Capilano Courier | Vol. 50, Issue 15.

VOLUME 50, ISSUE 15

PG. 12

FEBRUARY 19-26, 2018

NEWS

CSU to go to referendum seeking fee increases

SPORTS

Blues volleyball provincial preview

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EDITOR'S DESK

VOL. 50 ISSUE 15 FEBRUARY 14–21, 2018

4 CAPILANO SEEKS MEMBERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITIES CANADA

Who will survive in America?

News

5

Campus Life

6

VANCOUVER-BASED INDIE MUSIC SCENE'S RAINBOW BOUND ZINE

8

THE SNOW MUST GO ON

CARLO JAVIER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Arts

THE RACISM BEHIND THE MAKEUP COUNTER

Opinions

10 CHANGING THE GAME

Special Feature

12 BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Feature

17 RIPPON HAS NO PITY FOR PENCE

Columns

18 VOLLEYBALL PROVINCIAL PREVIEW Sports

STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ART DIRECTOR

Carlo Javier capcourier@gmail.com

Rachel Wada artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com

MANAGING EDITOR

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Justin Scott manager.capcourier@gmail.com

Cristian Fowlie pm.capcourier@gmail.com

NEWS EDITOR

COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER

Christine Beyleveldt news.capcourier@gmail.com

John Tabbernor community.capcourier@gmail.com

OPINIONS EDITOR

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Tia Kutschera Fox opinions.capcourier@gmail.com

Andy Rice andy.capcourier@gmail.com

FEATURES EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Helen Aikenhead specialfeatures.capcourier@gmail.com

Jack Snetsinger, Alexander Derbas, Elizabeth McCarthy, Megan Orr, Kevin Kapenda

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Rachel D'Sa arts.capcourier@gmail.com

COVER ARTIST

CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Greta Kooy campuslife.capcourier@gmail.com

Valeriya Kim, Erika Medina, Ashley Visvanathan, Juliana Vieira

Annie Chang

ONLINE EDITOR

Jessica Lio online.capcourier@gmail.com

EDITOR + COLUMNIST PORTRAITS

Rachel Wada

COPY EDITOR

Leah Scheitel copy.capcourier@gmail.com

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of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of Musqueam, Squamish, Stó:lō and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 15

“Do I still got time to grow?”

– Kanye West

I

remember where I was when Sandy Hook happened. I was a first-year student then, having just completed my first ever post secondary final exam. I walked out of that final brimming with confidence – despite my less than stellar attendance, I knew I did well in the class.

News about the shooting in the Newton, Connecticut elementary school broke out as I was about to leave campus grounds. I remember not having data on my non-smart cellphone, so on my commute back to Coquitlam, I was left entirely out of the loop.

When I got home, my social media feeds were overflowing with thoughts and prayers.

There were messages laden with anger, confusion and distraught. There were calls to action, campaigns and public pleas to dramatically improve the US government’s stance on gun control. Posts came from lawmakers, celebrities and friends – from a massive variety of people, even from those with a complete physical detachment to the tragedy.

Sandy Hook was a turning point. And I believe that many years from now, regardless of how the US government moves forward with their seemingly endless gun control debate, we will look back at Sandy Hook as the very moment where we lost.

According to the New York Times, there have been at least 239 school shootings in the US since Sandy Hook – a mere six-year span. In that span, 438 people were shot, 138 of whom were shot fatally. During that same span, we have witnessed even more public outcry regarding gun control in the US, countless modifications to an increasingly diluted “#PrayFor” social media trend and even more messages about thoughts and prayers.

We have reached a point where society has become desensitized to shootings. We have become far too used to tragedies south of the border that our reactions, and the reactions we expect, almost border on routine. Tragedy, send thoughts and prayers, a moment of public outcry against US lawmakers, rinse and repeat. It’s hard to believe that even after one of the worst tragedies in modern history, we’ve somehow gotten worse.

But how are we supposed to react? How do we cope? On June 19, 2015, Dan Hodges of the Daily Mail tweeted what arguably has become the most apt answer to the same question we ask each other tragedy after tragedy: “In retrospect, Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.”

Maybe it is over. Maybe this is it. Major political leaders around the world are not getting any better. And regardless of whether election interference took place or not, a massive group of people are still voting clearly inept and irresponsible figures into positions of power.

It is so debilitating to feel and sound so hopeless in the midst of a tumultuous sociopolitical climate, especially since it feels like humanity just hasn’t seen a “win” in a little bit.

Recently, I’ve had numerous conversations about the value of sports. I’ve had arguments defending sports’ place in society as more than just a distraction from more important worldly affairs. While we can’t allow ourselves to be completely cut off from the environment we live in, maybe this is the time to look to sports. At least our respective teams and sports icons give us the hope of victory – something that we might not see from the real world anytime soon.

NEWS

Bringing biking culture to Capilano Facilities working with architectural firm to improve bike storage security on campus CARLO JAVIER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CHRISTINE BEYLEVELDT NEWS EDITOR

–PHOTO COURTESY OF CARSCADDEN ARCHITECTS

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embers of the Capilano University community who cycle to and from campus can soon tuck their bicycles away in secure and covered storage spaces. Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects Inc. won a tender process to reserve the right to design and construct a bicycle storage building for CapU. According to Bill Demopoulos, Sustainability and Facilities manager, a design is expected to be ready by the end of the fiscal year on Mar. 31, with construction dependant on budget availability and priority levels of other projects.

Demopoulos estimated that a small storage building could cost between $100,000 and $250,000. With three prototype designs from Carscadden, he expects the University to select and build one and gauge the need for further projects after the completion of the initial launch.

While a location has yet to be determined, Mark Woytuik, intern architect for Carscadden, suggested that community feedback would act as an important voice in securing a location.

According to Woytuik, auxiliary features, beyond just a simple storage has been a constant variable in feedback returns.

“Some of the feedback has been about whether people want, for example, a shower facility associated with the bike storage,” he said. “Things like that will help determine a location because there are only so many shower accessible locations on campus already.”

Determining a location would be paramount for the developers as the foremost shower facilities on campus are in the Sportsplex at the southern end of the campus. “There will be some drastically differing opinions about where that shelter should go or could go, because some people are using the north end of campus, some people are using the south end of campus,” said Woytuik. “We try to take that into account and have developed some options based on the feedback we’ve received.”

A Jan. 18 survey conducted by Carscadden at CapU revealed that members of the CapU community who are interested in bike shelters are most concerned about security and access to repair tools. Non-committal cyclists responded that a covered storage facility could convince them to cycle more often to campus.

The security of bicycles is a particularly

Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects' three proposed concepts for the forthcoming bike shelter at Capilano University. important factor not just for Demopoulos, but also for security manager Graeme Kennedy. In recent semesters, the RCMP has apprehended some people who persist in trying to steal bicycles. A notable incident happened off campus at CapU’s Dollarton Highway residence, where firstyear digital visual effects student Hriday Jotsinghani fell victim to a bike thief.

Though cameras constantly monitor the residence’s outdoor bike rack, an elderly woman was able to steal two bicycles as well as the seat off Jotsinghani’s bike one morning. For Demopoulos, providing a secure space for bicycles is an important element in protecting the properties of CapU students, faculty and staff. Bicycles can now cost anywhere from $1,500 to $6,000. Even though security monitors campus grounds, thefts do still occur. “I think the more important issue really is the issue of theft,” he said. “I think that’s what we’re really respecting is the value of these bikes and you know protection from the elements and protection from nasty

people who like to steal bikes for a few cycles.”

While the security that a locked storage building is the premium benefit of a bike shelter, Demopoulos added that the comfort it provides couldn’t be overlooked.

“Even the most hardened riders who are willing to cycle in all conditions don’t want their bike sitting out in the rain,” he said.

Moreover, Demopoulos hopes for a potential culture shift regarding cycling and CapU. “That’s certainly the hope,” he said. “I think in general it takes more than just the bike shelter, but we have some of those other things in place and I’d like to see more emphasis put on cycling culture.”

He deems that “a little bit of trail work” and more cooperative projects with the District of North Vancouver are essential steps in making CapU more accessible for cyclists, especially for those coming via the Ironworkers Bridge over the Second Narrows.

Another possibility on the horizon is the integration of more electric bike-friendly

amenities. Demopoulos knows that the relatively steep hill that leads to CapU can be a deterrent for most cyclists, and providing features to alleviate this issue could help encourage more cycling to CapU. “I think if we can sort out some of the charging issues, whether it be through this or facilities or some other mechanism we might see more people riding just because they can use an electric bike to get up,” he said.

Sustainability has already tried to tackle the integration of more electric bikes on campus. Three electric bike providers came to campus for Sustainability Week in October 2016 to show off their products and give students a chance to test them out. However, the event was rained out and there weren’t as many trials as Demopoulos would’ve liked.

The construction of a bike shelter on CapU is still tentative, but with official design proposals to be revealed this Spring, it might not be long before bike racks become a thing of the past.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 15

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NEWS

–PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK MEEHAN

CSU to go to referendum seeking fee increases A new electronics repair service is being proposed along with increases to the health and dental plan CHRISTINE BEYLEVELDT NEWS EDITOR

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he Capilano Students' Union (CSU) is preparing for a referendum concerning student fees paid towards the organization with voting open from Mar. 20 to 22 during the same period as their annual elections. Last year, the student body voted in favour of allowing the CSU to raise fees to cover the costs of external advocacy, recreation and intramurals, funding clubs and events and a Student Union Building, which is currently being incorporated into Capilano University’s Campus Master Plan for 2030.

“When I first came here I didn’t know too much about the CSU and what the CSU can offer students, and now that I’m more aware of it I really wish that more students could be more aware of it too,” said President and Vice President Finance and Services, Perry Safari. “It’s a matter of awareness and transparency.”

Currently, the CSU is in a position where they are forced to go to referendum seeking to increase the price of the Health and Dental Plan to continue to be financially sustainable, and while the plan is on the table, so are two new items.

Health and Dental Plan The CSU is currently running at a deficit where the Health and Dental Plan they provide to students is concerned. The provider, Pacific Blue Cross, raised

Capilano seeks membership with Universities Canada The organization will promote the school federally and internationally CHRISTINE BEYLEVELDT NEWS EDITOR

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apilano University made the transition from college to university 10 years ago, but until now continued to hold membership with Colleges and Institutes Canada (CI Can), which provides a voice for Canadian colleges and technological institutes.

Now, the University is making the switch and applying for membership

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

Last year's CSU board campaigning for students to vote yes in the 2017 referendum that raised fees to fund the student union building.

Personal Electronics Repair Service Also up for referendum is the proposition of a Personal Electronics Repair Service, which the board began discussing

Social Justice Support Fee Queer Students Liaison Kaschelle Thiessen, introduced a final referendum question directly to the board instead of the social justice committee, which ordinarily reviews these propositions.

Owen Sigurdsson, vice president equity and sustainability and chair of the social justice committee, explained that the committee has been dealing with governance issues concerning quorum.

The proposed fee of $0.65 per credit to a maximum of 15 credits also effective September 2018 if approved would increase funding for all of the CSU’s collectives, including queer students, women, international students, students of colour, first nations students and mature students and student parents who will fall into a new collective led by a mature students and student parents liaison. The collectives draw their funding from the same pool, and with a new liaison the CSU’s resources currently allocated for their collectives will be stretched thin.

“The Queer Collective uses a really large chunk of the budget, sort of a disproportional amount, which isn’t bad because they aren’t taking away from other collective because other collectives don’t request as much as the Queer Collective often does,” said Sigurdsson.

