Over The Edge
UNBC’s Independent Student Newspaper est. 1994
apa thy
Student Letters, pg 13-19
Volume 24, Issue 8
Free overtheedgenewspaper.ca
March 27, 2018 over.the.edge.unbc@gmail.com
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ney Watk Tier in
to like us on Facebook. For more information, please visit our website www.overtheedgenewspaper.ca.
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Support is always needed and no experience is required; help make Over The Edge better. We want to hear from you! Call us at 250-960-5633, tweet us @overtheedgeunbc, email us at over. the.edge.unbc@gmail.com and be sure
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Every year, we provide employment as editors, designers, and managers to students with a passion for journalism and are always looking for motivated individuals to work and volunteer in our collaborative environment. Over The Edge offers competitive advertising rates for space in our print publication as well as online.
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social media, distribute issues consistently, and cover stories as diverse as NUGSS politics, BC politics, cultural events, labour disputes, polyamory, and student questions, while holding space for poetry and creative writing. I am exceptionally proud of my team and what we have been able to accomplish. As we move into the new year, my aim will be to continue to expand our current activities and engage with diverse student groups to ensure that Over The Edge Newspaper truly represents the voices of students.
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Over The Edge is the University of Northern British Columbia’s independent student newspaper. Our office is located on the 2nd floor of the NUSC building in room 6-350. We are an equal opportunity publication which represents students in the UNBC and Prince George community. Our publication supports student writing by welcoming news, arts, sports, culture and opinion articles, as well as photography, comics, and creative writing submissions.
This year has seen the Over The Edge team work to improve outreach with students and the wider community, increase contributions and connections with contributors, update the look of our print issues (thanks Barry!), improve our website and
Emman u
Over The Edge
Coordinator; Tim Hillier, Multimedia Coordinator; and Emmanuel Drame, Distribution Coordinator. Finally, we have some exciting new additions to our team: Mohammed Alalloush will be coming in as Publisher, and Melanie Bellwood will be coming in as News Director.
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learning along with the incredible team you can see in the bubbles below. Though I have had the pleasure of being rehired as Editor In Chief for the 2018/2019 year, some of our team will be moving on to other new endeavors. Thank you to our Publisher, Hannah Rizun; News Director, Tierney Watkinson; and Advertising Coordinator, Alexandra Tuttosi for your past year, or years, of service! Over The Edge will be continuing into next year with some returning staff: Monique Gendron, Production
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omehow this year has absolutely flown by, and I can’t believe we’re already on the last issue of Over The Edge for the 2017/2018 school year! Taking over from previous Editor In Chief, Colin Slark, I had a wonderful year of growth and
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Gender and Violence Event Alexandra Tuttosi Contributor
O
n March 9, UNBC hosted their annual Northern FIRE Symposium. This event looks at the importance of women’s health in a broad sense. It has been present at UNBC since it opened in 1994, and Dawn Hemingway has been heavily involved since the beginning. The main topic being addressed was Gendered Violence: Local and Northern Perspectives. The panel members that presented on this issue included Rayne Tarasiuk, Shayna Dolan, Viva Behn, Claire Johnson, Cindy West, Tracy Porteous, Sarah Yercich, and Jacqueline Holler. This empowering, yet emotional, symposium not only highlighted issues that are seen around various communities across Canada, but it also brought to light those issues that are not known of or talked about. The main issues that arose revolved around Indigenous Peoples, the importance of feminism, and domestic violence in Canada. The researchers who spoke talked about both a one-onone approach and a less direct approach. In this case, they asked participants to take an artistic approach when describing how their experience made them feel. During the first keynote speech, the presenter looked at all-male gatherings and the challenges that they face, both as a group and individually. Some of these challenges include sexual abuse, addiction, and no accountability of abusers. Later in the presentation, Rayne Tarasiuk illustrated how we, as a culture, can help change this view of men’s groups. Tarasiuk recommends men’s groups in universities, intergenerational trauma workshops, and breaking the cultural silence that revolves around all male groups.
During the two panels, the presenters had a shared idea which looked at violence in relation to women. The two types of violence that were touched on, were emotional and physical violence. In “Women’s Perspectives of Gendered Violence in a Rural, Remote & Resource Dependent Community,” Shayna Dolan and Viva Behn look at Indigenous rights within Fort Nelson. According to the 37 women who were interviewed, these women care about their children and what happens to them should they grow up in a city that is constantly changing. In “Voices in Thread,” Claire Johnson looks at women’s experiences
being in a relationship with an alleged or known sex offender. Dr. Jacqueline Holler’s presentation on “Hitchhiking & Sexual Violence in Northern BC,” looks at both the emotional and physical violence that comes to women. Due to the constraints that Indigenous women face, in relation to mobility, these women are forced to hitchhike to get from point A to point B. With this lack of mobility, Indigenous women are at risk— especially in northern BC—for sexual violence while traveling. What makes this emotionally violent, is the way the women feel afterwards and the reactions they have when talking to the RCMP about their experience.
The two presentations that touched primarily on physical violence were those of Cindy West, Tracy Porteous, and Sarah Yercich. In “Understanding Women’s Lived Experiences of Violence Within Intimate Relationships & BC Criminal Justice System in Relation to Victimization,” Cindy West looks at physical violence within intimate relationships. According to the women interviewed, some of the issues these women had within their relationship included isolation, emotional abuse, and minimization. On the other hand, once they were out of the violent relationship, they also worried about their and their children’s safety. A flaw that Cindy West found, is that there is no law for hate crimes against women, and if women want a protection order they must wait a month and a half for this to happen. In “Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative,” Tracy Porteous and Sarah Yercich look at domestic violence specifically. Domestic violence includes all forms of abuse and the lack of safety these women feel. Some of the challenges that the presenters brought up included substance abuse, lack of availability and accessibility of services, and reporting violence. These are only some of the many points that were presented during this event. Even though the material during this event was heavy and emotional, the event itself was very educational. By having a symposium like this, it not only showcased research on women’s health, but it also allowed for future researchers to be introduced to a body of research that is ongoing within UNBC.
