Capilano Courier | Vol. 50, Issue 9.

VOLUME 50, ISSUE 9

NOVEMBER 20–26, 2017

FEATURE

A reflection on Susan Doig's CapU career

What are the chances? pg. 12

NEWS

CSU implements four new internal policies

EDITOR'S DESK

4

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Carlo Javier capcourier@gmail.com

STUDENTS MEET WITH PRESIDENT DANGERFIELD

News

MANAGING EDITOR

Justin Scott manager.capcourier@gmail.com

5

NEWS EDITOR

Christine Beyleveldt news.capcourier@gmail.com

Campus Life

Tia Kutschera Fox opinions.capcourier@gmail.com FEATURES EDITOR

Helen Aikenhead specialfeatures.capcourier@gmail.com ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

6

ROAD SAFETY IS A TWO-WAY STREET

Opinions

Rachel D'Sa arts.capcourier@gmail.com CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

Greta Kooy campuslife.capcourier@gmail.com

8

THE FIGHT OF THE KTUNAXA NATION

ONLINE EDITOR

Jessica Lio online.capcourier@gmail.com

Columns

COPY EDITOR

Leah Scheitel copy.capcourier@gmail.com ART DIRECTOR

Rachel Wada artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com

10

SUSAN DOIG’S NEVER-ENDING PROJECT

Special Feature

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Cristian Fowlie pm.capcourier@gmail.com COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER

John Tabbernor community.capcourier@gmail.com

12

YOU'RE FIRED!

Feature

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Andy Rice andy.capcourier@gmail.com

17

COVER ART

Rachel Wada

POLYGON GALLERY OPENS AT LONSDALE QUAY

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Arts & Culture

Julian Ensz, Freya Wastenays, Leah Scheitel, Luka Vasic CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Jenny Oakley, Rachel Wada, Valeriya Kim, Emily Rose, Natalie Heaman, Karla Monterrosa

18

BLUES AND MARINERS SET HISTORY

Sports INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING?

THE CAPILANO COURIER is an autonomous,

Visit us in Maple 122 on Tuesdays and Fridays or

democratically-run student newspaper. Literary and

email capcourier@gmail.com.

visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions

INTERESTED IN ILLUSTRATING?

are subject to editing for brevity, taste and legality.

Submit your portfolio or examples of work to

The Capilano Courier will not publish material

artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com.

deemed by the collective to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. The views expressed by the

​We acknowledge that the work we do and the

contributing writers are not necessarily those of the

institution we serve happens on the unceded

Capilano Courier Publishing Society.

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

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Carlo Javier EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

YOUNG WOMEN IN BUSINESS

OPINIONS EDITOR

2

GIVE ME MY FLOWERS WHILE I CAN STILL SMELL THEM

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

"The game ain't always fair and that's the thing though. You can play your heart out, everybody don't get a ring though." Drake

A

ny member of the Capilano University community that has been a part of the school for at least the last three years know that a sweeping change is enveloping the institution.

Last year’s rebrand is promising a refreshing new start to the school after a tumultuous period that saw controversial program cuts, very public spats between instructors and administration and steadily decreasing student enrolment and retainment. And less than a year since that reveal, this triumphant new CapU is already starting to blossom.

After a fairly surprising announcement late in the spring, CapU hastily and impressively launched its first ever offcampus residence this year. A little over a month after the residence opened, the school unveiled a Campus masterplan that outlines a long-term vision that extends all the way to 2030. This masterplan included the school’s first ever on-campus housing, which could break ground as early as fall 2018.

In conjunction with such grand projects by the administration, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) have also unveiled some of their own vision – one that includes a new Student Union Building that will not only serve as a primary administrative office for the CSU, but also as a social space for students.

The same type of growth can be applied to the Capilano Blues. All the Blues teams are either entering, or are already in the midst of an exciting time in terms of player development and success. CapU studentathletes are also not only excelling in their respective sports, but as we found out earlier this year, they are reaching levels of national academic achievement that the school has not seen in at least a decade.

As the recently-retired Susan Doig told me in our final interview, the school is undergoing exciting times – a phase where members of the community are openly collaborating and communicating with one

another to achieve a greater goal.

While we experience this sea of change, it is a little bit bittersweet knowing that most of the people working towards making CapU a better place likely will not even see the fruition of their hard work, much less the credit.

When the residence at 2420 Dollarton Highway opened earlier this semester, I did feel proud of the members of the CSU who time and again lobbied for student housing.

And while some of the current executives and liaisons of the CSU are actively doing their part in improving student experience at CapU residence, it would be a crime to completely ignore the work of the executives and liaisons that came before them, like the Gervais, Fabrys, Kolstees and Wilsons to name a few.

The same goes for the current CSU roster. When the Student Union Building is finally built, whenever that may be, it is likely that none of the current executives and liaisons will get to work there, they will be long gone by then. The work that they are doing now to ensure that the building does get built will ultimately be for the future members of the CSU, and the staff. I hope that when it does go up, names like Willis and Safari will echo with the eventual students who reap the results.

Recently, I found out just how big a change Erin Millar made when she ran the Courier, a little over a decade ago.

It was a complete upheaval, essentially restructuring the Courier into what I like to think is a decently-respected piece of campus publication. In more recent years, I like to say that Scheitel built the character, while Rice rebuilt the administration.

I do not know what the Courier will be like years from now. I do not even know where the future staff will be located after the seemingly inevitable tear down of the Maple building finally comes. Even though I am the current editor-in-chief of the school’s campus publication, but I really have very minimal knowledge on what CapU will be like down the road.

What I do know is that whatever the future members of the CapU community see, much of it will have been because of the ones who came before them.

NEWS

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PLANS TO REACH OUT TO CURRENT STUDENTS Drop-in donations has created the need to expand pool of donors Christine Beyleveldt NEWS EDITOR

– JENNY OAKELY

O

ver the last five years, the Capilano University Alumni Association (CUAA) has seen a steady decrease in donations, which doesn’t just impact the financial aid in the form of awards, scholarships and bursaries given to students, but the University’s operations as well. Director of Alumni and Development, Scott Blythe, attributes this to the CUAA’s tactic of focusing on retaining its current donor base and not expending as much energy on attracting new donors, but as Capilano University approaches its 50-year anniversary, the CUAA is at the beginning of a new stage of reaching out to a new crop of graduates, as well as bringing current students in their circle.

The CUAA is a member-led organization that aims to advance the goals of the University and stay connected with alumni.

The organization was created in 1971 with the expressed purpose of providing awards, scholarships and bursaries, but as time has gone by, they’ve moved towards a different funding model that incorporates capital projects, including the Student Success Centre, and expanding their influence to attract and retain CapU students. “The government covers a certain percentage of our budget but not all of it,” said Blythe, “So where are we making up those revenues and how are we best leveraging that public investment in Capilano University?”

CapU receives the lowest funding per fulltime equivalent (FTE) of all the universities in BC and the third lowest funding per FTE of any post-secondary institution in the province, because government funding was never adjusted to reflect the

reality that Capilano transitioned from a College into a University in 2008. At the start of the 2017-18 academic year, the University’s operating revenues were $98.5 million compared to UBC’s $1,894 million. Operating grants and tuition fees accounted for nearly 85 per cent of CapU’s funding this year, the rest came from other sources. $300,000 went towards providing scholarships and bursaries for students, and a further $250,000 towards supporting students’ financial needs that had gone unmet.

OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCES POLICY WILL MAKE STUDY MATERIALS MORE ACCESSIBLE Members of the CSU and CapU Library staff are pushing for a more progressive learning style Justin Scott

T

MANAGING EDITOR

he end of the semester, for most students, means selling and buying a new selection of textbooks for the spring – something Capilano Student Union (CSU) Vice President Academic Andrew Willis, Accessibility Justice Coordinator Andrew Dillman and library staff members Michel Castage and Debbie Schachter hope to change through an issues-based policy concerning Open Education Resources (OER). These are educational resources that are available for all students to use without any financial barriers coming between them.

They come in a variety of forms from more traditional resources including textbooks and advanced media resources such as

podcasts or documentaries.

Willis and Dillman plan to publish the issues-based policy before Dec. 15, and then continue working towards having greater inclusion of these resources at Capilano University. “What this issuesbased policy will do is say, ‘this is where we’re at with OER as a university, this is where we should be going, this is what other institutions are doing and how can we turn this into an issue for the school to work around and incorporate into their curriculum?’,” said Willis, who had his first experience with OER as a first year student at CapU. Brian Ganter, a professor in the school’s English department, embraced OER years ago and opted to provide his students with the resources they needed for class

Blythe explained the Alumni Association has always had loyal donors, some of whom are alumni. Last year they retained 88 per cent of their original donors, which is significantly more than non-profit organizations typically retain, often times they keep fewer than 50 per cent. However, CapU’s donor base has shrunk. “It’s not so much that our donors are ageing but we’re not going out and attracting new donors, and if you’re not building strategies to bring in new donors, then you’re going to see a shrinking pool,” he said. The CUAA simply

rather than assigning them readings from expensive textbooks. “I went in and was like, ‘oh, I only have to buy the $10 Cap Guide to Writing’,” Willis recalled of English 100 with Ganter. “Then there was this website that he had called Gantercourses.net and you’d go there and everything was already organized and uploaded on Google Drive.”

Willis sees OER as a multi-faceted issue. The biggest motivation behind the CSU and Library’s push for the resources is the affordability and accessibility of textbooks. Many students spend hundreds of dollars every semester on books that they will only need for a few months, and then they will depreciate rapidly in value. When discussing the issue, Willis questioned who had the most to gain from the current system – the students or the institutions cashing in on books? Another reason Willis believes it’s important for CapU to start incorporating more OER into its course programming is because he sees it as the future of academia. He knows that there will be pushback from instructors, but he believes that it is important to stay progressive.

For Willis, who’s constantly trying to

hasn’t invested as much into attracting new donors as they have into maintaining symbiotic relationships with their current donors.

The CUAA aims to get alumni involved by incorporating them as key stakeholders in the decisions made by the University.

Alumni have representatives on both the Senate and Board of Governors, which oversees policymaking and directs the school’s affairs. They let alumni know that after they graduate they still have access to CapU’s Career Services, and aim to include them by inviting them to Blues games, volunteering for on-campus events or alerting them about networking opportunities.

New for the CUAA is working with the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) and clubs to identify student needs and figure out where they can be valuable. “We’re coming in as a group that’s adding value rather than intruding into an existing relationship, it’s really for us about being invited, we want to be invited to the table,” said Blythe. Students forge longlasting relationships with their instructors and that is where their connections to the University lie, so they want to take advantage of those close ties and form their own relationships with alumni before their instructors retire. They’re currently in the process of formulating strategies to begin connecting with current students.

As they aim to do with alumni, the CUAA hopes to see a continuation of the student experience by engaging students in their areas of interests, whether it is through sports, academia, clubs or extracurricular. Blythe added that alumni often hire graduates from their alma mater, so making those introductions is crucial. They want to connect with students and alumni alike, and believe that the school’s 50-year anniversary marks the perfect time to renew their efforts.

assess how education can be improved, OER is something he’s been curious of for a while. He attended a conference in May about OER and although he came away with a greater understanding of the concept, he found the event to be somewhat hypocritical. “It was literally PhDs loving each other a little bit too much,” he said.

Although the conference was about a style of resource that promotes openness and accessibility, he found the attitude of many at the conference to be the exact opposite.

The issues-based policy will be the first step in a long process, but Willis and Dillman hope it will get the ball rolling. “I want to then bring this to the OER working committee with the University and say, okay, this is where we’re at, this is what students are really wanting, this is what we’re seeing is the pattern of learning, now we need to incorporate this into how instructors are offering their curriculum,” Willis explained. The road ahead may be a long one, but Willis hopes that one day every class at CapU will include OER. “I don’t think instructors should just move to the next page or chapter, I think they should leap into the future of learning.”

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

3

NEWS

STUDENTS MEET WITH PRESIDENT DANGERFIELD President looks for feedback to plan for CapU’s future Greta Kooy CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

CSU APPROVES FOUR NEW INTERNAL POLICIES Framework provided for employee health, safety and conduct that wasn’t previously set out Christine Beyleveldt NEWS EDITOR

F

our new internal governance policies were approved by the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) board of directors on Nov. 3, and these are just the most recent of nine internal human resources policies in total that will set out acceptable employee behaviour and workplace health and safety. These new policies cover appropriate use of CSU-owned technology, impairment and employees’ psychological health. Also among the new set of policies is an Employee Standard of Conduct, which instructs board members to maintain confidentiality of in-camera business discussed during board meetings,

4

THE CAPILANO COURIER

– COURTESY OF CHERYL ROSSI

S

ince assuming the role of president and vice-chancellor of Capilano University in October 2016, Paul Dangerfield has been working hard to establish effective dialogue amongst CapU’s immediate and extended community.

Dangerfield spoke in April about his plans to create more programs at the school and tackle the issue of housing, which would help to increase enrolment and participation. His first steps, however, focus on fostering a connection with students and faculty, which he hopes will get the ball rolling in addressing some of the bigger-picture issues faced by CapU. Students had the opportunity to meet with Dangerfield in a more personal setting on Oct. 31. “It’s the first step in what I’m hoping is going to be a focused look at what the students are looking for and what they view will contribute to their success,” he said.