That money often goes towards larger events such as pride week. “The collectives themselves cover a really large group of students all across campus,” he said, which a lot of students relate to so few are excluded.

with Universities Canada, a membership organization that represents Canadian colleges and universities. Membership will reinforce the value of CapU degrees both nationally and internationally.

Librarian Debbie Schachter is working with Manager Academic Initiatives and Planning Bernadette Andrade on the application for Universities Canada, which requires a complete self-evaluation and overview of CapU. She noted that membership will entitle the University to benefits including opportunities for scholarships, advocacy on the institution’s behalf at the federal level and access to their research reports. “It’s about being part of that table where the association represents all of the universities in Canada,” said Schachter.

Furthermore, members hold a common position on interpretation of issues such as copyright law. “There are some lawsuits underway, so working with a larger body will obviously benefit every university so we work together on things like that,” said Schachter. “Universities

Canada ensures that all universities are following the same interpretation, so that as a unit, as a whole, everyone is following what is considered best practice.”

Instructors who carry out research outside of classroom and office hours will benefit from CapU being a member of Universities Canada. However, Andrade stressed that membership and with it, better access to research grants will not affect the school’s teaching mandate.

“In 2008, when we became a university, we were legislated among others as a special purpose teaching university,” said Andrade.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) instructors Dr. Sylvia Kind and Dr. Kathleen Kummen noted, after winning a prestigious Insight Research Grant with Western University through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada, that they can only hold research grants from the council in partnership with other post-secondary institutions who are members of Universities Canada,

because CapU is not.

Schachter and Dean of Arts and Sciences Julia Denholm are co-chairs of a Research Task Force that was set up in the fall and is currently being led

by Acting President Toran Savjord to develop support for research. “We were tasked with providing recommendations for how the university could officially support research,” she said. That involves reviewing existing policies, setting up a research ethics board, which they have already recommended, and defining the scope of research conducted at the University.

Kind noted that research was unique to the ECCE department, although Schachter says that there are many instructors who carry out research, and the task force will be surveying faculty to get a better understanding of research conducted at the University.

Recommendations to support research will support the membership application to Universities Canada, but is something that Schachter says CapU should be doing irrespective.

premiums, meaning that the plan costs the CSU $259 per student per year and the CSU only charges students $234 for the plan. “We’ve been put in a position where we have to go to referendum,” said Safari. The CSU is asking for a 16 per cent raise starting September 2018 along with a five per cent raise each following academic year to be determined by the board.

However, Safari added, providers typically raise premiums when plans are used so he considers this a good sign that students are making use of the plan provided. He also wishes to encourage use of provider networks, which he believes many students aren’t familiar with. Provider networks can enhance the benefits of the Health and Dental Plan if students by making appointments with health care providers who already have agreements with the insurance provider.

If the fee increase isn’t approved, the CSU will be forced to consider reductions to the coverage provided by the Health and Dental Plan in order to continue offering it at its current price to students.

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 15

immediately following last year’s referendum. “Right now, with this electronic repair service, what this is looking at is a crucial situation in which students at Capilano University are expected to have access to technology and they are dependant on technology in order to be successful here at Cap,” said Safari.

The CSU will be asking for $0.57 per credit to be capped at 15 credits to cover the cost of providing students with the service, which will cover software and hardware repair services at no extra cost to students, with the exception of purchasing hardware that the CSU doesn’t have in inventory. If a student will require hardware that the CSU doesn’t have readily available they will only be charged for the cost of the equipment with no markup. “Some companies mark up the price of their hardware so much and they charge it all onto the customer to pay off their salaries and overhead expenses essentially, but we’re not trying to profit here,” explained Safari.

CAMPUS LIFE

WHO YOU

The snow must go on Uncapped Rail Jam lays tracks at CapU for the sixth time GRETA KOOY CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

D Perryn Thiessen Connecting the social dots GRETA KOOY CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

S

ix years ago, at just 17 years old, Perryn Thiessen packed her bags and took off to see the world. In her two years abroad, she spent two to three months working odd jobs and networking with people from South Africa, Switzerland, Chile and Mexico.

“I was 17 and travelling alone,” said Thiessen. “It was an amazing experience, and I’ve learned so much about different people and cultures. My parents were scared to send me off, they were scared I wouldn’t come back.”

But, eventually, she did. Thiessen returned from her travels and began studying at Capilano University’s School of Business. Now halfway through her second year, the 23-year-old is using her gained world experience and applying it to her studies and current work endeavours.

Thiessen is spritely and personable, and focused on meeting as many people as she can. “After getting into the business program, I really pushed myself to network a lot.

It’s something I’m still trying to do,” she said.

Constantly keeping an eye out for different social events, Thiessen caught wind of and attended a show called The Art of War. There, she met one of the speakers, Carmen Ruiz y Laza.

Laza works with Joytv and is the host of her own show called CarmenTV. “I met her [Laza], and we started doing all of these events together,” said Thiessen. For a time, she would volunteer her extra hours to help Laza with her show and around the studio. “I tried to put together a crew for her. We would go to various events and would help with the social networking,” said Thiessen.

Although she spends less time working with Laza now, Thiessen continues to help when she can, emphasizing how valuable the experience was. Now, she manages a Skoah spa in Burnaby and is working on reviving her childhood passion of acting.

Focused on her studies, Thiessen allows as much time as possible to go beyond the typical student experience.

“It’s really easy for students to just go to class and then go home, and I’ve found it hard to network [at CapU] for that reason. I don’t want to be one of those students.”

For many, it can be hard to fully immerse yourself in school life, especially when there’s a lot on your plate.

For Thiessen, her extracurricular activities and work experience allow for her to push herself further into what CapU has to offer.

“It’s one things to get your degree,” she said. “But who you are plays a big part in that. Network yourself, push yourself, meet people, get yourself out there. Essentially, you’re your own brand.”

A degree can take you very far, but networking and meeting the right people is half the battle. Thiessen’s confidence is palpable, but that doesn’t mean she has everything figured out just yet.

“I’ve always been super driven to go to school and get it done,” she said. “I feel really ambitious that way and can’t wait to finish. I just want to keep networking and meeting people and trying different things. I don’t really know what I want to do in the end, but it’s all been rewarding.”

espite the less than ideal weather conditions, the sixth annual Uncapped Rail Jam still happened.

The winter showcase, which took place on Feb. 1, featured skiing and snowboarding entertainment in the Cedar Courtyard, accompanied by a live DJ, prizes and a beer garden.

“I think it went phenomenally well. It exceeded our expectations,” said Yats Palat, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) vice president student life. This was Palat’s first year spearheading the event. “The biggest thing for me was that it needed to be a social event.”

Capilano University’s commuter-style campus makes it difficult to facilitate student engagement. Many students have a long way to travel before and after classes, which discourages them from staying on campus longer than necessary – especially when it’s cold and raining. For this particular reason, Palat, alongside the Outdoor Recreation Department, students from the Outdoor Recreation Management program and several CSU volunteers, worked to build a more engaging event that encouraged students to participate and stay behind.

Anticipating poor weather, Palat and the other coordinators set up several tents, accompanied by space heaters.

Despite concerns over promoting a drinking culture raised by Accessibility Justice Coordinator Andrew Dillman, there was indeed a beer garden. “I said, ‘we’re going to bring in a beer garden’,” said Palat, “Why a beer garden? Because a beer garden is a good avenue to bring people together to hang out, and not just drink but get into a space where, like at CAPtivate, you have a lot of people spending time together.” Due to the rain, students

Fighting fentanyl Life of the Party feat. Narcan workshop brings important message about drug use to students JACKSON SNETSINGER CONTRIBUTOR

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he fentanyl epidemic that is currently sweeping the streets and drug scenes of Vancouver has created a crisis not felt by the city since the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

Fentanyl is becoming more prevalent – it’s getting cut into more drugs and its death count is rapidly rising.

Approximately 1,420 individuals overdosed in Vancouver in 2017 alone, compared to the 922 people who overdosed the previous year.

The epidemic has reached the point where civil service workers can no longer keep up with the increasing numbers of overdoses. Much like the AIDS epidemic, these workers can’t control what people do in the privacy of their own homes. To counter the fentanyl epidemic, addicts are being encouraged to practice harm reduction, which allows drug users to engage in safe drug use.

Strategies taught in harm reduction courses include how to recognize an overdose, how to prevent it and how to be safe while using.

Insite and the Portland Hotel Society are strong leaders in the fight against fentanyl use and the problems of overdosing in Vancouver. Outside of their work in areas like the Downtown Eastside, the Portland Hotel Society also works with university students to further educate the public on the effects of drug use and harm reduction skills.

“We don’t want people doing drugs, but if they are doing it they might as well be educated and test them” said Perry Safari, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU)

cramped together under tents near the DJ’s booth, certainly giving them the opportunity to hang out and engage with one another.

Palat suggests that throughout the day there was a turnout of approximately 500 or more students gauging from event footage and the consumption of foods and drinks, although it is hard to tell. Funding for the event came from the recreation budget and cost the CSU upwards of $5,000. This figure was less than their anticipated $6,700 estimate, and far less than the $20,000 that was spent on the CAPtivate event that took place in September of last year.

The activity portion of Uncapped Rail Jam, the skiing and snowboarding, was “a major expense” said Palat.

“The whole skiing section, renting the U-Haul, getting insurance, all that stuff."

Although much of the physical labour to set up the event was done by the Outdoor Recreation Department, Palat emphasized his great appreciation for the many CSU volunteers, namely Elena Tsvetkova, David Meneghel, Mohammad Aldossary, Karim Moodad and Feras Bingursain and the other non-CSU volunteers.

Each year, the CSU partners with a local charity for Uncapped Rail Jam, and the CSU’s choice this year was North Vancouver-based Warming the Homeless.

Clothing donations were requested by the CSU, but very little turned up.

“I think we could work better on promoting [the charities] and having someone in charge of that. If we do it, we want it done properly,” said Palat. “We did not prepare well enough.”

Elena Tsvetkova, a volunteer with the CSU Events and Outreach Committee, agreed. “I don’t think it was promoted enough, we didn’t get a lot of donations,” she said. Tsvetkova added that other than a lack of donations “the event was terrific.”

For future Uncapped Rail Jam events, Palat hopes to continue putting more emphasis on social engagement amongst students, while also paying greater attention to social responsibilities like charity work.

president and vice-president finance and services.

The CSU and Stacey Forrester of the Portland Hotel Society presented a work shop called Life of the Party feat. Narcan on Jan. 30, educating students about safe drug use strategies and valuable approaches to harm reduction.

Training done by Life of the Party feat. Narcan is part of Capilano University’s Adulting Series. The program’s goal is to inform students about things in life that classes don’t cover, including tenant rights, selfdefence, and necessities like health and dental plans.

“We hold monthly workshops, and we want to repeat them to make sure [information] is not forgotten,” said Sarah Carrier, CSU services coordinator.

To some, encouraging harm reduction may seem like it’s promoting drug use, when in actuality it prevents it.

In 2001, Portugal decriminalised possession of all drugs, and since then new drug user rates have dropped by 10 per cent and overdose rates by 15 per cent.

Canada isn’t decriminalizing the use of recreational drugs, but with the help of harm reduction strategies and properly educating adolescents, drug use rates have a greater potential of dropping.

“We haven’t really talked about policies at the CSU,” said Safari. “We have had good feedback on the series, so we want to make it annual thing. However, the University doesn’t have any plans for harm reduction.”