Alexandra Tuttosi | OTE
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News
Understanding the BC - Alberta Pipeline Conflict Trevor Ritchie Contributor
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n the last month, there has been a significant amount of discussion about the relationship between Alberta and British Columbia, with the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion project being the cause of new tension between the two provinces. British Columbia’s NDP government, backed by the BC Green Party, has announced significant steps to regulate the pipeline expansion, which project supporters treat as intentional delays and attempts to block the project from proceeding. Pipeline opponents respond by pointing out British Columbia has the right to determine its own environmental regulations for its land and waterways. The trigger was a point made by the BC Government that it would seek to restrict oil bitumen exports via the pipeline expansion until a thorough study could be completed to ensure that the increased amount of bitumen traveling through BC waters could be cleaned and prevent significant environmental damage to the BC coast. This was seen by Alberta as an attempt to block exports of their chief economic product,
something that would be unconstitutional. Under the Constitution, Alberta is correct in its assertion that the pipeline project is a federally regulated project, and that Ottawa has the jurisdiction needed to force the project to completion over the objections of the provinces. This, however, ignores the fact that the provinces and federal government share responsibility for environmental protection, and that there has been zero harm done to users of the pipeline at this time. The response from British Columbia has been that the points of contention are to be discussed with the citizens of British Columbia, and in that the province has the absolute right to consult with its own people. The BC Government
recently announced that it would ask the Supreme Court to determine whether British Columbia had the constitutional right to potentially limit exports as part of its environmental regulations. It is unclear when that constitutional question would be answered, though many experts believe that the Supreme Court would rule against British Columbia on that question. While it is likely British Columbia will lose its court challenge, the issue is less clear with regards to Indigenous groups who have brought forward their own court cases against the Kinder Morgan expansion. Previous court cases, specifically Delgamuukw v. British Columbia, and affirmed later in Haida v. British Columbia, have shown that there is a requirement for the government to consult
with Indigenous groups about land use that occurs on traditional or treaty territory. The definition of consultation has traditionally only been applied to the government and not to private actors, which would exempt Kinder Morgan from needing to consult with Indigenous groups along the proposed expansion route. However, the federal government would still be required to consult with those groups and take that consultation into consideration when approving the pipeline expansion, and it would seem likely that the definition of meaningful consultation could be changed, or at least better defined, in light of these new court challenges. While there are certainly serious constitutional questions that the pipeline debate has brought forward that deserve answering, least of all to ensure predictability for any future large economic project brought forward in Canada, that isn’t the only reason why there’s now conflict between the two western provinces. The short answer is politics.
Mark Klotz | The Tyee
Alberta faces a required provincial election next year. The incumbent New Democrats have
News been faced with budget deficits caused by slumping oil prices since winning their surprise 2015 victory against the Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose Alliance. Those two conservative parties united last year to form the United Conservatives of Alberta, and polling indicates the United Conservatives maintain a consistent lead in popular support in Alberta. For Premier Rachel Notley of Alberta, any chance of her NDP government winning a second term requires a pipeline that is approved and oil from the Oilsands being shipped to an ocean port. Doing so would allow oil companies in the province to obtain international oil prices, which could increase investment in the Oilsands and rectify some of the budgetary problems faced by her government. It would give her a powerful argument in favour of re-election if she could credibly claim her policies helped give Alberta its first pipeline to tidewater in over forty years. The federal Liberal party also sees a benefit in participating in the politics of the pipeline debate. Like the Alberta NDP, Justin Trudeau and the Liberals face a mandatory election in 2019. Part of the Liberals’ 2015 campaign was to pair environmental protection with economic developing, saying that we can’t have one without the other. A failure to get the pipeline constructed would play badly, given the carbon tax and other environmental regulations that have been put forward already. Mr. Trudeau would strongly prefer to see Premier Notley returned to power instead of having to work with a United Conservative Party that is strongly opposed to most of the federal Liberals’ governing agenda. Both leaders would like to return to voters having successfully kept some of their most dramatic promises in what is likely to be competitive elections. The political calculations are somewhat different in British Columbia, where Premier John Horgan’s New Democrats
govern only with the voting support of the BC Green Party. This precarious situation was predicated on the shared areas of concern between the two political parties and the similar policy responses each party presented to voters in the 2017 election. One of the areas in which the two parties were in general agreement was in opposing the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, with the New Democrats promising they would use every tool in the toolkit to stop the pipeline. Now in power, the New Democrats are being forced to live up to their promise by their Green counterparts, who expect concrete action on pipeline opposition and not mere lip service. Should the Green Party vote against the New Democrats on a matter of confidence, it would likely trigger new elections in British Columbia that would lead to an uncertain future for the New Democrat government. None of this is to say that this is all political theatre. The political actors involved in what’s happening with the Kinder Morgan expansion truly believe in what they are saying, and the political calculations are only part of what is motivating them to action. Each of the leaders in question are doing what they think is best for their constituents, and this is one of the rare times in which two adjacent provinces have absolutely conflicting views on what the best solution is. How these political and constitutional questions get resolved will shape the way we govern ourselves for the next generation, and it is worth watching to see what the resolution is to the pipeline debate, as well as how the political fortunes of each leader change because of that resolution.
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News
Picaroon Pictures Tierney Watkinson News Director
J
on Chuby is spearheading Picaroon Pictures, a film production studio, here in Prince George. The studio involves almost too many volunteers to count, all intensely dedicated to their craft, and is well on its way to making a name for film in Prince George. Years ago, while their fellow high school graduates were heading off to Dry Grad, Jon Chuby and Jeremy Abbott decided to spend the evening doing something a lot more worthwhile--creating a short film. It was from this that Mad Monkey Productions was born, which would later become Picaroon Pictures. Abbott would pursue the art of film and editing in university, but after a chance meeting with director Sam Raimi (of the original Spider-Man trilogy) at a Whistler film festival, Chuby opted to drop out of film school on Raimi’s advice and instead invest in better film equipment. Today, Chuby practices physiotherapy here in Prince George. Somehow, he manages to work, spend time with his young family, and pursue his passion for film without driving himself insane. While he does hope to make a name for Picaroon Pictures, Chuby does not necessarily seek to make a profit from his films. “I like to tell stories and do narrative, challenging pieces,” he says, admitting he has never been into the monetary or political aspects of the film industry. Picaroon Pictures instead focuses on the enjoyment and gratification that comes with creating something amazing as a team, and this mentality is paying off.
