The Voice • November 25, 2021 • Volume 55 • Issue 3

SCIENCE & BIZ

Tree trouble

Wild and windy weather forces Langara to take a second look at weak trees on campus. P6

CAMPUS

Switching Lanes Langara administrators and students prepare for a new era of presidency. P3

ONLINE SPECIAL

Video mania

Blockbuster died off long ago, but these local video stores are still thriving. langaravoice.ca

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Mental health letdown

NOVEMBER 25, 2021 • VOL. 55 NO. 3 • VANCOUVER, B.C.

New bodegas bring back old memories P4-5

Counselling under pressure from pandemic

 By CLARISSA KURNIAWAN

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s mental health issues have worsened during the pandemic, Langara College students are increasingly turning to the school’s free counselling sessions.

Some are saying the quantity and quality of the services are not meeting expectations.

Fephi Kagan Dumlu, a second-year computer science student at Langara, was struggling with anxiety during his first year and decided to see a school counsellor. His first experience did not go very well.

“Honestly, it felt like they didn’t really care about it,” Dumlu said.

“They didn’t do much progress on my following session.”

Despite his bad experience, Dumlu connected with a different Langara counsellor and has since joined a group session. His second time around proved to be more helpful.

A pre-COVID-19 Statistics Canada report said youth aged 15 to 24 were already the least likely to report excellent or very good mental health. In July 2020, they reported the greatest declines, down to 40 per cent from 60 per cent.

One Langara physics student, who asked not to be identified due to the stigma, said that although her experiences with the Langara counsellors were pleasant, the department is in much need of extra help.

“Counselling services are hugely overbooked. You can only schedule a month later even if you are in a mental emergency,” she said. “They need a larger department and a bigger staff.”

A 2017 Voice article outlined similar issues facing the counselling department.

Langara's counselling department chair Kerri Janota said although the department is making efforts to streamline the counselling services, wait times are inevitable due to the increased demand.

“While we have worked tirelessly to diversify our services and expand our team to better meet the growing demand for appointments, there are however high demand times where students may experience wait times to see a counsellor,” Janota said.

See page 6 for full story

Tim Voss, owner of Lucky's Exotic Bodega, holds some of the specialty items his store sells. LAUREN VANDERDEEN PHOTO

Don't sweat the bell curve Langara instructors say grade scaling is rare in small classes  By HOLLIE MCGOWAN

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angara College students have been voicing concerns in online chat rooms regarding a marking strategy used by some instructors known as “grade scaling.” Langara teachers say that it is not often used.

Taking to the online chat platform Discord, several students over the past month have been expressing fear that their chances of getting into other post-secondary programs might be damaged if their grades are changed because the class average is too high.

“Mannn I’ll be so mad if I get this and can’t get into UBC [because] of the scaling,” said one Langara student in the Langara student Discord channel.

Grade scaling, also known as “grading on a curve,” is sometimes used by instructors when the overall average grade belonging to a class is extremely high or extremely low.

For example, if the class average

is 90 per cent, an instructor might lower the average to be equivalent to 70 per cent instead.

“I disagree with it,” said Brian Lesmana, a business administration student at Langara. “The main reason there’s curve grading is for teachers to know if the exam was too easy or not. I think the teacher

“I've never been pressured into any passing rate.”

— BRYAN BREGUET, LANGARA ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT CHAIR

should know their exams quite well and how difficult it is for the students.”

Some Langara instructors said it is not a widely practiced system at the college.

Bryan Breguet, chair of the economics department at Langara, said the grading system tends to be used in academic institutions where class sizes are larger. At Langara,

where class sizes are much smaller, he is only getting a few students every semester who perform poorly and a few who perform exceptionally well.

“I haven’t seen the rationale to standardize my averages and distribution,” Breguet said.

According to instructors, pressure at larger academic institutions to produce successful students and fill classes has pushed some to use curve grading. At Langara, teachers claim to not be pressured to boost their students’ marks.

“I’ve never been pressured into any passing rate or anything,” Breguet said. “But I had a colleague who was teaching at SFU [and] they were literally given a spreadsheet with their scaling.

“So, you enter the actual grade and the spreadsheet does all the calculations for you to get the perfect normal distribution, no matter what your original distribution is.”

Kevin Koonar, a Langara school

of management instructor, said he used grade curving during his early days as an instructor.

After gaining more experience, Koonar stopped using curve grading as his teaching style became more refined.

“As you get more experienced, you get a better feel for what the students are unable to do,” he said.

“And also [if ] you’ve done a good job at preparing them to answer those questions for the exams.”

Although many instructors use it to the benefit of students, it is still widely disputed in the academic world.

According to Through Education, an online resource for educators, “Used correctly, curving can benefit students and ensure that all students receive the same standardized scores. [Used] incorrectly, however, and there will be a sense of increased competitiveness among students (even to the point of some students sabotaging other students just to get ahead) and unfairness.”

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Atlarge

THE VOICE | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | EDITOR ALEX ANTROBUS

Crypto-mining heats North Van

Energy corporations aim to heat homes through Bitcoin production excess  By LUCAS JORNITZ

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he City of North Vancouver is plugging into the world of Bitcoin with a plan to use waste heat from Bitcoin mining computers to provide warmth for businesses and homes.

