The Voice • March 26, 2015 • Volume 47 • Issue 24

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PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS

Faculty strike on hold for now, but will resume if no agreement can be reached

By TANYA COMMISSO

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lthough the University of Northern British Columbia faculty strike was suspended last Thursday, no agreement was reached on what the UNBC Faculty Association has termed “the worst faculty salary structure of any comparable institution.”

The Labour Relations Board gave a mediator 20 days to help the parties reach an agreement or faculty may resume strike action.

“The issues which led to the strike have not been settled,” said Dave Sangha, instructor of the UNBC social work program at Langara. “I am hopeful that [they] will develop a collective agreement that allows our salaries to rise to a level which will allow us to continue to recruit and retain high quality faculty.”

UNBC FA began strike action on March 5, halting instruction of two programs taught out of Langara College – the UNBC bachelor of social work degree program, and the UNBC master of business administration graduate program. The strike lasted two weeks before students returned to classes on Friday.

As stated on the UNBC FA website, “Specific issues include reduced job security for faculty, the worst salary structure of any comparable institution, and negligible post-retirement benefits, among DAVE SANGHA others.”

Instructor of A report preUNBC social pared by high-prowork at Langara file arbitrator Vince Ready – known for resolving disputes such as the 2014 B.C. teachers’ strike – describes a pay gap of more than 20 per cent between UNBC and comparable universities, such as Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.

Pamela Baldwin, a third-year student in the UNBC social work program at Langara, said she is looking forward to being back in classes, but is aware of the effect the strike has already had on her and her classmates.

“I know some students who gave notice on their apartments for the end of the semester who are already having to make alternate living arrangements should the semester be extended,” Baldwin said.

Sangha said he’s optimistic and pleased to be teaching again.

“I’m really glad to be back at work since I knew that this was having a huge negative impact on our students.”

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Staff hit with parking tax Outraged faculty are being forced to pay hefty back-taxes on parking benefits due to new assessment by Canada Revenue Agency

By JOCELYN ASPA

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taff members at Langara College who enjoy low-cost on-campus parking benefits are now being slapped with a big — and unexpected — tax bill.

After Canada Revenue Agency reassessed the taxation of college parking this year, some instructors are being asked to cough up more than $1,200 in back taxes — including some who never drove to work.

“It is so blatantly unfair,” said Cheryl McKeeman, instructor in the department of mathematics and an executive

of the Langara Faculty Association.

Until now, faculty hasn’t paid tax on their parking benefits, whether they opted to pay $110 per year for a reserved spot in the faculty lot, or $10 a year for a pass that allowed them to park on a first-come, first-serve basis in the general lot.

“Faculty were offered and accepted parking passes with the understanding that the parking was [practically] free,” McKeeman said. “Suddenly those people are looking at $2,000 in back taxes and interest.”

The new tax is particularly enraging to part-time faculty who acquired the

$10 annual pass — known as scramble parking and deemed non-taxable by CRA —because it was so cheap, in case they ever needed it.

Canada Revenue Agency has determined that the value of the parking is $1,200 for the year 2011, and $1,260 for 2012. Values for 2013-1014 are still being DAWN PALMER assessed, according to Dawn Palmer, Associate associate vice-president of human revice-president of sources at Langara. human resources “Most faculty are getting bills for at Langara close to $1,000 for the 2011 and 2012 years, but the actual amount of this bill will depend on the employee’s tax bracket,” McKeeman said.

See PARKING TAX, page 3

JOURNALISM

UNBC to mediate

MARCH 26, 2015 • VOL. 47 NO. 24 • VANCOUVER, B.C.

SARA RABEY photo

Jordan Lloyd Watkins (left) and Corwin Ferguson (right) use sound, space and a model ship to conceptualize the journey of life.

PRAGUE must sees 1

Prague Orloj is the world’s oldest working astronomical clock

2 3 4

The Zizkov distict has over 300 bars in a 5 sq. km radius Charles Bridge is decorated by an alley of over 30 statues Atop Petrin Hill, you’ll find a mini Eiffel Tower, and a maze of mirrors Various web sources

Langara grads ship off to Prague Two former Studio 58 students selected to show their work at arts festival

By SARA RABEY

A

model ship he found while cleaning out his grandfather’s home inspired Jordan Lloyd Watkins to create Le Voyage, an art installation that has been selected to go on display this summer at a major art festival in the Czech Republic.

Watkins and artistic collaborator Corwin Ferguson, both graduates of Langara College’s Studio 58, will show-

case their piece at the Prague Quadrennial, a festival that celebrates the art of scenography—the study and practice of performance design.

Watkins said the model ship caused him to think about the journey of people and how they are always pushed to move.

The installation that Watkins and Ferguson are building is a small model ship that will be displayed in a large dark theatre with a video element that will be projected over the ship.

The piece will be viewed by two people at a time, and both will wear headphones cancelling out the noise around them and playing a sound score by

Vancouver-based composer James Coomber. Watkins described it as a very personal and intimate experience in a much larger controlled space.

“Our composer James Coomber summed it up well when he said, ‘the piece is about negotiating loss and call,’” Watkins said. “So there is always this call of moving on and trying to move through this emptiness and how do you negotiate what you’re going to have to lose to get through this empty space.”

“It’s also about humanity and its constant struggle to reinvent itself,” Ferguson added.

See PRAGUE, page 2

Check out our web exclusives at http://langaravoice.ca/

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EDITOR CHARLOTTE DREWETT

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

News

Affordable housing above a fire hall Public hearing to discuss South Vancouver fire station with four floors of subsidized units

By DUSTIN GODFREY

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proposal to build social housing on top of a fire hall is a creative approach to bringing more affordable housing to Vancouver, according to city officials and a representative of the YWCA Metro Vancouver.

An April 1 open house will showcase the proposal, which builds on a previous approval for the replacement of Vancouver’s Fire Hall No. 5 because it is too small for the department’s needs.

The new fire hall would be larger, with six floors. The first two would house the fire hall, while the top four would provide subsidized housing for single women with children.

Despite worries by some, however, the units shouldn’t have an issue with noise, said Tobin Postma, City of Vancouver communications manager.

“An acoustic engineer will assist the design team to control the noise and make sure the design meets or exceeds current standards,” Postma said.

While there isn’t a standard when planning social housing, it’s not unusual to see them mixed in with city services, according to Penny Gurstein, director of the school of community and regional planning and the centre for human settlements at UBC. Still, working with social housing on top of a fire hall is a type of project Gurstein said she hasn’t yet seen.

“It’s an interesting model to be looking at and testing and seeing if it works or not,” Gurstein said.

