Capilano Courier | Vol. 51, Issue 10.

VOLUME 51, ISSUE 10

FEB. 11-24, 2019

FEATURES

Fake Instagrams and Tinders

ARTS & CULTURE

Hot Chocolate Festival

Swinging Both Ways:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

VOL. 51 ISSUE 10 FEB. 11-24

COVER: JENNY OAKLEY

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AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE IN BC

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FAIRYTALE RELATIONSHIPS

News

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CHRISTINE BEYLEVELDT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Opinions

FINSTAS AND FEMININITY

Special Feature

10 COURIER STAFF TINDER PROFILES

Special Feature

12 THE CHALLENGES OF BEING BI

Cover Feature

16 BEST OF CAP AWARD WINNERS

Campus Life

19 AFFORDABLE DATES

Arts & Culture

19 VANCOUVER HOT CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL

Arts & Culture

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ART DIRECTOR

MANAGING EDITOR

PRODUCTION MANAGER

NEWS EDITOR

COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

BUSINESS MANAGER

FEATURES EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Christine Beyleveldt capcourier@gmail.com

Helen Aikenhead manager.capcourier@gmail.com

Greta Kooy news.capcourier@gmail.com

Annalisse Crosswell associatenews.capcourier@gmail.com

Freya Wasteneys specialfeatures.capcourier@gmail.com

Cynthia Tran Vo artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com

Melissa Gibbons pm.capcourier@gmail.com

Ana Maria Caicedo community.capcourier@gmail.com

Jessica Lio businessmanager.capcourier@gmail.com

Kaileigh Bunting, Taylor Kleine-Deters, Tia Kutschera Fox, Mark Mapoles, Clarissa Sabile, Alexis Zygan

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Sheila Arellano arts.capcourier@gmail.com OPINIONS EDITOR

Megan Orr opinions.capcourier@gmail.com

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Sarah Haglund, Heather Haughn, Annika McFarlane, Jenny Oakley, Emily Rose, Juliana Vieira, Christine Wei EDITOR & COLUMNIST PORTRAITS

Cynthia Tran Vo COLUMNS EDITOR

Rachel D'Sa columns.capcourier@gmail.com

CARTOONIST

Annie Chang

COPY EDITOR

Ashleigh Brink copy.capcourier@gmail.com

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Capilano Courier Publishing Society.

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

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Being Alone and Being Lonely Aren’t the Same

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he only time I ever complained about Valentine’s Day and called it a stupid Hallmark Holiday was when I was in high school. My then-boyfriend dumped me on Feb. 13 (ill-timing in my 16-year-old opinion), and instead of paying attention in pre-calculus after that, I indulged in a little bit of self-pity and let my friend feed me chocolate. This, all because someone (with an ingenious marketing strategy) decided it would be a good idea to commemorate the anniversary of a Roman priest’s martyrdom with cinnamon candies that burn your throat, epigrams that leave your tongue feeling like chalk and apparently making the single people of the world well aware of their status.

At least that’s how I felt about it at the time.

Okay, I may not have started off by providing a favourable account of the holiday, which we cherish here at the Courier because it gives us excuses to do things like write fake Tinder profiles for each other (see pages 10-11) or steamy fan fiction about our celebrity crushes (see volume 49.5 issue 14).

However, I don’t actually mind the holiday, since I’ve come to cherish my alone time whether I’m actually with someone or not.

I’m putting the idea of enjoying my alone time to the test soon. My boyfriend and I can’t ever agree on travelling anywhere together. I went to South Africa without him last year and I told him after I got back that I wanted to take him to Cape Town one day so he could see where my family came from.

He dug his heels in and said he wouldn’t go, especially after everything he’s read in the news. He wants to go to Mexico, which unfortunately just doesn’t quite make it onto

my bucket list. For a fleeting moment we agreed on Greece, but that quickly turned to squabbling again when I discovered his plan was to visit every museum in Athens whereas I wanted to lay low on the beach in Kefalonia. So I’m going travelling without him again this year. After failing to find a travel buddy, instead of abandoning my plans I impulsively booked a flight to Reykjavik, and I fully intend to take myself on vacation and experience the land of fire and ice alone I’ve spent the last eight months worrying about what I’m going to do with my life when this contract ends. When I started in May, our former Editor-in-Chief, Leah Scheitel, wrote to me to tell me that if she only gave me one piece of advice, it was to have fun, because the year would be over in the blink of an eye and I’d never again have the same freedom as I do now. She was absolutely right. Publishing is all I’ve ever known, and looking beyond the industry for something else as a career terrifies me just a little bit.

This trip is partly to take my mind off of the worrying. Instead of spending the next two months wondering where I’m going to look for work next, I can look forward to taking myself on an adventure. The other part of it is longing to know if I, an introvert, can actually handle being alone with my thoughts for 10 days or if it’s all a facade.

I’ve come to appreciate solitude from time to time, and whether it’s on Feb. 14, or any other day of the year, it doesn’t actually matter.

NEWS president external, has been involved in writing letters of support to student unions in Ontario, as well as letters stating the CSU’s concern addressed to the Minister and every Students’ Union (CSU) comes from the fees that will now be possible to opt out of and that other Member of the Provincial Government.

The CSU has also signed on to the University compromise the future of Ontario’s student Ontario Premier Doug Students’ Council of Western University unions.

Ford announced dramatic “It’s a very frustrating situation, looking at letter. it, because it comes under the guise of giving There is concern that student unions in fee changes that may students more choice and trying to lower costs Ontario will no longer be able to advocate negatively impact students for them, which initially sounds like a good for student concerns without fear of having thing,” said Anna Rempel, CSU president and their funding cut, which is exactly why ANNALISSE CROSSWELL vice-president equity & sustainability, “but these unions exist. There is also concern that ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR the way that they’re going about it is actually this could have a domino effect across the

having really negative impacts on students.” provinces. Rempel noted that one Alberta The changes will not benefit the lower and political party’s platform already seeks to middle-income students that are most at risk of introduce this same change. he Ontario government announced being unable to attend university due to costs.

Students may not be aware of how their drastic changes to post-secondary “It doesn’t impact all students to the same student unions advocate for them, though tuition and fees Jan. 17. At face level, if you are someone who comes from the CSU, and other student union members value, the 10 per cent cut to tuition for a relatively privileged background or if you across the country, sit on many boards to be domestic students seemed like a positive don’t face some of the additional barriers, it’s the voice of the students they represent. This move, but this change comes with no plays a part in preventing situations such as increase to government subsidies and a $450- likely not to have the same impact on you…” said Rempel.

The sentiment of this comment Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s recent 500 million decrease in annual revenue. The announcement that they will be increasing is echoed through news and opinion articles changes also include cuts to financial aid and international fees by 15 per cent, which came across the country. mandatory fees that fund student groups. without warning.

Rempel, along with Noah Berson, viceThe cause of much concern for the Capilano

CSU Extends Support to Ontario Students’ Unions

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Underrepresentation of First Nations students in health care an issue finally being tackled

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he beginning of the 2018-19 academic year at Capilano University came with a new community-centred program. While a Healthcare Assistant Program has existed at CapU for many years, the University has been piloting a program in partnership with the Squamish Nation Eslha7an Learning Centre that is considered a one-time additional offering that caters to Indigenous students. The two-term program, organized by Healthcare Assistant Program Coordinator Nadja Neubauer, alongside Tracey Mitchell, manager, employment and training for the Squamish Nation, and Lisa Paull, post-secondary student advocate for the Squamish Nation, seeks to make post-secondary education more accessible for First Nations students on the North Shore and address the serious issue of underrepresentation in the healthcare field.

Healthcare assistants, also known as care aid or residential care aids, are in high demand for the work they do in long-term care facilities and hospitals. According to Neubauer, “It’s basically a frontline healthcare provider that assists healthcare professionals to provide care, typically assisting nurses.”

Neubauer’s initial idea for the program started with the S’TEṈISTOLW̱ Indigenous Adult Education Conference at Camosun College, where she became more aware of the barriers that First Nations persons still face when entering into post-secondary education. “...I was absolutely blown away by not just how amazing the conference was,” she said, “But also how naive I was about what it’s like to be an Indigenous person in higher education.”

It was Invisible Heroes, a book by Lucy

this again. “...I mean I think we’ve all been guinea pigs this first time because we didn’t know how it would go,” she said.

While only two students are set to graduate at the end of the Spring 2019 semester, five more will follow in due course to graduate. Those students will have the ability to work where they like, although several are interested in working with their Nation to provide community healthcare.

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ANNALISSE CROSSWELL ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Alderson and a plethora of other authors that discussed their work together in the Carnegie Community Centre in the Downtown Eastside, a satellite campus of CapU, that in turn sparked a conversation between Neubauer and Betsy Alkenbrack, eventually leading to the program’s inception.

Originally Neubauer had wanted to focus her efforts on programs for the Downtown Eastside, but she soon changed gears. “... it quickly became apparent to pretty much everyone that the Downtown Eastside is over-studied and over-burdened with people that want to come down and try to start programs,” she said.

Alkenbrack suggested to Neubauer that she start looking to the local community to form a partnership. She approached the Squamish Nation on the North Shore which eventually led to the development of the current program. Though she considers the first year of running the program to be a huge success, it looks very different now compared to the beginning of the year.

Before the certificate program could begin it required funding, which Neubauer, who had never set up a program before, had thought to be more straightforward than she came to realise. The initial conversation surrounding the partnership between CapU’s Health Care Assistant Program and the Squamish Nation’s Eslha7an Learning Centre began in August of 2017, and by May of 2018 funding became available through the Ministry of Advanced Education. With the help of Brad Martin, dean of Education, Health & Human Development and Global & Community Studies, Neubauer successfully applied for funding. The program was then funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education and students’ tuition was funded through the Squamish Nation.

The initial idea behind the program was that the barriers faced by Indigenous students entering into post-secondary would be eliminated by holding theory classes in the Eslha7an and Squamish Nation Trade Centre that was recently opened. Neubauer noted that this environment turned out to be too comfortable for students who were used to coming and going as they pleased, and led to

issues with attendance and punctuality as well as engagement. The classes are now held at CapU’s North Shore campus.

Neubauer also said that her determination to have Indigenous nursing instructors caused some issues, the same lack of representation that the program is trying to address made finding instructors incredibly difficult. Faculty that were hired had never taught in a university setting before, which Neubauer noted she would have done differently if she were to do

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Indigenous Healthcare Assistant Program Introduced to CapU

Rempel thinks that this lack of understanding on the students’ part is something that needs to be addressed. “I think it’s on the student unions to do a better job of communicating to students what we do and making it very visible the kind of positive impact that we have,” she said. She also said that if students at Capilano University have concerns about how the CSU is using their student fees there are many opportunities to have their voice heard such as committee meetings, board meetings and annual general meetings.

Despite the concerns of having a domino effect, student unions in BC are in less immediate danger because of the Societies Act put in place by the previous Liberal Party. However, Rempel noted that there is no certainty of how politics will look in the future and protecting future students is a priority.

‘I want students to know that we exist for them and that they have every right to participate in all the processes that we go through,” said Rempel, “we work for students, we want to hear from them.