Drug use is often a silent problem, and one that many people don’t admit to. There are options for students battling addiction that they’re not often familiar with, such as visiting Insite where they will be taught how to safely and properly administer drugs and also test for fentanyl.

Insite certainly isn’t for everyone, however. For more information, students are encouraged to log on to Phs. ca and learn how to practice harm reduction strategies, as well as gain background knowledge about the Portland Hotel Society. Students who use drugs often or recreationally are strongly encouraged to learn more about harm reduction and safe drug use practices.

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VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 15

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OPINIONS

–ERIKA MEDINA

Repression or expulsion

School forces student to cover self-harm scars or face expulsion MEGAN ORR CONTRIBUTOR

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his week on, y tho?, apparently we are still trying to tell young women what they can and cannot wear to school. On Jan. 11, a Grade 9 student was sent home with a letter of assurance from her school, Penticton Secondary, in which she was ordered to wear long

sleeve shirts to hide self-harm scars or risk facing possible expulsion. The story was first covered on Feb. 5, by Castanet, a site dedicated to covering news in Kelowna and surrounding cities. Students and parents petitioned the school, and as reported by Global News the next day, “Administration later retracted the long-sleeve clothing requirement after an uproar from the student body.”

Nonetheless, this issue is far from resolved.

The very least that can be said about this incident is that the school was in the wrong. Nowhere on the Penticton

Secondary School website does it mention any dress code policies that specify hiding scars, though they do require that students “maintain a healthy lifestyle and attitude.” While this problem could arguably be a misunderstanding, dress code violations are a hot button issue in popular media. However, this goes beyond what has become the standard “young men apparently find the female shoulder too arousing to focus” bullshit that we normally get. This action speaks to a perhaps more insidious intent: shaming people who struggle with their mental health.

becoming their best seller, the newly introduced product was anything but groundbreaking. The measly 15 shade range for the Shape Tape Foundation consisted of 11 fair, two slightly more tan and two deeper shades. Not only does this project subtle discrimination based on the fact that a lot of people of colour will not have the chance to use the foundation, but adding insult to injury the product was released on Martin Luther King Day – making it that much more of a slap in the face.

Contrasting Tarte’s massive flop, Fenty Beauty, Rihanna’s beauty line, hit stores in September, assuming the role as a new industry standard by filling the shade range gap that exists for people of colour. Her now signature foundations come in 40 shades, providing more shade match opportunities. Additionally, the colour range of her various eye shadow and highlighter palettes and lipsticks ultimately work to enhance deeper skin tones – which has caused a bit of uproar.

Many fair-skinned consumers of the brand’s highlighter duos have reviewed

the product to be un-wearable due to the colours offered. Though Rihanna worked to offer many ‘universally flattering’ shades for all skin tones, as a person of colour and an advocate against racism, she worked to formulate the brand to cater more to those who are often ignored by many beauty brands.

To some, all this talk about shade ranges comes across as skin deep.

Living in a heavily westernized society, we’ve grown accustomed to primarily seeing white models in ads, with the exception of a few people of colour to meet diversity quotas. Something as seemingly miniscule as leaving a large portion of the human population out of trying a new beauty product is blatantly cutting people of colour out of the picture. These few occasions are problems that are a part of a bigger picture.

After receiving flak from those inside and outside the beauty blogger community, Tarte released an official statement via Instagram addressing the controversy (which has since been

According to Penticton Secondary’s own Code of Conduct, “Learning best occurs in a positive environment that is free of violence, intimidation, [and] harassment.”

This environment is of course only achievable if the students all cover their scars and pretend everything is fine, right?

It’s not harmful at all to try to demean and cover up someone's struggle, rather than actually deal with the issue as a whole. In case the sarcasm doesn’t translate, it is quite problematic and stigmatizing to ask someone to cover their self-harm scars.

The entire discussion around mental health now is focused on normalizing the conversation. With Bell’s “Let’s Talk” day having just passed on Feb. 1, people are increasingly encouraged to talk about their issues rather than hiding them as this letter of assurance was suggesting.

In Susanna Schrobsdorff’s 2016 Time cover story on the mental health of teenagers, self-harm is described as, “perhaps the most disturbing symptom of a broader psychological problem: a spectrum of angst that plagues 21st century teens.” Furthermore, as a January Guardian article explored, children are starting younger when they begin selfharming, some teachers seeing self-harm from children as young as three. There are plenty of theories as to why depression and anxiety are on the rise in youth.

Schrobsdorff mentions growing up in a post 9/11 state of fear, the recession, and the constant connectedness of social media as some possible culprits. The article focuses primarily on the dynamic between children struggling with mental illness and their parents. Schrobsdorff writes that the most important thing in dealing with someone who is self-harming is validating their feelings. Perhaps Penticton Secondary could benefit from learning to listen rather than passing judgments. At the very least, they should want to be a part of the conversation.

Skin Wars The racism behind the makeup counter RACHEL D’SA ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

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egardless of whether or not you’ve spent time in a communication class critically analyzing the media, we can all confidently say that we know the beauty industry has been screwing us over for years. Whether making us feel insecure about acne, teeth that aren’t blindingly white, or dry hair, the constant stream of corrective products coming out lead us to believe there is always something external to improve.

Eating away at our wallets and selfconfidence is one thing, but it’s still a surprise that in 2018 there is still such flat-out racist exclusivity.

On Jan. 15, cosmetic brand Tarte took to social media to announce the launch of their highly anticipated line of liquid foundations. While the previously introduced concealer-version of the foundation proved to be a huge success,

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edited), “... It may be too little too late, but we can assure you this was not meant in any kind of malicious way. We all just got caught up in #shapetapenation and seeing your tweets asking for it … We wanted to get the product out as fast as possible, and we made the decision to move forward before all the shades were ready to go.” This backhanded apology, while attempting to mend the controversial tear in their reputation, flat out says that it prioritizes fairskinned individuals. The brand has since announced that it will launch 10 more shades, and ironically this controversy has provided them with brand recognition, almost a positive for the company. It’s no news that scandal is an old trick in the book of “how to get yourself on the map.” Regardless of which industry it’s coming from, brands can’t continue to get away with racist advertising tactics. It’s about time it backfires.

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Pinot over pipelines When elected officials are just schoolyard bullies ELIZABETH MCCARTHY CONTRIBUTOR

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achel Notley is a bully. The current premier of Alberta is lagging behind in the polls and afraid of losing the next election, so she has taken to attacking small BC businesses to position herself as an ally to Albertans.

Specifically, she’s been boycotting the BC Wine industry. Alberta buys up to $160 million retail a year in BC wines, which means a boycott could seriously hurt the industry. Notley may like to spin the media into believing she is fighting for jobs, the Kinder Morgan pipeline and even her beloved province, but she is only out to win the next election.

“In Alberta, we don’t back down.

This is our economy, these are our jobs.

It’s also our country, and Albertans’ rights, and Canadians’ rights must be respected,” Notley told the CBC on Feb. 7. In reality, she doesn’t care about BC jobs, especially those that will take a financial hit from her boycott, or the job losses that will result in the event of an oil spill that would seriously damage the BC coastline. As an industry, BC film

brings in $2.6 billion. How many movies will be shot here if there’s a huge oil spill and the west coast is irreparably damaged? Notley couldn’t care less about an oil spill that would hurt those living and working in BC, because she believes that Alberta’s rights are the only ones that matter. If you don’t give her what she wants, she will try and bully you into what she and the oil companies want. On top of her bullying is a track record of mismanaging Alberta’s oil industry. Alberta extracted $500 billion more than Norway, yet Norway was able to turn a $1 trillion USD profit.

This petty boycott has inspired the entire country to jump to the defence of small businesses. Across social media there has been a surge of hashtags from #pinotnotpipelines to #buybcwine, and is there a better way to give Notley a middle finger than by buying BC wine?

The countrywide push back isn’t just against soon-to-be out-of-office Notley’s bullying tactics, but because the argument against the planned pipeline is perfectly legitimate.

In one camp, supporters believe the hype and media spin pushed by Kinder Morgan that this shiny new pipeline will be just like the one we already have and use, only better. The truth is this

pipeline is not about Canadians having oil-based products to fuel their cars, this is about the oil companies making a bigger profit off oil and unrefined bitumen by selling it to China. Those that are for the pipeline, and are not working in the oil and gas industry, support it only because they don’t understand its implications.

BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver stated during an interview with the CBC that “The reality is this, the decision to approve Kinder Morgan’s pipeline expansion is entirely political… if we had any common sense in this country we would be refining our products within our country.” The Green Party and the NDP are not talking about shutting down the oil sands and asking everyone to give up their gas-guzzling automobiles, nor are they talking about shutting down the existing pipeline.

The BC NDP and Green Party are asking to not move ahead with this new plan for the pipeline. The twinning of the existing pipeline will result in an increase in the number of barrels of oil per day from 300,000 to 890,000, which means increased profits for Kinder Morgan by $73.5 billion. This money is not going into Canadian pockets. Instead of creating offshore jobs, the government

can take the existing, unrefined product and upgrade it in Canada, effectively creating more jobs over here.

For those against the pipeline, they understand that the likelihood of spills increases, but the increased tanker traffic in and out of Vancouver will also increase pollution. This new plan for the pipeline means going from five tankers a month to 34 coming through the Port of Vancouver.

Notley views BC’s stand as being in breach of interprovincial trade rules.

The Environmental Management Act puts the province within its legal rights to defend its coasts. For Notley’s allies, remember that slavery and Colonialism were both legal. Legality is not about justice. It’s about power. BC has the right to fight that power and to have a voice in the discussion over what happens here, no matter what oil companies desire. In the meantime, I will be buying and drinking BC wine, because no politician should be allowed to bully small businesses, especially one who sides with oil companies instead of the people. Cheers.

The Amazon health care opportunity Amazon revolutionizes the push for affordable health care ALEXANDER DERBAS CONTRIBUTOR

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mazon, along with the renowned publicly traded companies JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway, announced that they would create an independent health care company for their employees at a much lower cost than the national US cost of health care on Jan. 30. This new startup would be run as a non-profit aiming to serve their employee health care needs and to enhance their medical services.

Given the skyrocketing costs of healthcare in the United States, Amazon must proceed to institute a health care system into its employee plan. There are enough horror stories of peoples’ grandparents and vulnerable groups such as children being denied health care due to its unaffordability.

It shouldn’t take the deaths of many ill and susceptible civilians to institute independent or universal health care alternatives that are affordable and accessible.

The current system is filled with corporate greed that ignores the needs of lower-income and middle-class Americans who have enough difficulty receiving their necessary medications, appointments, and surgical procedures.

Company and governmental disregard for the welfare of their employees and citizens must be abolished; Reform

–JULIANA VIEIRA

is essential to healing the fudged up American health care system. As stated by founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, “Hard as it might be, reducing health care’s burden on the economy while improving outcomes for employees

and their families would be worth the effort. Success is going to require talented experts, a beginner’s mind, and a long-term orientation.”

Critics of this health care startup, however, doubt how feasible it will be

to create a new health care company.

Angelica LaVito of CNBC asserts how “industry experts have cautioned people to temper their excitement, especially since other companies have tried — and failed — similar ideas before. About 40 major companies, including names like American Express and Macy's, have joined the Health Transformation Alliance to try to lower costs.” With many companies having attempted a similar concept to what Amazon is proposing, it makes sense why skeptics challenge whether an independent healthcare company is realistic or even capable of survival within the industry.

