The Runner Volume 9, Issue 9

Volume 09 // Issue 09

Culture A Preview of KDocs’ 2017 Films

January 31 2017

Debate Why Do Pipelines Get Approved?

Column How to Stay Green in the Bedroom

R

THE RUNNER

feb 7 & 8

Meet the andidates

C

Learn about the students running in this year’s KSA election

feb 7 & 8

find us online / runnermag.ca / @runnermag / facebook.com/runnerMAG / INSTAGRAM.com/RUNNERMAG

02 Table of contents

04 07

staff

News| CFS Buys Anti-CFS Domain Names

After receiving an anonymous tip about the Canadian Federation of Students purchasing anti-CFS domains, Toronto University’s The Varsity conducted a reverse Whois lookup of the email address it@cfs-services.ca which confirmed that the tip was true.

Coordinating Editor Tristan Johnston editor@runnermag.ca

culture| KDocs Will Be Screening Fresh Films this February

Managing Editor

Connor Doyle managing@runnermag.ca

As it has since it began, the festival will focus heavily on social justice, covering climate change, First Nations struggles, industrialization, police brutality, refugees, and learning disabilities, among other similar subjects.

Production Manager

10 17 19

Danielle George production@runnermag.ca

Art Director

Scott McLelland art@runnermag.ca

Features|Meet the Candidates in the 2017 KSA Election

Learn all about this year’s gang of KSA hopefuls before voting on February 7 and 8. See The Runner’s website for the complete transcripts of our interviews.

Photo Editor

Tommy Nguyen photos@runnermag.ca

Associate Editor

Opinions |Why Do Pipelines Get Approved?

Alyssa Laube staff@runnermag.ca

Pipelines are an extremely controversial issue in Canada, so why are centre and left-leaning political parties willing to take on such a major risk?

Web Editor

Joseph Keller web@runnermag.ca

Operations Manager

COLUMNS|Sustainable Living: Eco-friendly Sex

Scott Boux office@runnermag.ca 778.565.3801

When it comes to sex and sustainability, there are a number of things that can be done to keep both your sexual partners and the environment safe. From toys to protection, here are few ways to green up your sex life.

#FeatureTweets

#BestPhoto

Kwantlen Improv @KwantlenImprov Another great #KwantlenImprov workshop in the books! So much fun in FIR 324 as we tapped into #Improv Inspiration! @KSAcouncil @KwantlenU

KPU News @KPUmedia @KPUBrew got a visit from legendary brew master John Mitchell & the fine folks @tradingpostbrew #craftbeerhour

Samantha Faith @jennythefriend You can tell I’m a Kwantlen student. I just go to my classes. I have an hour break and I’m just sitting outside my next class lol.

Cam Tucker @CamTucker_Sport Today, I begin a new path in my career. First class as an instructor of Sports Journalism at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Student Publication Fee Opt-Outs available in person Jan 16 - Feb 20.

Student ID & Proof of registration and payment required.

PIPS Office: Arbutus 3710, Surrey Campus.

Hours: 10 - 5 Monday to Friday.

Phone: 778-565-3801 Email: office@runnermag.ca Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778.565.3801 www.runnermag.ca Vol. 09, Issue no. 8 January 17 2017 ISSN# 1916 8241

Contributors Paula Aguilar Calvin Borghardt Kyrsten Downton Braden Klassen

Mel Pomerleau Nicole Kwit Yuta Anonueva

Cover

In the high arts community, comics based artists are considered especially heinous. In the City of Vancouver, the dedicated art directors who investigate these vicious illustrators are members of an elite squad known as the Special Visuals Unit. These are their stories.

The Runner is student-owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society. The Runner recognises that our work, both in and out of the office, takes place on unceded Coast and Strait Salish territories, specifically the shared traditional territories of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Sto:lo and Tsawwassen First Nations. Our name is inspired by the hun’qumi’num meaning of Kwantlen, which is tireless hunters or tireless runners. Just as Kwantlen is adaptable and changing so is The Runner.

Editorial 03

From The Editors Your voice matters

The student government at KPU is responsible for a lot of things, including your fees and your representation with the university. Vote on Feb 7 and 8 to determine who takes charge of the KSA for the next year-long term.

Tristan Johnston |Coordinating Editor It’s another year, and thus another Kwantlen Student Association election on the way.

As usual, The Runner will be there every step of the way, holding the potential new and returning counselors to account, and giving you enough information to make an informed choice when you vote on February 7 and 8.

This year, there is again a low turnout for seats at council. Even lower than we’ve seen in the recent years.

Critical constituency positions such as aboriginal, people of colour, queer, and international reps are left empty.

No one is filling the shoes for Richmond or Langley campus. Health and trades is vacant for the second year in a row. No one is running for academic or design.

Unlike last year, there are many familiar names on the ballots, with many councilors coming back for second and third terms. This could mean a more experienced council who’ll have a full understanding of how the system works on day one.

Most of our pre-election inter-

views indicate that many of these candidates are well-read on what has been happening, and what the issues are. The student union building on the horizon, open-education resources are continuing to develop, and no one is happy with the office for students with disabilities.

But this also means that the standards are raised on what our counselors can do, and what they’re capable of. While The Runner will be there to keep you up to date on what they’re doing, as well as asking them questions when something seems awry.

We’re also up for election in the

notice of referendum

KSA

GENERAL

ELECTION

february 7 & 8, 2017

Students will vote on a referendum question in the KSA election.

Bring your student ID to a voting booth on campus to cast your vote!

form on the fee increase referendum, which we were able to get on the ballot with your signatures.

When you vote at the polls, in addition to determining who will represent you and your fellow students for the next year, you’ll also be voting whether or not you support a funding increase to Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society, which publishes The Runner and Pulp, and of which all current students are members.

The Runner has reached the peak of it’s growth. While we will continue to do the same type of coverage no matter what, whether it be KSA elections or figuring out what’s going on with the SSD office, we need a funding increase to expand without sacrificing something else.

Voting “yes” would mean that we can go from publishing once every two weeks, to every week. It means being able to hire a videographer to produce video content, and a second staff writer to focus on local community reporting. It means even more opportunities for students to come to PIPS with an idea for a new publication.

Above all else, it means another place for KPU students to go if they want to try their hand at getting actionable experience in writing, reporting, publication, photography, or anything else we do, and the feeling that you’re creating something of value for your fellow university students.

No matter what happens, The Runner will continue its work, keeping tabs on the KSA, the KPU administration and keeping up on campus life. We’ll be here just like we were for the Kinder Morgan MOU controversy, the RAF scandal of 2011, and the Birch building construction.

We’ll be here for you.

[ Voting ]

Tuesday, February 7, 2017 & Wednesday, February 8, 2017 10 am – 7 pm All Campuses

[ PIPS / Runner Fee Question ] Do you support an increase to the Student Publication Fee from $0.75 to $0.95 per credit in order to: improve The Runner's coverage of student news and culture at KPU by adopting a weekly publication schedule and integrating web and video-based content; improve Pulp Magazine's ability to produce a sustainable, quality arts and literature student publication; and support the ability to create additional student publications through the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society?

Yes or No

What’s Happening this week

Feb 1

How To Apply for Awards

Did you know that KPU offers over 550 awards that you can apply for?

Sign up for this workshop to learn how to apply to them and how to maximize your chances of winning a scholarship.

3 - 4, Surrey Conference Centre, free.

Feb 3

East Village Chinese New Year

Ring in the year of the rooster on Hastings Street with a Traditional Lion Dance, Chinese Instrument Performers, and a Chinese Drum Entourage.

11:30 - 2, 2620 East Hastings Street, free.

Feb 5

Interfaith Pilgrimage

To celebrate UN World Interfaith Harmony Week, KPU’s Multi-faith Centre wants to take you on a pilgrimage across Surrey. A vegetarian lunch and dinner will be provided, but be sure to bring your own snacks and water.

9:30 - 5, Thien Ton Buddhist Temple, free.

Feb

7&8

Vote in the KSA General Election You have a chance to help determine who represents you in the Kwantlen Student Association for the next year.

While you’re there, consider voting “yes” on The Runner’s referendum for more student publication funding!

Feb 9

KwantlenWindSymphonyConcert

Tired of the cold weather? Warm up with the Kwantlen Wind Symphony as they present Into the Joy of Spring with special guests Maple Ridge Secondary School Senior Concert Band.

7:30 pm, Langley Campus Auditorium, $5 for students.

Feb 11 Mother Language Day

KPU’s Department of Language and Cultures will host performances of traditional music to celebrate the languages and cultures of French, Japanese, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Spanish as part of International Mother Language Day. 2:30 - 4, Bear Creek Pavilion, free.

04 News

CFS Buys Anti-CFS Domain Names

In 2008 and 2013, 15 domains were registered under the Federation’s treasurer Alyssa Laube | Associate Editor After receiving an anonymous tip about the Canadian Federation of Students purchasing anti-CFS domains, Toronto University’s The Varsity conducted a reverse Whois lookup of the email address it@cfs-services.ca which confirmed that the tip was true.

The search revealed that 15 domains were bought, including no-cfs. com, iamnotcfs.net, and votenocfs. info by email admin Anna Dubinski during 2008 and 2013. Those registered in 2008 expired at the end of 2016, with the remainders still existent but inactive.

“We haven’t really had any lash back about this article. No complaints in my inbox or correction requests issued,” says Tom Yun, Editor of The Varsity. “Online it has gotten some attention from across the country, but that’s about it.”

CFS National Chairperson Bilan

Arte has responded to media inquiries by claiming that the domains were bought solely because they relate to the Federation’s name, and has not responded to The Runner’s requests for an interview. Only email statements from Arte and Dubinski were received by The Varsity, and neither of them were working for the CFS when the domains were registered.

In her email to The Varsity, Dubinski wrote that she was not personally involved in the purchase of the domains, and that her name was simply “added as administrator to various accounts” when she became treasurer in 2014.

There are multiple ways to claim an already-taken domain, including waiting for it to expire, contacting the owner to set up a deal, and disputing the ownership in court or online. It would appear that the domain transaction was agreed to on both sides, as they had not expired and there is no evidence of legal disputes over

KSA to Attend Leadership Conference in Oregon

$7,000 released for exec. team and others to participate in NWSLC Alyssa Laube | Associate Editor The Kwantlen Student Association approved the release of $7,000, which will cover the cost of student politicians attending February’s Northwest Student Leadership Conference, on Jan. 19. The conference will be held in Portland, Oregon’s Benson Hotel from the 24th to the 26th, and calls itself “the largest and most exciting, student-led leadership conference in the Pacific Northwest,” as written on its website.

The conference provides workshops on organizing and advocacy, networking opportunities, and a platform for relevant, political conversations. There will also be keynote addresses by activists D Pei Wu and Aubrey Harrison, who will each speak on the 25th.

KSA President Alex McGowan has been to NWSLC twice before and was satisfied with both trips. He says that some overarching themes of the conference are social justice, hosting events, on-campus engagement, and determining student dishes.

“One of the key reasons that we like to go to the Northwest Student Leadership Conference is that it’s held in February, which allows us to do it at a key time where a lot of students are expressing an interest in getting involved with the KSA, and then we can kind of put an open invite out,” says McGowan. “We can bring a fairly large group and give our up-and-coming student leaders the opportunity to learn about how to be student leaders, and they can learn

about how American student unions operate and their policies down there.”

While the fact that NWSLC is held in February is helpful to those just poking their heads into politics, it is also a last-ditch effort to learn and teach for those leaving the office. The KSA General Election is on Feb. 7 and 8, and although both McGowan and VP Student Life Natasha Lopes are opting out of running for re-election, they will join the rest of their executive team on their trip to Portland.

The KSA pays for their participation in the conference.

“We try to bring everyone who wants to, and in the past we’ve been able to do that. Then the entire current exec. team is invited to go, with the expectation that the outgoing executives can sort of mentor and teach the incoming group of students,” explains McGowan.

The External Affairs Committee is scheduled to select which non-executive delegates will attend NWSLC on Feb. 10. These delegates are usually current councillors, those running for council, and anyone else showing a strong interest in being involved with the KSA over the next year.

“I’m really hoping that a new group of student leaders in the KSA can have a great experiences and learn a lot about how they can do their jobs better in the coming year.” says McGowan. “It’s also a really good opportunity to connect with other student leaders who have their own experiences to learn from.”

(Scott McLelland)

them. However, because the websites are now unusable, it is impossible to get in contact with those who once owned them to verify how and why the names were sold.

