post, it is considered, “acceptable to take a sick day to heal your body but not a mental health day to recharge your mind.” Although there is no denying that too much stress can result in physical ailments, it is far more difficult to justify needing time off for something that is not visibly blatant. The long-term effects of having a sound mind, however, will definitely be noticed
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There are a lot of things that are often sacrificed in the hopes of advancing in a career. Family, friends and time to oneself can be pushed aside for just a few more hours at the office. However, despite the potential reward of abandoning free time for overtime, a healthy lifestyle is necessary in order to have a healthy career, and when it comes to this, balance is key. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), “Canadians play many different roles in their lives… not surprisingly, achieving balance among these competing priorities can be difficult.” However, sometimes the physical stress of a work-life balance causes the body to succumb to illness or injury, and that is when sick days come in handy. According to Statistics Canada, the average person in BC takes seven sick days a year. Although the time off is often necessary, the Canada Labour Code does not require a workplace to provide its employees with paid time off. It guarantees job security but it is the missed salary that often results in employees who are paid with an hourly wage to continue to work in less than ideal physical health.
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SIP, SIP, HOORAY!
Tahbilk Marsanne + Grilled Cheese Max Ley COLUMNIST I think I signed away any hope of healthy cholesterol levels the day I learned how to make grilled cheese sandwiches. I defy anybody to resist the hot, gooey goodness of a perfectly cooked grilled cheese. You can't. You simply can't. It is literally everything your body could possibly want in a sandwich. And yes, I hear you vegetable lovers out there. Sure you can add tomatoes, lettuce or other veggies but… come on. We all know that the crisper in your fridge is the place good intentions go to die. I also happen to know that you used all your veggies for the nachos in the last column of “Sip, Sip Hooray” but I'm sure you still have some butter, a few last slices of bread and some leftover cheddar – everything you need to craft a cheesy bit of heaven. My grilled cheese meal was as simple as simple could be, with an easy mild cheddar, perfectly grilled and no sides. As for my wine,
varietal wine, Marsanne has found a home and great popularity in Australia, making fascinating and tasty wines. Tahbilk's inexpensive Marsanne, available for $17.99 at Liberty Wines Commercial Drive, has always been a top favourite. The 2014 vintage was stellar as usual. It opened up in the glass with strong aromas of grapefruit and lemons. The fresh and textured palate was redolent of apple, stone fruit and honeysuckle. It had a nice dry finish and was full of refreshing minerality with a balanced, medium acidity. Although on the dry side, what makes Marsanne so interesting as a varietal is that it has extraordinary aging potential, gaining richness and complexity with a great petrol "funk" (trust me, it's delicious) as it ages. This Marsanne is still quite young, but there are definite hints of that rich, beautiful texture present within the fresh fruit and mineral notes. So, why did I choose the Marsanne? Not only am I just extremely fond of it, but also I thought it would pair well with the grilled cheese, as it is kind of the best of both worlds in terms of effective white pairings for this
dish. The hefty fruit aromas were quite pleasant with the scents of the grilled butter on the bread, and each bite of the grilled cheese with the wine was more and more perfect. The acidity of the young wine was able to cut through the grease of the sandwich effectively, while the rich natural texture of the Marsanne paired so beautifully with the melted cheese. In fact, the creaminess of the cheese heightened the complexity and texture of the wine wonderfully. I could not have been happier with this pairing and I highly encourage you to give it a try! Seeing as this will be my last column for this term, I just want to quickly give a big thanks to my editors at the Courier who have been so fun to work with on this zany little column. And most of all, I want to thank whoever has been following this column over the issues. I have had a blast writing them, and I hope that you have learned a thing or two about wine — or even better, enjoyed some good wine with whatever meals you have been cooking up lately. Catch me next semester as I'll be coming back with more inexpensive wine tips!
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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13 THE CAPILANO COURIER
red was a possibility but I went with a white. The issue with pairing grilled cheese with a white is that you could easily go either way in terms of flavour profiles. Some would pair a big, creamy Chardonnay while others might pair a crisp, fresh Sauvignon Blanc. In the tradition of this column in trying to find interesting and unique inexpensive wines, I decided to go with one of my all time favourite whites, the 2014 Tahbilk Marsanne. Tahbilk is a very interesting winery in Australia, seeing as it is one of the oldest established family wineries in the country. Tahbilk has been making wine for well over a century and is widely recognized as one of the finest wine producers in Australia. They also lay a very possible claim of having the oldest Marsanne vines in the world. Old vines are often very beneficial in wine producing as the older the vine is, the more the plant has to work to produce its fruit, oftentimes focusing the flavours and characteristics of the grape in a beautiful way. Marsanne is a white grape typically found within the white blends of France's Rhône region. Not usually seen as a single
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FEDERAL FASHION WITH KENNETH AND JACQUIE
Our annual Winter Gift Guide: Justin time for the holidays!
J
The Internet is going nuts, Ken. It seems as though nearly everyone wants a piece of Justin Trudeau this holiday season. He should open his own Shopify store! Yeah! Trudy’s a hot-ticket item for sure. He’s got decent style too. I mean, it’s hard to look cool when you’re fighting an uphill battle against the Ottawa winter, but somehow he pulls it off.
K
Wait… you call him Trudy? Yeah, I’ve been trying it out. Hmm… and somehow you don’t pull it off. Shiiiiii. You always be hatin’. Well, you deserve it. But let’s get down to business, shall we? Our annual Winter Gift Guide isn’t going to unveil itself.
Jacquie's Picks TIM HORTON'S
Load up a Tim’s card for a little taste of Canada. Whether it contains enough money for a dozen large coffees or a single Timbit is up to you. PRICE: $5+ AVAILABILITY: Over 4,500 locations worldwide, including the Capilano University cafeteria.
Kenneth's Picks WOOL SCARF
Bold plaid is in right now and this mix of pastel blues and earthy tones is a great addition to any winter ensemble. Fringe on the bottom is a must. PRICE: $40+ AVAILABILITY: Hudsons Bay locations across Canada, or online at TheBay.com.
FUR-TRIMMED PARKA
Say what you will about killing coyotes for fashion, but there’s no more Canadian way to avoid freezing your ass off than a fur-trimmed parka. PRICE: $600+ AVAILABILITY: Hudsons Bay locations across Canada, or online at TheBay.com.
COWICHAN SWEATER
TATTOO
SKI GEAR
Whether you’re a casual skier or a qualified instructor like JT (he taught at Whistler-Backcomb in the 90s), a jacket and goggles will serve you well. PRICE: $400+ AVAILABILITY: Atmosphere, Comor Sports and Mountain Equipment Co-op stores.
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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13
After inking the Earth on his arm at age 23, Justin covered it with a Haida raven 17 years later. That means there’s hope for your Pikachu tramp stamp. PRICE: $180+ AVAILABILITY: Read some Yelp reviews and pick from dozens of shops in the city.
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Made from a mix of Salish weaving and European textile techniques, Cowichan sweaters are as West Coast as it gets. The Big Lebowski misled you. PRICE: $300+ AVAILABILITY: First Nations’ gift shops in Victoria, or from GrantedClothing.com.
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— CRISTIAN FOWLIE
VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 13