Regardless of naysayers, Amazon should proceed to create an independent health care company. As it stands, the current American health care system is deeply flawed and hurts the very people it is supposed to help. Member of the Cambridge Health Alliance, David Cecere, pointed out that “Uninsured, working-age Americans have 40 percent higher death risk than privately insured counterparts.” With the immense unaffordability and inaccessibility of the current US system, it is a noble move for Amazon to create a separate health care system for its employees. This is a step in the right direction to providing Americans with alternatives to the current malformed health care system.

All Americans deserve to experience a bright, healthy future of vitality and prosperity.

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En Garde

Vancouver’s Academie Duello is allowing people to live out their historical combat fantasies JUSTIN SCOTT MANAGING EDITOR

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lthough swords are an extremely outdated weapon by any modern benchmark, they still hold a special place in many people’s hearts. Whether it’s because of the Zoro cartoons you watched as a child, or the sound that Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber made the first time he activated it on the Millennium Falcon, a sword is one of, if not the most captivating weapons of all time.

I can still remember the first time I saw the 1998 film The Man in the Iron Mask, in which the three musketeers fight to save Phillipe from his twin brother King Louis XIV, both played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and how fascinated and enchanted I was with their swordplay.

Although I used many sticks and other long skinny objects along with my imagination, pretending to be one of the musketeers as a child, it wasn’t until I walked through the doors of Vancouver’s Academie Duello that I

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truly got to live out my dream of being a sword fighter. Located at 412 West Hasting’s street, Academie Duello offers a wide variety of classes on traditional western martial arts. “I’ve been involved in western martial arts of some kind for about 25 years,” said Devon Boorman, the school’s director and Maestro d’Armi.

Boorman, like many, became fascinated with swordplay as a child.

Unfortunately, there weren’t many schools like Academie Duello in the past, so Boorman had no real options to pursue his interest, until one of his friends told him about a chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) – a medieval and Renaissance enactment group. “They were doing fencing with rapiers and things like that,” Boorman said. “So, I went out with him to an underground parking lot of a building where one woman who was a part of it lived.” From that evening on, Boorman never looked back.

Academie Duello has now been in operation for 14 years, and has seen incredible growth. The school started by teaching just rapier – the sword style used in Renaissance Italy and also by the three musketeers – and wrestling.

Since then, they’ve added a wide variety of courses including a variety of traditional western weapons including differing sword styles and poleweapons, to mounted combat, archery and even Bartitsu. “It was probably the west’s first marital art,” Boorman

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said of the combat style. Bartitsu is a combination of Jujitsu, scientific boxing, the French kick boxing art of Savate and cane fighting, and is the form of martial art the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle enabled the famous Sherlock Holmes with.

When I visited the school, I took an introductory class that covered the rapier, side sword and the long sword.

While the rapier is probably the most intriguing due to the intricacy and beauty involved in its movements, each sword brought a new and exciting challenge. And no matter how challenging the task was, my instructor, Ben Davis, was up to the challenge. Not only was he able to guide me through the different movements and techniques, he showed a genuine interest and passion in the history and art of the practice.

Even if you’re not sold simply because you get to learn how to use swords, the classes are also excellent workouts.

“From a modern fitness perspective, people are looking for ways to do something that’s interesting,” Boorman explained. The school has even gone to the extent of creating a fitness class called Swordfit, which combines modern workout techniques with the historical weapon practices.

Academie Duello then, is less of a business and more of a passion project.

“The goal isn’t to make a bunch of money from it, the goal is to have something that people value,” Boorman

explained. “So, we thought, ‘okay, we’ll charge a fee that’s sort of equivalent to what other martial arts programs are and we’ll teach a structured program’,” He added.

Additionally, the school’s classes teach far more than just the mastery of a weapon. Boorman believes that the commitment and dedication required to master any of the styles of combat offered by the school, translates into other aspects of one’s life. “Pursing mastery is really about doing something that is really challenging and learning the rewards of it, and going through the plateaus and hard times and getting good at something, and then learning the skills that help you stick with something,” he said.

The school is open from Monday to Saturday and offers a variety of courses daily. Whether you find yourself fantasizing of being a musketeer, or looking for a new and exciting way to workout, Academie Duello is worth a visit. “We try to make it super easy to come out and try it out. So, come and do a trial class, and get a sword in your hand,” Boorman said.

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Sounding off The face behind local indie music's rainbow-bound zine NATASHA JONES CONTRIBUTOR

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irst year Capilano University Communications student Elizabeth Kerschbaumer has been making zines since the eleventh grade.

Formerly known as fanzines, zines are independent, self-published magazines that typically explore subculture topics and movements. It was her obsession with punk rock culture and love for local band Wind-Up Birds that sparked the creation of Sounding Off – a handmade zine that launched in September 2016.

The concept of Sounding Off was conceived months prior to its production, when Kerschbaumer expressed her interest and excitement for producing physical copies of her written work. Her vision of providing her favourite artists with press were then cemented with the creation of her zine. “Nobody was documenting the people I was obsessed with,” she said.

Ultimately the zine delves into the DIY music scene, featuring artists as well as fans, whom Kerschbaumer has described as “the heroes of the scene.”

She also emphasized the importance of “supporting the building blocks of the scene, like the venues, visual artists and writers,” and explained that this is something that often goes undocumented.

Sounding Off draws inspiration from Riot Grrrl, a zine and feminist movement that began in the early 90s.

The zine focused on punk rock culture, politics and female empowerment and explored the inequalities women face on and off stage. The zine is a collection of essays, stories and opinions, wound together in a cut and copy DIY style, resembling that of a collage.

Like the Riot Grrrl movement, Kerschbaumer examines the issue of sexism in the music scene. "Whether or not we want to admit it, it’s omnipresent,” she said. Many venues toss the term “safe space” around without really considering what that means, and unfortunately, many of these venues aren’t always safe for women, minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community and recognizing this is the first step towards making progress.

Kerschbaumer also finds herself drawing inspiration from feminist punk band Bikini Kill, which bears a zine under the same name. The band’s lead singer, Kathleen Hanna, is a huge role model for the zine crafter, and was one of the reasons she started producing her work. She has also found herself to be influenced by the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and particularly liked the “deliberate unrefined nature of his work” as well as his use of dramatic colours.

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Sounding Off presents readers with 16 pages of vivid content – two articles: one long and one short, along with art and written submissions, including some of her own work. Beyond the drawings and words that fill the pages are Kerschbaumer’s thoughts and opinions.

“I had no editor, this is unfiltered me,” she said.

The making of a zine is a timeconsuming process involving tape, scissors and copious amounts of paper, and Kerschbaumer has said that her surroundings have taken a toll. “My room looks like a blizzard,” she said, as she additionally listed the steps of her work’s creation.

The production starts with printing out submissions and typing up content using a typewriter, followed by laying

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out the pieces onto a template copy.

Once the good copies are photocopied, Kerschbaumer binds the pages together using rainbow yarn, resulting in a beautifully hand-stitched end product that is both personal and unique. There are times when things don't go as planned, and Kerschbaumer has had to retype entire pages. Sometimes mistakes happen, but she chooses to look at the situation optimistically as she noted, “knowing how to control the disaster is weirdly inspiring.”

Last year, Kerschbaumer had been going to shows almost every weekend.

At concerts, you’d likely find her with a backpack full of zines; some of which she trades, others she sells for $2 a piece.

It’s normally one of her friends who would distribute them for her, acting as

a promoter. Wind-Up Birds also put up copies of the zine on their merch table, making it accessible to fans.

Kerschbaumer plans to keep Sounding Off as a zine rather than expanding it into a blog, although she does plan on making copies available online.

Her work will continue to focus on Vancouver’s DIY indie music scene, and she is expecting her next copy to be done by mid-February.

For more information, visit Sounding Off's Facebook page: @soundingoffzine.

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Among many factors, cost could be the biggest player in Canada’s evolving sports culture

BY CARLO JAVIER ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY VISVANATHAN

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ockey and lacrosse will forever be ingrained in the very fabric of the Canadian identity.

That much is clear. In 1994, the two sports were officially recognized by the National Sports of Canada Act as the country’s national winter (hockey) and summer (lacrosse) sports. Though legislation is meaningful, it was not like Canada needed a ratified document to show the significance of hockey and lacrosse in Canadian society. Especially hockey, considering that “Canada is hockey” is one of the foremost axioms that take the spotlight during the Winter Olympics and the NHL Playoffs.

The times however, as Bob Dylan famously sang, are a-changin’.

Throughout the past decade, CBC News, Global News, VICE and Statistics Canada all conducted their respective research that revealed a sea of change that may be a tough pill for many Canadians to swallow.

Soccer and swimming have surpassed hockey as the most popular sports for Canadian children to participate in, with basketball and baseball not too far behind. While multiculturalism and increased diversity certainly have a role to play in the rise of other sports, there is one simpler factor that is boosting participation for other activities: cost.

Since its inception in 1966, Sport BC has been the champion of amateur sports in BC representing over 50 sports organizations across the province. In 1993, Sport BC launched KidSport, a not-for-profit that works towards providing financial assistance to families who do not have the means to send their children to pursue their respective sports of choice. The idea was to address the rising costs of sports, while also supporting member organizations such as Basketball BC, Volleyball BC and the BC Amateur Hockey Association.

Through the years, KidSport has grown leaps and bounds, even expanding to the national scale – but so has the cost of sports.

“Our childhood poverty rates continue to grow, certainly in BC, we’re among probably one of the highest childhood poverty rates in the country and the cost of sport is increasing at the same time,” said Pete Quevillon, director of KidSport BC. The 2010 census conducted by Statistics Canada found that 42 per

cent of children between the ages of five and 14 were found to be actively participating in soccer. Numbers nearly double those of the next most popular sport, swimming, which clocked in at 24 per cent. Ice hockey came in third with 22 per cent of the participants, followed by basketball at 16 per cent and baseball at 14 per cent. The remaining participant numbers were split near evenly among volleyball, gymnastics, figure skating, karate and downhill skiing. Three years later, the CBC boldly announced that hockey was no longer Canada’s most popular sport to participate in, even among adults, stating that 5.2 per cent of Canadians over the age of 15 played golf, compared to the 4.4 per cent that played ice hockey. This past Fall, Global News also took a stab at unpacking the state of youth sports and other extracurricular activities in Canada. According to the Ipsos research that Global commissioned, 15 per cent of Canadian parents surveyed said that they plan on registering their children to play hockey, while 25 per cent opted for soccer and a whopping 40 per cent of respondents picked swimming. “[Cost] has certainly played a part in it,” said Quevillon. “We’re a very different country than we were 30 years ago. The passion for the game is perhaps not as great in new Canadians and that’s an area that hockey is working on developing and the fact that it’s a long commitment, to run from September to March or April, for a lot of families, that length of time to commit to a sport is a challenge.”

Per CBC, the average cost of the equipment alone for junior level hockey stands at $740 per child. This includes the helmet, gloves, protective padding, apparel, hockey stick and skates. In comparison, basketball equipment costs an average of $310, while soccer comes in even lower at $160.

Beyond equipment and registration fees, there are also costs that come with playing the sport. According to Quevillon most of the sporting infrastructure is operated at the municipal level, and while municipalities offer subsidized rates for the use of their facilities, there are still other costs to consider.

“So, your rinks and pools and fields are municipally-run facilities and there’s a cost to obviously keeping those up and maintaining them and making them

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available,” he said. Quevillon also noted that the costs of equipment, officials, uniforms and coaching, are also all on the rise.