Part of this comes from a drive for more creative ways to bring affordable housing to Metro Vancouver, because there is little room for further development, according to Chantelle Krish,

Rendering from VANCOUVER.CA

manager of advocacy and public relations with YWCA Metro Vancouver.

“Providing affordable housing options is the challenge,” she said. “So, we’re seeing different kinds of developments pop up that integrate community services with affordable housing so you can offset the density of urban living.”

Karl Leung, who owns a home near the fire hall, wonders whether the project will have an impact on property values in the area.

“Whenever there’s a Starbucks near residential areas, it’s going to drive up the property values in places,” Leung said, noting the Starbucks across from the fire hall. “I don’t know if it’s offset by social housing.”

However, the area was picked for the project by the city because of its location according to the City of Vancouver’s Postma.

“Because the fire hall is in a familyoriented residential area, close to services and buses, it is an ideal location for non-market housing,” he said.

DUSTIN GODFREY photo

A proposed plan to include subsidized housing for single women and children atop Vancouver’s Fire Hall No. 5 is breaking the affordable housing mould.

FIRE HALL responses

Drivers from MacLure’s Cabs, based in South Vancouver, support anti-Uber petition.

KELVIN GAWLEY photo

Rideshares not welcome Petition to stop Uber from coming to Vancouver has thousands of signatures according to taxi association rep

IMRAN HUSSEIN MacLure’s Cabs taxi driver

By KELVIN GAWLEY

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outh Vancouver-based MacLure’s Cabs is joining the Vancouver Taxi Association in encouraging drivers and their friends to sign a petition asking city officials to stop Uber from coming to Vancouver.

The app-based ridesharing service, Uber, connects people looking for a ride with people driving their personal cars. It has tried to operate in Vancouver in the past but stopped when city council required them to be licensed as a limo service and charge a minimum of $75 a trip. In recent months, Uber has started its own online petition that has gained over 26,000 signatures.

Carolyn Bauer, a spokesperson for Vancouver Taxi Association, said their petition, which has been circulating for three weeks, has “thousands and thousands and thousands” of signatures but didn’t say exactly how many.

The petition alleges that if Uber is allowed to operate in the city it will provide an inferior service. It also argues that drivers for the Uber service will be operating cars without the same safety features as traditional cabs like tracking systems. Uber will also not have the same insurance as traditional taxis.

Kulwant Sahota, the president of Yellow Cab Company Ltd., said his taxis are insured for up to $10 million per passenger at a cost to the company of $30,000 a year. He said this is to protect their customers and the only way they can afford it is to run their cabs 24 hours a day, seven days a week—something difficult for an independent Uber driver. He said Uber drivers would not be able to properly insure their passengers, which is their responsibility.

Bauer said she does not want to see Uber come to Vancouver without following the same licensing, regulatory and insurance standards as traditional taxi companies.

“We have a regulated industry for a reason,” she said.

Raj Shah, a MacLure’s Cabs driver, said he probably would be signing the anti-Uber petition. He said he is concerned that Uber drivers would not be able to pick up handicapped passengers, something he is able to do with a lift-equipped van.

Imran Hussein, another MacLure’s driver, said he feels Vancouver has enough taxis for its size, a point the pro-Uber petition argues against.

“I don’t think it’s that big of a town,” he said. “There’s plenty of cabs.”

1920

251

132

181

Total calls

Fire alarms

False alarms

Cancelled calls

945

141

125

Medical calls

Public service calls

Motor vehicle accidents

Source: vancouver.ca

Cambie housing shuffle 70 affordable housing units to be demolished, including Marine Gardens

By ETHAN REYES

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he City of Vancouver promises that housing developments along the Cambie Corridor will provide new units of affordable housing, despite some tenants losing their homes in the process.

As part of this promise, the city recently purchased eight lots along SW Marine Drive, which will include 120 to 125 units of affordable rental housing for the neighbourhood.

Since 1988, 20 per cent of units in new neighbourhoods have been required to be available for the development of affordable housing, said Jag Sandhu, a communications coordinator with the City of Vancouver. This encourages balanced communities so that people of all income brackets “are also able to live in well-planned, conveniently located neighbourhoods,” he said.

Currently there are approved applications for 701 new units along the Cambie Corridor, Sandhu said. There will only be an addition of 631 units though, because 70 existing units will be demolished.

Prague grads continued from page 1 The Prague Quadrennial takes place every four years. It displays scenography from all over the world, throughout the centre of the city. Some of the exhibits will be indoors and some in the streets, mixing the imagined art with everyday life.

Tenants of the housing complex Marine Gardens are one such group of residents. The city has voted to demolish Marine Gardens to make room for the proposed 27-storey high-rise.

The Valdez family, along with the rest of the tenants of the Marine Gardens housing complex, will be forced to find a new home once demolition begins.

Barbara Valdez, translated by her son Roger Valdez, said that Concord Pacific Developments Inc. doesn’t guarantee rent will remain at its current rate and that, despite the relocation package offered by Concord Pacific, they do not expect to return.

The Valdez’s are just one of the families rallying behind Jillian Skeet, a Marine Gardens resident who has been vocal in her ROGER VALDEZ opposition to the Marine Gardens proposed demoliresident tion of her home, even organizing town hall meetings at the complex’s day care centre.

Roger Valdez, 18, said he doesn’t believe Skeet’s protests will save his home, but is unsure of what else to do.

Scenography is the art of creating performance environments. The environments can be composed of sound, lighting, clothing, performance, structure and space. It originates from the architects of the Renaissance era in Eastern European stage design.

Watkins, Studio 58 class of 2011, and Corwin Ferguson, class of 2009, will be heading to Prague to display their piece from June 18 to 28.

Campus news

EDITOR JAMES GOLDIE

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

3

Choosing tutors Langara has a list of vetted options

By SARA RABEY

S MONA BUTLER photo

Steff Jones (left) and her classmates did hair and make-up for Langara students free of charge.

Cosmetology students give make-overs to ease stress LSU partnered with local beauty school to bring makeovers to Langara

By MONA BUTLER

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ith exams looming, many students at Langara College are looking for a way to relax, even if only for a couple hours.

On March 18, the Langara Students’ Union invited the students at the Blanche Macdonald Centre, a fashion and cosmetology college, to come help Langara students relax for two hours and get their hair and make-up done for free.

The event, called Glam Night, was a combination of a belated International Women’s Day celebration because there was not enough time to organize one the week before, and an end-of-semester party. Students who wanted to have their make-up and hair done needed to register in advance with the LSU. “It’s for the girls to have fun, but guys can also participate too. There are two [guys] waiting to get their hair done,” said Garima Shrestha, a Langara student who helped organize the event.

In exchange for their services, the

Blanche Macdonald students received a reference letter from the LSU and the Langara’s international education department.