In 2015, Picaroon Pictures’ short Behind The Reds was an official selection and finalist of the 48 Film Project, an international competition. The team was given a set of rules to follow and a mere two days to write, film, and edit their entry. Chuby reminisced that everyone involved gave it their all to make it a success. They also won a Canada-wide competition with their pitch for The Window, a Josh Saltsman short story, through Wattpad Presents: Strange Yarns, just this year, with the finished short film set to air soon. “That one is probably the best that we’ve made, so far. I am very proud of that one,” Chuby said. “The acting is great, everyone in it did a crazy job, and we actually built an entire room [at the PG Playhouse] for the set.” The Window shows the group’s skills with some of the more technical aspects of filmmaking. The project that is currently taking all of Chuby’s attention is Geoff and the Ninja, a comedy series that recently won funding from Storyhive, a Telus initiative. They pitched the show to Storyhive first in 2016, and were told to try again the following year. They did, and they were selected. The final cut for the first six episodes in the series is due in April, and the series will be aired soon after. Geoff and the Ninja was originally the brainchild of Abbott, back when both he and Chuby were in Vancouver pursuing acting. In fact, a small scene of the future series was filmed for the first time about seven years ago. The series’ title is pretty selfexplanatory: a down-on-his-luck man accepts a mysterious ninja
as his roommate, and hilarity ensues as they deal with reallife problems. “When I first heard the idea I thought it was... strange,” admitted Neil Brooks, UNBC Alumni and an actor with Picaroon Pictures. Brooks is currently helping with lighting, prop-making, and various other tasks involved with creating Picaroon films. Brooks says that while the premise seems absurd, it is actually a very smart, well-written show, and that he sees it going far. “It’s allowed to be absurd,” Brooks explained; Chuby likened the series to a live-action Rick and Morty. Although the budget for the show is tight, even with the support of Storyhive, the cast and crew are enthusiastic and the teasers, viewable on Picaroon Pictures’ Vimeo site, are extremely promising. “We have been working on the show for a long time, and I have a lot of faith in it,” Chuby said when I last spoke with him. Luck, a major factor in the film industry, according to Chuby, may also be on their side: “Right now, there are a lot of networks that are doing more pushes for more Canadian content.” Besides Brooks, there are around sixty people working on the production of Geoff and the Ninja, including Abbott, who came back from Vancouver to star as the Ninja himself (Chuby plays Geoff in the series). For a month and a half, Chuby had four people bunking at his house. “We were shooting every day, and I would go out and leave in the morning at 6 am, film until about 12 pm, go to work, work until 6 pm, go home and film until 2 in the morning. And we did that for about a month and a half.” Chuby
laughs about how his lifestyle and sleeping habits didn’t really change much after he and his wife welcomed their new baby. Regardless of what happens after the first episodes of the series air, Chuby wants to see the show continue--at the very least, he will seek local sponsors and keep it going as a Prince George special. He hopes to be able to reach out to Adult Swim and even Netflix, who is set to make that push for Canadian content right around the time when Picaroon will have full control of selling the episodes. Chuby’s dedication to the project runs so deep that his own home, besides being a bunkhouse for out-of-town actors, is also being used as the set for Geoff’s house; his family has redecorated and even bought throw-away furniture for an episode in which Geoff’s house is ransacked. The Chuby basement is home to his technical and editing equipment, and much of it is painted to be one big greenscreen, with props taking up most of the floorspace. Perpetually working on developing films, when he has finished editing Geoff and the Ninja, Chuby will turn his attention back to Clown Alley, a 40-minute film begun in 2016 and currently awaiting music and editing. A couple of years ago, Chuby was negotiating to have the second Wolf Cop movie come to Prince George for filming. Unfortunately, because Prince George lacks certain infrastructure and would thus render major sets and transport too costly, the plan fell through. Chuby was tired of chasing producers, who saw Prince George as too much of a risk,
News for elusive funding. Frustrated, Chuby began to develop Clown Alley. “Let’s show them what we are capable of with nothing.” The horror-comedy clown musical’s budget came from Chuby’s own pocket. Actors and crew volunteered. Props and sets were borrowed. According to Brooks, who is also involved with and stars in Clown Alley, the process has been challenging; he said that much of the movie was “filmed in really cold conditions in an alleyway in Prince George.” Temperatures sometimes reached -10 and -20 degrees Celsius. He also has vivid memories of driving home after filming overnight, exhausted, and still wearing his dishevelled clown makeup, hoping to snatch some rest before continuing the cycle the next day. Much like Chuby’s schedule around Geoff and the Ninja, the cast and crew had very little sleep while working on Clown Alley. Brooks, who works in forestry by day, was averaging about 3 hours of sleep a night for long stretches of time over a solid couple of months. Even so, Brooks said, the experience was incredibly fun and Chuby was a positive, optimistic presence throughout. Sets for the movie were scoped out by everyone involved. An abandoned warehouse was found, which was torn down mere weeks after the crew finished filming in that location. The studio
came across a bike chop-shop during filming, which slowed production a little bit, and also had to contend with the fact that they were coincidentally filming characters in obvious clown costumes around the same time the infamous clown attacks were taking place; one of their major scenes was filmed the weekend after PGSS was briefly shut down due to a clown scare. Chuby made very sure to warn the local police about their filming schedule; according to Chuby, the city of Prince George has been wonderful to work with in that aspect, and very supportive. Even with three main projects on the go, Picaroon Pictures has multiple short films available for viewing on Vimeo. One in particular, The Jahovah Witnessed V1.1, has recently garnered a great deal of praise on Reddit. Many actors in Picaroon Picture films are recognizable as past or current members of the UNBC Musical Productions Club--Chuby in fact filmed Addams Family and Young Frankenstein for the club-as well as current UNBC students and Alumni. Local casting calls have recruited a number of talented individuals from Prince George, including some that had never acted before auditioning for roles. A great deal of people who are also deeply involved with the PG Playhouse have also been integral to the group.
There is “No way in hell” that he could have pulled off all of Picaroon’s accomplishments without the hard work of a bunch of amazing people, Chuby emphasized. Picaroon Pictures is definitely a group effort. The skill and dedication of Prince George cast and crew has surprised many people, according to both Chuby and Brooks. On the subject of making films that appeal to audiences and producers, Chuby said “You have to be willing to fail over, and over, and over again. And they’ll reject everything you say and everything you do, and you gotta keep doing it, and eventually you make one that people like.”