Mintgreen, a tech company based in Burnaby, has formed a partnership with the Lonsdale Energy Corporation. The LEC is a cityowned company that provides heat and power to 100 buildings, including apartments, in North Vancouver.

Colin Sullivan, CEO of Mintgreen, said the company has built a partnership with LEC for the past two years as it developed the heaters it intends to use in the project.

Mintgreen’s heaters had to provide temperatures higher than what was normal for a mining computer, and the company spent over a year working to meet the

necessary requirements for LEC. “They needed additional heating, ideally, low carbon, and, our technology kind of arrived at that point. So it was actually a long time coming with them. And the fit was good for what we needed,” Sullivan said.

The heat will come from a digital boiler room that houses Bitcoin mining computers that are generating Bitcoin by processing complex math equations. In the digital world, these machines generate Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies; in the physical world, these machines produce a lot of heat. To cool these machines down, Mintgreen will use a coolant fluid that absorbs the heat from the machines. A heat exchanger will transfer the heat to the municipal water supply, and that water would be used to heat buildings. The base of the system is powered through BC Hydro electricity and, according to Sullivan, will offset carbon

Mintgreen's proposed heating system designed around mining Bitcoin. PHOTO COURTESY OF MINTGREEN

North Vancouver could become the site of a new proposed Bitcoin production system, which would bring heating to homes through cryptocurrency mining. LUCAS JORNITZ PHOTO

emissions substantially.

“We supplant 1,600 metric tons of CO2 as opposed to natural gas per megawatt of heating. This is hydro-based electricity, we capture almost all the heat and inject it directly into their district energy system via a heat exchanger,” Sullivan said.

The project isn’t without criticism, however, as many take issue with the city being involved with Bitcoin mining. Former city councillor and mayoral candidate Guy Heywood feels that the city’s involvement with a digital tool that is inherently outside the regular financial system is problematic.

“You’ve got a government that relies on tax revenue, but support-

ing something that is a known way to launder money and avoid taxes, and is absolutely environmentally irresponsible,” said Heywood.

A representative of the city could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

While the issue involving taxation is a problem that’s been growing within the cryptocurrency world, Sullivan and Mintgreen are trying to combat the environmental concerns.

“They’re [the LEC] covering a portion of the electricity, and we’re giving them low carbon heat. We’re incentivizing the decarbonization of their line, to use just electricity would be expensive, if not prohibitively so. We’re essentially subsi-

Surrey combats gang recruiting Surrey tries to undermine gang recruitment at the family level

Shergill said the sessions are a chance to let parents tell their own stories and open up conversations about topics parents struggle “to talk to their kids about.”

Jon Ross, the supervisor of Surrey’s Wrap Around program that works with parents and caregivers to help teens at risk, says that when it comes to keeping  By CHRISTI WALTER youth away from gangs, focusing he City of Surrey is taking only on teenagers is not enough. a new approach to keep “Looking at that whole family children out of gangs by system is crucial to make longtrying to help families become lasting change in a young person’s stronger. life,” he said.

Research by a municipal Ross said there could be a p ro g r a m f u n d e d b y number of reasons why Public Safety Canada parents have a poor found that Surrey chilconnection with their dren with a lack of children. They may be “One of our sessions connection to their single parents without parents were the most at was in Punjabi and we support or going through risk for joining a gang. mental health struggles. had, I believe, over Harmeet Shergill, His program sees parents S u r re y ’s c om mu n i t y who are socially isolated.

30 parents attend.” safety coordinator, said “They have their own — SGT. LINDSEY HOUGHTON that during focus groups, hardships they had growSUBMITTED PHOTO conducted by Surrey ing up,” he said.

Anti-Gang Famil y The workshops also Empowerment, young people in B.C. A 2017 municipal report featured information about gangs spoke about their inability to found that teenagers with driver’s and warning signs for parents have hard conversations with their licences are frequently targeted by from the Combined Forces Special parents. gangs. According to stats for 2014 Enforcement of BC, a provincial “When we asked these kiddos to 2016 from the Surrey RCMP, anti-gang agency. Sgt. Lindsey why they felt like they can’t have the average age when a gang- Houghton of the unit said that these conversations with their member committed their first B.C.’s geographical location is parents, a lot of them said they criminal offense is 16 years old. connected to its gang activity.

T

feared their parents would judge them or compare them with other children,” she said.

That discovery led Surrey to put together a series of workshops this fall to help parents work with their children to prevent gang activity.

There have been six workshops so far, most running this week at a handful of Surrey schools, exploring how parents with children of all ages can build stronger communication. Each workshop is being held in a major section of Surrey.

Surrey has a young population, with the largest school district

“Our location in the Pacific Northwest and our closeness to the U.S. border, our position as a gateway to Asia. Those kinds of things definitely play a role,” he said.

Shergill said session organizers have tried to reach parents in culturally relevant ways.

“One of our sessions was in Punjabi and we had, I believe, over 30 parents attend.”