Melissa Diego, a hair and make-up student at Blanche Macdonald, said she thought that participating in the event would provide her with some good experience.

“There was a job posting at our school. They have a lot of volunteer opportunities for future hair and makeup artistes to improve their portfolio,” she said.

Business management student Jagjeet Kaur was excited to hear about the event and went with a group of friends.

“We want to participate to have fun before mid-term and finals,” she said.

Langara student Monika Szucs, who went to the event on the recommendation of a friend, said that even though she doesn’t wear a lot of make-up at home, it felt good to have it done professionally.

“It’s good because I can look at it when I get home and take references,” Szucs said.

Glam Night offered free food and drinks, which drew some students like Tiffany Royrock who weren’t interested in hair and make-up.

“Whenever there is free food, you’ll see me there,” she said.

TRANSIT plebiscite When it comes to transit in Metro Vancouver what would you like to see changed?

TANASIJA STOJANOVIC INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL LYLYK

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ith the transit plebiscite now underway, it’s time for Metro Vancouver residents to say yes or no to transit

reform.

The Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Council plan includes adding 11 new B-Line bus routes throughout the region, increasing NightBus service by 80 per cent, and adding 2,700 km of bikeways.

However, the 0.5 per cent transit tax added to the PST, plus TransLink’s track record when it comes to financial management of funds is causing some members of the public to feel skeptical.

tudents at Langara College are preparing for the end of the semester and many are looking to get help from tutors.

According to Megan Otton, coordinator of Langara’s writing centre, the private tutors advertised around campus are not Langara students. She said they must be approved by the English department, no matter what subject they are helping students with.

“The English department has a list of tutors who are approved, so if you are looking for a tutor, make sure that the poster that you see has a date stamp on it,” Otton said. “That means that the tutor has been vetted and approved by the English department because anyone can come in and put up a sign. It can be a real problem.”

Lingyun Zhang, a private chemistry tutor, said that having a private tutor is more convenient for students and the one-on-one time spent with a student in a private setting can solve the student’s problems more efficiently.

“It’s more flexible and I think that’s why sometimes they prefer to go to [private] tutoring,” Zhang said.

Langara’s writing centre offers students help with their academics free of charge. According to Otton, the centre gets busy when mid-term assignments are handed out and from that point the number of students continues to rise until the end of the semester.

Harry Li, a first year student, used the writing center last semester but has not used it yet in the second term because the course he was struggling with was new and no one was able to help him.

“Also for [my calculus class] I have to go to the math centre but the students are not very helpful,” he said.

“So instead of going there I go to my instructor’s office.” Li also said the staff at the writing centre “are pretty helpful for physics and computer science” Li said he would not want to pay the money for a private tutor when there are free resources for him to use right here on campus.

DIY

beauty tips 1 2 3 4 5

Smear honey on skin for a natural facial mask.

Mix patchouli oil and olive oil for a nightly moisturizer and anti-wrinkle treatment. Also helps with acne!

Shiny hair: mix one egg with mashed up banana. Apply and leave 10-30 minutes, then rinse.

Use mix of olive oil and 1/2 parts sea salt as in-shower body srub. Gets rid of any need for lotion.

Rest up! Not enough sleep causes skin to look dull and can cause breakouts.

Source: care2.com

“To be quite honest, it’s absolutely fine with me the way it’s rolling right now. I’m not a big user of transit, the only time I use transit is for the 49.”

Business, 2nd year My vote: Yes

The Voice asked Langara College students and faculty how they feel about transit and how they plan to vote.

It should be noted, there are some misunderstandings among students about the mechanics of casting their ballots in the referendum. Remember: There is no online voting - you can only submit your ballot by mail.

To do so, students need to make sure they are registered with Elections BC in order to receive a ballot.

Students can register by phoning 1-800661-8683.

SARA RABEY photo

If a poster doesn’t have a date stamp, the tutor isn’t approved by Langara.

Parking tax continued from page 1 Shirley Wacowich-Sgarbi, a chemistry instructor at Langara, said she has been dinged twice because her husband, Paulo Sgarbi, also teaches at the school.

“It’s a nasty surprise,” she said. “We followed the rules and then we get hit with this.”

Cheryl Yeung, communications officer for the Pacific region at Canada Revenue Agency, was unable to comment directly about Langara’s situation or if other institutions are being affected, but she did say that employerprovided parking is usually a taxable benefit for an employee. In the past,

MELISSA NICOLE ALVES Anthropology, 1st year My vote: No

“I think it’s a great idea but I also think that this path is unnecessary because [TransLink] already spends money where they don’t need to. So why not just cut back on spending…”

“I use the transit a lot because I’m in White Rock right now. It takes about an hour and 15 minutes, which is quite reasonable. So I like the transit system, and they ZAL DARUVALA usually arrive on Comp. science, 1st year time.”

My vote: Yes

Langara was exempt from this taxation because of the “scramble parking” scenario in place. The reason for the sudden change in Langara’s scramble parking status is unknown.

Yeung said the amount of the benefit is based on an estimated value of the parking, minus any amount the employee pays to use the space. She added that Canada Revenue Agency defines the value as being the highest price that can be obtained on the open market.

While Langara is offering shortterm loans to employees struggling with the hit, action being taken by the school is on the horizon.

“The college is appealing the decision and has engaged a tax specialist to assist with the documentation,” said Palmer.

“I’d like to see more buses at most of the stops. I mean sometimes, there’s like a 30 minute wait for some buses and I’d like that to change.”

SHAFEEL MURTAZA Kinesiology, 1st year My vote: Undecided

KRISTINA PORTER Langara instructor My vote: Undecided

“I have to do more research about where the money is going to go and who’s going to be making decisions about what’s going to be prioritized... It just seems like it hasn’t really been well thought out.”

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THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

EDITOR CHARLOTTE DREWETT

Photo showcase

HALEY CROZIER photo

Foreshore aqua-life, low camera position, 11mm wide angle to distort subject.

TERESA DONCK photo

Carousel at Burnaby Heritage Village, 17mm wide angle to focus attention on foreground.

OH SNAP! Props to photo grads As the college bids farewell to this year’s photography graduates their works will live on

NATHAN BEAUSOLEIL photo

Abandoned water tower, low angle at sunset, enhanced colours and texture.

MEGHAN MACMILLAN-HEMSTRA photo

Fashion, in studio, wire added in post-production, 100mm.

FLORIAN NIDECKER photo

Rings, in studio with a ring-flash and soap bubbles, 24mm wide angle to distort face.

MEGHAN MACMILLAN-HEMSTRA photo

Lounging at poolside, overhead, natural light, 70mm.

Entertainment

EDITOR KERA PIWOWARSKI-SKOCYLAS

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

Students fundraise for grad show

The cast and crew of Silk filmed the pilot in various locations around Langara’s campus. This scene was filmed in the library building.