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Chuby plans to present a showing of The Window, Geoff and the Ninja, and Clown Alley at the PG Playhouse later this summer. For now, you can find out more about Picaroon Pictures on their Facebook page or on Vimeo, or check out their bio on Storyhive. With their current successes and more short films set to be filmed this year, Picaroon Pictures will continue to grow to become a strong presence in the film industry.
Another note of wisdom from Chuby, one that will surely resonate with students struggling to write those essays and theses, and anyone trying to get that dream project started: “Any script that you write, the first draft is crap, is basically how I view it. No matter how good someone is of a writer, the first time you write it, it needs work. It is going to need a lot of work. It takes tons of drafts and rewrites to really make something pop, and get all of the arcs.” And after 7 years in the making, with many drafts and re-writes, not to mention a great deal of time, effort, and dedication, Geoff and the Ninja will be airing on CBC this year.
Picaroon Pictures
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Culture
Review of Saltwater Hank’s Debut Album: Stories from the Northwest Jade Szymanski Contributor
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rince George’s own Saltwater Hank has released his debut album, Stories from the Northwest, this spring. The folk artist manages to emulate a spirit of simpler times in his new album, transporting you back to an age where it was typical for friends to gather and make music by a fire after a long day at work. The heart of the 8-track album is guided by the acoustics of a fiddle, a banjo, and an upright bass, bringing harmony when unified with the vocals influenced by living up in the North. Saltwater Hank, musical stage name of Jeremy Pahl, is the flourishing solo-product of one of the members of the former band, Black Spruce Bog. Influenced from a childhood full of family members who exposed him to a deep interest of wholesome musical experiences, Saltwater Hank has taken the past years developing his own style derived from the country roots of his past. The album opens with “Ballad of Maud Watt,” an inviting and warm beginning which sets the tone for the rest of the project. The first time listening through, the instrumentals catch your attention the most as their depth spans across a range of melodies. However, a second listen-through allows one to focus on the lyrics, which may be even more rich than the instrumentals, with a vibrant story to be told about journeys throughout old-town Canada. Opening with a strong and upbeat track, Saltwater Hank manages to still maintain a resonance of bluegrass and old-style country which can only make you wonder to what degree and variety the rest of the album will bring.
“Bog Cranberry Picking” follows as a fast-paced instrumental to differentiate itself from the opening track. While the sound of a fiddle is very distinct, and can therefore get repetitive in the listener’s head, this song proves otherwise. The unique sound of this song is produced from the vibrations of a mandolin, bringing a whole new layer of intensity to your ears! This song makes me feel like I want to sport a red gingham shirt and a long flowy denim skirt and swing dance in a bar full of men with moustaches and women who have their hair in braids. Only lasting a minute and 55 seconds, it’ll leave you wishing for more. How could Stories from the Northwest truly call itself a folk album without a few yodels? “Coyodel #1” is a slower-paced track which makes you groove to the twang of the yodels, the strum of the bass, and Saltwater Hank’s warm vocal articulation. His deep vocals are offset by a sweeter female harmony, from his friends Naomi Kavka and Amy Blanding, which brings a refreshing break to the intensity of the male-driven vocals. “Coyodel #2” is another slowerpaced song which opens with a sinister and suspenseful feel, as if you have just walked in
chords of the lap steel guitar. The notes seem to float in the air and stick around long after they have been played. This song would probably be best listened to while sitting by the ocean, as the mystery of the sea perfectly reflects the perplexity behind this song.
saltwaterhank.bandcamp.com
to an old saloon right before a shootout. Lyrics which reference crooked smiles, gunpowder, and poker games sums up this track in a nutshell, and I love it. The story behind “Fish Cannery” brings an air of humour to the track list, as it depicts the unpleasantries of working in a fish cannery. This song has the most vocal harmonies on the album so far, and it really helps build the ambiance of community that the song is about when explaining the nuances of working in the fish biz. Another instrumental, “Hartley Bay Rag,” may be my favourite track on the album. The upbeat and distinct fingerpicking buzzes through your body, as you can’t help but tap your foot and bop your head to the beat. The cheerful and optimistic melody will make you want to go out and marry yourself a lumberjack or gold miner. “Moose Hunter Blues,” as expressed in the title, is a more wistful and anguished song which stems its tone from the lingering
Finally, Stories from the Northwest closes with “Old Hazelton.” Feeling like you’re saying goodbye to an old friend, the placement of this track to close off the past 21 minutes flawlessly wraps up the masterful journey that Saltwater Hank has just taken you on. With a bit of a darker tone than the rest of the album, “Old Hazelton” gives you an insight into Simon Gunanoot, who was accused of murder in the early 1900s and hid from capture for 13 years, escaping to the bush. The deep spirit that runs through the veins of this track gives you the closure for the rest of the album that most musical projects fall short from. Saltwater Hank brings the history and culture of Northern BC to life through an artistic medium that musicians can only ever dream of achieving. From the adorable woodland creatures playing music on the cover of the lyric book, to the soul of the acoustics, Stories from the Northwest is a true treasure that deserves more than one listen through to appreciate all it has to offer! Saltwater Hank is on tour this spring and will be playing in Prince George on April 14 at the Royal Canadian Legion.
Culture
Forgiveness Sarah Green Contributor
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Betrayal Sarah Green Contributor
His conscience
She paces the room.
Is stained.
Where could he be?
What has he done? He did not mean for it To go this far.
She feels like an idiot. It was such a small fight, Not the worst
He looks at her hair,
They’ve ever had.
Spread on the pillow
But when he left,
Beside him.
She felt that it
He never wanted
Was different.
To go this far. He never meant
She checks her phone Again.
To cheat.
He still hasn’t answered
He was trapped
Her numerous attempts
By his lust. The wine,
To contact him. 20 texts,
Her enticing scent,
13 phone calls,
The crisp night air.
7 voice messages,
It was too much. How will he ever explain this? It’s too late. She will never Forgive him.
All ignored. Where could he have gone? She lays in bed And looks at the empty pillow Beside her. Will he ever forgive her?