Kwantlen Student Association President Alex McGowan—who has actively spoken against the way that

the Federation operates in the past— feels that “it’s not surprising to hear that the CFS is taking an active role in making it harder for students to organize against them if that’s what students want to do.”

“It’s in line with their character as an organization,” says McGowan.

“But I don’t think it’s that uncommon of a practice among any organization. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Liberal Party of Canada owns domains like ‘Screw the Liberals’ or something.”

That being said, he is still against the Federation buying oppositional domains.

“It’s one more piece of evidence,” he says. “This is just one more thing in a long list of issues about how the CFS treats criticism and its members.”

All KPU students are members of the CFS and therefore pay fees to it each semester. As a delegate of the Kwantlen Student Association, McGowan represents KPU’s student body when he attends its meetings.

There, he can voice concerns and contribute to organizational reform, but does not expect the issue to come up during the Federation’s meetings, which are usually “focused on bylaws and process.”

KPU Acupuncture Clinic Plans Replaced With Student Placements

Students in the acupuncture program will be placed in professional clinics around the Lower Mainland Joseph Keller | Web Editor When KPU’s Acupuncture Diploma program was announced last year, an acupuncture clinic staffed by KPU students was meant to be one of its most important components. Through the clinic, students would be able to gain practical, professional experience.

Now, with the program’s second semester beginning, plans have changed. While real-world clinical experience is still an essential pillar of the program, students will develop it through placements in established clinics around the Lower Mainland.

The university’s plans for its own clinic have been abandoned.

KPU’s acupuncture program has been altered quite a bit since it was first conceived during a throne speech delivered by premier Christy Clark in 2013, during which she expressed an interest in B.C.’s universities providing education in traditional Chinese medicine. Early in the process of putting the program together, KPU officials made the decision to move away from traditional Chinese medicine as a whole—which includes elements such as herbology, dietary therapy, and massage—and focus exclusively on acupuncture.

According to Dr. Salvador Ferreras, KPU Provost and Vice President Academic, the idea of KPU opening its own acupuncture clinic for the diploma program was supported by former B.C. Minister of Advanced Education Amrick Virk. When Virk left office in 2014, his successor Andrew Wilkinson took a different attitude to

John Yang, instructor in KPU’s Traditional Chinese Medicine-Acupuncture Program (right), and the Associate Dean for the Faculty of Health Jean Nicolson-Church (left) pose beside an acupuncture model on Sept. 8, 2016. (Alyssa Laube)

the approach.

“When [Minister Wilkinson] came in, he was not as enamored with the idea of KPU itself having the clinic,” explains Ferreras. “We had not had a clinic or any kind of medical practice in the past and, in his mind, it seemed that embarking on a program that would involve a clinic was something that he didn’t want to support at this time. But he did want to support the program itself.”

The new decision to place students in pre-established clinics brings the acupuncture program in line with KPU’s nursing program and others which use a similar distributed clinic model. As with the nursing program, acupuncture students in their third semesters will be partnered with businesses and take an initial observation role before be-

ing deemed ready to assist in a more active capacity. Students will typically be placed at a rate of two students per clinic.

“The ratio of students in our clinics to acupuncturists is extremely low, which means that it’s extremely good. A practitioner will only be supervising two students, which in the health industry is an absolute luxury,” says Ferreras.

With the program’s third semester coming up in May, the first generation of KPU acupuncture students will soon be taking their places in clinics around the Lower Mainland. KPU has recently hired a clinical facilitator to oversee this process, whose job is to liaise and build partnerships with acupuncture clinics in Greater Vancouver.

News 05

Langara Publication Uncovers Corruption within Student Union The firing of LSU’s general manager kicks off lengthy expose by The Voice Joseph Keller | Web Editor Corruption in the Langara Student Union A special edition of The Voice—Langara’s campus publication—released this past December brings allegations of misconduct by the Langara Student Union to light.

In late November 2016, Langara Student Union General Manager Desmond Rodenbour was abruptly fired, along with elected board member Harsimran Malhi and the LSU’s legal counsel.

Rodenbour had been brought on by the LSU at the behest of their legal counsel in August of last year as an attempt to improve transparency within the notoriously closed-off student union. Similarly, Malhi had been working for months to reform the LSA, and was reportedly threatened for her efforts with legal action

by LSU staff before she was fired.

The official reason given for Malhi’s dismissal was her absence from two board meetings, although she says that she had given prior notice about her absence well in advance.

“It was like we were told [by LSU staff], ‘You’ll face grievances, because this is not something that is our job,’” Malhi told The Voice in early December.

After her dismissal, Malhi was able to speak candidly to student reporters about what she had experienced as a Langara Student Union council member. With her interview, The Voice was able to give evidence in support of allegations made against the student union, including the misappropriation of funds—in some cases, with student funds being used to buy booze for LSU councilors—and the use of bullying tactics to silence councillors attempting to bring about reform.

Malhi and former LSU memberat-large Leigha Munro say their firings were two of many by the LSU meant to resist changes made in the name of transparency. Munro says she was witness to shady financial dealings while Malhi reveals an organisational culture where elected representatives are used as pawns by upper level staff.

The Langara Student Union refused to provide reporters with documents detailing contact information of elected student representatives or financial statements on the LSU’s use of funds collected from students. It is estimated by The Voice that the LSU controls close to one million dollars in student funds.

At this time it is unclear what will come of the allegations.

Langara Student Journalists Rise to the Task The student journalists who

Former LSU board member Harsimran Malhi speaks with Voice reporters Chahira Merarsi and Jake Wray. (Roberto Teixeira/The Voice)

worked on The Voice last semester as part of of the college’s journalism diploma program never imagined they’d be able to break a story like this.

The student union had been a notoriously opaque entity for years.

Since as far back as the late 90s, student journalists at the college have been challenged by the union while trying to obtain even the most basic information. The LSU does not release documentation of their use of funds or allow reporters to attend their meetings. All media enquiries to the LSU have to be submitted via an online portal and may go unanswered.

The Voice received a tip about Rodenbour’s firing a week after the fact, while they were completing what was planned to be The Voice’s last issue of the year.

“It was kind of like, ‘Okay, this is going to fill a big gap in our paper,’ but we didn’t have any inkling of what it was going to grow into,” says Jack Wray, one of the student journalists working on the story.

Rodenbour had previously promised to bring transparency to the LSU, so the significance of his firing was immediately apparent.

A meeting was held between Voice student editors and their instructors to figure out how to handle the story, and work quickly began on a special edition of the paper. The process of piecing together exactly what was going on in the student union took several days, ending with a 16-hour marathon of reporting.

“As we were reporting on the story of his firing, we started to get more information trickling about what exactly had been going on in the

LSU,” says Wray. “And that was sort of more traction than The Voice had ever gotten on this file before. It just started to break open.”

“It was so intense but so much fun,” says Voice reporter Chahira Merarsi.

Speaking to Rodenbour led the student reporters to more information from former LSU councillors and employees on the corruption going on behind the scenes at the LSU. Interviews with Rodenbour, as well as former LSU member-at-large Leigha Munro and others close to the organisation, began to paint a picture.

A problem with these interviews was that Munro is far removed from the current board of the LSU, and those who could speak to what the union has recently been up to would not go on-record due to fear of professional consequences.

R o d e n b o u r ’s w o r d a l o n e wouldn’t cut it. The challenge for The Voice became finding a source to confirm the allegations. Without the word of an elected LSU council member, the information uncovered

by The Voice could be written off as conjecture.

“We were all starting to really feel like none of these stories we’re working on can go forward unless we can get this corroborating voice,” says Wray.

After a long process of searching through lists of LSU-related contacts for anyone who would speak on record, student reporters were able to get in contact with former LSU Councilor Harsimran Malhi. Malhi’s interview was what The Voice needed to validate all they had learned about what was happening at the student

union.

The process was long, arduous, and frustrating, but by the end, the student reporters were able to successfully produce the biggest story of their burgeoning careers in journalism.

“It was an example of hard work paying off. With the LSU, we’ve always kind of had our eye on them.

We’ve always been trying to get something out of them, whatever it is,” says Merarsi. “So for this to happen is super rewarding.”

The December issue of The Voice was the paper’s final release of that semester, meaning that many of the students that worked on the eventful issue—including Wray and Merarsi—have since moved on in the program and will no longer be working on the publication. Further developments in the LSU scandal will be made by a new generation of student journalists.

The KPU Connection The allegations against the Langara Student Union bear a striking resemblance to those faced by the Kwantlen Student Association back in 2011 and 2012.

Former KSA General Manager Desmond Rodenbour—the very same Desmond Rodenbour who was dismissed in November as general manager of the LSU—was fired by the KSA in 2011, while the Association was in the midst of a scandal involving the misappropriation of $2 million in student funds. Rodenbour would later file a lawsuit against the KSA for defamation and wrongful dismissal.

Several KSA councilors found responsible for the misuse of funds were removed from the KSA. Since his latest dismissal, Rodenbour has found other employment, notably not with another student organisation.

Desmond Rodenbour, former LSU general manager, was working to bring more transparency to the LSU before he was fired. Rodenbour was previously fired by the Kwantlen Student Association in 2011 under similar circumstances.

(Alyse Kotyk/The Voice)

06 news

Who are the Third Parties?

A look at some potential underdogs in the B.C. election ing what is spent, we’re talking about how government is done completely,” says Filippeli. “Complete transparency, letting everyone see where every dollar is spent, all contracts completely public so you can see word-for-word what the government has agreed to, and then creating a website, giving every British Columbian a secure log-in, letting them log-in and give feedback to the government.”

YPP nominated one candidate in 2005 and two in 2009.

Calvin Borghardt| Contributor The 41st B.C. general election is scheduled for May 9, and although the Liberals and NDP currently dominate the legislature, there will be 24 other political parties vying for a slice of the pie. These “third parties” have an opportunity to win seats in the election and help form the provincial government, and may even hold the balance of power between the larger parties. Take some time to familiarize yourself with them before you vote.

The People’s Party

The Green Party “In British Columbia we have, I would argue, three political parties,” says Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party. “We have the B.C. Liberals, who I would argue are the party for big corporations, and we have the B.C. NDP, who are the party for big labour.”

“And then we have the B.C. Greens, which I would argue are the party that puts people first. It’s a party that puts people and small business, the engine of our economy, and the voters of B.C. first and foremost.”

The B.C. Green Party has existed for over 30 years and is the only third party to have an MLA, making them the most prominent of the third parties.

Members of the B.C. Green Party parade down the streets of Vancouver on August 1, 2010. (Stephen Rees/Flickr)

The Christian Heritage Party “The Christian Heritage Party of B.C. has been around since 2010.

We ran in 2013 with two candidates.

I was one of them,” says Rod Taylor, interim leader of The CHP-BC. “We are basically a party that is pro-life, pro-family, pro-freedom. We believe in a balanced-budget approach to provincial taxation.”

“We think the housing crisis in

the lower mainland, particularly, is way out of control, and if people can’t afford to live here, then how are they going to contribute? We would restrict the purchase of housing to those who live in Canada.”

The CHP-BC has endured some internal disputes after a Leadership election in 2011, which lead several members to leave the party and join the Individual Rights Party of British Columbia.

Your Political Party “We are a growing political party trying to give B.C. voters a better option,” says James Filippeli, leader of Your Political Party of B.C. “We’re focused on bringing a completely transparent government to British Columbia and using evidence-based decision making instead of governing based on ideology.”

“We’re not talking about chang-

“We have seen both NDP and B.C. Liberals missing [out] on a lot of important issues in British Columbia.

So we think there’s room for smaller political parties to have a say in the issues concerned,” says Vikram Bajwa, leader of the British Columbia People’s Party.

“As we have seen the past couple of years, B.C. Liberals they have exploited all the election laws, ethics laws, and Premier Christy has been lying all along. Of course, she lied about the LNG, now she’s lying about the pipeline... They have messed up a lot of issues here. She runs British Columbia like a characteristic Mr. Trump.”

Construction on the DTES is Endangering Trans Sex Workers Gentrification putting trans sex workers at risk, study by KPU prof finds Alyssa Laube | Associate Editor Recent construction on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has endangered trans sex workers by forcing them into more dangerous and inhospitable locations.

Criminology Professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Tara Lyons, contributed to a study published this month by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS examining the impact of construction and gentrification on trans sex workers. Interviews with 33 individuals—including those who identify as trans, genderqueer, and two-spirit—and ethnographic walks through their work environment were held as a part of the study, determining that, “within a criminalized context, construction and gentrification enhanced vulnerabilities to violence and harassment from police and residents,” as written in the study’s abstract.