The price to play may be the driving factor in the rising popularity of sports other than the national ones, but there is another significant element in the shift in Canada’s sport culture.

The game is not the only thing that’s changing – the players are, too. For Quevillon, Canada’s increased diversity cannot be ignored when investigating the rise of sports such as basketball and soccer. “Basketball has become a much more popular sport in terms of grassroots participation,” he said.

Although Quevillon credits the Toronto Raptors for spearheading the popularity of basketball among Canadians, he also cites logistical details about the sport as integral factors. “I think that the game itself is much cheaper to play, it’s much more global in nature, there’s a lot more countries in the world that play basketball and play soccer extensively than there are that play hockey.”

Long before Jennafer Palma could win a Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) championship with the Capilano University Blues women’s basketball team, she had to first win a spot just to get on the court.

“It was really hard for my parents to find me a camp or a team to be on because there was actually nothing provided for girls, only boys,” said the 2016 graduate of CapU’s Bachelor of Business Administration program. “My parents actually fought to put me on a boys’ team and I played with them for a year.”

Palma first picked up a basketball in the first grade. She often found herself staying around school after classes to wait for her older brother’s basketball practices to finish. Soon, she picked up a ball and started to copy some of their moves. After competing with the boys’ team of RBL Basketball (originally known as ‘Real Basketball League’), Palma found her way in camps like the Triple Threat Basketball Training Academy in Vancouver, as well as the varsity team of the Notre Dame Regional Secondary School.

The extensive training proved to be worthwhile, as she soon found herself becoming a key player for the Blues women’s basketball team. Her PACWEST career however, almost came to an unceremonious end after she tore both her ACL and the MCL in her right knee towards the latter part of her time with the Blues. Although she was able to claim a redshirt year and preserve one more year of eligibility, Palma ultimately re-aggravated the same injury going into her final year, forcing her to play with a brace the entire season.

Palma may have experienced the peak of competition during her time in the PACWEST, but it’s the contributions she’s made outside the game that truly resonates. In 2013, inspired by her start with a boys’ basketball team, Palma launched Jalma Ball Sports Club, an affordable basketball program that helps train and develop young girls in East Vancouver. However, this past year, Palma completely changed the operation

of Jalma Ball. “I did a 180 and I actually changed it into a sponsoring foundation.”

Like many other independent sporting camps in the Lower Mainland, cost was a major element in driving the change.

“As a coach, if I want to take time on the side to help a player, the biggest cost is a gym,” said Palma. As an alumna of Notre Dame, Palma also receives a subsidized rate for the school gym, but even a per-hour fee that ranges between $50 and $60 is a luxury that not many independent coaches have. “You can’t even get anything done in an hour,” she said.

Another factor leading to the change was the auxiliary costs that come with any sport. “Some of the girls I coach at Notre Dame, they’re still wearing shoes that they wore three years ago, and those are run down and they’re probably going to hurt themselves in those shoes and that’s because they can’t afford them,” said Palma. Recently, Palma had a player who faced that very issue, and instead of concentrating her efforts on finding clientele to run another camp, she instead led a sponsorship campaign for the player. “We raised enough funds to buy her two ankle braces and a new pair of basketball shoes,” she said.

Though the cost of sports can be a debilitating financial crunch, the value they provide can be immeasurable. This particular reason is why Quevillon and the rest of those involved at KidSport and Sport BC strive to help alleviate the oft-unforgiving state of sports in BC and the rest of the country. “What’s important to remember is that not very many kids that play sports or that we help are going to become Olympians or pros, but they’re going to learn some valuable lessons playing sports, hopefully it becomes a lifelong habit for them,” said Quevillon. “I think every kid should have that opportunity.”

Noam Chomsky once argued that the intrinsic social role of sports is to distract and divert the masses’ attention from the far more important worldly affairs. The noted “father of modern linguistics” argued in Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media that sports, especially competitive ones, incubate “irrational competition,” “irrational loyalty to power systems” and “passive acquiescence to quite awful values.” While Chomsky’s critique certainly stands on strong grounds, what he fails to recognize is the value of sports to those who do not have the privilege of choice. Yes, sports do distract and do offer a way to escape, but for some, sports can be the only way out.

It is a universal language that can bond people of varying backgrounds, beliefs and orientations together. All of Canada saw this beauty at its apex form on Feb. 28, 2010, when “the golden goal” struck the back of the net.

Canada’s sports culture may be experiencing the (very) early stages of a paradigm shift, but a sense of certainty lies in the fact that at the end of the day, sports do, and will continue to matter for many Canadians.

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Time to expose Canada’s history of anti-black violence to the mainstream

BY KEVIN KAPENDA ILLUSTRATION BY ANNIE CHANG

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but this Black History Month feels different than past ones.

Just last fall in September, the UN Human Rights Council urged the government of Canada to address historic and contemporary anti-Black racism in a series of recommendations. Formally acknowledging the presence of African slavery in Canada and considering reparations for many historical injustices grounded in exploitation, segregation and state violence were just some of the recommendations levelled by the UN. What was perhaps most damning in the report was the working group’s assessment of how this historical violence has shaped Canada’s anti-Black present.

The report outlined the many obstacles that prevent Black progress in this country, and the ways in which antiBlack sentiment is “deeply entrenched in institutions, policies and practices, that its institutional and systemic forms are either normalized or rendered invisible, especially to the dominant group.”

For the UN, contemporary anti-Black racism “replicates the historical de jure and de facto substantive conditions and effects of spatial segregation, economic disadvantage and social exclusion.”

While Canada has a long history of de jure, or legal, anti-blackness, the legacy of such policies continues to plague our society through informal, or de facto, racism. It is this unspoken yet loudly heard racism that makes the experience of Black Canadians distinct in the eyes of the UN, “because of the particular history of anti-Black racism in Canada, which is traceable to slavery and its legacy, through specific laws and practices enforcing segregation in education, residential accommodation, employment and other economic opportunities.”

Of course, the UN’s report was not all doom and gloom. It welcomed many actions being undertaken by provincial governments, particularly those of Ontario

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and Québec, who have named antiBlackness in recently released anti-racism strategies, and moved to abolish programs such as police carding. Carding, a term used to describe the arbitrary stopping and identification of suspicious-looking people, disproportionately impacts Black individuals, adding to the violent history that exists between Black and Indigenous communities, and law enforcement in Canada. While Ontario abolished the practice in early 2017, police still have thousands of records of individuals who were unconstitutionally carded, and in many cases, because they were Black.

In addition to provinces, cities are also independently committing themselves to addressing anti-Black racism and with due reason. Municipalities are at the forefront of education, housing and policing, three institutions that have

negatively impacted Black quality of life in Canada. In 2017, in response to the UN’s report, the City of Toronto released an Interim Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism. This included acknowledging the ways in which the city’s school board (TDSB) and police force (TPS) have failed the community through low graduation rates and streamlining black youth to lowskill courses, as well as subjecting Black Torontonians to disproportionately high rates of carding, excessive force, in-school

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policing and incarceration. In his letter of support for the report, Mayor John Tory reflected on the stories of discrimination and dehumanization he had heard from Black Torontonians by acknowledging his own privilege and experiences he will probably never have as an culturally and economically privileged white male, such as being followed in a store.

While the acknowledgement and historical overview of anti-Black racism from Canadian governments and the UN has been eye-opening, no account of systemic anti-Blackness in Canada has been more insightful than that of Robyn Maynard’s in her 2017 best-seller Policing Black Lives. In the book, Maynard traces the evolution of anti-black violence in Canada from 18th and 19th century slavery, to 20th and 21st century economic exclusion, mass incarceration and segregation.

One recurring criticism of Black History Month in Canada is the belief that it is unnecessary because our country is not racist nor anti-Black, and that it is more relevant to the US or other countries with African slavery. However, after centuries of both material and symbolic anti-Black violence, which in the UN’s words was systemically kept low-key, it appears as if that criticism no longer holds weight.

Therefore, my hope for this Black History Month and all those to come is not only for it to serve as a celebration of Black contributions to the cultural, economic and social development of Canada. My hope is that it can also serve as a reminder of Canada’s historic dehumanization and enslavement of Black bodies, and the contemporary violence, both physical and symbolic, Black Canadians continue to suffer.

A Violent Past When I was in high school, Black history in Canada was not something that was talked about. The only slavery discussed in my history and social studies courses was that that had happened in the US In fact, the only Canadian Black history I remember from elementary and high school are stories about the Underground Railroad, which depicted the US as a violently anti-Black country and Canada as a welcoming safe haven for runaway slaves. Of course, these stories were not told or written from the perspective of Black people. They were written to support a false narrative that Canada is not as anti-Black as the US, and that the country has always been welcoming of difference – except for the countless times our country has proven to be anything but.

Indeed, throughout my 24 years, I’ve been constantly told that anti-Black racism is far worse in the US and that I should be thankful I’m here. The problem with this widely-held belief is that it erases past and present anti-Blackness in Canada by confounding the cultural, demographic and historic differences that exist between Canada and the US. According to Maynard, early settlers deemed Canada’s climate too cold and unsuitable for large-scale plantations that produced large black populations in the US, Caribbean and Latin America. The British Empire and France were both slave trading nations that stole millions of Africans and transported them to their other colonies in the Americas. The

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main reason why Canadians believe we aren’t as anti-Black as Americans is not because our history or record suggests so, but because Black bodies are erased from the Canadian identity, as a highly invisible minority group. Whereas in the US, African-Americans remain the largest and most visible minority group.

In the eyes of Canadians, the number of African-Americans magnifies the racism perpetrated against them, even though our past and present has been just as violent towards Black bodies.

In her book, Maynard traces African slavery in pre-Confederation Canada back to the late 18th Century. The first Africans held in Canada were enslaved by French settlers in what is today Québec, and Atlantic Canada. As the British increased their presence and control of Canada, they too enslaved Africans in those provinces as well as in what is today Ontario. While the French settlers in Canada enslaved both Africans and Indigenous peoples, the British, as well as other European colonizers generally believed that Indigenous peoples were ill-suited for slavery while Africans were born for it. When France signed over full control of Canada to the British in 1763, Maynard writes that ownership of slaves was fully endorsed by the British Empire and all slaveholders, English and French, could continue to the violent practice.

One common misconception about slavery that Maynard’s book shatters is the belief that slave owners were only the political elites or ultra-wealthy, like today’s top one percent. In actuality, slaves were owned by settlers with varying economic and social capital, from all walks of life.

African slavery in the Americas was inherently murderous, from first encounter and theft, to bondage. Canada was no exception to this violence.

Maynard’s reading of Québécois historian Marcel Trudel reveals that slaves in New France were beaten with chains and rods as a form of punishment. Due to the immediate (beating and killing) and latent (denial of food) violence perpetrated against slaves in pre-Confederation Canada, few slaves lived past the age of 20. In addition to these acts of physical violence, female slaves were also subjected to abhorrent reproductive and sexual violence, subjecting Africans to both EuroAmerican racial hierarchies and patriarchy. Another form of violence African slaves in Canada were subjected to was isolation. Because Canada did not have plantation slavery, Maynard’s book explained that most slave owners were smallholders, needing only a few for specific domestic and agricultural duties.

This lead to increased surveillance and intimate violence that most plantation slaves were not subjected to.

