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Prof predicament
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To deter isolating students from coming in, some teachers are bending over backward. P3
The Punjabi Market gets new life from arts and culture initiatives. P4
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Ripple effect
Local densification changes feel of old neighbourhood. langaravoice.ca
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MARCH 3, 2022 • VOL. 55 NO. 5 • VANCOUVER, B.C.
New president, new outlook Langara's new president and CEO Paula Burns says she doesn't have a polished plan yet, but her main goals are to help the college move through the pandemic, listen to the community and pay attention to how the college works. LAUREN ACCILI PHOTO
Paula Burns plans to concentrate on Langara's community By LAUREN ACCILI
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aula Burns, who will become the fourth president and CEO of Langara College, says she wants to help the institution through the ongoing pandemic. Burns, who has been president at Alberta’s Lethbridge College since 2013, will join Langara in June. “My lived experience with the pandemic is going to be very different from someone else’s,” Burns said. “But in the midst of that, as a leadership team, we needed to make decisions that move our organizations in the right direction.” Burns is replacing former Langara president and CEO Lane Trotter, who held the position for eight years but has since moved on to Camosun College in Victoria. Vice-president Yusuf Varachia, who was appointed acting president and CEO at Langara in November when Trotter departed, said a new president must become familiar with a college’s culture. “It’s important to respect and improve upon the culture and vision that makes up our community,” he said. “But it’s also an exciting time and presents the opportunity to take
the college further, building upon and reaching for new goals.” Burns said she wants to meet the people at Langara, learn the culture and “understand even more about what’s really important to people.” She said serving the broader community is important to her. “That is what excites me,” she said. According to news reports, in 2016
cultivated a “great relationship” with Lethbridge faculty. “Now I have a great relationship with faculty association that we, you know, work through the challenges that we had to really create a cohesive team between administration and faculty,” she said. “And lots of great stuff is still going on there today.” She said she plans on listening and
“It's also an exciting time and presents the opportunity to take the collage further, building upon and reaching for new goals.” PHOTO PROVIDED BY LANGARA COMMUNICATIONS
— YUSUF VARACHIA ACTING PRESIDENT AND CEO AT LANGARA
Lethbridge faculty passed a nonconfidence motion against Burns. She subsequently signed another four-year contract with the college. “There were some challenges as we worked through sort of what’s the best vision and the best work to be done,” Burns said. However, Burns said she has since
paying attention to how Langara works, what programming is like and what students want to see. She says she does not have a polished plan for Langara just yet. According to Keshav Rai, student representative of the Langara search committee, Burns was appointed because of the experience she has in
academic leadership, along with her management style and her capability to adapt to different situations. “She has the capability to stay calm under pressure,” Rai said, adding she was also “team-based, collaborative and consultative [and] has balance in her personal and professional life.” Many faculty contacted by the Voice were unfamiliar with Burns and hoped she would be a good fit. Shuhash Shimon, an economics instructor at Langara, said being a good president requires inspiration, especially in a pandemic. “The world around us is changing … so we have to change with that,” he said, adding that Langara is on a good path right now, and it is crucial to maintain it. Debbie Schachter, director of the library services and learning commons at Langara, said it is important to always keep the students’ interest in mind, and it will be important for the new president to take the time to understand the college’s learning environment. “My concern with student mental wellness is really about making sure that people aren’t isolated,” Schachter said. “We really need to encourage our students to look to the future.”