“Environmental and structural changes to the work environment were found to (1) increase vulnerabilities to client violence by disrupting traffic patterns, (2) influence policing practices, and (3) to displace trans sex workers through gentrification processes,” reads the introduction. “Participants reported that their working conditions were increasingly unsafe

because of overlapping structural vulnerabilities of construction activity (e.g. decreased client traffic), criminalization of sex work (e.g. police harassment) and gentrification (e.g. resident complaints).”

The participants interviewed were between the ages of 23 and 52. Those with Indigenous ancestry made up 70 per cent of interviewees and 79 per cent were engaged in sex work during the time of study, with 73 per cent of those soliciting in outdoor environments.

The research done has not been concluded and will continue to develop well into the future. Lyons continues to conduct the research despite being on maternity leave at KPU. “With the work that we did with trans folks, there wasn’t anything [research-based] that was specific to the area, which is why I started doing interviews to figure out what was going on,” says Lyons, bouncing her baby on her lap from the East Cafe on East Hastings Street. “And our work is also unique because we have two-spirit participants.”

She describes the interview process as painful at some times and full of joy at others, but generally feels “grateful to work with really great people who were willing to open up to me and be a part of the research.”

Now, she calls many of the partici-

pants friends.

During the ethnographic walks that Lyons facilitated, witnessing workers being threatened with loitering tickets by authorities and seeing the condition of the work environment contributed to the findings of the study, as did having trans workers personally review the data before it was published.

She also observed the relationship between the trans sex workers in the Downtown Eastside and the surrounding residents and businesses, describing it as “tense.” Study participants relayed feelings of isolation and unfriendliness. Complaints were made about trans workers in the area. Gates were put up near hangers so that those sleeping on the streets could not use them as shelter, and police and security guards ushered workers away from the trusted routes they had once regularly used to find customers.

“The folks that worked down there have generally worked there a long time. It’s a pretty established work environment—or it was—and it’s a community. This is how gentrification works,” says Lyons. “Then other people move in and feel like they’re the first and that it’s their community.

“The people who live in the community should be trying to create a

Criminology prof. Tara Lyons contributed to a study which examines the impact of construction and gentrification on trans sex workers. (Submitted Photo/Tara Lyons)

relationship with the people who already there—and the businesses as well.”

The next stages of the ethnographic research will focus more heavily on the perspectives and actions of the businesses and individuals living alongside the gentrified Downtown Eastside sex workers.

“These changes—gentrification, construction, doing massive road work without consultation with the folks working down there—are frankly dangerous and irresponsible,” Lyons says. “Those are not conditions that anyone, sex worker or nonsex worker, should have to be in.”

KDocs Will Be Screening Fresh Films this February

culture 07

Annual documentary festival brings new content and structure in 2017 Alyssa Laube | Associate Editor Some of the most topical issues of the year will be studied through documentary and dialogue at this February’s KDocs festival, running in Vancity Theatre from the 16th to the 19th.

As it has since it began, the festival will focus heavily on social justice, covering climate change, First Nations struggles, industrialization, police brutality, refugees, and learning disabilities, among other similar subjects.

Several changes are being made to the way KDocs operates this year.

KPU students and alumni will be moderating all of the event’s panel discussions, there will be opening night and closing night gala receptions with snacks and drinks, and twice as many films are being shown—five of them Canadian. Other exciting additions include an open concession where beer, wine, soda, and theatre snacks will be available, a greater number of filmmakers being expected to present, and later start times for all four days of the event.

“We’ve also had five of the films rated so that high-school aged students can attend,” says Janice Morris, KDocs festival director.

“Every year, it gets bigger and better, and not just because there are more days and more films. It’s because every year we make more connections. We are working with

more organizations,” says Morris.

“Our goal is to keep growing so that we can have more exhibitors actually at the event. That’s really the goal of KDocs.”

The opening night will begin with a reception, before leading into Racing Extinction, a film about biodiversity loss. Afterwards, UBC Professor, Ecologist and Economist William Rees will make a keynote address, and following that the evening ends with How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change—the title of which is largely self-explanatory—around 10:30pm.

The second day will start and end earlier, with two films about First Nations Canadians—The Pass System and After the Last River—and the subsequent panel discussions in the early afternoon. Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s own Elder-in-Residence, Leykeyten, will be on that panel, alongside The Pass System Director Alex Williams and Keynote Speaker Lisa Monchalin, a KPU criminology professor. Beginning at 4:45pm is We Call Them Intruders, a movie about Canadian gold mining in foreign countries, followed by a keynote address from the co-directors and panel discussion with them, Mining Justice Advocate Andre Vasquez, First Nations Water Activist Canahuf Manuel, and Chair of Environmental Protection Paul Richard. The 17th will end with Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, a commentary on the effects of technology

Volunteers and members of the KDOCS board pose for a snap. (KDOCS Facebook)

on society.

Films screened on Feb. 18 will generally cover cop culture and brutality and refugee and immigrant stories. Do Not Resist, After Spring, Migrant Dreams, and Sonita are set to hit the big screen between 12:00pm and 9:00pm, with keynote addresses and panel discussions for all but Sonita. After Do Not Resist, a member of Vancouver Cop Watch, an ex-Vancouver police officer, a KPU criminology professor, and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Vancouver will speak on a panel.

Something special to the KPU community is being planned for the closing night with two films about autism being screened. Life, Animated will be on at 3:00pm followed

by Wizard Mode at 5:15pm, with keynote and panel discussions from film stars and directors, the executive director of Inclusion BC, and members of KPU’s Bodies of Film Club, Emma Sawatzky and Katie Miller.

“We did have the discussion around showing either Wizard Mode or Life Animated because they both deal with autism,” says Morris. “We

knew we wanted Wizard Mode because the star of that film is from Burnaby, and we wanted them to be there and thought, ‘This is very local, so even better.’ But then we didn’t want to leave out Life Animated because it’s such a great film. And so we thought, why can’t we show both?”

“We don’t want to close ourselves off to repetition because the fact that we asked why we can’t show them both led to designing what’s turning out to be a really great closing night,” says Morris.

Surrey’s Film Industry Booms in 2016/17

Filming and special events representative predicts more success this year Alyssa Laube | Associate Editor Last year brought great prosperity to Surrey’s film industry, doubling the number of permits issued to highend productions like Supergirl. Arnold Schwarzenegger even made his way into the suburbs in 2016 to film a movie about a group of assassins out to murder him, Why We’re Killing Gunther. Film cameras have been rolling all over the municipality since last January, with more set to arrive in the new year.

“There’s a few factors to why we’ve been successful,” says James Monk, filming & special events representative for the City of Surrey.

“One is that our Canadian dollar is low right now, and with the B.C. tax incentives in place as well, that’s another factor. The other reason would be that Surrey is a real diverse city.

We have lots of different locations that they can film at, from urban centres to parks to our state-of-the-art facilities.”

The thriving industry can also be attributed to the large size and diverse appearances of different parts of Surrey. That makes it a unique location with a lower price tag than Vancouver, which brings productions here,

The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and members of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow get ready to fight off an alien invasion.

(Chasingscene/Youtube)

resulting in local job creation.

Surrey City Hall, the City Centre Library, parks, and recreational facilities have historically been the most popular filming locations in the city, namely for the one-of-a-kind and modern architecture that can be found there. In order to better illustrate what it has to offer, an interactive map of production sites in the area has been

added to the city’s website.

“The intention behind it is to create some exposure of the locations that we have in Surrey, so if a production is interested in looking into filming in Surrey, now they have an online database that they can refer to as well,” says Monk.

Over half of Why We’re Killing Gunther starring Arnold

Schwarzenegger was filmed here last year, along with “an array of television productions” including Supergirl, Prison Break, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow.

“There’s going to be a lot of locations that people will be able to recognize. It’s just in their backyard, hypothetically speaking,” says Monk.

“We have filmed at one of our local

recreation centres, we’ve had them filming on our streets and some of our civic facilities as well, so I think people will recognize that.”

The process of filming in Surrey starts with the production company filing an inquiry or application to the filming & special events representative, who meets with them to hear their requests before taking the information to the city. From there, he acts as the liaison between the two parties in order to ensure success during the filming process. By becoming “a one-stop shop” for production companies—a responsibility which Monk has largely taken into his own hands—Surrey plans on staying a big player in film long-term.

170 film permits were issued in 2016 alone, with more in progress.

Monk says that there has already been interest in filming in Surrey in January, and that in regards to upcoming productions to come out of the city, “some will be coming down the pipe very shortly.”

“I don’t see why we wouldn’t meet or beat what we did in 2016,” he says.

08 culture

KSA Hosts Pub Night to Fight Fentanyl Proceeds from fundraiser support the Overdose Prevention Society

organisation also advocates for more safe injection sites across the Lower Mainland, and pushes for a better government response to the overdose crisis. “[The Overdose Prevention Society is] on the front lines. They’re on the streets. They’re making sure that people are safe, and if they do overdose they have the knowledge and the items to prevent these needless

Joseph Keller | Web Editor The Kwantlen Student Association gave KPU students a chance to help with one of the most serious humanitarian issues in the Lower Mainland, all while enjoying some burgers and brews.

The fundraiser to fight fentanyl was held on Friday, Jan. 13 at Brewsters Pub, not far from KPU Surrey campus. Tickets were $20 and included one burger and one beer per admission. All proceeds from the event, and the accompanying silent auction, went to support the Overdose Prevention Society, a local organisation helping save lives against the ongoing fentanyl opiate epidemic in Metro Vancouver. The event was the first pub night-style fundraiser held by the KSA in over five years.

After all was said and done the event raised $714.50 for the organisation.

“The KSA, myself, and the other executives wanted to do something to support our community,” says KSA VP Student Life Natasha Lopes. “I came up with the idea about supporting an organisation on the frontlines of saving people’s lives from fentanyl and from overdosing.”

The event was attended by dozens of members of the KPU community,

deaths,” says Lopes.

Lopes says that the fundraiser was the product of “a lot of sleepless nights,” because it was the first such event held by the KSA in years, and the first ever that Lopes has been personally involved in. She says that the KSA is looking forward to hosting future pub nights for other worthy causes, with the next one tentatively planned for February.

Attendees enjoy some beers at the KSA’s fundraiser supporting the the Overdose Prevention Society at Brewsters pub on January 13th. (Joseph Keller)

including several KSA members, and even a few representatives from other student unions around the Lower Mainland. KPU president Alan Davis made an appearance at the event as well.

Over the past few years, fentanyl has taken a serious toll on the Metro Vancouver community. Since the crisis began in 2015, there have been hundreds of deaths in the Lower Mainland connected to the potent and deadly opiate. The substance can be found in four out of every five drug samples collected Vancouver Coastal Health, according to a December report by Metro News.

“So many students, so many peo-

ple have been touched by fentanyl,” says Lopes. “A ton of my friends, unfortunately, have had to deal with it and I know I’m not the only one. I know that it’s not a unique problem to me and it has really hurt the student culture. It’s really hurt youth culture, and it’s turned something that people would do recreationally into something dangerous.”

The Overdose Prevention Society operates a pop-up harm reduction and overdose prevention trailer and tent in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side.

The facility is staffed by CPR-trained volunteers equipped with Naloxone, a drug used to reverse overdoses, and other medical equipment. The

KSA VP Student life Natasha Lopes stands with KPU president Alan Davis at at the KSA’s fundraiser supporting the the Overdose Prevention Society at Brewsters pub on January 13th. (Joseph Keller)

Fellowship of Lord of the Rings fans gather at Grassroots for Marathon, Trivia Aragorn’s courage could be yours, as could a movie-themed board game

Kyrsten Downton| Contributor On Tuesday, Jan 17, the Kwantlen Student Association hosted a Lord of the Rings trivia game at the Grassroots Cafe in the Surrey Cedar building. The contest kicked off a threeday-long marathon of the movie franchise the KSA was hosting.

Natasha Lopes, the KSA Vice President Student Life, says that a Lord of the Rings marathon was an event the KSA has long wanted and planned to do at the start of the winter semester.

“You need the strength to carry on in January,” says Lopes. “For me, The Lord of the Rings has always been a comfort. If Aragorn can get up the courage to become king, I can get up the courage to be Natasha.”

The crowd in the Grassroots was small, mostly filled with students either passing the time or grabbing a quick bite on the go. However, a group of students eager to test their knowledge of Tolkien’s world, and maybe win some prizes doing so, stayed throughout the event.