Slavery in British Canada was abolished in 1834, but that did not mean the country’s opposition to bondage equalled acceptance of Black bodies as full human beings, deserving of all the rights afforded to “Canadians”. When British Loyalists from the United States were resettled in Nova Scotia in the late 1800s, they were promised land from the Crown. However, most were not given land and those who were only received a quarter of the land given to British settlers arriving from the UK, an amount that Maynard cites as too small to live off.

Therefore, most freed Blacks in Canada had to become cheap farm and domestic workers for whites who were paid virtually nothing, due to the systematic economic exclusion of Blacks. To this day, property continues to be the most common generator of wealth, as demonstrated in Vancouver’s housing prices.

Throughout the 19th century and first-half of the 20th, Blacks in Canada continued to face various systemic economic, political and social barriers that impacted quality of life and sense of place.

These barriers, some written into laws and others carried out informally, have been named by Maynard and scholars like Barrington Walker as Canadian Jim Crow, in reference to the US term for this same form of discrimination. Like the United States, Canada also has a violent history of exclusion, epitomized in curfews and segregation. Maynard explains that “sundown” laws and other bylaws existed in many Canadian cities which required blacks to be in their homes or out of town altogether by a certain time of day, effectively criminalizing their existence outside of providing exploitable labour. While segregation was often written into law or into deeds that stated a property could only be owned by whites, it didn’t always have to be due to the structural impoverishment Blacks were subjected to on both sides of the border. Through suburbanization and redlining, the practice of refusing to loan money to certain people based on their race, settler society was able to use their economic power to segregate blacks and other undesirable people from certain neighbourhoods.

A racist present Acknowledging and understanding Canada’s history of anti-Black sentiment and violence is the only way we can attribute present inequalities to racism.

From a young age, I’ve been told by society that things are the way they are because Black people are innately devious and unable to escape poverty. That it is our fault we are disproportionately incarcerated, policed and victimized by extra-judicial killings. That the ghetto is a place we created and accept, rather than places we were forced to live in through economic impoverishment and spatial segregation. While the work of activists, scholars and writers like Maynard, Desmond Cole, and Britney Andrew-Amofah is increasing awareness about anti-Blackness in Canada, past and present, the challenge facing Black Canadians is to get 97 per cent of Canadians to understand the embodied experiences of three per cent of the population. As the recent acquittal of the Saskatchewan man who executed Colten Boushie demonstrated, talking about reconciliation in legislatures and universities, and addressing racial violence in everyday communities are two very different things. However, by continuing to expose historic and contemporary anti-Black violence in Canada during and outside of Black History Month, I am optimistic that I will look back on this year’s February decades from now as a turning point in the struggle for Black emancipation in Canada.

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SHORTS

BLACK PANTHER THE ALBUM Various Artists A sensational album to accompany the monumental film JUSTIN SCOTT MANAGING EDITOR

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lthough Black Panther The Album is not officially a Kendrick Lamar album, it may as well be. Much like Drake’s More Life, Black Panther The Album is a collaborative project curated by Lamar, featuring some of todays biggest and brightest talents. And yes, keeping in the atmosphere of the film, the album which celebrates black excellence is comprised of predominantly black artists.

So, while the work has no specific narrative or story, it certainly paints a picture. Black Panther, the film, has already received almost unanimous acclaim, not just for it’s production, but for it’s message.

Sure, there have been many blockbusters with black actors, or telling black stories in the past, but Black Panther’s director, writer, costume designer and performers are all black, allowing them full control of a film that has brought many marginalized communities together.

In a similar spirit, the film’s accompanying album, not soundtrack, followed the same blueprint. With Lamar at the helm and featured prominently throughout the album, it was bound to be successful.

The album covers a variety of sounds, from the wall shacing “Opps” which features Vince Staples and Yugen Blakrok to the soulful “The Ways” featuring Khalid and Swae Lee. Other stand out tracks include “All the Stars” featuring SZA, “X” which features Schoolboy Q, 2 Chainz and Saudi and Ab-Soul's “Bloody Waters” which includes Anderson .Paak and James Blake.

However, unlike most movie soundtracks, or modern albums for that matter, every track deserves a listen.

It seems then, that Black Panther the movie isn’t the only recent release with that name to achieve its full potential.

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DECEPTION BAY Milk & Bone

BLOOD Rhye

FREEDOM’S GOBLIN Ty Segall

On their latest album, the Montreal duo capitalizes on the things they already do well.

The Canadian R&B project delivers another 11 sensual tracks perfect to set the mood on the dancefloor or in the bedroom.

Ty Segall’s latest album is an expansive rock album that packs a punch

CARLO JAVIER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Electropop was in a bit of a renaissance when Montreal’s Milk & Bone first burst onto the scene in 2015. Their debut album, Little Mourning was a standout record that showed tremendous promise and versatility from a Canadian duo entering a crowded genre. With their 2018 follow up, Deception Bay, Milk & Bone exhibits a subtle growth, demonstrating a layer of vulnerability through honest lyrics about love and love-lost.

After Little Mourning, it seemed that the natural progression for the duo was to explore the synergy between their brand of electropop and hip-hop. Standout track “Tomadachi”, which featured Toronto-rapper Terrell Morris, hinted at the exciting possibilities of amalgamating the two genres. Yet, the two, took a different route.

Deception Bay shines not because of the way it grasps sounds and styles from other genres. Instead, the album’s growth is inward. The opening track “Set in Stone” is a rich excursion through melodies and emotion, spotlighting the song’s near-ethereal vocals. Album highlight, “KIDS” is a grand display of opulence. The bouncy song on a failed relationship experiments with a variety of textures and sounds, evoking nostalgia and even a hint of…

K-pop? It would be a perfect hit song, if only it was marketed as such.

The title track is nothing short of a tour de force and “Faded”, the album’s antepenultimate revels in both sombre and rambunctious environment.

Though eschewing the promise of electropop and hip-hop collaborations may be a let down, Milk & Bone demonstrates that sometimes, inner growth can be just as exciting.

CRISTIAN FOWLIE PRODUCTION DESIGNER Rhye's sophomore album Blood arrived just in time for Valentine's Day. The Canadian R&B project delivers another 11 sensual tracks perfect to set the mood on the dancefloor or in the bedroom. But while their debut album, Woman felt like new love –fresh and thrilling, Blood is more like a long-term relationship – comfortable, easy, but with moments of monotony. This change could be chalked up to the departure of songwriter and producer Robin Hannibal. Now helmed solely by singer Mike Milosh, Rhye has doubled down on it's signature sound. Blood is a subtle blend of stripped-down R&B and down-tempo pop with orchestral flourishes. The album introduces some funk influences and even a toothy electric guitar on "Count to Five", but otherwise has few surprises.

For some this will be just fine.

Blood delivers consistently on what Rhye does best. Others may be left wanting a bit more. "Phoenix" offers a taste of a new sleeker direction, with a dark pulsing beat and sexy guitars. Ultimately, the album doesn't lean heavily on elaborate production, instead focusing on careful arrangements of diverse instruments and vocals.

Rhye can sound understated in headphones or tiny laptop speakers, but the real magic happens at the live show. I had the chance to see them perform at the Commodore Ballroom in 2014. Backed by a full band, Rhye transformed subtleties into symphonies. They're playing at the Vogue Theatre on Sept. 15, as part of Westward Fest. It'll be a concert perfect for young love or rekindling old flames.

RACHEL D’SA ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR Jan. 26 of this year, Freedom’s Goblin dropped as Ty Segall’s 10th studio album, his second to be recorded with his full backing band The Freedom Band. Since its release the album has been getting a slew of critical acclaim, including an aggregate score of 84/100 in Metacritic and a solid 8.1/10 on Pitchfork.

The American garage rocker begins his lengthy 19-track album with “Fanny Dog”, a fullband track, kicking things off with a bang. The rich drum fills absorb any dead air, providing listeners with a full-force track that packs a punch. The twangy lullaby “My Lady’s On Fire” begins as a slow acoustic piece glittered with harmonic vocals that picks up, morphing into a steady rock beat, incorporating a full saxophone halfway through the track. The album continues with “Alta”, a synth-leading interlude that kicks into high gear layering the initial soft riff with grungy guitar, reminiscent of the hardcore drowned-out tones of one of Segall’s most popular albums, Melted.

The album has a few humdrum moments that’s reminiscent of The Black Keys’ El Camino, and even Radiohead with some dreamy melodies.

Segall’s longest album to date, Freedom's Goblin shows no boundaries, as the genre of each tracks seem to fit outside the artist’s usual writing style.

The album concludes with “And, Goodnight”, a 12-minute jam-based guitar-solo heavy groove. Layered with soulful vocals ringing “I dream sweet love, A dream for you, from your baby boy blue,” the track closes the album seamlessly — like a red velvet curtain to a standing ovation-worthy production.

CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 19

23 FRI

HISTORIAN AND CULTURAL ADVISOR NAXAXALHTS'I DISCUSSION

MON

BOSA THEATRE 12:30 P.M. / FREE

“Sonny McHalsie will be on campus to speak about the history and culture of the Stó:lo People and S’ólh Téméxw Stó:lo Territory in the Fraser Valley.” If you want to learn about the history of the city you live in, this is the place to be.

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB COMMODORE BALLROOM 7 P.M. / $50

There hasn’t been a good rock and roll band since the 90s, but these guys sure do try hard. They’re like a diet Metallica, which is interesting since Metallica is a diet metal band. They're kind of like the rock and roll version of Coke Zero.

20 TUES

PIZZA PALOOZA

ROGERS ARENA 7 P.M. / $30

VARIOUS PIZZA PLACES 6 P.M. / $30

Christmas has arrived early for wrestling fans. I know there was a wresting show at the Commodore in the calendar a while ago, but this is the real deal. Maybe John Cena will be there.

This event sells itself. Unless you’re lactose intolerant, I cannot think of a better way to spend a Tuesday. The tour will be visiting some of the best pizza places in Vancouver, where you will get to try a slice.

The walk will burn off all the calories, trust me.

THE SCIENCE OF RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

CYHI THE PRYNCE

There’s a poster of a woman with a very long neck hanging outside Science World. There is no explanation about what’s so special about her, but I want to know more.

I don’t know much about him except that he’s currently signed to Kanye’s record label. I honestly forgot record labels even existed anymore, they seem so irrelevant since Spotify came along. Anyway, Kanye knows good music, I trust his opinion.

SCIENCE WORLD ALL DAY / $23.25

21 WED

ELS WRITING: AVOIDING PLAGIARISM – PARAPHRASING & QUOTING EVIDENCE BIRCH BUILDING, ROOM 323 11:30 A.M. / FREE

We at the Courier have seen our fair share of plagiarism. Most of the time it isn’t done intentionally, which is why attending this course might help you avoid accidentally getting expelled.

FORTUNE SOUNDCLUB 8 P.M. / $20

24 SAT

IMPROV AGAINST HUMANITY: CUPID'S REVENGE

22 THURS

The play was written by a Pulitzer Prize nominee. Does that translate into being able to write a good play? Who knows. Go find out and tell me all about it. I'm shocked to learn that it isn’t a comedy, with a name like that.

“Let’s celebrate the year of the dog together,” better be the most used pickup line of the night. This event isn’t really that kind of party, so maybe skip this and go to a bar where you can use that line.

RED ROCK CASINO 8 P.M. / $49

It sounds like a rip-off of Whose Line is it Anyway, but that’s because this show is the travelling version, featuring some of the original cast.

Unfortunately, none of the good ones are on tour, but this is better than going to Granville Island for another night of amateur improv.