The feedback from the first four workshops has been positive, Shergill said.

“We haven’t seen a lot of workshops that’s a little bit more interactive,” she said. “So, we did try to do something that was a little bit different.”

dizing a clean electric boiler, so it makes sense for the constituents on a fiscally responsible level,” said Sullivan.

Micah Smith, a civil engineer with Blockchain Infrastructure Research who has extensive experience in the power industry, says cryptocurrencies and renewable energy are complementary, and that heat is a natural and useful by-product of Bitcoin mining.

“I think that makes a lot of sense because the only waste of crypto is the heat,” Smith said. “If you capture that heat that comes off of the immersion cooling and use it to for a productive use, that pokes a lot of holes in people’s environmental arguments against it.”

SURREY GANG FACTS

ACCORDING TO SURREY RCMP

» Age

First criminal offense typically occurs at age 16.

Half of B.C. gang members are younger than 33.

» Entry Position

Dial-a-doping: the lowest status within a gang, but one of the most dangerous, due to its public facing nature. Involves selling and delivering drugs at any time, day or night.

» Location

Not geographically centred.

Surrey gang activity can span across multiple jurisdictions .

SOURCE: EMPOWERSURREY.CA

Future arrests can be prevented by youth outreach programs, such as Surrey Anti-Gang Family Empowerment. PIXABAY.COM PHOTO

Campusnews

EDITOR ALAINA SAINT AMOUR | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | THE VOICE

LANE TROTS AWAY

'TBA' math prof a turn-off when registering Unlisted teachers during sign-up angers many  By ALAINA SAINT AMOUR

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Langara College president and CEO Lane Trotter's cardboard cutout outside of his office. JEN SHANNON PHOTO

Langara College community wants the next president to be interactive and transparent  By JEN SHANNON

ara since 2009, and during that time, she said she’s noticed a pattern of ith the departure Langara presidents failing to interof Langara College act with people across the college. president and CEO “Talk to some people around you,” Lane Trotter, the she said. “That makes a huge differsearch to replace him is heating up. ence with people, because then they Trotter announced his deparbegin to feel that there’s a connecture in July, after nearly eight years tion.” at Langara. He will be moving to Darren Bernaerdt, acting dean of Camosun College in Victoria to be arts at Langara, wants a president closer to his family. who connects with the external During his time at Langara, Trotcommunity. ter has overseen the development “People want to be involved. They of two academic and two stratewant to be heard,” he said. “And I gic plans. Under his leadership, the think, like a lot of areas of society … college worked on internapeople want transparency.” tionalization and enhancBernaerdt is also look“People want to be ing programs and services ing for Langara’s next involved. They want to for Indigenous students. president to prioritize During his presidency, the Langara’s commitment be heard and I think, Musqueam Nation gave to the recommendalike a lot of areas of Langara the name tions from the Truth and ,which translates to Reconciliation Commissociety … people want “house of teachings.” sion. transparency.”

Trotter said he believes “We have been chalPHOTO COURTESY OF — DARREN BERNAERDT his successor’s biggest challenged to respond [to the] DARREN BERNAERDT ACTING DEAN OF ARTS lenge will be overseeing the calls to action. I think we new normal in the college’s need to deliver on those operations since the COVID-19 Schoenenberger said. actions,” he said. pandemic began.

Some college administration Trotter’s last day as president will “There will be differences in how members also want a president who be Friday. The search committee is society, including post-secondary interacts with the college commu- currently interviewing candidates institutions, operates,” Trotter said. nity. to fill the position. Vice-president “What this looks like is still to be Marianne Gianacopoulos, Lang- external Yusuf Varachia will be determined.” ara’s division chair of management taking on the role as acting presiTrotter’s advice for his successor is programs, said visibility is critical for dent in the interim. to take the time to learn the culture a president.

The search will end with the selecand meet the people of Langara “And by that I mean being seen, tion of Langara’s next president in before making any assumptions. interacting and getting involved December. The presidential search “This is critical if you are going to with what’s happening around the committee is composed of Langara be successful,” said Trotter, adding campus with different groups and staff, a student representative and that he hopes his replacement will getting away from time spent with ministry-appointed members. be a good communicator. the senior leadership team,” she said.

“I just wish the students and Brian Martinez, a second-year Gianacopoulos has been at Lang- employees all the best,” Trotter said.

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theatre student at Langara, said he wants the incoming president to get to know the students and their needs.

“An ex-student would be awesome,” said Martinez, who thinks the president should understand the busy schedule students have and the breaks students need.

Jordan Schoenenberger, a fifthyear political science student, said he wants the next president to make classes more affordable.

“Ideally [they’d be] an outsider who will run it as a place to educate rather than to make money,”

THE VOICE: PRESIDENT TROTTER, WHAT...

FINAL WORDS FROM OUR DEPARTING PRESIDENT

...are your hopes for Langara once you've left?

LT: "That it continues to be a successful college and the number one transfer college in Canada."

...unexpected challenges did you face as president?

LT: "One of the challenges when I joined was finding out there was a projected deficit in the development of the budget."