No gear, no logo, no spirit Students long for department merchandise By LAISA CONDE
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tudents in programs other than nursing or registered massage therapy at Langara College won’t find branded clothing with the name of their department at the bookstore. Mark Dawson, Langara’s interim director of communications and marketing services, said personalized clothing, known as spirit gear, is something students in post-secondary institutions often buy and can provide a sense of belonging. “It’s very common for a college or university to offer some kind of spirit gear,” Dawson said. “It builds camaraderie among the student cohorts, too.” Samira Sallow, a third-term student in political science, said she would be happy to buy a hoodie with the logo of her department. “I would be more inclined to buy, because hoodies are awesome,” she said. While the bookstore carries some general items with Langara’s logo — like umbrellas, mugs and office supplies — department-specific clothing options are restricted to the nursing and registered massage therapy programs. The head of Langara’s bookstore was unable to reply to the Voice by deadline. However, Dawson said the reason is that both programs not only have longer terms and large cohorts but also do external events, such as speaking to a classroom. In that case, it’s nice to represent the college and their programs in this way. Not all Langara students want spirit gear. Pedro Queique, a second-term student of the post degree diploma of marketing management program, said he owned spirit gear from his college in Brazil, but never wore it. “It was just inside my cabinet, so I wasn’t even wearing it or actually remembering about the time that I was in college,” Queique said. Sandy Atwal, chair of the nursing department, said selling personalized gear is a way to represent Langara. Please see ARTICLE SPIRIT GEAR, page 2
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THE VOICE | THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022 | EDITOR LAUREN VANDERDEEN
Pickleballers in Chilliwack seek space
PoMo garden won't grow yet
Noise concerns quash pickleball court plans
Neighbourhood group opposes community garden plans
By GRAHAM ABRAHAM
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a specific and limited number of people for half of the year,” he said. Ogilvie described Art Wilkinson Park as a multi-purpose space used for family picnics, Easter egg hunts and children’s recreation like playing catch and sledding. The Glenayre neighbourhood is made up of primarily single-family homes. “There aren’t people in this immediate area that would be in need of that [community garden] program,” Ogilvie said. Lori Greyell works for the Grow Local Society and coordinates the Port Moody Police Department community garden. She will manage the Art Wilkinson Park community garden if it gets built. Greyell said the pandemic has highlighted a desire and need for growing your own food. “[Community gardens are] for food security as well: the ability to grow your own food and have control over that,” she said. “It brings a diverse group of people together. You have all ages, all backgrounds, all ... together, which is nice, and we can learn from each other.” The garden at the police department has dedicated plots for the Share Family and Community Services food bank and the Share community kitchen. Greyell hopes
to do the same at the Art Wilkinson Park, and include wheelchairaccessible plots. Over 100 families are on the waitlist for a community garden plot in Port Moody. Elizabeth Theriault, the owner of Epicure Preserves, has been on the waitlist for three years. Theriault lives in a condo with a north-facing balcony. “I can’t grow herbs or thyme or jalapenos or habaneros,” she said. “I can’t grow anything that requires sunlight, basically.” “As a farm market vendor, this is a real community,” Theriault said. A public consultation survey showed 60.5 per cent of 119 respondents were against adding a community garden to Art Wilkinson Park. Objections included increased traffic, residents already having their own backyards and the possibility the garden would attract bears. Councillors offered possible compromises. “A smaller garden, potentially 30 beds … may be a solution that would make everybody at least sort of happy,” said Coun. Amy Lubik. Coun. Meghan Lahti suggested controlling access to ensure traffic wouldn’t coincide with school pickup or drop-off. Mayor Rob Vagramov did not respond to the Voice.
he City of Chilliwack is looking for an alternate location for a new pickleball facility after Yarrow residents opposed a proposal to locate a court next to their community centre. Carol Bell, community centre manager and volunteer with the Yarrow Ratepayers Association, said while the city owns the land where the facility would have been located, the Ratepayers Association built, owns and maintains the community centre. Bell described the centre as a location for weddings and social gatherings, complete with a seniors lounge and a library. She said a pickleball facility next door would have caused an increase in traffic and noise near the centre. “It just does not work to have your wedding going on, and a pickleball game going on 10 feet away.” After the Ratepayers Association sent “a blitz of emails to engineering, planning, parks department, letting them know that we were not pleased,” Bell said the city reacted swiftly to its concerns. “We heard back from them very quickly actually, by the time the next council meeting was held. The PowerPoint presentation had been changed: they were looking for a site to put in pickleball courts,” said Bell. “I think we deafened them with our concerns, to tell you the truth.” Coun. Bud Mercer said that council approved $300,000 in capital expenses to commit to building new pickleball facilities. The location in Yarrow had been earmarked as a possibility by city staff, resulting in the conceptual drawing of the facility next to the community centre. However, that location was tentative and subject to consultation. When the Ratepayers Association expressed its anxiety, the plan was updated to indicate that a search for a location was ongoing.
