The Runner Volume 8, Issue 21

August-30-2016

VOL-08-ISS-21

Culture Get to Know Some of the Most Active Clubs on Campus

Feature A History of KPU

Explainer Where Do Your Student Fees Go?

Don’t need no education since 2009

k c a B he T To

d n i r G find us online / runnermag.ca / @runnermag / facebook.com/runnerMAG / INSTAGRAM.com/RUNNERMAG

02 Table of contents

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staff

News | Understanding the Future of Canadian Peacekeeping

“We want to figure out where can we have the best impact, because the last thing you want to do is just say, ‘Pick a mission and send your troops. Put money in there,’” says Sajjan.

Coordinating Editor

07 12

Tristan Johnston editor@runnermag.ca

culture | Get Involved with Some of KPU’s Most Active Clubs

Managing Editor

New or returning students should check out what KPU clubs have to offer, and to help, we’ve put together a guide to just a few of the most notable clubs on campus.

Connor Doyle managing@runnermag.ca

Production Manager

Danielle George production@runnermag.ca

Features | The History of KPU in One Convenient Timeline

Art Director

Scott McLelland art@runnermag.ca

It wasn’t long ago that Kwantlen Polytechnic University wasn’t a university at all. Our humble institution has come a long way since it cleaved itself from Douglas College in 1981, and since then the history of KPU has been somewhat of a mixed bag.

Photo Editor

Kier-Christer Junos photos@runnermag.ca @kierjunos

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Staff Writer

Explainer | Where Do Your Student Fees Go?

Alyssa Laube staff@runnermag.ca

“It’s [the students’] right to know where their money is going, because that will give them the opportunity to speak up and have an opinion. [The KSA] are just doing our best to use the money in the best interest of students.”

Web Editor

Joseph Keller web@runnermag.ca

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Production Assisant

Kayla Frier production@runnermag.ca

Opinions | Tips to Survive and Thrive at University

Whether you’re just starting at university for the first time or you’re a returning student, here are a few helpful tips to get you through the year.

Operations Manager Scott Boux office@runnermag.ca 778.565.3801

#FeatureTweets Kwantlen Plan @KSABenefitPlan How are you getting to school? Using your UPass on #transit is affordable & reduces emissions. Find your route http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ KwantlenStMkt @KwantlenStMkt It’s kids week at the market! Come catch Pokemon at @kwantlenu Richmond! #Lures are live now!

#BestPhoto

KPU Student Life @KPUstulife Join Bible Study @Kwantlen for their weekly Bible readings! 2pm - 4pm at #KPURichmond 170 on Tuesdays & 1820 on Fridays! #KPUCampusLife

Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778.565.3801 www.runnermag.ca Vol. 08, Issue no. 21 August 30, 2016 ISSN# 1916 8241

Contributors Calvin Borghardt Celesta De Roo Melissa Pomerleau

Nat Mussell Nicole Kwit Yuta Anonueva

KwantlenStMkt @KwantlenStMkt What will YOU find at the #KwantlenStMkt today?

Tues 3-7 @KPU parking lot FREE PARKING :D @VisitRichmondBC

Cover

Nicole Kwit is, as some whisper behind closed doors, an enigma. No one knows what she’s thinking half the time, and the remaining portion of the time has them greatly worried about it. When she’s not holed up in the KPU basement, drawing and listening to the same song over and over again, she spends her time having in-depth discussions with her dog and reminding him that he is, in fact, a good boy, and oh so very handsome.

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

Meet your new school, same as the old school

What’s Happening this week

Sept6-13 Welcome Week

Welcome Week is a KPU student’s best chance to find out what organizations and opportunities at this school have to offer. Check the back page of this issue for details.

11 am - 2 pm, various campuses, free.

11 12 Sept Vancouver Zombie Walk

(Tristan Johnston)

Tristan Johnston | Coordinating Editor As with all universities, your experience will be what you make of it. When I first came to Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2012, I would do nothing but simply show up for class, take notes, and leave. I wasn’t making many friends, nor did I feel a strong connection to the school.

However, I’ve learned in the last two years that the KPU experience can be a good one if you want it to be. For me, this meant getting involved with the school paper. For you it might mean joining a club, working with the student association, or simply hanging out in the Grassroots waiting for something to happen.

To be honest, my first year at KPU was forgettable. You go to the regular first year courses where most people end up going their separate ways.

Everyone has to take English, even if

they’re going into Computer Science and you’re going into Creative Writing. You might make a couple of first year friends, but they’ll likely drift away by second year.

If you really want your social situation to improve, I recommend getting involved. As cliche as it sounds, it’s very accurate. And unlike UBC, where they likely have established societies and student groups ready-made for you, at KPU you often have to do the groundwork yourself. It’s harder, yes, but much more rewarding, and the people that you end up working with will be as ambitious as you are.

My time at The Runner has been transformative. When you work together with people creating something—interviewing a lot of people, forming connections— making friends is an inevitability.

When you’re working as a staff writer, you’re going all over the place, from

club to society, speaking to KSA and KPIRG members and whoever else.

Even if you do it in a very formal, business sort of way, it will still lead to actual relationships when the interview recorder gets turned off.

Regardless, KPU still has its student life difficulties that other schools might not. There are no dormitories, and transit isn’t very good in the evenings, especially if you don’t live in Surrey. Personally, it takes me an hour and a half to get here, and I need to get the 301 before 8 pm or I’m taking a very expensive taxi.

A lack of student life is the achilles heel of this university, and a problem that many are trying to fix, whether they be the KSA, KPU administration, or motivated students.

I should be clear that a longing for more student life doesn’t mean there’s none at all. The Gaming Guild is very popular, and there are a handful of social justice organizations to get

involved with. If you’re on the artsy side, there’s us, Pulp, and a fairly consistent helping of open mics and poetry.

Regardless, many of you will simply transfer out of here after two or three semesters. Out of all my high school friends who came to KPU, I’m the only one who hasn’t transferred, and to be honest, I probably would have done so myself if I could get a B.A. in Journalism at UBC. It’s clear that KPU is starting to understand what it is and is playing up its own strengths, those of a polytechnic university. We offer the normal load of typical university courses, but we also offer some more out-of-the-box stuff, like courses in medical marijuana and being a horse farrier.