Small class sizes and experienced faculty members are among the positive traits students provided feedback on, as well as the campus’ prime location. While these are important features, Dangerfield honed in on what can be improved. He asked students specifically about what they felt needed to be changed. The feedback they provided covered amenities and study spaces as well as better health and wellness spaces. He also noted that employment opportunities directly on campus are a possibility in the future.

Other pressing issues for CapU students include housing, transportation to and

from the campus and finances. To address students’ financial needs, the school is working with the alumni to increase funding for scholarships and bursaries that can be provided to students over the next five years. “We know that there are a number of barriers for students to succeed,” he said, adding that housing in particular is a barrier to student success. “So we are moving forward very aggressively on a housing strategy and a campus master plan that will see us with an addition to the 200 plus residents that we have down at Dollarton. My goal is that every first-year student would have housing on campus.”

The off-campus student residences are a new feature to CapU, and although Dangerfield did not speak with any students who live at the residences on

Oct. 31, he does plan to host similar meetings for those students living at 2420 Dollarton Highway in the future. On campus, Dangerfield hopes to centralize resources and make them more accessible to students. A Student Success Centre or Learning Commons located in or near the library would give students the opportunity to address their needs or concerns, such as academic or career planning advice and peer mentoring.

To meet many of these needs, physical changes to the campus are inevitable.

CapU sits on 34 acres of land, although much of that space is currently taken up by parking lots. “We have to do it carefully,” said Dangerfield, “and so we brought in an excellent company called Dialog who are going to help us plan that out.” The

community and environment-minded design firm, Dialog, has worked with other schools in Canada, including UBC and the University of Alberta. Dangerfield hopes that the firm will ensure CapU makes the best use of the space they have available while maintaining the beauty of the landscape.

Working closely with the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) and Capilano Faculty Association, Dangerfield is ready to take these next steps. This involves continuing formal and informal discussions with students to better understand what their needs are. “We realized that to do that we have to really focus in on students’ success,” he said, adding that it could take some time in order for things to be done sustainably.

unless they are given express permission to act as a spokesperson on behalf of the CSU. General Manager Chris Girodat drafted the Psychological Health in the Workplace Policy using the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Group’s National Mental Health Standard, and it deals specifically with student executives and CSU staff.

The CSU’s Mental Health Strategy was drafted by President and Vice President Finance and Services Perry Safari and Vice President Equity and Sustainability Owen Sigurdsson, is different, and it concerns the Capilano University student population. At its last stage the Social Justice Committee was reviewing it, and Sigurdsson hopes to provide a draft to the board by Dec. 15.

The mandate of the Psychological Health in the Workplace policy, however, is to resolve workplace issues that affect the mental well being of CSU employees, foster mutual respect, trust and understanding and mindfulness of mental health challenges during the recruiting process.

“This draft policy is meant to further our effort to comply with the Canadian Standard Association’s relatively new mental health standard, which is fairly comprehensive set of standards, which are recommended as best practice,” Girodat

told the board before they approved of the policy. He added that the CSU already has a legal duty to accommodate current employees. Under the new policy however, they will take an active role in accommodating mental health challenges when they release job postings and conduct interviews.

In April, the CSU also approved a Health and Safety Policy, as well as Violencefree Workplace and Harassment-free Workplace policies. These are designed to contribute towards a healthy and productive workplace, whereas some of the more recent introductions, including Impairment in the Workplace, Employee Standard of Conduct and Appropriate Use of Technology, place guidelines on workplace practices and behaviour.

According to Girodat, the new policies haven’t been drafted because the CSU has been having issues with employee behaviour, rather because they felt it were in their best interest to codify existing practices that would provide clarity to the board of directors.

The policy concerning workplace impairment takes into account that recreational marijuana use will be legalized on July 1. “We’re looking to be ahead of the

eight ball on modernizing our approach to dealing with impairment in the workplace,” said Girodat. What CSU employees chose to do on their own time is their business, he added, but they can’t expect to perform duties for the CSU or any other workplace while impaired according to BC law.

“We respect each other’s privacy, we do not engage in the controversial practice of testing for substance abuse or addiction,” he said. Instead, employees will be monitored if there is an issue with substance use that needs to be addressed and a drug test will never be administered randomly. They will also work to aid any members in their recovery from substance abuse or addiction. If issues of impairment can’t be addressed, stricter measures may need to be taken that include discipline or even dismissal from the CSU. The recently implemented policies don’t actually introduce changes to the way the CSU is run. Rather they put existing expectations on paper. According to Girodat, when human resources are run effectively, staff and student executives have a higher morale that will allow them to better serve CapU students.

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

CAMPUS LIFE

WHO'S YOUR DUNGEON MASTER? Capilano’s Table-Top RolePlaying Club turns fantasy games into nights of fun and adventure Justin Scott

D

MANAGING EDITOR

ungeons and Dragons – a conquest that many have never embarked on and often gets portrayed as a game for the stereotypical movie geek. It’s something that I’ve always been extremely curious about and have wanted to try for a long time. Luckily for me, Capilano University has its very own Table-Top Role Playing Club, where I was able to enter the fantasy realm for the first time.

On a dark and rainy Wednesday night, I joined the club’s founder, Thomas Leung, and other group members in one of Maple’s classrooms. I arrived early and had the opportunity to see Leung, the Dungeon Master (DM) of the night’s game, preparing for the evening’s events. He had a hand drawn map as well as sketches of various characters and objects that would come into play throughout the night. Atop the table beside him were Dungeons and Dragons books and a few sets of die. As members of the club began to arrive, the energy in the room grew, and a classroom that had been calm just moments before was filling with chatter and laugher.

The club, which was founded by Leung

when he arrived at CapU in 2013, mainly plays the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, which is the world’s most popular table-top role-playing game. As Leung explained at a later meeting, the game has two requirements. “There are two important parts to role-playing games.

That there’s a person willing to run them, the story teller, the dungeon master (DM), whatever you want to call it, and the players. You can’t have one without the other,” he explained.

Once those requisites have been met, a game has infinite possibilities. DMs come up with scenarios and storylines that players and their characters enter.

Different characters will have different abilities and equipment, and will have to work with each other or against each other depending on the game. Players will make their way through the games, with the success of each of their actions

or endeavours being determined by a combination of their skills and dice rolls. A single game is the beginning of a storyline to the very end, which can take over a year to complete.

The night I joined, the club happened to introduce a number of new players into a pre-existing game, which enabled my halfling character and myself to hop aboard the journey. Starting on the deck of a ship at sea, within just a few hours my fellow players and I had been ship wrecked by an eternal storm whilst attempting to escape a pursing ship. That night there were roughly 10 people playing the game, but that was just a fraction of the 40 official members the club has.

“I started it when I first came here. It didn’t really have any members early on, it only really started picking up about two years ago,” explained Leung. “Which is kind of upsetting because I’ll be leaving

Tam’s support and guidance they shifted their sights to business. Between that fateful class and their high school graduation, Zhen and Jiang became increasingly involved with clubs at Windermere. They helped start an afterschool program for students whose parents were still working when they finished school for the day, so that the children could interact with each other and build relationships, rather than getting into trouble and “seeing things no child should have to see,” as Jiang put it.

They also helped their school store market events and promotions, as well as other endeavours. While the two may only be in their second year of CapU’s business program, they’re more qualified than many fourth-year students when it comes to the running of a club.

The YWiB club held its first event, a

launch party, on Oct. 26. With 23 people attending, including four men, they deemed as a success. Although the club sounds as though it’s a female-only group, Zhen and Jiang explained that while other chapters of the organisation stay true to the name, CapU’s chapter is for everyone. “No matter how exclusive the name sounds, our intention is to open it up to all faculties and all genders,” said Zhen.

The club’s goal is to equip CapU’s students with the tools they’ll need to find success post-graduation. Zhen and Jiang, along with the club’s five other executives will be organizing many events and workshops next semester, each with a different focus. “We have public speaking as one of the themes, we have health and wellness, things like negotiation and personal branding,” said Jiang, “So, the

soon, just as things are getting exciting.”

Members take part in the games they can attend, and with many games going on at once there’s never a shortage. “The most fun a player can have is going from the very beginning of a story to the very end and getting fully invested in it,” Leung said. “There’s nothing better than creating your own character and seeing it through till the end.”

It should also be noted that while the club’s activities mainly focus on Dungeons and Dragons, they play other table-top role-playing games as well. Mutants and Masterminds, for example, is another game the club is fond of. This game is similar to Dungeons and Dragons, but played with superhero and villains characters.

Unfortunately, the club will be saying goodbye to its founder, as Leung will be graduating soon. Although his successor has yet to be chosen, Leung is confident that the club will continue to flourish.

My evening with the club was nothing but pleasant and left me wanting to return, even after my character was killed off by an infected facial gash (I had to leave early). Not only was the game exciting, the members of the club were nothing but kind and welcoming, allowing me to ease into things. When I told Leung how much I enjoyed myself, he wasn’t surprised.

“I encourage you, if you have even the slightest interest in exploring a different character, or a different side of yourself, come along and play a game, if you want to write a story, run a game. Everybody’s super friendly and there’s nothing to be shy about because we’re all going to embarrass ourselves, the DM especially.”

YOUNG WOMEN IN BUSINESS One of Capilano’s newest clubs is raising awareness and aims to help all students Justin Scott MANAGING EDITOR

A

lthough Capilano University chapter of the Young Women in Business Society (YWiB) is still young, they’re already making a difference at the school. YWiB was founded nearly a decade ago at UBC and has since spread across Canada. It wasn’t until this year that CapU saw some determined students start the school’s own chapter. For two of the club’s founders and executives however, this is far from their initiatives.

Michelle Zhen and Angela Jiang both attended East Vancouver’s Windermere Secondary, where their Grade 10 business teacher, Silvia Tam, took them under her wing. “She spoke with us after we cried at a presentation that we were doing,” Zhen recalled. Although the two’s first presentation in the class didn’t go as planned, it led to Tam taking the two aside and emphasizing the important of public speaking – from that day forward, Zhen and Jiang had a new mentor.

Zhen and Jiang both reflected on that day and explained that they had both planned on pursuing a career in sciences, but with

workshop topics vary a lot.” While many of the events are still in the planning stage, the two are confident that the club will host a “speed networking” event in February. A playful take on speed dating, the networking event will allow students to expand their professional connections, as well as make new friends at CapU. Looking ahead to next year, the club hopes to organize a mentorship program that will pair mainly third and fourth years with industry professionals who will mentor and further prepare them for graduation.

This is something Zhen and Jiang are especially passionate about due to their experience with mentorship in the past.

For more information about YWiB and their upcoming events, follow them on Facebook under “YWiB Capilano”.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

5

OPINIONS

ROAD SAFETY IS A TWO-WAY STREET Ontario’s proposed ‘Phones Down, Heads Up Act’ is not a case of victim blaming – it’s necessary Carlo Javier EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PERMANENT IMPERMANENCE Changes to WhatsApp lets users be cavalier with the ‘send’ button John Tabbernor COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER

I

n the digital age, permanence can seem fleeting. Instagram and Snapchat stories disappear after 24 hours. News disappears as soon as we scroll past it in our feeds. Heck, we don’t even keep the same email addresses. One of the world’s most popular messaging platforms has now fully embraced this impermanence. WhatsApp announced that users can now delete messages sent to individuals or groups, as long as it is done within seven minutes.

Gone are the days of regretful drunk

6

THE CAPILANO COURIER

– RACHEL WADA

P

enalizing pedestrians for crossing a street while looking at their phones may seem like a trivial piece of legislation, but the bill proposed by an Ontario politician is a necessary step towards safer streets.

This past October, Yvan Baker, a Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) living in West Toronto was met with criticism and contempt for his proposal of the “Phones Down, Heads Up Act” – a bill that would implement fines for distracted walking. According to a summary first reported by the Toronto Star, if legislated, the bill would prohibit the use of any “wireless communication device, electronic entertainment device or other prescribed device” when crossing the street.

Offenders will receive a $50 ticket on first incident, which would then increase to $75 on the second offence and further rise to $125 on the third and ensuing contraventions.

Since its reporting, Baker’s proposal has routinely been denounced by safety advocate groups such as Walk Toronto.

Much of the criticism Baker has faced centre on how his proposal shifts the focus of road safety to pedestrians, especially when laws that keep motorists in check already exist. Moreover, opponents of the proposed bill cite motorist-based issues as the primary cause of pedestrian injuries and that Baker’s suggestion does not achieve anything other than victim blaming. “You have the right to cross in any way you want to and it’s up to drivers to not interfere with you and not to hit you,” Dylan Reid, spokesperson of Walk Toronto told the Toronto Star.

What Reid and other detractors seem report presented by Baker, an estimated 20 to forget is that road per cent of pedestriansafety is not a one-way related injuries and "Common sense has deaths street. Motorists are involved not the only ones who distracted walking. become so rare, and if need to be cognizant The report, as relayed pedestrians are unable to the Globe and Mail, of their surroundings, and pedestrians are to look away from their specifically pointed out just as liable to be the use of cellphones, unaware of incoming mobile devices for the few MP3 players and other traffic. Just because seconds that can be the mobile devices as laws already exist to variables in difference be between life, constant ensure that the onus injuries and fatalities. injury and death." to be alert is on the However, a more driver, doesn’t mean recent 2015 report by that pedestrians should just waltz across Toronto Public Health showed that in 67 a crosswalk without a care for incoming per cent of serious crashes, pedestrians traffic. were proven to have had the right of way, According to a 2012 provincial coroner’s suggesting that motorists are still the

texts. No longer can your friends lord your hilarious typos over your head.