NEWS

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

Envisioning 2030 Master Plan Progresses with Emphasis on Community

those community members impacted by CapU’s development rather than university executives making decisions about what they want to see. This, of course, means working closely with the five First Nations on whose land the University sits as well as Indigenous The 10-year plan seeks to within CapU in terms of facilities, programs students on campus.

Decolonisation is a priority for the project, and community engagement. improve more than just moving towards executive decision-making “The University’s moved towards that revolves around proper consultation with developing an integrated planning process, for campus facilities surrounding communities and understanding the development of their budgets… moving what it really means to properly consult. “I towards a larger community vision of what ANNALISSE CROSSWELL know that language, indigenizing signage priorities we want to see come forward in the ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR and names has been a really big focus in a lot next little while,” said Anna Rempel, president

of decolonizing efforts,” said Rempel.

“One of the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) and example of that [at CapU] is moving away vice-president equity and sustainability. from calling the Sunshine Coast Campus ‘The n an effort to invest in the future of She, along with the other CSU executives, Sunshine Coast Campus’ and calling it by it’s Capilano University, President Paul Executive Director Christopher Girodat and indigenous name, kálax-ay.”

Dangerfield has begun the Envisioning Director of Policy and Campaigns Patrick Jorge Oceguera, a CapU School of 2030 master plan. The project has been in Meehan, has been involved in the Envisioning Business instructor, is making sure everybody the works for some time, and was revealed 2030 conversations and now collectively are has their voice heard. Oceguera spoke to CSU earlier in the 2018-19 academic year as a beginning direct involvement with the master staff and President Dangerfield on Feb. 5 to part of the University’s 50th anniversary plan. discuss his role in promoting the master plan, celebrations. Through talks with students and Despite the executives part in the receiving more student feedback and creating faculty, as well as key community members, conversations and planning, Rempel noted wider-scale community involvement. the master plan seeks to ensure growth that this process is about communicating with

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

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The Uncertainty of Affordable Childcare in BC

diploma option still but there’s no longer at CapU an option of that trade-like certificate.

People go for a minimum two years now and the majority of students are going into a degree.”

Sutherland explained that this change Despite progress made has also increased salary expectations.

Educators in childcare are underpaid, and by the NDP, the cost of says CapU loses two thirds of their childcare is still troubling Sutherland ECCE undergrads to teaching which pays parents significantly more. Childcare is primarily covered by parent fees, and before the ACCB, the situation was challenging. “You can’t TIA KUTSCHERA FOX pay educators a fair wage if you are relying CONTRIBUTOR on parents to fund it. It’s $1,550 a month for full-time infant care. I had a family at that n September 2018, the Provincial time with twin infants and twins in my 3-5 Government of BC implemented the program. So they were spending … $3000 for Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB), their little infants, and another $2000 for the replacing the previous childcare subsidy. The twins in my 3-5 program which is $5000 a old subsidy provided up to a maximum of month in care. It’s completely unsustainable. $750 a month per child for childcare if the For her, as a woman, she knew that if she parents’ net income was $40,000 or less. If didn’t go back to work she would lose her the children were older than 19 months, that number would decrease based on the age, with the reasoning that older children are in school for part of the day and thus require fewer childcare hours. Some exceptions were available for parents making over the listed max income for a partial subsidy.

With the new ACCB’s eligibility for children 19 months or younger, the maximum amount per month per child is now $1,250, children older than 19 months but younger than 37 months have a maximum amount of $1,060 per month, children older than 37 months who haven’t reached school age are $550 a month, and finally school-aged children are $415 a month. While this is still more for parents than the “$10 a day” the NDP government promised as part of their election platform, as Sara Sutherland, manager of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Children’s Centre puts it, “It’s hard to see past the positive of what this would do for families.”

Sutherland has worked in the childcare industry in BC since 1992 – at CapU since 2015 – and has seen significant changes in the field. “In the early 90s and before you would come into the field almost like a trade, it was a certificate program at that time. It’s slowly grown so that there’s a

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place in that professional climb. So she and her husband made a decision that they would just take a deep breath and make this work.

But when the Affordable Child Care Act came in, she actually burst into tears, because although it doesn’t solve it, it took that $1,550 down to $1,195, and then for her 3-5-yearolds it went from $990 to $880.”

This was only part of the problem with childcare costs. “The population of Vancouver grew. I think that the idea of one parent staying home radically changed because as we grew we got more expensive. So having the option, for most people, of a stay-athome mom or dad is not affordable if you want to actually live in North Vancouver. As more families went back to work to have a double-income household, the demand for childcare grew and the number of spaces didn’t keep up. So the demand for childcare right now is heartbreaking. I probably have three people a day who drop in or call with just heartbreaking stories because they can’t

/CAPILANOCOURIER

The CSU’s role is complementary to this process, now in the early stages of helping to provide online materials for professors to distribute and share to their students, as well as providing opportunities for students to learn more about the initiative. Nine ‘world cafe’ style discussion groups will be held which will emphasise participant-led discussions. An online software will also be available to students to provide further feedback.

The master plan for Envisioning 2030 is likely to be fully revealed in the Fall semester of the 2020-21 academic year.

By that point it will include information from all groups in the community, further emphasising how CapU sets itself apart from other universities through its investment to the local community. “A lot of people talk about the community aspect of Cap because it is a smaller campus, but the goal, I think ultimately, is to maintain that community element and really build out our connections with the wider community,” said Rempel.

find care.”

Sutherland says the system isn’t perfect and there are a lot of kinks to work out. In her opinion the implementation was rushed leaving many unknowns but, “I hate to criticize because it’s really the first time that anyone has tried to do anything. So it’s flawed, but it’s something! We finally have a government who is willing to sit down with educators… and they listened for the first time.” For parents whose income falls below the poverty line, CapU childcare now costs about $12 a day per child. As to what happens next, Sutherland says there are a lot of unknowns. “I think what most early childhood professionals are really thinking about is, how much of this is embedded so deeply so that it can’t be undone? If the Liberals are in next are families going back up to $1,550 a month?

And that’s kind of the big question – what happens next?”

NEWS

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@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

Who You: Georgia Martin

After one too many injuries on the slopes, comeptitive skier and CapU Business student Georgia Martin turned to making athletic wear TAYLOR KLEINE-DETERS CONTRIBUTOR

“

THE CAPILANO COURIER VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

I was a competitive skier my whole life and I had a few knee and head injuries, so it was time to call ‘er quits.

I’m getting too old for this,” Georgia Martin said with a laugh. Days as a competitive athlete are always numbered, but unfortunately for Martin her days of skiing moguls and freestyle runs were shorter lived than she would have liked. At 20 years old, with six competitive years under her belt, it was time to shift her focus.

Growing up in Kitsilano, Vancouver, with a father who was also a ski coach, any free time was spent on the mountain. These days, Martin does some coaching herself for an all-girls team. “26 14-year-old girls… we travel around BC competing. It’s so cool.”

For Martin, it’s surreal that she is able to travel the province with her team of teens.

“When I was a kid there were no girls teams in BC. I competed mostly against girls from Ontario and Quebec so I always felt kind of left out. I’d be hanging out with all the boys and I’d see all these girls together… the female ski community has grown for the younger generation.”

Moving forward, Martin did not want to leave skiing completely behind. “I suffer from ‘chronic can’t-not-do anything’, I get so…” she finished the sentence with an exasperated groan. “I’m always stressed out… but I like it. The adrenaline… It’s good.”

From the need to be in constant motion and the desire for clothing that caters specifically to female skiers, the idea for Granite Apparel emerged. “I still want to be part of the ski community… [and] there are no cool clothes for girls. Everything [is] made by guys for guys… or it’s crop tops for girls,” she exclaimed with obvious resentment. From there, Granite has carved its niche – comfortable and practical ski gear designed for women with convenient zippers and comfortable styles.

Martin started creating clothing out of a basement workshop in her family home.

Initially she sewed all her own garments, built her own silkscreen for printing her designs and put everything together herself.

Now, she has an intern who helps with the sewing. With designs such as a hood, Martin offers practical gear in trendy fluorescents and more subdued classic tones at a lower price than other brands. With her experience as a skier, she’s able to offer a product that makes sense practically and economically, all while looking incredibly cool.

“My favourite part [of design] is making really nice functional things. The fleece design has extra water-resistance on the shoulders so there’s an extra layer of protection. There’s also a water-resistant pocket for your phone and extra zippers… and it’s trendy,” she said.

So how did Martin get Granite off the ground? Social media, of course. She has a crew of skiers, mostly made up of friends,

that she gives Granite designs to. When they post edits of themselves wearing Martin’s gear on their Instagram pages, Granite gets tagged. “They are integral to [Granite’s] success,” she said.

“Some mornings I’ll wake up and there will be 20 orders waiting for me and I’ll be like, ‘who are these people and how

Maybe I’ll get my Business Diploma then go to design school,” she said with a shrug.

Recently, an up-and-coming skier posted a picture to Instagram of himself after having won an event, and just so happened to be wearing a fleece number from Granite.

This subsequently propelled a large number of orders for Martin to fulfill. She hopes

“Some mornings I’ll wake up and there will be 20 orders waiting for me and I’ll be like, ‘who are these people and how did they find out about these clothes that I make in my basement?’” did they find out about these clothes that I make in my basement?’” said a bewildered Martin. Beyond the local ski scene, the young entrepreneur has fulfilled orders that have been sent everywhere from Quebec to Austria.

Apart from the work that Granite provides her, Martin is also enrolled as a full-time Business student at Capilano University. “I think I want to go to design school… but it seems so smart to get a Business degree.

that more skiers will follow in his footsteps, which Martin believes would truly push Granite to the next level. “Other than athletes, it would be a dream if Rihanna or like, Obama wore my fleece,” Martin said with a grin.

Intrigued? You can follow Granite Apparel on Instagram, @granite.apparel, and purchase some sweet ski threads at graniteapparel.com.

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OPINIONS

The Value of Being Single

Single and ready to find out my values in life MARK MAPOLES CONTRIBUTOR

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

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he thought of being single during Valentine’s Day is always tough for some. Feb. 14 is a time when romance is thrown in our faces for a day.

We’re made to believe that we should be in a relationship, and if we aren’t, then there’s something wrong with us. Being single, however, is the perfect place for a lot of people to be. It gives us more time to focus on what makes us happy since we don’t have to worry about someone else and their needs – finding out what matters in our own lives before trying to make sure we can help someone else with theirs.

Time spent with ourselves is time well spent. “The best relationships occur when you have a good understanding of your needs, wants, and values,” according to relationship expert Andrea Syrtashc, who emphasizes that, “being single allows you to focus on these things. Having this confidence and self-awareness will ultimately serve you in all of your relationships, not just romantic ones.” This should be a goal for people to work on: to plan their time wisely and do things that make them happy. The best time to do that is when you have fewer obligations in your life.

Knowing what you want in life is important. It’s also really hard to figure out.

However, when people know what matters to them, it allows them to live a better and more authentic life. Being vulnerable with people isn’t as hard as it normally would be because you value yourself more, and if the relationship can’t handle a little shake up with vulnerability, then it isn’t a relationship worth pursuing.

One of the benefits of being single is that loving yourself can lead to your confidence levels skyrocketing. We’re biologically more likely to be influenced by others confidence when we are in their presence.