3

plan by the Langara mathematics and statistics department not to list instructors during registration has upset some students.

During registration for spring 2022, more instructors than usual are listed TBA, or “to be announced,” for some multi-section math courses.

The change hasn’t gone unnoticed by students. Jesse Rose, a student in the computer science program, has taken many math classes. He said the change frustrates him. He said students may be compelled to take classes with teachers they don’t prefer.

“I feel like they finally realized that they can’t force students to take courses from these teachers that nobody likes,” Rose said.

“So this is their way of dealing with that.”

Listing some instructors as TBA during registration is normal due to scheduling conflicts, but the number of unlisted math instructors is higher than in past years.

Melisa Lavallee, mathematics and statistics student adviser, said the change is being made to see if it eases congestion as students queue up for certain classes, leaving others with empty seats.

“We are finding an uneven distribution in our class lists where some classes are full with full waitlists while others still have seats available. We are going to see if the TBA helps alleviate this or if it’s more time dependent rather than instructor dependent,” Lavallee said in an email statement to The Voice.

Department of mathematics and statistics chair Eugene Li said he is waiting until the end of November, well into registration, to post the instructors’ names. He said that the change in registration policy may mirror the job industry after school.

“College and university life should [be] a little bit [of ] a reflection of the real world, right,” said Li. “You cannot always have the same boss.”

A common way students choose instructors is through websites like Rate My Professors, which lets students anonymously review and comment on past instructors who have taught them.

Sepideh Zaeri, a bioinformatics student, said it’s very common for students to rely on the reviews before registering for classes.

“I can assure you 99 per cent of students use [Rate My Professors],” said Zaeri, based on conversations she’d had with her peers.

Rate My Professors won’t come in handy for Zaeri’s spring classes.

She said all of her math courses are listed as TBA. Maja Grubisic, a Langara math instructor, said reviews on Rate My Professors are biased by nature.

She said ratings are influenced by voluntary response sampling, which is when someone chooses to respond because they have a strong opinion on the subject.

“It's usually going to be students who had a really good experience and those who haven't. So it's the two extremes, usually, that kind of tend to post opinions,” said Grubisic.

But Grubisic said she unders t a n d s w hy students use it, because it’s one of the only tools they have.

“That is sort of the only avenue that they can go down to at least give them some sense of what they might expect. Which is fair,” Grubisic said.

Rose said selecting an instructor is one of the few choices students can make about their courses.

“Knowing that I have to take this class, and I have to take it this semester with a certain instructor or with who-knows which instructor, it feels like that takes power away from me in the choice that I do have,” said Rose.

For now, the registration change is a trial run. Li said he wants to see if it alleviates any issues and will follow the format again depending on how it goes.

— With files from Emily Lyth, Christi Walter and Jan Bevilacqua

SOURCE: EMAIL FROM LANE TROTTER

...does Langara need most in a president now?

LT: "A person with a broad range and depth of experiences at a senior level who can provide leadership."

A student uses a calculator on her math homework. ALAINA SAINT AMOUR PHOTO

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THE VOICE | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | EDITOR SENA LAW

Bodegas are Vancouver's new "five-star" convenience stores

M

Trip down memory lane a

Tim Voss, owner of Lucky's Exotic Bodega, and store manager Ahmed Shehata pose for a photo with some products at their store. LAUREN VANDERDEEN PHOTO

odern bodegas are connecting the South Vancouver community and bringing nostalgia to customers through childhood snacks.

Bodega refers to a small mart or grocery store that originated in New York. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several of the specialty snacks shops opened in Vancouver and quickly gained popularity. Lucky’s Exotic Bodega was one of them.

Lucky’s first location opened near Playland in October 2020.

The shelves of the New York-style bodega are packed with specialty products like the flavoured Pickle-in-a-Pouch, collectible Pokémon Oreos and even oyster-flavoured chips from Thailand.

Tim Voss, the owner of Lucky’s, said he wanted to create a welcoming store, where the community can come together and bond.

“The idea behind the exotic snacks came from wanting to do something different, something that's not the same old conve-

nience store.”

When it comes to the reasoning behind the popularity modern bodegas have gained in recent years, Voss said nostalgia plays a big role.

Lucky’s offers many childhood snacks that are hard to find elsewhere, an example being Dunkaroos, which haven’t been available locally in sometime.

“Dunkaroos were a big part of our childhood, and we all enjoyed Dunkaroos, and it went away,” Voss said. “It reminds us of those good days, the days we were younger when we were having fun playing with our bikes.”

Ahmed Shehata, the store manager at Lucky’s 41st Avenue location which opened last July, said the variety of nostalgic snacks is a huge attraction for customers.

“These are some things that I see and I'm like wow, I remember going to the convenience store when I was younger.”

Dank Mart on M Street is another S “We wouldn't be able Vancouver exotic s bodega that ope to do it without the during the pandem community, that's all it Dani Burgas cashier at Dank M really comes down to.” said she loves — TIM VOSS, OWNER OF LUCKY'S EXOTIC welcoming atmosp BODEGA created in bode “You feel like yo talking to your friends when you come here,” Burgas said.