So welcome to KPU. If you decide not to transfer out, I hope you’ll make the best of it.

KPIRG Director of Anti-Oppression Steps Down

News Briefs

Alyssa Laube | Staff Writer Ryot “R” Jey—who has been working as the Director of Anti-Oppression for the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group since April—stepped down this month to focus on his well-being and his position as Queer Representative for the KSA. As detailed in a job description posted on KPIRG’s website, the Director of Anti-Oppression is expected to “provide overall leadership, engagement, and resourcing on anti-oppression initiatives in consultation with the KPIRG Board.” In the months leading up to his resignation, Jey felt that he was unable to properly fulfill those requirements.

“My reason for resigning is that I

have been struggling with my own personal mental health and I felt that taking on the extra added position as director was something I was unable to do. I personally felt I was not fulfilling my position as well as I could,” he says.

Primarily, Jey reports failing to communicate with his coworkers and transfer anti-oppression-related knowledge to KPU students, staff, and faculty. In contrast, now that he has resigned, Jey says that there is “open communication” and “a mutual understanding” between him and the team at KPIRG. “They still have my support and I will still volunteer with them when I can, and support them to the best of my ability,” he says.

That being said, he does not have any intention of returning to his position as

director of anti-oppression in the future, but he will continue to work as queer representative until he re-runs for the title in the next election.

Jey arrived at his decision to stay on as Queer Rep because he believes in KPIRG’s ability to “be successful and be able to secure another director of anti-oppression,” whereas he feels that “being the person to take that initiative and bring the concerns that my fellow queer and trans students have to the KSA” is his main priority. His identity as “a queer and trans-masculine, mixed-raced student” also makes him well-suited for the job.

The Lower Mainland’s premier anime convention for over a decade is back in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

Come down and get your senpai to notice you.

10 am - 6pm, Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel, TIckets from $5.00 to $65.00.

Sept 12

Dance Hungama 2016

Witness an entertaining evening of Bollywood dance featuring bhangra, giddha, Kathak, hip-hop, salsa, belly dance, and much more. Presented by Anybody Can Dance Society.

3 pm, Surrey Arts Centre, Tickets Available.

Sept 12

Craft Beer Reading and Talk

Frank Appleton, the father of the craft brewing movement and author of Brewing Revolution, is coming to KPU to share stories from 50 years in the business. Cheers!

10:30 am, KPU Langley Room 1030, Free.

Sept 13

We Are Kantlen

KPU Elder in Residence Lekeyten and Brandon Gabriel will use storytelling to explore the process of decolonization. Coffee, tea, and refreshments will be served.

4 pm - 7pm, Surrey Campus Aboriginal Gathering Place, Free.

Sept 13

Wes Barker Comedy Show!

Wes Barker is a “comedy stunt magician.” What is “comedy stunt magic?”

Find out by watching closely at his tricks—err, excuse me, illusions.

5 pm, presumably the Grassroots, Free.

04 News

Will Alan Davis Stick Around for Another Term?

KPU President says he hopes to stay, but awaits Board decision Alyssa Laube | Staff Writer On Aug. 31 of next year, the current President of KPU’s first term will come to an end. Whether or not Alan Davis will get to keep the position beyond this point—a position he will have occupied for five years—is currently unknown.

Speculation over Davis’ fate will endure until early 2017, when the Board of Governance will make the decision for him. While Davis can offer his input and desired outcome, only the Board has the power to conclusively give him the red or green light to stay in office. They will evaluate his performance throughout his first term before making their final call.

In a phone call on August 11, Davis says that although “it’s a bit awkward to talk about because it’s kind of in-progress,” he is confident that the Board will make the right decision.

They have already begun to discuss it, although the deadline is quite distant.

“When I started at KPU, I said I was good for 10 years because it takes that long to really see the impact of your work. There’s been a lot of change. There [are] a lot of reason for me to see the fruits of my labour over the next few years,” he says. “I’m still healthy and enjoying the work, so for me it’s a very positive opportunity.”

Davis speaks as an ex-board member, explaining that “being on the other side of the table” has allowed him to understand the amount of thought and time that goes into making such a significant decision.

“I think KPU is a fantastic place with a fantastic future and I’d like to be a part of it. They know that, so it’ll be great. That’s only one part of the picture, so they need to make their decision now.”

Davis does seem to be quite interested in keeping his role as President of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, although he has faced opposition in the past. Last year, head-to-head confrontation between the environmentally-friendly Pipe Up Network, as well as KPIRG and other student groups over the university’s agreement with Kinder Morgan, led to some controversy over Davis’ leadership.

AManaging PeekEditor into Pulp Magazine talks the future of KPU’s arts and literary journal Alyssa Laube | Staff Writer Behind the cover of Pulp Magazine, readers will find a cherry-picked fusion of cultivated texts and images.

Poetry, prose, interviews, paintings, sculptures, and other works by mostly-local talent can be viewed on every one of its 40-50 pages, with a majority of them distinctly sourced from KPU. Pulp has identified as “Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s magazine of literature and visual art” since they were founded in 2011, and until recently, they have been entirely run by volunteers. This fall, they will be paying their contributors for submissions for the first time—a decision made in the hope of securing a greater variety of works in the magazine.

“It’s kind of to get people submitting some of their best work and to get more submissions, because that’s been a problem, where we’re seeing some awesome submissions but we’re not receiving tons of them,” says Brooks Lewis, Managing Editor of Pulp. “We know that there are tons of awesome writers, but they’re all submitting to magazines that are a bit more reputable. So by offering a bit

of incentive, we’re trying to increase our reputation as well as give back to the writers.”

Per page, they will be compensating their contributors $15 for prose, $20 for poetry, and $20 for each piece of art. Miscellaneous contributions would fall under prose.

Other than for financial gain, students can use their involvement with the magazine as an opportunity to learn and gain experience in editing, writing, and production. For artists and writers alike, the magazine offers a chance for exposure and validation.