there is an RMT program at Langara,” O’Sullivan said. “The students will often wear them to outreach events when they are doing clinical placements in sporting events.” Dawson said a study on how selling personalized merchandise might promote Langara’s reputation has never been conducted. Though only two departments are represented at the bookstore,
others have created their own personalized hoodies and sweatshirts. Eric Stewart, chair of the professional photography program at Langara, said his department started selling its own merchandising due to students’ interest and as a fundraiser for their graduation party. “Somewhere between five and 10 years, they’ve been doing a fun-
draiser with sweatshirts,” he said. “So, it’s all student driven. Faculty has nothing to do with it.” Stewart added that his department is not interested in having the bookstore sell their merchandise since not only would it cannibalize the students’ fundraising, but would also prevent students from expressing personality in their design. Stewart said he wears his person-
alized hoodie with the program’s logo during events he attends, and people often comment on it or ask him questions about the program. “As someone who is sort of responsible for getting the students in that program, it’s great to have that photography swag to wear,” he said, adding that people react to it. “Like, you’re a Langara photography person.”
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Master organic gardener Lori Greyell imagines a new community garden in Port Moody. LAUREN VANDERDEEN PHOTO By LAUREN VANDERDEEN
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lans for a community garden in Port Moody have been put on hold for the second time in two years in the face of community opposition. Port Moody city council approved the garden in early January despite public opposition. Council then paused the garden plans on Jan. 25 after the Glenayre Community Association expressed concerns about adding a 60-plot community garden to their neighbourhood park. The garden had been approved by council two weeks prior. Art Wilkinson Park in the Glenayre neighbourhood was picked as a potential location for the garden due to its good sunlight, access to water and proximity to multi-unit dwellings. The city has budgeted $39,600 for the 60 garden plots. Sean Ogilvie, president of the Glenayre Community Association, said while the neighbourhood isn’t opposed to community gardens, it wants to preserve its park space. “We feel that it’s important that we retain our park space so that it can be used by the greater community for a variety of different activities all year long,” Ogilvie said. “[A community garden is] a very land-intensive use. And it serves
SPIRIT GEAR, continues from page 1
“This was a request made from students over 20 years ago and have been selling at the bookstore since the 90s,” she said. The RMT department started doing the same a couple years ago, said program coordinator Jennifer O’Sullivan. “It helps to raise awareness that
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opinions are those of the staff and independent of the administration.
“Through the consultation with the Yarrow residents, it was determined that the fit is not good, so we’re still looking,” said Mercer. The councillor said Yarrow was floated as an option because the city wants to balance the volume of recreational options across neighbourhoods, and to ensure no neighbourhood is being overlooked. “There has to be a fit for the sport, there has to be a fit for the community and the neighbourhood, and there has to be a fit for the user [of facilities],” said Mercer. He added that he hoped to avoid the conflicts over pickleball that have emerged throughout B.C. “You need to be careful where you put pickleball, because it’s not welcoming everywhere.” Lyle Simpson, president of the Chilliwack Pickleball Club, isn't deterred by the change and ongoing search for an adequate location. “We support the residents. If they don’t want it there, we definitely don’t want to go there,” he said. In fact, it will probably work in our favour, because we would rather have it in a more central location,” said Simpson. The club, made up of 324 members, sees around 70 people show up on a weekend to play at the city ’s only current designated outdoor pickleball facility. Other locations to play inc lude tennis courts with lines painted to mimic pickleball courts. Bud Mercer CHILLIWACK CITY S i m p s o n COUNCILLOR echoed Carol Bell when he explained why the club did not feel comfortable imposing on the Yarrow Community Centre: “Who wants to have a wedding when there’s people playing pickleball in the background?” The president has a vision for the future of pickleball in Chilliwack. “The way forward in the city is for all the racquet sports, tennis, pickleball, racquetball and squash, to get together and approach the city and try to build facilities that will house us all.”