Well, perhaps not. The change does come with some important stipulations. The seven-minute window to delete messages is inflexible. It’s a hard cut off, and after that you have no other recourse. Also, the sender and recipient both need to be running the latest versions of the software. This doesn’t even take into account the fact that if the recipient has already looked at the message, deleting it serves no purpose. And gods help you if your friend is an habitual screenshot taker.

WhatsApp’s daily active user base numbers over 1 billion, so that means a lot of people will now be able to self-censor themselves. The free application has seen astronomical growth over the last few years, specifically in developing markets.

WhatsApp’s ability to subvert traditional SMS texting has proved invaluable to its growth. The platform, which Facebook paid a whopping $19 billion for, is constantly evolving. However, it’s really

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

just keeping up with the Joneses.

Countless other platforms and social media services already allow users to delete or edit their content. Facebook users can edit posts at the press of a button, but it will flag the post as edited.

Even Google’s Gmail allows users to set a period of time to recall already sent emails. It seems more and more that services are allowing the already tenuous nature of digital information to become even more so. With the success of platforms like Snapchat, these changes seem almost inevitable.

Snapchat's popularity stems partly from its ephemeral nature. Photos, videos, and text chat disappear shortly after being received and content pushed to a user’s story is gone after 24 hours. Everything on Snapchat lacks permanence. Therefore, it lacks repercussions. There is an appeal there. In an era where we are told that everything we do online will come back to haunt us, Snapchat tells us not to worry.

We can be silly and have fun, and not fret that the video of us grinding with our

main cause of crashes and that distracted walking is not as dangerous as played out to be. Yet waiting for definitive statistics that distracted walking is problematic is the type of apathy that leads to injuries and deaths that could have so easily been prevented.

“Phones Down, Heads Up Act” came just mere days after a similar law was legislated in Honolulu. The Hawaiian capital took national stage late in October after passing a law that would allow the police to fine pedestrians with a $35 ticket for distracted walking. Per the New York Times, Honolulu was reported to be the first major city to legislate such an ordinance – starting discussion on whether other cities, particular metropolitan areas, should follow suit.

Amidst the discussion, the CBC reported that Constable Clint Stibbe, a spokesperson for Toronto Police stood against the idea of a distracted-walking bill, stating that there is no need for legislation for common sense. Though Stibbe makes a strong case, his argument might be the very reason why the “Phones Down, Heads Up Act” should be legislated. Common sense has become so rare, and if pedestrians are unable to look away from their mobile devices for the few seconds that can be the difference between life, injury and death – then maybe governmental intervention is needed, even if just to resuscitate common sense among some people.

Put forward as a private member’s bill, Baker’s proposal has very little chance of getting legislated. As per the Parliament of Canada website, only 229 proposed private member’s bills were approved in the span of 98 years, dating from 1910 to 2008.

Despite the low chances of legislation, the importance of Baker’s bill cannot be understated. Distracted walking may not be as big a problem now, but waiting for it to become one is just as dangerous as blindly crossing a street.

coworker will show up at Monday’s staff meeting. That is a tantalizing prospect that other platforms such as WhatsApp are trying to capitalize on.

But what we’re being sold is a placebo.

Many apps, some nefarious and some less so, allow users to save snaps or videos and easily share them on other platforms. The recent example of a woman in Saudi Arabia facing prison time over videos of her in public in a miniskirt, are an indication of this false sense of security. The videos she posted to Snapchat were widely spread on other, more permanent, platforms. Snapchat’s “impermanence” is easily betrayed by other users’ willingness to circumvent an application's set parameters.

This move by WhatsApp could very well just be the addition of a quality of life feature. Or maybe it’s a portent of the future transience of knowledge and discourse in an online world.

Or maybe we shouldn’t overthink it, and just use this when autocorrect screws us over.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

KEVIN SPACEY SPACES OUT ON APPROPRIATE APOLOGIES Deflection of allegations perpetuates archaic stereotype surrounding gay men Julian Ensz

A

CONTRIBUTOR

ny relatively queer-literate person who’s encountered Kevin Spacey knows the guy doesn’t exactly scream straight. The guy’s talent is unquestionable, but his demeanor has often left his audience creeped out or even feeling a little violated. Given the wave of allegations against Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein, and recently more of Hollywood’s biggest names, it comes as little surprise that Kevin Spacey is thrown into the mix.

Following Anthony Rapp’s accusation of Spacey’s sexual advances in 1986 — when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26 — 20 men have come forward against Spacey with similar stories of sexual

aggression. While his alleged actions were vile, his apology posted on Twitter was just as disturbing.

Had he stuck with just an apology, perhaps Spacey would’ve had a shot at redemption down the road, but he didn’t stop there. He continued on, saying that he now “chose” to live as a gay man. This created massive outrage, not only with the queer community, but the larger public as well. Did he think that his “choice” to live life as a gay man excused him for his actions? Perhaps it would have been more appropriate for him to come out as dyslexic, mistaking the 14-year-old for 41.

As a member of the queer community myself, being raised in a small conservative BC city wasn’t a walk in the

/CAPILANOCOURIER

park. It wasn’t uncommon to encounter distasteful points of view or ideologies that don’t support anything that differs from the nuclear family dynamic — much of which stems from traditional Christian beliefs.

A common theme among this crowd is to view the gay man as a predator; a sexual deviant, even. Spacey’s statement is nocuous. It not only strengthens this notion, but suggests that sexuality is a choice and that the assault could be excusable. His word choice of “choosing” to live as a gay man is unforgivable. It has been an ongoing battle for gay men and women to have heteronormative folks understand that given the choice, we would not choose to be in a marginalized group. But there isn’t a real choice if you want to live honestly.

Queer Students Liaison Kaschelle Thiessen sees the entire Spacey scandal as more of a display of intersectional inequality. “For far too long homosexuality has been associated with pedophilia and Spacey’s attempt to deflect from his crimes took away from the strides made by queer communities to normalize same-sex relationships.

This conversation, however, can’t happen without also acknowledging the intersections of sexism and homophobia which changed the public response… it doesn’t excuse his abuses but it begs the question, why do we only accept accusations of sexual assault when the perpetrator is gay and the victim is a man?”

For Thiessen the issue is on a social level. It’s the issue of race, gender and sexuality. Bill Cosby, black. Harvey Weinstein, Jewish. Kevin Spacey, gay.

Spacey’s poor attempt at victimizing himself through his Twitter statement proves his gutless nature. Right now, much of society deems him guilty until proven innocent, and hopefully the repercussions following this scandal can amount to a fraction of the trauma he’s caused his victims. While his role in American Beauty won him both an Oscar and British Academy of Film and Television Arts award, 18 years later we learn that his heterosexuality was the only real acting.

stops outweighing the bad.

Despite its “livability” Vancouver is the lowest ranked city in Canada for life satisfaction. Vancouver is a lonely city, and it can be hard to make friends.

According to research by StatCan “levels of trust and the quality of social connections in neighbourhoods and workplaces can influence happiness significantly.” A 2012 landmark study by the Vancouver Foundation discovered that our neighbourhood connections are weak, and there is a low level of trust within communities. They also found that people in Vancouver are less likely to participate in community life, and affordability has a profound affect on locals’ attitudes.

But maybe it’s not just that Vancouverites are anti-social, after all,

studies show that residents are still cordial.

Perhaps part of the issue is that many of the cities residents are so transient. Like the businesses that flit in and out of highrent spaces, the people of this city do not often stay long. It can be hard to maintain connections when people move away after a year, so at a certain point, why bother?

This sort of attitude creates feelings of isolation, which can have a negative impact on long-term health. A city might have all the components that allow for a good life, but if many of Vancouver’s residents are struggling to maintain the basic building blocks they are unlikely to engage within their community. Instead of telling people to move, we should encourage people to stay, and that starts with making life more affordable.

TOPPING ALL THE CHARTS Vancouver livability: the good, the bad and the disappearing demographic Freya Wasteneys alking the streets of Vancouver, it’s hard not to notice the mirage-like tendency of small businesses to emerge and disappear again within their first year. If you wait too long, an entire neighbourhood might rise and fall, and you’ll never know it was there in the first place. It’s therefore unsurprising that Point2Homes recently ranked Vancouver as the most unaffordable city in North America. Ironically, Vancouver was also recently ranked “one of the world’s most livable cities,” by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Global Livability Report. Sure, it’s stunning – with green spaces abound – but livable for whom?

We can be sure that the report didn’t have students in mind. Or young adults for that matter, since even those who consider themselves to fit within the traditional definition of success find it hard to keep the ever-increasing financial stress at bay.

With insane housing prices driving up the cost of everything from our rent and groceries to leisure activities, it’s no wonder so many people in Vancouver have trouble staying afloat. Especially when we factor in the absence of a living wage. Yet some people believe the solution to this new level of unaffordability is simple; if you can’t afford it here, just move.

Well, many people are. Since 2008, the majority of individuals aged 25 to 44 have found that their expenses exceed their annual income, and more the two-thirds of millennials polled have said that they have

– VALERIYA KIM

W

CONTRIBUTOR

considered moving elsewhere. Meanwhile, young families are fleeing to the suburbs.

The idea of home ownership has become the stuff of legend, and Vancouver is swiftly becoming an empty shell of a city. In her personal essay, which went viral, Jessica Barrett laments that living in Vancouver had become “like living in an abandoned film set.”

Of course, there are many reasons why people choose to stay in the city. For some it is friends and family, while others are limited by school choices, the tantalizing fantasy of success and jobs. It’s also hard to deny the many attractions that do make the city: good bike lanes, mild climate, and easy access to nature and outdoor activities. But these are not exclusive to Vancouver, and at a certain point the good

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

7

COLUMNS

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BABEBALL Babeball and Racism

Leah Scheitel WANTS TO MARRY A SHORTSTOP

I

n September, four people were kicked out of a Boston Red Sox game at the infamous Fenway Park for unveiling a sign that read, “Racism is as American as baseball.” Immediately after, a group of self-described “anti-racist protestors” claimed responsibility for the homemade banner and said it was done to highlight America’s problem with racism. As the group later told The Washington Post “We want to remind everyone that just

as baseball is fundamental to American culture and history, so too is racism.”

There is an underlining sense to irony in this situation, as baseball’s history with racism is a speckled one at best. And there are multiple examples of racism’s close ties with America’s favourite pastime.

This wasn’t the only time this season that Fenway Park made headlines for extreme gestures. In May, the Red Sox organization made a formal apology to Adam Jones, an African-American outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles. Fans hurled racial slurs and peanuts as Jones, who said that while he has experienced racism from fans at Fenway Park before, this was the most extreme encounter.

The Orioles players were also subjected to racism in Canada during the 2016 playoff game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Blue Jay fan Ken Pagan was caught on camera throwing a beer can at Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, while other fans yelled racist insults at Kim and – once again – Adam Jones. Because of his actions, Pagan lost his job as a sports copy editor at Postmedia and was banned, temporarily, from every stadium in the MLB.

More recently, the Houston Astros fell in lukewarm racist waters when their first baseman made an obscene gesture in the World Series. In game three, Astros’ Yuli Gurriel hit a home run off a pitch by Yu Darvish – who is of Japanese descent.

Back in the dugout, in his celebratory state Gurriel turned to the camera and slanted his eyes, a gesture that was construed as mocking Darvish’s Japanese heritage.

Gurriel received the largest suspension against a Major League player – a fivegame suspension equating to a loss of $320,855 and the requirement to take sensitivity training. While this was the largest suspension, it received criticism because Gurriel was allowed to continue to play in the World Series and won’t serve the suspension until the beginning of the 2018 season.

These are just the recent examples of racism thriving in baseball. Seven decades ago, in 1947, Jackie Robinson made history as the first African-American player to play in the Major Leagues. Before that, all players of colour were relegated to the Negro leagues. The Brooklyn Dodgers, who signed Robinson, faced a shit ton of outrage for their decision.

THE CALL OF THE WILD The fight of the Ktunaxa Nation

Layla Kadri COLUMNIST

8

THE CAPILANO COURIER

– EMILY ROSE

I

n this column, I’ve written about how connecting with the outdoors through recreation, education and immersion can bring an opportunity for healing, growth, wellness, stress relief and a deeper connection to nature. Aboriginal people have been doing this for thousands of years.

The Ktunaxa Nation has called the Purcell Mountains home for almost 10,000 years. Their connection to this land goes beyond the scope of what is currently understood by our judicial system, as well as our broader Canadian culture. Quat’mak, also known as Jumbo Valley, is the land where the Grizzly Bear Spirit lives, and for the Ktunaxa, this is a land they are spiritually connected to.

Twenty-six years ago, when a 6800-bed, year-round ski resort was proposed in the valley without consultation with First Nations of the area, the Ktunaxa connected with local Kootenay communities, government, conservationists, backcountry skiers and grizzly bear scientists to combat the development project. They have been fighting ever since.