Lewis also stresses that the community at Pulp is ready to welcome new team members with open arms, though staff positions at the publication will remain unpaid.

Running on a small, volunteer-based team can make meeting deadlines difficult for Pulp staff, which is why they have also decided to cut back on how many issues they will publish each year. Now only two will be hitting the stands annually, compared to their previous three. Less paper printed means more submissions packed into each issue, and their overall goal is to strive for quality rather than quantity.

“We’re trying to increase the qual-

Pulp Managing Editor Brooks Lewis pictured with the Summer 2016 edition of Pulp Magazine. (Kier-Christer Junos)

ity of the magazine because we’re proud of it and we want everyone else to be proud of it too,” says Lewis. “It’s Kwantlen’s magazine.”

He aspires to create a journal that is as prestigious and well-made as UBC’s and SFU’s, while still maintaining their local contributor base.

Most of their staff is in the university’s creative writing program and sees creating Pulp as a way of “giving back” to that community.

The most recent issue of Pulp— which has a mustard yellow, female face surrounded by airplanes and parachutes adorning the cover—was

the first to have a screenplay included in it, and Lewis is looking forward to further experimentation with new and exciting content.

“I would love for us to be able to showcase the fashion and design students,” he says. “The more variety, the better, and that goes for art as well as writing.”

At this point in time, the general aim of the magazine is relatively uncertain. Lewis says that the staff at Pulp are “still figuring that out,” considering that few have been on the team for longer than a year, but their optimism about the future is high.

KSA Executives “SUDS” up Kwantlen Student Association President Alex McGowan says

the Student Union Development Summit benifits the whole team Alyssa Laube | Staff Writer The Kwantlen Student Association’s four executives—Tanvir Singh, Rawan Ramini, Alex McGowan, and Natasha Lopes—attended the Student Union Development Summit from Aug. 11-14 this year to learn how to keep their union in tip-top shape.

Every year, the Summit aims to “bring together student union representatives from across Canada and provide them with a platform to share their experiences, ideas, and best practices for running a successful student-oriented organization,” as written on their website. According to KSA President and Vice-President External Alex McGowan, that goal was achieved in 2016.

He has been to SUDS once in the past and came out of it with a heap of criticism, which he sent along to the powers that be. Supposedly, his advice was taken into account by organizers, since he considers this year’s conference to have been much more beneficial.

“It was a lot more organized and I think there was a better turnout. There were more people, and it had sessions that were a little bit more relevant,” he says. “I think they’re learning.”

For the most part, SUDS consists of a series of workshops that train representatives to improve as profes-

sionals. Some of the workshops held at 2016’s meeting include Experimental Learning: Learning Outside the Classroom, Running Effective Advocacy Campaigns, Engaging your Membership, and Open Educational Resources.

Which of those the executives sit in for depends on their title and responsibilities. For instance, the latter is right up Vice-President Student Services Tanvir Singh’s alley, since he has been regularly advocating for open resources at KPU this year. McGowan’s favourite at the conference educated representatives on how to interact with media.

Professionals with extensive experience—such as MLA Kathy Corrigan—are also invited to the Summit to teach the representatives in their niche areas of expertise.

The conference is funded by the University of British Columbia’s Alma Mater Society and other organizations that support student health. Expenses required for the executives to attend it come out of their student-funded budget.

An individual student will pay $7.85 in multiple fees, each under $1.00, to the KSA each semester. An additional $12.00 for the KSA’s operating fund and $1.00 for their bursary fund is paid, along with an optional $80.00 for the health plan, $110 for the dental plan, and $49.50 for a Multi-

Pass. For a full breakdown of student fees, read our “Where Does Your Money Go?” explainer in this issue.

In 2016, the KSA’s operating fund came to $1,159,002, roughly 10 per cent of which was spent on lobbying, including expenses for conferences. For SUDS in particular, “about $2,300” was spent, claims McGowan.

In the same breath, he attests that the money is well-spent on events like SUDS, judging by the benefits that the KSA reaps from them. For instance, he values “learning about how other student unions do what they do, and

learning about how [the KSA executives] can do [their] jobs better,” along with connections made by networking, which he calls “priceless.”

“For us to learn a lot about our roles, and how to fill those roles better, and for us to learn about the best practices from other student unions is really, really important,” says McGowan. “One of the purposes of having student executives is to bring some energy and fresh ideas in each year, and this is a great way to provoke that thinking and teach us how to do our jobs well.”

Student politicians from across Canada, including KSA executives, take a selfie at the 2016 Student Union Development Summit. (Photo submitted)

News 05

Understanding the Future of Candian Peacekeeping Canada’s Defence Minister discusses his upcoming fact-finding mission to Africa Joseph Keller | Web Editor Peacekeeping has long been a key component of both Canadian identities and our reputation abroad, yet it has been scaled back in recent years.

The modern idea of peacekeeping—put simply, the maintenance of peace conditions in conflict areas by international non-combatant forces— is largely credited to Canadian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lester Pearson. Canada’s role in global peacekeeping efforts was at its most prominent in the 90s, when we had as many as 3,300 troops deployed in peacekeeping roles, a number that has since dwindled to about 100.

So strong has been the perception that Canada has strayed from our peacekeeping roots that Justin Trudeau promised to “renew Canada’s commitment to United Nations peace operations,” as part of his election campaign.

To that end, and to try to answer some of the questions about Canada’s future as a peacekeeping force, Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan embarked this month on

a fact-finding mission to Africa.

Sajjan spoke to The Runner briefly at a public event in his local riding of Vancouver South shortly before departing.

“We want to figure out where can we have the best impact because the last thing you want to do is just say, ‘Pick a mission and send your troops.

Put money in there.’ What we in Canada want to do is we actually want to have an impact and be responsible, and to do that you need to have a good understanding,” says Sajjan.

Sajjan departed on Aug. 9 for an African tour that will take him through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda over the course of eight days.

Joining him was retired Canadian General Romeo Dallaire—best known for his part in the peacekeeping mission during the Rwandan genocide— and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour.