The evening’s prizes included a Lord of the Rings board game, a map of Middle Earth, and various gift cards.

Sadly, the One Ring was not a prize.

The trivia contest consisted of

three rounds of questions followed by one more round with “extreme” questions. A winner was found after each round, and that student got to pick which of the prizes they wanted.

Hanna Norman, a creative writing major, won the first round of trivia and took home the board game.

Norman doesn’t believe she is the ultimate Lord of the Rings fan at KPU, despite being a fan since she was young. However, she says she hopes she is “up there”.

“I just love fantasy,” says Norman. “I think it is fun to kind of go away from our world into something that is probably so much worse than ours—but in a way, so much better.”

This is the first time the KSA has hosted a trivia game night at KPU. However, Lopes and the KSA want to hold more trivia game events in the future. She believes that the success of the Lord of the Rings trivia contest will the KSA bring similar events to the Grassroots in the future.

“The only way your events will really flourish and become a part of campus culture is if they continue repeating and if you continue doing new things,” says Lopes. “Trivia we are hoping to make another regular thing for students to do on campus.

The KSA also continued their tradition of collecting donations for the Student Society Emergency Aid Fund at their movie marathon

events. Lopes said that fundraising for SSEAF is highly important to her.

“Because I put these events on for students, it is only right that we fundraise at the same time for students,” she says.

Lopes has confirmed the next trivia night will be Star Wars-themed, and is scheduled to be held next month. Norman says she will definitely be participating again.

“I think it’s good,” she says. “You get to talk to people you normally wouldn’t get to talk to and show off your skills.”

(Above) A group of students relax in the Grassroots and play Lord of the Rings trivia. (Below) Hanna Norman, a creative writing student at, shows off her prize for winning the first round of Lord of the Rings trivia on January 17, 2017.

(Kyrsten Downton)

culture 09

Fourth-Year Art Students Show Surrey Their Collective Unconscious Soon-to-be graduates display their artwork at Surrey campus library Paula Aguilar

Throughout the past few weeks, fourth-year art students have been exhibiting some of their work in the Arbutus gallery on the Surrey campus.

The exhibit, Collective Unconscious, includes a number of powerful artworks ranging from oil paintings to sculptures, and offers a hint of what’s to come at the year-end grad show this April.

Towards the front of the gallery, black cloth is positioned to portray women—facing away from the viewer—wearing a “robe-like dress” called an abaya. For the artist, Durrah Alsaif, bringing attention to Saudi Arabia and cultural differences is a very important part of her art. Women in Saudi Arabia are required to cover up entirely with the abaya, and have male guardians who dictate what they can do, from studying to travelling and even undergoing medical procedures.

For another artist, Keith Harris, finding his identity and converting hybridity and mixed ethnicity through symbolic objects was the key to his work. Each of his pieces is a symbol for the hip-hop subculture which Harris has found is a vital part

of his identity.

Artist Amy Duval works with slipcast ceramics. Unlike most other mediums, slipcast ceramics are done by taking found objects—in Duval’s case, car parts such as axles—and making successive plaster molds with clay to recreate the object. When Amy started as a painter at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she decided to add her copies to a painted background to create a personal narrative.

The artists named the exhibit Collective Unconscious because, even though they are a collective of artists working together in a shared space, each of their final works are wildly different.

“We work as a class, and we inspire each other every day,” says Alsaif. “We work together, but then we create totally different work from our experience.”

As of this year, the art department at KPU will no longer be funding their student grad exhibit in April.

Although there is word that the faculty will be able to contribute funding for the show, the soon-to-be alumni don’t know how much money will be offered, or if there will be an on-campus location reserved for the exhibit.

“We have to fundraise, and not really work on our art,” says Harris.

“We can’t really say anything, but we

just have to suck it up I guess. But it’s really not fair.”

In order to generate the funds needed for the grad show, the fourthyear art students have been throwing parties and holding bake sales, and have a GoFundMe page where friends and patrons can contribute.

“It’s really frustrating,” says student artist Hailey Logan. “We’ve fundraised a little bit, but we still don’t have enough.”

(Top left) Keith Harris uses symbolic objects to find his identity in his piece.

(Top right) Amy Duval uses slipcase ceramic with a painted background in her piece for the Collective Unconscious art exhibit at KPU. (Bottom left) Durrah Alsaif uses black cloth resembling abayas to bring attention to the cultural differences between Canada and Saudi Arabia. (Paula Aguilar)

10 Feature

Meet the Candidates in the 2017 Kwantlen Student Association Election

Learn who will be representing you in student government before voting on February 7 and 8 Surrey Campus Represevtative (1) TANVIR SINGH Running for Re-election Currently VP Student Services/ University Affairs

What are some of the highlights from your recent term in office?

The biggest highlight I think is the campaigning in terms of the Open Education Resources. I’m currently on the working group with the university for the development of classes with free online

textbooks on campus. I’m one of the first VP’s of the KSA that has put a large focus into academics, and I’m really proud of the development that I’ve been able to put into the portfolio. I think that’s definitely the highlight of the year. But what I’m hoping for is that next September, if I continue on in my position, is to run a bigger, and more effective [open education resources] campaign.

To learn from what we’ve currently done in our campaign and trying to improve on that, and to run a provincial campaign as well.

What about next year?

I’d really want to give more of a leadership role in the KSA, so that’s one of the reasons I want to run for president, and really empower councillors to be able to do the projects that they’ve been wanting to do. I think the last year has been a learning experience in terms of what exactly the relationship is between our staff, our councillors, our exec, and our members in general. I definitely want to foster that relationship and improve upon doing what our councilors want to do.

the relationship has been with the SUB building so far, so that’s definitely near the top of my list of priorities.

Anything to add?

I’m excited to be running for my position again, and even though it’s uncontested, I hope to be campaigning out there and trying to involve students and get their opinions on what’s going on on campus, so that we can, as the KSA, address those issues.

Other big projects?

The big one is going to be the development of the SUB building. We’re working with the university in terms of getting an agreement on what the next steps are going to be for the SUB building. I have some institutional memory on what the procedures have been so far, and what the planning and

Tech / Cloverdale Campus Representative (1) KATHERINE SOUDER First Time Running

Major: Currently in Entrepreneurial Leader-

ship, Soon Architectural Drafting

tive of student works, and I believe doing it handson would be beneficial. Secondly, I would like to get more representation for Cloverdale students at the KSA because currently there is no representation, and student interaction between the KSA What do you hope to accomplish in running for and Cloverdale seems to be quite low. So I’d like Cloverdale Campus Representative? to increase that.

It’s kind of a 50-50 split between personal accomplishment and organizational accomplishments. I What do you think the Cloverdale constituents would like to be able to understand how running want from their representative? as a representative works, how being a representa- Right now I believe they just want some sort of

access to the KSA, and I hope that I can provide that by being there to listen to what they’re saying.

Do you have any ideas about how you’re going to do that?

I would like to make myself available at certain times and become a regular person that appears on campus, and if anyone has an issue or anyone wants to bring issues forward they can come to me. If they want their voices to be heard in the KSA but they don’t want to travel themselves, or they can’t travel themselves, I would like to be able to do that for them.

efficiently, and I understand that with bureaucracies it’s always hard to get efficiency. But every little bit helps, and I myself am interested in [doing] that. My precursor to running was being on the Governance Committee as a student member, and I like fixing and tinkering with how everything works together. So outside of Cloverdale’s specific issues, I’d like to work on the internal organization issues.

What aspects of the KSA do you think could be improved?

I kind of have a small passion for the governance of the organization – how things work and how things run, and getting them to run smoothly and

Mature Students Representative (1) ZAHID DOSSA Previously Students of Colour Rep. Major: Political Science, minor in Policy Students one in the room at 19. But looking back on my first year at Kwantlen, I’m 23, 24—you really do get a sense of “I’m the oldest person in the class.”

What do you think that mature students want from their representative in the KSA? It’s not that I take issue with the definition of a “mature student,” but KPU and the KSA define a mature student as anyone who’s 19 or older. I didn’t feel mature at 19, I didn’t feel like the oldest

There are a lot of matures students here, whether you’re 22, 42, 62, and so I hope to, with the programming on campus, foster a sense of community. You are not the only old person in your class.

There is stuff for people who are not 18-20 to do.

What are some events or activities you’d want to

KAYLA ENGLAND Running for Re-election Major: Policy Studies perwork in on that, so hopefully in about a week or so that group will get official club status, and then come February I can hit the ground running and organize another meeting.

You were elected Mature Students Rep in the by-election last fall. Is there anything you’ve been able to achieve in that position in the short amount of time you’ve held it?

Since being elected I’ve been able to start up the Mature Students of Kwantlen group. I have the pa-

What do you believe the constituency you’re currently representing is looking for from their student representative?

I don’t think they have a voice. Right now mature students don’t have a way of connecting with each other. They tend to have full-time jobs, they tend

make mature students aware of?

I’m really interested in skill-sharing, whether you’re 27 and you’re super good at Excel, and there’s someone maybe in their mid-50s who’s come back to school, and maybe who needs help with Excel. Or there’s someone who’s good at crocheting or knitting, and—hey, I need a hobby, I’m a student. I need something that keeps me sane.

Maybe I wanna learn crocheting?

You’re running against Kayla England, the current Mature Students Rep. Is there anything you feel the KSA is currently doing exceptionally well with regards to mature students, or something that you feel needs improvement?

I think there’s always room for improvement. I know she’s made an effort to get in contact with the mature student community at Kwantlen. I haven’t been able to attend the meeting that she

to have children, they tend to have other activities going on. Therefore the resources that they need are going to be different, and they need someone they can talk to, someone they can approach who can have those issues or those barriers removed for them. Now, more than ever, they need someone who can integrate them into the Kwantlen community.

Are there issues with the KSA you’d like to address in your next term as councilor?

Specifically one of the issues with the mature students I’ve talked to is that they’re only on campus in the evenings, and the KSA offices are closed in the evenings. Of course, there’s member services, and I’m so happy that they’re open until, I believe, 8 or 9 in the evenings. But it’s about the ability to connect with other students, because they are only here in the evenings and a lot of the events

scheduled as I was in class. But going forward, whether she gets elected or I get elected, I hope there’s a larger sense of community, a sense of unity, within the mature students constituency.

Are there any hurdles that you think mature students face at KPU? It’s uncomfortable or awkward being the 25 yearold in your class. Not to say that 25, 35, 45 isn’t young—but when you’re surrounded by people straight out of high school it’s awkward trying to join a club, trying to run for student office. But it doesn’t matter. We need to put ourselves out there.

take place in the day.

Do you have specific ideas you’d want to bring to council to address that problem?

That’s what I’m hoping to get out of the mature students group I’m starting. There are a lot of unknowns, and I will fully admit I don’t have all the answers. My job as Mature Students Rep will be to get those answers.

feature 11 Arts Representatives (4)

R

SOMMER ABDUL-MAJID

Hello Fellow Arts Students!

My Name is Sommer Abdul-majid, I am a fourth year student majoring in Sociology. Currently I am a student member on both the University Affairs and Student Life committees, I hope to continue to represent Arts students as a KSA representative by getting your vote as Arts Representative. As a Sociology major I understand how the Arts department can often be overlooked but, I feel that I can help make Arts Students voices within all departments heard and represented. If elected I will do my best to represent Arts Students at KPU. Go Arts!!

JONATHAN BUCYK First Time Running Major: Policy Studies individual level. I’m really excited to be there and add my input as a student. I’ve been in the arts faculty for a while and I’m really excited to add my influence.

What would you plan to accomplish with the position of Arts Rep? I’m hoping to learn more about what Council talks about in their committee meetings and learn more about the effect that students can have on an

What do you believe your potential constituents at KPU want from their representatives? How do you plan to deliver?

I think that they want to see, first of all, their

MURDOCH DE MOOY Currently Richmond Rep. Major: Criminology trying to run for Richmond Rep again. And if I get elected, or not elected, I’m still going to fight for Richmond. But I want to try to do Arts to mix it up.

Last year you ran for and achieved a seat on council as Richmond representative. Why the move to Arts Rep for this term?

Basically all my classes are coming over to Surrey now, and I felt it would be a little bit dishonest

What do you believe your new constituency will be looking for from their student representative?