Professional photography students are working to create a display to highlight their talent and skills

BETTINA STRAUSS photo

By BRYAN Mc GOVERN

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Langara grads up for $50,000 After winning $10,000 to create the pilot, the grand prize is so close

By BAILEY NICHOLSON

G “

raduates from Langara’s film arts program are in the running for a $50,000 prize for their science fiction web series Silk – and celebrated their success at a launch party on March 16 at 12 Kings Pub. A contest Going for- through Storyhive, sponsored by ward we Telus, invited B.C. would love and Alberta resiSilk to be dents to submit a for a web very dark, pitch series. Langara divery viorecting grads Nathanael Vass and lent, very Ingo Lou have sexual. made it to the second round winning NATHANAEL VASS $10,000 to create FILM CREATOR their pilot. If they win one of two

5

$50,000 grand prizes they will use the money to create five additional episodes.

The series revolves around a girl in Iran who develops supernatural powers after eating an alien creature.

“Silk is delightfully weird,” Lou said.

“What really drew me to the project was the way in which Silk reinvents the superhero motif to tell difficult stories.”

According to producer Amanda Konkin, Silk uses supernatural elements to shed light on real world issues.

“It has other-worldly elements, but they’re all sort of grounded in reality.

Like, what would a girl from Iran who was wrongly imprisoned do with super strength? She would break down her walls and do everything she could to fight against that oppression,” Konkin said.

The launch party was lively with congratulations, and Silk’s pilot was streamed for the crowd. Producers en-

couraged everyone in attendance to tweet about the event, as social media presence is crucial for Silk to gain enough public votes by the March 26 deadline to win the grand prize.

Having shot Silk entirely on campus at Langara, Lou said he is grateful to the college for their support. “[Winning] felt like receiving validation for how hard we have all been working since leaving Langara. Film arts prepared us for the real world; it was awesome to be able to bring the real world back to Langara,” Lou said.

Despite the pilot’s major success, there have been some challenges Vass said. Some restrictions included a challenging budget and a contest guideline of PG-rated material only. If granted the $50,000 prize, Vass said that his vision for Silk might stretch beyond its current limits.

“Going forward we would love Silk to be very dark, very violent, very sexual.

We’re not sure if PG is going to cut it,” he said.

OTHER finalists 1

2

3

4

Shift Created by Janie Fontaine

Hug-O-Gram Created by Todd Kipp

Shy Guys Created by Steve Rosenberg

Coded Created by Steve Neufeld Source: storyhive.com/ web-series

angara College students from the professional photography program have been working on various fundraising events to support their upcoming grad show.

The latest fundraiser was a ticket and drink promotion held at Joe’s Apartment on March 21. Along with this event the students have tried engaging their community with fundraisers such as doughnut sales and photo booths. The money goes toward food and beverages for their opening night on May 1, along with frames and prints for the show which runs until May 8 at Langara.

“The more money we make, the more spectacular our show can be,” Teresa Donck, one of the professional photography soonto-be grads said.

The college provides equipment for the display but according to Donck it’s basic and the students would rather get their SASHA MACBAIN own.

Professional pho“Every student is tography student going to have to work their ass off and have a really good display of what they want to showcase, and what kind of genre of photography they want to show themselves as,” said photography student Sasha MacBain.

MacBain said the students don’t have a defined theme for the show.

Instead the setup is a uniform design and students pick their best photos.

“It’s the opportunity for [the students] to showcase themselves and create their image. Who are they as an artist,” said Darren Bernaerdt, professional photography department chair.

The grad show is completely in the hands of the students he said.

“They’re the ones who drive it, decide on how much space [to use], what the layout will be [and] what work they want to show,” Bernaerdt said.

Their next event is at Doolin’s Irish Pub on April 16.

Langara grads are going international on Netflix Two former students work on the TV show Some Assembly Required on YTV

By OWEN MUNRO

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etflix has picked up Some Assembly Required, a show that includes two Langara College film arts graduates, for international release starting this summer.

Actor Travis Turner and writer Nadiya Chettiar graduated from the program in 2012, in time to join the show for its first season. Now in its second, Some Assembly Required is YTV’s number one show on the network. The show follows a group of teenagers who run a toy company, and is shot in front of a live audience in Burnaby.

Turner plays Aster Vanderberg, a creative, confident kid who creates fashions for various things such as humans and dolls. Turner called working for the show a dream come true because of the way the show is set up and

how they perform for a live audience.

“Aster is a fun character. I’m always trying to find ways to relate to him and even find a part of me that really likes fashion,” They were Turner said. “All ideal of the characters are really individ- students. ual, the writers They were are great and the always jokes are funny.”

Chettiar said on time, the ability to write comedy, especially always for a live audience, showing is something she really enjoys. She up to class. said it was a huge transition to write GARWIN SANFORD with other people LANGARA FILM since she had nevARTS DEPARTer written collabMENT CHAIR oratively previously.

“Before, I was writing by myself,

“

writing samples,” Chettiar said.

“You’re hoping you get good enough that the right person hands it to the right person and you might get a job.”

Both Chettiar and Turner credit the film arts program at Langara as a major factor in finding jobs relatively quickly after graduation. The eightmonth program is highly intensive and comprehensive, said Langara film arts department chair Garwin Sanford and is aimed at giving students experience with industry practices and principles.

Sanford said he remembers Turner and Chettiar as individuals who were very focused and had a lot of skills.

“They were ideal students. They were always on time, always showing up to class. It’s all positive,” Sanford said. “Travis just kept improving, and that’s always a sign. Nadiya was the same thing. It’s one of the things we look for right away.”

“It’s a really good program for a lot of reasons,” Turner said. “They’re good at preparing you in the really short amount of time.”

Nadiya Chettiar said the shows staff has been encouraging, helping her transition from writing for herself to doing so for an audience.

Submitted photo

Travis Turner said he credits Langara’s instructors for helping prepare him for the industry. One teacher helped him find an agent.

Submitted photo

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EDITOR NATASHA CHANG

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

Lifestyles

ANNA DIMOFF photos

Dog walkers, cyclists and residents often take a stroll and exercise at the Riverfront Park pathway near the Killarney neighbourhood, which runs along the Fraser River.

Waterfront walking trail A South Vancouver park is a good alternative to Seawall

RIVER parks 1 2

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Fraser River Park: located on Angus Drive and W 75th Avenue Park Site on Shaugnessy Street: located at the end of Shaugnessy Street near W Kent Avenue Deering Island Park: located south of SW Marine Drive, end of Carrington Street

Source: City of Vancouver

By ANNA DIMOFF

A

s dog walkers, cyclists and couples stroll the path alongside the Fraser River, they’re accompanied by a view resembling that of the downtown Vancouver Seawall, only slightly more industrial.

