VOL UME
48
NORTH VANCOUVER, MARCH 30TH 2015
GEORGE RAMMELL
SENATE ELECTIONS
ISSUE
N O . 23
CAVE SINGERS
CAPILANO Courier
@capilanocourier
VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
@capilanocourier capilanocourier.com
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News
A+C
CaleNdar
Features
OpiNiONs
COlumNs
CabOOse
Teachers Strike Back
Characterizing Cartoons
I'd Easter Bunny
Choo-Choo Choose Your Lifestyle
The Inadequacy Of TED
Cole's Top Five
Capilano Champions
ON the Cover CristiaN FOwlie
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Cristian Fowlie, Olliemoonsta, Megan Collinson, Ekaterina Aristova, Crystal Lee, Zoe Sofianos, Ksenia Kozhevnikova, Vivian Liu, Taylor Lee, Sydney Parent, Danielle Mainman, Guillem Rovira, Jackson Butchart
Cristian Fowlie is a Jack of All Trades creative, with dreams of owning a sphinx cat and working for Kanye West. He is graduating from CapU's IDEA Program this April. Take a peek at his work at www.cristianfowlie. com. Also, catch him at the IDEA Grad show on April 13th at the Harbour Centre.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:
Christine Beyleveldt, Kevin Kapenda, Milana Bucan, Melissa Verdicchio, Tomas Danco, Sarah Unger, Jasper Grau, Katherine Gillard, Carolina Vineuza, Cole Blight, James Martin THANK YOU
To everyone who's assisted, stayed late, missed us when we stayed late, brought beer, sent love and supportive texts, and all of you who have picked up the Courier. Hi Mom!
THE CAPILANO COURIER.
VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
To advertise in the Courier’s pages, please contact our Advertising Director, Andy Rice, at 778-855-9942 or advertising.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.
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The Staff
Leah Scheitel Editor-in-Chief
Therese Guieb News Editor
The Capilano Courier is an autonomous, democratically run student newspaper. Literary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste, and legality. The Capilano Courier will not publish material deemed by the collective to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Courier Publishing Society.
ant-stomping, lasanga-chomping university newspaper
Andy Rice Managing Editor
Alva Tee Arts + Culture Editor
Andrew Palmquist Production Manager
Faye Alexander Features Editor
Gabriel Scorgie Opinions Editor
Cheryl Swan Art Director
Carlo Javier Lifestyle Editor
Ricky Bao Business Manager
Brandon Kostinuk Web Editor
Letter From The Editor Leah Scheitel, Editor-in-Chief
finishing the burrito "People come into your lives who you have a good time with, and time goes by and you still have a good time with them and you do stupid stuff with them. To me, thats life." - Danny DeVito Let’s just be upfront and honest about this: I’m writing my last editorial while plagued with a rancid hangover. It’s not ideal, as I envisioned writing my last editorial in full Sex in the City style – you know, coming up with a saucy idea over cosmopolitans and conversations with my besties, and writing it in my cozy and fashionably expensive apartment. Each Monday, as the new issue arrives, we post the cover on the wall. It’s a documentation of what we have done, and the walls of the office are filled with issues past. And it works as a countdown as to how many issues I have left. After two years at the helm of this paper, I have overseen the artistic and editorial content for over 48 issues. That also means I have written 48 1,000-word essays about my daily musings to open the paper with. The Courier is my personal weekly diary. As the weeks have counted down to the last editorial, I started thinking about what to write about. Friends started asking me what I was going to write about, adding to the pressure of making this one more profound than all the others, because it’s my last chance to use this platform. But the more people asked me what I wanted to write about, the more I realized it was an impossible question to answer. It’s like asking a convict on death row what they want for their last meal – they want everything, to sample everything for one last time, and to stay alive a little longer. That’s how I feel about this editorial, like I kind of want to write about everything, just to make it last a little longer, just so I don’t have to say goodbye just yet. There are very distinct eras to my life. From racing as an elite triathlete to tree-planting to scrubbing toilets at backcountry ski lodges, there are definitive periods. Besides a handful of friends that I keep, these eras rarely transition into my daily life. It’s like I dedicate myself to that one thing, enjoy it while it lasts, and then just leave it behind. While looking at my time with the Courier, I can’t help but wonder if this is just going to be another distinct chapter in my life, one that doesn’t translate into my next venture. It’s natural for this to happen, and even though I will likely make promises to stay in touch with all of my co-workers and go for regular drinks, this won’t happen. Our close working relationship will fade, and soon, they will be people I say hi to on the street, or become those Facebook friends who you never really talk to, but always like the photos of your cats.
the VOiCe bOx
*
This is a big transition for me, as not only am I leaving the Courier, but also I’m leaving Capilano University altogether. After five years of education, countless essays and endless bitching about group projects, I’m going to be a university graduate. Instead of this being liberating, it’s scary as shit. Come May, I will be just another over-educated and under-employed person, looking for something to satisfy them — because the world needs another of those. I have started looking for jobs, perusing the Internet between homework assignments and episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And it’s been hard not to be picky and find something wrong with every viable job I find. The reason is because through the Courier, I have been able to create my ideal work environment. My co-workers and I have made an environment that is casual and crude, yet respectful when it needs to be. It’s difficult to imagine a job where I’m going to have to censor the insulting jokes about my pathetic love life. This job is my dream job. It allows me to run a publication that can take an alternative look at stories, use profanity in my writing, talk about things that are considered taboo, and educate myself on the issues that matter to me. This job has allowed me to be the journalist I want to be. I found my dream job, but I found it too young, and it’s going to be years and a lot of ass kissing before I get another chance at a job like this. Looking back at my time with the Courier, it’s too hard to sum it up into a cohesive 1,000-word editorial, and even harder with last night’s tequila still on my breath. But, to be honest, this job and I were made for each other. I know that this job has bettered me, and I’d like to think that I was able to better it. With Andy Rice taking over as Editor-in-Chief, it’s in good hands. This little paper is going to continue to do what it does best — giving young writers and journalists a chance to work and grow their portfolios. It’s been four years, hundreds of articles, close to a million words and 576 slices of pizza, but I have squeezed everything I can out of the Courier. I know I’m going to look at my time here as my glory days at university, and as much as I would like it to continue, it’s time to let others get as much out of it as I have. It’s time to let my grasp on this paper go, allowing for another young journalist to get their filthy hands on it. I just hope they enjoy this burrito as much as I have.
tweets OF the week
The Voicebox is back, ready to humbly respond to your questions, concerns, and comments about anything. To inquire, just send a text to 778.855.9942 to anonymously "express" and "voice" your "opinion" and "thoughts" on any "subject" or "issue." And, as long as it's not offensive, we will publish it here, right in the Voicebox. It's a win - win, or whine - whine whatever way you look at it.
ONE DIRECTION LOSES ONE ERECTION Whitelabellocal @whitelabellocal Life after 1D: Zayn Malik is making solo music with a Sam Smith producer
Can I be the Sports Editor if I only play ultimate and ping-pong?
How come Therese didn’t run for Editor-in-Chief? That could’ve been her best shot at being the real Queen B!
You already sound way more athletic than me, so I’m gonna say yes.
I know! I thought she would’ve run for sure. But she didn’t, so now you’re stuck with me!
Joey Bragg @JoeyBragg Zayn Malik wanted to go in a different direction and the rest of the band just wasn't about dat lyfe.
Out of all the editors and EIC who would be the best person to party with drunk? Why?
What the hell happened to the font on your website? It’s so hard to read!!
1D Updates! @1DUpdatesOMG @ZaynMalik you should collab with One Direction they're really cool guys, but terrible terrible dancers.....
You couldn’t have asked this at a better time! Last night, we had our year-end staff party and are currently putting the paper together with a dozen throbbing hangovers. It’s a terrible combination but we regret nothing. When we party, we party hard. Leah is probably the best we’ve got. Her liver should be put in the Smithsonian when she’s finally finished with it.
We have a website? Just kidding. I knew that. I’ll ask Daryl and Brandon, but they’ll probably tell me to go blow a goat.
No, she survived two years as Editor-in-Chief and finally ran out of editorial topics, calendar material and tree planter friends to use as columnists. She’s leaving on her own volition, middle fingers in the air and a big smile on her $37,000 face.
One Direction © @iNotesOf1D dont forget where you belong, if. you ever feel alone, don't. @zaynmalik
Because Carlo and I are assholes.
we love you zayn @niallxangelx zayn malik can only get replaced by zayn malik
The Maple Lounge just got renovated. How come your office still looks like shit?
end of story
Good question, but I’m not sure I have the answer. I wholeheartedly agree that our office is homelier than a bag of armpits. We have a huge ant problem right now too, which isn’t very much fun at all. Anybody know where to get some paint and new furniture on the cheap? And a five gallon bucket of Raid?
Desus Nice @desusnice Zayonce RT @BuzzFeed: Zayn Malik is already working on solo music Sugarscape @sugarscape Source claims Zayn Malik recorded two solo tracks this week: "it's very slowed down R&B and quite sexual" maricel loves zayn @Idonuthing "Before I die I hope I meet zayn Malik one day tell him that Im forever sorry he wasnt happy while he was making me the happiest person"THIS Capilano Courier @CapilanoCourier Please extend your support to our lifestyle editor @MrCarloJavier as he attempts to fill the hole that #ZaynMalik left in your hearts.
T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
Why is Leah Scheitel leaving the paper? Did she get impeached or something?
Why do you guys make fun of Rock the Boat so much?
Sugarscape @sugarscape Hundreds of workers request compassionate leave after news that Zayn Malik has quit 1D
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NEWS
THERESE GUIEB NEWS EDITOR
return of the pickets FACULTY VOTES IN FAVOUR OF STRIKING Christine Beyleveldt × Writer
× Olliemoonsta
On Mar. 9, the Capilano University Faculty Association (CFA) gathered to vote whether or not they would strike. After a recent impasse with the board of Capilano University, 80 per cent of the CFA voted collectively to go on strike. Although they have the right to do so now, the CFA maintains that they wish to continue negotiating before taking such a drastic leap and marching off school property with picket signs. According to Parveen Mann, Capilano University’s Human Resource director, the vote was premature, seeing as the bargaining between faculty and the board had only just begun. The CFA is demanding an increase in pay of just one per cent a year for the next five years, no more than has been bargained for by other faculty unions in the public sectors across the province. Of course, they are also trying to prevent further cutbacks to their programs and benefits. The board of CapU on the other hand, only aims to reach a fiscally attainable agreement with
WHat's new with sue
THE CAPILANO COURIER.
VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
UPDATE ON CAMPUS BUILDINGS
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There are currently no new plans for some of Capilano University’s unused buildings. The old Studio Arts building has been used as a storage space since the Studio Arts program was cut. Moving forward, the building will remain to be used for storage. According to Susan Doig, director of facilities, there are currently no plans for the building to be used on other capacities. Beyond the renovations of the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) Maple Lounge, the Maple Building remains under mixed use for both the CSU and classroom space. There are no plans of change slated for the Dogwood building. Currently, the only other structural change happening in CapU is with Birch 126. The room was last used as space for the viewing of the Witness Blanket art piece. The area is currently under construction and will be used for an entirely different purpose, “The renovation will be completed shortly and will be a wonderful community engagement space,” Doig says. - Carlo Javier // Lifestyle Editor
the CFA. But in order to rework the budget to raise faculty’s wages, CapU has stated that they may have to reduce the amount of money going towards faculty benefits, such as switching over to a generic version of the PharmaCare plan, which provides prescription drugs and therapy. “I agree that job security and protection are definitely benefits that every employee no matter the position should strive for,” says Oksana Soychuke, a first-year student at CapU. Much of the advocacy of the CFA is based on the fact that while administration’s wages continually rose in line with living costs over the past years, faculty have not. “However, I’m a little disappointed that the threats of upcoming strikes are continuing to loom over students, even after the job action of public schools last year. With numerous cuts to many programs around campus, I’m unsure how continued bargaining will be resolved,” says Soychuke. If the wages are increased the restraints on the budget will force more program doors to shut. “If there are any increased costs, then those have to be funded through corresponding cost reductions in other provisions of the collective agreement,” said Mann in an article by North Shore News. What this means for students is that either the faculty will go on strike, putting them out of school, or negotiations
NEWS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM
and classes will go ahead, but further program cuts may be made in order to meet the faculty’s demands for higher wages. Since the first tabled proposals reached the board in early February, the CFA and the board agreed to hold several mediation sessions happening over the course of February and March, devoted to reach an accord. Ten sessions had already gone by without success before the vote occurred. Currently, no final decision has been reached. The most recent bargaining update was released on Mar. 18, in which the board agreed to the total of a five per cent wage increase over the next five years, improved coverage to the benefits package, and to a sectorial committee that would review salaries. The proposition was met with further demands on behalf of the CFA. On Mar. 27, an email was sent out to students by the CapU Registrar’s Office, stating a 72-hour notice that the CFA is required to provide before they can go on strike. On Mar. 30 at 3:15 pm the CFA will be legally allowed to send a strike notice. Students are advised by the Registrar’s Office to stay updated on Capilanou.ca for any changes regarding the job action. A meeting is also set to occur on May 14 that will determine a new budget based on the faculty’s demands, one that could lead to roughly $3 million in cuts to programs and other areas of study, and something that the union strongly opposes. The CFA failed to respond for an interview before article deadline.