That means single people who spend more time on themselves and gain more

The Ideal Relationship Is a Fairytale

To quote Maroon 5: It’s not always rainbows and butterflies, it’s compromise MEGAN ORR OPINIONS EDITOR

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hen it comes to relationships, we all believe that the only way to do it right is the way that we are doing it. Everyone else has it wrong, just you and your beloved have it figured out, right? You and you alone know the secret

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confidence will bring that confidence into all their relationships and influence others.

It can actually make people feel better about themselves by just knowing someone who exudes confidence. Imagine that: affecting other people’s lives in a positive way because of your own love for yourself and being confident in who you are. Now that’s a true superpower. Also, people are more attracted to people who are confident, which will help a lot with finding someone that can teach you how to love yourself even more than you already do.

Having more time to ourselves gives us more time to reflect on our lives and see how we’re doing. Self-reflection is defined

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by the Open University as, “questioning, in a positive way, what you do and why you do it and then deciding whether there is a better, or more efficient, way of doing it in the future.” Being single is the perfect time to develop this learning tool. It can help us learn from our successes, but more importantly, it can help us learn from our failures and how we can improve in the future.

Being single allows us to try more things out and it gives us more opportunities to seize the moment. Who knows, maybe going for a run in the pouring rain and splashing through puddles at seven in the morning with some friends will be your favourite memory

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of the year. When you learn to prioritize yourself over romantic pursuits you are more likely to enjoy yourself. You will develop a deeper understanding of yourself and see why people enjoy your company.

Vulnerability and courage will play a bigger role in life and people will get to know the real you.

Now, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t strive to find someone to love. We should all try and find someone that makes our hearts smile. We should try to spend less time worrying about it though, and more time finding out what makes us happy. If you can do things that make you happy, eventually you’ll find someone who makes you happy.

ILLUSTRATED BY JULIANA VIEIRA

to a happy relationship and everyone else is just faking it. While that’s obviously not completely true, it does bring up the idea of subjectivity, in that, a successful relationship can only be measured by the people in it.

The ideal relationship, like so many things in adulthood, is utterly elusive. With the farce of happily ever after being shoved down our throats by popular media, it can be a bitter pill to swallow when you realize that the fairytale actually takes some work, some pain, some growth and a whole lot of compromise. It isn’t about compromising who you are or what you want, but about learning the intricacies of give and take.

“Everyone is uniquely different, so it [makes sense] that when two people [come] together there [will] always be a set of unsolvable issues. This [is] a normal part of healthy relationships. For relationships to work out, compromise [is] a nonnegotiable part of love and [a] necessity in all relationships,” said Candace Wong of

Meet Mindful. It can be difficult to realize that while you should always be able to prioritize yourself in a healthy relationship, you should also be capable of prioritizing your partner.

It can be exhausting to get bogged down by the ideas of what a good relationship looks like. The most tiring ideal of them all: that happy couples are happy all the time. According to clinical psychologist and author, Sue Johnson, “Good relationships aren’t just happier and nicer.

When we know how to heal [relationships] and keep them strong, they make us resilient.” Johnson continued, “All these clichés about how love makes us stronger aren’t just clichés – it’s physiology.

Connection with people who love and value us is our only safety net in life.” To elaborate on the same thought of clichés, a good relationship doesn’t just make us stronger, but makes us better as well.

That is perhaps the true key to a

healthy relationship, being with someone who allows us to be the best version of ourselves. That sounds like an obvious one, but again it’s pretty subjective. This doesn’t just apply to romantic relationships either. Any partnership can be complex.

Different people will meet different needs for you and only you can be the judge of that.

According to Johnson, what it really boils down to in healthy relationships is whether or not your partner is there for you. However, what that looks for each individual person and couple is completely different. For some, it may be grand romantic gestures and spontaneity, for others it may be something as simple as filling up their water bottle without having to ask. The way people show up for each other varies, but the important part is them showing up at all. Afterall, the right person won’t “mind spendin’ everyday, out on your corner in the pourin’ rain.”

OPINIONS

Millennials, MDMA and Relationships What goes up must always come back down ALEXIS ZYGAN CONTRIBUTOR

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tanding in line for the Warehouse my friend hands me two pills with a white substance. I swallow one and pass the other to my partner. Suddenly, the constant fighting is reminiscent of a distant memory. Walking into the Warehouse handin-hand we giggle about sweet nothings prepared to dance the night away.

For many millennials, MDMA, also known as molly or ecstasy, is the drug of choice for a night out. Often consumed at clubs, music festivals or raves to increase the enjoyment of a night out, MDMA has also been used to help fix relationship problems for decades. It can be implemented in couples counselling

by allowing heightened emotions and an increased sense of clarity to rediscover the couple’s mutual happiness and appreciation for each other. However, MDMA is a substance that provides a temporary high and should not even be used as relationship therapy due to detrimental effects on both mental and physical health.

MDMA is a party drug that works by increasing the activity of three or more neurotransmitters, and subsequently results in the increase of serotonin and dopamine in the brain – pairing perfectly with the euphoric light displays at electronic shows and incredibly catchy bass music. So it is no surprise that it can be used to make couples stop focusing on each other’s negatives for a moment. Because after a night of dancing with your significant other, thanks to the release of endorphins, how could you stay mad each other? However, the fix is temporary. The next morning the couple will inevitably wake up, serotonin-depleted, and still be perpetually annoyed at each other’s habits thus leading to another argument.

MDMA is a substance that has been proven to help people struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. But for many casual users,

MDMA becomes a part of their weekend partying routine, allowing the person to dance until the sunrise. Decreasing anxiety, users are overcome with bliss and fabricated ecstasy. Your jaw chews aggressively. Many first-time MDMA-droppers wake up the next day with a bloody or swollen cheek.

However, long-term MDMA use can lead to an instability of serotonin, which causes the user to become dependent and develop an addiction – craving the substance to achieve a good time. With increased use, the serotonin levels deplete which leads to a less satisfying high for the user.

Despite MDMA being used widely at clubs and parties, it is essential to consider the repercussions. While it allows for energy

and happiness, what goes up must always come down. To avoid the comedown, avoid using MDMA at all. Despite the popularity of raves and festivals MDMA alters brain chemistry and can cause severe psychological side effects which can influence cognitive functions and lead to increased anxiety, depression and impulsive aggression.

THE CAPILANO COURIER VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

ILLUSTRATED BY CHRISTINE WEI

The Blame Game How YouTubers are blurring the lines between their content and sponsorships CLARISSA SABILE CONTRIBUTOR

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icture this: it’s the weekend and you’re scrolling down your YouTube feed to watch a video that your favourite channel just posted. For an agonizing five seconds, you have to put up with an advertisement before seeing this gamer/beauty guru/etc. Then, after mashing the ‘Skip Ad’ option, your beloved YouTuber raves about a product or company that they’ve been loving lately. For some, this is just another video and, after watching, one would go through the patient cycle of waiting for the YouTuber’s next post. But

recently, for most, viewers have been feeling suspicious of well-known accounts in every topic area: from clothing hauls, to game releases, to vlogging, due to the creators blurring the lines between their own content and advertising company sponsorships. On one end of the spectrum, it can be considered harmless and some creators genuinely share their lack of monetization – the repetitive mantra that is ‘this is my first impression and personal opinion’ is what fashion and makeup YouTubers claim to somewhat avoid sell-out labels. On the other end, some YouTubers have hit advertising scandals that lost them followers and, more importantly, respect.

Advertisers caught on to recognizing the vast audiences that popular content creators attracted, the next step was simple: glorify our products in exchange for money. An appealing offer, since all one has to do is implement the sponsorship in the videos they already post daily. The main issues are when the YouTuber does not disclose or lie about whether they are being monetized for the advertisement, or when the product or company being advertised is a scam.

In January this year, controversial, clickbait-heavy, YouTubers like Jake Paul and RiceGum (Bryan Le) were under

fire for promoting the website Mystery Brand, which is essentially a gambling website to win from a range of luxury to cheap products by online payment. With a majority of their viewers being male youth that could only afford expensive items with the help of their parents, especially with the low chances of winning anything of value, the scam problem is clear. In the same vein, the video game CounterStrike: Global Offensive and players of it were under scrutiny in 2016 due to a lotto website case that promoted gambling to, again, their young audiences. Popular gamer YouTubers like Tmartn (Trevor Martin) and Syndicate (Tom Cassel) were called out for encouraging viewers to gamble on sites for digital skins to use in game or exchange said skins for real life money. In reality, the chances are low and the website and YouTubers were also accused of exploitation and scamming.

In another context, prominent beauty and fashion YouTubers have been selected and sent on all-expenses-paid trips to summer getaways in exchange for vlogging their experience and using the company’s product. For example, in January last year, the cosmetics brand Benefit sent UK gurus Talia Mar, Leyla Rose, etc. to a Maldives

resort. By uploading a “GRWM” (Get Ready With Me) using Benefit’s new mascara product and name-dropping the company in any subtle chance they get, the YouTubers receive vacation time, money and more content ideas. Some consider this a “Glam Sham”, thinking that influencers are using their viewers for profit.

Generally, yes, most of the blame should be placed on the YouTubers. They aren’t held at gunpoint to explain how good quality a pair of jeans are from a poorly-reviewed online clothing website. In a free world and unrestricted online playground, sponsorship agreements are widespread. However, YouTube’s advertising algorithm has been an issue in itself. Influencers rely on ad monetization before and during their videos – when YouTube considers something to disregard their ‘Community Guidelines’, as in rules that ensure YouTubers make appropriate content, prohibiting any ads on the video. Therefore, YouTubers have difficulty receiving any monetization whatsoever from the platform itself and must turn to sponsorships from outside sources. In doing so, YouTubers should align their ethics with the way they advertise and the products or companies they advertise to evade any scam controversies.

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Gram Yo’self How women are hacking Instagram’s limitations on femininity through finstas

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VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

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ily Elliott*, 23, sits on the floor of her living room, dressed in what looks like a sheep costume (she says it’s actually a pug onesie). The white light of her phone illuminates her face, and her eyes hungrily search the screen. “I have @swaggittyanne which is me, and then I have @watsherface, and she’s a selflessly shameless Instagram of selfies, and it’s an art installation,” she boasted, brimming with contained energy. The chirping of her canary birds cut through her voice as she speaks.

She’s referring to her finsta of 33 selfies and counting, which consists of artfully composed mirror snapshots and awkward close-up selfies among other photos, all cloaked in the everyday aesthetic of an iPhone camera. I ask her what makes this Instagram an art installation. It takes her a while to draw out her words between cautious pauses.

“Well, it’s all selfies,” she said. “The photo itself has to literally be like how I see myself – just some articulation of being, maybe confident and also insecure.”

A finsta (also known as a spam account) is a ‘fake’ secret Instagram account meant for only close friends or for a niche audience, where people can supposedly post whatever they want without fear of ridicule or backlash.

Finstas are a somewhat recent trend, emerging in about 2015, when the first entries defining them on Urban Dictionary popped up. Since then, various outlets have covered them extensively, with pieces in The New York Times and Dazed and Confused. Many articles embrace a cynical take on the trend — one headline in i-D reads, “The Rise of Finstas Shows We’re All Being Fake Online”.

Recently, rapper Iggy Azalea, known to some as the Australian blonde who puts on a southern ‘blaccent’ when she raps, tweeted that “the finsta account thing is so lame.