Lucky’s Exotic Bodega’s storefront showcases its glob sourced snacks, streetwear, high-end sneakers and cigare Shehata said Lucky’s is like a “five-star 7-Eleven” that prov an elevated experience compared to regular convenience stor

a sweet treat

Main South snack ened mic. s, a Mart, the phere egas. ou're

bally ettes. vides res.

News&features 5

Stories and photos by Lauren Vanderdeen

Nostalgia fuels comics store

Decades-old comic book store offers collectibles that bring back childhood memories

S

elling nostalgia has sustained Golden Age Collectables for nearly four decades.

Patrick Shaughnessy, the owner of the comic book shop which has operated at Granville Street since 1979, said a major selling point is the nostalgia brought on by collectibles and comic books.

“People get patterned at youth, for the things that they enjoy the most,” said Shaughnessy. “A lot of people see something [in the store] that they saw or remember, things they heard about and couldn't get when they were younger.”

Shaughnessy said regular customers return to the store for “the old stuff, the new stuff and the in-between stuff.”

Shehata said the bodega’s combination of hip-hop culture and variety of snacks offers something for all customers. “I feel like anyone can come here and just walk out with something.”

Henry Nguyen has been a regular at Lucky’s for the past three months. He said he frequents Lucky’s for a specific strawberry shortcake ice cream bar.

“Ice cream trucks are kind of not around anymore,” Nguyen said.

“When I found out this place had it, I was like, this is awesome.”

Voss said with the community’s support, the new bodegas that saw success during the pandemic will be here to stay.

He said that sourcing and importing these exotic snacks was challenging last year. The business saw the cost of shipping containers rise from $1,500 to $15,000.

“It definitely was a challenge,” Voss said. “But we believe that if we can survive in the pandemic, that we'll be OK for the nonpandemic times as well.”

Ashley Sparrow has been coming to Golden Age Collectables for over 10 years. She’s been a fan of Star Wars since she was two years old. For Sparrow, the science fiction universe reminds her of childhood.

“I've had Star Wars action figures since I was probably four or five,” Sparrow said.

Shaughnessy said the interest in comics and collectibles has developed through the decades.

“When I started in business you were an oddball if you came in here, and now it's almost like you're an oddball if you don't come in here,” he said. “It's become such a relevant part of our culture, what people enjoy.”

Patrick Shaughnessy, owner of Golden Age Collectables, reads a comic at his store on Granville Street. LAUREN VANDERDEEN PHOTO

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Science&Biz

THE VOICE | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | EDITOR AMIR KHAN

MENTAL HEALTH LETDOWN, from page 1

To provide quicker access to counselling, Langara has recently created a waitlist system that provides students with community resources and referrals while they wait to see a counsellor.

It is also offering help for a more diverse range of issues.

“Our team is committed to ongoing professional development and training on a number of important topics, including Indigenous cultural safety training, anti-racism learning pods, LGBTQ+ support service provision, and various other topics of justice, equity diversity and inclusion,” Janota said.

Looper moths, which eat evergreen needles, are to blame among other factors for the decline of tree health in Vancouver. SUBMITTED PHOTO PETER WOODS

Climate damaging tree health

Vancouver's trees weakened by drought, storms and insects  By NICOLETTE  COLOSIMO

W

hile riding his bike around S tanley Park in the beginning of August, Norm Oberson noticed a change in hemlock trees at Brockton Point.

“They were all dying just after the heat wave. I've never seen anything like it in Stanley Park,” he said. “Even now they are all standing dead.”

Oberson, an arborist at Arbutus Tree Service, is one of several people who have noticed severe changes to the health of trees in Vancouver. Trees suffering from drought are at greater risk from insects and are more likely to fall down from storms, like the violent one in early November. Many scientists connect these events to climate change.

Oberson said extreme temperature, such as last summer’s heat dome, can be the first blow. “ The tree sur vives, but it ’s

stressed,” Oberson said. “[Then] a trees on campus with an arborist. bacteria or fungus attacks because We then prune or cut trees down the tree’s defence system has been accordingly,” he said. weakened. So, it’s susceptible to Mike Mackintosh, a Vancouver attack from other living or envi- park board ranger, said it is likely ronmental things.” there will be more tree damage this When a severe storm moved winter given so many are unhealthy. through the Lower Mainland on “Trees are very shallow rooted.

Nov. 9 — on When high the heels of a w i n d s o c c u r, "They were all dying deepened low there is going pressure system to be a certain just after the heat that swept over amount of loss,” wave. I've never seen M a c k i n t o s h the south coast over the weeksaid. “Coming anything like it in end of Oct. 23 on the heels of Stanley Park."

— many frailer a drought that trees toppled, we’ve had this — NORM OBERSON, ARBUTUS TREE SERVICE disrupting y ear, we are power lines and forcing the closure likely to be experiencing a greater of Langara College. loss than normal.”

