Fashion trends for the fall season.....................5 Colder weather gives students a chance to show off their funky fall fashions
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OCTOBER, 11, 2012 • Vol. 45 no. 2 • vancouver, b.c.
Langara phone issues plague students “
[My cell] randomly disconnects all over the school. ASHLEY WONG Langara Student
Communication companies say there’s a solution, but college won’t discuss it By JENNIFER THUNCHER
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tudents are frustrated by problems they face logging on to Langara’s wireless network or making cellphone calls at various locations around campus. Representatives from Rogers, Bell and Telus all say, while it is common for concrete or metal buildings to have Wi-Fi and call reception problems, there are things that can be done. The telecommunication companies
suggest Langara could pay to have external or signal boosters placed around campus to improve reception. The Voice reporter’s seven requests for an interview with someone from Langara’s information technology department were not responded to by deadline. Students complain most about Wi-Fi reception in Building A, the library and the grass courtyard outside the library. For student Nathaniel Wai, the wireless network in the cafeteria and the
library is the biggest problem. He notes he gets decent Wi-Fi reception in the cafeteria between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., but barely any between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. “The library is bad 24-7,” Wai said. For other students, cellphone calls on campus are the biggest frustration. Ashley Wong says her phone, “randomly disconnects all over the school.” Wong thinks the dropped calls have more to do with her service provider than the buildings on campus. She is
Student humanitarians are honoured Six members of Langara’s Volunteer Travel Abroad program return after their overseas adventures By JUDY CHERN
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his summer, a group of six Langara students and recipients of the C.A.R.E. Langara Volunteer Travel Abroad program devoted their time to volunteer projects overseas. As applicants to the program create their own projects, the students’ travels spanned across the continents, with their range of humanitarian work being even more diverse. Four of the six students shared their experiences at an information session last Tuesday. Leilani Reum taught english at a school in Nepal, where she was valuable resource just for being a native English speaker. Reum’s interest in cross cultural integration and communication was further enriched by the diversity she encountered at the school. Christians, Hindus, and Muslims would be together in one place, she said. “How everyone was in harmony...really opened my eyes to acceptance,” said Reum. Kathleen Higgins worked in Costa Rica at a wildlife rescue centre. She would take care of animals, then send them back into the wild. “It was rewarding as I could see them grow up,” she said. She says the experience will provide the “inspiration and spark” for her plans to study zoology at UBC. Christina Theocharis initially volunteered for a nutrition program in Kenya, then realized that “nutrition was not a priority” at the hospital where she worked. As a result, she became a general assistant, which she described as “enormously rewarding”, as she aspires to become a nurse. Theocharis became involved in three volunteer programs, including a local NGO that fed, clothed and provided visibility for more than 300 orphans. “It truly changed my life...the moment I finish my nursing degree I will Printed on recycled paper
with Bell Canada and says her friends who are with other providers have fewer issues with calls. An unscientific Facebook and Twitter poll of Langara students asked them to name their service provider and if they had reception problems on campus. Rogers Communications Inc. customers reported fewer problems (17 per cent) while Bell Canada (50 per cent) and Telus Corp. (100 per cent) trailed well behind.
Faregate funding and costs remain unclear Millions of tax dollars are being spent on cheaters while paying riders get cuts to transit services By Gillian Hames
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photo courtesy of KATHLEEN HIGGINS
Kathleen Higgins acts as a mom for Nere, an orphaned spider monkey at the Jaguar Rescue Centre in Costa Rica, on a volunteer program last summer. be back and it will be a permanent move,” said Theocharis. Kathleen Parker describes her work in a Kenyan school as an experience where she took more away than she was able to give. “I thought I would just be pitying them...I found the opposite to be true. They were all so happy all
the time it was impossible not to be happy when you were with them,” she said of the Kenyan children. She also worked with child soldiers. Students interested in the C.A.R.E. program can contact Megan Richardson, the program coordinator of VOLT at mrichardson@langara.bc.ca
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It truly changed my life. CHRISTINA THEOCHARIS Langara Student
hough the new Faregate system TransLink plans to have operational in 2013 has been in the works for several years now, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the project. When asked if fares would have to increase in order to pay for the Faregate system, Derek Zabel, spokesperson for Coast Mountain Bus Co., was unsure. “Those discussions are underway,” he said, but did not speculate on when a decision might be made. The main goal of the Faregate project, which is estimated to cost $171 million, is to prevent people riding for free. However, Zabel admits that fare evasion has decreased, though security inspections have gone up. “In September 2011, there were 164,000 checks and 5,000 tickets issued. In [September] 2012 there were 240,000 checks and 2,900 tickets.” He attributes the decreased rate of evasion to people being more aware of the potential to get caught. Given that fare evasion is down, some question why TransLink is going ahead with the project, especially given their current budgetary problems. Last month TransLink announced a three-year plan to cut cost and boost revenue, including service cuts affecting less busy lines and off-peak hours. Zabel says the Faregate project is going ahead because the government has agreed to help fund it. When asked how
See FAREGATE SYSTEM, page 3