WHat's new with the CSU On Mar. 25 the Capilano Students' Union (CSU) had their board of directors meeting. The agenda of the meeting included approval of budgets and building lease renewal. The new CSU Executive Committee directors, Capilano University student senators and Student Board of Governors representatives will be attending the Young Governance Summit from June 15 to 18 in Vancouver at a cost of $2,200. Funds will be taken from the internal development budget line item. Relocation of the Queer Resource Centre will occur this year and will cost over $4,500. In addition, a new building lease will be drawn up by the CSU for the renovated Maple Lounge. A proposal expenditure was requested by the Music Therapy Student Association for their upcoming Music Therapy Awareness event. The association asked for budget which totalled $150 to run their event. A total of $216 was requested by the Poker Club at CapU for a Cardinal poker chip set and Bicycle poker size playing cards. -Therese Guieb // News Editor
peace river power DISCUSSION PANEL DEBATES FUTURE OF BC'S ENERGY Kevin Kapenda × Writer
For decades, British Columbian governments have prided themselves on supporting our resource driven economy and securing energy independence for the province. In addition to the province’s mining and forestry traditions, BC also has an oil and gas sector, which is primarily based in the northeast corner of the province, known as the Peace River region. The issue surrounding the environmental impact of oil and gas development in the Peace River region, as well as provincially in terms of greenhouse gas emissions is what prompting academics and activists to question whether or not BC should still be encouraging the industry. A debate regarding whether or not BC’s energy future should be anchored by traditional oil development and a controversial Site C Dam, or smaller sustainable options instead took place on Mar. 19 at Capilano University. The discussion was hosted by Earthworks, CapU’s student-faculty sustainability collective, in the Nat and Flora Bosa Theatre that featured four panelists. These panelists include: energy economist Eric Anderson, lawyer representing the Peace River Landowners Association, Maegen Giltrow, and filmmakers Damien Gillis and Fiona Rayher. Each panellist talked about their views on LNG development in the Peace River, as well as the controversial greenlighting of the Site C Dam by the provincial government. The event’s main goal was to inform attendees about how further LNG development and the building of the dam would adversely impact the region’s farmland and waters even more than it already has. In addition to the oil and gas sector’s en-
vironmental impact, the discussion also took aim at the controversial development of the proposed Site C Dam that would be built by the province in the Peace River region as well. The Site C Dam would flood acres of farm land owned by residents as well as aboriginals. Filmmaker and blogger Damien Gillis not only believes that the Site C Dam is bad for the Peace River’s farmland, but unnecessary because BC’s current power consumption levels are too low to require any new infrastructure. “The fact of the matter is we have a perfectly functioning public power system now and our consumption of electricity has been flat for the last decade. So we actually don’t need any new electricity for now or for the foreseeable future,” says Gillis. Instead of building primitive large-scale dams, Gillis believes BC should think forward and develop more sustainable types of energy in smaller more scalable projects. “There are a lot of smaller and more sustainable options we could use like geothermal energy, which we could bring on in small pockets at small costs as we need them,” explains Gillis, “When we do get to that point in which we need more energy, there are many other sustainable and intelligent ways we could power ourselves without wasting $15 billion on large old school dams.” Giltrow is currently challenging both the federal government and provincial government in court for greenlighting a dam that she feels was approved without weighing the impact it would have on the environment. “In this case, the justification for a dam could only have been made by the BC government on an unambiguous need for the power, and significant financial benefits, which would make the dam worth approving regardless of its impact on the environment,”
explains Giltrow. She adds that none of that was the case because an independent review panel concluded that there is no need for the power, and the dam’s financial benefits to ratepayers have yet to be made public. The main reason she is challenging the provincial government is because she believes they did not study the independent panel’s findings in good faith. “We have evidence that the minister of the environment refused to consider those recommendations, which she is not allowed to do. The minister is able to disagree with those recommendations, but she is not allowed to ignore them,” she argues. Giltrow’s clients are also taking the Harper government to court for approving a dam they decided to be in the best interest of BC taxpayers. “Under the Canadian environmental assessment act, if a provincial minister of environment finds that a project is going to have a significant adverse effect on the environment, the cabinet must go back and determine if those effects are justified by the project.” Additional roadblocks to the development of natural gas and the Site C Dam exist in the Peace River region because of challenges that are being brought to the Supreme Court by Aboriginal groups, who are primarily led by the Blueberry River First Nation. While a representative from their First Nation was unable to attend the discussion, a clip from Damien Gillis’s film Fractured Land, featured its chief claiming that the oil and gas industry has made their land unrecognizable to their ancestors and any further development on it whether it be fracking or the construction of the Site C Dam, would be challenged by his band in court to stop any further development on the Blueberry River Territory.
news
just a small bump
MINIMUM WAGE TO INCREASE BY 20 CENTS
Kevin Kapenda × Writer
should have raised the minimum wage to her organization’s suggested hourly rate of $15 because it would lift the province’s full-time workers out of poverty and onto a salary they can afford to live on. She also argues that the government’s plan to index the minimum wage to the CPI and inflation will not help the working poor because they are already unable to support themselves. “Indexing is only a good idea if you raise the minimum wage above the poverty line, and then you index the wage to keep people above the poverty line,” explains Lanzinger. “But if you’re $6,000 below the poverty line as we are now in BC for a full-time worker, you’re only indexing poverty and telling our minimum wage earners that they are going to live in poverty forever.” Under the government’s proposed plan to begin indexing the minimum wage at $10.45, Lanzinger also adds that those earners would not see a $15 wage until 2034 or a $12 wage until 2024.
× Megan Collinson
British Columbia’s lowest earners are set to receive a statutory raise after the Liberal government announced they would raise the minimum wage this month. This September, the minimum wage in BC will climb from $10.25 an hour to $10.45. This increase comes three years after the last minimum wage increase, from $8 an hour to $10.25, which happened over a three step period that began in 2011 and ended in 2012. Before this announcement, all increases to the minimum wage were decided by the government after consulting with various stakeholder groups. From now on, the BC Liberals said that the minimum wage will be fixed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and future increases will be tied to inflation. While the modest increase was well received by the local business community, led by the Canadian Federation for Independent Business (CFIB), the news was not welcomed by everyone, including the NDP and the BC Federation of Labour (BCFL), who had been advocating for a $15 dollar minimum wage. Third year communications student, Jacqueline Rebecca, believes that the $0.20 increase to the minimum wage won’t put more money into the wallets of students like herself because it doesn’t even cover the basic cost of living in Vancouver or
the North Shore. “There is no way that I could work full-time for the minimum wage and live on my own in North Van or Vancouver,” says Rebecca. Currently, Rebecca believes that the hourly minimum wage is too low to even indulge in activities that are considered to be leisurely and is convinced that the increase won’t change that. Though she believes that earning $15 dollars an hour would give her more money to spend on pleasurable activities, she is still skeptical as to if that wage would even be enough to afford housing in Vancouver. “I think a $15 minimum wage would make a difference, but I am not so sure that it would still be enough to cover the high costs of living in our city. Where it would help is that it would leave a little bit more money for me to do more extra-curricular stuff.” According to the provincial government, there are roughly 100,000 BC residents who currently earn the minimum wage and are in line for a raise this fall. The BC Liberal government, which describes itself a “free-enterprise coalition”, said that they ultimately decided to go with a much smaller increase than what many groups had been asking for because of the effect a higher wage would have had on small businesses. "While there is a lot of academic debate on both sides of this argument, the fact of the matter is that when we talk to small business owners that are located in the heart of BC, a $15 mini-
mum wage would have significant impacts for them, and ultimately on the workforce in this province,” said Labour Minister Shirley Bond in an article in the Province. The CFIB, which is the country’s largest organization representing small businesses, also welcomed the move, saying that it was important the government not raise the minimum wage to a number that would force their members to downsize and lay-off workers. “While we support the province’s efforts to reduce poverty, increases in the minimum wage tend to hurt not only small employers, but the very people they are supposed to help: the low-skilled and low-income workers, by reducing the capacity of businesses to hire and retain them,” said the CFIB in a press release this month following the government’s announcement. Although the government’s announcement was well received by the small business community, the labour movement couldn’t have been more disappointed by the news to raise the minimum wage by only $0.20. The BC Federation of Labour (BCFL) was so off put by the meager increase, they’ve called the setback a slap in the face to the working poor of this province. “I thought the announcement was a pathetic response to the hundreds of thousands of people in this province who work full-time and live in poverty,” says Irene Lanzinger, president of the BCFL. “Especially because other cities in the pacific region, including Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, all have plans in place to get to $15 an hour in the next few years.” Lanzinger believes that the government
senate elections
ANNOUNCING THE NEW SENATE MEMBERS FOR 2015
Milana Bucan × Writer
SENATE ELECTION RESULTS: FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES PAUL MCMILLAN SANDRA SEEKINS NANCI LUCAS FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES LEIGHAN CROWE SHARKA STUYT DANIEL YASINSKI
× Ekaterina Aristova
FACULTY OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS CAROL AIKEN MICHAEL THOMA GRACE MCNAB FACULTY OF GLOBAL AND COMMUNITY STUDIES KIM MCLEOD STEPHANIE WELLS EMMA RUSSELL FACULTY OF EDUCATION HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT DONALD BENTLEY DAVID KIRK SYLVIA KIND SUPPORT STAFF DARIN FEIST BACEL YOUNAN STUDENTS REPRESENTATIVES BENJAMIN GLASSEN RHITA HASSAR NATAHSHA PRAKASH ZACHARY THOMPSON
T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
Senate board election results for the year 2015 to 2016 were announced on Mar. 19. The newly elected candidates will take over the board on Aug. 1. The Senate is the governing, advising and disciplinary body composed of faculty members and student representatives at Capilano University. The Senate board is responsible for overseeing that the University Act is followed by CapU. To be eligible to run for a position on the Senate board, a student at CapU must be enrolled in at least one credit course and the same rule applies to students wanting to vote. While the voters for Senate support staff representatives are made up of administrators, support staff, exempt staff and deans. The Registrar’s office is responsible for establishing timelines and posts them on Capilanou.ca as well as sending out emails to encourage students to vote online and keep them informed as to when the elections are happening. “Once the election results are posted, those new positions start in Aug. 1, and they go for the whole year,” says Sandra Seekins, instructor of Art History and Women’s and Gender Studies at CapU as well as a member of the Senate. She states that being on the Senate “involves active participation, because ultimately you want as many voices at the table from the student population as possible.” With Senate meetings held once a month for about two hours, the position requires going over the agenda and understanding what the main issues are and what will be discussed at the next meeting. There are also sub-committees, such as the Academic Planning and Program Assessment Committee (SAPPAC), Bylaw, Policy and Procedure Committee (SBPPC),
Senate Budget Advisory Committee (SBAC), Curriculum Committee (SCC), Instructional Technologies Advisory Committee (SITAC), Naming Opportunities Committee (SNOC), Nominating Committee (SNC) and Self-Evaluation Committee (SSEC), that cover more specific issues. Senate sub-committees are held on alternate Tuesday evenings from 4 to 6 pm. According to Seekins, the Senate members can choose to be on as many sub committees as they want. Natahsha Prakash, a fourth year student in the Bachelor of Liberal Studies program, has been on the Senate for the past two years. “My experiences have been incredible, and I would definitely not have the same educational experience without them,” says Prakash, “You learn a lot of really good people skills, interpersonal skills and you learn to appreciate people and their opinions.” However, both Seekins and Prakash would agree that regular attendance is crucial in maintaining a seat and a good reputation. Consequently, if three Senate meetings are missed in a row, the member is automatically taken off Senate. “Students should know what they’re getting themselves into, making themselves knowledgeable about the role and what the expectations are. Making sure that they could meet those requirements is really important,” notes Seekins. In addition to gaining valuable experience through the process of learning how the Senate operates, students have the opportunity to make a difference in the future of CapU. “Students who are thinking about running for the Senate next year are advised to talk to the faculty members that sit on the Senate and ask questions about the issues that are coming to the table,” says Prakash. “You will learn something that will help you in your professional career.” For more information on the Senate, visit Capilanou.ca/senate-elections.
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arts + Culture
ALVA TEE ARTS + CULTURE EDITOR
ARTS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM
the wonderful world of animation HOW THE SCRIPT IS BROUGHT TO LIFE Alva Tee × Arts + Culture Editor
THE CAPILANO COURIER.
VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
art shorts
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× Zoe Sofianos
"Cartoons make me happy. They make me giddy and fuzzy inside and cartoons mean fun! I like to pretend I’m in the TV sometimes, I can be part of the story if I close my eyes and really, really try,” says six-year-old cartoon-lover Jaxon Leigh. There’s something about animation that draws people in, ignites their imagination and lets it whirl into a billion other different ideas that expand and expand upon each other. From the sketching of a black and white animatic to the bursting vivid colours on a screen, every little detail contributes to all the wonders of a cartoon show. Scriptwriters, composers, voice actors, animators and many other people work together to make the magic happen. The voices, score and songs add so much to capture the idea of that different world and are one of Leigh’s favourite parts about cartoon shows. “I love singing and humming,” says Leigh, “I don’t always know the words… But I can pretend most of the time.” For Daniel Ingram, composer and songwriter at Daniel Ingram Music, it all begins with the words on paper. “It starts with a script and a purpose for the song,” he says, “Either to propel the story along or just add some fun and help develop a character more.” Having written music for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Littlest Pet Shop and many other children’s television shows, Ingram has had the chance to write for the wildest situations. “In cartoons, you have to write every style of song imaginable,” he says, “I’ve had to write a rap battle between a lizard and a Chinese ghost army, a Bollywood dance number about the life
of a superstar and a Broadway epic about a guy who just wants a glass of water.” He says that one of the biggest challenges is writing theme songs. “Try to summarize an entire series in a 30 second song… Those are always fun!” When working with animation, Ingram says that everything needs to be exaggerated. “Movements, voices, actions… they’re all unrealistically over the top, but it needs to be that way to match the visual style,” he says, “Music also has to work twice as hard to match that energy.” Once the songs and music are finalized, it is then up to the voice actors to bring the script to life. “Go into your imagination while you’re reading the script and visualize everything that’s going on… Basically get into it as much as possible,” says Ashleigh Ball, voice actress best known for characters Applejack and Rainbow Dash on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, “I do weird things, there’s lots of arm movements and sometimes, you have to make a really weirdlooking face to get a certain voice out, you have to go there.” Ball always makes sure that she has different takes on her lines when in session, in case the directors think another would be better. “Go in with a good attitude and hope that it all comes together,” she says, “You kind of feed off of the energy of the room and everyone’s working together to tell the story as best they can.” Between the voice talent and the composers, there is mutuality in the relationship to create the best work by both sides. “I rely on the voice talent to bring the song to life and perhaps they hope it will be a good song that features their ability in the most positive way,” says Ingram. “It’s fun to work with certain musical directors that have got a great ear, and they’re extremely talented so it’s cool to just power through a session where it’s like ‘Woah, that was a great
song!’,“ adds Ball. Being in the Vancouver-based indie band Hey Ocean! as well, Ball has gained a whole other fan base simply from the characters she voices. “It’s very different and unexpected… I never really would have expected fans in that capacity so it’s really cool to just have people appreciate what you do,” she says. In the summer of 2014, a documentary was released called A Brony Tale, highlighting and exploring all the teenage and adult fan bases My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has gained as well. Both Ingram and Ball agree that the limitless creativity that comes with cartoons is part of what makes the genre so fascinating to everyone. “That’s what I love about cartoons,” says Ball, “Anything is possible in any capacity and it’s up to the animators and creators to make it weird and wonderful.” “I also enjoy the relative innocence and pure entertainment value,” says Ingram, “It’s a job
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that has you laughing every day and just being silly and having fun, yet at the same time, opportunities to explore some really warm and beautiful sentiments as well.” “I think everyone should love it,” says Leigh, “If you smile, that means you’re happy. It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you’re happy watching it then I’m happy and everybody’s happy and that’s good!” Attracting fans of all ages, the world of animation is one that offers something to capture the audience and those who make it happen. “At the end of the process, we do a mix where you watch the final product in a theatre with finished animation and sound effects before it goes public,” says Ingram, “Namely to see your work come to fruition and watch how it all came together from nothing… This is, without a doubt, the most satisfying moment.”