Early this month, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against the Ktunaxa Nation Council’s appeal opposing the resort development on this land. This means that indigenous spiritual rights

connected to a sacred place are not protected under Section 2 of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This section of the Constitution includes fundamental

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

freedoms such as freedom of expression, religion and belief.

Wilderness, for many of us, is an area without ski lifts. Wilderness is an area

Why this matters is because how ubiquitous baseball is in North American culture. Name one person who doesn’t know what third base is or uses some baseball euphemism in their vocabulary.

Millions of people watch the sport regularly and when they see players, and to a lesser extent, fans, act in a way that is culturally unbecoming, it could make them think it is okay.

Gurriel was booed at the Dodgers’ stadium after his gesture when he returned for game 6, but not before – as I saw on Twitter – multiple Astros’ fans mimicked the gesture towards Darvish in game 5.

Penalties should be harsh for fans and players who exhibit racist gestures, and while Gurriel’s was the harshest penalty in MLB history, many people were upset that he was allowed to continue in the World Series, so to not harm the Astros chances at the Pennant.

If players, fans, or the MLB are still partaking in racist behaviour, allowing others to embrace it, then maybe a little penalty that will make winning the World Series tougher isn’t so bad.

that is virtually untouched by humans, yet can give us that inexplicable inner self-awareness. For the Ktunaxa, this wild space is where they honour the Grizzly Bear Spirit, who has danced there for almost 10,000 years.

The Ktunaxa have made clear that this land is sacred – a word not lightly used. This land is “necessary to the manifestation of their religious faith.” In “Are They Like Us Yet?” a 2011 article

by Marc Fonda, he wrote, “For Aboriginal persons, land is not merely material, and nature is not merely natural. Both have spiritual dimensions.”

The Court sidestepping an active acknowledgment of Aboriginal spirituality under the protection of the Constitution reminds us that many people, including the Canadian Government, too often see Reconciliation as a noun instead of a verb.

Reconciliation is a journey, and like every journey, it is continued by the action of taking steps forward.

Many Ktunaxa community members have spoken out about the loss of culture they will suffer upon this resort’s approval and the verdict of the case are reminiscent of the indocrination and suppression of beliefs that Canada's residential system caused.

But this is not the end for the fight to Keep Jumbo Wild. To begin construction, the developers still face many blockades.

The Ktunaxa Nation, along with new provincial government parties opposed to the development, passionate locals supporting protection and conservation organizations such as Wildsight, will continue to fight to protect this land.

The Central Purcells are some of the most beautiful ancient peaks in British Columbia. They’re a keystone area for animal migration routes and habitat – they are home to old growth forests, alpine meadows and glaciers. They provide travellers and locals with an escape to a wild area for a true connection to nature therapy in one of its fullest forms. And it is home for the Ktunaxa Nation.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

GET THE &#$@ OUTDOORS Enjoying the winter wonderland Scott Barkemeyer LIKE OLAF, BUT BETTER

STATE OF THE DIASPORA Canada is acknowledging its racism. Time to name its source (white supremacy)

Kevin Kapenda COLUMNIST

A

dmitting your mistakes is never easy. Acknowledging you treat different groups poorly because of their race is even harder. Thankfully, Canada is finally naming its racism.

Whether it’s anti-black racism, repeatedly legislating niqab bans or approving energy projects that violate Indigenous sovereignty, the scope of racism in Canada is as diverse as our racialized populations. While the importance of naming the various kinds of racism cannot be overlooked, it is just as important Canada acknowledge the universal source of racism – white supremacy.

Without white supremacy, anti-black racism, islamophobia and contemporary colonization of indigenous peoples cannot exist. I am not claiming that most white Canadians are supremacist or believe they are superior to visible minority populations. White supremacy is not epitomized in marches, movements or

–NATALIE HEAMAN

I

am very fortunate – a large part of my formative years were spent outside. Before my brother and I were in the picture, my parents spent winters in Austria, where they lived in a small mountain town and skied everyday they could.

Growing up, I spent a significant amount of time in Fernie, BC, where we coincidentally had a family farm. In the winter, we skied with the view of the farm.

Today, our old barn still stands, outlasting all members of my family.

Living in Northern Alberta, Fernie was 14 hours away, so my second home became Jasper National Park and their ski hill, the Marmot Basin. Throughout my high school years, I would spend damn near every weekend at Jasper, even skipping some Fridays to spend three full days on the hill. Because of my love for the hills, my best friends were patrollers, lifties and instructors.

When my family moved into Central Alberta, I changed my local mountain to Banff, often skiing Lake Louise, Sunshine, Norquay and Nakiska. Eventually, I learned of Castle in Southern Alberta, which has become one of my all-time favorite hills.

Now living in the North Shore, I have the “local three” (Grouse, Cypress and Seymour) as well as Whistler, for lift access and boundless terrain for my friends and I to tour. I have long held a season’s pass for

Whistler. I have skied the local three, and can’t really complain since the mountains are so ridiculously accessible and close to home.

If you want to be a park rat, many suggest that Seymour is the place to be, Cypress has the most challenging terrain and Grouse has multiple different winter activities that can fill an entire day. All you need to do is pick a hill and decide which sport you want to partake in. There are a few options for those needing gear. You can

policies. It is a belief system that is as deep-seated and subconscious as the various forms of racism in Canada. In essence, white supremacy is the parent of racism.

Unfortunately, “white supremacy” has ironically been appropriated by some of its most culpable perpetrators to denote explicitly racist events, groups or societies.

By this logic, Canada, notwithstanding the reserve and residential school system, is not white supremacist, but Apartheid South Africa (who based their regime on ours), the KKK and recent fascist movements throughout Europe and North America are.

The problem with this thinking is that it only focuses on what is being said or done, instead of the belief systems and values that are informing these explicit demonstrations of racism.

White supremacy, in both its implicit and explicit forms, is two-fold. It grants both entitlements and exemptions. White supremacy is what has constructed the perception of certain groups as criminal or dangerous. As Toronto Mayor John Tory wrote in June, anti-black racism is why certain people are “followed in stores.”

In addition to being perceived as a thief, being associated with poverty is also why I don’t get the same service in stores than people who are presumed to have more money. In this case, I am not entitled to assistance nor exempt from suspicious eyes. However, it’s important to understand that white supremacy’s not always that clear-cut.

American researchers have discovered that realtors typically show white buyers more properties than blacks or Hispanics.

This is not because realtors don’t want to sell as many properties, or are Trump supporters. Rather, it’s because socially constructed defaults of who is most likely to be more accomplished when you know nada, but the color of their skin or immigrant-sounding name.

White supremacy’s role is to subtly reinforce whiteness as the most important human feature, and at times, explicitly determine the conditions of life for racialized peoples through laws and disproportionate oppression. Yes, this can lead to over-policing and streamlining in schools, or frequent interrogation when crossing borders and traveling. Sometimes though, you get lucky, and only need to deal with security guards staring you down in grocery stores, or retail associates that become mimes upon seeing you.

As Canadians, we idealize truths of diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism, until the experiences of racialized people expose them as lies. In Quebec, their new religious neutrality law is a great example of implicit white supremacy in Canada.

Quebec wants Muslim women to show their faces because Quebecois do, and the “privilege” of living there requires that you live like them. Indeed, this struggle over the right to see a Muslim woman’s face epitomizes the familiar saying of “I’m not racist, but…”

Sometimes I ask myself I’m being too pessimistic. After all, Prime Minister Trudeau has committed Canada’s federal and provincial legislatures to pursuing reconciliation. Reconciliation, among other components, was defined by Trudeau as an unending process based on decolonization and mutual respect.

purchase your own, rent, or borrow from a friend. The most convenient rental deal is at Seymour, where you can rent everything you want, jacket included. You can eve pre-book your gear, which will ensure that they’re ready for you once you get to the hill. No fuss or responsibility to keep the edges sharp or having the right wax on your equipment.

If you are looking to purchase, hit up one of our local stores, North Shore Ski and Board, The Destination Slope and Surf Outitters, The Boardroom, or Swiss Sports Haus. These people will give you the answers and ensure that you have a great day on the slopes. Having a good relationship with shops also helps in maintaining your gear.

For those looking to sweat a bit more, cross-country skiing is the way to go.

Locally, Cypress offers both classic and skate at Hollyburn. They track, set and groom multiple times a day to ensure top-notch conditions. One of my favorite evening activities in the winter is to grab my XC skis, watch the sunset and smash out some laps under the lights. Need some expertise? You can get lessons at the hill.

Need equipment? Deep Cove Outdoors or Siggie’s are the places to hit up.

Like always, make sure you are prepared to be outside no matter the activity you choose. Winters may not be as cold as back from where I come from, but if you aren’t prepared even a minus five degrees Celsius can be a bad experience, or at least one that people complain about around here.

That is, except when Canada calls “time-out” to approve controversial energy projects that have no respect for the health, sovereignty and sustainability of Indigenous populations. Canada’s white supremacy is so ingrained that our governments are contradicting themselves in the name of resource extraction.

The reality is Canada is a country founded on explicit white supremacy, which is increasingly more implicit and thus harder to identify. One of our most dangerous tendencies is to falsely spectrum our racism, and argue we aren’t as bad as other societies, such Australia, much of Europe, the US and our greatest student, Apartheid South Africa. Problem is, these models are too focused on minority groups in relation to themselves, rather than racialized groups in relation to whiteness.

From Australia to Brazil, Canada to France, UK to the US, black people are viewed as inferior to whites, and all other groups that have been designated as more desirable. Yes, police in the US shoot to kill, but all those countries still incarcerate blacks at disproportionately high rates.

By naming the various types of racism in Canada, we are opening the door to discussing their source. However, as any doctor will tell you, it’s much easier to treat a patient’s chronic symptoms, than it is to get them to address things they clearly don’t want to. We’ve already come this far.

Acknowledging our white supremacy may be too much.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

9

FEATURES

10

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

For the noted Capilano University sustainability leader, retirement is just a momentary pause

BY CARLO JAVIER ILLUSTRATION BY KARLA MONTERROSA

I

could not bring myself to tell Susan Doig that I was getting tired from walking. We had taken nearly two whole laps around the Capilano University grounds, starting from her office in the Birch building, passed the Library and Cedar Courtyard and up to the Maple and Bosa buildings. On our way back down to Birch, we were stopped by three students looking for signatures for a new “Meatless Monday” pledge – a small program once put together by the same FoodWorks group that Doig herself helped launch. Myself, a voracious omnivore, pledged anyway.

I had initially thought that our conversation would lead us either back to Doig’s office, the cafeteria, or the pavilions outside the Arbutus Building – essentially anywhere I could sit. Instead, Doig cut through the side of the Library, passed the Centre for International Experience and Continuing Education offices and guided me to the back end of Arbutus. “This is where the residence will be built,” she said, motioning towards the woods adjacent to the Sportsplex.

Having served as the school’s director of campus planning since February, Doig holds a tremendous level of excitement about CapU’s future. She heaped praises to the cultural shift that has enveloped the school since Paul Dangerfield began his presidency and is especially proud of the way communities within CapU have truly captured the collaborative environment she has always championed.

Although she described CapU to be amidst “exciting times,” Doig will not be around to see many of the developments she helped push forward.

On Oct. 31, after 11 years of serving as the vanguard for multiple sustainability initiatives, Doig retired from CapU.

D

oig is among the hardest interviews to secure at CapU. This is not because Doig is reclusive or tight-lipped. It is simply because Doig, for the most part, really does not have the luxury of time. “We like to say some people live to work and other people work to live.

Susan is definitely one of those people that lives to work,” said Bill Demopoulos, CapU manager of sustainability.

This idea could not be better exemplified than by the fact that for the past three years, Doig has been living in Victoria and would drive to the ferry at an ungodly hour, several times a week, to fulfill her responsibilities at CapU. Doig wore several hats during her 11 years at the school. She started as the

purchasing manager in 2006, a position she took after the school had promised her that 25 per cent of her time commitment would be dedicated to sustainability-based initiatives. In 2008, as the energy manager, she implemented a five-year Strategic Energy Management Plan (SEMP) that led to a 22.5 per cent reduction in CapU’s energy consumption by 2013. In 2011, Doig moved on to become the manager of the Facilities department, and eventually gained the position of director, which she held from 2013 until moving to campus planning in 2017.

No matter the title or department, Doig’s work at CapU was founded on two main pillars: sustainability and the student voice. For Demopoulos, Doig’s unabashed dedication to the two not only created sweeping changes for CapU, but also for himself.

The two first met in an energy management certificate program at BCIT. Demopoulos had built himself a successful career as an independent consultant, but his fateful meeting with Doig ultimately led him to leave the consulting world. “I came to Cap to work for Susan Doig,” he said. “I would never in a million years would have considered joining a facilities department randomly, working for Susan was really the goal.”

The heir-apparent to much of Doig’s responsibilities and projects, Demopoulos is now the energy manager for the University, and is also one of CapU’s four representatives for the Carbon Neutral Government program. Though Doig’s contributions to CapU can be easily measured by the results of her projects – namely the first major lighting retrofit that saw the campus move from T12 to T8 fluorescent fixtures, the annual Waste Audit, or the implementation of the Zero Waste System that has now become the standard at CapU – Demopoulos suggests that the intangible aspects of her work is something he won’t soon forget. “What I really admired in Susan was her ability to intuitively see when something was right and just made sense,” he said. “She would find dozens of opportunities and then keep them percolating along by talking to people, finding a benefit to others and identifying that benefit and just to keep those ideas percolating until the right moment came along to actually implement a change.”