Dwayne Doornbosch, direcThe water table is currently high tor of the facilities department at because of the recent rains, making Langara, said due to the summer things worse as it can flood the drought earlier this year, his team roots from below. has been walking the grounds daily Mackintosh said with extreme and more aggressively pruning to weather, excessive water can cause keep a close eye on the trees. rot and fungi to develop. Both can “We do regular assessments of all weaken trees, making them prone

to falling over.

“When the winds hit a lot of those trees, they lean over,” he said.

“But because of their weakness, at a certain point they’ll actually break off at the middle of the tree rather than the tree cascading over from the roots and it’s terrifying.”

Olga Lansdorp, a conservation technician at Stanley Park Ecology Society, said looper moths also hit trees hard this summer.

“Looper moths will basically bite off the whole needle, so they can cause a lot of damage to trees,” Lansdorp said, adding that drought combined with the looper moths had a compounded effect. “In a year where there was no drought, the looper population, like we saw this year, wouldn’t have been as destructive.”

Mackintosh said the impacts of climate change are significant in a metropolitan area.

“It behooves us to be constantly on guard and do everything we possibly can to manage the human impact.”

“We see that patients are able to access care from the comfort of home, on their own schedule...”

— SHELLY-ANN RAMPERSAD, VICE PRESIDENT

Recent surges in demand for mental health help have inspired virtual counselling apps such as Wellin5 and Maple, which allow young adults to connect with therapists.

According to Shelly-Ann Rampersad, vice president clinical operations at Maple, there has been an over 400 per cent increase in Maple users since the start of the pandemic.

“We see that patients are able to access care from the comfort of home, on their own schedule, which makes online therapy a great choice for many Canadians,” Rampersad said.

William Masih, CEO of Wellin5, said “Millennials and Gen Z are the early adopters for online counselling so far because they are already engaged with social media and technology to stay in touch with their relatives.”

Langara will also soon offer the Peer Wellness Support Program to be run by student volunteers in January.

“The volunteers can support students in finding resources, learning resiliency strategies, and figuring out their next steps to enhance their own well-being,” said Peter Walsh, Langara’s mental health

Langara's bachelor of business program undergoes an upgrade

Program overhaul brings changes informed by alumni, students, faculty and professionals  By LESIA POGORELO

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angara’s school of business management is working to overhaul its bachelor’s degree program in business administration in a bid to better prepare its future graduates in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the last year, Jonathan Steele, chair of business technology management, and Brent Kennedy, chair of business curriculum, worked with colleagues and the college

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. They may be edited for brevity.

Your letter must include your name and phone number.

administration on the first stage of the development of the new program.

The co-chairs reviewed four of the school of management's diploma programs, three of its degree programs and four of its post-degree diplomas. The review included consultations with industry partners, faculty, students and alumni.

“We heard from students of what they felt was good about a program,” Steele said. “Alumni gave us helpful feedback, because they've completed their degree and gone out into the

market.”

The school of business management currently enrolls 603 students across its four bachelor’s degree programs.

David Williams, vice president of policy at Business Council of B.C., said the pandemic has affected the labour market and suggested students monitor the demand for various jobs and skills sets.

Office jobs are much more technologically intensive than pre-2020 with more virtual interactions and

fewer in-person encounters because of working from home, he said. Now employers are looking for strong technical or creative proficiency, coupled with excellent “soft skills” that are also necessary to achieve a company’s goals.

“My advice to students thinking about their career path is to think about what sorts of occupations, or tasks within occupations, that you find fulfilling or think you might be good at,” said Williams, adding that Langara business graduates have an

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excellent reputation. “Then, look at the wage signals the labour market is sending you about demand for various jobs and skills sets.”

Saichaitanya Manda, international student from India, is on his first term of post-graduate diploma program of business administration. He found Langara’s instructors professional and understanding. As he said, he chose this college because of reputation and well-developed program.

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Arts&life

EDITOR ETUVIERE MRAKPOR | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | THE VOICE

7

Carving toward reconciliation

Woodworking artist Aaron Nelson-Moody a.k.a. "Splash" prepares his tools before working on an art piece. CLAIRE A. WILSON PHOTO

A personal project propels conversation around truth and reconciliation  By CLAIRE A. WILSON

A

n Indigenous-led art project on campus aims to bring together the Langara community in a dialogue surrounding truth and reconciliation that will pave the way for future generations.

Aaron Nelson-Moody, also known as “Splash,” joined forces with Suzi Webster, an instructor in the fine arts department, to create a multi-media art project called Being Human.

The project has been in the works for some time but finally got funding in September.

The smell of cedar in the air greets students every Tuesday as NelsonMoody carves outside the bookstore.

This inviting environment allows students to connect with the history of the land and fosters discussions

between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

“Langara being situated on a traditional Musqueam village site and the contemporary lands of the Musqueam peoples, it’s very important for us to be able to acknowledge that within all of our relationships,” said Conor Kerr, executive director of Indigenous initiatives and services.

“This project in particular really speaks to that.”

As with the red dresses displayed on campus in October, some students may have noticed Nelson-Moody working outside. He believes it is vital students continue the conversation surrounding truth and reconciliation, and participate in the creation of the project through work shops and engagement with the artists. Many involved pointed to how making something together

creates connections.