ANDY RICE ART SHORTS EDITOR MANAGER.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM
THE CAVE SINGERS
ACTION BRONSON
Mar. 20, Rickshaw Theatre
Mr.Wonderful
written by Faye Alexander
written by Carlo Javier
The Rickshaw was practically bare at 9 pm, with just a dozen eager folk huddled up in the best seats the venue had to offer. Seattle-based band The Cave Singers were back for another performance in Vancouver following their last release of Naomi in 2013. This new tour boasts a whole new lineup featuring their opening act Kathryn Calder of the New Pornographers, who filled the empty space with her mellow ballads and slow-paced keyboard melodies. It was like being gently cooed to sleep and concert goers watched almost exclusively from their seats, save for a a few brave ones who went to stand out on the floor away from the crowd. The Rickshaw was beginning to doze off, but as the headlining act was quickly approaching set time, the floor began to fill and there was finally a buzz of anticipation. The Cave Singers took the stage and launched into a foot stomping post-modern folk with “Leap”. Lead singer Pe-
ter Quirk was a magnetic force who, in between his signature howls, would dance shamelessly and with reckless abandon – it was intense. Their set was a road trip through their catalogue and much of Naomi was noticeably absent. Instead, The Cave Singers tried out some new material to a growingly rowdy crowd. Drummer Marty Lund was a force of nature behind his percussion setup, carrying some extra pizazz to make up for their lack of bassist, and the gargantuan guitarist Derek Fudesco was tearing up the neck of his instrument with wild, erratic slides and wild-eyed picking. During “It’s a Crime”, Quirk busted out the harmonica, a staple of raucous folk numbers – it wouldn’t have been right without it. Live music is a beautiful chaos and that’s what the Cave Singers provided. There were a few quieter moments, but Quirk and the gang were all beautiful chaos.
Action Bronson didn’t waste any time honouring the seriousness of his major label debut. In “Brand New Car”, the opening track of Mr. Wonderful, he messes up twice, calling himself out for singing off-key and then abruptly and completely stopping the song after a second mishap. Despite having an already prolific mixtape discography and two full-length albums under smaller labels, Bronson’s first record with a major label stays true to his roots. Aside from being his most creative and experimental work yet, Bronson is still unpredictable, comedic and he still doesn’t give a fuck. Experimental is the key word. “City Boy Blues” has Bronson singing like a blues artist, and the piano-driven “A Light in the Addict” shows a rare glimpse at an emotional and heartfelt Bronson. He sings too, albeit in a self-deprecating manner. He knows he’s no singer whatsoever, yet he does it anyway and he lets the soulful Black Atlass upstage him with complete purpose. The album cover itself is a parody of Fleetwood Mac’s 1968 album Mr. Wonderful, only this time there is a larger and more obscene man on the cover. A respected New York chef turned rapper, Bronson’s work in Mr. Wonderful is very much remi-
niscent of his work in culinary arts. The album has no overarching sound or atmosphere, it’s tattered with varying styles, to the point that it’s almost disorganized – yet it works for one of hip-hop’s most colourful characters. He enlists big name producers like Mark Ronson and Noah “40” Shebib in his quest to pepper Mr. Wonderful with a varied feel. Ronson’s funky work is evident, but so is Shebib’s style, the moody and atmospheric ambience that helped make Drake into one of the game’s biggest stars. However, Bronson doesn’t succeed in every way. Ultimately, rapping is still the most important part of a hip-hop album, and in the album highlight, “Baby Blue”, he gets soundly out-rapped by Chance the Rapper. Bronson’s major label debut is impressive. It’s an album that manages to stand out despite the rush of great hip-hop albums released in the early parts of 2015. His experimental sound is welcomed, the featured artists – namely Chance the Rapper – are exceptional. Yet, the best part of Bronson’s almost-great album is how he maintains his comedic lyrics, in spite of finally making it onto a major label.
arts + Culture 4
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× Antonio Larosa
× Geordie Irving
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× Tricia Skuro
× Tomash Danc0
× Milana Bucan
BIG MADGE
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Genre: Jazz with a Ska twist Who: Aidan Gaheen (lead vocalists/bassist) , Trevor Whitridge (trumpeter) , James Dekkey (tenor saxophonist) , Sean Lavigne (trombonist) , Niko Tsirus (baritone saxophonist) , Axel Loitz (guitarist) , Jesse Mark (vocalist/drummer) With influences of Jazz music, Ska is a fusion of Jamaican reggae rhythms and more upbeat melodies of edgy punk rock. Seven CapU students in the Jazz program came together in the fall of 2014 with catchy tempos and energetic guitar riffs. Taking off with four solid originals, they are ambitious in creating more. One of the band’s unique attributes is that lead vocalist/bassist Aidan Gaheen readily applies the technical aspects of music. “I notate most of the songs we play,” he says, “I write it all out for the players, where a lot of groups just do it by
THE RAINCITY QUINTET
ear.” Their common interest in Ska is what brought them together. Goheen says that how they perform onstage reflects each of their personalities very well. While always getting things done, this band has it’s own quirky habit. “We always seem to end up playing circus polka music at some point in the rehearsal; I’m not sure why, but it just eventually happens,” says Goheen. For more information, visit Facebook.com/bigmadgeproject. - Milana Bucan
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Genre: Jazz Who: Yamil Chain-Haddad (guitarist) , Colin Bussiere (vocalist/pianist) , Jared Karse (tenor saxophonist) , Karl Wallace-Deering (bassist) , Eliot Doyle (drummer) Beginning their journey as both a cover band and a band that performs original music, the Raincity Quintet got together in the beginning of September 2013 when they met in the Jazz program at CapU. As a fresh up-and-coming band, they’ve faced a fair amount of challenges finding gigs around the Lower Mainland. “At the moment, our biggest goal is to be playing consistently,” says guitarist Yamil Chain-Haddad, “Luckily, one of our band members works at a venue in which we perform regularly.” This is Stateside Craft on Commercial Drive, and where they hope to draw a bigger fan base. “We want to create an environment where the listeners want to dance and sing along,” he says, “We want to be able to make the
audience move, get excited and have a great time.” Chain-Haddad says that they are always working hard to learn new material and have more songs at the ready, “We’re constantly pushing ourselves forward and expanding our musical knowledge.” Their original music is based off of bassist Karl Wallace-Deering’s intuitions. “Not one song from his is the same,” says Chain-Haddad, “He is always coming with new material and a new approach on how he wants them to sound. “Each and every one of us loves to play music, and we love to play with each other. Having the opportunity to share our love of music with others is always our goal,” says Chain-Haddad. - Melissa Verdicchio
ANTONIO LAROSA AND THE WALKEN’S
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Genre: Soul, Motown, Funk and a twist of Jazz Who: Antonio Larosa (guitarist/vocalist), Rocky Riobo (vocalist), Lauren Tivador (vocalist), Christopher Wong (bassist), Joel Faulkner (guitarist), Trevor Whitridge (trumpeter), Thomas Smith (saxophonist), Max Huberdeau (drummer) “I’m kind of a solo artist, but not really,” says Antonio Larosa, a singer-songwriter and CapU Jazz Studies student hailing from Burnaby. Music has been near and dear to Larosa since he was nine years old, and in that time he has had the chance to have quite a few strange encounters. “The craziest thing that happened to me playing once was a pair of female underwear got thrown on stage,” says Larosa. He regularly calls for new talent to keep things fresh and give musicians a chance to play, and he calls his group Antonio Larosa and The Walken’s. “Each time I comprise the band, they are all musicians from Capilano’s Jazz program,” he says,
JAGUAR
though there are a few members that he has brought back and continues to work with for various reasons. Asides from talent, he says that returning guitarist Faulkner does well to keep the group entertained, “He has one of the loudest, funniest laughs in all of Capilano University. You can probably hear it in the hallways from time to time.” Larosa’s vision for his group overall is very mellow. “Since we play jazz all day, everyone really unwinds,” he says. Regularly playing at Vancouver eateries and restaurants, their next performance is set for Apr. 25th at the Princeton Pub. - Christine Beyleveldt
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Genre: Funk, Soul Who: John “T Wass” Awrey (vocalist/saxophonist) , Dexter “Dexxy Jag” Juric (trombonist/vocalist), Thad “The Lad” Mai (trumpeter), Jonny “Hypebeast” Tobin (keyboardist), Jonah “Man Bun” Ocean (guitarist), Aaron “Filipino King” Andrada (bassist) , Reuben “Biggie” Spyker (drummer)
JERICHO
bonding, what they believe to be an essential part of performing together. “People don’t know about how spread out we all are from each other,” says Tobin, “But that doesn’t stop us from hanging out and getting rowdy on weekends.” Though their love for music strives strongly as a means for motivation, trombonist/vocalist Dexter Juric admits that being a musician has some other benefits as well. “If you can serenade a girl with some sexy music, it will definitely work,” he says. Catch Jaguar at their next show on Apr. 24 at the Backstage Lounge. - Sarah Unger
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Genre: Unknown Who: Luke Tancredi (guitarist) , Nigel Ching (cellist) , Passang Galay (bassist) , Shay Monyou (drummer)
FEATURING THE MUSICAL TALENTS OF CAPILANO
Mixing the sound of a cello, an electric guitar, a bass guitar and a set of drums, the music of Jericho is one that falls into a mystical and uncharted territory. The unexplored sound of a classical cello superimposed over the guitars and the drum set demonstrates a powerful quality of music. Jericho grasps this quality and is able to push the boundaries of music even further and propel it to new levels. Though cellist Nigel Ching and bassist Passang Galay both attend CapU, neither are in programs related to music. They met through a profound interest to pursue skateboarding, and continued to bond over their love for music. “There were times when we would drift apart and jamming brought us back together,” says Galay.
After forming a solid musical bond, Ching says that they wanted to expand and see what other musicians could bring to their sound. The challenge for Jericho was to integrate every bit each person had to offer and find a part that complimented the rest of the band. “Every player carries an individual sound that is distinctly different from the sound as a whole,” says Ching. With drummer Shay Monyou and guitarist Luke Tancredi onboard, many of Jericho’s original pieces were refined and further polished. A key aspect to playing music is to challenge one’s own musicianship and grow individually, and this ensures that the band would simultaneously improve. Though their genre may remain a mystery, their sound is everlasting, - Tomáš Danco
T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
Four of these seven sexy studs attend CapU, creating a band that is all about fun. They enjoy sexy time, pre-show legendary cheeseburgers and milkshakes from White Spot and after gigs, keyboardist Jonny Tobin says that they like to “turn up with the people who came to our show.” Although the band started in 2013, the current members of Jaguar have been together since October 2014. Though they may be from all over the Lower Mainland, including Abbotsford, the North Shore, Tsawwassen and the Westside, they still make time for each other for some band
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arts + Culture
CHISELLED OUT OF WORK
SCULPTOR GEORGE RAMMELL FINDS CLARITY IN SECOND SATIRE PIECE BY ANDY RICE // MANAGING EDITOR
chiselled out of work SCULPTOR GEROGR RAMMELL FINDS CLAIRITY IN SECOND SATIRE PIECE Andy Rice
THE CAPILANO COURIER.
VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
× Editor-in-Chief
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It's been almost a year since an effigy of Capilano University’s president, Kris Bulcroft, made headlines across the country, sparking a coast-to-coast debate on freedom of speech and an official investigation by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) in Ottawa. However, it wasn’t outrage over the piece itself that sparked the media scrum, but rather the manner in which it was confiscated, destroyed and later returned in pieces to its sculptor, George Rammell. Last July, the 63-year-old instructor walked out of CapU's Studio Art building for the last time. Though he had signed a grievance that stipulated the return of his satirical piece, Blathering on in Kristendom, months would pass before it joined him in the academic afterlife. By the time it did, Rammell had found clarity and perspective, creating a larger and more refined sculpture in the hopes of illustrating his point more articulately. “I used to work for Bill Reid, the Haida artist,” he says, “He was actually tired of a lot of people that made big art for environmental campaigns that wasn’t very good. He said that they’re not doing the cause any favours if the work isn’t really well-resolved both conceptually and technically. So I decided to do a really big work that went way beyond the other one. I modelled up a piece with much more integrity.”
This became Rammell's summer project, a catharsis of sorts that allowed him to grieve, move on and look forward. "Talk about therapy, my God, I just worked a lot of stuff off doing that,” he recalls, “I started in June and I wasn’t done until the end of August. In fact, I wasn’t done until it was unveiled at the Emily Carr [University of Art and Design]. The faculty association there invited me to do the unveiling there and the most important artist in British Columbia — Gordon Smith, the painter — unveiled the piece and then I walked through the iconography of what everything means.” Like its predecessor, the newly unveiled piece entitled Margaux and the Monarch functions as a working ventriloquist dummy, although it stands slightly taller and wider than the first. Bulcroft can be seen holding a replica of the University’s ceremonial mace with her pet poodle, Margaux, nestling by her side. Carved with a First Nations' design, the real mace features brass eagle feathers and west coast imagery while Rammell's satirical version uses turkey feathers and a few metaphorical variations. “The grizzly bear is holding a laptop,” he says, “And the potlatch rings at the bottom, I joined them all together to form a screw. The screw is very metaphorical for what’s going on. Also, the eagle at the top, its tongue is all kinked up like it's getting
choked. The mace is a symbol of the trust you invest in your leader… She’s holding it like a weapon with a big smile on her face. “It speaks much more to the person that’s being portrayed,” Rammell continues, “And it’s visually engaging as a work of art separate from the issue. Even if you didn’t know what the issue was, you’d be engaged by it.” As part of the grievance he signed last year, Rammell was awarded $1,100 to repair the damaged remains of Blathering on in Kristendom. He did so by incorporating them into the reverse side of his newest work. To this day, he is still puzzled as to why the first sculpture was seized and censored at the request of CapU’s board, although he has a theory. “Satire is an amazingly powerful art form,” Rammell muses, adding that the medium can often trigger the most drastic responses from those who may not be equipped with the artistic ability to respond in a similar manner, “They can’t just whip up a cartoon to get even, right?” Still, Rammell points to other institutions in the Lower Mainland where the administration recognizes and even celebrates freedom of speech. “I had that piece at a show out at Kwantlen [Polytechnic] University,” he says, “I actually had the support of the president out there to show that piece, because he understood the integrity of satire,
and I thought wow, that’s amazing. I’m looking at a few options right now for continued exhibition.” CapU likely won’t be on that list. Given that the second incarnation contains remnants of the original, Rammell says he's not sure where it stands though it would be "interesting to test those waters." Rammell hasn't set foot on the CapU campus since the end of July, but he still keeps an eye on the headlines. He knows of the faculty's strike vote, the ongoing probe by CAUT and about Bulcroft’s retirement in 2016. “It really is time for new leadership,” he says. “The fact that the head of the board was boasting about what a great leader [Bulcroft has] been and how she was begging [the president] to stay on, that’s the kind of spin that made me want to do a caricature in the first place because all else had failed. Everything else had failed.” Everything except for Rammell. “I had never planned on leaving [the Studio Art faculty] until I was retirement age,” he says, “But I was a sculptor long before I started teaching at Cap 24 years ago and I’ll be a sculptor long after, I’ve just shifted gears.” Where are they now? For an extended version of this story containing updates on several former Studio Art instructors at CapU, visit CapilanoCourier.com.