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Campusnews
EDITOR HANNAH SNIDER | THURSDAY MARCH 3, 2022 | THE VOICE
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Students at Langara College work together in a class in the B Building this semester. DANIEL JOHNSTON PHOTO
Catch 22: extra work or risk exposure
Teachers face dilemma as sick, isolating students told to stay home, potentially fall behind By DANIEL JOHNSTON
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angara faculty say they are struggling to accommodate absent students due to Langara’s sick policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, faculty are faced with a dilemma: either accommodate absent students by providing online options or extra tutoring — or risk having sick students come to school because they don’t want to fall behind. They are also trying to navigate the challenge of teaching “hyflex” classes that contain both in-person students and students who are online at the same time. Langara’s student attendance policy states, “Instructors should be reasonable and fair when considering requests for accommodations resulting from unavoidable absences.”
Bryan Breguet, chair of the According to instructors in the economics department, said that department of library and informainstructors are left on their own to tion technology at Langara, hyflex decide how to help students keep learning works but is also time up when they miss classes because consuming. of COV I D “We did a poll concerns. among students “There are no general “There are no and there was a general guidelot of concern guidelines as to how lines as to how it about safety it works, not at the works, not at the in the classcollege level,” room, and the college level ... The Breguet said. teachers, we’re college has asked us “ The college concerned as has asked us to well,” said Fiona to be maybe more be maybe more Hunt, departempathetic and empathetic and more ment chair for more flexible.” the library and flexible.” Instructors information — BRYAN BREGUET, CHAIR OF THE are also experiprogram. ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT menting with “ We started hyflex learning looking into that involves teaching students ways that we could make everyone in-person and online simultane- feel more comfortable and we came ously. across the idea of hyflex.”
Hunt is part of a Langara committee on introducing hyflex learning to other programs in the college. “I think that we’re the only depart ment who has actually piloted it so far, but I know that other departments are interested,” said Hunt. Diane Thompson, an instructor also in the library and information technology department, says that although hyflex learning is working, it’s creating extra work for faculty. “There are all kinds of benefits, the instructor doesn’t get exposed to somebody who isn’t feeling well and potentially has COVID, and the student isn’t spreading it rapidly amongst the class,” said Thompson. “The student can still participate in the activities and the learning that’s happening that day without compromising everybody’s health.” But there is a drawback. Thompson said hyflex requires a
lot more resources and attention, and without the right technology, it doesn’t work well. “You’re aware of the students in front of you, but then you also have to think: how do I include those students over Zoom?” said Thompson. “You can’t do this by yourself. You have to have somebody else there with you.” To make hyflex learning work, instructors use students to monitor the Zoom call. Hunt said it’s difficult for the instructor to keep track of their in-person teaching and the Zoom station without the student monitors. The future of hyflex is unsure. “Whether it continues in the future is something that we haven’t decided yet,” said Hunt, referencing hyflex learning in classes. “Students were quite understanding, I think they were so pleased that they could attend in a flexible way.”
Students worried about cafeteria safety SFU and BCIT share cafeteria safety concerns By JORDAN COPP
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tudents at Langara College and other Metro Vancouver post-secondary schools have ongoing concerns about COVID19 safety precautions in their school cafeterias. Langara College nursing student Sarah Smith said she no longer uses the cafeteria because of COVID concerns. “I used to, but I don’t anymore … I either bring [my lunch] from home or I get food off campus,” Smith said. In the Langara cafeteria students can sit side-by-side at tables, without any barriers between tables or even distance markings. Langara’s mask policy follows the guidelines of the provincial health office and the Ministry of Advanced Skills Education and Training. The policy states that students are allowed to remove their mask to eat or drink while sitting down.