This fact-finding mission does not necessarily imply that Canada will be taking part in peacekeeping operations in these countries, but the government is looking for a peacekeeping mission,

and the troubled region could have use for our troops. Part of this mission is to coordinate with local authorities in the area to determine what sort of action would best suit the region’s needs.

“It’s about making sure we have the right information so we can make an informed decision, because at the end of the day you’re sending your troops into harm’s way,” says Sajjan.

This mission is part of the Liberal Party’s efforts to make good on a campaign promise to restore Canada’s status as a leader in global peacekeeping, a status that they believe was diminished by the Harper government.

According to the defence minister, a multilateral approach—working as a key part of international coalitions—is how Canada will resume its contribution to peace and stability in troubled regions.

“We firmly believe in multilateralism, the United Nations, and NATO, and the thing is, it’s not just about believing—it’s about the action you’re taking, [such as] our contributions to working in a coalition, the leadership role that we are taking in NATO now as one of the framework nations.”

Sajjan also acknowledged that

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan speaks to cadets during a safety event in his South Vancouver riding on May 1, 2016. (Tristan Johnston)

simply taking the same approach to peacekeeping that has been taken in the past will not suffice, as the needs of conflict-ridden areas have changed and evolved. One of the goals of this trip was to learn more about these needs.

“The peacekeeping of the past is not up-to-date, and that’s why it’s so important get the right information— to talk about the peace operations of the future,” says Sajjan. “So if you

assess an area, you might not need to send troops. You might need to send development projects. You might need to do capacity work in the policing.

We want to make sure that it’s a whole government approach that we take to this, not strictly defence.”

The Liberals are expected to announce Canada’s next peacekeeping mission in September. Most likely the findings of this mission will factor into that decision.

How effective is math education in Canada?

Canadian organisation WISEMath is critical of the way math is taught in our schools Joseph Keller | Web Editor According to a movement of parents and educators around the country, the way math has commonly been taught in Canada in recent years is fundamentally flawed.

“We have concerns about the math curriculum across western Canada,” says Anna Stokke, professor at University of Winnipeg and one of the founders of WISEMath. “Basically, the curriculum deteriorated quite a lot over the past several years.”

WISEMath—short for Western Initiative for Strengthening Mathematics—is an initiative founded by several Manitoba academics in 2011 with a goal of improving education from kindergarten to grade twelve in Western Canada. WISEMath advocates for an overhaul of the math curriculums in favor of a greater emphasis on fundamental skills that, according to Stokke, are in many cases being neglected.

In recent years, math curriculums in Western Canada have often taken a “creative education” approach. The idea behind this approach is that kids are better at learning when they are allowed to work out their own method for solving a given problem. Following this logic, a greater emphasis on open-ended questions with multiple strategies for solutions is given, with less focus lent to overall content knowledge. This approach became common in the United States in the

(Nicole Kwit)

early 90s and was gradually adopted

by Canadian provinces in the late 90s.

Creative education has been a fixture in Canada ever since.

“Instead of giving a student two numbers to add you might ask them to make up their own problem. [Creative education is] that sort of thing, or asking students to come up with their own method for adding or division.”

The problem with this approach to teaching, according to WISEMath, is that it doesn’t provide a strong foundation in some of the more fundamental skills. They argue that many of the most basic skills—addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc—are simply not up to interpretation. Some important concepts are particularly neglected and often left out altogether, such as

learning to add and subtract in columns and long division. WISEMath points to declining math test scores nationwide as evidence that this approach to learning is not working.

“The problem with this type of thing is you’re talking about novice learners. They’ve never done this before and it just doesn’t work,” says Stokke. “So what you end up with are kids without basic skills, and if you don’t have basic skills, you can’t solve more difficult problems.”

“Math is like a ladder,” Stokke continues. “It’s really cumulative, so if someone takes you to the the middle rung of the ladder and you haven’t learned the steps before, it’s impossible to succeed. And that’s what being missed.”

WISEMath calls for a culture change in Canadian school systems to emphasize certain core concepts earlier. Some progress has already been made on this front, such as the return of a focus on multiplication tables in early grades. Other concepts such as fraction arithmetic—currently covered in grades seven to eight—need to be covered earlier, according to WISEMath.

“It’s really important. In fact, it’s predictive of how well a student is going to do in algebra or later math in highschool, how well they can actually do fractions, addition, and subtraction by grades four and five,” says Stokke.

WISEMath is also concerned about the level of mathematical

knowledge of many Canadian teachers, calling for teachers to be required to have a mathematical expertise that extends beyond what they are required to teach. This would require a mathematical background that many Canadian teachers currently do not have.

Recognizing this fact, WISEMath advocates for elementary schools to have dedicated math specialists as part of the faculty to come into each class for math education rather than leaving it up to generalized classroom teachers.

This would be similar to how French is currently taught. Stokke admits that WISEMath has made little headway on this front, possibly because school boards are reluctant to go forward with such a radical and potentially expensive change.

“I don’t see that happening any time soon, although I think it would be a wonderful thing to have,” says Stokke.

WISEMath advises parents who are concerned about the quality of their kids’ math education to work with their children personally on basic foundational skills such as multiplication tables and fractions early on.

“Usually I say to parents, ‘Teach your kids traditional methods for arithmetic. That’s the best thing you can do.’ They may not be learning the things that you did when you were in school, so just teach it to them,” says Stokke.

The Ministry of Education for BC did not agree to an interview.

06 Culture

Gamers, Cosplayers, and Voice Actors Converge for Anime Evolution Vancouver’s longest-running anime con caters to fandoms new and old graphs and host panels. Among them was Tracey Moore, the voice of Sailor Moon in 14 episodes of the English dub original series, and Steve Blum, voice actor in Digimon, Naruto and Afro Samurai: Resurrection, to name a few.

“Cons are fun because if you’re cosplaying you just get photos, and hang out with people, and you realize, ‘oh, you’re wearing that, me and you like the same thing,’” says Mckay.

Nearly every panelist, organizer, and cosplayer encountered at the con seemed eager and happy to share their experiences at Anime Evolution, and according to Peterson, “As long as people keep showing up, we’ll keep going.”