Getty Images
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Culture
The Pain and Beauty in Prima Vera Chris Trump Contributor
I In the case of Prima Vera The pain like a turbulent spring flows first But, if you persevere such a flow And seek the meaning of it and its sense No matter how twisted its current be Then the beauty comes in full to thee Like the rising sun and the stars But, if you stop before you see them And focus only on the pain Then the beauty is gone No sun, no stars, only the pain But, if you do not stop and persevere ... II Then the tears of sorrow, or nastiness Will change to the tears of joy And you will be like the lush olive tree Offering an anointing with its oil And the crown of shadow on top The prophet Hosea knew it all along When he said: “His beauty shall be like The olive tree.”* Do you see beyond your pain? Or do you focus on it, whether it is yours or not Pain is pain; but, on the other side, beauty is truth “That is all.. Ye need to know.”** Keats says so. *Hosea 14.6; ** Ode on a Grecian Urn 5.49,50
wallpaperflare.com
Culture
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Orgasms: They’re Not For Everyone Alexandra Tuttosi Contributor
S
ex is everywhere. In the news, the media, and our everyday lives. Because of this, I am going to touch on an important topic: the orgasm. This experience can be incredible and full of pleasure, or it can be disappointing and unfulfilling. What makes a good orgasm? Well, it’s the anticipation, or slow build up to the climax. This can knock one’s socks off (literally). Like each person, each orgasm is different. Some are short and sweet, while others are long, loud, and very intense. These experiences can either make someone pro-sex or want nothing to do with it. To explore this topic, women were asked the following questions: When was the last time you had an orgasm? Briefly
describe your experience during an orgasm. Do you experience one orgasm, or multiple when you have sex? Have you faked an orgasm? What was your best orgasm? What do people do that cause you to fake an orgasm? Though there are many who said that they had experienced orgasms on a regular basis, there were some however, who had never experienced one. Often, these people feel a sense of shame when talking about their lack of knowledge on the subject. This can cause many to fake their orgasm. But you’re not alone. According to Psychology Today, only 25 percent of women can achieve an orgasm every time they have sex. Who knew!? Why would they fake an orgasm when
they can just not have sex in the first place? Well, this question can be answered in three parts: there is a lack of passion or attraction once sex starts, their partner is taking too long to finish so they just want the sex to end, and no matter how hard their partner is trying, she is just not in the mood.
should not be a stopping point for relationships, it just means that woman may avoid sex in general, or work around it to please their partners in different ways.
Nonetheless, there are some women who cannot achieve an orgasm, no matter how hard they try. Therefore, they feel they must fake an orgasm every time they have sex to please their partner sexually. If you are one of these women don’t worry, again you are not alone. Roughly 10 percent of women cannot, and will not, achieve an orgasm in their lifetime, according to Psychology Today. This lack of pleasure
dialteg.org
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Column
For the Love of Sex: Trustworthy, Ethical Sexual Life Advice Pollyanne Marie Columnist
I
rise that morning with a gentle spin.
A pallet of color comes to life across the water as I raise my face to meet her, my old friend. She shines in my embrace, and we dance together, swaying with the wind. I touch her lightly in the places she has been keeping herself void. As she shifts and rolls, I find my way into her corners and kiss her gently anywhere she opens herself to me. She soaks in every inch of my caress. The petals of her heart begin to open, and I press myself unto her bosom. Her limbs reach out to me, begging for more. She is lush and moist with my touch, and I continue to lay myself upon her. Now her body trembles, a glorious deep thunder. Her mind gallops, wild horses across a field of her hair, golden honey, flaxen wheat. I thrust in a steady rhythm, wave after wave in a fever of our love. Sheets of perspiration flood every crevice, and our vision meets beneath a charcoal cover. A blinding flash and her body a flame. She is ablaze, a wildfire across a rush of dry pine, heaving in and out, over and over and over. Digging deep, her grasp tightens around every thing she owns, and she owns everything. Beautiful creator, mother, destroyer, everything is chaos and perfect order. A hurricane of intention, now realized within the eye of the storm we have created. The seed is planted deep in the valleys I helped her dig out, and I embrace her once again, feeding the odds of our creation. How long we have been dancing like this, no one can say, and we will continue spinning wildly until
one of us is no longer able. Until then, I move along the reaches of her love, and I share her bold and courageous passion with another. The moonlight slips in and touches her lightly in places she has been keeping herself void. As she shifts and rolls, moonbeams find their way into her corners and kiss her gently anywhere she opens herself to him. The ocean of her heart begins to sway, and he presses himself unto her bosom. “And still, after all this time the sun never says to the earth, ‘you owe me.’ Look what happens with a love like that, It lights up the whole sky.” -Hafiz ~Pollyanne Marie
Student Voices
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Student Apathy or Disengaged Leadership? Sam Wall Editor In Chief
P
lease note that the writer of this article knows several people in this article personally and professionally, and as such has worked to minimize any potential biases. In our last issue, Over The Edge published an opinion piece from Seth Jex, “Open Letter to the Student Body,” which addressed how student apathy seems to be affecting involvement in student governance roles in NUGSS, the Board of Governors, and Senate. Almost all the student positions were filled through acclamation, meaning there were the same number of people running as there were positions, so no debate or election campaign was necessary, and the percentage of students voting in these elections was low. The opinion piece continued to question the necessity of certain representative positions on NUGSS, such as Aboriginal rep and Women’s rep, if year after year either no one applied or someone won by acclamation. Jex also distributed several hundred copies of the piece around UNBC, and held a table in the Wintergarden to discuss this issue with students. In response, a student involved with the First Nations Centre created a comic and distributed it across the school, which follows this article. The students of the First Nations Centre also collectively developed a letter addressed to Jex, explaining how they felt unfairly targeted by his piece, and detailed the barriers to involvement faced by many Indigenous students, as well as the involvement many Indigenous students have in their cultural governance systems. The Northern Women’s Centre