“Take truth and reconciliation, that gigantic conversation, and imagine it as a physical object, as a single project,” Nelson-Moody said. “In order to execute that project, you need to learn more about

“...it brings together various departments across campus.”

— SHYANNE BOUDREAU, INDIGENOUS STUDENT COORDINATOR

each other, you need to speak more with each other, you need people to feel engaged.”

A main goal of the Being Human project is to leave the door open for future Indigenous artists to make

their mark on Langara campus.

Shyanne Boudreau, Langara’s Indigenous student coordinator, pointed to place-based art pieces, such as this one acting as a template for further projects and opportunities for students in the future.

"Not only does it foster future projects but it brings together various departments across campus." she said.

These goals relate to the larger Indigenous idea of thinking seven generations ahead.

“The environment, the culture we leave behind, we want it to be better for the next generation, which means we should start now,” NelsonMoody said. “Sometimes it’s a small beginning, like this carving in some ways isn’t going to change the fabric of Canada or truth and reconciliation.

“In other ways, it’ll change some people's thinking, or some people will be curious about it the next time it comes up.”

The project’s goals are echoed in the carving materials. James Michaels, an Indigenous artist, laminated multiple boards together to create the wood that NelsonMoody uses to carve pieces of the final project.

“In a way, that’s metaphorical for what we’re doing here in the college to various different people coming together with different grains, different histories, trying to be united in this effort to move forward,” Webster said.

According to Nelson-Moody, symbolic elements such as these provide areas rich in contemplation and conversation for Langara’s community.

Langara design formation prep St. Roch Stories Exhibit focuses on RCMP ship and its journeys  By GRAHAM ABRAHAM

T

he curator of the Vancouver Maritime Museum is impressed by the creativity of a Langara design formation class working on a new exhibit commissioned by the museum.

The exhibit, called St. Roch Stories, about an RCMP ship that navigated the Arctic in the early- to mid-20th century and is on permanent display at the museum.

The class, which focuses on exhibits and events, will display its exhibit in Langara’s design formation studio throughout December and then at the museum beginning next spring.

The exhibit will include several vertical structures, with one side of each structure resembling an iceberg and the other resembling the northern lights. Each structure will be

imprinted with information about the ship.

Curator Duncan MacLeod said the students contributed “innovative and exciting ideas,” which creatively incorporate the museum’s vertical space. An idea that stood out to the curator was to make the information partially hidden by the heights of the structures, which adds an element of discovery and exploration to replicate the Arctic environment.

“...that feeling of just being beaten to a pulp, but in a good way.”

— MACLEOD KAULIUS, DESIGN FORMATION STUDENT

“It’s not an easy space to work with,” he said. “We’ve been very impressed with what the students have come up with this year.”

MacLeod said the museum worked with Langara design formation in 2020 on a virtual exhibit called Sea Signals. Once restric-

tions related to the pandemic eased, the museum hoped to partner with them for a physical display.

“We decided that this year would be our chance,” MacLeod said.

Second-year student Raff Torres said he feels overwhelmed that clients from the museum expect to view the completed project by Dec. 3.

“It’s like, ‘Gosh, this is it. This is real world stuff,’” Torres said. “It was a reality check. This is an actual client. This is no longer just school stuff.”

MacLeod Kaulius agreed the partnership was daunting but appreciated the opportunity to get working experience.

“It’s been a super hard project, but one of those things where it’s the closest any of us have probably come to the real world,” the secondyear student said. “That is that feeling of just being beaten to a pulp, but in a good way.”

According to design formation instructor Peter Vysek, themes of the exhibit include the Arctic environment, navigation of the ship and the people and animals aboard the

St. Roch.

While participation in the exhibit will improve student portfolios, Vysek is excited the class will contribute to local community and culture.

“Thousands of people will see [the exhibit],” he said. “There’s also a bit of a legacy that exists beyond the

end of the course.”

Graeme Rolfe, who visits the museum four to five times a year with his children, said they will check out St. Roch Stories once it’s on display.

“We were thinking about getting a membership again,” Rolfe said. “It’s great for the kids to come here.”

Design formation students (left to right) MacLeod Kaulius, Raff Torres, Lily Napier and Fanny Briemberg. GRAHAM ABRAHAM PHOTO

8

Sportsnews

THE VOICE | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | EDITOR PATRICK WACHTER

Kinesiology teacher helps soccer team

Prof, also an assistant coach, tests and supplies regimen for women's squad

UBC, said that the cooperation with the team was only possible because of the leadership in the kinesiology department. All the tools and equipment the team used on a daily basis is provided by the department.