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SEINFELD TRIVIA SFSS Highland Pub 7 pm $ - drinks and dignity
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TOBIAS JESSO Jr. M 30
Electric Owl 8 pm $12
capilanocourier.com
@capilanocourier
M 30
ARTIST & SLAVE Railway Club 8 pm $5
MAPLE STIR UP T 31
Maple Building 11:30 am $ - scissors
T 31
A lot is on the line here, as our generation prides itself in knowing very obscure details about this show, for some reason. Our friends at the Peak are hosting a trivia night dedicated to all things George, Elaine, Kramer and, of course, Jerry. Come prepared, as this will be a showdown, and yadda yadda yadda just won’t cut it.
Tobias Jesso Jr. is a Vancouver-born singer-songwriter, but this is his first time actually playing in Vancouver, which seems kind of odd to me. It’s almost similar to me being an acclaimed shower singer, yet singing in my shower for the first time. Anyways, I’m listening to his song, “Hollywood” while writing this, and it’s not terrible. I’d put it on to get down to.
Artist & Slave – or otherwise known as Sellek Bunn, just one artist and/or slave – is a folk singer based in Vancouver. I definitely thought that this band had two people in it, and now feel slightly deceived. Anyways, he’s playing at the Railway Club with Zulu Panda. I had a stuffed animal named that once.
The Maple Building has gotten a major facelift, and I have to say it’s looking pretty good. The furniture is getting unwrapped today and it all looks futuristic, like something that Judy Jetson would sit on. They are having a party to unveil the new and improved student lounge. There is also free booze, giant scissors and food. They had me at giant scissors.
MATT MAYS
A VERY ROCKY HORROR APRIL FOOL'S
THE RAPEY DOGS
CHAD BROWNLEE
Imperial Theatre 7 pm $25
Th 01
Rio Theatre 7 pm & 9:45 pm $8
W 01
Library 195 10 am to 3 pm $ - cuteness
W 02
Commodore Ballroom 9:30 pm $30
Th 02
Canadian superstar and leader of Matt Mays & El Torpedo, Matt Mays, is playing a solo show at the Imperial. I’ve publicly stated that I really liked that venue, and then it came up in conversation with an old friend. He looked disgusted when I mentioned it, and said “That venue is terrible,” and I agreed for sake of an easy conversation. But I don’t agree. I like it there. And it’s even better when cool people play there, like Matt Mays.
Celebrate April Fool’s with all the weirdos from Transylvania, and the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. There are two showings, one at 7 for all the ages, and one at 9:45 for the adults. Of course, the adult one will be more fun, because most adult things are, like adult grape juice and adult sleepovers. Sing along with Meatloaf. Do it.
Dogs are the cure for all things evil in the world. Seriously, if you have a bad hangover, grab a dog and cuddle it until the soul returns to your body. And if stress from exams and finals has you wondering if your head will ever feel right again, the CSU has your back. From what I can understand, they are bringing a bunch of dogs for students to cuddle and cure some of those exams blues with.
This guy is the original double down, and I bet that's why tickets cost $30 and not $15. He’s both a Canadian country music star AND an ice hockey defenceman. He was on the 2003 draft for the Vancouver Canucks. He’s only two years older than me, and he has double the career that I do. Well, that’s okay, because I’m going to be a writer AND a bartender. Take that, double careers.
CAT EMPIRE
JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD
FLEETWOOD MAC
BURROUGHS THE MOVIE
Commodore Ballroom 9 pm $29.50
F 03
Biltmore Cabaret 7 pm $17.50
F 03
Rogers Arena 8 pm $109
S 04
Rio Theatre 7:30 pm $12
S 04
Cat Empire is described as an Australian ska band, which are two words that usually repulse me. But when you put them together, it makes sense. Also my brother oddly loves this band. I think he even thought about flying to Vancouver for the show, and that must mean something. Anyways, apparently they are quite the big deal. I might go just because I like the Commodore and it’s been awhile since I’ve had a night there.
These guys are a two-piece garage band from Nashville, which by the way is the capital of Tennessee. I know this because I spend one of my night classes mastering all 50 states and their capitals. Name any state, and I will give you the capital. Arkansas – Little Rock. New Hampshire – Concord. I got them all. But go see these guys, as I hope they have more talented things to impress you with.
I searched three different ticket sites, because I didn’t believe that tickets for this show would cost this much, but they do. And when you think about it, it makes sense – I mean they are living legends, and have made some of the best music in the last halfcentury. If you have an extra ticket, take Therese, and you will be a friend for life. I bet you can even leverage it for foot rubs 'til the day you die.
What’s better on a Saturday night than a 1983 documentary about an obscure yet highly influential writer? Sneak in your own pot of Macaroni and Cheese, and you have yourself literally the best Saturday night that you’ll experience this year. Take me, and it might just be the best Saturday night of your life. I also make killer Mac and Cheese – the secret is to add some goat cheese on top of it!
MONTY PYTHON MARATHON
GEORGE EZRA
EASTER MONDAY
CANUCKS VS. KINGS
Rio Theatre 5:30 pm $15
Su 05
Commodore Ballroom 7 pm $25
Su 05
All day Your house $ - chocolate overdose
M 06
Rogers Arena 7 pm $ - more expensive than me
M 06
The Rio Theatre knows what’s up this week, and is bringing back obscure cult classics from everywhere. Let your ass atrophy into the plastic seat and sit through seven hours of British comedy. If you don’t know Monty Python, you have to go to this, just to get all of your British philosophy professor’s odd references.
I’ve only started hearing about this guy because he is performing on SNL, and The Rock is hosting. I would like to take this opportunity to say that I think that The Rock is fucking awesome, and that George Ezra has a voice way lower than what his appearance projects. He looks like he would sing with the angelic grace of a pre-pubescent alter boy, but this guy has got some soul. I bet THE ROCK gave it to him.
Celebrate Easter, as you should because it means that school is closed for the day, and you don’t have to go to your morning philosophy class. Use the day wisely, like reading a large book in public to look smart, taking your grandma for a nice walk, or visiting.
This is my last chance to tease the crap out of Gabe and mock his beloved Canucks. They are more expensive than two coy girls at the Roxy, and those girls will make you pay for the cab ride home the next day. But apparently this is going to be a good game, and maybe there are other people who care more than I do about the Canucks. I just think they are suckers, that’s all.
BLACKHEART BURLESQUE
KAKI KING
CSU BORED MEETING
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
Rickshaw Theatre 7 pm $29.50 and WAY up
T 07
Biltmore Cabaret 8 pm $20
T 07
CSU Library Lounge 5:30 to 8:30 pm $ - politics
W 08
Vogue Theatre 8 pm $49.50
W 08
The Suicide Girls are known for putting on some high energy shows, and I would hope so, as the most expensive tickets to this show are $99. The only thing worth $99 at the Rickshaw is the ATM machine. Anyways, the sexy girls are doing dances in tribute to everything from Orange is the New Black to Donnie Darko. Eclectic tastes, that’s for sure.
Kaki King’s Wikipedia photo is the best Wikipedia photo out there. Most of the bio photos on that site are taken by some amateur and from some really awkward angle that makes the person look like they always have to pee. But this girl’s is badass. I want my drivers license photo to look this way. If her music is anything like her Wikipedia bio, its going to be worth going to!
Get involved with the CSU, as they are important and run a lot of things on campus. They’re like the Frank Underwoods in training, and Frank Underwood is one badass man. Where do you go to learn how to be Claire Underwood? That’s what I need to know.
This Scottish duo have been around for years and have been the soundtrack to many a good summertime party! Their song “Boy with the Arab Strap” has gotten me through three terrible break ups. And now they are back with one for the boys and touring in honour of their new album, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. Who wouldn’t, really?
WAKA FLOCKA FLAME
SUSAN DOIG APPRECIATION DAY
ROCK THE BOAT
MY LAST DAY AS BOSS
Capilano University Campus All Day $ - Zifandel
A boat 5:30 pm to 10 pm $30
Venue 9 pm $35
Th 09
Th 09
F 10
Maple Dumpster All Day $ - pizza
F 10
Does anyone else think of that muppet when they hear Waka Flocka Flame? That really cuddly orange one? That probably goes against everything this rapper is trying to make for his image, but that’s his own fault for thinking of a rapper name while watching The Muppets Go to Space. But no one can blame him. That movie is pretty awesome.
Susan Doig is a Courier favourite. We love her because she is so nice and gives us all the info we need to know about what’s going on with the campus facilities. She also drives a little smart car with zebra decals all over it. It’s adorable. So let’s have a day in honour of her. If anyone on campus deserves it, it’s Snoop Doig.
We have mocked this party relentlessly. We were even asked nicely to stop mocking it, but instead of waning, we just pushed harder, and made an entire Hot Chart full of boat puns. Regardless of how we feel, it will be a good time for those who have tickets, and Carlo will be there, looking dapper as always. Go push him in the water.
It’s official – my last day at the helm of this paper is today, as we are proofing our summer edition. 48 Issues later, and its kind of unbelievable what this paper has turned me into. It’s like I’m the paper morphing into origami, not the other way around. Wow. Come help me celebrate the last day. I like whiskey, live music and bike rides. I’m riding outta here, suckas!
TOM COHEN FESTIVAL
LITTLE INDIA & VAN DAMSEL
GAME OF THRONES
STRUNG OUT
Arbutus Theatre 6:30 pm & 8 pm $5
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Did you know that there are a bunch of good playwriting students here at Capilano? It makes sense, being an art school and all, but we tend to forget that with all of the cuts going on. Anyways, this is a showcase of all of the student work. Cheap theatre and cheap dates. Also take your grandmothers. They get in for $2, and it will give you some massive brownie points.
Fortune Sound Club 8 pm $10
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I’m really excited to not write these Calendars anymore. Like really excited, because then I won’t have to write little 50-word blurbs about music and bands that I have never heard of. I will use that time to re-watch old episodes of –SNL and ride bikes and drink beers with my friends. Oh man, but I bet we will bike and beer to go and see these guys. We just like going to Fortune Sound Club.
HBO 8 pm $ - cost of HBO
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I really could care less about this show, but I know it’s pretty popular with those young kids now, and some of you might care that it’s returning for season five. Apparently, this season is going to start ruining the books. So this is your last chance to sound impressive by saying that you read the books before watching the show. After this season, no one will care.
Rickshaw 9 pm $22
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This entry brightened my day. I was in a grumpy mood, and then I found out that these guys were coming and it made me feel happy on the inside. School has me all angry and when I’m angry I like listening to punk music. These guys are from California and have just caused me to have a shit-eating grin on my face for the rest of the day.
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THE DATING LIVES OF Lynn Parker* is a striking woman. At 25, she is busy obtaining her education and career training, as well as working as a part-time model. She is successful and smart to the point that her friends say that she inspires them to read more books and learn more about current events. She is, by objective standards, a complete catch for any guy. But there is one hiccup in her dating life – she is a trans woman, and this has complicated her love life ever since she started dating at 19 . “I just think that somebody who supports me, is comfortable in himself, a guy that has a career going. Family-oriented isn’t necessarily something that is on my check list right now, but just a good guy who has got his life together,” Parker describes when asked what her ideal relationship is, “Like, c’mon, I’m not asking for much here.” And she isn’t, but because she is transgender, she faces larger hurtles in her dating life, such as an increased risk of violence, a heightened chance of rejection and more pressure to reveal very personal information about her life very early on in a relationship. Dating is a difficult process, filled with numerous complications including timing, insecurities, sexual desires, past dating histories and emotional baggage. Trans men and women face added difficulties when it comes to romantic pursuits, the most difficult of them being the dilemma of when or even if to tell their history to their romantic interests. If they do tell, they risk the chance of rejection and if they don’t, they are hiding a huge part of who they are from their potential partners. It makes the muddy waters of dating even murkier.
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A BETTER KEPT SECRET?