[Becoming a councilor] is a daunting task, there’s

DAVID PIRAQUIVE First Time Running Major: Political Science & History for about two years now. I’ve helped out with a lot of campaigns, like the “Get Out The Vote” and the referendum for transit. I’ve also been taking a small part during the provincial campaign they’re This is your first time running for the KSA. running right now, and I’ll be a part of that, win What experience do you think you could bring or lose. to the position of Arts Rep? What do you believe your potential constituents I’ve been part of the External Affairs committee would be looking for in a representative?

NATASHA FARRIS Running for Re-election Major: Criminology

You were elected last fall in the midterm election. What have you been able to accomplish in your time since then?

I feel a lot more comfortable in the KSA now. A big portion of what I was doing was to understand

Sommer was unable to be reached for an interview. What follows is her candidate statement.

Robert’s Rules and how Council works. I was also involved with Welcome Week and am currently on two committees, the sub-committee for the provincial election and the consent committee, trying to promote consent at university to lower the level of sexual assault. I feel both of those committees are growing stronger, we just had our first self-defence class as part of the consent campaign, so I feel it’s going really well.

tuition going towards things that are relevant to them. A lot of it is kind of hard to see for people who are just showing up to class and leaving so they might not notice all the things that are happening around them. I think a lot of people want to see the things that they are putting forward go to good use, so I definitely want to encourage that.

I think that a lot of people want to have opportunities to engage with the school and the faculty. Campus life at Kwantlen is a little bit different than you would see at other universities, especially with clubs and committees and stuff, so I think a lot of people would jump at the opportunity to be more engaged with extra curricular activities if given the option.

so much for you to do and quite literally it’s like “go ahead, do it.” There’s no tutorial, it’s basically a giant learning experience. So I think [students are looking for] someone to stand up and start doing some work.

Are there any particular initiatives in mind that you want to undertake?

I did a lot of the bylaw work for the upcoming AGM, I did a lot of regulations. I wrote the one to allow people to run for the KSA without their legal names. It was an issue that was stopping trans members of the community from running because they would rather not be outed by running for politics. It’s stuff like that that I’d like to work on, and others like increasing awareness of Fentanyl—we’ve had way too many overdoses.

What experience do you bring to the role that you feel is relevant?

Running a club for about a year now has been a lot of experience. Also I’ve been sitting on the sustainability committee, as well as being engaged with other KSA events. I think I’ve gained experience from those events, as well as volunteering through the YMCA and the Rotary Interact leadership clubs. I’ve made conferences in the past for youth, so I think I have a lot to bring to the table.

Are there any aspects of the student government that you’d like to improve upon in your next year?

Honestly, everybody works really hard. There are some council members that do an enormous amount of work. But I find there are a lot of issues, and not always with the KSA side of things, but with the KPU side.

You’ve served as a KSA councilor for a year now.

For example, the D.A.M.N. group (Disability Action Movement Now) requested to have the hedge trimmed on the Richmond campus so that people on wheelchairs could get by there without being hit by the twigs. And it took a couple of months to happen, which is way too long. I’m going to be trying to make it so that we can put in these requests in advance to foresee the problems, so when there is a problem, it’s already being taken care of.

I think someone who’s honest and transparent and will hear the issues they have. Someone who can help them.

about the election is that I saw a poster. And I thought I had to run, as it was something I always wanted to do.

How would you go about doing that?

Something that I want to do is ask around, see what they need help in, what problems they have.

Then I’ll bring it to council and say “These are the issues, what can we do about it?” And then we’ll figure it out.

What are some of your goals or aspirations in joining the KSA? Something I’d like to see is a nap room at KPU. Sometimes we’re tired, sometimes I’ve had to sleep in the third floor of the library. One time I almost missed my exam because I fell asleep.

Are there any aspects of the KSA that you’d want to change or to improve upon when you become a councilor?

One thing is that I don’t feel like they have good communication with the students. Sometimes students don’t know when there’s an election, when they can run. The only way I found out

Also, as I’ve said, I’d like to promote the KSA more, let people know that they can join. It’s easy to join. They just have to know where to go.

Have you been working close with the executive team in your efforts?

Yes. I’ve been working close with Alex [McGowan, KSA President] for the provincial election, and Natasha [Lopes Lopes, VP Student Life] with the consent campaign. I’m also a part of the Student Life committee, and Natasha’s a big part of that.

What do you believe your constituents—arts students—want from a representative?

I believe they want to be heard, and they want to know that someone’s caring about them on council. The KSA does so many different and wonderful things throughout the whole school that they need to have a taste of everyone in there. We’re thinking of putting pianos around campus for the arts students, or for any students that might want to play. There’s also the open resources that are trying to limit the number of textbooks we have to buy.

Do you have ambitions for the exec team?

I hope to eventually consider it more. Right now in order to pay for university I have to work fulltime, but I definitely want to consider it more in the future.

So you’re in for the long-haul?

I believe so. I quite enjoy being here and if I can continue to get re-elected I am hoping to stay.

[Art students] need a voice, and I’m willing to listen and try to empower their wants and needs in the KSA.

12 Feature Business Representatives (4) RAWAN RAMINI Running for Re-election Currently VP Finance & Operations

Yes, that is the plan.

What have you been doing in your past year as a councilor and as a member of the executive team?

I’ve been working on a couple of projects that

haven’t been finalized yet, but there are projects that have been finalized. First of all, we started the immigration consultation service for the international students, which is a drop-in session for all international students that can talk to a professional person, ask them any legal questions that they have.

I also started the Kwantlen Improv workshops, which happen every week, which give students a

ARSHDEEP SINGH BATTU First Time Running Major: Computer Information Systems

What do you hope to accomplish in running for Business Representative?

If I get the position, the first thing I would try to do would be to engage more and more students with any functions or events at the university.

Any ideas about how you go about doing that?

I would do some creative things like making posters out of stuff and creating awareness of the events, so that people would know that these events and activities are going on in the university and what the benefits are of doing that. These things could help students, like developing their resumes and cover letters so that in the future they can prepare themselves for their industry while

JOHN SHKURTAJ Running for Re-election Major: Accounting I try to do with the rest of the student life committee. In the next upcoming term, if I get re-elected, I want to move in depth with that a little bit further, help out with not just student culture on What would you plan to accomplish with the campus but club engagement. Over the past year, with the lack of club space, a lot of clubs have been position?

What I wanted to do in my first term was get in- less active on campus. volved with the KSA, learn more about it and help improve student culture on campus, which is what I also want to address another issue that has be-

RHEJIS WICKS Ran Previously Major: Eutrapenerial Leadership vide more opportunities—career opportunities, potentially meet-ups with other people in the Business program that can further their interests in their fields, and gaining relationships with stuWhat do you think your potential constituen- dents who have had similar experiences to them cy—Business students—are looking for from at Kwantlen. their student representative?

I’ve been [at KPU] for a bit, and I believe they Are there any hurdles you think Business stuwould be looking for somebody that would pro- dents face, either in their academic lives or in

R

MICHAEL WONG First Time Running Interview conducted via email

counting. I have also been building professional relationships with many faculty members and university officials. If elected, not only will I ensure the financial sustainability of KSA while conWhat sort of experience do you think you’d be stantly improving on its quality services, but I will able to bring to the position of Business Repre- also establish a medium to facilitate communications between students and the University. sentative?

I believe KSA can take full advantage of my background and skillset as a student majoring in Ac- What is it you believe your potential constitu-

chance to express themselves and get out of their shell, and just express themselves through art.

The renovations on the Birch building happened during my term, and some of the footwork for the SUB building also happened. I worked on creating the budget, just like any VP Finance would, but this year’s turnout for student consultations were way higher than last year’s.

I definitely want to keep working on the SUB, and make sure that we have it up and running some time soon.

And I want to work on more student engagement. The KSA has a good turnout of students every year, but we’re always hoping for more, and it’s something that I’m very passionate about, to let students know about the KSA and what we do, and create new opportunities for students to get involved, and get experience.

The way I approached doing the budget was different than the previous years too. I got more personal with students and I gave them more space to actually come out and ask questions, whatever they were. And I made sure that the budget was as accessible, and as understandable for students as possible.

What do you want to do, or keep doing, in your second term?

What do business students want?

One of the biggest issues for business students is that waiting lists on classes are humongous. Not a lot of classes are offered more often. So, as a business student, this is an issue I face the most.

Business students are always seeking work experience while they’re studying. They want more opportunities, and closer campus opportunities for students are better for juggling school and work.

studying here. And if they engage with campus activities they will get a larger experience, and what employers are looking for are those kinds of people, who have volunteer experience and exceptional skills. So these things could help prepare them for the industry.

are organizing. They should promote more. They should do the promotion thing, so that students know that these things are there in the university.

What aspects of the KSA do you think could be improved?

The one thing I think that the KSA lacks is in making students aware of the events. You see posters up on the boards, but no students actually bother to look at the notice boards because they have such hectic schedules. They have so much work: studying, assignments, midterms, these kinds of things. I think they should ask people on their Facebook page and create awareness among the students about the events and activities that they

come more relevant to me and a couple of my friends, which is youth homelessness. There are a number of students that attend Kwantlen that are essentially homeless, and homelessness goes beyond just living on the streets. It involves couch surfing at friends’ places and relatives’ places, and the cost for students in terms of how much they have to spend on campus just to attend classes is significant.

What do you believe your potential constituents at KPU want from their representatives? How do you plan to deliver?

I think that my constituents want transparency, but [also] more notice of what’s happening. There is a lack of empathy among KPU students, where it’s go to school, go to work, go home, and that’s it.

You don’t have a reason to stay on campus. When

their dealings with the KSA, that you think you could address as a councillor?

Because I’m on the outside of our specific student government, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to be a part of the relationships [Business students] have with the KSA. That being said, I think there are hurdles in terms of what can be provided to the students. Finding a way to provide events to all three campuses where Business classes are held could be a potential hurdle.

I’d like to see more things involving the campus.

I’d like for you to be able to come to campus and there’s something that you can go and do, or that you know is a reoccurring thing. For example, in the fall I ended up going to Toastmasters for the first time, and I went to the Kwantlen Improv, which I can’t recommend enough. They’re great

ents are looking for from their student rep?

I am actively listening to students’ comments on various issues. Many business students share with me their concerns on public transit and campus parking. It is not surprising that students are unsatisfied in their commutes when KPU has four campuses. More importantly, it is a strong indication to me that the KSA and the University is not taking adequate initiatives to address the situation.

Are there any hurdles business students currently face, in dealing with the KSA or the university at large?

Unfortunately, KPU students see a lot of challenges in their daily interactions with university administrators. These matters range from the slow and unreliable Wi-Fi connections to underfunded

Do you have any ideas of how people could do that?

Yeah, everybody goes to the Grassroots café to eat, and also to the Tim Hortons in the Cedar building, and they should put up some holdings and poster boards so that everybody who comes to Tim Hortons or Grassroots can see those posters and give those things attention.

I was involved with clubs I went to class and when I wasn’t in class I’d go to hang out with friends that I made through clubs. And it gave me more reason to stay on campus and get more engaged, which is why I’m running now.

What have you accomplished so far?

Over the past year I’ve worked on budget analysis of the KSA’s financials over four years. I’ve helped out promoting events at Grassroots, updating the committee descriptions as well helping out to revise some of the regulations in the newly proposed bylaws, as well as putting together a committee member handbook for all the student members.

ways to learn how to speak in front of people, to get out there and meet fresh new faces and make friends.

Do you have any ambitions of running for the executive team?

I would need to be able to gage what I’d need to provide in terms of Student Council, and then if I see there’s a direction I need to take, that would be the direction I would go. But currently my concern is how I can serve the population of Kwantlen as a Business Representative.

student supporting services. I don’t believe this issue is limited only to business students; instead, every student is affected to a certain degree. If elected, I will work closely with different parties to eliminate these inconveniences.

Is there anything about the KSA that you would like to change, or that you feel needs improvement?

There is certainly room for improvement for many aspects of KSA’s operations. To name a few: KSA Council can be more reflective of the student body, students’ involvement can be increased, members experience can be enhanced, more services can be offered, etc. That said, these changes cannot be made overnight or with my sole effort. If elected, I will work with each stakeholder to implement these changes.

feature 13 JAY REEDY Running for Re-election Major: Human Resource Management You’ve been a Business representative since the mid-term election in fall. What have you learned in that time that you’d want to bring to your first full term?

Going into it, I really wanted to change the way that [the KSA] interacts with student members.

Now I’m realizing perhaps that the focus should

be more on the councilors, and council engagement. A lot of councilors don’t really own the role, and they should definitely be proud of what they are accomplishing, and should own that more.

What does owning the role look like?