Melissa Pomerleau | Contributor Vancouver’s Anime Evolution is “for the fans, by the fans,” according to Mikal Peterson, the Table-top Gaming Coordinator for the annual Anime convention. “And so we try to put on as best of a show as we can,” he says.

Anime Evolution started in 2003 at Simon Fraser University—from a banding of various clubs throughout the Lower Mainland—to produce one grand animation cosplay festival.

It has since grown to be the longest running, and one of the most successful, anime conventions in Metro Vancouver.

This year the event took place at the Sheraton Wall Centre in downtown Vancouver from Aug. 19 to 21.

There were board games, card games and roleplaying games all throughout the three day event, and the gamers were joined by cosplayers who came from across Canada to show off their fandom pride.

“We chose [Anime Evolution] because it was easy for all of us to meet up,” says Jeffrey Lazzarotto, cosplaying as Xander from the game Fire Emblem Fates. “We’re all from Calgary, but we all went to different universities.”

Other characters roaming the grounds of the Sheraton Hotel include a wide range of League of Legends Champions, Pokemon trainers bearing their Pokemon Go team colours, Overwatch heroes and even Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, also known as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

While some cosplayers purchase whole costumes ready to wear, others spend months labouring over each and every detail.

“Most of the time was put into designing everything, making sure everything fits and how it would stick together,” says Lazzarotto. “Planning it was probably two to two and a half months. Actually making it [took] maybe a month or a month and a half.”

“Sometimes I’m really quick and I can pull out a thing in like, a week or three days. I did this one really slowly over six months,” says Jessica Mckay, who was dressed as Sakura from the anime series and manga Cardcap-

tors. Mckay is also a creative writing student in her last semester at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

In the vendor’s hall, convention attendees can find a wide range of cosplay accessories and outfits, and an endless supply of tabletop games, action figures and plushies. Next to this was the artist’s alley which included a number of artists and their artistic renditions of various games and fandoms available for a modest price.

There were also a series of panels ran in different rooms throughout the hotel for fans to come and interact with one another.

A few voice actors even made an appearance at the con to sign auto-

Cosplay attendees at Anime Evolution 2016. (Melissa Pomerleau)

Argel Monte de Ramos: KPU’s Resident Superstar After winning gold at the “Talent Olympics” he considers his future, at KPU and abroad Alyssa Laube | Staff Writer Over the span of two busy years, Argel Monte de Ramos has done more for KPU than most students will throughout their entire university experience.

Born in the Philippines, Monte de Ramos arrived in Canada young and overwhelmed by culture shock.

North American high schools did not treat him well—instead offering him an experience he likens to the movie Mean Girls—and Monte de Ramos suffered through years of bullying, personal struggles, and difficulty with adjusting to his new life in Canada.

Through that fight, he found solace in the comforts of creativity, especially with regards to singing and acting.

Although some of his peers pressured him to give up on his hobbies, he persevered, which paid off just earlier this year. Monte de Ramos’ musical and theatrical abilities won him seven medals at the 2016 World Championship of Performing Arts,

also known as the “Talent Olympics,” an annual competition for entertainers. By the end of the competition, he walked away with one gold medal, two silver, three bronze, a scholarship, and one industry award.

“The industry award is given to a contestant that was really ready for the industry to have. That includes character,” says Monte de Ramos. “I got the bronze medal for acting contemporary, I got another bronze medal for acting comical, I got the silver for world—which is when you sing songs from other languages aside from English—and I got silver for pop, which was ‘Forget You’ by CeeLo Green, and I got the gold medal for an original work.”

The gold medal comes as a wonderful shock to Monte de Ramos, considering that he had only been writing songs for around six months.

It goes without saying that he was thrilled by the results of the Talent Olympics—which marks the first competition he had ever taken part in as an individual—and he intends to use the $10,000 scholarship he won

there to go to school for musical theatre in New York. The connections he made at the competition will last him a lifetime, but he isn’t quite ready to leave KPU in the dust. Rather, he partially attributes his success as a performer to how he has grown as a part of KPU’s community, which has made him the person he is today.

His involvement with KPU began with a role as an orientation leader in 2014, sparking his love for volunteer work. Out of that love came his co-founding of ArtVersity, KPU’s performing arts club, and his work as a student ambassador.

On top of these responsibilities, he also serves as a Kwantlen Student Association’s Business Representative, which he is qualified to fill as a KPU business student. Monte de Ramos continues to fill all three positions today, along with further polishing his creative skills. He will continue to do so until he goes on exchange to the United Kingdom this fall.

As for whether he will go to school in New York for one year or two, Monte de Ramos has not de-

Argel Monte de Ramos, KPU business student, student ambassador, and KSA business representative poses on Aug. 17, 2016 with the medals he won at this year’s Talent Olympics (Alyssa Laube)

cided. Annually, he will be given $10,000 out of the $30,000 required per semester, but his future there is still “up in the air,” in his words.

No matter what happens, Monte de Ramos hopes to return to KPU in the future, possibly to complete his business degree.

“I really think KPU played a very big role when it comes to my success right now. They’re the one who released my story in the news and helped me to get out there externally, outside of KPU,” he says. “If I didn’t have a strong relationship with KPU, this was not going to happen.”

Culture 07

Get involved with some of KPU’s most active clubs If you have a passion, chances are there’s a club for you with

Joseph Keller University life extends well beyond the classroom. Sure, many students can go through their KPU careers only doing what they need to do to earn their degrees, but for those of us looking to find something more out of our time here at KPU, clubs provide us with a sense of community. There are opportunities to learn and grow or to just have some fun with fellow students. New or returning students should check out what KPU clubs have to offer, and to help, we’ve put together a guide to just a few of the most notable clubs on campus.

Kwantlen Gaming Guild Kwantlen Creative Writing Guild

Got a story to tell? How about a poem in your heart? The Kwantlen Creative Writing Guild provides student writers of all types—fiction, non-fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, poetry, and more—with a tight community of peers. At Writing Guild meetings, members critique each other’s work, read their writing, and discuss influential literature. The KCWG also puts together their own creative writing podcast, Comma Splice.