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No one goes into a first date with the intention of detailing every medical procedure that they have endured. Generally speaking, no one discloses the nuances of a huge part of their lives and who they are over a casual coffee, but rather lets the information flow with the pace of the relationship. But for transgender people, they lack some of this luxury, and have to be more upfront about who they are, and how they got to be that way. For trans-friendly counsellor, Melady Preece, sooner is better when it comes to being open about gender history. “Generally, I encourage people to be open and honest about who they are,” says Preece. She advocates that people using online dating tools and platforms put it in their profiles. This is something that Parker has started doing with her own profile. “Lately with online dating I’ve just been saying something right away, before we even meet up, because it just becomes anxiety inducing for myself
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to withhold that information and not entirely fair to the guy either,” says Parker. “I identify as straight, so the men that I date are heterosexual and it’s not easy when the time comes to tell them, and it’s something that I have really struggled with is telling them, and when the appropriate time to say something is.” This decision is treated with such a high degree of caution because of how trans people are portrayed in the media. It doesn’t help that transgender people are mostly regarded as a subsection of the general public, and not always portrayed in a healthy manner in modern culture. “A lot of guys, after I tell them that I am trans, it’s really hard for them to wrap their heads around the fact that they could have possibly been attracted to somebody who has been so negatively portrayed in the media,” explains Parker, “To me, it’s kind of trans phobic to be attracted to a woman and then once you learn of her status as trans, say ‘Oh I’m not attracted to trans women,’ but it’s like ‘Oh you were attracted to me until you learned that bit of information, so how is that not trans phobic? It’s like people who say that they aren’t attracted to Asian people, or not attracted to a specific race, and it’s like, ‘well have you met everybody from that entire race, have you?’ All you are basing that off of is stereotypes and troupes that you see in the media. People don’t actually know what trans people are like, they just have these weird images in their heads of who we are.” With choosing to share that personal information comes the risk of violence or abuse. To combat this, Isley Reust, a transgender woman based in California, waits a little while to divulge her personal information to get a feel for how the person will react. “I’m really picky about who I am going to date. I try to judge their character before hand, and if they are going to be accepting of it or if they’re a violent type. You can’t really tell a violent type by how they talk or who they are but I try to be the best judge of character that I can so I can keep away from that,” Reust explains, “So I will go two or three dates and then I will tell them.” The violence against transgender women in particular is still a very real concern. Although 2015 is just three months old, there have been nine trans women murdered in North America. Closest to home was Sumaya Ysl, who was found dead in Toronto on Feb. 22. Her death was not treated as a homicide specifically, but police did release a statement in wake of online rumours that Ysl, who was just 26 years old, was a victim of a hate crime. But those rumours aren’t without merit, as almost one trans woman per week has been murdered in North America since the beginning of the year. “A survey released in 2011 by the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found high levels of violence reported by trans or otherwise non-
gender conforming Americans,” read a Feb. 24 article in the National Post “Of the 6,450 people surveyed, 61 per cent said they’d been victims of physical assault and 64 per cent said they’d been the victim of sexual assault. Forty-one per cent said they’d attempted suicide.” These are harsh statistics and provide a bleak reality for trans women trying to date in today’s world. Parker believes that there is a level of misogyny embedded into the prejudice against trans women as well. “Women are more understanding and women aren’t threatened by challenges to their sexuality I guess, where as men are. Men are very — if you throw a stick in their spokes, they don’t like it and they react angrily,” Parker says, “And there is internalized misogyny with that because trans men are almost more readily accepted by society in that, ‘Well why wouldn’t you want to be a man?’ whereas trans women, who transition as adults anyway, are giving up male privilege, and a lot of people say ‘Why would you want to do that? Like it’s so great being a man, and you must be weak,’ when it’s quite the opposite, trans peoples are some of the strongest people I have ever met.” Even though Reust and Parker try to understand a person’s character and how they will react to the situation before divulging it, it can be difficult to know exactly how someone will react. “You can never predict how somebody is going to react. I’ve had very conservative people be very fine with it, and I’ve had people who identify as liberal be not fine with it. So, it’s honestly, impossible and you have to take it by a case-by-case basis,” explains Parker. Preece echoes this sentiment, saying that she has known many women to marry men before understanding how violent they can really be.
A TRANSITIONING RELATIONSHIP Aaron Jacobson, an animation student at Capilano University, started his transition just under a year ago and was in a steady relationship with his girlfriend when he decided to come out as a trans man. Because of it, the dynamics of their relationship have changed along with his transition. “I find that, less from her, but more from the outside world who perceive us, like before when we went out to eat or whatever, they would approach both of us and start talking, and now they very much approach me when we are sitting down and eating. The dynamic has completely changed,” he explains. Jacobson’s girlfriend, Emily Thomas, noticed the change too, and says it was interesting to
get used to. “It’s funny because I think for me, there’s a little bit of losing a certain sense of queer visibility,” she explains, “I’m not somebody who is often read as queer or bisexual or coming from that kind of background or experience in life. I’m read in often times – not always – as very straight,” she says, explaining that she was losing a bit of her identity going from a homosexual lesbian relationship to a heterosexual one. Throughout their relationship, Jacobson has gone through some major changes. He started taking testosterone, which has lowered his voice, altered his body structure and increased the amount of hair on his body, among other changes. Thomas admits that she needed to recognize and mourn certain aspects of Jacobson that were going to change forever. “I still connect very emotionally to somebody’s voice. That’s what I connect to. I will never hear his voice in this particular way again. That was a total emotional hit to me, and I had a really hard time with it,” Thomas explains. She describes it as a mix of emotions, because she is happy for Jacobson for becoming who he has always seen himself as, but is saddened by the loss of certain ideal. “I’m happy and supportive, but I’m mourning a set of ideas, a set of future projections, a set of understandings — I’m mourning all those visions. It’s not like I’m mourning your choice, or who you are, because I’m not. I’m mourning my own ideas, my own hopes. There are these new ones, but I have to acknowledge that there is a change and I’m letting go of all of these ones before I can have these new ones.” Jacobson is aware of what Thomas misses. “She really enjoyed my voice before, and she knew that was going to change. That was really hard for her. We used to sing a lot together, and now, I can still sing, but my voice in the middle of transitioning still so it’s very cracky and kind of struggles with that, “ he says, “She really misses that – not to mention everything that’s changed. My face has changed, my body structure has changed. When you date someone, you love like the little things about them that make them who they are. A lot of those have changed for me, so she heavily had to relearn who I am, so it’s kind of amazing that she stuck with me through all that, and continues to stick with me through all that.”
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Gender preferences and sexual preferences are two very different concepts, and even though someone might identify with a different gender than what their outward appearance provides, it doesn’t mean that they have to follow heterosexual rules. “Sexual orientation and gender are two completely separate concepts,” explains Parker, “So to say heterosexual trans relationships isn’t all there is. There are gay trans couples, there are all kinds of different trans couples, so gender identity and sexual orientation aren’t mutually exclusive." For Reust, who started her transition in 2010, dating just made sense and clicked after she be-
came a woman. “I never really dated and had long relationships or anything. I would date gay guys, but it didn’t feel right, because I wasn’t a gay person, like a gay man, so that didn’t feel right,” she says, “So then I was like, ‘should I date straight girls?’ but that didn’t seem right either for me, so I pretty much kept to myself. So once I started transitioning, I was like, ‘Okay this feels right’ and I knew what I wanted.” Transgender people really don’t want anything different than what everyone else is looking for. They have the same romantic ideals, same desire to find a partner and are in the same dating pool as everyone else. And, as Preece points out, it’s
beneficial for everyone to be inclusive of trans people. “It greatly increases the size of your dating pool,” she says. Her wish for society is for people to let go of the stereotypical and binary ideas about sex and relationships. “Most people run around thinking that there is one way to have sex, you insert tab A into flap B, and that’s it,” she says, “We do this because it’s fun, there’s no rules, if both people are into doing it.” Really, to Preece, it doesn’t get any simpler than that. “We all have the same nerve endings and when you rub them together, it feels good.”
For information on trans lifestyles or the trans community, or to report violence against trans people, please contact Qmuinty, a queer outreach collective at 604-684-5307. Melady Preece can be contacted at 604-685-5961 *Name has been changed to protect identity.
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IT’S ALL IN A DAY OF DATING
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VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
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FAYE ALEXANDER FEATURES EDITOR
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A DRIFTER AT HEART
“I have friends who say it’s really addicting and it is because, once you’ve ridden on a train, and you felt the wind in your hair and you felt the sense of all your concerns dropping away, the sense of freedom of just being on the road. I think probably some downiest or Zen thing involved as well, where you’re letting go of your control. Giving up control on this giant dragon that you’re riding, and that feels pretty amazing. That’s an amazing feeling to see the train move and to get to see all these places that are sort of the backyards of the continent that nobody gets to look at normally. And that’s one of the most amazing feelings,” explains Wes Modes a former train hopper and artist and arts Researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Before the roads and highways, railway tracks were the first to ‘pave the road’ for the transportation of both goods and people. Nevertheless, it’s illegal and extremely dangerous, requiring incessant monitoring of the surroundings. Getting on or off a freight train in motion requires endurance and strength to grab on to the metal ladders located on the side of the boxcar, or jump into a platform that is well off the ground. “Catching the train on the fly” is another term used for attempting to hop on a train car that is in motion. Nothing here can be compared to casually stepping on a passenger’s train that has made a complete stop at a train station.
VINTAGE LIFESTYLE REBORN
TRAIN HOPPING 101 Train hopping may last from days to months for some. For example, travelling across Canada, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, a map of the railway will become your best friend. “People who are destitute, who are tramping, because they have no other way to get around, they are not packing maps,” explains Modes. It would not be the greatest experience if you ended up in our neighbouring country, the United States, without a passport. “There’s the skill of riding a train, which means looking at its contents and making the determination, kind of based on a little bit of detective work, where it might be going,” says Modes. This "recreational" activity is not to be considered lightly, don’t think of it as going on a fun adventure. Train hopping does require one to be in great physical shape, it’s crucial to have the strength and courage to jump on a moving freight car that is a 100 per cent made of hard heavy metals capable of squishing you if a wrong move is made. With the loud whining noises, and the sounds of locomotive engine working, one wrong move can mean life or death and cries for help will not be heard. Now, as one decides to hop on a moving train, they might start running along a slow moving freight train to reach for ladder bars, or in best case scenarios jump into an open boxcar on the platform of a grainer. Knowledge is key here, to know which train car can accommodate your needs for space, and the best possible comfort while travelling. Grainers, open boxcars, doublestacks, gondolas, empty coal cars, are all rideable. “An empty boxcar is comfortable to ride
WANDERLUST: AN IRRESISTIBLE DESIRE TO WANDER, TRAVEL AND EXPLORE THE WORLD. MILANA BUCAN
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in if the doors are open, then you have to make sure to wedge the doors so they don’t close on you, because they don’t open from the inside,” explains Modes. Another safe type of train car are the gondolas, “They are the ones that look like a boxcar that is cut off at the top and open. Generally, they have large scrap pieces that might move around in it. Those you can ride in, they’re sometimes pretty filthy but it’s nice and open to the sun if you want to sunbathe,” says Modes. Although, it would not be a pleasurable experience if one ended up in a “suicide car”, where there is no flooring and the tracks can be seen. If this is the only option, one mustn’t forget to secure themselves, because as they drift to sleep, they might fall through. “You never ride tank cars, because they’re just dangerous and you never ride auto carriers because there’s no way to get in them,” explains Modes. Also, do not attempt to ride on the side or on the top of a train because the clearance between the train and the tunnel is minimal and could result in death.
PACKING FOR THE TRACKS When thinking about train hopping, there are definitely a few essential items that must not be forgotten. “You would bring all of the things that you would normally bring if you were camping,” explains Modes. Although for train hopping dressing in dark colours, bringing a dark coloured backpack and sleeping bag or blanket is very important, making it harder for railway cops to see you. At the rail yards where there is more traffic, be aware that more security guards or “bulls” as they are sometimes referred to as, will be on duty, and always be on the lookout. If one gets caught train hopping, punishments do range from getting a warning, to getting beaten up to getting a fine for thousands of dollars. Train hopping requires a lot of walking and running, therefore pack light. Only bring what you absolutely must have with you, such as: sturdy gloves and boots, plastic or metal water bottle, a compass, maybe a notebook, and some definite hygienic items. “You want your bag to weigh no more than 25lbs, because you’re going to be going up and down cars, hiking for miles in yards, and if you have any more than that, you’re going to be exhausted,” Modes suggests. When thinking about what clothing items to bring, dress light and in layers. Especially if it’s an open boxcar, during the night, it can get really cold with the 60 mph wind blowing in your face. Another aspect of travelling by train hopping is to consider the time required to get to from point A to point B is the time that it takes. Be ready to spend hours that may seem like an eternity, on the train. As the fast swooshing scenery of the world goes by take this moment to plan the next stop, or a moment to meditate and reflect on past experiences, while breathing in fresh air surrounded by scenery of lakes, forests, mountains and blue skies. “There are people in the railway yard whose job is to make sure that people don’t get on trains and don’t get hurt; and those people aren’t necessarily the workers in the yard.” Getting familiarized with the railway yard is key. “Get to know the yard. There are make-up tracks, and the trains could be going anywhere, and then there are through tracks, and the train goes through the yard without stopping except to change crews,” explains Modes.
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As time passed, it has become a lifestyle choice for some. “A way of life for some people,” says Tate Dawson, a Vancouver - based designer. For those living on the edge of society, living through unconventional ways, train hopping was a way to escape reality. “Trading your day-to-day worries for more immediate concerns, such as: I really am hungry, or I really would love a place to sleep because I’m tired and I need someplace to sleep where I feel safe,” says Modes. Also, to hop on a train and see the world from a different viewpoint. To experience a life that many don’t even know about. “It allows you to see a side of the world not seen while using other routes of travelling, like driving, and see a different side of the country,” says Dawson. All sorts of people ride as train hoppers: hobos, anarchists, young thrill seekers, people with university degrees and masters, while others are running away from something or someone. Though, most of them have the utmost desire to see the country from a different perspective and experience the adrenaline rush from doing it. As Modes describes, “Outside everything is stillness. But inside our boxcar, it’s steady pandemonium. The car makes a constant cacophony at high speeds. There is the steady, rhythmic thunk-thunkthunk of the wheels on the rail, the knock-knock of the door latches and fasteners, the squawking as the brakes are applied to the wheels, the bump of the couplers as the train changes speed, the swinging and clanking of all the connectors, and pneumatic lines, and the scratchy rattle that sounds impossibly like mice in the steel walls.” As train hoppers began their adventures, hopping around from city to city, they had to think of a way to leave messages for others following in their footsteps. Monikers are the names of drawings on the side of freight trains, it was a form of communication between train hoppers, a way to warn people of possible dangers and spread the news. Additionally, many train hoppers travelling would leave their monikers behind, leaving traces of their talent. But as Dawson explains, “The guys that are riding the trains are just wanting to get from point A to point B, without wanting to be noticed for doing their thing.”