Though near synonymous with CapU Sustainability, it would be remiss to brush off Doig’s work in elevating the student voice.

CapU Works, a branch of Sustainability,

/CAPILANOCOURIER

is one of the few organizations at the school that features involvement from three levels of community membership: staff, faculty and, of course, students. While Doig was obviously instrumental in spearheading CapU Sustainability, it was actually the words of one student, Tiare Jung, that helped plant the seeds of sustainability on campus.

Upon arrival at CapU in 2009, Jung quickly became vocal about how the cafeteria still utilized Styrofoam. “That really was a driving force in moving Susan from a member of our purchasing team to a green purchaser,” said Demopoulos.

Jung, in collaboration with Doig, went on to create EarthWorks, the first chapter of what eventually became CapU Works – an umbrella term that now also includes PowerWorks, FoodWorks and PatchWorks. “It’s a big collaboration now between students, faculty and staff, but it originated with a student,” recalled Cheryl Schreader, geography professor and EarthWorks faculty member. “Susan saw opportunity for students to be involved in other areas of sustainability on campus.”

Schreader met Doig in May 2011 at a Sustainability Education Across the Province (SEAP) workshop held at CapU. “I might have been working in a small group with her, and she had this opportunity to do a waste audit on campus, in which students can get involved,” she said. Shreader, who was going to be teaching Environmental Geography that fall, immediately got on board with Doig’s idea, subsequently starting the engines for the Waste Audit.

The two collaborated on bringing members of the campus community together for the inaugural – and ensuing – waste audits on campus. Together, they brought in members from facilities, janitorial, Encorp Pacific and Smithrite to participate. More importantly, they were also able to integrate the project into the curriculum for a host of classes. “The Waste Audit is really important logistically to collect data on waste for campus, but it’s also a really important experiential learning tool for students,” said Schreader.

Like Demopoulous, Schreader believes that Doig’s work stretched far beyond the realm of sustainability. “I think that Susan’s legacy encompasses so many things,” she said, particularly citing Doig’s work in building community, engagement and opportunities on campus. “She was a real connector person. She could envision how initiatives and people were connected.”

Though his time at CapU started towards the tail end of Doig’s career, President Paul Dangerfield recognized the contributions that Doig has made to the betterment of the institution. “I have always admired Susan’s leadership and dedication around sustainability, and she helped me understand what environmental management is all about,” he said. “Capilano University has benefited from Susan’s contributions – she drove sustainability at CapU and made it happen.”

T

o nobody’s surprise, Doig’s postretirement plans are centred on furthering a life that’s been driven by the principles of sustainability.

Over the past decade, Doig and her husband Tony have been working towards launching “theDoighouse”, a radically-

sustainable living space that is inspired by the Earth Ships designed and built by architect Michael Reynolds. These offthe-grid ready homes are known for their creative reuse of waste materials and other unwanted products, as well as their nextto-zero reliance on fossil fuels.

While theDoighouse is still in its planning and construction stages, Doig and her husband have outlined many of the features that their Earth Ship will have.

Once open, theDoighouse will include a passive solar building design, meaning that its walls, windows and floors will collect and distribute heat during the winter and reject heat during the summer.

It will include an internal greenhouse and a rocket mass heater, and its construction will include one thousand used car tires, 2,000 glass bottles and 5,000 pop and beer cans.

Located on Vancouver Island, theDoighouse promises to be the culmination of a life’s work that has been dedicated to sustainability.

O

ur interview came to its conclusion by the pavilions of Arbutus, where I asked Doig if she felt kind of bittersweet since she likely will not see the fruition of some of the projects she had a hand in. One of these projects is the CapU Centre for Student Success, which will open in the summer of 2018. The initiative, which Doig described as having been built on the philosophy that “students are first,” aims to better help students maximize their experience at CapU by building a foundation for both academic success and personal growth. Like the first oncampus residence to be built on the Purcell Woods, and the CapU 2030 Campus and Urban Plan, Doig likely will not see the end products to the plans she has helped create. Despite this, she reiterated that for her, retirement is just a momentary pause and not a goodbye. “Cap has a really special part of my heart,” she said.

For Schreader, Doig leaves behind a legacy that would be tremendously difficult to match. “I think that she was a champion of people and of sustainability in a way that nobody else has been on campus,” she said.

“There are big shoes to fill there.”

In 2016, Doig was honoured by CapU with the Award for Excellence in Empowering Learning, highlighting her extraordinary contributions to sustainable responsibility on campus. Yet the legacy she leaves might best be remembered through the lasting projects that will continue long after her retirement. The Sustainability Department will continue to grow and programs like the Waste Audit and the Zero Waste System have become norms on campus. Since its inception, a part of Doig’s pay cheque has gone to the EarthWorks fund, ensuring that the unit remains a prominent group at CapU. Demopoulos might have put it best: “Nothing in sustainability happens perfectly the first time. We’re not running a sprint, we’re running a marathon – we’re really trying to sustain the effort at sustainability.” The marathon will continue for years to come, and if the same passion and effort that Doig gave to CapU is somehow replicated, then the CapU experience, as Doig confidently put it, should be “second to none.”

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

11

FEATURES

The intricacies of impeaching a president

BY LEAH SCHEITEL ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL WADA

On the afternoon of Nov. 15, six democratic congressmen introduced five articles of impeachment against Donald Trump into the US House of Representatives.

The congressmen believe Trump violated the US Constitution on five different incidents, including obstruction of justice for the firing of former FBI director, James Comey.

Whispers of impeachment have followed Trump since he took office in January, as people questioned his competency and credibility in holding, arguably, the most important job in the world – US President.

While these congressmen believe they have reasonable grounds to impeach a president, actually removing one from the White House is more cumbersome than it seems, and it has never before been done in the history of the United States.

Impeachment was written into the constitution as a way to retain oversight on the executive branch of office, as the newly formed US government spread into three distinct branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The intent of the three separate branches was to help ensure that no single branch got too powerful, providing checks and balances over the powers of each. The fear was that if one branch of government outweighed the others, the US would be flirting with becoming a dictatorship. Impeachment is essentially a tool for the legislative branch to ensure the executive branch is competent and held accountable for its actions.

As explained by Dale Montgomery, a history professor at Capilano University, impeachment is a multi-step process that has only been enacted twice before in America’s 241-year history.

“The procedure has been put in place twice, but it has never passed,” he said, referencing Andrew Johnson

12

THE CAPILANO COURIER

and Bill Clinton as the two presidents who have faced impeachment. “With of course Richard Nixon, they started it but he resigned before it went through.”

According to Montgomery, the House of Representatives, otherwise known as Congress, starts the impeachment procedure by initiating a committee to investigate the actions of the president.

“What they are looking for is that either the president has committed a serious crime – so it couldn’t be anything like littering, but a serious crime – or if he has committed what they call high crimes or misdemeanors,” he explained, “So that high crimes and misdemeanors, that is sort of a catch all term. Often times it can encompass – has he done something that is really diminishing the authority of the president.”

In the case of Nixon, who resigned in disgrace from office in 1974, there was a plethora of hard evidence, including tape recordings, incriminating him of illegal activities, such as ordering hush money and pitting the CIA and FBI against each other.

Andrew Johnson, who took office after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, faced impeachment charges because of his personal relations with his cabinet ministers, which Congress wanted more control over. And most recently, Bill Clinton got into trouble not for his sexual exploits with then-intern Monica Lewinsky, but for lying about it.

His crime, according to Congress, was perjuring himself.

After the House of Representatives’ committee investigate the president, they present to Congress, where a majority vote is needed to determine if the charges are impeachable. “On a straight up majority vote, what the House of Representatives does is vote - this incident, was it serious enough, was it against the law, or was it a high crime or misdemeanor. That’s all the House of Representatives does,” said Montgomery, “You need the full house for it though. So you have to make sure everybody is there or they have to send it a proxy vote. It’s a full majority vote but that is all the house does is to say what

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

@CAPILANOCOURIER

was this incident, was it serious enough for a high crime or an illegal offense.”

This is the first step in the process, after which the Senate, which is technically the upper chamber of the House of Representatives, gets involved. This, according to Montgomery, is where it gets nuanced. “This is where it gets tricky,” he said, “The sitting house committee will go to the Senate and it will present all of the evidence to the senators. What the Senate is only meant to do constitutionally is just to decide then is whether or not the president is guilty of having done that offence, whatever it may have been. But what has happened, what happened with Johnson, what happened with Clinton, was that the Senate on their own decided was it a true high crime or illegal act.”

The Senate is not supposed to decide if it was a high crime or misdemeanor – that was technically already done by Congress.

The Senate is just supposed to determine if the president is guilty of the charges.

They’ve just kind of got it into their idea that they see themselves as sort of a last bastion on this and they want their say in whether or not this is a serious offence,” Montgomery added.

Instead of the simple majority required in Congress, the charges must get twothirds of the Senators to agree to impeach for it to be successful, which currently equates to 67 Senators voting in favour of impeachment. Bill Clinton didn’t face much scrutiny in the Senate, with five Republican senators, along with all of the Democratic senators, voting against impeachment and for Clinton to remain in office for his perjury charge. For his charge of obstruction of justice, 10 Republican Senators voted against it in addition to the again unanimous vote of the Democratic, keeping Clinton securely in office.

Andrew Johnson was closer to impeachment – he faced three articles of impeachment, and remained in office by a single vote on each count. What made Johnson’s impeachment case most interesting is that, technically, Congress was acting unconstitutionally by trying to impeach him. The squabble was over Johnson’s cabinet, many of whom were incumbents from Lincoln’s infamous Team of Rivals.

Congress, particularly the Radical Republicans who wanted to abolish slavery, sought control over the president’s cabinet, preventing Johnson from firing cabinet members who disagreed with him or went against his agenda.

“They were going against the constitution by trying to take his power,” said Montgomery, “And part of the reason the Radical Republicans were doing it was because they wanted to give more rights to the freed black people, the freed slaves.”

“In a moral sense I can absolutely see what the Radical Republicans were doing.

But constitutionally it was immoral,” Montgomery concluded.

Since taking office in January, Trump’s presidency has been plagued by rumours of collusion

with Russia. A task force led by FBI director, Robert Mueller, has been digging into whether or not Trump’s campaign used Russian powers to influence the outcome of the election, a charge that would equate to treason and likely impeachment. According to Montgomery, this would be hard for Trump to spin if proven guilty. “I think that the Russian collusion is probably their best bet to try and find this [cause for impeachment],” he said. “Right now they don’t have that smoking gun to show that Trump was colluding with the Russians. That doesn’t mean it’s not out there. It just means they haven’t got it yet.”

Paul Quirk, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia and a commentator on the Trump presidency, agreed that colluding with Russia could endanger Trump’s presidency, but with one caveat – if the Democrats regain control of Congress.

“He could be impeached, [as in] articles of impeachment approved by the House of Representatives, if the Special Counsel finds extremely clear evidence of Trump's involvement in collaborating with Russia to interfere in the elections, or just based on existing evidence – the firing of FBI director James Comey in an effort to block the investigation – if the Democrats take control of the House in 2018,” said Quirk. “To actually remove him would then require a trial in the Senate and a two-thirds vote to remove him. That would only happen if nearly everyone stopped defending him.”

Currently, Republicans have a majority in both the House and the Senate, meaning it is unlikely articles of impeachment would even pass through Congress if politicians voted along party lines. However, the next Congressional election is slated for Nov. 6, 2018, and if Democrats can regain control of the House, it would be a greater threat to Trump’s presidency. As it stands, Republicans are not eager to remove him from office because, according to Montgomery, they don’t want to see the demise of a president representing their own party. “I just can’t imagine, as much as many republicans don’t like Donald

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

Trump and they’re not happy, I just don’t think they want to see a republican president to be impeached,” he said.

TRUMP & COMPETENCY

Another question often raised about Trump is whether or not he is competent enough to do the job. He himself admitted the presidency is more difficult than he believed it would be. In April, NBC News reported that Trump told former House Speaker Newt Gingrich that “this is a really bigger job than I thought.” Many of his tactics, including his Twitter tirades, his lack of understanding policies and his high rate of staff changeover, raise the question of whether he is capable of the job he currently has.

Quirk wrote about this in length for a chapter titled “Donald Trump and the Question of Fitness” for the textbook The Elections of 2016. In the book, Quirk references Fred Greenstein who cites six attributes often found in people who run for president. The Presidential Difference, as Greenstein explains, are people who demonstrate certain qualities: strong public communication, organizational capacity, political skill and experience, vision, cognitive style and emotional intelligence. When asked, Quirk said he doesn’t see any of these attributes in Donald Trump. “I doubt that he has any of them. His outstanding deficiencies, however, relate to ‘cognitive style’ and ‘emotional intelligence,” said Quirk, “He has remarkably little knowledge about government, and makes little effort to learn.”

The 25th amendment in the US Constitution states that the president can be removed and replaced by the vice president if the president is proven to be incapable of performing their duties.