The River District, located along E Kent Avenue starting at Kerr Street, is quickly becoming a hub of urban activity. And, the City of Vancouver has plans to expand the community further by establishing five neighbourhoods around the existing

homes and community centre. Development of new condos near the local Riverfront Park will be the next step in growing the waterfront neighbourhood.

During the week it’s usually only residents of the area and dog walkers who use the path, but on the weekends there is much more traffic, according to Laura Heil, who has been living in the River District since 1993.

“I think that it’s so popular because you can walk so far. I’ve walked almost the whole (path) with (my dog), but I got a ride back,” Heil said.

The riverside path, located south of SE Marine Drive, stretches almost eight kilometres from the foot of Argyle Street in South Vancouver to Tillicum Street in Burnaby.

Sheila Boardman, a resident of the district for about 12 years, said she feels lucky to have a place close by to take her dog, Loki, on long walks. She explained that the area is popular, but also sees why it doesn’t draw as many

people as the Seawall. “[It’s busy] especially on the weekends, on nice days. The only problem is there’s nothing here.

There’s Romer’s Burger Bar,” Boardman said. “But other than that there’s nothing. There’s no corner stores or coffee shops.”

There is, however, a farmers market, which is popular within the community Boardman added. The River District Farmers Market runs from May through October and is entering its fourth year of operation.

“We want the parks and recreational facilities to be accessible and inclusive for the public to enjoy with a focus on bringing some fun into our parks,” said Erin Shum, Park Board Commissioner and liaison for the Killarney Community Centre Society.

“We look forward to working with the community to have an open discussion to plan for our parks and recreation facilities.”

See langaravoice.ca for exclusive video!

Junk food not the way to go With stressful days coming up, students can expect more junk in their bodies

By JAMES SMITH Submitted photo

Marisa Artiga studies for two associate degrees, and she makes sure to find time to volunteer.

Giving back is just a start “ A must-do on her to-do list is helping her community in and out of Langara

By TONY SU

F

or many students, Langara is a launch pad into other institutions.

For Marisa Artiga, however, it’s a platform to help the community.

Artiga, 21, has been at Langara for three years and is soon graduating with two associate degrees.

Still, she carves out time to volunteer from her jampacked schedule.

Artiga said she’s so invested in volunteering because she can make a

difference in the community.

“I love helping out the world the best that I can,” she said.

“It may seem like a small contribution, but it’s the small things that make the big picture.”

Artiga may be starting small, but she is changing students’ experiences with the new orientation. She goes out of her way to connect with these students.

“I ask random questions like ‘how many of you guys like country music?’

Because I want [them] to feel comfortable.”

She routinely lends a hand at the Marpole Oakridge Family Place, over the holidays to lift up the spirits of families in the community.

“She really helped introduce students to the campus in a positive way,” said Maggie Stewart, Volt volunteer program coordinator.

It may seem like a small contribution, but it’s the small things that make the big picture MARISA ARTIGA VOLT VOLUNTEER AND PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT

W

ith final exams only two weeks away, many Langara College students are logging extra hours on campus to study. And, limited food options on campus lead many to choose what’s convenient rather than what’s healthy.

Although campus is open until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and until 7:00 p.m. on weekends, various eateries on campus close well before that. The cafeteria and Students’ Union Building cafés are not even opened on weekends.

Joyce Ilao, general sciences student, said it’s hard to eat well with so few good-tasting healthy options on campus.

She said alternatives in the area are too far away during times of stress.

And, the tendency is to reach for less nutritional snacks.

“When [I’m] trying to cram for [my] finals, it’s not like I’ll take half an hour and go to Oakridge,” said Ilao. “Maybe I’ll take two minutes and go to Tim Hortons if the line’s not long.”

Ma Rosetti Villamor, creative writing student, said she reaches for whatever is nearest, like Pringles and M&M’s, or even a panini from Starbucks if she’s famished.

Vashti Verbowski, registered dietitian and spokesperson for Dietitians of Canada, said it is important to take the time to eat well during marathon study sessions.

“If we’re studying [and] preparing for exams…we’re relying on vending machines and coffee shops, and usually those foods that are available are usually higher calorie, more processed, higher sugar,” Verbowski said.

“You might get that initial quick boost of energy, but then you’re likely to experience lower energy levels later on.”

The key is planning ahead and eating a variety of foods from all four food groups. And, bringing quick and easy snacks from home are a good way to avoid unhealthy choices later on, she added.

“An overall balanced diet does contribute to feeling good, thinking straight and a good mood as well.”

Verbowski said she would advise students to avoid sugary foods, consume less than “four small cups of regular coffee” per day and switch to decaffeinated drinks or water at least four hours before bed.

Caffeine can stay in one’s system for up to eight hours and negatively affect sleep, she added.

“If you’re not sleeping as well, then you’re not thinking as well the next day,” said Verbowski.“You might think ‘Oh, I have to have my caffeine to study,’ but it can kind of have the opposite effect over the long run.”

viewpoints V

the oice The Voice is published by Langara College’s journalism department.

Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration.

We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity.

Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number.

HOW TO REACH US PHONE

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Room A226 Langara College There is a mailbox at the entrance to the journalism rooms.

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

EDITOR JES HOVANES

Tutors not meant to do your homework for you A

well-trained and scrupulous tutor is a great benefit.

Their tutoring may be tough in the moment but will be infinitely more beneficial KELVIN GAWLEY in the long run.

Accredited tutors at Langara College have a stamp on the posters they post around the school. This proves that they have gone through training to avoid committing plagiarism on their client’s behalf.

A surrogate student for hire is certainly an understandable

OPINION

temptation for both struggling student and skilled tutor.

Let’s say you are struggling with a math course and you (or your family) can afford a tutor.

This tutor is a bona fide mathwhiz who could breeze through your course material effortlessly but has little knowledge of how to help you find ways to understand the material involved. Both of you could take the lazy route and have the tutor complete the task while you sit and watch.

In the end, you, the student, have not benefitted very much at all.

You have likely delayed the day when you will have to confront more challenging course material.

In a blog post published last week,

Steve Nash announced his retirement. He wrote at length about the people who helped him along the way, especially coaches.

Nash said that these people share in his successes but he also points to his incredible determination and hard work. He wrote about training hard and constantly striving to improve his game.

Coaches helped him, no doubt, but it was Nash who won two MVP awards by making plays when it mattered, not the coaches.

If you let the coach take the shots during practice (or your tutor do your homework) then, when (and if) you graduate, you will have the ball in your hands and not know what to do with it.