Collective also developed a letter, expressing their displeasure with Jex’s piece, and similarly discussed the marginalization women experience and how these barriers could have been addressed better than through an opinion piece. These letters have also been included in the following pages. Jex then responded to these letters with another piece titled “Student Engagement at UNBC: Refocusing the Issue,” which is also available in the following pages of this issue. This letter further expands and elaborates on Jex’s original ideas, providing more evidence for his bold statements. The story continued to develop as the First Nations Centre and the Northern Women’s Centre presented their letters and other oral remarks at a regular meeting of the NUGSS board on March 14. Seth Jex is not only a student and the outgoing chairperson of the Over The Edge board, but also the Director of Internal Affairs with NUGSS. Following these delegations with the FNC and NWC, the NUGSS board made a unanimous motion requesting Director Jex’s resignation, which he denied to offer. Director Jex was asked to leave the room, so the remaining board could debate a course of action. Following a lengthy discussion, they voted to suspend Jex from the role of Director of Internal Affairs for the maximum of 14 days, rather than impeach him. Following this the NUGSS board made an official statement: “Director Jex was suspended at the March 14 meeting of the Board. He was suspended for
‘violating his oath of office, and for preventing the society from pursuing its vision statement.’ The board of directors want to extend a formal apology to the membership and clarify that the society does not agree with the views expressed in Director Jex’s open letter.” Jex continues to fight this ruling, though unfortunately, working in a public position means one must always be considerate of how their actions may influence their position. Though Jex’s letter has sparked controversy, it has also sparked discussion. It is critical to ensure that NUGSS does all it can to engage with students across different backgrounds and experiences. NUGSS must also be aware that there is a risk of tokenism when an organization seems to hold space for marginalized groups, but does not uphold their right to question the system and have their concerns heard and acted upon. Oppression of marginalized groups is built into our society, and is maintained by social systems; unless it is actively pushed back against with awareness, there will always be a disconnect between these representative positions with NUGSS and the needs of the groups they aim to represent. As stated in the letter from the First Nations Centre, many students are very involved with their cultural forms of governance. One way people cope with oppression is to find people like them and work together; if students can find this in organizations like the First Nations Centre, the Women’s Centre, the Pride Centre, the Access Resource Centre, etc. why would they want to single themselves out to be the
sole rep on NUGSS? Why are Indigenous peoples and others being called to work within settler-colonial systems while we refuse to work within theirs? In journalism we are asked to report in an unbiased fashion, but that is impossible. We will always be impacted by our intersecting marginalizations and privileges, which is why I acknowledge that I am white and I will never fully understand this issues of Indigenous peoples, for example. That is okay, but it means that the work of the privileged person is to sit down, listen, and let marginalized people lead the way. Being on the NUGSS board or other student leadership at UNBC can be a wonderful experience for some, but it does not have to be for everyone, and that is okay. It is not the duty of marginalized groups to work for a seat, it is the duty of those in power to extend the invitation. There is no justice without all of us. As it stands for NUGSS elections, several board members have been acclimated to their positions, while the deadlines of unfilled positions have been extended. The unofficial results place Ethan Fredeen as President, Levi Black-Amstutz as Vice President, and Holly Brown, Ali Kazemian, and Hewitt Kingston as General Directors on the Board of Directors. The Equity Council will be Alicja Muir as Accessibility rep, Helene Mols as International Student rep, Jade Mah as LGBTQ rep, Emily Der as Women’s rep, Bridie Kaffrisen as Sustainability rep, and Hira Rashid as a layperson. As of writing, there are no applicants for Aboriginal rep.
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Student Voices
Difficult Choices Marion Erickson Contributor
Student Voices
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Acclaimed and Shamed Corey Bonnar Contributor
H
ello fellow students! First off, thank you for being so apathetic. What an honour to throw my name in the hat and be acclaimed. Honestly, I’m disappointed. In who, with what, you ask? I’m disappointed in the student body, more specifically the student governance, also known as the current student leadership at UNBC. The whole reason I decided to put my name forward for a seat on the Senate was because I wanted to be involved and experience the process, even if my efforts didn’t get me elected. I was so looking forward to having a special photo shoot with my Mickey Mouse doll, my favourite cardigan, and my Olympic mittens. I was eagerly planning where I would splash my glamour posters all over campus. I was excited for a live debate and an election campaign. I was going to get t-shirts made saying “Vote for Corey,” and was even considering shaving my luscious locks. But to my dismay, I was not even given the opportunity, and instead was unceremoniously acclaimed by an apathetic student body. On February 27 at 9:29 am, I
received an email from the current NUGSS President inviting me to vote in the NUGGS election, but unfortunately, because I work and have other obligations, I didn’t read the email until 5 pm that day, meaning I could no longer participate in the process. One email. Did I miss all of the leadership engagement in the months leading up to the vote? Why was there no opportunity to vote in person? Where are the statistics on who participated and who was elected? Why has no information been shared? Who is responsible for this stuff? I think I saw one poster on the ground. Was there an email I missed listing the candidates and the positions along with some info on issues and platforms? I was sorry to hear after the fact, that there may have been a lunch hour all candidates’ presentation with some elevator speeches. Could there not have been more than one opportunity? If not, at least it could have been recorded, shared, and broadcast on the radio? Pretty rich to read a little yellow pamphlet describing the disgust one of our current NUGSS representatives has for the student body, and his frustration
with the acclaimed leaders who obviously have no right or legitimacy to call themselves student leaders. What a shame. A little after the fact, don’t you think? How about looking in the mirror and asking what you may have done better as a current student leadership representative to engage the student body in the process. I would argue the current leadership has to take some responsibility for creating the student apathy plaguing the campus, just like they have a responsibility to create engagement. How about the apathetic NUGSS Annual General Meeting where only one question was asked, and not answered before the meeting finished 20 minutes before the pizza arrived? I’m glad I showed up to participate and ask a question. This whole year has been disappointing. From the dismal Backyard BBQ, to the dissolving of the UNBC Debate Society after the first 3 weeks, to the one meeting held as a member of the Board for Over The Edge Newspaper; I’m still waiting for the Chairperson to call another meeting.