Are you that uncomfortable being your own self online?

Are you really that embarrassed about what you secretly want to post, like, or watch? Yes? Can’t relate.” A few days later, after thousands of comments, she deleted the tweet.

Katie Warfield is a professor at the Department of Journalism and Communication Studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Warfield, who has spent her career in research exploring how young Canadian women produce and curate selfies, suggests that the restrictions on self-presentation imposed by Instagram’s established visual vernacular became so limiting to people’s sense of identity. So much so that users found a way to “hack” these limitations by maintaining dual accounts.

Elliott’s @watsherface account has 66 followers, while her main account @swagityanne has 547. The two accounts don’t look that different, but for Elliott, they’re totally distinct spaces. What started as a joke became an art project as she started to take her posts on @watsherface more seriously, creating and curating selfies that electrified her creativity and expanded her sense of identity. For Elliott, an Anthropology student at UBC, it’s freeing having @watsherface as a space to view herself without the

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vigilance she practices on her main account.

“I’m allowing myself to be confident,” she says. “To me, that’s kind of radical. To be like, ‘as you can see I kind of hate myself, but I also kind of love myself.” She points to one of the posts, a blurry close up of her face, her eyes widened and raw, her face puffy. “This is me – I think I was on acid, and that’s not a nice photo. But it’s me, and I’m in a pierced state.” She points out another photo, where she’s smiling coyly, her dark ringlets framing her face as her arm extends to flaunt a long patch of armpit hair. The caption reads, “Hairy-don’t care-y”. “I look a little bit like I have a stache, my armpit hair has a couple curls in it,” she said.

“But I think it’s about you digging yourself as you would want someone else to dig you. I think, by putting it on here, it’s forcing myself to love myself, you know?”

It might seem strange, calling an Instagram of selfies “radical”, because of a few “not nice” photos, but when you consider the airtight visual conventions and posting standards for women typical on Instagram, a photo flaunting your armpit hair is just that. Instagram, as a platform, reflects a tired age-old norm where women can’t exist (online or offline) without being attractive.

“With the case of Instagram, you kind of have this toggling of the tensions between your sense of authentic self versus what the platform determines is an authentic presentation of femininity,” said Warfield. These tensions, Warfield said, arise from what Instagram defines as authentic. “Beautiful, off on adventures, or like, pensive and reflective, wearing beautiful outfits, very curated, hair looks great – that’s the notion of authenticity on Instagram. But your felt sense of authenticity is maybe very different.”

Mahi Kaur, a 20-year-old photographer and student at Capilano University, created her finsta of 80 followers, @ mahithecreator, when she was 18 years old, living in Surrey and isolated from her friends in the suburbs. “It’s like a personal diary,” she said. “It’s a record of things. When I want to remember what I did that day, it gives [me] a timeline, so [I] can go back to a moment, or what a person said, and jog [my] memory.” One selfie on Kaur’s finsta features her with her head tilted up, her lips pursed and her hand cradling her wrinkled chin. The caption reads “shoutout to everyone getting laid on campus recently and the pimple on my chin for being one of the many things that keep me humble.” To contrast, her main account, @mahi.raani, has 657 followers and is flooded with stunning photos of Kaur looking like a goddess, often bathed in golden light and wearing edgy outfits. When you compare the two, her finsta seems like an alternative space where she can exist in a range of expression and being outside the confines of beauty and coolness.

“I don’t think anyone posts anything actually ugly of themselves,” she said. “If it is, it’s not because it’s ugly, it’s because you’re trying to — like I try to push myself, to be more comfortable with it. So I’ll post an ugly photo just for

the fucking sake of it.”

These ugly selfies, according to Warfield, are a form of activism that challenges the notion of “femininity as perfection.” They function like pretty selfies — women produce them to validate an image they want to see themselves in. Like ‘pretty’ selfies, posting ‘ugly’ selfies authenticates an underrepresented way-of-being into existence. Or, to put it simply, for women posting photos of themselves that aren’t pretty is a way of acknowledging their own humanity.

Warfield is quick to point out that this kind of photographic activism is difficult to sustain on Instagram.

“There is very much embedded within the platform culture and the platform mechanics, this ideology of self as brand that I think is super hard to push against on Instagram,” she explained. “Brand isn't identity, its motive is to sell something. It's not to be, it’s to sell, to profit from. When you have the platform itself pushing for this idea that identity is brand, or identity is for profit, then the identity that you feel you have to present inadvertently starts to adopt these qualities.” Kaur seems to agree. “You’re still thinking about, like, is this [post] annoying? Do people want to go through this?” she said. *Kim Mugisha, a 23-year-old Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice student at UBC, became so exasperated with the endless feed of others’ perfect lives, and she was so preoccupied with who was seeing her posts, that she created a finsta and eventually decided to delete her main Instagram altogether. “I don’t miss it,” she said. “I was like, ‘I’m done’.” Mugisha’s finsta, @cattleherdermaiden, is flooded with selfies, images of dogs, nature and weird pictures from the depths of the internet. She often writes detailed captions expressing her experiences with heartbreak, abuse and mental illness among other things. Mugisha can’t afford a regular therapist anymore, and since then her finsta’s become her pseudo-therapist, with friends regularly chiming in and commenting on her posts for support. “I’ve had friends reach out to me and be like, ‘Hey, are you doing well? How are you? I’ve seen your post.’ I appreciate it for sure. No one has to do that, but it’s very kind.” I ask her if she ever she ever feels bad after sharing the darker posts. “It’s a weird dichotomy,” she replied, “where your like, ‘I wanna share everything,’ but like, even the bad stuff? And it’s like, why do I wanna tell people that I’m not doing well right now?”

After discussing her Instagram accounts for a while, Elliott became bothered. “Oh my God,” she sighed, putting her phone face down on the coffee table. “I can’t look at this anymore.” It’s exhausting as women to constantly be questioning the honesty of our online presence. If we embody normative femininity, we lose. If we deviate from it, we lose. Maintaining your Instagram account can often feel like a betrayal of your sense of self. When I explain this to Warfield, she offers a take on authenticity I hadn’t considered.

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“Authenticity is not so much about someone else telling you what is right or wrong,” she said, “but your ability… to write yourself or visually present yourself as you feel is true to yourself or true to your feelings or true to your bodily lived reality. Once you reposition it that way, and you put in the body of whomever, then you have this endless multiplicity of authenticities.

Authenticity is defined by the person who inhabits the body.”

I was just coming to the end of writing this piece, when I saw a post from Elliott’s @watsherface account.

"We flood the feed so we can see ourselves, to make space to be, and to construct an identity," she wrote. "[@watsherface] may be back, but for now, she will rest in her innate selfish/selfishness.” I felt my heart drop a bit, and immediately reached for my phone to message Elliott and ask her why she decided to end the account. “I realize I don’t identify with it anymore,” she answered. Instead, she wants to create another finsta, @ swampmama.

“I feel like @watsherface allowed me to be unapologetic, it really made me explore who I was more abstractly. Now I feel it’s more of a job to keep her alive, and I’m thinking for @swampmama [of] opening up discourse on mental health, physical health and just taking care of yourself and seeing beauty in people and the world,” she said.

And so, with the tap of a finger, one identity is shed in favour of another. The days of finstas could be numbered if Instagram continues to roll out features that give users greater control over audiences, like the new “Close Friends” whitelist feature, which enables users to share Instagram stories to a select group of followers. For now though, maintaining an online presence remains a constant balancing act. Maybe there’s some comfort to be found in simply acknowledging that identity is not singular and static, but multidimensional and everchanging. Warfield likens ‘self’ to a floodlight: glaring, bright, and impossible to contain. If you were to cover the light with a black piece of paper, and cut a small slit through it, only a tiny beam would pour out and be visible— that tiny beam is your finsta.

“It’s this one little sliver of the totality of you.

The only way to know the totality of you would be to rip off that paper and see you all together with all of these different ways of being over a long period of time,” Warfield says. “But that’s really difficult, and that’s not how media works, right?

Any medium is always representational, it’s always going to be snapshots and snapshots, it’s never going to be able to show you in your totality and the whole way you are.”

VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

*Name changed to protect privacy

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

You think you don’t want to know us, and you might be right. Regardless, meet our eligible Courier staff as they appear in the eyes of their co-workers.

SAY HOLA TO SHEILA

MEET MEGAN

CALL CHRISTINE

BY MEGAN ORR

BY CHRISTINE BEYLEVELDT

BY ASHLEIGH BRINK

BY FREYA WASTENEYS

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ADDRESS ANNALISSE eet Annalisse - that’s with two n’s and two s’s, DON’T spell it wrong! This small and spunky lil’ chihuahua can skateboard, smoke and can drink with the guys – but don’t underestimate her academically! She’s probably smarter than you.

She’s also not afraid to say what she thinks, so if you’re looking for someone who will just listen to you, Annalisse is definitely not your girl. That being said, if you happen to be tall, funny, handsome, smart and generally perfect in every way, she would love to call you her partner in crime – romantically, that is. Not real crime… she stopped doing that a little while ago. That being said, if you aren’t perfect, but aren’t against the idea of a shotgun wedding that will magically give this unaccented Kiwi a VISA, she may want you to hit her up for a good time. But whatever, she doesn’t really care.

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ur quiet new addition to the team will be buzzing like a bee if you treat her to a cup of caffeine, and if you drop the language of love in her ear, all the better. Sheila claims she tries to keep her pride in her Mexican heritage lowkey around her Canadian friends but utter a few words of sultry Spanish to her and not only will that guise melt away, she might be your Querida.

Have you ever wanted your girlfriend to play Dungeons and Dragons with your bros?

Then you’ve found your woman, although she’d be just as happy curled up on the couch with a good book. If you want to see her get excited, and I mean really excited, check out her YouTube channel (you read that right) for her book reviews. Now I know what you may be thinking – fantasy novels are for children. Don’t be fooled by her quiet demeanour though, Sheila is feisty and can dance the night away to a rhumba or salsa, and you definitely won’t be able to keep up. But you might find yourself asking how to soothe a fiery soul – especially if you dare to question her choice of reading material? The short answer is chocolate, and lots of it. Say “hola” to find out more.

egan low key hates almost everything – but she might just like you. Maybe. Well, to be totally honest, probably not. Don’t get your hopes up.

Well suited to her Opinions Editor role, Megan loves to complain (especially about the weather, so you’ll never have to worry about making small talk). She also loves dogs and exploring everything Vancouver has to offer. She can probably outdrink you and will never hesitate to call you out on your bullshit.

Her hobbies include trying new things (mostly so she can complain about them), going outside (before remembering she doesn’t actually want to be outside) and reminiscing about how much she hates Calgary (eww, Calgary). The one thing she does love is trying new types of beer, and of course, posting them online after. But lately the Whole30 thing has put a stop to that (wait, is that over yet?).

Oh, and don’t worry, she only posts photos of beer and dogs on her Instagram so you won’t be that guy who took 40 photos of her. Call Megan if you love to hate (and if you enjoy parentheses).

hristine may be the resident Disney princess of the Courier Office, but she has no problem with sweeping a man off his feet – it is 20-muthahflippin’-19, after all. Granted, she’ll likely do it accidentally as she sweeps across a ballroom in her purple satin gown (if you’ve tripped on her lengthy train on the way to the little boy’s room, that’s a YOU problem).