SNAIL MAIL

The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 2Z6

WEBSITE www.langaravoice.ca

EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Jes Hovanes

Alice D’Eon Charlotte Drewett

PAGE 3 James Goldie

PAGE 4 Kera Piwowarski-Skocylas

PAGE 5 Natasha Chang

PAGE 7 Vivian Chui

PAGE 8 Lena Alsayegh

WEB EDITORS

Mary Beach

REPORTERS Jocelyn Aspa Mona Butler Tanya Commisso Anna Dimoff Kelvin Gawley Dustin Godfrey Alex Hoegler Michael Lylyk Bryan Mc Govern Owen Munro Bailey Nicholson Rebecca Phair Sara Rabey Ethan Reyes James Smith Tony Su Julia Wickham Xiao Xu

Contact us: Online at langaravoice.ca

Twitter at @LangaraVoice

A

20-cent mimimum wage increase just isn’t good enough in an expensive city like Vancouver.

At a previous job, and probably the best job I’ve had living here in Vancouver, I worked as many hours as I could for $10.25/hour. I started at a couple of shifts here and there at The Source, a technology retail store. In need of money, I was given more shifts and opportunity to open and close the store on weekends.

It felt good to receive a cheque to be able to pay rent and bills. But, at the end of the day I was really just scraping by.

I was never able to pay off the student loan from previous education. I had just enough to be able to live off of it.

I was stuck trying to balance the film career that I wanted to have, and looking for the side job that would let me continue to pursue it. What I ended up experiencing in film was demanding hours, at any MICHAEL LYLYK time, for very little pay. So I had to work more at the minimum I was stuck wage job to make up for it. I was trying to stuck in an endless loop of balance getting by for the film ca- just five years. I came reer that I back to school to wanted to rethink what I wanted to do. have and Now I am a looking for full-time student to balance the side job trying work and school that would life and the current minimum let me wage doesn’t continue to make sense. If I want to do things pursue it like paying rent and buying food, I need to work more hours than I have available. An extra 20 cents doesn’t change income for the better, it doesn’t really change anything at all.

“

PAGE 2

COPY EDITOR

Raging over raising wages

OPINION

PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1

Shannon Lynch Mel Edgar Sableen Minhas Sandy Powlik Nich Johansen

7

MICHAEL LYLYK and ANNA DIMOFF comic

No faith in negotiating in good faith U

nions get a lot of bad press.

From the Canada Post strike a couple years ago, to the B.C. teachers strike all last summer, to the current strike of the union representing Univeristy of Northern B.C. Faculty, to the Langara faculty on strike vote notice, all these workplaces have something in common — the employer they are walking out on is the government.

And, it is the government that continues to force them into mediation instead of negotiating a contract.

And, it is the government denying them cost-of-living wage increases.

And, it is the government cutting funding to the institutions where they work.

And, it is the government funding the bad press campaigns, and messages that try to demonize not only public employees unions, but all organized labour.

I get it that the government wants to cut costs. But, cutting costs by burdening the very people that we all agreed to employ for the public benefit – teachers, professors, nurses – really does not seem like a very good way to make friends.

So in order to make friends, it seems, they decide to spend lots and lots of time and money trying to convince people that teachers are greedy for wanting their wages to keep up with the pace of inflation.

And then rather than negotiate a contract that people can live with — a contract under which people can come to work and not feel like they are being exploited — the government waits until the public is thoroughly confused and frustrated and orders everyone back to work.

Why not just negotiate in good faith, instead?

When the members of the legislative assembly wanted a raise,

they gave themselves one and made sure that people were happy at work.

The only reason that contract negotiations would take more than two JES HOVANES years is if the goals of the two sides are so fundamentally different that it has become unclear what they are really working toward. The instructors want a contract, for sure.

It seems ridiculous that anyone would continue to work without knowing the full terms of their employment – but the UNBC professors do.

Like our instructors, they do it because they believe in the work they are doing. And, they too are getting a raw deal.

OPINION

We want to hear from you Got a different point of view?

Write to us.

Problems with something we’ve said?

Let us know.

Think we got a fact wrong?

Tell us.

Journalism instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice. Email her at ebulman@langara.bc.ca

8

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

EDITOR VIVIAN CHUI

Iissues & ideas

Working hard for the money, honey Wage war stalemate Twenty-cent increase in B.C.’s minimum wage leaves some students and union leaders dissatisfied

By OWEN MUNRO

T

he debate rages on for those arguing for a better minimum wage after a 20-cent increase was announced by the B.C. jobs minister on March 12.

The minimum wage is set to increase from the current $10.25 to $10.45, but the increase has caused backlash from several union leaders and advocates who are calling it an insignificant amount.

The current minimum wage doesn’t allow people the opportunity to fully participate in the economy, said Lee Loftus, president of BC Building Trades and business manager of the BC Insulators.

“The government believes those that are telling them if they increase the minimum wage, it’s going to hinder the economy, it’s going to create unemployment,” Loftus said. “The evidence is actually contrary.”

The last increase, introduced on May 1, 2012, had next to no layoffs and actually injected money into the economy, according to Loftus. He argued that there’s a difference between a minimum and liveable wage, but a $15 hourly wage should be the starting point in any discussion.

“We should be looking at a liveable wage, which is more towards $17.50 or $17.80 an hour,” Loftus said. “Even with a $15-an-hour wage, you’re still feeling the poverty line.”

Some Langara College students don’t necessarily believe the 20-cent increase is the best solution for their own problems.

Chelsea Riva, an English student at Langara said she works at a shoe store in Richmond for up to 20 hours a week.

On a good week, she said she makes about $300 a paycheque, but has only $20 left in her bank account by the end of the week, even though she was paid the Friday before.

“I’m not sure my bank account is going to notice the increase because it’s so slim,” Riva said. “I’ll still have to sit in the break room in the back and do homework.”

VIVIAN CHUI photo

Langara business students Bethany Chan (left) and Joann Lam collaborate for an upcoming presentation in their management class.

Expert says get women on boards A UBC study shows that gender equality is good for corporations

By TANYA COMMISSO

W

omen’s tendency to ask questions is found to have a positive impact on decisionmaking in the business world, according to a recent study released by UBC. The study, conducted by the Sauder School of Business, was recently published in a business journal. It said that female board members are more likely to seek counsel from financial advisors than their male counterparts when facing corporate takeovers.

“In the long term, the economic importance of men and women are about equal, so why should only one of these genders make the decisions, and the other sort of just follow in line?” said

Maurice Levi, finance professor at UBC, who was on the research team.

Presently, Norway has a legal provision that requires women to make up 40 per cent of board memMARIANNE bers.

Levi said he be- GIANACOPOULOS Langara business lieves it would be instructor worthwhile to look into how similar laws would benefit Canadian companies.