CATCHING TRAINS & TAKING NAMES
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GABRIEL SCORGIE OPINIONS EDITOR
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A waist of time SKINNY SHAMING IS STILL BODY SHAMING Katherine Gillard × Writer Last month, Disney released its latest liveaction version of the classic, Cinderella. Promotion for the movie started on Twitter with a photo of Cinderella, played by Lily James, alongside a quote for the movie, "Have Courage and Be Kind". Even with her long blonde hair, and typically beautiful princess dress, people took to Twitter immediately to attack both Disney and James. Despite Disney’s decision to turn a folk tale best known for a woman being saved by a man into a movie, fans decided it was James’ body that was the problem. And that’s the real problem here. James and the film's director, Kenneth Branagh, as well as her co-stars, Helena Bonham Carter and Richard Madden, have come out and publicly denounced any claims of Photoshop as ridiculous - yet people still feel the need to comment. A simple Twitter search of Cinderella drums up hundreds of comments on her body. “Lily James sporting an insanely thin waist in #Cinderella. Great role model, telling all the young girls that they look prettier anorexic,” is just one example of the many tweets floating around. Many publications have chosen to curate lists of Tweets that pointedly shame and attack her thin body. The Daily Mail, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, and Jezebel are just a few of the many who decided it was worth an article. It’s sad to see that before the film is even released, the world is attacking a real woman’s body. This isn’t an animated Ariel or Snow White - this is a living, breathing human being. It isn’t appropriate, or even interesting to point out the shape of someone’s body, espe-
cially when it’s degrading. Shaming women for being thin isn’t new. It seems that women can’t be too fat, or too thin, and the in-between doesn’t even exist. Why can’t a woman be whatever size she chooses to be without comment? If a woman is struggling with her weight, it’s her prerogative, it’s her right to talk about it, and not anybody else’s to comment on it. Other companies have tried to bank on the cool-ness of skinny shaming. The plus size brand, Taking Shape set up a booth on the streets on London. Taking Shape staff used binoculars to do some “skinny bird watching”, meaning they spent time and money looking for skinny girls on the street to cat-call. The staff were dressed as birdwatchers and were apparently mocking any skinny girl that passed by. Their goal was to bring focus to leaving curvy women off the catwalk at Fashion Week and used the hashtag #SkinnyBirdWatching on Twitter to promote their campaign. Taking Shape met a lot of backlash on Twitter, being referred to as skinny-shamers. The company released this apology after the fact, "We are very sorry that many of you felt our stunt today at #LFW had a negative message... [Ed. Note: Ha!] We apologize to anyone who was offended and are keen to state that our aim was never to body shame anyone…” Inserting a “Ha!” in their statement proved how seriously the company took the feedback, and how little responsibility they took for the shame they created. It’s important to raise awareness about the average size in the UK being size 16 and the average UK model being a size six, but it’s equally important to make every woman feel comfortable whether they’re a size two or a size 20. In the modelling world, a "plus size model"
× Danielle Mainman
is anyone over a size eight despite the fact that "plus size" clothing doesn't start until a size 16. Plus sized models used to be anyone from a size 10 and up, but that recently shrank. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Anthony Higgins, the director at MSA Models said, "[catalogues] will use a size 8 because they think size 14 and 16 will relate to that person and size 4 and size 6 will relate to that person." On top of this confusing definition and explanation, an example of sizing can be found on J. Crew's site, which considers a size 8 to be a size medium. Basically, "plus sized" means nothing. Despite this, there are always controversies surrounding “plus sized” models, saying that they should be bigger, or smaller, or whatever the flavour
of the week is for body shaming. It shouldn't matter. Articles like Cosmopolitans's "Is This What a Plus Sized Model Should Look Like?" shouldn't be written. We shouldn't need to comment on someone's size to decide whether or not they are the appropriate choice for a modelling job. It shouldn't be part of James' job as an actress to defend her body and her health, and it isn't our business to ask her. It isn't our business to comment on a size or demand a model to look a certain way. People should just be quiet and watch the damn movies and fashion shows without putting down a woman for how she looks.
scare the gay away THE UNFORTUNATE REALITY OF CONVERSION CAMPS Carolina Vineuza
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Picture a perfect society where politics aren't corrupt, there are no murders, and you’re free to be who you were born to be. Sadly, we live in a society where privileged people have better opportunities, money is power, religion is used to justify unholy practices and people who are born different are repressed and sometimes forced to change because they don't fit in with what as seen by society as normal. In North America, there is a set of practices that attempt to change the sexual orientation or sexual identity of a person. Known as conversion therapy, it’s practiced by a range of people from licensed medical professionals, unlicensed councillors and religious leaders. These people all claim to have a solution for homosexuality, a solution that will allow their patients to lead a "normal, heterosexual" life. The problem is that they view homosexuality as a disease that can be cured, and the alleged treatment can be very painful for a patient. Homosexuality is viewed by those who run conversion therapy as a result of faulty parenting, and the patient’s body and mind have to be trained to regain the "innate heterosexuality." Unlearning the error is done with the help of narcotics to suppress the libi-
× Guillem Rovira do, and extensive therapy that attempts to associate a difficult childhood with being gay." Reparative therapy “works,” for those who end up claiming to have changed from gay to straight. The person undergoing treatment is viewed as separate from their sexuality, and so they dissociate themselves from everything they have conflated with the idea of being gay. In other word they confuse gender expression with sexual orientation. The majority of people who attempt to
change their sexual orientation come from conservative or religious backgrounds. In most cases it's religion which motivates them to change. They regard religion in their life as extremely important. Almost all of the reparative treatments are based on pseudoscience, not real scientific methods, and they almost always are involved with religion. People undergoing the change are told that ultimately its God who changes them. So when it inevitably fails, it’s not their fault, God just doesn’t love them. Social pressures play a key role in a person’s desire to change their sexuality. The problem with some of these organizations is that they often target children under 18 to go through painful treatments to make them straight. Treatments that sometimes seem more like torture. In December 2014, Leela Alcorn, a 17 year old transgender girl, committed suicide. She was subjected to "spiritual condemnation" where her therapist told her she was wrong and selfish and needed to turn to God and be the person she was born to be. Some ministries advise parents that if their child comes out as gay, that they should isolate them, disown them and turn their back to them until they choose the right path. Aversion treatment is basically torture. It involves "physical therapy" such as wrapping ice blocks around a patients hands and sticking tiny needles in their fingers while
receiving shocks of electricity. While that is happening, the patient is shown pictures and videos of gay acts. The patient undergoing these therapies associates the pain with psychological responses. Sadly, this turns out to be extremely effective. Currently, reparative therapy is still legal even though it has been rejected by basically every single major body of mental health experts, and the research that supporters cling onto has been rejected again and again. A couple years ago, Exodus International, one of the biggest companies that claimed they were able to fix homosexuality, closed their doors, expressing deep regret for all the harm they had done. Human sexuality is complicated, and human beings by nature have always organized all the chaos into boxes that are explained by logic. But in reality, it's not as simple as that. If you tell someone to change everything about themself, and that what they believe in is wrong and not accepted, they will face serious existential issues that can lead to major depression or even suicide. Everybody who wasn’t born in the bible belt of America during the 20s should know by now that there is nothing wrong with being gay. And yet the ignorance of some is still leading to the torment of many. One day, people are going to look as these camps the same way people look at the witch hunts of the 15th century today.
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Aisle 11 for liquor ALCOHOL IN GROCERY STORES COULD RUIN MICRO BREWERIES Carlo Javier × Lifestyle Editor A year ago, there was already strong concern across British Columbia when the plans to update the province’s liquor laws were unveiled. As of Apr. 1, liquor stores that were selected in a month-long lottery can start integrating themselves into grocery stores, making the acquisition of alcohol all the more convenient. However, beyond convenience is a question of economics. Apart from the strict set of rules that both liquor stores and grocers must meet, there is a rapidly growing concern about the state of BC’s smaller and independent liquor stores. Ultimately, as seemingly important convenience is, BC’s new landscape for liquor laws can potentially prove to be a detriment to the province’s booming microbrewery scene. Understandably, immediate reactions to the change in laws pertain to convenience. In the past, a five-kilometre rule prevented liquor retail stores from moving to areas that may have been outside of their region. As of Apr. 1, that restriction will be nullified. The removal of the
rule means that from now on, any liquor store can relocate to virtually any district across the province. However, the one-kilometre rule will be maintained, meaning liquor stores will not be able to transfer to a space that is within one km of an already existing store. The arrival of alcoholic beverages in grocery stores doesn’t mean that bottles of wine and cases of beer will populate aisles of the nearest Loblaws, though. Instead, the landscape of the new liquor laws will introduce a system that operates more like a store within a store, as opposed to selling liquor amongst the standard products of a grocery. The store within a store system might seem like a minor change, but its effect is greatly emphasized once customers start purchasing alcohol as they make trips to the grocery. The separation also plays a role into keeping the alcoholic products separated from minors. BC already has enough issues with underage drinking and it can’t keep giving brats more reasons to break the law and ruin all-ages concerts. The liquor store within a grocery store will also have its products accessed separately and purchased through separate cashier tills.
Although bringing liquor to grocery stores can certainly improve the convenience of purchasing alcohol, there are serious concerns about how this will affect BC’s microbreweries. In the past, private liquor stores competed at a disadvantage against BC Liquor Stores. Different types of retailers benefitted from varying types of discount rates. The new laws however, will allow the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) to set a standard wholesale price for all retailers, including BC Liquor Stores (BCLS), effectively levelling the market competition. Despite this noble move to equal the playing field, the new policy has been scathingly criticized for using convenience as the equalizing of wholesale prices, masquerading a new system that benefits supermarkets to the point that they’ll have a near-monopoly. Bill Tieleman of the Tyee describes the shift as “a Machiavellian plan to eventually wipe out most private and publicly owned liquor stores and move the majority of booze sales to grocery stores.” Jeff Guignard, executive director of the Alliance of Beverage Licensees of BC told the Tyee of his fears of supermarkets acquiring the full slate
of BC’s alcoholic products, "If supermarkets get a full suite of products, it's private stores and government stores that will suffer – that will lose sales,” he said. Private stores will also be facing a new disadvantage. The new policies will allow BCLS’ to open on Sundays and operate on longer hours, giving them an extra day of sales that they didn’t have before. Last year alone, the BCLDB revealed a gross sale of about $3 billion - $1.2 billion accounting for net sales for the province. 2014 also proved monumental for BC, as the province’s wine sales broke the $1 billion barrier. In the end, the presence of liquor in grocery stores is sure to provide the convenience that most people can appreciate. However, masking the bigger issues that pertain to the province’s economy with the simple question of convenience is a shady and questionable tactic by the provincial government. Particularly in regards to liquor, an important player in the BC trades economy, and an even more important player at the hands of the journalists who write about them.
ted talks, but doesn't deliver WHY THE CONFERENCE STRUGGLES TO FIND REAL SOLUTIONS Jasper Grau × Writer
calculations the great pacific garbage patch could clean itself in just five years, while resale of the recyclable plastic would mean the project completely pays for itself. All of this is delivered in just 11 minutes. While Slat should be commended on his innovative ideas there is an air of sensationalism to his presentation. The huge undertaking of cleaning the world’s oceans boiled down and made
× Sydney Parent
palpable in merely a few minutes. This is a running theme for most talks. Rather than getting into the hard statistics and boring intricacies of the topic, talks are packaged in an optimistic, infomercial-esque manner. Summarizing large complex issues into bite sized feel-good talks is perhaps why so many of the ideas never become tangible. So how has this event persisted for 31 years? The answer is networking. To attend a TED Talk is to be surrounded by entrepreneurs, self-made millionaires, business moguls, top scientists and the like. The average conference is peppered with speed networking, workshops, meets and Q&A sessions. To the ambitious, it’s an open canvas of opportunity, a chance to take risks and learn new skills by mingling with some of the best and brightest. In the right hands a ticket to TED is comparable to winning the golden ticket to Willy Wonka's factory. If the right connections are made the high price of admission is well worth it. While TED’s ambitions to change the world through innovative ideas can be likened to a classy circle jerk, it’s worth noting that a lot of the talks have a really positive message. These are, after all, professionals speaking about what they know best. Through TED’s bloated high-brow demeanour there can be value for an outsider. The world has a lot of problems and watching a gathering of professors, physicians, actors, business people and gurus all take the stage and address these problems through the lens of their passions can be really inspiring. The conference means well but its happy-go-lucky format holds it back from evolving into something greater, a real platform for innovation and change. As Benjamin Bratton, a professor at the University of California, stated during one talk, “the bottom line is if we invest in things that make us feel good but which don't work, and don't invest in things that don't make us feel good but which may solve problems, then our fate is that it will just get harder to feel good about not solving problems.” TED could take some notes from its own speakers.
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Once again, TED Talks has come to town. For the uninformed, TED, an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design, is a series of conferences held globally that addresses an array of topics from serious talks on climate change to broader topics like the secrets of old age and the power music has on human sexuality. The speakers at a TED event are all professionals in their field, virtually encompassing all fields such as astrophysics, computer sciences, journalism, politics and theatre to name a few. Each speaker is given a maximum of 18 minutes to address a topic or problem and discuss a solution or possible outcome. No matter what the issue, big or small, the running theme at a TED conference is optimism; optimism for humanity to overcome its greatest threats and vices through technology, cooperation and ingenuity. On paper, the idea works: a gathering of some of the world’s brightest minds sharing innovative ideas for the betterment of society. However, despite such a centripetal gathering, very few ideas discussed at TED actually make it outside of the conference walls for real world application. This is surprising since TED has seen influential speakers such as Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Al Gore, Bill Gates and many more. It’s also surprising considering that a single ticket to TED can run upwards of $6000 making its target demographic wealthy intellectuals with real backing power. Because of this, some as being elitist has criticized TED. To get to the root of why TED has become something of a lame-duck, one has to look at the conference’s format. Every speaker addresses a problem and explains it in such a way anyone can easily understand, and then concludes with a solution to the challenge, all within 18 minutes. While these solutions may have some potential, the fast nature of the presentations means that they are generally non faceted plans that ignore factors
such as geo-political influence, practicality, and other aspects. For example, in 2012 Dutch inventor and environmentalist, Boyan Slat, tackled the subject of plastic pollution in oceanic systems. His proposal: 24 plastic combing platforms strategically anchored in the world’s largest gyres. As the gyres circulate past the platforms, plastic fragments would be collected in wide arms. According to Slat’s
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LEAH SCHEITEL COLUMNS EDITOR
EDITOR@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM
house of common sence WHY CANADA DESPERATELY NEEDS DEMOCRATIC REFORM
Kevin Kapenda × Columnist Kevin Kapenda has been the Courier’s unofficial political correspondent for the past two years. This year, we just made it a bit more official. Through his column, he will be delving into the world of politics and highlight what students should pay closer attention to. He’s doing the hard political work so you don’t have to.