But let’s not get too caught up in the details of how you’ll fall for her... the point is, you will. Whether it’s the mirthless cackle as she forces you to watch short horror film, Socket, or her incessant need to add cymbal crashes to every homemade film (regardless of whether or not it’s appropriate), it’s hard not to be enchanted by this modern-day, outof-tune reincarnation of Cinderella.

The only thing she loves more than glamour is... well, grammar. So if you like saying things like “whom are you going to call?” instead of “who ya gonna call?” then this Ghostbuster might just be for you.

Christine is looking for a Mama Mia Young Bill lookalike, so if you fit the (OMG) bill – call her.

No seriously.

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GREET GRETA

ALOHA TO ASHLEIGH

BY RACHEL D’SA

BY ANNALISSE CROSSWELL

BY FREYA WASTENEYS

BY CHRISTINE BEYLEVELDT

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irst off, good luck trying to get a hold of Freya – she’s hardly ever in an area with reception. She’s one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet, and by that we mean that her face can often be found, literally, in the dirt. Over time you’ll get the vibe that she should’ve been born as some sort of nature element like snow or a plant. By definition, her Scandinavian name means “lady”, but she really should’ve been named “tree”, or the Scandinavian equivalent of “tree”.

Freya spends her time tree planting, skiing, running, beating fastest known times, mountain biking, hiking, trail running and hanging out with friends where she’ll inconspicuously walk at a slightly increased pace to make them feel out of shape.

This nature-loving athlete will make you sweat. Coffee date? You mean a jog?

Beachside dinner? You better mean a beachside jog? A jog? You mean a weekend triathlon? It’s only just a little bit annoying that she’s so swift and more athletic than you. After one date you’ll probably find yourself muttering “are you kidding me” as you wheeze getting into your ice bath.

You won’t be able to “find her” on a typical Saturday night, she’s probably still planting trees somewhere a lot cooler than wherever you consider to be cool. But maybe she’ll let you into her world, just don’t trip on her outdoor gear – her bedroom looks like the inside of a MEC. There’s just no guarantee that she’ll love you more than her Garmin watch... or trees.

oys be warned… this is the legendary Rachel 25K D’Sa before you (and that’s just the number of right swipes she garnered from the Vancouver catchment area, not including the fish she caught in her Tinder net out in Toronto).

If you walk into the Courier office on a Tuesday you’ll see Rachel, our resident DJ, playing tunes and making our pitch board look fabulous with her doodles. Don’t be fooled by her extraverted confidence though, this feminine punk aesthetic chicka spends most of her time lurking underneath a desk to avoid socializing.

When she’s not doing astounding her coworkers with her karaoke skills, you can find her contemplating her Honda CBR250R (which in the common tongue is known as a motorcycle). She may have never changed the oil, but claims she knows all about how to if need be. If a girl riding a motorbike is too much for your ego then maybe look elsewhere, but if that’s your thing keep in mind she has a habit of letting her license lapse so 20 per cent of your date will be spent on public transit.

And if you need a romantic soundtrack to your date, don’t hesitate to play some Indigo Indigo to her (she won’t find it weird that your playing her own music at all). And, remember, she’s got that feisty Italian blood running through her so keep that in mind before you take this somewhat sarcastic advice.

She’s on the lookout for a cutie who's willing to go to shows with her, someone that can handle her multifaceted personality and preferably introduce her to some rad new bands.

t’s hard not to be seduced by Greta, afterall, she will be the first to tell you that she has “honey for days.” But don’t be mistaken by this seemingly sweet claim – despite being a Swede, she’s a little more akin to the Swedish House Mafia than she is to the Hurdy Gurdy Swedish Chef. So, if you’re looking for a woman to cook you a home cooked meal – run. Greta is an outspoken kiddie menu advocate and will eat variations of bread and cheese every day because she wants to, god damn it. Don’t get her started on vegetables.

Keys to her heart include Sephora gift cards, French braids and everything bagels with cream cheese from Tim Hortons. And please don’t hug her, because she would rather you didn’t and there’s nothing wrong with that. You may think that you can serenade her with ABBA because of her heritage, but if that’s your thing you should probably see Christine’s dating profile. Instead, serenade her with your conspiracy theories and promise of free coffee.

Just don’t stick your hand in her purse.

That’s where she keeps her stolen honey packets. Call this fake number that she gave us for a good time: 123-456-7890

ur resident dry wit Ashleigh may be obscenely tall, but that just another way of saying, “built like a Goddess”, right?

She can shuck a crab’s shell open a lot faster than you can, and isn’t afraid to get messy doing it. You see, by day she works the web from the couch in her pyjamas, by night she’s chasing your seafood dinner around the kitchen sink with a knife down at the local Crab Shack. Hit her up anytime, just not while she’s there.

Unlike most of the prissy Millennial 20-something girls in the office, Ashleigh doesn’t settle for jokes about The Office.

In fact, she doesn’t make many jokes, but keep a sharp wit about you, because if you set a toe out of line she’ll be there in a flash with a witty retort and you’ll blush like a ripe peach. Although she says it’s usually her awkward ass going red-faced, especially after cocktail happy hour. If you want to get to know this girl, your best chance is after a drink. We just hope your sense of humour is as dry as hers.

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REACH OUT TO RACHEL

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FIND FREYA

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SWINGING BOTH WAYS

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Despite growing acceptance of the LGBTQ2+ community, bisexual people still face a unique set of challenges

BY ASHLEIGH BRINK JENNY OAKLEY ILLUSTRATOR

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

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t is an overcast winter day with a distinct chill in the air. Lonsdale Quay is bustling with life, and the vast array of foods fill the air with a wonderful mix of tantalizing smells. Sitting at a table just outside is Hayleigh Warry-Gayton.

Her long, brown hair is tied back into a neat ponytail, and she is sporting both a hoodie and leather jacket to ward off the cold. To any passerby in the bustling seaside market, she would appear to be just another 19-year-old girl, but as one of the approximately 5.5 per cent of Canadian women who identify as bisexual, she has a unique perspective on dating. “[I]t is definitely about meeting the right person, because if I have feelings for that person [that are] strong enough, it trumps everything else,” she said. For her, it’s the person she’s attracted to, not their gender.

Yet, for some people that can be a hard concept to grasp. Many bisexuals are subjected to the misconception that their sexuality is “just a phase”, and that they will one day discover they are actually straight or gay. This is in spite of studies dating back to 1948 that show

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that a significant group of people do not fit into the narrow definitions of heterosexuality and homosexuality.

While there is growing acceptance of members of the LGBTQ2+ community and Canada boasting some of the most progressive laws in the world, homophobia does still prevail. Many within the queer community feel discrimination on a daily basis. In fact, Ashton Davies*, a 20-year-old bisexual man, feels uncomfortable to the point where he admits he would “never hold hands with a guy out in public.”

Bisexuals like Davies and WarryGayton face many of the same challenges as other gay individuals, but they also have to contend with their own unique disadvantages. These start early, as they struggle to discover their sexuality. Being attracted to both men and women (and possibly others outside the gender binary) means being able to fit into both the “straight” and “gay” boxes prescribed by Western society, while not truly belonging in either one. Both Warry-Gayton and Davies recalled their tenuous journeys discovering and accepting their bisexuality. “In Grade 8 and 9 I was so nervous because there were so many girls that I was attracted to, but I just thought, ‘Oh I just think you’re really pretty’,” said Warry-Gayton. A few people even tried to change her mind about her sexuality. “It’s LGBTQ+, and it’s there, [bisexuality]’s on the spectrum, and people shade it out,” she said with

exasperation.

It can be frustrating when others hold onto ideas that have long been disproven.

A study conducted in 2008 showed that 92 per cent of women who identified as bisexual as adolescents still identified as bisexual 10 years later. “[B]isexual women were consistently sexually fluid over time, maintaining attractions to both genders, to varying degrees, over the course of a decade,” University of Utah assistant professor Dr. Samantha Joel wrote in Psychology Today regarding the study.

Naturally, this harmful, inaccurate idea is massively frustrating to bisexuals. “[W] hen people say to you ‘it’s just a phase’... it definitely can be discouraging. You want to just scream and be like ‘yeah but it’s not’,” said Warry-Gayton.

Since sexuality is best described as a spectrum, researchers developed a method of categorizing it called the Kinsey Scale.

The scale ranks sexuality on a scale from zero to six, zero being exclusively heterosexual, and six being exclusively homosexual. The remaining categories, one to five, are all different gradations of bisexuality. Contrary to the popular belief that bisexual people are “half gay, half straight,” most are not equally attracted to men and women. Some are naturally, but many lean one way or the other. One person may strongly prefer to date women, and another person may slightly prefer to date men. Yet, despite being scientifically backed, many people still question the legitimacy of bisexuality – even within the

queer community.

Perhaps the most damaging stereotype bisexual people face, especially in regards to attracting partners, is that they are intrinsically promiscuous and disloyal.

That just because they have the capacity to be attracted to, and to love people not restricted to one gender, they are assumed to be incapable of sustaining a happy, monogamous relationship. Or, that they are just insatiable sex fiends who can’t help but cheat. Unsurprisingly, this too has been shown to be completely and utterly false.

According to the aforementioned 2008 study, nearly 90 per cent of participants were engaged in long-term monogamous relationships by its conclusion.

Unfortunately though, this misconception is widespread. Bisexual people are all too often written off as fickle, promiscuous and inevitably unfaithful. These pervasive opinions have some disheartening consequences for the bisexual community.

A recent study showed that both gay and straight people are less willing to date a bisexual person, and a shocking 47 per cent of those surveyed said they would never date a bisexual person.

Amidst this discrimination, a worrying trend has emerged amongst bisexual pople.

According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, bisexual people are notably less likely to come out to their friends and family compared to their gay and lesbian counterparts.

This is significant

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Bisexual men, on the other hand, have a drastically different experience.

Overwhelmingly, both gay men and straight women see them as less desirable. To compound things even further, bisexual men are often assumed to just be closeted gay men, just because they break the social conformity embedded in masculinity itself.

“In both cases it is assumed that bisexual people are really into men and not women.

So bisexual women are often assumed to be in it to titillate men, whereas bisexual men are assumed to be gay men who are not brave enough to come out as gay,” said Barker.

Fortunately though, both Warry-Gayton and Davies seem to be doing quite well.

Despite their different approaches, both are increasingly comfortable with their

bisexuality, and finding their place in both the LGBTQ2+ community and the world. “[I]t’s easy to deal with if you have a good... support system who understands you,” said Warry-Gayton.

That seems to ring true for many. With a strong support network of accepting friends and family, many bisexual people handle the discrimination levelled at them and find fulfilling long-term relationships, monogamous or otherwise. That being said though, we can only hope that acceptance of bisexuality continues to grow.

Warry-Gayton wraps up the interview in typical bisexual fashion – with awkward finger guns. *Name changed to protect privacy

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Americans, but among LGB people, those who are bisexual face disproportionately higher rates of these negative outcomes than lesbians and gay men,” according to a recent publication by a number of bisexual advocacy groups.

Naturally, the experiences of bisexual men and women vary to a certain degree.

For women, one of the most prominent challenges is their vast oversexualization, especially in modern Western society.