This has always been interpreted as incapable in the physical sense, such as suffering from a stroke or other health issues. But with Trump, people are wondering if it can be interpreted in the mental sense. “The 25th says that if the president dies, resigns or is removed from

office – so that would be impeachment – or is otherwise unable to discharge the powers of the presidency,” explained Montgomery, “If you want to make an argument that he is mentally unable to discharge the powers of the presidency, you would have something that is pretty strong. You can say a lot of things – he is irrational and doesn’t really have the dignity of the presidency at all – but to that point where it actually represents mental incapacity, I don’t think I could really say it had gone that far yet.”

Quirk said that while Trump is in office, he is forced to act in a more moral manner than before. “In some ways the visibility of the presidency protects the public from some of Trump's moral deficiencies,” he said, “For example, he is not going to grab any women by their genitals in the oval office or at a state dinner. On the other hand, Trump has been blatantly using the presidency to promote his businesses, and permitting foreign governments to make payments to him.”

One aspect of Trump’s presidency that demonstrates incompetence, according to Montgomery, is the revolving door of aides and senior officials in the White House. Since taking office in January, Trump has replaced his Chief of Staff, multiple cabinet positions and his Director of Communications, twice. Even his polarizing chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was fired in August. “I think it does show a level of incompetency but there is no legal way to get him out of office because of it,” said Montgomery.

While many Americans are hoping for a “peachy” end to Trump’s reign in office, it may not come that easily. And many think the half-dozen congressmen who introduced the articles of impeachment are hoping on a wing and a prayer for it to come to fruition. As it stands, it would take finding that elusive “smoking gun” tying Trump directly to Russian efforts to manipulate the election, or a blue wave to sweep Congress next November. Until then, Trump is their president, representing them, however questionably, on the international stage.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

13

SHORTS

REPUTATION Taylor Swift New album maintains Taylor Swift’s position at the apex of pop music Greta Kooy CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

FACE YOUR FEAR Curtis Harding The rising soul star demands your attention Carlo Javier EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A

s Leon Bridges proved when he burst onto the scene as the second coming of Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, not many sounds can top the nostalgia of retro done well.

In his sophomoric effort, Face your Fear, Cutis Harding does exactly the same.

Harding’s story could not have been more fitting for a tried and true soul crooner narrative. Before his 2014 solo debut, Soul Power, the singer wrote for and sang back up for Cee Lo

"Primarily produced by Harding and Sam Cohen, Face Your Fear is an exemplary retro-soul album, showing off the best of the far-reaching genre by evoking elements of classic R&B, funk and psychedelic rock."

Green. In his latest release, he emphatically shows a talent that makes you wonder how and why he’s been kept in the shadows for so damn long.Opening track, “Wednesday Morning Atonement” is a tour de force. The Danger Mouse-produced song features an electrifying mix of synth and 70s rock riffs, surrounding Harding’s compelling lyrics about fatherhood with a lush, colourful environment.

Primarily produced by Harding and Sam Cohen, Face Your Fear is an exemplary retro-soul album, showing off the best of the far-reaching genre by evoking elements of classic R&B, funk and psychedelic rock.

Although the intricate production of Face Your Fear can so easily be deemed as the backbone of the record, its Harding’s truly impressive vocal work that really pushes the album to greater heights. The singer is a virtuoso who effortlessly bobs and weaves through complex notes. Tracks like “Dream Girl” and “Ghost Of You” illustrate his majestic falsetto, while “Til The End” is an exercise in restraint, exhibiting Harding’s skill with an exclusively baritone song.

Harding separates himself from the crowded R&B landscape by looking to his predecessors. While the influences of his idols are clear, his ambitious and impressive second album only point to a long, exciting career for the talented singer.

14

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

LAUGH NOW, FLY LATER Wiz Khalifa

EVERYDAY IS CHRISTMAS Sia

Rapper & weed aficionado continues mixtape hype for upcoming album

An early, but exciting holiday album

Greta Kooy CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

The last couple of years haven’t been kind to Taylor Swift. She’s had to deal with embarrassing public celebrity feuds and breakups, as well as being dragged through the dirt on social media. Swift’s Reputation, released Nov. 10, is her response to exactly that - her reputation.

This is Swift’s sixth studio album, and the one that shows truly shows her complete immersion to modern pop music.

Reputation is her version of a snake shedding its skin – it’s defensive and unapologetic, while maintaining an effervescent air.

Even though Swift throws some clear punches, she does them in a refreshing way.

The teaser-singles, namely “Ready for It” and “Look What You Made Me Do”, are two tense and electronic-heavy tracks that give Reputation a strong vengeful impression, which is a constant theme throughout the album.

On “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”, Swift takes a not-so-subtle jab at her very public feud with Kim Ye, singing, “Friends don’t try to trick you / Get you on the phone / And mindtwist you.”

What we don’t see in Reputation is the usual crop of break up anthems that Swift has been famous for, instead showing off exactly the opposite. Songs like “Dress” and “New Years’ Day” are two softer tracks about the giddiness and adventures of love.

Already being hailed as the pop album of the year, Swift’s Reputation is winning with both fans and critics. The album currently has four songs on Billboard’s Top 100 list and continues to climb the charts.

Swift made the move from country to pop music long ago, and if her latest album says anything, it’s that she’s not going anywhere. Reputation reads less like a diary and more like a blueprint for her future.

Justin Scott MANAGING EDITOR

Earlier this year, Wiz Khalifa dropped two EPs in preparation for his upcoming album, Rolling Papers 2. Pre-Rolleds hit the internet on Jun. 2 and Bong Rips just two weeks later. On Nov. 10, he released Laugh Now, Fly Later, yet another mixtape to satisfy fans waiting for his anticipated album.

Unlike his two mixtapes in June, which each had four tracks, Laugh Now, Fly Later goes 10-deep and runs for 40 minutes. The mixtape starts off with a bang, opening with the Casey Veggies-led “Royal Highness”. Despite being dominated by Veggies, “Royal Highness” sets the tone for Wiz Khalifa’s notorious laidback Rockstar style.

While Laugh Now, Fly Later is traditionally Wiz – easy to listen, smoke and hang out to – it doesn’t carry as well as the year’s previous releases and it would not be a total surprise if it does not end up producing any hits.

That being said, there are decent tracks in there.

“Letterman”, produced by 808 Mafia, sounds like throwback Wiz rapping over a menacing, trap-bathed beat. It has all those components of a Wiz song that we’ve come to expect: weed, girls and flexing sewn together between softer melodies and hypnotic bars. In “City of Steel”, he drops news that Rolling Papers 2 is finally finished – a project that has taken three years to make. Also noteworthy are “Weed Farm” and “Stay Focused”.

Although his latest mixtape does not really have that one, ear-catching song like Blacc Hollywood’s “We Dem Boyz” or O.N.I.F.C’s “Medicated”, Laugh Now, Fly Later does exactly what it was intended to do. It gives fans just enough of Wiz’s signature stoner vibe to tie fans over until the release of Rolling Papers 2.

Is it too early for a Christmas album? Of course not! Sia has gifted the world with a 10-track holiday offering, all of which are original tracks. Everyday is Christmas pairs the private songstress’ rich vocals with traditional Christmas production elements - sleigh bells and all.

The album opens with “Santa’s Coming For Us”, a cheerful and upbeat track that embodies all that is good about the seasonal selections played from Nov. 1 until Dec. 25.

“Snowman” is a slower track, backed by strings and piano keys. Sia sings of going on adventures with her snowman.

Unfortunately, the sun eventually comes out and her friend melts away, but not before Sia assures him they’ll meet again.

Although much of the album falls under a more traditional holiday style, it certainly has some less than traditional cuts.

“Ho Ho Ho” is an alternative Christmas anthem that celebrates “all the misfits” as Sia puts it.

Everyday is Christmas closes with three downtempo Christmas love songs.

“Underneath the Mistletoe” sees Sia and her love interest meet underneath some Mistletoe and embrace for the first time.

The title track, “Everyday is Christmas” is a rich ode to love in the snowy season. “Everyday is Christmas when you’re here with me, I’m safe in your arms, you’re my angel baby,” she sings.

The album closes with the beautiful ballad “Underneath the Christmas Lights”. Probably Sia’s strongest vocal offering on the album, the track could be played at a midnight mass or a family gathering and would suit either.

Everyday is Christmas is a refreshing take on the Christmas album, with a variety of tracks that all fit the seasonal cookie cutter.

CALENDAR

20 MON

HOPSCOTCH FESTIVAL PNE FORUM 6 P.M. / $50

If I could choose what a drinking festival were took look like, it would be this. There is no better alcohol on this planet than scotch. I’m sure that I could drink more than my money’s worth here. The event will be running all week at various locations, so there are no excuses!

24

ORPHEUM 90TH BIRTHDAY BASH

FRI

STUFF THE BUS CAPILANO UNIVERSITY 9 A.M. / FREE

I was surprised to see this advertised on another event site instead of the Capilano University calendar. Regardless, if you’re going to be at school during the event then you should bring some warm clothes to stuff into the bus.

21 TUES

KID CUDI PNE FORUM 9 P.M. / $66

ORPHEUM THEATRE 7:30 P.M. / $19

DEATH FROM ABOVE

PIZZA MAKING WORKSHOPS

I don’t know anything about these guys, but when I Googled them a bunch of stuff about the alt-right came up. So, maybe don’t go see them. Honestly, I’d take them out of the calendar but I'm already behind deadline and have a bunch of other shit to write.

Everybody should learn how to make a disgustingly greasy, delicious pizza. When I learned how to make proper pizza, I made it every week for a month and gained five pounds. It’s a good lesson in moderation. Once you learn to make it, you will want to have pizza every day until your heart stops.

I saw Kid Cudi when he played at Pemberton Music Festival. You know, back when it was an event and didn’t steal people’s money.

He put on a great show and it looked like he was having an awesome time. I don’t know if he’s put out a good song since Pursuit of Happiness, but that album was so good that I don’t care.

When I saw this event, I figured it’d cost around $100. The fact it’s so cheap is shocking for what seems like such a cool event.

The Orpheum will be transformed to look like it did when it first opened 90 years ago. The whole theme of the night is 1927, so if you like the music and attire of that era, you will love this.

COMMODORE BALLROOM 7 P.M. / $43

22 WED

DANCE IN VANCOUVER SCOTIABANK DANCE CENTRE 9 A.M. - 5 P.M. / $24

This event showcases local dancers in Vancouver. One of the themes for this year is femme fatale. There will be shows going on throughout the week, and each show will have a different theme, so stay on the lookout for the one that look most appealing to you.

VCC DOWNTOWN CAMPUS 2 P.M. - 5 P.M. / $45

25 SAT

COLLIDER CAFE: ART SCIENCE INTERWOVEN

THURS

CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE 4 P.M. / $42.95

It’s a bit expensive, but holy shit is it beautiful. If you’re in a relationship and don’t go here for the holidays, then you deserve to get dumped. Seriously, if you haven’t been before, you better go this year.

I almost didn't put this in the calendar because tickets are selling fast and I want to get my hands on some before they sell out. Most people have heard of or read The Chronicles of Narnia so they’ll know just how much potential this play has.

WEST COAST RAILWAY HERITAGE PARK 10 A.M. - 6 P.M. / $52

It’s like the Stanley Park Christmas Train on steroids. It’s a 50-minute train ride that allegedly takes you to the north pole at the end. So, this also makes it the world’s fastest train. For the low price of $52 you can go to the North Pole in under an hour. Be sure to dress appropriately, there’s no word on if it’s round-trip or not.

This sounds a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. This is a series where artists and scientists get together and make things.

There will be tattoo artists and neuroscience researchers at the same place. For the low cost, it’s worth checking out.

23

WATERFRONT THEATRE 3 P.M. OR 7 P.M. / $29

POLAR EXPRESS

CAFE DEUX SOLEILS 8 P.M. - 9:30 P.M. / $5 - $10

CANYON LIGHTS AT CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE

THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

26 SUN

DISPATCH IMPERIAL 8 P.M. / $40

An Indie band from the 90s is back and they’re coming to Vancouver. The event is billed as an acoustic set, which is a departure from their usual sound. Or it isn’t. I haven't listened to them. Nobody is buying a ticket to this show based on my recommendation, this is more of a reminder for fans who might now know they’re in town.

LEGACY, LOVE LETTERS + HEART WILLS

HOLLYWOOD MEETS BROADWAY

Spending your evening at a cemetery doesn’t sound like a great time, but consider this a public service announcement. The holiday season can be a tough time for people who have recently lost a loved one.

Mountain View Cemetery is offering this event to help people get through these rough times.

The VPOP symphony and choir will be taking some of the most popular songs from Hollywood and Broadway and paying tribute to them. They’ll be playing scores from movies such as Back to the Future, The Mummy Returns, and Polar Express, as well as from Broadway shows like Les Miserables and Mary Poppins.

CELEBRATION HALL AT MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY 6:30 P.M. / FREE

CHAN CENTRE 3 P.M. / $15 - $30

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

15

ARTS & CULTURE

Left to right: Bruce Novakowski and Katie Stewart walk the line of real-life crisis in breakthrough success.

INCONCEIVABLE SUCCESS

Capilano University Alumnus’ low-budget web series shocks with award show nomination Rachel D’Sa ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

M

ost students face the problem of not being able to find jobs postgraduation, while others take another approach by make things happen for themselves. Joel Ashton McCarthy, one of the first graduates of the Cap U’s four-year Motion Picture Production Degree program, has done just that.