The close relationship between the team and the kinesiology department has led to off-the-field success for Seaborn and the other students in kinesiology. Perrotta said the students have used the  By CHRISTOPHER data they received from testing the  MACMILLAN women’s soccer team to present at fter a disappointing season, a national conference last month. the Langara women’s soccer “They've been team say they are benefitting able to go and showcase off from an assistant coach who teaches their ability to in the kinesiology department. give research, The team was eliminated from the PACWEST finals in October as well. Because with zero wins, eight losses and one what happened is our students tie. Dr. Andrew Perrotta views his Mark Eckerle here in kinesiolrole as assistant coach caring for the WOMENS SOCCER health and wellbeing of the team’s ogy, when they COACH work with a players as the key to their future success in the PACWEST league. team, they take that data, but then Perrotta and the rest of the depart- they go present [their findings] at ment test the team regularly. national and international confer“I'm leading, assessing, and taking ences, which is huge because they care of all the physical testing, the get [featured in] publications,” said physical preparation, trying to Perrotta. quantify all that exercise stress that Mark Eckerle, the team’s new the girls are experiencing using head coach, recognized the Falcons’ the equiplack of success ment of the in the recently “Regardless of on-the[kinesiology] completed department,” season while field results, we're very praising the Perrotta said. happy that ... the players team’s coheK a y l a Seaborn, a sion. feel cared for, the staff s e c on d - y e a r “Regardless feels cared for, and [that] o f on - t h e kinesiology student and results, we do trust each other.” field defender on w e ’r e v e r y — MARK ECKERLE, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH the team, was happy that … injured last the players feel season but was able to rehabilitate cared for, the staff feels cared for, quickly and safely because of the and [that] we do trust each other,” close supervision provided by her Eckerle said. assistant coach.

Seaborn said she trusts the coaching staff to help the “I've gone through like, a couple injuries this team improve for next season. And he's defiseason. Having grown nitely helped me with up in Richmond, her Check out recovery along with decision to join the Chris MacMillan's like, prevention of Falcons was about video at [further injuries],” staying local.

Seaborn said.

Eckerle also noted langaravoice.ca She said building the difficult opposing teams that the muscle was one of her Falcons have had to biggest goals, and that Perrotta “really help[ed] us work play against.

“The PACWEST league is actuthrough everything, make sure like, we're always healthy whenever ally very difficult. We will play possible.” against … nationally ranked teams Perrotta, who previously taught at every week,” he said.

A

Langara's men's basketball team talks in a circle before practice starts. ASHLEY BURGOYNE PHOTO

Langara's athletics department is small but inclusive Coaches and athletes embrace community  By ASHLEY BURGOYNE

cally and improve before transferring to a university in a few years even minutes after trying out and believes Langara will help him for the men’s soccer team at achieve this.

Langara, Athos Michellepis Marc Rizzardo, men’s soccer coach de Siqueira received a text at Langara, said the support goes from the coach about joining the beyond just sports. team.

He said the department helps to The offer included a tour of the arrange counselling for athletes if school and an opportunity to ask any they need it. questions.

“We’ve supported them financially. A lot of them are on some The warm response from the coaches was type of scholarship from the deciding the school,” he said. “We factor in him support in terms of you “Players come from all over choosing to know, making sure that play at Langthey stay on top of their the world.

We've got players ara over UBC grades.” and SFU. Rizzardo also said the from Brazil. We have “The thing program values internaplayers from Japan. We had tional students. that made me choose here “We encourage interplayers from Malawi.” was also how national study,” he said.

— MARC RIZZARDO the… coaches “Players come from all MEN'S SOCCER COACH PHOTO PROVIDED BY were treatover the world. We’ve got LANGARA ATHLETICS ing me,” said players from Brazil. We Michellepis have players from Japan. de Siqueira, who is in his second year ara to play in the PACWEST league. We had players from Malawi.” of kinesiology and playing soccer at They are athletes that may not Both coaches and athletes said the Langara after moving from Brazil be able to get into the university of school needs updated facilities. to Canada. their choice due to their academics “I think one thing that could be There are approximately 80 or athletes that have been overlooked very beneficial is some sort of weight student athletes at Langara who play by other teams at a university level. room or weight training area,” Chan on men’s and women’s soccer and Nicholas Chan, a first-year said. basketball teams. They are a mix of basketball player at Langara, said the Eberhardt said Langara has domestic and international students people working in Langara’s athletic limited space and funding to who say they come to Langara for department are what he values most. upgrade. the support the coaches offer their “They care about their players off “It would be sure nice to have a athletes. The support includes finan- the court and care about them as newer, more modern facility,” said cial help, counselling and growth people,” Chan said.

Eberhardt. “I think that would help opportunities they would not receive He plans to develop more physi- us a lot.”

S

at a larger school.

Langara’s men’s basketball coach Paul Eberhardt said the small size of the athletics department allows athletes and faculty to get to know each other more closely.

“I think it’s a very welcoming environment for student athletes and particularly for kids coming right out of high school,” said Eberhardt.

He said there are typically two types of athletes that come to Lang-

FALCONS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE MEN'S

WOMEN'S

11/27/2021

11/27/2021

11/28/2021

11/28/2021

12/03/2021

12/03/2021

vs. Okanagan College 6:00 p.m.

At Langara vs. Okanagan College 6:00 p.m.

At Langara vs. Columbia Bible College 8:00 p.m.

Away at Columbia Bible College

vs. Okanagan College 4:00 p.m.

At Langara vs. Okanagan College 11:00 a.m.

At Langara vs. Columbia Bible College 6:00 p.m.

Away at Columbia Bible College