× Crystal Lee
Canada’s devotion to the outdated First Past the Post electoral system has got our Parliament democracy in a serious crisis. Unlike the US, Canada does not have a traditional two-party system, in which a Republican or Democratic candidate usually crosses the 50 per cent “plus one” vote finish line in elections. In Canada, we play politics with a three or four party culture in which one party forms government with 30-something per cent of the vote, and a majority government if they reach or eclipse 40 per cent in the popular vote. Canada’s three main political parties, the governing Conservatives, resurging Liberals and struggling New Democrats, are all vying to form government this fall. The Conservatives and Liberals have the best shot at winning the October election, and because of that, both favourites have been releasing policies that are so similar to one another, you couldn’t tell the two parties apart in a BuzzFeed quiz. For all the lack of choice and parliamentary representation voters have, Canadians still have hope in the form of democratic reform. If we can change the way we vote, and restore democratic integrity to Parliament, we may one day have a political process that is legitimate and worth voting for again. Canadians aren’t voting as much as they used to and it’s not because of the Fair Elections Act or voter suppression. It’s because they simply don’t want to vote for a candidate who can’t win in their riding. Politics is much like sports when it comes to supporters. It’s just as tough to cheer for a losing candidate as it is to cheer for a losing sports team. Conservative support is rising in Western Canada and rural Quebec communities because those voters are afraid Trudeau might win. Trudeau’s popularity has climbed over the last few years because the media has convinced
urban Canadians that his party is the only force that can defeat the Harper government. But what do you do if you don’t like either of them? You could vote for another party whose policies you support, knowing they won’t win, or you could just stay home and abstain from the process, as more and more Canadians are choosing to do every year. The Liberals and Conservatives may be popular with 68 per cent of Canadians, but 68 isn’t everyone, and shouldn’t be enough to determine who forms a majority government, unless one of the two actually earns 51 per cent support nationally. Unlike many Canadians, my rationale for implementing democratic reform has nothing to do with preventing Harper from winning another majority government, but rather strengthening our democratic institution that is Parliament. If Canada had a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system, in which parties were rewarded for how many votes they got, as well as how many seats they won, that would fix so many issues related to our democracy right now, from questions regarding civilian oversight on Bill C-51, to the problem of our declining voter participation rate. If every Canadian was told that their vote would count regardless of whether or not their party stood a chance at forming government or winning their riding, more people would vote. Proportional Representation is why countries like New Zealand and Germany both have higher voting turnout rates than Canada, as well as better committee oversight on issues like Environmental Sustainability and Intelligence. As of now, the party that manages to elect as many candidates as possible in Canada’s 338 ridings will win this year’s election. Any vote that goes to a losing candidate in any of those ridings
will not count for anything because it would not have helped elect anyone. If Canada had MMP, people’s votes would not only count towards electing an MP in their riding, but also an MP from the candidate list of their party of choice, clearing the way for more accurate voter representation in Parliament. This would dramatically shift the balance of power from the Conservatives and Liberals, who are spooking Canadians into voting for them, to the NDP, Greens and Libertarians, who would be able to elect more MPs to parliament in by increasing their popular vote. What Canada needs more than anything is legitimate parliamentary oversight and accountability, so legislations like Bill C-51 and pipeline projects can be exposed to increased scrutiny and proper due diligence. Having Trudeau and Harper call each other names while advocating for near identical policies isn’t helping our democracy. Making it easier for more parties to involve themselves in Parliament and represent a broader scope of Canadian ideas will not only increase accountability, but make it harder for any Liberal or Conservative leader to win a majority government without majority support from voters. MMP would also lead to more coalition governments, meaning that the Liberals and Conservatives wouldn’t be able to pass bills without support from smaller parties. As a right leaning individual, I disagree with many people in regards to whether or not Canada needs a different governing party. Where I do agree with the NDP and many progressives is that Canada needs to implement MMP for the sake of political participation and legislative integrity, because the future of our democracy depends on it.
you can learn a thing or two STAFF EDITORIAL Therese Guieb
THE CAPILANO COURIER.
VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
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“This is my last year to make this thing my bitch,” a statement that Courier Editor-in-Chief, Leah Scheitel, says every story meeting on Tuesdays. I attended Capilano University fresh out of high school and had mixed emotions as to what to expect. Like every other student, I wanted to build a portfolio that would help me develop skills for my career so I visited Student Employment Services at CapU and was then introduced to the Courier. I had seen the newspaper before but never picked it up because I thought it had the strangest cover art and never thought that it was the student newspaper. I read two issues of the newspaper and decided to apply to become the Features Editor. I was so nervous to attend the interview that I even had a mock interview with my brother and practiced three times. I had made a portfolio of my work that had been published. As soon as I arrived at the JJ Bean on Commercial Drive, I met Leah Scheitel. After being nervous for the entire time, Scheitel took out
her dentures, placed them on the table and then shook my hand with all of the saliva stuck on her fingers. As soon as I shook her hand I wasn't nervous anymore, but seriously grossed out. I never thought that she would be more than just my boss but a mentor as well. When I started working for the Courier two years ago, I didn’t think that I was as good as my colleagues. I was still confused as to what my position as Features Editor required. Being new to the newspaper and being responsible for editing the biggest section was daunting to me. My colleagues had worked for the newspaper before and knew the writing style of the publication well. When I wrote my first cover feature story, I felt like I annoyed the Managing Editor with questions on how the article should be written. On the day that the staff had our weekly meeting, I was scared to hear what they had to say about the article but they surprisingly liked it. It took me a while to be comfortable with writing more articles until Scheitel had a meeting with me. I never told her that I struggled with my position but she somehow knew what I had been going through and how to help me. Since I was the newest addition to the newspaper, the rest of the staff weren’t as comfortable
with me yet but Scheitel never made me feel like an outsider. She believed in me from the start because she pushed me to show her and the rest of the staff what I could do. Scheitel challenged me by exploring different topics to pitch and write about beyond my comfort zone. I never took criticisms well but she showed me how admitting your mistakes can actually make you better at what you do. When my first feature article fell through, she made me understand that it wasn’t the writer’s mistake but mine because of not giving the right amount of information to the contributor. From then on, instead of asking my colleagues what I did right, I would always ask them what I should improve on. Politics was one of the areas that I wasn’t fond of, especially when it came to student politics, and what happened at CapU. But Scheitel drilled it into our heads that our audience are the students and we must inform them of the issues on campus. After being persuaded by her to write an article on the CapU budget cuts, it led me into pursuing a position as News Editor. Ever since then, I have been interested in digging for new dirt on campus to write about. I’ve always looked up to my colleagues and the way that they wrote. All of them had a voice in
their articles that made them distinct from each other. I worked on having a voice in my writing and am still constantly working on it. Scheitel’s Letter From The Editor write-ups were filled with outrageous stories that she never thought resonated with anyone but they oddly served as a model for writing for me. She wrote stories about her cats and reminisced about the times that she slept with countless bachelors. She’s not like any kind of boss you’d expect to have in a good way, I mean. I’ve never had a boss who’s as genuine and as obnoxious toward her employees. When we travelled to student journalism conferences across the country, not once did I feel unsafe because she showed how much she cared for her team. She even went as far as interrogating men that wanted to get in my pants. Even though this year is her last reign as Editor-in-Chief of this publication, the skills that she has shared with the staff will continue to stick with me and maybe one day I could establish a category of my own “Schei guys.”
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the penalty box HEADS OF THE CLASS Cole Blight × Columnist
Cole Blight wasn’t meant to be our Hockey Columnist. However, after sneaking into a gala event under the guise of our Sports Editor, he impressed everyone with so much ease and class, that we knew he’d fit right into our little roster of columnist. He also thought our EIC was 22, so she had to give him a job after that.
The 2015 NHL Draft has been dubbed “The Connor McDavid Sweepstakes” by NHL scouts and rightfully so, but this year’s draft class is full of other talented and elite prospects as well. The 2015 draft is considered the deepest and strongest since the 2005 NHL Draft, which is known as the best draft in history. With a number of prospects who have the potential to become NHL superstars, many teams will be able to add valuable pieces to their roster. Here are some marquee players to watch at the 2015 NHL Draft.
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Connor McDavid Centre, Erie Otters, OHL Connor McDavid has been on NHL teams’ radar since he was only 14 years old. With unbelievable hockey vision, remarkable playmaking abilities, breakaway speed and filthy hands, McDavid is the most-touted NHL prospect since Sidney Crosby. McDavid is so good that he was granted ‘Exceptional Status’ which allows a 15-year-old to be a full-time roster player in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) — 16 is the regular age but can be bypassed if the player is granted ‘Exceptional Status’. In a league dominated by 18 to 20-yearolds, McDavid posted 66 points in 63 games at the age of 15. McDavid then managed 99 points in 56 games at 16, followed by 120 points in just 47 games this past season at 17. McDavid averaged 2.6 points a game this season and had a 27 game point streak. It’s hard to imagine what kind of numbers McDavid could have had if not for
suffering a broken hand in a fight last November. McDavid will go first overall in the draft this year and will, in all-likelihood, become an NHL superstar in the not-too-distant future. Jack Eichel Centre, Boston University Terriers, NCAA The 2015 Draft is headlined to be all about ‘McDavid vs. Eichel’. With Jack Eichel opting to play college hockey instead of junior, NHL scouts were only able to compare the two super-prospects sideby-side at the 2015 World Junior Championship where McDavid created some separation from Eichel. NCAA Hockey doesn’t garner the same national attention like the CHL does, so many hockey fans don’t really understand how good Eichel is. Eichel is 18 years old playing against 22-23 year olds and is quite often the best player on the ice. He has mustered 66 points in 36 games, which are statistics that would be impressive for a fourth year senior, let alone an 18-year-old freshman. Eichel stands at 6’2 205 lbs and has very impressive playmaking skills, which has NHL teams interested in the young American centre. Many people argue, however, that NCAA Hockey doesn’t develop players as well the CHL, but Jack Eichel is a prime-example that the NCAA can still produce top prospects. Eichel has the second overall pick locked up and would have been the first overall pick if not for Connor McDavid. Noah Hanifin Defence, Boston College Eagles, NCAA Noah Hanifin is the best defenceman available in the 2015 draft, which has many teams targeting the young blue-liner. Hanifin has 23 points in 36 games which is outstanding for an 18-year-old in NCAA Hockey. At 6’2 and 205 lbs, Hanifin isn’t afraid to throw his body
around and is able to use his big body to keep the opposition exactly where he wants them. After his first appearance at the 2015 World Junior Championship, Hanifin has only impressed NHL scouts and many NHL teams have been linked to trade rumours involving higher draft picks in order to acquire the talented defenceman. Hanifin is smooth skating and always has his head-up looking for the right play, skills which 18-year-olds haven’t learned yet. Any team looking to add a future top-4 defenceman will be looking to Hanifin to fill that hole. Mitch Marner Centre, London Knights, OHL Quite possibly the best goal-scorer in the draft, Mitch Marner tallied 44 goals and 82 assists in 63 games. Marner has developed in the London Knights organization, which has a reputation of being one of the best junior hockey clubs in the entire CHL. Marner is a scoring machine and often takes his anger out on the opposing team’s defence. Playing alongside World Junior hero Max Domi, the two London Knight forwards were a force to be reckoned within the Ontario Hockey League. Standing at only 5’11 and 163 lbs, Marner is classified as an ‘under-sized’ forward, but has shown that his small-size won’t hold him back. Marner will provide a massive scoring boost to the team that picks him at the draft. Most NHL general managers will tell you that the NHL Draft is the most important day of the year, having the power to make or break the future of a team. From the players’ standpoint it’s the day they’ve been waiting for their entire lives. Years of hard-work and dedication will finally pay off and their dream of playing in the NHL will become a reality.
The shape of things to come DUDE, WHERE'S MY FLYING CAR? James Martin × Columnist
As a long time Courier contributor, we like to think that we know James Martin. He is talented with instruments, and likes any coffee that is right in front of him. His primary hobby is building spaceships for little green men, and dreaming of the world they would live in. It’s because of this hobby that he is able to write about the future of technology, which is what his column is dedicated to.
× Taylor Lee
allows a person or object to be disassembled at a molecular level, “beamed” to another location, and re-assembled. One could think of it as a super-fancy, reversible 3D printer. While maybe possible with inanimate objects, you can forget about beaming living people from place to place. Firstly, there is pretty much zero margin for error when assembling a human being from scratch. Imagine what would happen if there was even the smallest error when assembling the synapses in the brain or nerves in the spinal column. Any fault in the disassembly, transmission, or reassembly processes could be fatal. Even imagining an infallibly perfect teleporter, there is another important issue raised that will likely never have a satisfactory answer. If it were possible to tear apart and re-assemble a human, it’s hard to imagine that it wouldn’t also be possible to print additional copies of that person. The moral and ethical issues raised by the ability to create absolutely indistinguishable copies of a human being, complete with their personality and memories, would see such technology heavily restricted. The story would not be very different if we
instead imagine a wormhole-type teleportation method like the one seen in Stargate or Interstellar. Even if it is possible to hop through such “shortcuts” in the fabric of space-time, we probably won’t see it here on Earth. Once again, the risk factor would likely sink this technology. Maybe one day I’ll be looked upon as just a backwards 21st-century luddite who is terrified by things I don’t understand, but in my mind punching holes through the fabric of reality itself is an activity probably best reserved for someplace far away from our precious blue and green planet. Maybe you’ll be able to fly your spaceship through a wormhole to another galaxy, but if people like me have my way you’ll still have to hop on a plane to go on an Earth-bound vacation. Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke once wrote that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. I like to think that my mind is open to a future filled with technological wonders beyond my imagining, but just because the future seems magic doesn’t mean that every dream about the future must magically come true.