The show-runner, co-creator and director of the Vancouver-based web series, ‘Inconceivable,’ alongside Rachel Kirkpatrick (co-creator) and Mike Doaga (co-creator and actor), are anywhere but close to done, when it comes to what they have planned ahead of them with the wildly successful series that follows a young self-identified lesbian fling with a male independent filmmaker, which results in an unexpected pregnancy. The sixpart web series is semi-autobiographical of McCarthy and Kirkpatrick’s journey through parenthood.

Picking up an astonishing amount of online popularity for a low-budget web series, the project has landed itself and its creators in the hands of prestigious independent film awards ceremony, the Gotham Independent Film Awards. The New York award is one of the major Oscar

16

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Award winning predictors, kicking off the award season, and currently lines up nominations filled with A-listers, including Margot Robbie, James Franco and Donald Glover, for nine awards. The nomination for the ‘Breakthrough Series - Short Form Award’ came as a shock to the entire cast and crew of the web series when they received the email notifying them. “I thought it was fake. I read the email, like, 10 times, called my co-writer Mike over to my computer and he didn't believe it either. Then all of a sudden Variety, Hollywood Reporter, LA Times and several other big entertainment publications started printing it as fact and we started celebrating,” said McCarthy, also noting that the entire cast and crew still can’t figure out how the show was discovered.

Though the creators admit they feel the nomination was out of their league, they still acknowledge their hard work and efforts. “We believe it was picked because everything in the show comes from an authentic place. We are at a point in time where people are valuing authenticity more than ever before -- both in media and politics,” said McCarthy.

When crafting this project, the three creators made sure to remain consistently accurate in authentic representation of their real-life circumstance. Though most of the roles were filled from an open casting call, Bruce Novakowski and Katie Stewart, the actors essentially playing McCarthy and Kirkpatrick were hand-picked for the roles. While Novakowski was chosen from his past portrayals of McCarthy’s self-

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

identifying roles, Stewart was cast from her impressive demo reel.

Though the cameras stop rolling in the lives of the characters in the show, off-set and real-life McCarthy and Kirkpatrick can’t escape the spotlight of parenthood.

“It's a venerable experience sharing intimate moments of your life on screen.

Luckily, it's been received so positively overall, but I will say for this project for some reason negative YouTube comments sting a little more because it can feel like they are attacking myself and my family personally,” said McCarthy. He also noted that because the show is autobiographical, there is a heightened pressure to keep the content true and genuine, without causing real-life problems by depicting certain reallife “characters” negatively on-screen. “It's usually not till we've already shot it that I have that little voice in my head that says, ‘maybe we are sharing too much,’ but at that point it is a bit late.”

Living with the circumstance in reallife has presented its challenges, but nonetheless McCarthy took the lifechanging turn as a positive omen, by crafting it into the success it is today. “I brought up the idea to my partner about making a show about our experience more so as a joke, and she was into it. So the next day we shot a pitch video, and we were shocked to find how many people were supportive backing the project,” McCarthy recalled. One of the support systems behind the project included local web series funding competition, Telus Storyhive, which granted the Inconceivable crew

$50,000 to produce an entire season after seeing an intense demand for it after the pilot.

Since taking to YouTube this spring with newer episodes airing weekly, and noticing the rising success of the series, the crew is ultimately working towards picking up a network to carry it, therefore enabling them to convert the show into a half hour episodic show. “We had such a hard time condensing our episodes into 10 minutes when we had so much story to tell. If we can get a network to believe in the show, then we can have the budget to do the show justice,” said McCarthy. He also notes that he has worked to create a collection of pitch materials, while the show’s agent is shopping the project to production companies and networks -- though the dream is to get the show on Netflix, which has just announced that they will be spending $500 million on Canadiancreated content.

Aside from Inconceivable, McCarthy is currently working on drafting and funding an action dark-comedy feature film, though he notes that the project is nothing like the web series. “I'm always trying to make each project completely different from the last. I don't really have a clear goal of where I want to be in the future, I just keep creating and I'm loving every minute of this journey.”

For more details on Inconceivable and to watch its first season, visit Thisisaspoon. com/inconceivable.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

POLYGON GALLERY OPENS AT LONSDALE QUAY

$20 million space will house the former Presentation House Gallery

–PHOTO COURTESY OF EMA PETER PHOTOGRAPHY

Christine Beyleveldt NEWS EDITOR

A

fter nearly 30 years of planning, the former Presentation House Gallery moved into its new space at Lonsdale Quay and opened on Saturday, Nov. 18, refashioned as the Polygon Gallery.

Named in honour of Polygon Homes, one of the original donors who helped provide $4 million in funding to build the gallery, the brand new facility is a 25,000 square foot space that boasts the largest individualistic photography gallery in Western Canada, and is more than five times the size of the former Presentation House Gallery.

“For the first few years of its existence [the Presentation House Gallery] was just a community gallery, but in 1981 there was a devoted exercise in rethinking what the gallery would be and we inducted a mandate to show photography, which at the time was not deemed to be as privileged a medium as an artist’s is as it is now,” said Randy Shier, director and curator of the Polygon Gallery.

The lower level of the new Polygon Gallery is a glass atrium, designed to allow pedestrians to view the Burrard Inlet and Vancouver skyline across the water from the street, Shier noted. Various donors contributed over $20 million towards the project, including the Freybe Family, Chan Family, Denna Homes, TD Bank Group

and the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, each whom have gallery spaces dedicated to them. Thanks to a donation made by the Bank of Montreal, admission to the Gallery will be by donation for its first four years.

The gallery’s inaugural exhibit, "N. Vancouver", is the most ambitious undertaking by the Presentation House so far and it reflects the history and evolution of the North Shore, an underrepresented aspect of Greater Vancouver’s history, through weavings, videos, sculptures and photos. The exhibit includes a backlit triptych of the Railway Bridge by Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, photos of the bright yellow sulphur piles near the

waterfront at the First Narrows and the grain terminals on the North Vancouver waterfront, both taken by Canadian photographer Greg Girard.

More than 15 artists were commissioned to create new pieces for "N. Vancouver" that fit the theme of the history of the North Shore. A Burrard Arts Foundation (BAF) commission will be renewed annually for 10 years. Each new piece that is created for the gallery will show for about nine months. At the back of the Gallery’s stairwell, Nisga writer Jordan Abel has created a concrete poem using excerpts from existing novels about territory and land ownership that resembles the Burrard Inlet. “It’s important for me to

–PHOTO BY GILLIAN WEBER-LEEDHAM

RUSH HOUR Four former classmates take on a Canadian treasure Luka Vasic CONTRIBUTOR

W

hile Vancouver has seen its fair share of cover bands, very few have been so daring to take on the music of Canadian rock legends Rush.

“I wanted to have a tribute band that would have fun music to play, be a good challenge, [and be] popular enough that we could have success selling it,” said Eliot Doyle, drummer and founder of the Modern-Day Warriors: A Tribute to Rush.

Doyle and fellow band mates Tahnee Juryn (vocals and keyboard), Karl WallaceDeering (bass) and Bradan DeCicco (guitar), formed the Modern-Day Warriors after building strong musical relationships during their time together in Capilano University’s Jazz Studies program.

“Tahnee was the first one I asked, because I knew Bradan would do it anyways,” said Doyle, who had been jamming Rush songs with Wallace-Deering since their highschool days. “I don’t think any of us fully understood how much Bradan loved Rush until we started playing,” added Juryn. “He had posters in his house and we were like ‘did you put those up for the rehearsal?’ and he said, ‘No they’re just there.’ It was just

his décor!”

For DeCicco, Rush was what got him going in music. “It was how I would play guitar before coming to Cap,” he said, “I would have a playlist of all the Rush tunes I knew and play along to it.” Though a huge lover of Canadian music overall, Juryn joined the band as the newest fan. “I would say I came into this band probably the least of a Rush fan but that very quickly escalated. I spent the first summer kind of discovering the songs in a way,” she admitted, “[I’d say] ‘guys this song is amazing!’ and they would be like ‘yeah, we know’.”

Rush is considered one of the more virtuosic bands in rock and roll history.

Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart’s proficiency on their individual instruments has presented a challenge for the ModernDay Warriors that their education has helped prepare them for.

“The courses in the Jazz Program really forced us how to learn how to learn songs

in a timely manner,” said Wallace-Deering.

“Developing our ear training skills and those sorts of things made it so much easier to absorb, learn and reproduce the band's material.”

While the technical level of musicianship has both challenged and pushed the cover band, their greatest challenge is reproducing Rush’s sound. “[It’s about] finding the balance between how much do I nail this really high nasally part or the way [Geddy] delivers this word in a strange way, and how much do I bring my own voice into it and where is the fine line,” said Juryn, who as a vocalist does not have the luxury of electronic effects like DeCicco’s computer based guitar rig.

Ultimately, the band stays as true to the music as possible. “Your own personal touch is always going to come out no matter what,” said Doyle, “but it’s your own personal touch featured on somebody else’s thing that you’re trying to play.”

show work by Squamish artists that has been produced here that also traces a kind of historical legacy that preceded that point of first contact,” Shier added, speaking to the weavings hanging from some of the walls of the Freybe Family Gallery.

On the ground floor in the Chan Family Gallery, a one eighth scale replica of Captain George Vancouver’s ship, the Discovery, created by Vancouver-based artist Myfanwy MacLeod specifically for the exhibit is the first thing visitors will notice. But it’s not Vancouver’s ship as it looked when it sailed into the Burrard Inlet in 1792, instead the replica shows the Discovery as it looked when it was decommissioned and used as a prison hull moored on the Thames River at Deptford, England after 1818.

The gallery’s former space on Third Avenue and Chesterfield was part of a larger facility that included the Presentation House Theatre and Museum.

The theatre will stay in the building until the City of North Vancouver decides to either demolish the building or renovate it.

“It’s pretty decrepit but it has a historical value,” said Shier. The building stands in stark contrast to the new facility’s light-filled minimalist design created by Vancouver-based Patkau Architects. The museum meanwhile will be moved across the street in two years time into a new building. Now that they have the space to devote to it, the Polygon Gallery will run regular tours and host talks and film screenings.

"N. Vancouver" will be on display until spring 2018.

The cover bands attention to detail has earned them an “overwhelmingly positive” response from fans. Rush fans are known to be very passionate, and the Modern-Day Warriors have experienced this firsthand.

“We’ve got people from over the world, from Brazil, all over the United States [commenting] on YouTube,” said WallaceDeering. “When we played in Nanaimo, we had a group of 16 and 17-year-old kids that came out to see us, but we were playing in a casino, so they couldn’t,” DeCicco recalled, “So they sat outside the window in the doorway and listened.”

The band usually tries to book gigs with other local tribute bands who play similar styles, which finds itself to be a difficult task in Vancouver’s competitive music scene. “I don’t know how well we would be received with an ABBA tribute,” Juryn joked. Their current goal is to continue to grow their brand by expanding their online presence, through videos and live streams.

Like the real Rush, the Modern-Day Warriors chemistry can be linked to their relationships beyond the lighted stage. “I love the music and playing with these guys is a blast,” said Doyle.

Touring has been a highlight for them.

“It didn’t feel like work, it was a paid vacation with our friends, life doesn’t get much better,” added Wallace-Deering.

The Modern-Day Warriors will be playing Rush’s 2112 front-to-back at the Roxy Cabaret on Dec. 21. For further details and show information visit Themoderndaywarriors. com.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

17

SPORTS –PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY

A GAME TO REMEMBER The Blues and Mariners set history while battling for PACWEST dominance Justin Scott MANAGING EDITOR

A

lthough volleyball is inherently an exciting sport to watch, the Capilano University Blues men’s game against the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners on Nov. 3 was more than that; it was record breaking.

The game’s second set finished with a final score of 44-42 in favour of the Blues, the highest score ever recorded in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) history. In fact, it requires some serious internet digging to find any volleyball set ever to score higher than that. For Blues head coach, Emmanuel Denguessi, not only was it the highest score he had ever seen, he had to think before he could name another match that compared. “The closest was France versus Australia in the world league two years ago,” he said after pondering the thought, “I think it ended 39-37 or something like that. But I haven’t seen a set going until 44.”

Even before the game’s first serve, both teams knew they were in for a tough fight.

The Mariners entered the game with four wins and no losses, while the Blues had won their first six. “We knew it would be a battle of the titans,” said Dr. Abe Avender, Mariners head coach.

After the Mariners won the first set 2624, both teams were warmed up and the fateful second set began.

18

THE CAPILANO COURIER

The set was back and forth with neither team ever breaking away from the other.

“It was true men’s volleyball at a high level. It was serve side out, serve side out, serve side out,” Avender recalled.

Both Denguessi and Avender spoke enthusiastically of the games quality, describing how the intensity and quality of the play only picked up throughout the set.

Venturing past 25 isn’t uncommon in volleyball. Scoring past 30 is rare, but the Blues had already won a set against the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades 33-31 earlier in the year, so hitting the low 30’s was nothing new. Once the score kept going, the game became something special.

Avender still remembers the vigour of the gym as the score continued to climb. “Feeling that energy as we we’re getting into the high 30’s and low 40’s, it was like, ‘holy crap.’ It was wild.”