Marianne Gianacopoulos, business instructor at the Langara School of Management, said she has observed

this behavioural difference between the genders in her classes at Langara College, as well as in her own experiences in the workplace.

Gianacopoulos said she finds that among her students, women are far more likely to approach her to ask for help with coursework. They also appear to be more willing to work together with their classmates.

“I think it’s just a natural part of the feminine orientation to ask questions,” Gianacopoulos said.

She also found that women in decision-making roles appear to be far more open to suggestion than men in similar positions.

“All the women I’ve reported to always make decisions based on consensus and collaboration,” she added.

“

Why should only one of these genders make the decisions, and the other sort of just follow in line?

MAURICE LEVI UBC PROFESSOR

Provincial wage increases vary across fields of study

Change in B.C.’s average weekly wage from 2013 to 2014

What Langara students expect to earn after graduation may be different from the present reality

By ALEX HOEGLER

W

VIVIAN CHUI chart

Compiled with source material from Statistics Canada.

ages increase at different levels based on industry, which may surprise Langara College students who have a certain expectation of how much they’ll earn when they graduate in their respective field of studies.

According to a payroll information report by Statistics Canada, the weekly wage in B.C. has increased by 1.8 percent. However, this is an aggregate compiled from different industries.

For example, first-year Langara health sciences student Stephany Valeros is planning to work as a nurse when she graduates. She believes her expect-

ed starting wage is reasonable. “[I expect] to make $42,000 a year [to start out.] I think it’s reasonable because you’re starting off, you can’t make a lot,” she said.

She said she expects her earnings will grow over time. However, Statistics Canada reports weekly wages in health care and social assistance rose by only 0.7 per cent last year, well below the average.

First-year marketing management student Gurvinder Singh is planning to graduate with a diploma, and hopes to start his own construction business.

“I would like to start working on high rises and develop complexes and townhouses,” he said. “If I want to start [out working on] carpentry or escalators, [companies probably pay] around $60 an hour,” he said.

Construction wages rose last year to above the average, at the rate of 2.8 per cent, according to the report.

Students in design and arts can ex-

pect fairly good wages. “I would say a median is around $20 an hour,” said Lenke Sifko, program coordinator for the design arts in continuing studies at Langara, who also said wages can be as high as $60 an hour.

Weekly wages for arts, entertainment and recreation rose well above the average to a 4.9 per cent increase last year.

First-year general education student Kiran Saulnier plans to become a teacher when he graduates, but he said that he probably won’t be able to afford the cost of living here.

This may be reasonable because weekly wages in educational services actually dropped last year by 0.3 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. “[The starting pay is] probably not enough to live in the Lower Mainland.

It’s my home, so I don’t want to leave it, but my living here in the future is slowly becoming less and less likely,” he said.

Sports

EDITOR LENA ALSAYEGH

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

9

Riders prep to compete Showing season has begun, and riders are getting back on their horses

By REBECCA PHAIR

I

XIAO XU photo

Students try out for the Langara men’s soccer team at an ID session held at the Minoru oval in Richmond on Sunday, March 22.

Hunting for premiere talent

Langara men’s soccer ID camps begin, preparing for next season

By XIAO XU

T

he Langara men’s soccer team is seeking players to strengthen this year’s roster and make them contenders for the top spot in the provincial championships.

The Falcons hosted an ID session on Sunday evening at the Minoru oval in Richmond. The session was aimed at recruiting high school athletes to play for the new season, which will start in September.

Despite the rain, about 40 young soccer players performed hard on the field, trying to win one of the limited roster spots under the coach’s evaluation.

“Basically, all positions are open and available,” said Marc Rizzardo, head coach of men’s soccer. “We have a

series of training sessions over the course of the next two months. I’ll invite 25 to 28 kids to our pre-season which starts early August,” Rizzardo said.

According to Rizzardo, the players who came to the session were a mixture of current Falcons players and high school students who are trying out for the first time.

During the two hour session, Rizzardo ran an intramural scrimmage between players, who were separated into four teams.

All the athletes played pretty aggressively during the game, at the coach’s request.

Two players got slightly injured in the scrimmage. Thirteen players were cut.

“We are looking for players that are

skillful, quick and hard workers.” Rizzardo said. This season, his goal is leading the team to nationals in Montreal.

Rafi Durrani, 19, came to the tryout because he’s “crazy for soccer.” He said joining the Vancouver Whitecaps FC would be his goal in future.

Godwin Nyong, FIFA licensed agent and business instructor at Capilano University, was looking for young talent during Sunday’s session as well.

Nyong said he looks out for players who will be good to market to clubs.

Players who have skill, persistence and physical fitness during the session may win his attention. “[I look out for] the players who are good enough to market to clubs. The Vancouver Whitecaps and other MLS clubs.” Nyong said.

SOCCER stats

SEASON RESULTS 5 wins, 8 losses, 2 ties

PROVINCIALS Won 2002-2003 PACWEST league championship Won 2001-2002 PACWEST provincial championship

NATIONALS Won CCAA silver medal in 2001-2002 season Source: Langara Athletics & Intramurals webpage

Summer intramurals yet to take off Traditional indoor sports are still more popular than newer outdoor options

“

It’s always good to get the word out and get people involved because I think it’s a good stress reliever JENA RICHES LANGARA INTRAMURALS ASSISTANT

BY JULIA WICKHAM

B

occe, ladder golf and croquet may not come to mind when students think of Langara College’s intramural program, and this may explain why the equipment isn’t getting much play, despite the warmer weather.

Students are bypassing the summer options and gravitate toward indoor sports such as basketball, volleyball and badminton, according to Langara’s athletics and intramurals staff.

Jena Riches, athletics and intramurals facilities assistant at Langara, said that since she began work in November, she hasn’t seen any students take out the bocce, ladder golf or croquet equipment.

“I would say there have never been any signed out that I know of, but I think it would be kind of cool to do,” she said.

Riches said that she does see a few people come and take out Frisbees, footballs and badminton racquets. She hopes intramurals will become more popular during the summer months.

Victoria Dengler, a first-year kinesiology student at Langara, says that she has never played bocce, ladder golf or croquet before.

“I don’t even know those sports,” she said. “I normally play [intramurals] around two to three times a week, play-

JULIA WICKHAM photo

Right: students play intramurals in the gym. Left: Jena Riches, Langara athletics and intramurals assistant. ing either basketball or volleyball.”

Since Langara organized a bubble soccer tournament, the intramurals program has become more popular, said Riches.

“They set up and played and we got maybe 60 people out… it was quite funny to watch,” she said. “I found that af-

ter that, the Thursday [intramurals slot] has filled up a lot.”

“It’s always good to get the word out and get people involved because I think it’s a good stress reliever,” Riches said.