Personally I’ve only been with Council for two months, but I’ve been volunteering for numerous things. I’ve been a staple for any number of campaigns that have popped up in my short term. I have definitely been out there talking to students, finding out what they’re expecting of us.

What are some of the hurdles you expect to face in a second term?

I think that communication has always been one of the things that’s been left by the wayside. That’s

something I’d like to improve with the KSA. I think the way we can improve that is to have more engaged councilors.

What would those more engaged councilors do to reach out to their constituents? Specifically Business students for yourself.

One of the issues I see with Business students is that we are almost too professional in our student life and culture. We are here specifically to study and then leave. I personally have not seen a lot of my classmates around campus. Something I’d like to do is breach that barrier between professional work and pleasure, and have something that empowers the business-focused clubs to have a great presence on campus.

Students With Disabilities Representative (1) LANDON CHARNEY Running for Re-election Major: Undeclared

What would you plan to accomplish with the position?

Better communication with the Services for Students with Disabilities [office]. We have been working with DAMN (Disabilities Action Move-

ment Now) in order to do a disability policy review committee. We want to get that started because we have been waiting for the new director of the SSD to come in. I want to maintain the standards that I created when I first came in. I want to make it more inclusive, more accessible to reach students to get you the support you need to continue on.

KIM MCMARTIN Ran Previously, Held the Position 2015/16 Major: Anthropology, with a minor in Criminology

working with DAMN (Disabilities Action Movement Now) in order to do a disability policy review committee. We want to get that started because we have been waiting for the new director of the SSD to come in. I want to maintain the What would you plan to accomplish with the standards that I created when I first came in. I position? want to make it more inclusive, more accessible Better communication with the Services for Stu- to reach students to get you the support you need dents with Disabilities [office]. We have been to continue on.

How would you go about achieving this?

Since I left the KSA in the last election I have met with one of the KPU admins in monthly meetings to discuss student returns. I have created a new standard of accessibility within KPIRG. I have done, with DAMN, an event which brings students and different resources together. So I’ll continue those types of events. I’ll continue the relationships I have with other third party organisations such as NEEDS. I’ll bring in different workshops that people can do to understand a person with disabilities’ way of life and why it’s so hard.

What do you believe your potential constituents at KPU want from their representatives? How do you plan to deliver?

Transparency, communication, feedback, collaboration. We also want better communication with

How would you go about achieving this?

Since I left the KSA in the last election I have met with one of the KPU admins in monthly meetings to discuss student returns. I have created a new standard of accessibility within KPIRG. I have done, with DAMN, an event which brings students and different resources together. So I’ll continue those types of events. I’ll continue the relationships I have with other third party organisations such as NEEDS. I’ll bring in different workshops that people can do to understand a person with disabilities’ way of life and why it’s so hard.

What do you believe your potential constituents at KPU want from their representatives? How do you plan to deliver?

Transparency, communication, feedback, collaboration. We also want better communication with

SSD. I can say from experience that when I was in term I had a 24-hour response. Even when I was on vacation I continued to communicate with students. I will be continuously meeting with students because it’s not just me being represented.

It’s people with mental health symptoms. It’s people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities.

People with all kinds of disabilities need to be represented and constantly consulted with.

What aspects of the KSA do you believe could be improved?

Thinking about accessibility. Thinking about inclusion. A lot of the stuff that I have to sometimes remind them on is physical accessibility. One of the things that I implemented with appointments was opening up the dialogue for asking “what does a person need?

How can we make things more accessible?”

SSD. I can say from experience that when I was in term I had a 24-hour response. Even when I was on vacation I continued to communicate with students. I will be continuously meeting with students because it’s not just me being represented.

It’s people with mental health symptoms. It’s people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities.

People with all kinds of disabilities need to be represented and constantly consulted with.

What aspects of the KSA do you believe could be improved?

Thinking about accessibility. Thinking about inclusion. A lot of the stuff that I have to sometimes remind them on is physical accessibility. One of the things that I implemented with appointments was opening up the dialogue for asking “what does a person need?

How can we make things more accessible?”

Women’s Representative (1) CAITLIN MCCUTCHEN First Time Running Major: Political Science clusive environment where women or anyone who identifies as a woman or even guys can go.

What would you plan to accomplish with the position of Women’s Rep? I’m really excited about the Birch space. When it finally opens there will be a women’s centre there so my focus is going to be on making that an in-

How would you go about accomplishing this?

I want to be talking to anyone on campus and getting their ideas and seeing what they want to get out of it. It’s not just my ideas and goals. I want it to be anyone’s women’s centre.

I’m already part of the women’s collective and I’ve seen that it’s very small as it is, and I want it to keep growing. I think the women’s centre is going to play a fundamental role in that. I look at other women’s centres at other institutions and I see so much involvement and so much positivity coming out of it, and I want that for KPU.

What experience do you bring to the role that you feel is relevant?

As senate rep I do sit on the KSA council. I’ve been doing work on the consent campaign. I helped the current Women’s Rep review the sexualised violence policy. I’m doing work on the 2017 provincial election campaign.

What do you believe your potential constituents want from their representative?

I think they want women’s issues addressed and I think they want events and information that pertains to what’s going on in their lives. I know the consent campaign is something that I will continue next year, as well as addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault. Women just want representation and an understanding of the issues they are facing.

What have you learned from working with the current Women’s Rep [Natasha Lopes] that you would bring to the position?

We’re just starting to work together. I’ve been doing the consent campaign and she’s been planning for succession and I’m learning how to plan events and seeing more what other events and campaigns from the outside into KPU.

I want to help out with the Open-Education Resources campaign that [VP Student Services] Tanvir Singh is heading, as well as getting involved in the development of the new student union building.

es speak a lot to that because textbooks can be changed on the fly.

Science and Horticulture Representative (2) NICK YOUNG Running for Re-election What have you accomplished in your first term as Science and Horticulture Rep that you’d want to keep working on in your second term?

Helping out with projects here and there, and attending meetings and committees.

Any issues that have caught your attention?

What’s most important to science and horticulture students?

Open education would be part of it, especially since science, it’s constantly expanding. And the thing with science, it needs to be proved wrong once in awhile. So because of that, we’re going to have to go through a whole bunch of different editions of textbooks. Open education resourc-

Last year, after you won, you said you felt no obligation to speak to The Runner, what are your thoughts now?

It was my first time doing something like this, so I didn’t know what media relations were like. I’m more open about it.

Anything to add?

I suggest more people read over our committee minutes, and our meeting minutes, if they want to know what’s going on through those.

14 Feature

Natasha Lopes Looks Back on Her Time with the KSA “I’ve become the person I told my 16-year old self I would be,” says KSA executive

ing, it will be stocked with feminist literature, hygiene products, snacks, and members of the collective open to listening, connecting, and answering questions. Because it’s a project that Lopes has facilitated from start to finish, she is disappointed to be wrapping up her term as women’s representative before it can truly begin serving students on-campus, but has faith that the next to fill her shoes will do a proper job.

Organizing a yearly consent campaign, supporting relevant policy and regulation changes, and being there for female organizations or individuals seeking help are some of the endeavours that she is recommending as future focus areas for the KSA and next women’s representative. She encourages a continuation and expan-

Alyssa Laube | Associate Editor “I did not make this decision lightly,” says Natasha Lopes, from the Kwantlen Student Association’s general office. After serving for nearly a year as the KSA’s women’s representative and Vice-President Student Life, she has opted not to run for reelection this February.

“Student life is about giving other people the capacity to develop themselves,” says Lopes. “I want to give someone else the opportunity to learn how to organize, to learn how to facilitate moving a group of people from one stage to the next.”

Tears well up in her eyes as she talks about saying goodbye to her coworkers, one of whom is across the room. From her desk, Vice President Finance & Operations Rawan Ramini wears a sentimental smile.

“Don’t look at me,” jokes Lopes, shielding her face with one hand.

Lopes’ passion for student life is clear to anyone who’s worked with her over the past year. Before being elected last February, she had never experienced professional involvement in politics, but now has come to feel at home in the offices of student governance, due large in part to the welcoming environment at KPU. With a tenacity rarely seen in a first-time politician, Lopes has accomplished enough to justify a career in politics, performing the duties of both vice president student life and women’s representative for the Kwantlen Student Association.

With no previous experience, she has brought attention and productivity to KPU’s women’s collective, club membership, and student life on campus. Has shown resilience through challenge, ambition through apathy, and passion that remains unparalleled by many who have done her job in the past.

As VP Student Life, her first priority was relieving stress and facilitating a closer community at KPU. She did so by organizing movie marathons, open mic nights, and

Natasha Lopes in a phone call, after a WOOW meeting at Grassroots Cafe.

(Alyssa Laube)

trivia events in the Grassroots Cafe, communicating with and representing clubs, and revamping Welcome Week. Giant chess and Jenga are at KPU thanks to her, as are the presence of external companies like David’s Tea at the Welcome Week festivities.

She has also made sure that a free equipment loaning system between clubs and the KSA was launched.

Many of her efforts as VP student life tied into her initiatives as women’s representative, which have made a sizeable difference to the health and safety of female-identifying students at the university. Dually functioning as chairperson and spokesperson for Women Organizing Opportunities for Women, Lopes has attended several conferences in her free time to learn more about women’s rights, drafted the KSA’s first comprehensive policy on sexual violence, collaborated with community organizations to set up free self-defence classes, and more.

Although her love of political science emerged two semesters into earning her degree in history, prompting her to switch faculties in 2013, Lopes didn’t run as an executive for another three years. Once she did, she was elected into both of the roles she shot for.

Her path into student politics began humbly, inside the capitalistic confines of a bustling Forever 21.

There, she was employed on minimum wage as a sales associate.

Working in retail was not a good fit for Lopes, and it showed. In fact, her dissatisfaction was visible enough that a regular customer noticed and offered her a job as a care aid to look after her ailing mother, Dobrilla Stojkovic.

Lopes accepted, and in the summer of 2013, Dobrilla’s cozy apartment became her second home. Over the next three years, her relationship

with both Dobrilla and her daughter blossomed, giving her a new perspective on the elderly, the effects of dementia, and what it means to care and be cared for.

Dobrilla’s daughter supported Lopes through her participation in 2015’s KSA Get Out the Vote Campaign, her interest in politics that developed as a result—which pushed Lopes to become the co-chair of the KSA’s committee on student services, as well as a member in multiple clubs—and, finally, her decision to run in the KSA elections.

Tragically, Dobrilla passed away shortly after she was elected into the two positions Lopes now holds. As a result, April was a month of mixed blessings for her. She describes the period as one of growth on both personal and professional levels.

“It was a lot of complicated emotions all at once…[and] there was a lot of learning that I had to do. The ability to have that kind of leadership is not something to be shirked at, even if it’s at a university level,” she says. “But if I didn’t take this role, I wouldn’t be this person. I wouldn’t be this happy. I’ve become the person I told my 16-year old self I would be.”

A daughter to Portuguese immigrants who came to Montreal during the 1980’s, Lopes was immersed in her Portuguese culture during her childhood. English is her third language after Portuguese and French, and she continues to identify strongly with that it.

Still, as with most societies around the world, there are deeply ingrained aspects of the culture that made Lopes feel uncomfortable as a woman, such as the accepted reinforcement of gender roles. On a personal level, she felt that pressure even from members of her family, but simultaneously had strong women

like her mother in her life to look to.

Growing up in such an environment is one of the many reasons why she would later develop a keen interest in women’s rights.

Another influencing factor is her history with sexualized violence.

Having experienced it first-hand, Lopes is open about her past, and has channelled the consequential hardship in the most productive way imaginable. She recognizes how crucial it is to have support systems in place for survivors of sexualized violence, as well as working towards creating a non-violent culture that understands consent and boundaries.

The work she has done to contribute to that cause has made KPU safer and more accepting over time.

As Lopes moves on from the KSA’s executive team, she leaves a long to-do list behind. Many of her projects will still be in progress when the new women’s representative and vice-president student life are elected, and she will be personally training the former in order to assure that they are prepared to pick up where she left off.

The women’s centre that will become home to WOOW is set to open in the newly-renovated Birch building this sprng. Once fully function-

sion of the self-defence classes she has been coordinating on-campus, as well as additional panel discussions, documentary screenings, and keynote addresses about feminism and safety.

Between February and March, Lopes will oversee a rebranding of WOOW which will change its name to LIFT (Linking Intersectional Feminists Together). She will also account for the women’s centre as its new base and open several volunteer positions to applicants. The sexualized violence and misconduct policy that she has spent the past five and a half months drafting will soon be approved and made public, and some of the events she has put together for student life and the women’s collective have yet to take place.