And the Thirsty Moose Pub, coming from someone who supports the pub with a mortgage payment in beer each month, there is only so much one person can drink! It has been proven that on Karaoke nights when I sing, drink sales increase by 25 percent. How about spending a few dollars on advertising, consider adding hot wings to the menu, and having events on weekends to give students on campus more reasons to go? Or show up and sing a song! I know what the place can do, I used to work there when it first opened, and we always had cool events and excitement happening at the pub. This university has manifested apathy by way of disengagement and lack of effective leadership. So before you get on your high horse saying you’re sick and tired of trying and shaming us, reconsider whether or not you have given it your best effort to get the student body engaged. And thank you again for your encouraging words to the lowly acclaimed, we appreciate all of your support. But honestly, I’m disappointed. We know you could do better. Shame on you.
blogs.unbc.ca
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Student Voices
Letter from the Women’s Centre D
ear Seth,
We, the Northern Women’s Centre Collective, are writing a response to the “Open Letter to the Student Body” you wrote that was distributed throughout the University and in Over The Edge Newspaper. Although understanding your frustration with students not signing up for various volunteer roles in student governance on campus, we believe you could have addressed this issue in a much more constructive manner. Whether it was intended or not, the impact of your words has been to create additional barriers for individuals, particularly, Indigenous students on campus, in terms of them stepping forward for these voluntary roles. Instead of writing this letter and distributing it around the campus, perhaps it would have been more beneficial if you had presented your thoughts and concerns to the NUGSS Board, thereby providing a more positive and collaborative approach to addressing this issue. For example, perhaps the NUGSS board could have an open forum in the Winter Garden asking students about the challenges and barriers they face in volunteering for these positions. By doing this, rather than criticizing the student body and singling out the individuals for the Women’s representative and Aboriginal representative in your letter, you could have had a discussion on the reasons for why individuals do not volunteer for these roles. Rather than using a “blame and shame” approach, a more collaborative and consultative approach would have been the better route to obtaining positive outcomes. We think it would have been far more constructive
if we had come at this from the perspective of understanding the barriers and challenges that some students face and then addressing our recruitment efforts with these barriers and challenges in mind. In terms of the Women’s Representative position itself, I want to say that we have had many young women who have stepped up to take on this role and they have been very successful at it. Even if a Women’s Representative has less experience than others than we have had in the past, that is okay because they will have information and support from a group of women who are feminist activists associated with the Northern Women’s Centre and/or community, i.e. don’t rule people out because they are seemingly inexperienced or less knowledgeable. To close, your suggestion that the positions for the Women’s and Aboriginal representatives are not needed completely disregards challenges that individuals face when looking into volunteering for these positions. You state that the student body is apathetic, yet we have not seen any attempt to try and discern why there is a lack of individuals voting or volunteering for various roles in student governance. We feel that if you took the time to respectfully discuss with students their reasons for not voting or volunteering for these roles, you would find that there are multiple barriers that prevent the involvement you are looking for. We need to know what these are so we can move forward in creating an inclusive recruitment strategy to encourage participation in the new Equity Council.
We believe an apology would go a long way in mending the fences that have been broken through your “Open Letter to the Student Body.” We respectfully ask you to consider providing an apology. Respectfully, The Northern Women’s Centre Collective
Student Voices
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Letter from the Students of the First Nations Centre M
r. Jex,
Monique Gendron | OTE
We would like to address the statements made in your “yellow paper” that was distastefully distributed across the UNBC campus on March 7, 2018: Rather than engaging in a respectful conversation about supposed apathy, you chose to slide your written perspectives underneath the First Nations Centre door, which we feel judged us and undermines the work that students are involved in. After provoking dialogue in this manner, you expressed on social media that you had heard that the First Nations Centre was a friendly and welcoming place. During your 4-5 years of your undergraduate career at UNBC you failed to address the issues expressed in your “yellow paper” that you seem to be so concerned with. This could have been accomplished by seeking to understand and form relationships with us by visiting and engaging with out First Nations Centre community, in a peaceful and friendly manner. Rather, you sought to judge first and then confirm your assumptions second by instigating a quarrel rather than inviting discussion towards reciprocity and mutual understanding. Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples around the world have had their own governance systems that often
differ from Western systems. If you had taken the time to understand our systems and who we are, you would see many of the Indigenous students on campus are fully engaged in traditional governance, and current Canadian issues both political and social, on and off campus. For many Indigenous students at UNBC, attending a post secondary institution comes with already well-documented hurdles and barriers that many nonIndigenous students do not face, and may not understand firsthand. There is a consensus among many of the Indigenous students at UNBC that there is a lack of capacity building initiatives provided through NUGSS for the position of Aboriginal Rep. There is also a lack of collaboration with other student unions who provide the opportunity to develop skills, and foster leadership on a provincial level - without draining the already strained resources of undergraduate students. The lack of incentive on top of a lack of pay in the Aboriginal Representative position makes the commitment
to that position a difficult one to consider as we are already strained for time and resources. There is a negative opportunity cost at spending time at a forum where our voices are not heard or valued, when we need to manage our time effectively between our leadership roles in family, community, academia, and at provincial, national, and international levels - all while maintaining success as students. Something you have neglected to acknowledge in your “yellow paper” is that the position of Aboriginal Rep has recently been placed on the Equity Council as part of a restructuring due to recent budgetary issues faced by NUGSS. This move disempowers the role of the Aboriginal Rep and other minority representation on the Council. We understand that these budgetary constraints have limited what NUGSS could provide, and while this may have been a wise decision to adjust the financial priorities of the organization at the time, we expect this restructuring to be temporary. If this new structure
is maintained past the period of necessity, it will be seen that NUGSS is being complacent in undercutting the critical importance of minority representation (put in place to decrease inequity in access to education) - or even deliberate in its intent to do so.