For people feeling jaded after this Valentine’s day, Improv Against Humanity is hosting an event just for you. There will be chocolatey prizes and the worst person in Vancouver will be announced.

PACIFIC THEATRE 8 P.M. / $36.50

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY PLAZA ALL DAY / FREE

WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY

RIO THEATRE 8 P.M. / $12

AN ALMOST HOLY PICTURE

LUNARFEST

25 SUN

THEORY OF A DEADMAN COMMODORE BALLROOM 7 P.M. / $89

I just discovered these guys are from Delta. Well, their hit song “Santa Monica” sure makes sense now. I spent 10 days there once, and I would happily leave to go live there. Especially if I lived in Delta before that.

GO TO THE MUSEUM

WINE TOUR

Vancouver is going to become a museum if housing prices keeping rising. Check out the museum while it can still pay rent. Or don’t check it out and move into one of the condos it will be turned into.

The only excuse to go to the Fraser Valley is because you’re getting drunk. I used to prefer the quantity over quality method of drinking, but my liver has been resisting that approach. Maybe splitting the alcohol back into a bucket is an overcorrection, but if it is, you can always drink the bucket after.

MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER 10 A.M. – 5 P.M. / BY DONATION

FRASER VALLEY 10 A.M. / $100

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15

COLUMNS

DIGITAL HURDLES

Faulty Pixels: when developers go bad, is it game over?

JOHN TABBERNOR COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER

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eleased in 2011, Minecraft is the second-best selling video game of all time, second only to 1984’s Tetris. Much like the colourful blocklaying gameplay of Tetris, Minecraft’s simple and creative gameplay appeals to all ages. It’s no wonder that it has captivated the hearts of millions of fans over the past seven years. Minecraft is an amazing game. It’s creator, Markus “Notch” Persson, however, is a dick.

Calling for everyone that has ever played Minecraft to throw their copy onto a burning pyre because Persson wrote homophobic tweets, isn’t going to undo that harm. The mental gymnastics of separating a creator from their work can quickly become exhausting. With the increasing pressure of movements such as #MeToo, the accountability of creators and organizations has never been more front of mind. We can still enjoy video games as the interactive and performative medium that we all love, but choosing to ignore the conditions surrounding their development is doing the artform a disservice.

In the past months, controversies have mired the work of popular video game developers as news broke about everything from toxic studio environments to employees being charged with felonies. David Cage’s studio, Quantic Dream, was reported to actively condone a poisonous workplace which included racist and sexist jokes and what Eurogamer called a “schoolboy culture.” Sound designer Simon Chylinski was fired from Unknown Worlds over insensitive remarks made on Twitter. His crass tweets on race, immigration and gender diversity cast a shadow over the long-awaited release of Subnautica. Worse yet, long-time Valve employee and co-creator of CounterStrike, Jess Cliffe, was charged with commercial sexual abuse of a minor after paying a 16-year old girl for sex on multiple occasions.

A studio’s culture and its employees will define a game’s soul. Their values, beliefs and politics are inherently baked into the DNA of their creation. It falls to each individual consumer and player to decide whether the factors around a game’s development warrant critique, outcry or boycott. The argument can be made that a director has more bearing on a game’s creation than a sound designer. Crucifying one to spite the other might not be the best solution.

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–VALERIYA KIM

When discussing a game led by an auteur such as Cage, it becomes easier to hold them accountable. In the case of Cliffe, however, his creation has far outgrown him. Though Counter-Strike began as a popular mod for Half-Life in 1999, after being acquired by Valve, the game has evolved into one of the biggest e-sports on the planet. With Cliffe’s recent dismissal from Valve and his pending trial, it is highly unlikely that he will continue to profit off of his work.

Just as Counter-Strike outgrew Cliffe, so too did Minecraft outgrow

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 15

Persson. Though that game made him a fortune, he’s no longer profiting off its continued success. Some might argue then that Minecraft as a work, should stand apart from its toxic father. He can tweet his regressive beliefs and we can choose to ignore them. But when that rhetoric crosses a line into abuse and hate speech, the decision to accept a game for what it is becomes a harder pill to swallow. Publicly trampling on the rights of a minority group and then asking them to “separate art from artist” is a fool’s errand.

Our lived experiences will always inform our interpretation of games, their worlds, and the stories they tell. Intent has no bearing on impact. If what we know of a studio or developer colours our interpretation of their work, there’s no way around that. We are not empty canvases. We come to every experience with the messy palette of our lives.

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STAFF EDITORIAL

For the love of the game JUSTIN SCOTT MANAGING EDITOR

T

he first football game I can remember watching was Super Bowl XXXVI (36) in 2002. I had seen others before, but I’m a basketball guy, so I never cared too much for the padded punishment that is American football. However, on that day, my father called me and asked me to record the game for him on a VHS. Of course, I inevitably ended up watching it myself – and what a game it was. In what was probably the only Super Bowl in which Tom Brady was considered the underdog, the New England Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams and secured a new loyal fan in me.

Since then, Brady has gone on to win four more Super Bowls, securing his title as the greatest to ever play the game. Over the near two-decade span of my fandom, the Patriots have been a mainstay at the top of the NFL. However, I can guarantee that in the future, when things inevitably get rough for the long-successful franchise, I’ll still wear their name on my chest.

All of this was my way of putting off the discussion of Feb. 4, a truly dark and disappointing day for Patriots fans everywhere. However, even the lead up to Super Bowl LII had already gone awry from what I had envisioned. With the game taking place in Minnesota, the home town’s Vikings were one game away from making history. The Vikings, the team that my father has cheered for his whole life could have been the first NFL team to ever play at home in a Super Bowl, had it not been for the beat down they took from the Philadelphia Eagles in NFC [National Football

POP GOES THE POLITICS

Rippon has no pity for Pence

LEAH SCHEITEL COPY EDITOR

S

top what you’re doing and pay attention to Adam Rippon. It’s easy to do, he's one of the top figure skaters in the world, performing elaborate routines in glitter costumers that demand attention. But the American Olympian – and first US male figure skater to compete as an openly gay man – is doing something more honourable than a triple pirouette axle combination. He’s using his current spotlight to not do something – to not meet with US vice president, Mike Pence. And Rippon not doing so is

–RACHEL WADA

Conference] championship game.

My dad’s fandom has been a vastly different experience than mine. While the Vikings playing at home in the big game would have been an exciting first, they also hold the record for most losses in a Super Bowl, with a 0-4 record in the final. And yet, Papa Greg still dawns the purple and gold with pride. Which is why although I’m Canadian, when it comes to football, I’ll always bleed red white and blue.

That’s the thing about sports, they’re rarely just games. For players they’re a constant challenge, profession, income and love. But for fans, they’re often far more.

For many, Sunday is no longer the day of the Lord – unless the Lord dawns shoulder pads, a helmet and cleats.

Sunday has become the NFL’s day.

But more than that, it’s become an escape. Few events outside of sport can bring such wide and diversified groups together, forgetting their lives for a few hours and caring for nothing other than

their team.

As much as that could be a lesson, that’s only where sports get started.

They may teach loyalty, but they also teach work ethic and teamwork – be it a team on a field or five friends assembling their tailgate setup. They teach children that if they set their mind to something and work hard at it, almost anything is possible. Look at Spud Webb, the 5’7 basketball player who won an NBA Slam Dunk Contest and had an unforgettable career.

While I’m a Patriots fan, I had been cheering nearly as hard for the Vikings to make it to the game. I’ve seen my father go through disappointment after disappointment with his Vikings team – shout out to Blair Walsh and Brett Favre – and know his loyalty deserves to be paid off. I don’t just feel this way because I’ve seen him suffer, but because I know how much he’s given to sport.

I fell in love with basketball from a young age. My sister and I would get picked up early from school everyday

because we had to be at Handsworth, where my dad coached at 3 p.m. I spent my time there shooting on the sides and watching my dad do his thing. He later went on to coach my sister and I, on all levels of the sport and run our local league to ensure it continued to exist.

He ended up winning provincial titles with Handsworth and Seymour Basketball, but never asked for anything in return, other than dedication from his players and the assurance that they were enjoying themselves. He ingrained in all the players he coached the importance of sport, not just as a competition, but as a learning experience. Learning teamwork, hard work, the importance of setting goals, but perhaps most of all, making sure that you enjoy what you do.

So, although I already have bottles of champagne with “#6” written on them in Sharpie, awaiting demigod Brady’s next ring, I hope we don’t have to wait too much longer to see the Vikings bring one home, because Greg surely deserves it.

speaking volumes and bothering the shit out of Pence.

Pence has made a political career out of being a bit of a homophobe. During his tenure as the governor of Indiana, he made it legal for business owners to refuse service to same-sex couples looking for a wedding cake, among other services. And although Pence vehemently denies it, he is a believer in conversion therapy at the expense of HIV funding. His 2000 congressional campaign website advocated for redirecting funds for HIV treatment organizations, as they, “celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus,” and instead use that money for organizations that “provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.” Apparently, to Pence, praying the gay away is a more effective form of HIV treatment than HIV research and treatment.

Pence has been trying, unsuccessfully, to meet with Rippon, using the Olympics as a photo opportunity to pose as a friend to the LGBTQ community and

Rippon isn’t having any of it. The 28-year-old athlete has refused Pence’s invitations, citing he doesn’t want his Olympic experience to be about Pence, and rightfully so. Rippon is the one who put in the work, from the excruciating hours of training to the endless and intense competition circuit. He did this for himself and if he doesn’t want to use this opportunity, with the eyes of the world on him, to look chummy with a politician, he doesn’t have to.

A CNN reporter recently asked Rippon if he thinks that Pence did him a favour, by giving him the opportunity to amplify his message and support for LGBTQ rights, a notion that Rippon rejected.

“I think my hard work getting into the Olympics did me a favour,” he said.

“I think I worked really hard to get where I am and I didn’t get to where I am [by] being gay or for speaking out on different issues. I got to where I am by working really hard.”

In the same interview, Rippon bashfully said he wants to be America’s Sweetheart, a dream that is quickly coming to fruition. He got emotional

when he mentioned the thousands of messages he received from people who are impressed by him and relate to his story. Rippon is using his spotlight to show what elevated him to compete on the world’s stage – hard work and extreme dedication. That’s it. He’s not making excuses or allowing anyone to steer the conversation for him.

Of course, along with the accolades of admiration, Rippon has received backlash. Pence has personally tweeted at him twice, saying that his opposition to LGBTQ causes was “fake news”, in all caps to highlight his desperation. And most recently Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter to bash Rippon for his refusal to let Pence ride his Olympic coattails.

By not meeting someone, Rippon has shaken the core of the Republican Party. And if more proof is needed of the importance of LGBTQ advocacy and rights, it’s 2018 and Rippon is the first openly gay figure skater from the US. That into itself is amazing.

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SPORTS

record

position change

4 9-9 �

place

record

position change

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

4 13-11

place

record

position change

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL

2 19-5 -

place

record

position change

–VANCOUVER SPORTS PHOTO

place

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2 13-5

MEN'S BASKETBALL

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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

"Just play the best we can, and fight for every point" The upstart Blues women’s volleyball team is looking to shock the competition at PACWEST provincials TIA KUTSCHERA FOX OPINIONS EDITOR

A

s the Capilano University Blues women’s volleyball team's season comes to an end, they’re looking optimistic heading into the Pacific Western Athletic Conference (PACWEST) playoffs. “We’re a very wellbalanced team. When you look at the overall team stats I think we’re – I know a week ago we were leading out of seven stats, we were leading six of them,” explained head coach Cal Wohlford.