“It’s a great place to network with other like-minded, creative individuals who are into writing,” says club president Winston Le. In addition to regular meetings, the Writing Guild also attends literary events around Metro Vancouver. This semester, the Guild plans to attend the Vancouver Writers Festival, the Word Festival, and several other literary outings around the community.

In the fall, the Kwantlen Creative Writing Guild will meet every other week on Mondays and Thursdays, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. Interested students should check out the Creative Writing Guild Facebook page for more information or to get in touch.

“The Writing Guild is quite a small community, but we really connect with each other and we form lifelong friendships. It’s a great place to absorb that environment and be in a really close knit group,” says Le.

Women Organising Opportunities for Women Kwantlen Art Collective

Gamers of KPU rejoice—there is a club for you! Since its founding, the Kwantlen Gaming Guild has been one of the most popular clubs on campus. Students up for discussing their mutual love of gaming, or just a round of Super Smash Brothers, are welcome to join the group for one of their frequent sessions or large events.

“The Gaming Guild is here to give people a break from their constant studying and grinding, and the monotony of it all,” says club president Murdoch De Mooy, who is also a KSA representative. “We play any sort of games. You name it, we’ll play it.”

The Gaming Guild hosts at least one or two big events per semester, as well as other smaller ones. Some of the bigger events—such as the club’s famous “Multiplayer Madness” and “Night of the Gaming Dead” events—draw as many as 300 students. This semester, the Guild plans to expand their events onto the Richmond and Langley campuses.

The KGG hosts weekly meetings Tuesdays at 3:00 where they plan events, take ideas from members, and of course, hold a gaming session. At recent meetings, the new release, Monster Hunter Generations, has been the game of choice. Those interested can find more info on the group’s facebook page.

“It’s a place where you can hang out, relax, and hopefully survive another school year,” says De Mooy.

(Celesta De Roo)

The Kwantlen Art Collective aims to bring together art lovers from around KPU. At Art Collective meetings, students will share information about art events going on at KPU and beyond, as well as opportunities for artists around town. Members build connections based on a mutual love of art. The KAC is open not just to art students but any student with an interest in art. “[For] a new student, the big thing [about the Collective] would be learning about what art opportunities there are at Kwantlen, what fine arts classes there are, and what to expect,” says Kim Ateah, treasurer for the Kwantlen Art Collective.

To begin the semester, the Collective has been planning an exhibition titled Private Inquiries from a Public Exposure. The exhibition features work from 14 KPU students and will be held at the Newton PopUp Gallery from Aug. 30 to Sept. 16. The Art Collective also invites featured artists to talk about their work throughout the semester.

The Kwantlen Art Collective meets once a week during the fall and winter semesters on Tuesday evenings. Throughout the summer, club leadership has been hard at work organising events, including the exhibition.

Feminists on campus may be interested in seeing what Women Organising Opportunities for Women has to offer. The club strives to create a safe space for women on campus and advance gender equality, and is open to students of any gender identity.

“WOOW was created for the purpose of providing a space for women, to talk about women’s issues and intersectionality, different topics that women may not feel comfortable talking about in a more public setting,” says Natasha Lopes, elected member of council for WOOW and vice-president student life for the Kwantlen Student Association, as well as the KSA’s women’s representative.

Women Organising Opportunities for Women has also had a hand in designing the policies and programing for KPU’s new women’s centre.

“We’re really trying to make a safe and inclusive space for all self-identified women,” says Lopes.

Events planned by WOOW for the new semester include self defence classes and yoga classes.

WOOW has been semi-active over the summer and will be fully active for the fall semester. WOOW representatives have been busy over the summer working on programming and agenda items for the fall.

Scheduling for regular meetings has yet to be announced, but interested students can stay up to date by following WOOW’s Facebook page.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the clubs at KPU. For student entrepreneurs, Enactus KPU aims to create positive change through entrepreneurship, or there’s the Kwantlen Entrepreneurial Student Association. Those looking to help protect this planet of ours may be interested in the Environmental Sustainability Academic Association. Up for a game of cricket? Check out the Kwantlen Cricket Club. Students of Colour can support each other through the Students of Colour Collective.

There are so many clubs to explore. To see them all, check out the Kwantlen Student Association’s club page.

Who’s who At KPU

Name: Alex McGowan Who he is: President of the KSA and Vice-President External Affairs What he does: Handles campaign and lobbying efforts under the KSA, engages with the community about KPU student needs, mobilizes students around relevant issues, and coordinates KSA activities.

Contact him if: You have any issues or concerns, don’t know who to contact about a topic, or want to participate in advocacy and campaigning at or around KPU. Favourite movie: Moneyball Advice for new KPU students: “Stick around after class.

Join a club, have a beer with a classmate, play Pokémon, just don’t go home right away.”

With Alyssa Laube

Name: Kimberley McMartin Who she is: Senator on KSA council, Board Organizer for KPIRG, head of Radio-free Kwantlen and the disabilities collective What she does: Manages the disabilities collective and Radio-free Kwantlen, leads and oversees the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group, advocates for inclusivity on-campus, and plays a role in multiple clubs.

Contact her if: You’re interested in working with social and environmental justice at KPU, want to learn about accessibility and resources for people with disabilities, or would like to join a club.

Favourite movie: The Glass Bottom Boat Advice for new KPU students: “Get involved. Ask questions. It doesn’t matter if it’s the wrong person—somebody will know. Open your mouth and speak words.”

Name: Mairi Lester Who she is: SFU graduate with BA in Geography and Political Science, Sustainability Coordinator for Sustainable KSA What she does: Works with students and the KSA to become more environmentally sustainable.

Contact her if: You have ideas for eco-friendly and sustainable projects, want to learn more about sustainability, get involved with Sustainable KSA, or have unwanted products to get rid of.

Favourite movie: Benny & Joon Advice for new KPU students: “Take a few minutes and try to reduce the amount of waste you bring in your backpack every day. As a student, coffee at the Grassroots, if you bring your own cup, is $0.25 off!”

Name: Tanvir Singh Who he is: Philosophy student, co-founder of the Kwantlen Gaming Guild, KPU Surrey representative, and KSA Vice-President Student Services and University Affairs.