“Bisexuality [is] regarded as something that women do for the pleasure of men,” said Meg-John Barker of BiUK in an interview with Refinery29. Unfortunately, this directly contributes to another issue bisexual women face, the perception that their attraction to women is somehow lesser than their attraction to men. That they “just need to meet the right guy” and they will suddenly be cured of their attraction to women.

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because a strong support system is vital to LGBTQ2+ individuals, and not being out deprives them of this. Warry-Gayton repeatedly stressed the importance of having a good support network, and said she tries to mostly surround herself with mature, accepting individuals.

While Warry-Gayton is mostly “out”, and quite open about her bisexuality, Davies is not. He takes a drastically different approach and only tells a few individuals who he is certain will be supportive. “I think [biphobia is] why I’m scared of telling [people], that’s literally the only reason,” said Davies. “..[T] he friends I haven’t told… there’s reasons why I haven’t told them, because you can tell how open-minded someone is.”

With many bisexual men and women not being out, and therefore lacking those key support systems in addition to the rampant, albeit sometimes subtle, discrimination they face, there seems to be a profoundly negative effect on the community. “LGBT Americans face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and negative health outcomes than straight

COLUMNS

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Global Narratives No longer alone in Canada

SAGAR MEHTA COLUMNIST

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y Cathay Pacific flight arrived at Vancouver International Airport on Aug. 29, 2017. It was one of many planes to carry thousands of new international students looking at a bright future and a new stage in their lives.

Those first views travelling along the road, that first call to my parents back home in Kurukshetra, India, those beautiful houses dotted around my aunt’s place, the address I had scribbled on a piece of paper and taped to my luggage, they were all so memorable.

The air was the same but it seemed new and fresh. Everything seemed like a fairytale and at the centre of it I was just admiring the beauty of this wonderful city. I definitely got to appreciate it, my cousin didn’t let me sleep a wink to recover from jet lag.

The next day was orientation day at Capilano University. My alarm rang at 7 am and I was beaming with excitement

Conspiracy Corner The Unsolved Mystery of Dyatlov Pass GRETA KOOY COLUMNIST

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nsolved mysteries often become the subjects of conspiracy theories, especially when the evidence is chilling and inexplicable.

With all of the advancements in the field of forensic science, many unsolved cases have been reopened in the hopes that technology will provide answers to these mysteries.

Sixty years after the bodies of nine Russian hikers were found in the Ural Mountains, Russian police have reopened the notorious unsolved case. In January, on the anniversary of the Dyatlov Pass incident, authorities announced that they would reexamine the evidence of a case prosecutors call a “baffling mystery”.

On Jan. 23, 1959, at the height of the Cold War, a group of 10 experienced hikers from the Ural Polytechnic Institute embarked on an expedition through the Siberian backcountry. The group, made up of eight men and two women, began their journey towards the Ural Mountains on trains, buses, trucks and horse-drawn sleighs before setting off on foot and ski. All but one of the hikers were in their twenties, led by 23-year-old Igor Dyatlov from which the Pass gets its name. Their final destination was Gora Otorten, a mountain at the end of a 350-kilometre planned trek.

After five days one of the hikers became ill and decided to head back while the rest carried on. That would be the last time he saw his friends.

On Feb. 1, the remaining members of the group reached the foot of a mountain known

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to see my new school, classrooms, teachers and classmates. I called my family during the drive to the campus, and I shared all of the beautiful sights with them through the car window. Despite the quality time with familiar faces, that tension of being in a new country on my own just could not let me fully enjoy myself.

I moved into a basement in Surrey, where almost all of the students were Indian. Weeks passed, and I got used to the gruesome 5:30 am awakening and 6:30 am commute to make my 8:30 am classes. I was having breakfast with my eyes half-open. I found it a little hard to get used to the education system, but with the help of some new friends I settled in. It was easy to befriend fellow international students because we were all experiencing the same emotions.

One month in I got a job as a Technology Sales Associate at Staples. I wore a nice uniform, I interacted with people, sold some sweet electronic stuff and went home. How much better could it have been?

Everything was running smoothly and all the feelings I was experiencing of foundering in a new country seemed to have disappeared. But life always has a test and a lesson waiting, and at the end of November I was scammed by somebody who made me leave my job for a new and better paying one that I never got. Everybody wants to grow, I did at the time and still do, but that decision to leave my first job without having

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the other job set in stone meant I was unemployed for a month and a half, but I earned the lesson of a lifetime.

A year ago, I had experienced Canada’s festive season and some of the Indian festivals which are celebrated here as well, all during that weird time of year when it snows and rains that Vancouverites are used to. My studies became harder this time and I had to manage to pay the tuition fees as well. Studying three days and working four days a week with five to six hours of sleep became my routine. Life seemed boring and I decided to do something better with it.

July 2018 rolled around. I was browsing CapU’s campus directory looking for that one keyword, “Student Mentor”, after hearing about it at orientation, and I found it. After thinking deeply about how I could make my university experience worth remembering I decided to apply to become a student mentor and help new international students get settled in. My very first thought was that I would not let any other student at orientation miss out on living up to their full potential like I did.

I tried to make everybody forget about the pressure and just go with the flow. My speech at orientation contained some phrases in my own language (Hindi) to showcase how proud I was of my background and to make those who also had a culture-rich background to feel welcome and accepted in a safe and diverse environment. It was a moment of a lifetime

to the local Mansi population as “Dead indicating that someone had tried to climb it.

Mountain”. Although just a few hundred Later, in the surrounding snowy metres from the peak, the team of hikers set wilderness, the bodies of three more hikers up camp for the night. were found covered in a light layer of Weeks went by. After Dyatlov failed to snow. Though they were dressed more send a telegraph, those close to the group appropriately than the previous two bodies, began to feel anxious and on Feb. 20 the they were still lacking proper clothing and Institute assembled a volunteer search equipment. party made up of students and teachers.

All five of the hikers were found facing Local police and the army would later join the direction of the tent, perhaps indicating the search, that they were equipped struggling to with planes, make it back. helicopters Although and their autopsies snowmobiles. showed signs On Feb. 26, of minor bodily the search injuries, it was party located concluded that the abandoned they died from camp. hypothermia.

It was Two months clear that later, 75 metres something had from the cedar gone horribly tree, the bodies wrong. The of the remaining tent had four hikers were ILLUSTRATED BY HEATHER HAUGHN collapsed and discovered. They was covered were covered in with a thin layer of snow and the hikers’ three meters of snow, and three of the four equipment and personal belongings were had sustained fatal injuries. left behind in the disheveled tent. Most One of the four hikers was found with interesting to the search party were the signs a fractured skull. Two other hikers had of struggle from within the tent, which had multiple rib fractures, both had suffered been slashed open from the inside. massive internal bleeding. Medical The volunteers located nine pairs of examiners concluded that their injuries were footprints, which were made while walking, sustained while they were alive and were not running, that led them down a slope not each other’s doing. Two were also found towards the nearby woods. After half a with their eyes missing. One of the female kilometre they disappeared. The search hikers was found without a tongue, which party decided to follow the direction of the medical reports never indicated was torn or footprints, which lead them to a makeshift cut out, simply that it was “missing”. The fire beside a tall cedar tree where the bodies last of the four was found with a broken of two of the hikers were found. Despite the neck, but had died of hypothermia. weather being -30 Celsius, the hikers were The last four bodies found were better found with only light undergarments and dressed unlike the others, but curiously socks. The tree showed signs of damage, were wearing the clothing of the two men

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ILLUSTRATED BY ANNIKA MCFARLANE

when my speech ended, and I received loud cheers and applause.

My life has wholly turned around since that day. Since, students call me all day to ask for help or guidance and it makes me feel accepted and important. People have started to recognize me and it feels so amazing that many people want to talk to me and I no longer feel so alone.

And here am I in 2019, having attended one more orientation, trying to help hundreds of new students. I’ve even considered a career as a student advisor.

Getting out of my boring routine and doing something has now become an important part of my life, and helping somebody without expecting anything back is what has given me real happiness in this new stage of my life.

originally found near the cedar tree. Later, investigators found that three of the articles of clothing were unusually radioactive – a key ingredient in any conspiracy theory.

However, it was later discovered that the clothing belonged to two men that had previously worked in fields where radioactive material was present.

On May 28, investigators closed the criminal case. Although medical examiners and investigators tried their best to explain the cause of the hikers’ injuries, there were still unanswered questions. Lead investigator Lev Ivanov concluded that “the cause of death was an unknown compelling force which the hikers were unable to overcome.”

Theories ran rampant. A KGB cover-up, aliens and the Yeti have all factored into the story of what happened to the hikers. Many believe that a threat inside the tent forced the hikers to cut their way out, but there was never any sign of a threat other than possibly a small fire that couldn’t be contained. But that hasn’t been proven either.

The last member of the original group of hikers identified some of the items left behind. However, some items he couldn’t account for, including a cloth, a pair of skis and glasses. He suspected the cloth to be of “military origin”, which led him to be believed that the military had something to do with his friends’ deaths. However, no evidence has ever been found to support this claim either.

Unlike other conspiracy theories, the Dyatlov Pass incident might be resolved.

“Relatives, the media and the public still ask prosecutors to determine the truth and don’t hide their suspicions that something was hidden from them,” said Alexander Kurennoi, the official representative of Russia’s prosecutor general. The push from the public prompted Russian officials to reopen the cold case after 60 years of mystery, confusion and conspiracy.

COLUMNS

Trying Times Whole 30 Days of Suffering MEGAN ORR COLUMNIST

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ILLUSTRATED BY EMILY ROSE

corner. My boyfriend’s wine glass and my best friend visiting who wanted to go to her favourite spot for a beer. At least a dozen or so times it would have been easier to give up, but I didn’t.

I realize how self-congratulatory this all sounds and that’s because it is.

Congratulations to me! I decided to do something drastic to take control of my health and I actually did it. Whether or not the changes will actually stick remains to be seen, but in the meantime, I am going to continue to gloat and feel self-superior.

Cheers to the next 30 days, they will probably be full of at least a couple more donuts than my last 30.

CMNS 236: Understanding More Television To All the Boys That Have Loved HIMYM CARLO JAVIER COLUMNIST

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have developed a bit of a problem with How I Met Your Mother and it sucks because for a time, it was my favourite television show.

My TV diet during my teenage years was primarily composed of NBA basketball, late night talk shows and South Park. How I Met Your Mother, which ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014, was essentially my first foray into sitcoms and serial programming.

It was easy to like How I Met Your Mother. At its very core, the show is about a man’s quest to find true love. That’s just about everything you need to captivate the interest of boys who think that someone smiling at them is neither arbitrary nor a mere act of courtesy but is instead a sign of

interest.

My retroactive disdain for the show stems not from seeing better shows since then (which I have, many times over), nor does it come from a change in perception regarding its quality (I still think it’s a solid comedy that fills a role and a niche.) I have come to change my stance on the show because I believed in it. Along with friends and fans of the show, I saw Ted Mosby’s (Josh Radnor) quest to find his true love as a benevolent and admirable search. I saw his unyielding desire to be romantically happy as romantic in itself and deemed it to be a necessary rite of passage for any adolescent male.