One student noted there is not enough space between seats in the cafeteria. “I think it would be better if there were some Plexiglas barriers, that would definitely be helpful on some tables,” said Zach Lee, a Langara criminal justice student. Lee also said that there are few signs on the walls outlining COVID precautions. Some students at other local post-secondary schools share similar concerns about COVID safety in their school cafeterias. “There is plenty of space most times,” Tom Milten, a first-year SFU student, said. “But when it’s the main lunch hour and everyone is trying to find a spot, it gets crowded. “Even though the tables look clear, I always sanitize them with wipes I bring from home.” When first-year BCIT student Lance Adder has a break, he heads to the main cafeteria. “But if my break is around noon, I’ll get my food and take it somewhere less crowded to eat,” he said. One issue is that students who have finished eating continue to socialize without a mask on. “It made me really uncomfortable
with COVID,” Smith said. “There’s always a lot of people hanging out together without masks and the tables are always dirty. It just kind of grossed me out.” One question that students have raised is if the mask policy in the cafeteria also applies to non-designated eating areas. Some students choose to eat in less crowded spaces such as hallways and empty classrooms. Adder said that the mask policy about areas outside of the cafeterias was unclear at BCIT as well, but eating in the hallway feels like a safer choice. SFU student Alex Davis was also unclear about her school’s policy on students eating outside of cafeterias. “It bothers me to see students eating in the halls. It makes me uncomfortable.” All three of the schools where students were interviewed say they are following provincial health guidelines. Dwayne Doornbosch, Langara facilities director, said that the college follows the return to campus guidelines laid out by health authorities. “Regulations include promoting good hygiene and providing hand
Students congregate during peak hours in the Langara College cafeteria JORDAN COPP PHOTO
washing facilities or hand sanitizer; communication reminders via digital signage or social media; and engineering controls such as Plexiglas barriers at high traffic or clientfacing locations,” Doornbosch said by email. Doornbosch said the COVID-
safety measures taken throughout the college are outlined in Langara’s communicable disease prevention plan. The precautions are required to reduce the risk of transmission, not limited to COVID-19. Additional measures would take place when advised by public health officials.
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Arts&life
THE VOICE | THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022 | EDITOR GRAHAM ABRAHAM
Customers enter the Punjab Food Center in the Punjabi Market in Vancouver, B.C. MARILYN REICHERT PHOTO
Punjabi Market restores its soul Community members work to elevate neighbourhood to its former glory
By MARILYN REICHERT
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group of volunteers and business owners are hopeful the Punjabi Market will experience a renaissance, despite the challenges of the pandemic. Jag Nagra, creative director of the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective, was concerned the vibrant market of her childhood was being neglected. “It looks quite rundown compared to the '80s and '90s,” Nagra said. “We don’t want to walk down the street in the future and say, this is where Punjabi Market used to be.” Nagra’s concerns led her to network with local business owners. The collective approached the city for help in 2019. In response, supported by Vancouver Coun. Pete
Fry, the city passed a motion declar- tour. Visitors using their phones ing May 31, 2020, the market’s 50th can take a narrated walk through anniversary, as Punjabi Market Day. the market to learn about the rich “We were hoping to have a huge history of the neighbourhood. festival, but everything got shut “How do we capture the magic, down with the symbolism and imporpandemic. All “If you went back 50 tance of this of a sudden, years, it was quite part of the our big dreams came to a halt,” city,” Fry said. groundbreaking what Nagra said. “If you went was happening here.” The collecback 50 years, tive is now it was quite — PETE FRY, VANCOUVER CITY COUNCILLOR working with groundbreakarts organizations to bring in more ing what was happening here.” foot traffic. Four art murals in The Vancouver Punjabi Market, the market were part of the 2021 located on Main Street between Murals in the Market initiative by 49th Avenue and 52nd Avenue, was the collective. More are expected the first of its kind in North America, Fry said. in 2022. “There is a renaissance of young The collective, in partnership with the Indian Summer Festival, South Asian culture, purveyors and organized a self-guided walking sponsors wanting to see this regen-
eration happen.” Madan Dhingla, his wife, and a part-time employee serve few customers at their store, Mona Cloth House. “We have been here since 1990. Before the pandemic we had six employees,” Madan Dhingla said. “All the weddings were put on hold . . . what we are selling is all for special functions. And nothing has happened for the two years, no tourists, no local weddings.” Dhingla said the city had not done enough for business owners. “So far, there’s more talk than anything,” he said. But other shop owners like Yared Nigussu are hopeful the Punjabi Market will experience its rebirth. Nigussu opened his Art Lab Studio in the neighbourhood four years ago.