Equipment can be signed out for free with a valid student ID between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

n order to capture the grace, skill and athleticism required for competitive showing, horseback riders at local stables are boosting their training in preparation of the spring competition season.

Equestrians at both Southlands Riding Club and Town & Country Equestrian are dedicating countless hours to improving their skills for competition.

For most, this entails an intense riding and training regimen to ensure both horse and rider are well prepared.

“If you are a serious rider, you train like a serious rider,” said Corinna Ploeger, a rider at Southlands Riding Club.

Most English style eventing shows take place over a three-day period.

Each day features a different event — ­ most commonly these are dressage, speed and endurance and show jumping.

Each discipline combines genera l horsemanship and the fine-tuning of event specific skills, such as movement and obedience.

R e gardless of the rider’s chosen event, all competitive equine showing requires the riders and their horses to train up to six or seven days a week, including intense cross training according to MARQUITA ZOLLMAN Ploeger, a submitted photo dressage Izzie Thompson competitor. competes with her “Competihorse, Rubix. tive showing evaluates both the horse and rider’s ability to harmonize their movements and master obedience with a graceful and effortless hand,” said Ploeger.

At the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, a three-day competition took place over the weekend attracting riders of all skill levels and varying disciplines.

Izzie Thompson, a first year associate science and health sciences student at Langara College, was in attendance riding her horse, Rubix.

“Despite the pouring rain [the competition] was fabulous and a huge success,” said Thompson.

Thompson and Rubix were entered in the Cross Pole Hunter competition, a show jumping class.

Entering and training for shows allows riders not only to set goals for themselves and their horses, but to measure success, according to Amelia Butler, head coach and owner at Town & Country Equestrian.

With many of the riders at Town & Country being between the ages of 12 and 16, Butler’s training tactics are catered to building a strong foundation and communication between horse and rider.

10

EDITOR MEL EDGAR

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015

Special feature

Langara journalism celebrates 50th From small beginnings in 1965 to a big anniversary today

By FRANCES BULA

L

angara’s journalism program started 50 years ago this year. It was a small effort, resulting in one graduate by 1967, an Irene St. Louis who has since vanished from history.

It was the beginning of a school that has now sent more than 1,500 people out into the world of mass media — as well as, eventually, law, communications, strategic intelligence, public relations, police work, academia, theatre, bookwriting, and much, much more.

That small beginning, which the department will be celebrating with an anniversary party in May, was the local offshoot of a continental trend: education for journalists.

People who wrote for newspapers in the mid-19th century didn’t need much training, except in how to run heavy

printing machinery. The papers of that era were more like blogs — partisan, opinionated screeds that were mainly intended to be the gathering place for one set of political opinions or another.

But then newspapers turned into big business, operations that needed dozens of reporters and editors, preferably people who knew a little bit about spelling and how the country was run.

Langara’s journalism program began at the former King Edward high school, where Vancouver City College operated in 1965, on the corner of 12th and Oak. It really took off, though, when Nick Russell arrived in 1968 and made it into a real department. And in 1970, the whole college moved up to 49th, where it was eventually renamed Langara.

The program’s paper in the early days was called The Savant, which was operated on what we would now think of

as primitive equipment involving glue, darkrooms, and rulers. But it had the same irreverence that has endeared the journalism program, its students, and its publications to college administrators — and fellow students — for 50 years.

Langara’s journalism program has survived many changes, changing as rapidly as the industry around it.

Langara, once a mainly print and photography program, now sends students out routinely with video cameras and orders to tweet the news as they find it. But the basics are the same — it’s all about doing the research and finding the best way to tell the best story.

Langara Journalism is holding a 50th anniversary celebration May 15 at the Olympic Village. Tickets, $10 each, are available through the Langara website.

Seriously fun news over the years Student journalism, from wild and wacky headlines to cold hard facts is still a commited watchdog

By MEL EDGAR

F

rom the days of The Savant 50 years ago to the hot of the press pages of The Voice today, Langara College journalism students have always strived for excellence — and sometimes they’ve even succeeded Langara College journalism students have covered it all: the college’s first electric typewriters, broken bath-

room stalls, council politics, a missing campus dishwashing machine as well as myriad student successes.

Over the years raucous pub nights with the on-campus radio station may have been replaced by more professional (cough) behavior over the years.

What hasn’t changed is our student newspaper’s commitment to the essential tenets of journalism: accuracy, transparency, independence, fairness — and a little bit of fun.

Adventures in Journalism Just look at the interesting things Langara College journalism grads have been up to since the 60s 1960s

1969 — Brian Brennan went on to work at the Calgary Herald for many years, but has become a full-time book writer in the last decade, with 10 titles to his credit.

1970s

1970 — Russ Froese works in crisis communications at the Canadian Red Cross and had a long and illustrious career as a reporter and documentary producer at Global TV and the CBC, among others.

1975 ­­— Cari Goldin went on from the program to do a law degree. She practiced as a lawyer for many years, then went to work as a review officer at WorkSafeBC where she said she gets to combine her journalistic and legaltraining.

1980s

ligence consultant. She currently runs a company that provides competitive intelligence for the pharmaceutical industry.

1989 — Noreen Flanagan is the editor-in-chief at Elle Canada.

1990s

1990 — Martin Dunphy currently works as a senior editor at The Georgia Straight.

1992 ­— George Affleck went on to run his own communications company and he is a Vancouver city councillor.

1998 — Steven Addison, formerly a reporter at Peace Arch News, currently works as a Vancouver police officer and runs a blog called Eastside Stories: diary of a Vancouver beat cop.

2000s

2004 — Fiona Anderson gave up law for journalism, working first as a business reporter for The Vancouver Sun, now as editor-in-chief for Business in Vancouver.

1980 — Shelley Fralic went on to work as a reporter and senior editor and now a columnist at The Vancouver Sun.

2009 — Chris Richards is working as the social-media manager for the Vancouver Airport.

1986 — Patti Bacchus (Balfour back then) went on from reporting in Richmond to become chair of the Vancouver School Board from 2008 to 2014 and trustee in 2015.

2010 — Todd Coyne works as deputy editor with Venture Publishing Inc. writing for Alberta Oil Magazine.

1986 ­— Krysta Davies Foss After Jschool, did a Masters in Intelligence and International Relations in Manchester U.K. and worked as a U.S. intel-

2010s

2011 — Mike Hager is now a reporter at The Globe and Mail.

2014 — ­ Nick Eagland, grandson of famed Vancouver Sun photographer Deni Eagland, is now a reporter at The Province.

MEL EDGAR photo collage

Student reporters at Langara College have covered some pretty big stories over the years, from the days of The Savant, Langara College’s first student paper, to modern times.