What he does: Deals with students’ issues and university workings, advocates for open educational resources, reviews policies, and manages other goings-ons within the KSA. Contact him if: You have issues related to your academic life and need someone to advocate to the university on your behalf.

Favourite movie: The Godfather: Part I Advice for new KPU students: “Take your first year easy and get involved with non-academic things like clubs and the KSA and groups on-campus.”

Name: Argel Monte de Ramos Who he is: Human resource management student, KPU Student Ambassador for all four campuses, New Student Orientation Leader, KSA Business Representative, executive on the Artversity club, musician, and actor.

What he does: Tours new and prospective students around campus, represents KPU with external events, works on volunteer advocacy and leadership presentations, sits on various KSA committees.

Contact him if: You’re a current or future student who needs help or has suggestions and concerns regarding KPU. Monte de Ramos can help you understand “the steps you need to take and all of the requirements you need to have” to be an active KPU student Favourite movie: Mean Girls Advice for new KPU students: “Take time to discover what you really like.

Students should not rush when it comes to finishing a program because you might not like it or it might be not the right path for you.”

Name: Alan Davis Who he is: President of Kwantlen Polytechnic University What he does: Hires and works with KPU staff, oversees university internal and external affairs, represents the institution as a whole.

Contact him if: You have anything to ask or say about KPU, although Davis will likely pass you along to a more relevant contact.

Favourite movie: Adalen ‘31 Advice for new KPU students: “Teaching and learning go handin-hand, and someone can teach day and night, but if someone’s not open to listening, reading, engaging and doing the best they can with the teaching that’s being provided, nothing’s going to happen. It’s that students should accept that responsibility and that role in the partnership [with KPU] that they’ve signed up for.”

Name: Richard Hosein Who he is: Policy studies student and KPIRG Administrative & Resource Coordinator What he does: Human resources work, legal filings, financial oversight, and generally keeping KPIRG “running from an organizational business perspective.”

Contact him if: You’re a business, accounting, or human resources student interested in getting experience, or you have an interest in KPIRG’s values of social and environmental justice.

Favourite movie: Stalker Advice for new KPU students: “Don’t be afraid to get involved with campus life initiatives. The more you get involved, the more you can figure out what your passion is.”

Name: Natasha Lopes Who she is: Fourth year political science student with a minor in history, KSA Vice-President Student Life and Women’s Representative, and spokesperson for Women Organizing Opportunities for Women What she does: Represents students and voices their concerns from both a student life and women’s rights advocacy perspective.

Contact her if: You have concerns about your rights as a student, student events, clubs, WOOW, or general committees.

Favourite movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Advice for new KPU students: “Don’t be scared. I was very scared when I started university, even though it’s a small school. There’s no reason to, and if you’re looking for friends, join a committee.”

Name: Murdoch de Mooy Who he is: Criminology student, president of the Kwantlen Gaming Guild, KSA Richmond campus representative What he does: Acts as a spokesperson for the KGG, represents Richmond students, works as chair of environmental sustainability and student services, participates on KSA governance and appointments committees.

Contact him if: You want to become a member of the KGG or any other clubs on-campus, have contributions or concerns about KSA affairs, or have ideas for environmental sustainability.

Favourite movie: Equilibrium Advice for new KPU students: “Don’t think of university as a means to an end, just to get your piece of paper. Try to think of it as an experience. Experience everything you can. ”

Name: Tristan Johnston Who he is: Journalism student and Co-ordinating editor of The Runner What he does: Edits and writes articles for The Runner, sits on the PIPS board of directors.

Contact him if: You want to get involved with The Runner, have an idea for something that should be investigated, or are interested in becoming a writer or photographer.

Favourite movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey Advice for new KPU students: “Go on an exchange, because that’ll be like going to KPU without actually going to KPU.”

10 Features

Map of Kpu surrey campus

Legend

Aboriginal Gathering Centre KPU Bookstore

Social Justice Room Lecture Theatre

Art Gallery

The Runner Office Grassroots cafe & Lounge Not Pictured: KPIRG Offices

Features 11

The History of KPU with

Alyssa Laube

Kwantlen Polytechnic University, then called Kwantlen College, splits from Douglas and claims all of its campuses south of the Fraser River. 149 students graduate that year, the first from KPU, with 14 associate degrees, 97 certificates, and 28 citations.

The institution’s name officially becomes Kwantlen University College, allowing it to grant degrees. The first honorary degree recipient is Barry Leach for environmental education.

1992: The Richmond campus opens.

1993: The Langley campus opens.

1983: KPU begins to offer scholarships.

1984: Enrolment hops up to 1288 fulltime students.

The Surrey campus opens in place of portable trailers that used to act as the university. The construction cost $20 million and is able to accommodate 4,000 students. Co-op education and an honour roll are established.

The conference centre, gym, fitness centre, new classrooms and offices open on the Surrey campus, along with the launching of the athletics program and two new degrees in information technology and entrepreneurial leadership. The Kwantlen Eagles are born!

Another scandal breaks loose at KPU when the institution agrees to sign a benefits agreement with the Trans Mountain Expansion Project—which is owned by Kinder Morgan—for $300,000. The money would have largely gone towards scholarships and bursaries for trades students and, ironically, KPU’s Environmental Protection Technology Lab. The contract was not signed after students and alumni voiced their disapproval and refused to accept financial aid from Kinder Morgan. Because the agreement depended on the pipeline being approved, it functioned as an endorsement for the oil industry, and KPU decided it would withdraw from the memorandum of understanding.

KPU becomes a member in the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Premier Gordon Campbell announces that the institution will adopt the name of Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

In more dramatic news, the Kwantlen Student Association files a lawsuit against five former KSA directors (The “Reduce All Fees” or “RAF” party)— who had been in office since 2005—for misusing over $2 million of student money.

2007: Cloverdale campus is officially opened

2014: KPU gets busted for overpaying their staff.