“I don’t know what’s next for me,” she says. “But the motto is keep moving. I’ve been able to learn a lot and I want to be able to learn even more, and to learn even more you need to put yourself in a vulnerable position. While I love this job, I have become very comfortable in this job, and I don’t see comfort as growing. I see comfort as staying.”

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16 Opinions

we need to talk about Kevin

An introduction to the man who wants to be Canada’s Trump Joseph Keller | Web Editor As the 45th President of the United States moves into the White House, the shock of Trump’s electoral victory has, for many of us, yet to fully wear off.

Here in Canada, the Conservative Party is already flirting with the possibility of selecting a leader with obvious parallels to the man who took our neighbour by storm. The phrase “Trump-lite” has already been used to describe Businessman, Reality TV Star, and Prime Minister Hopeful Kevin O’Leary, and many of the reasons for this label are more than just superficial. It’s clear from the timing of O’Leary’s announcement of his bid to become Conservative Party leader—and from his very familiar rhetoric—that he’s betting the same wave of rightwing populism that Trump rode to the White House exists in Canada and can take him to Sussex Drive.

For those of us who are just beginning to come out of denial about Trump, it’s very tempting to assume that what happened there could never happen in Canada. However, after watching the events of 2016 unfold, we should all be well aware of the error in such complacency.

While the surface similarities between Trump and O’Leary are quite clear, there are still a couple of differences between the two that make O’Leary the “lite” version of Trump.

So far, he has avoided blowing the immigration dog whistle that became a cornerstone of the Trump campaign, and has largely stayed away from commenting on social issues.

This could be seen as an encouraging sign that O’Leary won’t resort to the same brand of gutter politics that proved so fruitful for his American counterpart, or it could mean that he’s just keeping that particular card up his sleeve for a later date.

Where Trump and O’Leary seem to be truly kindred spirits is in their shared attitude toward wealth as the ultimate measure of worth. O’Leary has never been shy about his elitism.

In a 2014 CBC interview, the multimillionaire businessman reacted to a report about the disproportionate wealth of the world’s 85 richest people by calling it “fantastic news,” saying that the growing divide between haves and have-nots in Canada and abroad will only inspire people to work harder. This attitude has only continued to show itself in the months leading up to the announcement of O’Leary’s Conservative leadership bid. We can expect a Canada under

Businessman and television personality Kevin O’Leary recently announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. (Flickr/Gage Skidmore)

an O’Leary government to be a boon to the super rich at the expense of everyone else.

A year ago it would have been simple to look at O’Leary’s abrasive personality, blatant disregard for facts, and lack of political experience as reasons to write him off as a possibility for the next Conservative Party leader, and especially the next Prime Minister of Canada. After a

year in which we’ve seen the United Kingdom vote to leave the European Union and the United States elect a billionaire oligarch with quasi-fascist leanings as President, it’s become clear that the unthinkable can easily happen in a democratic system. With the Conservative Party in disarray, and with no clear direction since Stephen Harper’s departure, Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s

popularity rapidly deteriorating, and the mistaken assumption that business success translates to sound political policy still prevalent, Kevin O’Leary’s path to power is beginning to look quite clear.

Like it or not, Kevin O’Leary could end up as our next Prime Minister.

Say “Oui” to Bilingualism

Language acquisition is an essential skill, which is why French schooling is so vital in Canadian education Braden Klassen| Contributor Learning a new language is empowering. It expands your ability to communicate with other people around the world and helps to hone your creativity and mental flexibility.

One of my earliest childhood memories is of watching the Canadian syndicated version of Sesame Street, sitting dumbly on the floor while a pastel-coloured puppet taught me that the French word for pineapple is “ananas”. While I’ve never been in a situation where that knowledge was crucial to my survival, I’m happy that I learned it, and I chose to continue taking French classes up until I graduated from high school.

I believe that learning French in Canadian schools provides a unique and invaluable experience for english students, and gives them a taste of what it’s like to live and think outside of the English-speaking hegemony of the Western world.

Many Canadians are resolute in their belief that cultural inclusivity is an important cornerstone of our national identity, and taking on new languages is usually one of the first steps toward engaging with other cultural communities outside our own.

Being able to communicate with a wider variety of people exposes us to

different perspectives that we might not have been able to appreciate otherwise, and incorporating these other ideas into our own worldview helps to foster a sense of empathy and understanding.

There are other perks to picking

up a new language. By talking with my francophone friends from Quebec, I have had plenty of opportunities to learn more about the wonderful, seemingly endless supply of French-Canadian profanities that exist. In fact, being able to curse loudly

in public without having to face any significantly negative consequences might arguably be one of the best aspects of language acquisition there is.

Besides, English already contains so many appropriations of French phrases, like déjà vu, RSVP, coup de grâce,

(Scott McLelland)

c’est la vie, à la mode, carte blanche, film noir, vis-avis, bon voyage, raison d’être, en route… you get the point.

Knowing more than one language makes you more of an asset to employers, and gives you the tools to negotiate and collaborate with other people from around the world. This is an incredibly important skill to have in this age, as businesses are increasingly expected to participate in previously inaccessible international markets. Knowing how to work with people outside of the Anglosphere is an indispensable part of navigating through the rising tides of globalization.

Of course, this also comes in handy if you ever decide to travel. My education in the country, limited as it was, was still extremely valuable to me when I traveled to Paris and other parts of France, and it positively enhanced my experiences and ability to interact with and absorb the culture.

We should also take into consideration that if Canada wasn’t an officially bilingual country and French Canadian culture didn’t exist, poutine may never have been invented, and for me, that possibility alone is reason enough to support the continuation of French education in Canada.

opinions 17

The Runner Debates: Why Do Pipelines Get Approved?

Politicians weigh the benefits against the costs, and take a risk Tristan Johnston |Coordinating Editor In a poll conducted last September, about half of B.C. opposes the construction of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, while about half approve.

Obviously pipelines are an extremely controversial issue in Canada, so why are centre and left-leaning political parties willing to take on such a major risk?

If you’re a statesman in Ottawa, you likely make a political calculation when you suggest that pipelines get constructed. While opposition from environmentalists and Indigenous activists are guaranteed, performance at the next election is not.

“One powerful factor is jobs, and another powerful factor is tax revenue,” says Dr. Ross Pink, political science professor at KPU. “So, Trudeau is under a lot of pressure because the economy is fragile for bringing jobs and tax revenue into the country.”

Pink cites the difficult economic situation in Alberta as a primary factor to the approval of both the Keystone and Kinder Morgan pipelines.

The province’s oil revenues are down 40 per cent because of the last two years of oil prices.

“My sense is that they’re under a lot of pressure to create jobs,” he says.

“This Keystone pipeline, according to one survey, will create 4800 jobs.

So, the sense is that Trudeau may risk

losing some green voter support and go with jobs and tax revenue.”

The NDP, under some conditions, might support a pipeline because they want to successfully promise that Ontario blue collar workers can get some of their manufacturing jobs back. In eastern Canada, oil is often imported from the Middle East and Venezuela, and it’s typically in a state’s self-interest to be as independent as possible.

Unfortunately, oil is still an important commodity in the present global economy.

With Trump’s recent approval of Keystone XL, Trudeau faces new pressures. Again, it’s in Canada’s best interest to have good relations with the United States, and to devel-

op economically. While it’s likely that Trudeau despises Trump on the inside, he needs to awkwardly say nice things about him and the pipeline, that it will bring the two countries closer together, and it will. The current American administration is unpredictable and aggressive, and anything to stay on their good side will be considered, especially when NAFTA talks come around.

It should also be noted that a pipeline would reduce the minimum price required for oil to be profitable in Canada. Venezuela and Saudi Arabia can extract oil at all times, due to the physics and geography of their oil patches, whereas Canadian oil needs to be fracked and moved from the interior. A pipeline would reduce the

cost of moving oil, and thus make it profitable at a lower market price.

In addition, the United States is Canada’s largest trading partner, and 36 American states have Canada as their number 1 partner.

Pipelines will, of course, continue to be controversial for the fact that they leak deadly chemicals into the environment, and the fact that oil is the worst pollutant still being used around the world. Green energy is growing, but slowly, and while Trudeau is all in favour of cleaner energy, he also has economics and international relations to contend with, and economics will win in the end.

(Nicole Kwit)

Though the benefits may be politically smart, they don’t outweigh the potential environmental dangers Alyssa Laube | Associate Editor Surrey may soon accept a benefits deal from Kinder Morgan, the company responsible for the Trans Mountain Pipeline. The project was built in 1953, running from Strathcona County to Burnaby, and is expanding by 980 kilometres to carry 890,000 barrels of oil a day, up from 300,000.

It is set to begin operating at the end of 2019.

According to its website, “Trans Mountain is committed to maximizing the benefits to communities affected throughout the construction process and during operations. In addition to tax and employment benefits a comprehensive Community Benefits Program benefits communities impacted by construction through a range of educational, environmental

and financial benefits.”

The notion behind the deal is preemptively slapping bandaids on wounds that haven’t opened yet.

They make natural areas more traversable and beautiful, and prepare citizens for emergency situations, among other initiatives. The plans do not include benefits from land access agreements, employment, or property tax payments, and usually focus specifically on emergency management training, infrastructure and park enhancement, and educational and training programs.

So far, 18 have been signed— constituting 95 per cent of the pipeline route—and several more have now been proposed to municipalities in the Lower Mainland. In 2014, community benefit agreements were signed in the British Columbian cities of Hope and Barriere. Many more

were accepted in both B.C. and Alberta in 2015, and last year, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Chilliwack, and the Fraser Valley Regional District Area D all signed off on CBAs. In Abbotsford, $1.3 million was put towards sprucing up the Ledgeview Golf Course. $1 million was spent on improving Coquitlam’s Mackin Park, and $1.2 million on Chilliwack’s Vedder Greenway Pedestrian Trail Bridge. The Thompson Community Park and Mount Cheam trailhead were developed with $75,000 in Fraser Valley Regional Distract Area D last September.

It seems that the Surrey has had a change of heart since the project was under review by the National Energy Board. Although the city then spoke out against the project, it is now considering opening up its wallet to the company pushing it.

Politicians who have spoken to the media about accepting the plans have all essentially said the same thing—that, if the pipeline is happening anyway, there’s no reason to say no to free money—and yet cannot give a conclusive answer, since it is not going to be approved until before the second half of the year begins.

There has also been the suggestion that taking money from the company doesn’t mean that the city supports it, and remains critical of Kinder Morgan’s process.

Both responses are weak, but understandable. Those on the fence or partially against pipeline construction could easily agree to take a bribe from big oil. It’s a lot of money changing hands, and even casual environmentalists with master’s degrees in political science and economics will place it before promises to stay green.

Politically, it’s smart. But ethically and culturally, it paints an ugly portrait of Surrey. For one, the city must be run by dollar-hungry hypocrites, if they can take a stand against the pipeline until they get a whiff of bills in Kinder Morgan’s pockets.

Clearly, their dedication to environmental justice cannot be trusted. Second, the people of the Fraser Valley have not been particularly supportive of the expansion, especially not those in Burnaby and Coquitlam. Otherwise, it is simply spineless.

If making Surrey eco-friendly is what the city truly believes in, then it has an obligation, as a reliable government, to stick to that stance. Accepting benefits from those pumping oil through the Trans Mountain Pipeline would be a pathetic display, and not one that I could support as a citizen that respects the area I grew up in.

18 Opinions

Trump Vs. the Media Buzzfeed News was right to publish allegations against Donald Trump, but doing so may have backfired for the media as a whole Joseph Keller | Web Editor Of all the worrying aspects of Donald Trump’s early days as President, his relationship with the press might be the most terrifying.

Before and since winning the White House, Trump has taken every opportunity to denigrate media outlets and individual reporters. In doing so, he hopes to capitalize on the public’s already shaky trust in the fourth estate while weakening the media’s ability to keep his administration accountable.

This was perhaps at it’s most apparent in early January when Buzzfeed News made the controversial decision to publish unverifiable documents outlining serious allegations against the then-president elect.

Trump and his people were quick to not only deny the allegations but to condemn the news organizations that brought the allegations to the attention of the public. As said by Trump, the report was an example of the press’s witch hunt against him.

Trump himself compared the situation to that of Nazi Germany over Twitter.