“I think the Punjabi Market used to be vibrant. It just disappeared,” Nigussu said. Michael Lee, Vancouver-Langara MLA, credited initiatives that have managed to prosper despite the pandemic. “I think the mural fest has been a tremendous success . . . and the walking tour, that has been another great initiative. There are lots of good activities I believe that can bring people back,” Lee said. “These are historic places that are part of the cultural fabric of our city…I think it enriches our lives to be part of such a diverse community,” said the MLA, whose office is in the market. “When we lose our heritage, when we lose our cultural places of gathering, and touch points like this, we start to lose the soul of our communities.”
Sportsnews
Odds stacked against feisty Falcons Men, women seek to surprise at basketball championships By JUAN RAMÍREZ
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xpectations are soaring among the Langara men’s and women’s basketball teams as the squads prepare for the PACWEST championships. The Falcons men enter the playoffs ranked fourth, while the women are underdogs occupying the final playoff spot among six teams. Falcons women’s coach Virginia Watson said the season has been
filled with challenges, but momentum is on the team’s side. “This season, we’ve definitely had our ups and downs,” said Watson. “We have a lot of injured players on the sideline, unable to participate, which is too bad. But in saying that, we’ve been really resilient, especially in the second half of the season.” Langara’s first year guard and forward Kate Carkner is looking forward to surprising the rest of the league with her team’s improvement. “I think it’s only going to go up from here since we started off the year kind of rough, and we had a lot of obstacles. We’ve been finding more of our groove and figuring out how good of a team we can be,” said Carkner. “I think the playoffs will be a really good chance for us
to prove ourselves beyond just the record and what the numbers show . . . we have potential.” Men’s coach Paul Eberhardt added that a lack of unity early in the season posed an obstacle, but the team has developed cohesion. “Our biggest challenge has been running together as a team…we’re still learning how to do that, but it’s getting better,” said Eberhardt. Men’s point guard Royce Sargeant said the team is looking beyond the PACWEST championship. “Our goal is to win nationals. So that’s our expectation: to make it to finals in [the PACWEST] playoffs, hopefully, and then go off to nationals,” said Sargeant. For the men’s team, focusing on rebounds is crucial. “If we go out and control the
rebounding like we have all year . . . we win the game. So that’s always a key for us,” Eberhardt said. Women’s forward Stefany Martinez said managing her team’s health is important for playoff success. “We are taking care of our bodies because it’s been a long season, so the coach is asking us to receive physiotherapy . . . then we are just looking forward to improving our offensive and defensive techniques,” she said. She added that her team has been studying their opponent to identify star players, which will prepare the Falcons’ defence. The 2022 PACWEST basketball championships run Thursday, March 3 to Saturday, March 5 and take place at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford.
FALCONS' TALLY Langara's Men
Langara's Women
Top scorer: Royce Sargeant 13.9 points per game
Top scorer: Rachel Labrador 11.6 points per game
Top rebounder: Jas Dhudwal 8.8 rebounds per game
Top rebounder: Rachel Labrador 5.8 rebounds per game
Top passer: Royce Sargeant 3.1 assists per game
Top passer: Rachel Labrador 1.9 assists per game