Then I grew up (regrettably, not in terms of height.) I didn’t repudiate my stance on Ted because of some debilitating heartbreak or a seemingly endless personal struggle to find my own romance. I went back on my stance because I did find romance and I couldn’t help but look back on how for the entirety of Ted’s quest to find “the one”, every step of the way seemed to be predicated to his decisions.

Let me be clear, I’m no expert on romance – no one but the Courier’s Rachel D’Sa is – but in retrospect, How I Met Your Mother’s biggest flaw was the characterization of Ted. He was in love with the idea of being in love

and it seemed to have never occurred to Ted (or the writers), that maybe it wasn’t always going to be up to him?

My stance now may be a by-product of our current socio-political climate, but my critique on Ted has been slowly gnawing at me in the past few years. How I Met Your Mother was a very popular show. It consistently drew around eight million viewers per season during its original airing, and naturally, I have friends who also enjoyed the sitcom. I also have friends who have adopted the same philosophy that Ted had – this idyllic view of romance and that it’s something that can be consciously shaped. I have friends who dreamt of finding their own, real-life Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders). Friends who adored her characterization as this All-Canadian woman who loves sports and athletics just like the boys, but not too much because otherwise she would then be taking up space from sports discourse. And obviously, there are friends who still glorify Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) and his hyperbolic, womanizing lifestyle. (Yes, I have a lot of friends… on Facebook.)

I understand How I Met Your Mother is ultimately just a TV show, and a work of fiction, but its main character really was the perfect avatar for fragile masculinity

and disseminating that type of thinking through TV is as effective as can be. TV is a prevailing agent of socialization and Douglas Kellner’s study on Media Culture summed it up best: “[the] television… industry provides models of what it means to be male and female, successful or a failure, powerful or powerless… media culture helps shape the prevalent view of the world and its deepest values: it defines what is good or bad, positive or negative, moral or evil.”

Romance is the backbone of many television programs. We collectively like to see and hear love stories because there’s a realness we can relate to or aspire towards.

It just so happens that many television writers have forgotten, ignored or have been ignorant about the realities surrounding romance. Not every couple is going to be heteronormative, partners won’t always come from the same race and/or ethnic background and stories don’t always have to be about a mid-20s or mid-30s love affair. Many more stories about romance are utterly invisible in television, and really, these are the stories we need to see and be told. How I Met Your Mother may have been right to preach about love as the be-all endall, but its methodology was a tad suspect.

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of it: setting a goal and sticking to it.

There was quite a bit of temptation too. On day four, my boyfriend made banana bread.

I cried literal tears and had to leave the house and go for a walk so I could stop thinking about eating the entire loaf. I don’t even like banana bread, but that’s how seriously I wanted to quit only four days in. By day seven, I had had a migraine for the full week and was absolutely ready to give up. Fridays in the Courier office means pizza, so I had to sit and watch everyone eat cheesy gluteny goodness while I had chicken and cauliflower.

There were sushi nights, where I just ate my prepped meals and tried not to stare too longingly at the rice and salty fish delicacies.

There was also alcohol tempting me at every

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f you spent more than five minutes with me in the last 30 days you know that I was doing Whole30. It’s really all I’ve been thinking about and have managed to work it into most unrelated conversations. So, also, if you’ve spent more than five minutes with me in the last 30 days, I’m sorry. For those of you that haven’t heard my explanation (count yourselves lucky), Whole30 is a restricted 30-day diet meant to help people with digestive issues weed out foods that are inflammatory. That means that for 30 days I had no sugar, alcohol, gluten, grains, dairy, processed foods, additives or legumes, among other things.

The idea behind the program, to be brief, is that by cutting these things out you will know what foods are good for you.

Whole30 gurus claim that this will change your life, with promises of, “consistently high energy levels, improved athletic performance, better sleep, improved focus and mental clarity, and a sunnier disposition,” along with claims of potential weight loss, glowing skin, broken bad eating habits and a reduction in cravings.

Overall, I don’t know if I feel all the amazingness that you’re supposed to.

Mostly I’ve just been hungry, exhausted and daydreaming about donuts and wine.

My skin hasn’t cleared up, if anything it looks kind of worse, my pants are still tight and my digestive issues, while definitely more manageable, are still present. This wasn’t an amazing miracle cure-all-my-

problems solution like I had secretly been hoping for, but that wasn’t actually the point of doing it.

The point of doing this was to figure out what foods actually made me feel good and what ones didn’t, as well as give myself more awareness about what ingredients are in the foods I eat regularly. Did you guys know there is sugar in almost everything?

And I mean everything – salad dressings, soup broths, hot sauces, you name it! Also, so many things that are sugar-free are full of additives to make up the flavour. I definitely learned a lot about all of the shit I was putting in my body and hope to move forward with the same consideration.

However, my biggest takeaway was even more internal than the newfound comfort in my bowels – I realized that I am more capable of self-control than I thought. I am absolutely a hedonist. I do not like to restrict myself in any sense – if I want a donut, I will have a donut. Since I moved out on my own six years ago I have basically been living in one long “treat yourself” moment.

Upwards of 50 pounds later and a whole slew of other issues, not just physical, it wasn’t really feeling like a treat anymore but more like a bad habit. I felt ashamed, honestly, like I had no self-control and was trying to brush it off as my not caring.

But I did care. I knew that I was headed down a path and I wasn’t particularly keen on finding the destination. However, I felt like I didn’t have the ability to restrict my habits enough to make any sort of real change. This has been something I have planned on doing for years, but never ever thought I would be able to do. So ya, it isn’t really about the number on the scale (I did lose 15 pounds in the 30 days, which is no small feat), but more about the actual doing

CAMPUS LIFE

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Winners of the 2019 Best of Cap Readers Choice Awards FREYA WASTENEYS FEATURES EDITOR

Anna Rempel – Best Student Politician

Exposure – Best Visual Art Piece

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Rempel proves that you don’t have to be loud to be heard.

While seemingly soft-spoken, Rempel has been heralded for exhibiting amazing leadership qualities, and was commended by one nominee for her ability to “get people going” and support people to “soar to new heights”. What better traits for the President of the CSU, not to mention Vice-President of Equity and Sustainability. For someone who can guide with a compassionate yet decisive hand, we can’t think of anyone better to call the Best Student Politician and can see many wonderful opportunities ahead for the recent Global Stewardship graduate.

Illustrated by Aidan Zecchel, “Exposure” was created as a collaborative project for an article written by a CapU Communications student titled “Weaving Reconcilliation”.

Using watercolour, Zecchel’s broad strokes create a powerful, geometric and whimsical wonder that dares you not to look away. With the prestigious IDEA program, CapU can legitimately claim itself a hotspot for talent in the Visual Arts.

e asked and you told us. The third annual Best of Capilano Awards, presented by the Capilano Courier on Wednesday, Feb. 6 in the Capilano Students' Union (CSU) Member Centre, honoured the best of the University’s ever exciting community, as voted by the student body.

Launched in 2017, the Best of Capilano Awards aims to celebrate the many inspiring and success stories that happen amongst the members of the Capilano University community. The awards aim to recognize the individuals and groups who each strive to make the institution the best place it can be, and the individuals and groups who represent the Capilano name on a larger scale with pride and excellence.

Kym Stewart – Lifechanging Professor

It’s hard not to love the energetic and fun Communications professor, Dr. Kym Stewart. As the recipient of the Life Changing Professor award, Stewart lives up to the title. Her passion for teaching, kind demeanour and ability to drive Whether she’s sporting business casual, or a foreign concepts into students’ heads is truly admirable. fluorescent yellow knit hoodie, somehow Juliana Ferrante Despite being wickedly smart, she also happens to be downalways manages to look flawless. The fourth-year to-earth and approachable to the point where you sometimes Communications student took home the women’s award forget she’s grading your assignments. She’s not a regular for Best Dressed, arriving fashionably late to the soirée professor, she’s a cool professor. because she was “in class and then had a meeting.” At least we know she’s not just a pretty face.

Keith Jackson – Community Achievement

Juliana Ferrante – Best Dressed

John Tabbernor – Best Dressed This suave trend-setter has the voice of a radio star, but the style of Barney Stinson. Tabbernor may be a seasoned veteran in the Communications program, but outside of school he is even more so. His military background has given him hidden talents, and he can probably do more push ups than you too. As the former Community Relations Manager for the Capilano Courier, Tabbernor maintained a calm and collected air as he accepted this prestigious award with a very professional handshake.

Yats Palat – Changemaker and Unsung Hero Walk through the Maple Building’s CSU lounge, and you will inevitably be greeted by the friendly face of Yats Palat. Now in his final year of the Business Administration program, the vice president of student life is certainly living up to his award for Changemaker as he brings larger-than-life events and constant fun to campus.

The avid traveller, and former football star, is keen to create connections and thrives on bringing communities together. He also managed to snag the Unsung Hero award.

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and Best Student Athlete

With a Global Stewardship diploma turned Communications degree, Keith Jackson is in his fifth and final year at Capilano and is a prominent fixture on campus.

This isn’t his first award of the year either – this fall he was the recipient of the CCAA Men’s Soccer Player of the Year award. But despite his many accolades, he is always keen to highlight the achievements of his fellow Capilano Blues. His interest in not-for-profits, volunteering efforts and time spent abroad have given him life experience beyond the classroom, and he has shown that he is willing to dedicate his time to the betterment of his community. If only we were all so motivated.

Exit 22 – Best Performing Arts Ensemble Bringing to the stage the best of CapU’s acting and musical talent, Exit 22 is the Theatre Department’s well-regarded production company. This year, Exit 22 has brought to campus spectacles like Sense and Sensibility, The Learned Ladies, and the upcoming 9 to 5: The Musical.

Capilano Blues Men’s Basketball – Best Blues Team Capilano Blues’ Men’s Basketball Team knows the value of working together under pressure. They exhibit teamwork and sportsmanship on and off the court, and recently moved into second place in the PACWEST after a win in Victoria.

Plus, they bear the name of us all on their jerseys. Thanks for keeping the pride alive.

Nite Cap – Best Musician/Group This enigmatic vocal jazz ensemble has captured student hearts on campus. As part of the Jazz Studies diploma program, this student group is constantly re-ensembled, but they perform an advanced repertoire by both well-respected jazz performers and arrangers, as well as works produced by students. For a free concert, sneak past the stairs at the base of the Fir Building. Maybe.

CAPUMA – Best On Campus Group/ Organization Business students love their acronyms, and the CapU Marketing Association (CAPUMA) is no exception.

CAPUMA facilitates partnerships with professional associations and aims to promote networking and relationship building within CapU and the wider community.

As one of the many student groups who strive to make CapU a better place, the Best Campus Group award was presented to CAPUMA’s President, Rosemary Preckel. She is in her last year at CapU and is passionate about providing mentorship opportunities for her fellow students.

CapFest – Best Event Planned over the course of two years, CapFest celebrated its 50th birthday in style, earning the title for Best Event.

Featuring bands like Hey Ocean! and Five Alarm Funk, the turnout for the event exceeded expectations, with 4,400 attendees throughout the day.

CALENDAR

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What’s 30 per cent off of end-of-season Patagonia items? Still expensive!

But so damn cozy…

DON’T BE NICE (BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT VANCITY THEATRE)

1181 SEYMOUR STREET 6:30-8 PM / $11 FOR STUDENTS

Vancity Theatre is screening this award-winning documentary following a group of slam poets in New York as part of their Black History Month series. Check it out!