Going into the playoffs ranked number for in the conference, the team will begin their playoff run in the quarterfinals.

Finishing in fourth place is an impressive accomplishment for the team considering the changes they underwent this past off-season. Last year’s squad had four fifth-year players, while this year’s most experienced players are captains Tyneille Neufeld and Megan Koven, as well as middle Zoe Mydansky, were all in their third year of eligibility.

With all the fresh faces, Wohlford’s been pleased with how this season has played out. “It’s been pretty good, we’ve had ups and downs as we’re a fairly young team.

Overall our first half was pretty good,” he said. “It ended where I thought we

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should be at and this back half we’ve been playing quite well.” Koven agreed with the coach. “I think we’ve been doing pretty well for having such a young team, a lot of people are learning a lot of new things or learning a lot of new positions this year.”

Two weekends ago they faced the Camosun Chargers, a team already out of the running for the playoffs. Wohlford warned the team Camosun could be harder than most. “That’s the most dangerous team you can play pretty much is the team that’s already out,” Koven explained. “Like Cal said, they have nothing to lose, they’re going to try things that they’ve probably been nervous or scared to try.”

The team went on to beat Camosun that weekend 3-1 and again 3-0.

While their co-captain, Tyneille Neufeld, has been on the bench for the team’s past eight games due to an ankle injury, other team members have been stepping up to make the difference. “I think Isabela Lima – she’s the other left side that I played with – she’s really stepped up as a strong leader on the court,” Neufeld said. “And our middles are really stepping up too,” she added.

Koven, who plays the middle position, agreed. “I got to step up. A lot of the other girls like Isabela Lima, she’s stepping up a lot,” Koven said.

The team has multiple strategies they’re hoping will lead to success in provincials. “I think we play easier when we’re serving hard and when we’re

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passing well we get into a better rhythm.

When we’re not passing so well we tend to force things a little too much and then things don’t roll,” Wohlford explained.

The coach also noted that the team’s middles have found their stride toward the end of the season. “The biggest thing is just the desire to play, the passion,” he said.

Neufeld emphasized the importance of communication. “I know a few times it’s a completely quiet gym and everyone is just really tense and that’s when we start to make more mistakes,” she said. “I think Isabela is really good at just being that little fire on the court, her and Zoe Mydanski they’re both just like really loud. So, to have them keep being loud, and have everyone feed off that energy, that’s how we start talking that’s how we start communicating.”

Lima has seen the team coming together of late as they’ve been improving their on-court bonds. “I feel that it is connecting with each other.

It has changed, I think that we’re way more connected now than we were in the beginning. That’s the way it goes even with a team that’s been playing for a long time together, the beginning of season is a little rusty and then we pick up along the way,” she said.

As they approach the quarterfinals, Wohlford expects the team will face the Columbia Bible College Bearcats and then Douglas College Royals in the semifinal match. They could also be facing the Vancouver Island University (VIU)

Marniers, but with VIU’s record in the league, they are all hoping to go against Douglas. “VIU is just known for being really good so everyone kind of plays a little bit off. Whereas Douglas we kind of have this little rivalry so I think it just really brings up our game when we play them,” explained Neufeld.

Lima agreed, but also has a more personal reason for facing Douglas.

“I have another Brazilian that plays in that team,” Lima said. “She’s my friend, I know her it’s just because we go against each other and it’s super fun and super competitive. I don’t know, it’s just fun,” she added. However, after dropping a pair of games to the Royals this past weekend, the Blues will need to refocus to find success against the Royals, if they wind up facing one another in the tournament. Neufeld’s injury has prevented her from playing very much this semester, but there is good news. “I’m excited to be back, I should be back by provincials for sure,” she said. The whole team is excited and gearing towards provincials. In regard to how they hope to place in provincials, Lima put it well. “You know you’re going for the win always. Hoping to play hard and play our best. That’s always in my mind, it doesn’t matter what happens, just play the best we can, and fight for every point.”

The PACWEST Volleyball playoffs will be taking place from Feb. 22 to 24 at the University of the Fraser Valley.

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Blues set sights firmly on provincial gold medal Men’s volleyball team hope to win the PACWEST and secure a berth in the national tournament JUSTIN SCOTT MANAGING EDITOR

W

ith the regular season now in the books, the Capilano University Blues men’s volleyball team now enter the most exciting and important part of the year – the playoffs.

From Feb. 22 to 24 the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST)’s top teams will battle each other for a claim to provincial supremacy and a berth into the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national tournament.

After clinching the second seed during the regular season, the Blues received a bye round in the quarter finals, meaning they are just two games away from provincial gold. “My expectation is to encounter Camosun [Chargers] in the semi-final and then VIU [Mariners],” said head coach Emmanuel Denguessi Though matchups are ultimately dependant on the results of the quarter finals, a duel with the Chargers and the Mariners are increasingly more likely.

The Chargers were riding a six-game win streak, including two wins against the Blues two weekends ago.

Dominant throughout the season, the Blues looked as if they were about to share top-seed honours with the Mariners – until they dropped a pair of games to the Chargers. “The energy wasn’t there,” Denguessi said. The Blues

hadn’t played the Chargers since winter break, and the Victoria school have since added new players who brought height to their squad. No matter, the Blues believe the Chargers is certainly beatable, they just need to re-focus. “I don’t think it’s our decision making, I think it’s just putting everything that we’ve learned together,” said team captain Simon Friesen.

The third-year all-star setter is especially excited for the playoffs, as it’s clear that he still has a bad taste in his mouth from last year’s tournament.

“It sucked,” Friesen said. Although the team was talented last year, they entered playoffs ranked sixth, meaning they started their tournament in the quarter finals. It was there that they lost to the Chargers three sets to none and saw their season end.

This year however, is already different. With a successful – at times record breaking – season under their belts, this year’s Blues are a clear contender. “If we follow what the coaches say about game plan, we’re going to beat any team we face,” said third year outside hitter Sameh Khodr.

And as of now, that game plan is get back to basics and play as a team.

“To beat Camosun, we will need to be very effective in our serve and in first contact,” said Denguessi. “Emmanuel wants us to go back to the basics and do what we do well,” Friesen added. “We’re a very good defensive team, we’re a very scrappy team and we’re a really good serve-receive team and we are a really good serving team. So, if we can pass the ball and dig the ball, and get some sort of offense out of that, I think we’re going to do well.” The Blues embraced this mindset and got back on track this

weekend with a pair of wins against the Douglas College Royals, including a 4341 third set win on Friday, Feb. 16.

With the brackets now set, there are just a few days until the tournament begins. Because of their bye however, the Blues won’t be playing on the tournament’s first day. “Every team is playing at the top of their game, which Camosun is right now,” Friesen admitted. “But, if we can put out our top game then that’s going to be great volleyball. I think we can play, I think we can beat them, but it’s going to be a really good game to start everything off,” he continued.

Between now and the 3 p.m. game time on Friday, the Blues have nothing to do but practice and prep, which as of last week was going well for the team. Along with practicing their plays, Denguessi plans on preparing the team mentally as well for the high-pressure situation. “The message is – they need to appreciate the moment, they need to see the value in the situation they’ll be in,” he said. “It’s a playoff game, which means you need to be at your best in each game because there is no game to readjust. It’s either you win and more on or you win and play in the bronze medal game in our case.” The coach also plans on allowing his team’s leaders to embrace their roles and guide their teammates.

“I would like my leaders, Simon and Jonathan [Lee], to be able to kind of entertain a second level of a mental game,” he said. “To always be there and remind their teammates of the task at hand. So, remind them to be focused when we need to be focused, to be relaxed when we need to be relaxed, to celebrate when we achieve

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something and to regroup when we are in difficulty.”

Having said all that, none of this will matter if the team can’t win on Friday.

Although they’ll still be playing for bronze if they lose, for the men, this season is gold or bust. “Playing with this group, I always knew that our goal is more than provincials, our goal is nationals,” said Khodr. This task was made even harder for the Blues, and most of the PACWEST, this year when it was announced that Camosun would be hosting the CCAA national tournament.

Because of this, the Chargers get an automatic bye into nationals, leaving only one other birth for the PACWEST, which usually gets two. “Whoever we’re going to face, we have a mindset of a gold medal, so we’re going to destroy this team and go to the final,” Khodr continued.

“I’ve been looking forward to a final for a long time. I don’t want to guess, I don’t want to assume, I don’t want to plan past the next game, but anyone in the final and us is what I’m going for,” Friesen said with confidence. It’s clear that the team believes that this is their year and aside from their off weekend against the Chargers, it’s looked like theirs as well. All they need to do now is win two more games – something the team and coach believe to be in their sights. “How do I envision the playoffs going? Capilano wins in the semi-final, Capilano wins in the final and we have practice the next morning,” Denguessi said, smiling from ear to ear. Hopefully he’ll have that same smile, along with the players on Saturday, with a gold medal around their necks.

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VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 15

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CABOOSE

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CAPILANO CONFESSIONS

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HOROSCOPES

THE VOICEBOX with Justin Scott

Hey bud, I guess that sparkling wine will have to stay corked eh?

“What is the alcohol content in those Smirnoff Ices?”

That’s fine, much like Tom, wine gets better with age.

“I ghosted the love of my life for a week.”

TAURUS (APR. 20 – MAY 20)

I read your bullshit newspaper.

“I went from prohibitionists to alcoholic this past reading break.”

The sun is never coming back.

Ouch. And you needed surgery?

GEMINI (MAY 21 – JUN. 20)

Yeah. Anyways, what kind of writers are you looking for? I’m quite well spoken when describing house cats and assorted cheeses.

–

5,000 cups of coffee couldn’t keep you awake.

I’m sure we could make it work.

CANCER (JUN 21 – JULY 22)

Learn to swing dance.

“My boyfriend's quiver makes me quiver.”

LEO (JUL. 23 – AUG. 22)

The Voicebox is back! If you have any questions, concerns or any other bitchin’ to do, text it over to our boy Justin at 778-873-7288. “Please text me,” he says. “No one else does.”

–

Keep doing the bare minimum.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 – SEPT. 21)

“I made my girlfriend go to Metrotown to get some shoes with me, then watch my basketball game, for Valentine's Day.”

The stars love what you’ve done to your hair

123456

SUDOKU

LIBRA (SEPT. 22 – OCT. 23)

It’s officially too late to get in shape in time for summer.

Difficulty: It's a surprise Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.49)

1

“For Valentine's my current boyfriend bought me peonies and my exboyfriend sent me a box of photos... only one was of his peonies. ”

1

“For Valentine's I got nudes.”

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 – NOV. 21)

3

We don’t want to read your poetry.

4

5 5

–

So what? Nothing special happens just because you were born this week.

There will be a terrible accident involving you, an elephant and a bowling ball.

Oh shit, what happened?

–

IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK:

ARIES (MAR. 21 – APR. 19)

Hey man, I just got out of surgery and am feeling lonely.

–

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9 1

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4

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3

3

9

5

9

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8 1 7

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SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 – DEC. 21)

Life is that thing other people do while I nap.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 – JAN. 19)

Dan Dan noodles are top of the noodle hierarchy.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 – FEB.18)

If you read too much you might go blind, if you don’t read enough you might be stupid.

PISCES (FEB. 19 – MAR. 20)

Life is one big babushka doll.

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Sat Feb 17 03:52:51 2018 GMT. Enjoy!

Read more and submit your own confession at capilanocourier.com/confessions

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