Attacking your constituents is counterintuitive to encouraging active engagement. Your assumption of apathy suggests we are not political when being Indigenous is inherently political. If you wanted to have “meaningful and respectful” conversations around student apathy, engaging students prior or during the nomination period without singling out our Aboriginal, Women, and LGBTQ communities would have been more effective. We understand that your letter does not represent the values of NUGSS, but we are disappointed in your actions that have reflected negatively on NUGSS itself. In the future we would like to see better relationships between the NUGSS Board of Directors as a whole and the First Nations Centre. We expect and would appreciate a public apology for your deliberate attack on our community. Sincerely, Students from the First Nations Centre
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Student Voices
Student Engagement at UNBC: Refocusing the Issue Seth Jex Chairperson, OTE
D
ear Students,
On Wednesday March 7, I published in both the student’s newspaper, as well as 300 printed copies around the university, a letter I wrote addressed to the undergraduate student body here at UNBC. The main argument of my letter was that even with dedicated student representative positions throughout our university, students are failing this year to take advantage of them. This year all student positions in Senate, Board of Governors and the undergraduate student’s union (NUGSS) were uncontested or vacant. This is regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation or any other segregator, students are failing to step up. Students across every walk of life, as a collective, did not engage in the designated UNBC positions this year despite many important discussions
coming in the 2018-19 school year. As I mentioned in my letter, decisions on everything from the Chartwells food service contract, to James Moore remaining as our chancellor, are all set to be tabled this coming year. Some have countered my statement that students are apathetic by saying that they are simply disenfranchised with NUGSS. After all, in the last few years we have faced many challenging realities of our student’s unions debt and the failings of the Thirsty Moose Pub that have created a negative image of NUGSS. I would respond though in saying that if you believe this to be true, that NUGSS has flaws and is not working as well as it should be, why not raise those concerns? Get embedded in the system and seek to improve it as you feel it needs to so that it can succeed for the betterment of
your fellow students. After noting this years uncontested elections, I continued by saying that not only does this mean we struggle to fill the seats, but that we also weaken the voice of those that do. I argued that if someone wins a position by acclimation, devoid of a supportive constituency, they will struggle to raise their voice with any sort of authority in debate. How can we trust such person’s opinion if they were not elected by the student body? How can we ensure proper and accurate representation? That is the core of my argument! Why do we have student positions at UNBC if students won’t fill those,l or if they do, as in this year, they have done so in such an apathetic “checked-out” way that it makes the legitimacy of the positions negligible. Students did not cast a vote for Senate or Board of Governor Undergraduate
Representatives, and only 11 per cent voted for their student’s union reps, even though there was at most one candidate. I go one step further however, in challenging not only the need of student reps in general, but to question the value and desire for designated representation. If I can argue that student reps who got the position by acclimation may not possess the necessary authority and backing from their fellow students to represent in debate on issues, then it must follow that applies to the NUGSS representative positions as well. Based on the lack of engagement in the student positions, I feel they don’t really mean much to students, and maybe we can just remove them all together? Since students don’t seem to care about them why should we keep these positions? This is an uncomfortable question
Monique Gendron | OTE
Student Voices that I hoped would create a protectionist reaction in which students would recognize the value these positions offer in ensuring marginalized communities are heard in important discussion, and would leap forward to run. In my opinion, these designated rep positions have made meaningful impacts here at UNBC even in the short 5 years I have been here. Recently UNBC has made commitments to pedagogical changes that were supported by students. In the letter, I recognized there are people who work for the betterment of students outside the representation offered by UNBC and NUGSS, but I believe these positions inside the system are incredibly valuable. Working within student representation schemes to advocate and ensure fair systems and actions is preventative, whereas outside the system’s governance most activities such as marches, picket lines or petitions are reactionary and not as effective at long term systematic change. This is an idea I think is up for debate as some have said that uncontested does not mean unengaged. I was unaware until recently that some students, speaking to a member of the Northern Women’s Center collective, met prior to the NUGSS election to discuss who should run. In that way, hosting preliminary nomination style conversations and producing one candidate, whereas I saw only one person putting their name forward, these people see that one person as the nominated rep even before the election has begun, and in that way not standing alone but rather with the support of their community. These are valuable conversations to be having as we challenge the situation we find ourselves in. Universities have long been the place of inquiry and ideas, challenging notions and norms and at times, facing uncomfortable conversations. I feel we must all continue to engage in these conversations and responding to someone’s
assertion, mine included, if we feel that they are wrong. If we fail here in this, if we digress into polarizing ideological camps so far apart that write the other off as not worth the effort to talk to, we all lose. Last week, we saw the UNBC Student Fees Committee push through a new fee with little consultation and at the objection of our NUGSS Student Rep. Regardless of the NUGSS board’s efforts, the fee did get passed in the committee, and was only stopped after a petition was started by NUGSS. I feel the administration felt they could do this because they do not respect student’s power within the university’s bureaucracy. They felt that they would be able to get this fee through because the perception is that students are checked-out. NUGSS was forced to take a reactionary method to stop the fee’s implementation, because we were not politically strong enough to work preventatively. This further supports my message about how valuable it is to have students with their ear to the ground looking out for the rest of us, and that we must bolster their authority through our active engagement. This fee has only been postponed, it’s not over yet. The NUGSS board restructuring that occurred this year came as the result of a 2016-2017 NUGSS review committee, dozens of NUGSS board meetings, surveys, and open house events where students were given the chance to provide feedback and help shape our new board. The eventual product approved at the NUGSS AGM this last fall was designed and approved by all current board members unanimously. Key changes made to the board were not driven from fiscal constraints, but rather to better serve students. In fact, NUGSS board changes did not net a drastic cost savings as those funds saved from board honorarium were spent to hire a full time staff member. In February, NUGSS hired an Assistant General Manager whose primary responsibility would be the administration of Student
Led Organizations (clubs). This new staff person offers students a more reliable, consistent, and available contact person then the prior NUGSS elected Director of Internal Affairs could. I should know, this was my position on the NUGSS Board this year, and I could not agree with this redesign more. The other major change to the board structure was the creation of an Equity Council. The Equity Council is comprised of 6 representatives elected solely for this council with the mandate to ensure NUGSS provides equitable, fair, and inclusive processes and initiatives. This body is a supervisor to the NUGSS Board and some may argue it has higher or at least equal power in our organization. As such, the voices on this council are more empowered to push advocacy indicatives and represent the diversity of student voices here at UNBC than ever before. In doing so, we expanded the representation roles to include LGBTQ, Accessibility, International, and one lay person as well as continuing the positions of Sustainability, Women’s, and Aboriginal Representative. For the returning representative positions the restructuring gives them more time and more mandate to represent the concerns and challenge the barriers faced by all student here at UNBC. Never have minority student voices here at UNBC had such an agora to raise issues and collectively weigh in on university discussions. Imagine a letter signed by the Undergraduate Student Union Equity Council to Dr. Dan Weeks, or BC Ministry of Advanced Education, or any other group. The political power in that letter would be so impactful it could not be ignored. This restructuring allows our student body to transition from one student representing one group of students to a collective voice on the advancement of progressive causes for all students. The unification of these voices in one empowered political body presents limitless possibilities for our students. That is why student
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engagement is so critical and why we can’t let this moment pass. It was my frustration in seeing students seemingly ignore this power that lead me to write my initial letter. The real question of any political position is, did you leave things better than you found them? While reviews on me as an elected official might be mixed, I believe that the system and structure adopted by NUGSS is a clear improvement. I hope that students will come to see it as such, and decide to invest their energy and time into it. NUGSS and other student representation positions here at UNBC offer meaningful opportunities to have a say and make a change, and I wish those trying to do so all the best! Respectfully, Seth Jex
The Last Word
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