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It seems like every day that news of another invention or discovery propels us even closer towards the fantastical worlds of tomorrow we dream of as being “the future”. And while many features of the future that were once dreamed by our predecessors have been met or surpassed by today’s technologies, there are still plenty of visions waiting to be realized. Some of these may come to fruition within our lifetime, some further down the road, and a few may never come to pass. I’m going to stick my neck out and risk being ridiculed 100 years from now by opining on that last category: things you will (probably) not find in the future. First of all, forget about your flying car. I’m not saying that such an invention is impossible — plenty already exist depending on your definition — but they will never see widespread use as depicted in The Fifth Element, or The Jetsons. People are already bad enough at driving normal cars on solid ground. Over 1.25 million people die in traffic-related accidents annually, and that’s with only two dimensions involved. Add in a vertical component and you get countless new creative
ways to crash. Even replacing human drivers with unerring computer pilots still carries a lot of risk. What if the engine breaks down? In a regular car that would just mean you stop moving. In a flying car, that would mean you stop moving after first plummeting 1,000 feet to your death. Even assuming you could make your flying car flawlessly safe, there are still economics favouring ground transportation. In most cases, it will take far less energy to move a ground vehicle than a flying vehicle that is spending energy to fight gravity throughout the course of the same distance. If we assume a future in which the production of unlimited free energy has been attained this last argument becomes moot, but that’s a big “if ”. In a similar vein, don’t expect space travel to be an everyday occurrence in the future. It won’t be unusual, but it will never be as mundane as imagined in sci-fi where your personal ship just zips up into orbit like it’s nothing more than a trip to Ikea. The amount of energy required to escape Earth’s atmosphere and outrun its gravity is simply insane. Saving up for an expensive ticket onboard a commercial space shuttle is foreseeable, but only the obscenely ultra-rich might be able to dream of their own personal spaceship. If humanity gets super serious about spaceflight, it’s possible to reduce the per-flight costs by investing in one of many possible aid systems such as electromagnetic launch rails, sky hooks dangling from orbit to lift craft into space from the upper atmosphere, or a space elevator. Any one of these, if even possible and economically viable, would easily be the most massive and expensive infrastructure ever undertaken in human history, and without scores of them space travel would still remain a rare adventure. Next up on the chopping block is teleportation. The classic example depicted in Star Trek
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CARLO JAVIER LIFESTYLE EDITOR
CARLO.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM
Despite the lack of sleep, the colossal workload and the pressures of an ultra competitive and intense environment, several students from Capilano University still managed to exhibit some of the brightest talents that the School of Business has to offer. Coached by business professors Andrea Eby and Robert Bruce, eight students from the business program participated and starred in the 26th annual Western Canada Business Competition. The participants were divided into two units, a senior team that included fourth year business students and a junior team that was made up of first year to third year students. The competitors worked and managed companies via a simulation program in a near three-month long contest that culminated in a weekend of live competitions in Kelowna from Mar. 20 to 23. The senior team was composed o -f students, Aziz Ali, Janet Fang, Stephanie Hahlen and Pouya Abdolhosseini, while the junior team included Marco Fleury, Lucas Daley, Teneille Lewis and Saulo Novais Ferreira. For several months starting back in January, students participating in the competition underwent a relentless amount of practice and preparation for the business management simulation program. Students were tasked to make decisions in regards to investment, marketing and many other aspects of the business world, while also having to submit a comprehensive five-year strategic plan that a group of business professionals would then grade. “It’s like running a company,” says Eby. During the live competition, the teams started off by presenting their strategic plan. They were then tasked with completing eight rounds, with each round representing a year’s worth of business developments. Every decision that the team made pertained to the status of their company, whether it be in regards to their profitability, market share, debt, or many other aspects. Ultimately, every decision was integral to a team’s victory. Teams were composed of four members, each with a designated responsibility. Some took the
position of Chief Executive Officer while others were tasked with setting up the company budget for marketing or organizing plans that would aid a business’ operational procedures. For CapU’s junior team, the squad had already built a lead that spanned up to over $100 million, immediately after the eighth decision. “My team not only beat everybody, but they really beat everybody,” says Eby. Despite winning just about every award that they were eligible for, CapU’s representatives at the Case Competition were initially taken aback by the fierce environment of the competition, “It was very intense, when we saw the other teams it was kind of a very tense environment because it was a competition so we didn’t feel that it was a very friendly environment,” says Lewis. As Vice President of Marketing for the junior team, she was responsible for increasing customer awareness and accessibility through the use of promotion and sales. She was also in charge of the budget for marketing. The landslide victory was especially satisfying for the junior team, given that they faced a major snag in the first few weeks of their preparation. One of their original members was forced to step down from their position. The team was placed in a difficult scenario as they worked to integrate a new member with only about a month to go before the live competitions commenced. “We needed to kind of start new again,” recalls Lewis, “That was kind of hard because we were going in one direction with one of the members that we briefly had, so it was a little bit of a struggle with getting all of team members on the same level, but we pulled through.” By the end of the competition, the junior team had won the award for the best overall team, and each of its members won their respective individual awards. “You know when you go to an awards dinner there’s that one table that just keeps getting up to get their awards – that was my table,” says Eby.
Lucy second year Musical Theatre “Read each other stories at the bookstore or at a library then go get street meat and see a band or something.”
Lovelee fourth year Liberal Studies “I think its April 25th because its not too hot and not too cold, and all you need is a light jacket.”
“It was a little bit awkward because we didn’t know that they were allowed to do that. I think we all came out of our individual interviews really confident that we had done well,” Lewis adds. The success of the junior team spoke volumes about the hard work and dedication that the CapU students illustrated in the entirety of the competition, which Eby describes as having a similar, if not larger, workload as a three-credit course.
As one of the coaches, Eby stands happy, satisfied and, most profoundly, proud of the development that the students exhibited throughout their work, “I’m so proud of these students. They really, really worked hard, and all eight of them competed… What they tell me too is that they learned so much from doing this case competition — real life skills, real life business skills and that it was a really great experience.”
Elyse and Ann-Marie third year Musical Theatre “March 6th, its my birthday / He would take me to the aquarium and I would get to meet the otters and I think I would marry him.”
Carlo, Interviewer "Definitely March 6th or April 25th. Definitely." W Y I D
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ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? STUDENTS DOMINATE CASE COMPETITION
POUNCING ON THE GREATER GOOD
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MARKETING ASSOCIATION ORGANIZES CLOTHING DRIVE by Alva Tee
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Many CapU students have taken it into their own hands to make a change for the better and influence and encourage others on campus to do the same. On Apr. 2, from 11am until 1pm, the Capilano University Marketing Association team (CAPUMA) will be doing just that through a clothing drive. One of their biggest goals is to get more of the student body and staff of CapU to be involved. They hope to have a variety of clothes in good quality so that what they’re donating will last. In addition, to their short-term goals, the CAPUMA team has created long-term goals as well. “Our long term goals are to educate the Capilano University students and staff about mental and physical abuse,” says Erika Gomos, director of public relations of CAPUMA, “To raise awareness about the issue, to promote equality between both genders, attain donations that will benefit the organization and to get more males involved with the cause and campaigns.” The organization that CAPUMA will be working with is the Battered Women Support Services (BWSS), a charity that is doing work in reha-
× Jackson Butchart bilitating and helping women who have been abused. “They provide counseling, healing spaces, legal services and various other resources to get these women back on their feet,” says Gomos, “We selected them because we want to be the association that advocates for equality towards all genders.” “We are looking for clothing, shoes and accessories,” says Gomos. An accessory sale will
also be present during the drive, “The clothing donations will be going to their boutique known as My Sister’s Closet,” she says, “They use all the proceeds made to help women and they also give women who need a new wardrobe clothing from this boutique.” Run by 40 volunteer women, all sorts of clothes can be found here. Be it used, recycled, vintage or eco-fashioned, all styles and sizes are available. The majority of donations come from community members, retailers and the film industry. Just in 2014, BWSS has been of service for more than 13,000 women. As written on their website at Bwss.org, “My Sister’s Closet was founded on the principle of seeking freedom from the whims of government to end violence against women.” Some organizations BWSS have worked with in the past to serve women and men in need of free clothing include YWCA Single Mothers’ Housing, BC Coalition of People with Disabilities, Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre and the BWSS Safety & Outreach Program in the Downtown Eastside. Gomos says that she is confident that the drive will be for a good cause and the clothes will be
put to good use. “We hope that the clothing drive would be the ‘hello’ towards the Capilano students and staff,” Gomos says, “An introduction towards the organization and what CAPUMA wants to do with them. We want to instigate this change through educating the students about the issue and organization.” After the event, CAPUMA still hopes to maintain a long-term relationship with BWSS. “We want to continue to work with them next fall and hopefully the next CAPUMA team will continue to work with them too,” says Gomos. Because the goals between the two organizations are so similar, communication for what they want as a result is a breeze. “The CAPUMA team is really excited to work with BWSS and introduce the Capilano community to them,” says Gomos, “We want to be the leader on campus for advocacy, education and support regarding abuse and equality.” This event will take place on April 2 at 11 am in the Birch Building cafeteria.
S R L E
caboose
CARLO JAVIER LIFESTYLE EDITOR
CABOOSE@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM
WORST: SCHEI’S VULGARITY
BEST: INTERVIEWING
BEST: A BRUISED BOX AND A TWISTED ANKLE
BEST: VERBAL DIARRHEA
Early one Tuesday morning, the boss Leah Scheitel made
One of the weirdest yet most enjoyable experiences I
You won’t often catch me ‘partying,’ – because I like
I’ve been working at the Courier in some capacity for
a point of asking the staff members to remind her to be
had this year writing for the Courier had to have been
avoiding hangovers and injuries and regrettable make
the past four years, so my co-workers are more than
careful during the pitch meetings because she wasn’t
all the phone interviews I had to do as I wrote half of
out partners, but at this year’s annual journalism con-
used to my shit by now. And frankly, they’ve gotten
wearing any underwear. One Friday afternoon she vividly
Therese’s News pitches in the span of a year. I always
ference in Ottawa, partying was a work obligation. I
really comfortable with calling me on that shit. These
told a story about how she has the tendency to sound like
felt like a customer service rep for a bank every single
saved all my zeal for Friday evening’s social night. I'm
days, I am the butt of many jokes here at the office.
a dying donkey during her adventures with “Schei Guys.”
time that I told my interviewees that are chat was being
an infamously good dancer — surely, you’ve heard that
And what are butts designed for? Shit. Therefore, it’s
In another occasion, she talked about how she enjoys
recorded. Sometimes I felt like a telemarketer. There
it’s legendary — and as the ladies on staff practiced
only natural that verbal diarrhea should squirt out of
phone interviews because they serve as an outlet for her
are no easy ways to tell people that they’re being re-
synchronized dance moves to Bruno Mars’ “Uptown
me —the butt of all jokes — with ease and vigour at all
to use her special “sex radio” voice. Don’t get this wrong,
corded, and at times, it got very awkward. I did really
Funk” in our hotel suite, I was so distracted by Alva’s
hours of the day and night. What’s my point in using
I don’t think that Schei’s often vulgar and inappropriate
get quite the ego boost when some big deal would
bare midriff, mid prance in the living room I went
all these butt metaphors? Well, it’s no secret that I like
way of talking is the worst experience of this past year.
squeeze me into their super packed schedule just to
crashing to the floor, bringing a bottle of merlot along
to push the word count of everything I write, be it a
In fact, I think it might have been one of the best, along
answer the questions I needed to have a publishable
with me, as my ankle went the other direction. Wine
200-word shotgun review or a 2,500-word feature. Give
with our continued dominance in karaoke, Andy Rice’s
article. It was pretty awesome to come up with original
stained the carpet and my ankle felt instantly twisted.
me a limit and I’ll add a zero and then watch sadisti-
appreciation for Filipino cuisine and myself, yes myself –
and thoughtful questions like the time I asked an envi-
I popped an Advil, chased it with booze, and off we
cally as you to try to edit it back down to size in time
if I told you I didn’t think that I was one of the best parts
ronmentalist why they didn’t like fracking, or that time
went to the club, me limping along with my Courier
for press deadline. I do this every week, on every story,
of this past year, then I would just be lying to you and to
that I interviewed District of North Vancouver’s mayor
companions. I wouldn’t let a swollen and possibly bro-
without fail. And I enjoy the hell out of it. The Courier
myself. The worst part about Schei’s vulgarity is that it’s
in my own personal media scrum. It’s these provocative
ken ankle stop me. I busted moves on the crowded
doesn’t even pay us by the word. I do it for free just
coming to an end. At least for us it is. Soon she’ll be or-
rhetoric-fishing interviews I’ll miss the most during my
club floor as karaoke singers filled the murky bar with
to piss Leah off. Usually, it works, but then again the
dering her all male staff of copy editors at Esquire to keep
summer hiatus from writing for the paper. I’ll miss a lot
their bellows, and just when the booze had seemed to
entire world is her tampon so I’m not even sure her
a log of the days in which she’s both freshly showered
of other things too. One thing I won’t miss however is
alleviate the throb of my busted ankle, I went crashing
anger actually has anything to do with me. All I know
and not hung over. The era of Schei’s reign of awesome
Therese’s subtle racism. The types that make me ask
down yet again, landing square on the monitor, vagina
is that this shotgun review is 39 words over the limit.
tyranny over the Courier has come to end, and that’s the
myself, “was that racist? I can’t even tell anymore.”
first. I actually bruised my vagina, it hurt worse than
Booyah! Rice strikes again.- Andy Rice
worst part. This shit got real so fast.- Carlo Javier
.- Kevin Kapenda
the ankle. But I was loving life and nothing could keep me down. It was the highlight of my year, realizing that the power of journalism and camaraderie amongst staff was the ultimate pain killer.- Faye Alexander
BEST: THE LITTLE THINGS
If, for some reason, you are one of what I can only
No one’s perfect, that’s what makes us human. Since
imagine to be six people that aren’t on staff and still
I made the jump from being a contributor to an editor,
managed to read nearly every issue we’ve put out this
I’ve definitely learned a thing or two about balancing
year, then you’re awesome. You might remember a
all my other responsibilities along with researching
special feature about drones, written for Issue Two by
pitches, editing, writing and doing it all while making
yours truly. If you haven’t read that article, don’t. Just
deadlines. It does add quite a bit of stress, but the little
trust me that it’s there. The reason I bring it up and
victories really make it worth it. Whether that means
tell you not to read it is because it’s bad. Like, really
finally landing a super-hard interview, completing an
really bad. If we were to compile a list of the worst
article about something you originally had no knowl-
content put out during the time the paper was running,
edge about or pushing a piece out when it’s needed,
it would be right up there with season three of House
they all add up. My favourite memory as an editor
of Cards. No interesting insights, no unique interviews
though is probably when a writer that had written for
and you probably learned as much useful information
me since the beginning of the semester turned in a
from reading it as a virgin does about sex from watch-
near-perfect article. I already loved seeing how much
ing porn.- Gabriel Scorgie
she had grown and improved throughout the term, but this particular article, I had to make almost no edits and I couldn’t have been more proud. And the things I did have to alter were all very minor. In general, I love seeing how far writers can go, and to be able to know that I was somewhat a part of it that feels really, really good. Through all the mistakes and other things I’ve had to go through as an editor, it’s nice to know that I’m doing something right. What’s better is knowing that you helped someone else become better too. - Alva Tee
T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
WORST: DRONES
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GOOD BYE THANK YOU FOR PICKING US UP. We had a great time. Ride bikes, drink beer, compliment people.
the
hOt Chart
SCHEI-FACTS GET TO KNOW HER A BIT BETTER. JUST THE TIP.
SHE ONCE DID SEVEN SHOTS OF TEQUILA // THEN RODE HER BIKE HOME
THE CAPILANO COURIER.
VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 23
SHE DID TRIATHLON // SHE WAS ON THE CANADIAN JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM
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SHE WRAPS HER CATS IN BLANKETS // THEY’RE THE ONLY BABIES SHE’LL EVER HAVE SHE LOOKS 22 // THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR EYES SHE DOESN’T WEAR UNDERWEAR ON TUESDAYS // AND FRIDAYS SHE WANTS TO DO STAND UP COMEDY // HER BROTHER THINKS SHE’D BE GOOD AT IT SHE LOVES SNOWBOARDS AND SKIS // AND OTHER PREHENSILE SHAPED THINGS SHE LOVES SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE // OR ANY SATURDAY NIGHT SHE WAS NAMED AFTER STAR WARS // AND STILL HASN’T FORGIVEN HER FATHER SHE’S THE MOST QUOTABLE PERSON ON STAFF // AGAINST HER OWN WILL SHE SOMETIMES WORRIES ABOUT BEING SINGLE // BUT NOT REALLY, BECAUSE SHE’S LEAH FUCKING SCHEITEL
HELP LIL' SCHEI FIND HER NEXT JOB. YOU COULD WIN A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME!