The Confluence Issue 34

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Sense of Fall

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Sacred Headwaters pg. 9

The

Confluence

Truth and Reconciliation

September 23rd 2013

For Science!

ONLINE OPT-out

Garett Svensen, Editor-in-Chief.

Garett Svensen, Editor-in-Chief.

Garett Svensen, Editor-in-Chief.

Following the loss to the Liberal party during the spring BC election, BC NDP leader Adrian Dix has recently stated that he will step down from the head of the party. In a prepared statement, he said: “It has become clear to me that the best interests of our party mean that I need to step aside for a new Leader, who can lead us to victory in 2017.”

Across Canada, activists are standing up for science. Dismayed at what they are terming the “commercialization of research,” those concerned with the scientific integrity of this country have been raising their voices in opposition to what they claim is the continued dismissal of scientific knowledge in favour of political interest.

Students with extra Health and Dental coverage looking to opt-out of the Health and Dental program at CNC can do so online until September 27th.

September 23rd 2013

Dix Pulls Out

Dix will, however, remain the Party Leader until the NDP calls a vote, likely next year: “It is my hope that a leadership vote can be held by mid-2014 at the very latest, though of course any final decision on timing will be made by the party.”

The Confluence - News

Despite the setback, Dix remains firm in his belief that the NDP will remain a strong player in BC politics for the foreseeable future: “B.C. is at a crossroads: inequality growing, pressure on rural communities, the environment at risk, the basic needs of others—jobs, health care, access to public education and libraries and transit—all crying out for a better way. Such a time requires the B.C. NDP to learn and do better—and we will—but also to stick together… Whoever is chosen as the next Leader our party will have my complete support and relentless effort as we prepare to defeat the Liberals and form government in 2017.”

Extra coverage is any extended health plan, including work benefits, other student group (Like NUGSS) benefits, as well as band coverage and some government coverage. Basic MSP “Stephen Harper’s shutting down of (CareCard) is not extended coverage and scientists — of firing them, or of muzzling does not allow you to opt out. the ones he hasn’t fired — is for us an After paying your fees, including the approach that goes completely against the mandatory Health and Dental fee, go nature of a Parliament where things have online to greenshield.ca/studentcentre, to be debated openly.” Said Federal Leader of the Opposition, Tom Mulcair in a recent and select College of New Caledonia Students’ Union (CAL). From the article by Ben Makuch.

GSC Studentcentre page that comes up, Advocacy group, Scientists for the navigate to the “What you need” tab, then Right to Know have outlined many of the “Opt-Out.” From there it’s a matter of problems with science administration in entering your student number, your email Canada on their website, including this address and proof of coverage information. telling remark from John MacDougal, Refund cheques will be available in the President of the National Research Students’ Union office starting in early Council: “Scientific discovery is not November.

The Students’ Union has a valuable unless it has commercial value.” dedicated Online Opt-Out Kiosk available The group claims that the NRC has been for everyone to use when the office is effectively hamstrung by the Conservative open. government through policy changes that force it to take “scientific cues from Canadian industry,” massively constraining the opportunities for innovation that the NRC has been known for in the past.’

There was a Canada-wide protest on Monday, September 16th in 17 cities across Canada. Lab-coated protestors marched, their signs and chants calling for “evidence-based decision-making” in our politics.

Volunteers Wanted

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Garett Svensen, Editor-in-Chief.

Throughout the year there are ongoing volunteer opportunities with CNCSU.

Garett Svensen, Editor-in-Chief

If you are interested, the fastest way to volunteer with us is to register with our email list online. Just go to our facebook page and click on the email signup button just under our banner. Don’t forget to check on the form that you are interested in volunteering with us.

Taren Johnson, Web Manager

2013 SEPTEMBER

SUNDAY

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MONDAY

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TUESDAY

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WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

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Info Fair

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FRIDAY

SATURDAY

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September 23rd 2013

September 2013 Confluence Submission Date

Orientation

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Take 19Confluence 20 Back the 21 Submission

Pop-Up Yoga

Clubs Day

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25 Potluck at the ARC

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OCTOBER The Confluence is produced biweekly at the CNCSU office on CNC’s Prince George campus by Garett Svensen.

Submissions, inquiries and requests can be made to news@cncsu.ca, in person at the CNCSU office room 1-303, or mailed to “The Confluence c/o CNCSU 3330-22nd Ave. Prince George, BC. V2N 1P8” All submissions are welcome.

After vetting, edited content may be compensated at the CNCSU Executive Board’s approval.

Advertisement rates are available upon request.

Night Date Truth and Reconciliation conference H&D Opt-Out Deadline International CNC Farmer’s Kareoke Pub Education Market Dance Party Night

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Confluence Submission Date

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Sisters in Spirit Vigil

www.free-printable-calendar.net

Weather

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The Confluence - News

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Environment Canada 7-Day Weather Forecast: For Prince George, BC. 23 September - 29 September 2013 Monday, Sept 23: 12°C, Cloudy, chance of thunderstorms.

Tuesday, Sept 24: 13°C, 2°C, Partial Cloud.

Wednesday, Sept 25: 12°C, 1°C, Cloud, chance of rain.

Thursday, Sept 26: 14°C, 5°C, Partial Cloud.

Friday, Sept 27: 13°C, 6°C, Cloudy, chance of rain.

Saturday, Sept 28: 14°C, 6°C, Cloudy, chance of rain.

Sunday, Sept 29: 16°C, 9°C, Cloudy, chance of rain.

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September 23rd 2013 The Confluence - News

Truth & Reconciliation

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Garett Svensen, Editor-in-Chief.

The livestream event at CNC on September 19th and 20th was CNC’s way to acknowledge and pay respect to the week-long Truth and Reconciliation event presented by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in Vancouver. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada is a body tasked with exposing the truth of residential schools in Canada and reconciling the past events with today’s reality. From their mandate: “There is an emerging and compelling desire to put the events of the past behind us so that we can work towards a stronger and healthier future.The truth telling and reconciliation process as part of an overall holistic and comprehensive response to the Indian Residential School legacy is a sincere indication and acknowledgement of the injustices and harms experienced by Aboriginal people and the need for continued healing.This is a profound commitment to establishing new relationships embedded in mutual recognition and respect that will forge a brighter future.The truth of our common experiences will help set our spirits free and pave the way to reconciliation.”

The event at CNC was only a part of the Reconciliation Week, which ran from September 16th to 22nd. Post-secondary institutions across BC took part as they were able. For instance, UBC cancelled classes on the Wednesday, and CNC CNC Students volunteering at the Truth and Reconciliation event at CNC

graciously provided space and equipment to livestream the Vancouver event on campus. The event is in place to let aboriginal people tell their story, and nonaboriginal people to listen.

Dave replied, once again, “Ya, but does it have a store and a phone?” I was a bit uneasy for a moment and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew I was uneasy. There were a few moments of icy silence but it was finally broken when he smiled. Dave then turned to me and said We had travelled about a kilometre “I’m just joking, the last hitchhiker I did down the road and the old man (we will that to tried to jump out of the vehicle and say his name is “Dave”) had just asked I was going about eighty kilometres per me where I was going (I was holding hour.” I was relieved at this point, to say a cardboard sign that read “Van” on it the least, and he revealed to me that for prior). I said I was heading to “Van” and most of the year he lived in a cabin near his immediate reply was, “Oh? where is a river and only came into town to be a that?” I, again, thought lightly of it and said farmhand and to pick up supplies. that, “It’s south, you know, Vancouver.”

He was a quintessential modern mountain man. We drove for about fifteen kilometres in total to the farm he was employed at and he dropped me off (to await my next tormentor). It was a positive, fifteen kilometre experience and we had a great conversation about living out in nature. A conversation that seemed to convey a certain sense of yearning from us both: a yearning to be out there rather than in here. I suppose that, in the end, it was just another tale of rubber and rusted mufflers.

September 23rd 2013

Dave retorted with “Does it have a store and a phone?” I was a bit put off now and I replied, warily, that “It’s Vancouver, you know, on the coast” (I was thinking that perhaps his knowledge of coastal cities would answer his abrupt, and rather odd question).

The Confluence - Arts

Kael Walske, Contributor.

Travelling on the highway by foot and thumb is a long and arduous journey, but on this particular day my boredom ceased to exist. It was the second time I had entered a vehicle with a stranger. I caught up with a 1982 Nissan Hatchback, put my main backpack in the back and kept my second one at my feet in the passenger seat. The driver asked me if I could place my second bag in the backseat asserting that he did not know if I had a weapon in my bag or not. I complied, thinking lightly of it, and considered it to be a reasonable request.

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21st Century Hiking

September 23rd 2013

A Fall Day My eyes register movement as the lungs of my dog move in and out in a steady rhythm. My

The Confluence - Arts

Two short pieces

by Kyla Morgan.

One Moment

A red sky holds me, entranced in its brilliance A web of thoughts distract me; I'm held in that split moment when all lights are red, when nobody moves forward.

In that moment when time is frozen, when we all look to the sunset; engaged.

I'm held in a moment wehn life is not all about the future when the green light does not hold the right answers or the right direction One moment when my life, my busy life collides into an idea.

An idea that this is my time, that there is no future but an ever changing present I am caught in a breath where my soul and body connect.

The mundane is lost and I am truly living.

I am not expecting to be perfect, not waiting for life to begin but to breathe, just to breathe

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A moment to breathe.

head mirrors his as we both turn suddenly to acknowledge the clink, clink, clink of a silver spoon stirring a warm cup of tea through the white washed door. I pull a cozy woolen sweater over my head to stop the slight chill that runs down my bare arms. The brisk air is just one of many signs of the coming winter. Another is the fog that lays stagnant in the early morning, giving shelter to the frost that blankets the yellowing grass and dying wildflowers.

When my feet leave the doorstep and step onto the road I can register the frozen pavement, cold seeping through my shoes and into my toes. I have embraced the season and feel comfort from my snug blue hat and hand-knitted scarf.

The sunshine breaking through the fog marks the progressing of the day and all signs of winter have been burned away by the brilliant rays. Warmth similar to late spring has been reborn in this fall day; blessed by the absence of insects and the addition of pumpkins and scarecrows.

An afternoon walk is required to truly embrace the leaves drifting from the tree tops with determined laziness.

As the bright sun fades behind the treeline the chill of the day sets in once more. A brilliant red sunset concludes the day and introduces the night, beautiful, clear, and brisk. One by one the street lamps flicker to existence shining pools of light to the cracked pavement. Past the lights shining through living room windows, the distant rumble of car engines and the occasional dog bark there is a silence. The silence speaks louder than words ever could and tells us tales of another world, a world that each of us holds inside our hearts as we gaze upon the stars; those same stars and that same hope that carries our dreams, comforts our worries and listens to our rage. It is at night when we can truly acknowledge our humanity, our loneliness and our togetherness. The stars are always waiting to hear our stories and to feel our pain; reassuring us that although we may feel alone, we are all connected under one sky.

Erin Bauman, Contributor.

Lately I find I need to fill in space.

September 23rd 2013

NamastĂŠ

To stretch my limbs into the fabric of the universe and say: “I am here.

Like the first ocean, I am here.

Surface broken again and again on the bones of ancient rocks and cliffs, but I am still here.�

Breathe in, stretch up just to know that I am still here. is reality, To know that I see what is missed amidst the folds of society, and that when the world particulates in front of my eyes I am seeing the truth;

The Confluence - Arts

To know that each illusory moment

seeing the fundamentals of life; understanding the individual importance of each tiny speck, taking up its own minute space; and understanding the importance

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of just being here.

September 23rd 2013

Ryan Fournier: A BC Lion until 2016

Ryan Fournier, Contributor.

On Wednesday August 28th I arrived in Vancouver via Greyhound. After I got off the bus I

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The Confluence - Sports

got on the SkyTrain out to Surrey to see if I could have a chance to meet up with Lions GM Walley Bouno and tell him that I was looking for a new fan contract.

Walley was not in his office, so I had to wait until I could see him at one of the Lions practices. Sure enough, on Tuesday, September 3rd I finally got to meet up with him after practice and got a picture with him. I told him that I wanted to remain with the Lions. Walley said to me that he was willing to renew my contract.

I told him I was looking for a three year extension with the Lions. Bouno said the deal was a go and I now know that I will be a BC Lion for another three seasons.

I’m so thrilled to be back with the Lions and get to meet up with some of my old teammates that I had met from the past three seasons and all the newcomers as well. I really enjoy being with the Lions because they make me feel so welcome around their facility and when any of the players or staff see me, they always take the time to chat. I’ve had a lot of great memories from the past three seasons with the BC Lions and look forward to continuing the memories with the team going forward. I’m looking forward to cheering on my team. Hopefully we go all the way to the 101st Grey Cup game in Regina and win the 101st Grey Cup!

Ryan Fournier and BC Lions Players. From left: Ernest Jackson, Courtney Taylor and Akeem Foster.

September 23rd 2013 Prizes

The Communication Services team will pick the top 10 photos submitted

between September 3 and April 15 and hand out up to $1,000 in prizes.

Who can enter

This contest is open to all current CNC students and employees at any

The Fine Print

By entering CNC’s Share Your Shots photo contest, you agree to the following: By submitting your photo, you give unlimited and unrestricted permission for the College of New Caledonia to publish, exhibit, play, transfer and otherwise use the photos for marketing, administrative and educational purposes. The College also has the right to use and reproduce the image for free in any media for promotional materials.

You must have permission to take the photo of the selected individuals in the photo, and have their permission to enter the photo in the contest.

The Confluence - Sports

campus of the College of New Caledonia. (Employees of the Communication Services Department cannot enter).

Your photo entry must include caption, date contact and location information.

Entries must be an original work taken by the person submitting the photo.

Colour or black-and-white photos are permitted. Portrait or landscape layouts are both acceptable.

Photos must be appropriate for general audiences. The College reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.

To be eligible, digital photos must be submitted in JPEG format no smaller than 1 MB but no larger than 10 MB with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.

All suitable photos will be displayed online at cnc.bc.ca/shareyourshots Winners will be posted online and will be contacted by email.

To enter send your photo to contests@cnc.bc.ca with the subject line Share Your Shots and your name. In your email, include; your full name, email address, phone number, and department or program, and photo caption information.

Questions?

Contact us at 250-561-5859 or contests@cnc.bc.ca

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Contest Closes: April 15, 2014

September 23rd 2013

Tahltans Unite for Sacred Headwaters

In 2005, Fortune Minerals decided to arrest the Tahltan Elders while they blockaded the Klappan road. This was stand against injustice, a stand against The far northern part of BC acorporations, and a stand against the ideals is in a fight for its existence. of a modern society.

The value of the area The natural people of the land The Tahlhas never been in dollars for the Tahltan tan, have been peacefully protesting the People.

The value of the area lies in a way development of an area called Klappan; of life that will never be duplicated or also known as the Sacred Headwaters. recreated.

In no way can this be put back This area is rich in minerals and beautiful into place after a coal mine opens the area. to the eyes. The water here is purified by The water that feeds the animals, the vegthe minerals in the ground, the minerals in the ground are the reason the area is so etation, the rivers, and the people will be vital and bountiful. The animals are healthy gone forever. The most important aspect is and big, the vegetation is lush and big, the to understand is the process that happens underground to purify the water that feeds fish are plenty, and the taste in the fresh water is incomparable to anywhere else in the bounty of the area, happens because of the minerals. If the minerals were to be the world. When the rest of the world is taken than the area would be desolate and buying water, the people who live in the area are filling up water bottles from their obviated. Fortune Minerals cannot be in this area. creeks for drinking.

The Tahltan people need support. While A company called Fortune Minerals you read this they are in the Klappan plans to open a coal mine and is pushing peacefully protesting against the presence their way into the area, bullying the Tahlof Fortune Minerals. The company has tan people into accepting their presence. made many abuses against them. Drillers The Tahltan will not be bullied. The area have bared their body parts to the Tahltan is not a place for development. The area Warriors as they stood watch over drill needs to be protected and held pristine in sites.

Helicopters buzz their campsites all its glory.

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The Confluence - CNCSU

Roxanne Quock, CNCSU.

continually, despite the reassurance the company gives the province that the air traffic is under control. A police presence in the area is a painful kick to the people reminding them of the players they are going up against.

Go to your computer, type in Sacred Headwaters. Read the material. Do what you can by showing your support in any way that feels appropriate for you.

On Facebook, a few pages have been created. One page is called Klabona Keepers where daily posts are updating the people who have liked the page about the happenings at the drill sites. Another page is the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition.

Take some time and take a look at these pages, see the people, the area, and the reason you need to support Tahltan people.

Meduh.

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The Confluence - CNCSU

September 23rd 2013

on uence

Student Correspondents Wanted Student Correspondents and regular contributors are wanted for The Confluence, the school paper at CNC.

Student Correspondents report on the events, issues and opinions relevant to student life at CNC. They are required to write a certain amount every month, delivering their own perspective and experience at CNC to the student body.

We are interested in broadening The Confluence’s areas of interest, and so, are looking for a broad range of interests among our correspondents. Specifically, we are looking for people to regularly cover sports, lifestyle, student life, music and specific cultural concerns (Mature Students, International Students, Aboriginal Students, etc). Contributors can submit material at any time, correspondents provide material on an on-going basis and serve on a by-semester basis.

Along with the writing and proofing duties associated with being a student correspondent, there are several perks associated with the position: - Attend concerts, art shows, sporting events and more for free, or at a reduced rate, for the purposes of writing about your experiences.

- Get your voice known in the school and in the community, whether through per-publication contributions to the paper, or through the more-involved correspondent role.

- Hang out with the Editor-In-Chief, the totally rad dude who makes the paper go.

- Proofread and elminate all knids, of fascinating, speling, and grammar errorrs.

- We occasionally get review copies of music, books and other media. Check out new stuff before anyone else and write reviews!

Requirements:

- The Student Correspondent positions are for CNC students in good standing.

- Strong English skills are essential. The ability to write, the ability to critique the works of others and the ability to receive constructive criticism about your own work make up the core of an effective correspondent.

- Research and/or journalism skills are a plus.

- Effective time management is good to have, as we work under constant deadlines.

- Desktop publishing skills, including some familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite can help.

Email your resume to communications@cncsu.ca, or drop it off in person at the CNCSU office, room 1-303.