Eventually however, the Blues won the set, bringing the record-breaking battle to an end. “Going to 44-42, that was something,” said Denguessi. Although the set was entertaining, the Blues coach looks back on it practically. While it was a memorable spectacle, the set ended up running the length of almost two standard sets, and inevitably led to fatigued players. “To be honest with you, for us, we wanted the game to finish.

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

We would have been happier to finish at 25 than going to 44,” he said. “But I think that it was just a confirmation of how resilient and mature the team has become.”

While both teams played extremely well, a few players stood out. Avender remembers the duo of the Blues’ team captain Simon Friesen and middle Zarley Zalusky vividly. Friesen is known throughout the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) for his impressive skillset and playmaking abilities, but Avender was surprised by Zalusky.

“Their middle, Zarley, he was a beast,” he said. “We knew the guy could pound balls, so when you know that, and you still can’t stop him.”

Zalusky remembers the night clearly, and admitted he played well.

“It seemed like everything was going right for me,” he said. “Every time I hit the ball it seemed like it was hitting the floor.” Denguessi explained how the team’s middle is one of their strongest assets, as they free up the floor for their attacking left side. “When we’re best is when we’re passing well and we’re able to run the middle, because it takes a lot of the pressure off the outsides,” Zalusky added.

Although the Blues emphasized the team effort required for such success, Avender couldn’t forget how well Zalusky

played that Friday. “He would hit a lot of balls towards five, so we said, ‘let’s take away position five,’ and the next six balls he cooks towards position one, so it’s like, okay, well the dude is just super good and having a really good night and we’re going to have to deal with it,” Avender recalled.

The Blues went on to win the match three sets to two after just over two hours and 40 minutes of play, giving the Mariners their first loss of the season.

The next night however, the Mariners came back with a vengeance, defeating CapU’s team three sets to one. Neither team has lost since.

Win or lose, for all involved, the Nov. 3 matchup was unforgettable. “I played myself as a varsity athlete and have been around high-level volleyball for a really long time, but I’ve never seen a game like this,” explained Avender.

“I knew it would be tight, I think we’re the two best teams in the league, but I never thought I’d play in a game that went 44-42,” said Zalusky. “I’ve never seen or heard of a set going that long, and I think I’ll definitely remember that game as being one of the craziest, most fun games I’ve been a part of.”

The Blues and the Mariners will face off once again on Jan. 19 and 20 at CapU. “VIU will be the one where we’ll have to rise above in order to claim supremacy of the league,” Denguessi said. And even though the two teams are developing a serious rivalry, their coaches are having fun with it. Avender still remembers what Denguessi said to him as the two teams crossed sides after the set. “He was like, ‘this is why we coach man, this is exactly why we coach’.”

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

–PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY

A WELCOME ADDITION Victoria native Emma Cunninham is poised to help the Blues take gold Helen Aikenhead FEATURES EDITOR

W

ith six new players donning the blue and white this year, the future of the Blues women’s basketball team is looking bright as the 2017-18 season kicks off. One of those six is veteran guard and teammate-described "lights out shooter," Emma Cunningham.

After playing for the Camosun Chargers for the first two years of her post-secondary career, Cunningham left the Island for the North Shore to join the Blues in what she hopes will be the year they finish with gold at provincials. Considering her history on the court, her sign-on has certainly brought them one step closer.

“I was recruited to Camosun, like, my entire life,” Cunningham recalled of her journey to the Chargers. She started playing in the fourth grade, and by the sixth grade, she joined the South Vancouver Island Basketball Association (SVIBA) where she continued to develop her skills throughout high school. Her SVIBA team, as fate would have it, was run by Brett Westcott, the Chargers' head coach at the time, and she was recruited to the Victoria university's women's team after graduation. There, she had a stellar year, making the 2013-14 Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) AllRookie team and averaging 14 points a

STARS IN THE MAKING Blues rookies shine in their first PACWEST seasons Carlo Javier EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

W

ith the Capilano University Blues women’s soccer team taking another big step forward in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), it’s hard to miss the impact that some of their rookies made this year.

Led by the offence-defence combo of defender Claire Ye and midfielder Adrianna Babinski, this year’s rookie crop not only helped the Blues to a 5-3-4 record and a silver medal finish, but also offered a glimpse of just how great the Blues can be in seasons to come.

For their tremendous play this season, both Ye and Babinski were named to the Conference All-Star Team, with Ye also claiming the Rookie of the Year award.

A multi-faceted player, Ye attributed her win to her ability to make an impact on both ends of the pitch. “I contributed defensively and offensively, which I thought helped out the most.” Despite

game.

The next year, following major changes to the team's coaching, things changed.

Cunningham played one more full year and saw equally impressive success, but come her third year, she left the team early in the season. She spent the remainder of that year focusing on her studies, and took a break from basketball for the entirety of the next year to complete her degree in sports management. After playing nonstop since the fourth grade, that break left her missing the game, and if anything, made her love it more. “I feel like that's very cliché, but when you play for so long and you never really get a break – I don't know. [The break] really brought back the love of the game for me, so now I'm back in it, ready to do the grind and everything.”

Her eager attitude and return to the

court couldn't come at a better time for a Blues team who was shocked last season with their second silver finish at provincials. In fact, for Cunningham, it's a huge part of the team's appeal. “I feel like this team, because they've gotten silver twice in a row, and I wasn't part of that but I know how much that stings, so I'm just really excited about how driven this team is to win a provincial championship. That's what I'm most excited about for sure.”

This season, of course, is not Cunningham's first encounter with the Blues. She has shared the court with several of her new teammates as their opponent in the past. Fifth year players Ashley Dela Cruz Yip and Carmelle M'Bikata were quick to name Cunningham as one of the stars of the team's new roster. Dela Cruz Yip recalled a time early in Cunningham's

being smaller than most attacking forwards, Ye quickly established herself as a premier stopper in the PACWEST. “I have good body positions,” she said.

“I think if I get my head start and good body position, I do really well with holding players off and I can put my body on the line.” Another factor to Ye’s impressive play was her innate ability to go downfield and find the back of the net. Even though she lined up as a defender, Ye finished second on the Blues in scoring with three goals for the season.

While Ye’s versatility made her a constant threat on the field, for Babinski, it was her preternatural goal scoring talents that opposing defences worried about. With seven goals in her rookie season, the budding offensive star led the Blues in scoring and finished second in the conference. “It was probably me trying to get a name for myself,” Babinski said about her impressive scoring arsenal.

“Being a rookie obviously, you want to show what you’re able to do.”

Due to their impressive seasons, both Ye and Babinski ended up neck-andneck in the race for the Rookie of the Year award, and although Ye ultimately claimed the honour, she admitted that the award could very well have gone to her teammate. “I thought it could have gone to either me or Ada [Babinski] because she got seven goals in the season.”

Although Ye and Babinski both

graduated from Dr. Charles Best Secondary in Coquitlam, they only played together in their final years of high school.

Despite this, the two have formed quite the chemistry on the field – particularly on the offensive end. “We can play really well together, and our chemistry is pretty good especially when she [Ye] wants to attack,” said Babinski. “On cases of working together, I’m not going to say ‘easy’, but we know what each other wants.”

As successful as their regular season performances were, the two ultimately faced a bittersweet ending to their season. The Blues fell to the Douglas College Royals after penalty kicks in the PACWEST gold medal game and for Ye, the disappointment does not even stem from the loss itself, but to how they lost the game. “I’m mad that we lost at PKs, that’s just a terrible way to end the season,” she said. The gravity of the defeat was magnified as the Blues had played such tremendous defence throughout the game as both teams kept each other off the scoreboard for the duration of the whole match. “We had chances in overtime; Jess [Price] just mis-kicked it and I went up for the header, that’s two chances that we just missed,” she added.

As tough as it was for Ye and her teammates, Babinski had to sit out the playoffs and watch from the sidelines.

She tore a ligament in her left foot a week before the provincial tournament, forcing

Camosun days when she saw her old team into the semi-finals, beating out the Blues.

“When we were opposing her we always saw her as a threat you know, as a really good player. And now to have her on our team is really great,” said Dela Cruz Yip. “She does a lot of good things for us. She works hard on defence, like, she's the one who's getting all those deflections and what not,” M'Bikata added in agreement.

On her end, Cunningham is just as excited to be on their side now, echoing Dela Cruz Yip, Cunningham recalled early encounters with the long-term team members. “I remember them [Dela Cruz Yip and M’Bikata] always being such huge threats. Having them on my team now, I don't have to worry about them. They do their thing. They're such good players, such good teammates too. It's awesome.”

The Blues’ coaching staff also recognized Cunningham's skills in her Camosun days During her break from basketball, while working with the Chargers' event staff, Cunningham was approached by the Blues' former coach during their recruiting period who encouraged her to get in contact with him. She followed up, and as she put it “It just kind of went from there.”

Coming out of the pre-season and already having earned three wins in the regular season, Cunningham is already feeling at home with the Blues. “I enjoy Capilano a lot more,” she said, “The team feels like more of a family than it did at my last school. And even just the organization itself, I feel like Capilano backs up its team more, like, the administration. It gets behind the teams more than my last school so I feel a lot more supported here.”

No matter what team she’s on, Cunningham continues to prove that she's an impact player. Fortunately, it's for, and not against, the Blues.

her to opt for surgery and thus miss the final game of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs. “Its never easy to sit on the sidelines to watch a game, especially if you’re injured,” she said. “It’s tough watching, but at the same time, I knew there were other people on the team that could execute goals, too.”

With the team coming short on scoring in the final game, Ye believes that Babinski’s ability to find the net could have been the difference maker. “Honestly, she brings such a calmness in the centre-mid and a presence that I don’t think anyone really replaced,” Ye reflected. “Whenever she has the ball, I trust her enough that she won’t mess up, that she’s going to make a smart play.”

Though Babinski’s offensive talents were sorely missed, it was the play of another rookie that helped the Blues actually get to the finals. “Catrina [Olstrom], she changed the game in the semi-finals.” The speedy forward was another one of the Blues’ more impressive rookies, finishing the year with a pair of goals and a player of the week recognition.

The Blues may have fallen a step short of the gold medal, but their already formidable, yet still youthful roster only promises a brighter horizon. Should their core group return, a provincial gold and a trip to nationals should come as soon as next season.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

19

CABOOSE

@CAPILANOCOURIER

CAPILANO CONFESSIONS

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

HOROSCOPES

THE VOICEBOX with Justin Scott

“I got fully nude for a bikini wax once”

Justin – what has happened to my sense of humour? Why can’t I find SNL funny, but laugh for three hours straight after seeing a picture of Waluigi photoshopped with leggings?

IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK:

This week, you are definitely getting laid.

– Maybe because SNL is too real these days and Waluigi in tights is fucking hilarious.

“I'm pretty sure I witnessed a guy masturbating in the Cap library a few weeks ago”

TAURUS (APR. 20 – MAY 20)

Buy a lottery ticket. The stars have a good feeling about this one.

What?

Virgin

“N.E.R.D's "Lapdance" music video was eyeopening as a child”

GEMINI (MAY 21 – JUN. 20)

I saw you guys just put up your Best of Cap nomination page, can I nominate myself?

–

Talk to that person you have a crush on. You never know.

No Rachel, you can’t nominate Indigo Indigo

“I can't believe no one on this campus has seen the 1974 film Chinatown. ”

CANCER (JUN 21 – JULY 22)

I’m really rooting for you this week.

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.”

– “I don't understand why students hate Seymour's Pub so much, I'm there every weekend!”

“I panicked when I got stuck in an elevator... until I realized that I just forgot to press the floor button.”

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

Puzzle 1 (Hard, difficulty rating 0.75)

Difficulty: Hard

1

2 2

5

LIBRA (SEPT. 22 – OCT. 23)

4

9

3 2

5 3 8

4

9 2

5

9

2

3 8

6

1

5

8

2

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 – DEC. 21)

Just be yourself, you'd be surprised how many people like you.

7

Your laugh is as contagious as Malaria

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 – FEB.18)

4

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Sat Nov 18 02:04:16 2017 GMT. Enjoy!

TO ADVERTISE in the Courier’s pages, please contact us by phone at 778-995-4388 or email John Tabbernor at community.capcourier@gmail.com.

We are proud to offer discounts to non-profit organizations and North Shore customers. A full media kit with sizes, rates and deadlines is available on our website, CapilanoCourier.com. Classified advertisements up to 50 words are free for students.

VOLUME 50 ISSUE NO. 9

Everyone around you really cares about your wellbeing.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 – JAN. 19)

5 9

You're so charming you could make a corpse smile.

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 – NOV. 21)

1

4

CLASSIFIED

Seeking a responsible and reliable individual to drive two children to and from locations in West and North Vancouver, Mondays to Thursdays, 2:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Must have a valid Driver's License, clean driving record and be able to provide at least three references. If interested, please contact Mo at 604-418-5606

VIRGO (AUG. 23 – SEPT. 21)

Your parents are very proud of the person you’ve become.

SUDOKU

– “Step 1: Hook up with ex. Step 2: Rinse and repeat... three times.”

LEO (JUL. 23 – AUG. 22)

Positivity is the key that unlocks the door to success.

123456

–

THE CAPILANO COURIER

It’s all sunshine and rainbows for you.

What airline do Jesus and Mary take?

–

20

ARIES (MAR. 21 – APR. 19)

You're so bright you make the sun jealous.

PISCES (FEB. 19 – MAR. 20)

You look amazing!