YWIB PRESENTS: SPEED NETWORKING BIRCH 126 5:30-7:30 PM / $5

The Young Women in Business group at Cap have arranged for a panel of industry professionals and Chartwells to be in the same room at the same time. Feed your LinkedIn connections while feeding your face.

HOLIDAY: DISCOUNTED GROCERY STORE CHOCOLATE EVE

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PATAGONIA VANCOUVER 11 AM-7 PM

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PATAGONIA WINTER SALE

SUBURBAN DADS ON VACATION THEME THE BEAUMONT 7 PM-2 AM / $12.50

I couldn’t have made this up if I tried. Someone please go and send us pictures.

LEARN TO MAKE MOCHI THE TRUE NOSH KITCHEN & STUDIO 2:30-5 PM / $30

I’m going to take a fat guess and say that our Columns Editor already has her ticket for this.

VALENTINE’S KARAOKE THE PINT 8 PM-MIDNIGHT

There’s no sweeter sound than drunk people screaming horrible renditions of already questionable love songs three days after the window of acceptability has closed.

FAMILY DAY Remember when this used to be on a different day in BC so they had to change it to match the rest of the country? #CanadianHeritageMinutes.

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SHORTS

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YOGA TUESDAYS MT. SEYMOUR 5-6 PM / $15

This is a weekly event. However, some weeks, like the February ones, are guaranteed to be a worse time than others. Layer up on those stretchy pants, kids.

AN EVENING WITH ANTONI POROWSKI

THE VOGUE THEATRE 6-8:30 PM / $39.50 – $66.50

I’ve always dreamed of Antoni cooking me dinner while telling me funny stories, but there were always less people around in those dreams.

CANUCKS VS. ARIZONA COYOTES ROGERS ARENA 7 PM / $31.50-156.50

SEXY CONFESSIONS (Submitted anonymously and just in time for Valentine's Day)

I brought the leftovers from a *secret* date home... and my boyfriend at them.

I lost my virginity in a tarp house with the gardener. Oops.

Student deal: Watch from home and watch this game for free.

SNOOP DOGG & FRIENDS

I asked my Grade 12 Biology teach what the clitoris was.

ROGERS ARENA 8 PM / $39.50-109.50

It’s a blunt, Charlie Brown.

EASTSIDE FLEA SPRING MARKETS

One time while I was at church camp I masturbated during nap time, and I got candy for being the quietest person in the room.

One time while banging a guy he told me he prefered blondes. I'm a brunette...

SLIME!

GRANVILLE ISLAND KIDS MARKET NOON-3 PM / $2

This slime-making workshop is both 1. Real, and 2. While supplies last. But luckily for you, the competition will be less than four feet tall.

I've never come closer to having a heart attack than one time I thought my little sister was going to go into my room. I had snuck a guy in and he was hiding in there.

I chipped my tooth sexily biting my rock-climber boyfriend's abs.

The first and only time I tried anal I couldn't stop laughing and crying at the same time. It definitely ruined the mood, but it was an emotionally bonding experience with my partner.

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My boyfriend and I were sitting on his couch drinking tea after a long day and he spilled it in his lap. Let's just say he's loving this straw-less movement.

I made sweet (and very wet) love under a tree on an Ambleside park bench during a heavy mid-summer rain. It was wet in more ways than one.

Canoe sex is hard.

550 MALKIN AVE. 11 AM-5 PM / $3

Take a shot every time someone says “That’s cute” then walks away from the table.

I seduced a man with dino-sours dipped in Nutella.

I was in my boyfriend's parents' bathtub decorated with thousands of buring candles to set the mood.

As I was going down on him though, my hair caught fire from a frisky candle. I realized because it smelled like shit.

I was spanked so hard the night before and I forgot so I walked around the house all day in shorts that showed off the red hand imprints. I later had to explained to my concerned mom that I had just taken a spill.

I hooked up with someone I met on an anonymous app.

I lost my virginity right before a Taylor Swift concert.

ARTS & CULTURE

Vancouver’s Hot Chocolate Festival Earnest Ice Cream: Celebrate the Hallmark Holiday with something to Sweet and Salty satisfy your sweet tooth KAILEIGH BUNTING CONTRIBUTOR

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Chez Christophe: Strawberry Fields Forever This dark chocolate drink blended with roasted strawberries and served with a house-made s’more is sure to blow your date away with its decadence. Sprinkled with cocoa powder designs, this hot chocolate is sure to keep it flirty this Valentine’s Day. While there is a lot of dark chocolate on the Festival’s menu, if you’re looking for something a little lighter on the palate, Chez Christophe also has a lemon and honey cheesecake white hot chocolate with cream cheese ganache.

Cartems Donuts: Roseberry White Chocolate

The cold Vancouver weather is no match for 2019’s Hot Chocolate Festival.

With hundreds of participants sharing their sweet treats via social media @hotchocolatefest in support of great organizations around Vancouver, the Hot Chocolate Festival only has room to grow. If you missed it this year, check it out next year (dates to be announced), and transform your Valentine’s Day into a Hot Chocolate marathon.

ILLUSTRATED BY CYNTHIA TRAN VO

Valentine's Day on a Student Budget Five things to do when you’re broke but in love SHEILA ARELLANO ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

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alentine’s Day doesn’t have to be spent at a fancy restaurant or an expensive event. Most of us would like to save money on dates, and believe it or not, it’s possible. The pressure for people to have the perfect Valentine’s Day date is real, but at the end of the day it is all about having fun and spending time with the person, or people, you love most. These tips can point you in the right direction if you’re looking for something special to do this Feb. 14. Here are five perfect date ideas for under $25.

1. Sweet House Your morning will be filled with smiles and laughter if your menu includes a triple chocolate fondue. For brunch, visit the Cacao 70 sweet house, a restaurant that offers an all-chocolate menu that will leave you with your jaw hanging open. Cacao 70 is the best, not to mention affordable, place

to take your partner for brunch this Valentine’s Day. Treat your significant other to one of the many affordable chocolate treats such as the chocolate fondue, marshmallow pizza or a dark hot chocolate. Booking in advance is advised due to its surge in popularity this time of year. $10.50-15, cacao70.com/en

2. Leisurely Hike How do most Vancouverites spend their time? Getting outdoors of course. There’s even a Grouse Grind Mingler on Wednesdays!

But the beautiful Lynn Headwaters Park in Lynn Valley might be the best walk after a chocolate fondue. This Valentine’s Day, enjoy a relaxed walk in nature with your partner for free! While you are there, you can visit the Ecology Centre, where you can show off your knowledge of the nature around you as you walk through the alluring forest.

3. Moonlit Skate If you’re still up for movement after a hike, or if you want to skip that altogether and head straight to the ice rink, Robson Square is the only place in the city where you can skate by moonlight. It can be really romantic to ice skate together, and a fun activity to do. Teach

your partner how to ice skate while having a nice time, but make sure you don’t fall! $5 to rent, free if you bring your own skates, robsonsquare.com

4. Twilight Drive-In Netflix will never fail you, but at some point you’ve got to get out of the house. It is Valentine’s Day after all. The Twilight Drive-In is the perfect spot to go on a date if you like nighttime activities. Movies such as The Lion King, Captain Marvel and SpiderMan are showing at the moment. This DriveIn brings back memories of the good old days where you could enjoy a movie from the car park. During the intermission, grab a snack and snuggle in the car with some hot chocolate and that special someone.

What better way to break the binge and chill routine than with a blast from the past? $10, twilightdrivein.net

5. Smell the Roses The VanDusen Botanical Gardens are a great spot to stop and smell the roses. Get lost in the Elizabethan-style maze and share a romantic evening with someone in the rose garden.

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VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

If dark chocolate just isn’t for you, or your taste buds are looking for something a little sweeter, take a trip to Cartems donut shop and cafe. With three locations in Vancouver on West Pender, West Broadway and on the corner of 6th and Main, Cartems is a one-stop shop to satisfy your sweet tooth this Valentine's Day. As a participating pit stop during this year’s Hot Chocolate Festival, the creators at Cartems have whipped up a light, white chocolate

cocoa topped with rosewater whipped cream. Pair it with any donut from their fresh baked selection (Earl Grey donut recommended) for a perfect date.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

eturning for its ninth consecutive year, the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival is the perfect way to indulge with that special someone this winter season. The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival, hosted by City Food Events, is a three-week festival that has been challenging Vancouver’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes and gelato and ice cream makers to whip up creative hot chocolate creations. After all, there’s no better place to spend a cold, winter night than sipping delightful hot cocoa.

The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival launched on Jan. 19 with over 25 participating hot chocolate enthusiasts and 40 different hot chocolate creations.

In addition to spreading laughs and good memories across shops in Vancouver, this festival prides itself on supporting select charitable organizations – all of which seek to improve the lives of women and families in Vancouver.

Among baristas and hot chocolate servers alike, a common theme seemed to appear, which coincided with the festival's theme.

“Hot Chocolate makes people happy,” said a barista from Earnest Ice Cream, one of Vancouver’s most popular ice cream shops and a participating location in the 2019 Hot Chocolate Festival. “It’s always fun to see the different reactions people – especially small kids have – when we bring out our hot chocolate,” she continued, raving about different hot chocolates available in Vancouver. Here are the top three hot chocolates from the festival, only available until Valentine’s Day.

Keep things fun and flirty on your date while sharing this incredibly creamy cocoa, focusing on caramel notes and slightly savoury aftertaste. Topped with heavy whipped cream, caramel and pretzel bits, this drink checks all the boxes for the perfect Valentine’s desert. Vegan options are also available, and paired with a blondie bar this treat is perfect to share.

CABOOSE

@CAPILANOCOURIER

HOROSCOPES AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 – FEB.19)

You may be the water carrier, but don’t forget to drink two litres per day.

PISCES (FEB. 20 – MARCH 20)

You smell like fish.

ARIES (MARCH 21 – APRIL 20)

Avoid anything patriotic this week. Especially goats.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

CARTOONS MOPEVATIONAL COMICS FOR SAD PEOPLE. ILLUSTRATED BY ANNIE CHANG @SADTIRIST_

"Valentine's Day Deal Breaker"

TAURUS (APRIL 21 – MAY 21)

Having the temper of a bull may help you charging into battle, but not if it’s a battle of wits.

GEMINI (MAY 22 – JUNE 21)

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 51 ISSUE NO. 10

Your parents planned your twin. You were the accident.

CANCER (JUNE 22 – JULY 23)

Why are you so crabby all the time?

LEO (JULY 24 – AUG. 23)

Only the king of the jungle gets to sleep 20 hours per day. Getting through your midterms isn’t an excuse to do the same.

VIRGO (AUG. 24 – SEPT. 23)

The Greeks would have considered you a fair maiden.

The cute guy in your night class just thinks you’re a hot commodity.

LIBRA (SEPT. 24 – OCT. 23)

You seem wildly unbalanced. Seek professional help.

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 – NOV. 22)

You’ve got some poisonous jabs in you.

Unleash them wisely.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23– DEC. 21)

Much like an arrow, you must go backwards to move forward this week.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 – JAN. 20)

We get it. You’re horny all the time.

TO ADVERTISE in the Courier’s pages, please email Ana Maria Caicedo at community.capcourier@gmail.com.

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

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