In the weeks since the report was released, a debate has surged about the ethics of Buzzfeed’s decision to publish the documents. Buzzfeed and the media at large have been placed on the defensive, which is probably the best possible result that the Trump team could have hoped for. Not only

(Nicole Kwit)

has it eroded trust in the media, but the resulting conversation about media ethics has overshadowed the ongoing story of Trump’s very possible ties to Russia.

The unfortunate reality of the situation is that the Buzzfeed debacle has given the Trump team ammunition in their fight against media accountability. At Trump’s press conference following the report, he shouted down a reporter for CNN asking a simple question, calling him and his organisation “fake news.”

With this statement, Trump associated an established news organization with a buzzword representing the tidal wave of false news reports from fake outlets that flooded social media during his campaign. Ironically, these fake reports overwhelmingly helped Trump’s campaign at the expense of his opponent.

The crazy aspect of this whole situation is that, despite what we’re hearing from the White House as well as from many commentators, Buzzfeed News didn’t actually do

anything wrong by publishing the documents. No claims were made about the legitimacy of the information in the document. In fact, Buzzfeed was quite clear in their disclaimer that the information was unverified and potentially unverifiable.

While the information has not been proven true or false, the attention it was receiving from the United States intelligence community as well as high ranking politicians such as Senator John McCain made the document itself newsworthy. The American public had a right to know what was going on behind the scenes with their new president.

It’s also worth noting that, while this particular document does not prove any of the allegations, many of them—particularly in regards to the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia—are still under investigation. As recently as Jan. 23, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s national security advisor is under investigation for communications with Russian officials. Despite what we are hearing from Trump’s people, it is far too early to write these allegations off as “fake news.”

Buzzfeed did not breach any journalistic ethics when they decided to run the already well-circulated documents that, true or not, merited the attention of American intelligence.

Unfortunately, doing so may have had unintended consequences for an industry tasked with keeping the public informed in the face of Donald Trump’s propaganda machine.

Whatever You Do, Dodge the Flu

Avoid germ warfare with these simple flu-season safety tips Paula Aguilar Headaches, watery eyes, sweats, chills, upset stomachs—no, I’m not talking about falling in love. I’m talking about influenza season.

It’s an agonizing period, and most would do anything to avoid it. Here are some tips and home remedies to help you get through this flu season.

Some studies show that vitamin supplements can help your immune system work properly. From personal experience, Natural Factors produces a pretty decent herb tincture for immune system boosts. Sure, the data on the effects of echinacea are mixed—generally ranging from “small” to “insignificant”—but at the very least, you might benefit from a placebo effect.

It’s also a good idea to lose the booze. Drinking alcohol while trying to avoid the flu weakens your immune system and disrupts your sleep. Instead, drink tea with lemon and honey. While it may not give you the same buzz as a tasty margarita, it really does help with dodging colds.

Adding ginger and oregano oil helps

even more, and tastes great. Breathing in the steam from hot beverages is good for your respiratory system, too.

Avoid the gym, unless you’re willing to stay super sanitary while you’re there. Seriously, you were about to give up on that resolution anyway, right? If you do want to keep going, however, remember to wipe down any equipment you have to touch before you use it. The same goes for all regularly-used surfaces you might come into contact with, such as keyboards and bus seats.

They’re basically a germ party, and if you do touch them, make sure you wash your hands.

When it comes to staying healthy, your phone is not your friend. It’s more like a frenemy. It can pick up bacteria from basically everything you touch all day, and most people are constantly poking and prodding around on their phones without washing their hands first. Clean the screen every once in awhile, and keep your hands away from your face while using it, if possible.

De-stress. You don’t have to drop out of university or anything. Maybe you could just finish your assign-

ments early and take some time to relax and unwind. Stress is murder to your immune system and, as we all know, murder is bad.

Here’s an extra tip for the common cold: If you get an itchy throat,

immediately gargle mouthwash with alcohol in it. I hear it helps to kill the bug before it gets a chance to really take over. And if I’m wrong, at least you can have fresh breath.

(Yuta Anonueva)

Going Global

What happened in the Gambia?

Tristan Johnston |Coordinating Editor The pancreas-shaped country of the Gambia had a geopolitical gun pointed at its head and was directed to change its leader during a recent military intervention. Though many are seeing the headlines, not many have heard of the previous six weeks that led up to this.

On Dec 1, Gambia held their presidential elections, where Yayah Jammeh, president since the country’s coup d’etat in 1994, lost to nominee Adama Barrow of Coalition 2016, a coalition of seven political parties. A voter turnout of 59 per cent was recorded, and 43.3 per cent voted in favour of Barrow, compared to 39.6 per cent for Jammeh and the rest for Mammah Kandeh.

Historically, Jammeh has been known for an authoritarian leadership style, cracking down on protests, the media, and anything that would threaten his position. He is also known for his homophobic views and his claims that he could cure HIV/ AIDS with herbal medicines.

It should be noted that under Jammeh, Gambia banned female genital mutilation, had 97 per cent DPT3 (Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) immunisation coverage (Canada had 91) and while the country is a Muslim majority state, Christians live amongst the population in peace. He also banned child marriages, stating that anyone caught marrying a woman under age 18 would be thrown in prison for 20 years.

Surprisingly, Jammeh announced that he would be stepping down on Dec 2, before the votes had been fully counted. At the time, many had suspected that Jammeh wouldn’t be the sort of leader to step down peacefully. However, these assumptions were proven correct on the 9th, when he said he would reject the results of the election, calling for a new one, and deployed the military. Needless to say, no one was happy.

This situation led to protesting inside the country, even from the Gambian Bar Association who called the move “treasonous.” They subsequently voted in favour of removing a Supreme Court judge who approved Jammeh’s actions, but also campaigned for him during the election period.

Internationally, the United Nations Security Council met for an emergency meeting, initiated by neighbouring Senegal, and concluded that Jammeh had fairly lost the election, and should step down peacefully.

Sustainable Living: Eco-friendly Sex A few tips on how to stay green in the bedroom Mel Pomerleau | Contributor When it comes to sex and sustainability, there are a number of things that can be done to keep both your sexual partners and the environment safe.

From toys to protection, here are few ways to green up your sex life.

Consider the condom. Often, the latex ones are a combination of natural and synthetic latex, which is created using petrochemicals, one of the biggest pollutants known to earth.

While buying condoms, look for brands that are 100 per cent natural latex. Natural latex is made from sap harvested from rubber trees. Companies like Glyde and Sustain sell a wide range of natural latex condoms to meet anybody’s needs.

Consider buying in bulk to reduce the amount of overall waste you produce. Just make sure that you’ve used them all before they expire so that your efforts towards sustainability won’t be in vain. And whatever your condom preference may be, remember to dispose of them with care and do not flush them down your toilet.

The pill is among the most popular methods of birth control and creates a decent amount of waste when you add up all the months spent tak-

(Danielle George)

ing it. Birth control pills are used for a lot more than just preventing pregnancy. The hormones from the pill can help with a number of different imbalances in the human body. That being said, there are a ton of people who don’t necessarily need to take it and could benefit from the same results by using an intrauterine device (IUD).

IUDs come in two types—copper

and hormonal—and can last anywhere from five to 10 years. That’s a lot less waste product overall. As an added bonus, some women report a dramatically lighter flow during their time of month, further reducing their waste production. Coming from someone who has an IUD, it’s nice not having to remember to take a tiny little pill at the exact same time every day for fear of getting knocked up.

Similar to how we view the food we eat, we should be conscious of what’s in the products we use in our nether regions. Look for natural and chemical-free lubes that don’t use parabens, glycerin, or petrochemicals. Petrochemicals may cause an imbalance of the good bacteria inside vaginas, which can then lead to bacterial vaginosis. A few natural and body-safe ingredients to look for in-

Columns 19 clude aloe leaf juice, agar, or potassium sorbate.

Silicone is a non-porous, pliable and hugely versatile substance, making it an excellent material for adult toys. It can even be sterilized in boiling water without damage. With proper care and cleaning, silicone toys can last a very long time.

When it comes to more advanced toys, look for rechargeable options to minimize waste, whether they run on rechargeable batteries or are corded which have much longer life-spans.

The company Good Vibrations has their own line of earth-friendly toys called Ecorotic designed for normalizing sustainability in the bedroom.

Lastly, to set the mood, dim or ditch the lights altogether. Candles are a great way to add a little extra light to the affair and the aroma possibilities are nearly endless.

Whether this is your first endeavour to live more sustainably or just one more way for you to reduce your impact, it’s important to remember to be safe and communicate with your partner so that everyone involved can enjoy themselves in a safe and secure manner.

Artist Spotlight: Douse

Art rock trio’s new LP is a sentimental debut

Douse vocalist Alea Clark and drummer Jeremiah Ackermann at Cafe Deux Soleil on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive, January 15, 2017. (Alyssa Laube)

Alyssa Laube | Associate Editor The title of Douse’s first full album, The Light In You Has Left, encapsulates the band’s bittersweet sound.

Pensive and plodding, the art rock trio write profound songs often centred around subjects like relationships and personal growth. While some experimental bands push musical boundaries to the point of obscurity, Douse falls comfortably into folkbased refrains that resonate rather

than rattle.

The album leaves an astringent aftertaste, but not one lacking delicacy. As a debut LP, The Light In You Has Left defines the group’s style as tender, giving listeners something to look forward to in the years to come.

“It wasn’t like we really sat down to write a record. It was an accumulation of everything we’ve written in the past four years,” says guitarist and vocalist Alea Clark about their new record. “Some of it is stuff that I’ve written and the guys have written

on top of. Some of it is stuff [Douse guitarist] Patrick brought or [Douse drummer] Jeremiah had been working on and we all finished together.”

As the sole lyricist for the band, Clark describes the album’s lyrical content as “a series of reflections on experiences” that she had, including themes of closure and resolution.

“If people take anything from it, I’m happy,” she says. “It’s not necessarily that we want people to get a specific message. I would rather someone interpret it as whatever they

need it for if they’re going to listen to it at all. It’s just nice that people are listening. ” It would be a slight to say that Douse belongs strictly in any one genre. Art rock is no more than an umbrella term to describe what they do, and in fact, the group has had trouble finding a scene where they feel at home in Vancouver. With a progressive rock-influenced guitarist, indie rock-loving drummer, and folk-inspired vocalist, it’s no surprise that they stand apart from the herd,

but that uniqueness hasn’t prevented them from making their presence known both in and outside of the city limits.

Their first release, Offerings, made Independent Music News’ “Top 50 Unsigned Acts from Canada” list.

The track “Lancaster” got airplay on CBC radio and won Douse the title of the Permanent Rain Press’ best band of 2014. In 2015 they toured across Canada without a hitch, and plan to dedicate 2017 to writing and touring as well—possibly out to Europe for two months and across Canada for a week.

Other than as a response to praise, the band’s confidence originates from the amount of work they have done together since forming, both as friends and professionals.

“You’re using so much of your personality writing that you need to learn how to cooperate in your darkest zones, because the music is pretty dense and heavily thematically and musically,” says drummer Jeremiah Ackermann. “It’s vulnerable to write together, and so you learn how to work with your vulnerabilities with other people, and that was kind of a huge challenge.”

“We’ve gone through a lot that would break up other bands, so we feel pretty strong in the connection that we have together,” says Clark.

“We all share a common goal, and that’s doing this and making it a success.”

notice of polls

KSA

GENERAL

ELECTION

february 7 & 8, 2017 [ Voting ]

Tuesday, February 7, 2017 & Wednesday, February 8, 2017 10 am – 7 pm Campus Representatives (4 positions) The election will be held for all current Council positions. Bring your student ID and vote for your new KSA student representatives!

KPU Langley

• • • •

Langley Campus Representative (1) Richmond Campus Representative (1) Surrey Campus Representative (1) Tech / Cloverdale Campus Representative (1)

Constituency Representatives (7 positions)

In the Rotunda

• • • • • • •

KPU Surrey

Faculty Representatives (14 positions)

In the East Building by the Bookstore

KPU Richmond

In the Surrey Main Atrium

KPU Tech

In the Student Lounge by the Cafeteria

• • • • • • •

Aboriginal Students Representative (1) International Students Representative (1) Mature Students Representative (1) Queer Students Representative (1) Students of Colour Representative (1) Students with Disabilities Representative (1) Women’s Representative (1)

Academic and Career Advancement Representative (1) Arts Representative (4) Business Representative (4) Design Representative (1) Health Representative (1) Science and Horticulture Representative (2) Trades and Technology Representative (1)