The controversy that gets KPU in world headlines hits a high point due to further corruption within the Kwantlen Student Association. Twelve KSA directors were impeached amidst fire alarms and pepper spray meant to intimidate the student body. The directors were blamed for dropping their lawsuit against the former RAF party members and, in a shocking twist uncovered by The Runner, some of the impeached directors were found to have familial ties to the defendants.

KPU gets mass media buzz for offering an online course that educates students on the legal and medical management of marijuana.

14 Features

Where Does Your Money Go? Breaking down the various student fees you pay, and what they pay for

Melissa Pomerleau | Contributor Understanding how your student fees are spent is a great way to help get the most out of your education. According to the Kwantlen Student Association Vice President Finance and Operations Rawan Ramini, “It’s [the students’] right to know where their money is going, because that will give them the opportunity to speak up and have an opinion. [The KSA] are just doing our best to use the money in the best interest of students.”

Student fees can be broken down into two main categories; KSA fees and tuition fees. Along with tuition are smaller mandatory fees associated with running the library, acquiring required course materials and technology.

Let’s look first at the actual portion of your fees going towards tuition and other mandatory student fees. Tuition fees, put simply, are the cost of providing the course to students. Both tuition and other mandatory fees are assessed on a per-credit basis, each varying in cost depending on the program or department.

To help put this into context, enrolling in ENGL 1100—a 3 credit course—would cost students $408.90 in tuition and $28.62 in other mandatory student fees.

The other major category student fees fall under is the Kwantlen Student Association, though not all the fees they gather go towards the KSA’s operation.

The Operation Fund covers the cost of everything required to run the KSA, including member services, KSA staff and executive wages, IT expenses, internet and office supplies. It basically covers the cost of what it takes to run any office or building. Each student is required to pay a flat rate of $9.00 per semester in addition to $3.00 per credit, with a maximum of $50.00 per semester.

For example, a student enrolled in three classes with three credits per class (which equals nine credits) would be looking at a $9.00 flat rate + (nine credits * $3.00) totalling $36.00 for the semester.

Students with 15 credits or more per semester would be looking at $54.00 each if it weren’t for the maximum contribution being capped at $50.00.

Another charge to students is the extended health and dental coverage.

That is $80.00 for the health coverage and $110.00 for the dental. This may seem like a hefty sum, but rest assured this is not something students are expected to pay each and every semester. It is a once-per-year fee and students may opt out of this payment within the first 30 days of the semester if they are able to provide proof of other coverage. That means if your program starts in May you’ll be charged the health and dental coverage with your May tuition, and not again until the following May.

The MultiPass is an automatic student fee that provides all students with a U-PASS, plus a few other perks such as access to free bike lockers on campus, free car2go minutes and $5 monthly Steve Nash Fitness Club memberships. The cost for this is currently $49.50 per month, totalling $198.00 for the average four month semester. Considering TransLink charges $124 a month for a two-zone adult monthly compass card, students are receiving quite the deal here. Students are even eligible to opt out of this payment if they are able to meet a few very specific requirements.

Students will also find a Bursary Fund totalling $1.00 per semester among their fees. This fee was established in the Spring of 2014 and makes up the various awards and bursaries Kwantlen has to offer for all students. The KSA also takes 3 per cent of the income collected from each fee category, except the MultiPass and adds it to the bursaries available for students.

With the exception of the Student Union Building fees, a majority of the KSA fees range from $0.10 per credit to $0.65 per credit. In Fall 2009 many of these Student Association fees were implemented by referendum.

Below is a list of these fees and the services they provide to students: The SUB fees go towards any renovations the KSA sees fit across all four campuses. “Any major renovations we do come from this [category]” says Ramini, including KSA office space, lounges, student union buildings, as well as the current Birch building and GrassRoots Cafe renovations.

Also to be found on the long list of fees is the Public Interest Research Fund, which pays for the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group.

Every student is charged $0.80 per credit for this organization. KPIRG’s mandate is to “engage and represent the interests of KPU students in social and environmental justice” according to their website. Also according to their website, there are no 2016 events planned, and no past 2016 events accounted for. It is likely the funds go towards staff wages, and any events KPIRG puts on.

Technically speaking every student is a member of KPIRG once they have paid this automatic fee. However, one week after Kwantlen’s no withdrawal/fee refund date, for four days KPIRG offers refunds for students wishing to opt out and receive a full refund as long as they provide proof of payment for their fees.

The Canadian Federation of Students is another mandatory student fee. They receive $0.98 per credit with a maximum of $8.86 per semester. According to the CFS website, they offer “a number of programs and services in order to meet the unique needs of students and to help students save money.” Many of the services offered by the CFS, such as health and dental plans and student agendas,

the KSA have found better and more moderately priced options for students to take advantage of.

Finally, we have the Student Publication Fee, which is $0.75 per credit and goes directly towards the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society. PIPS is responsible for the publication of The Runner and Pulp Magazine, Kwantlen’s literature and visual arts magazine.

Since the KSA is the recipient of

(Scott McLelland)

a number of these funds, that means on some level students actually have a say in how these funds are spent and allocated amongst different divisions.

Many of the associations listed, like PIPS, START, ACTIVE KSA, Reboot, Social Justice and Peer Support Counselling all have positions, paid or volunteer, available for students to apply and be a part of, effectively having a say in how funds are spent.

“It’s a trust relationship. In order

for [students] to trust us they need to know how we operate and what we do,” says Ramini.

And while certain aspects of student fees will likely never change or just continue to increase, like the cost per credit of each course enrolled in, understanding where your money goes is an important part in exercising your rights as a student.

16 Opinions

Tips to Survive and Thrive at University It’s not hard to make the most of your time here or Environmental Issues (ENVI 1121)— or whatever you would like, really. Vice versa, nearly every degree Being a college or university student offered requires a certain amount of is an opportunity to meet new peo- electives outside of your major anyple, learn new things, make mistakes, ways, so experiment a little!

Join a club. KPU has a ton of and just generally figure your shit student-organized clubs on campus, out. Whether you’re just starting at like the Gaming Guild, ARTversity, university for the first time or you’re the Students of Colour Collective, a returning student, here are a few and Sustainable Agriculture Student helpful tips to get you through the Association, to name a few.

A full list year. of clubs can be found at www.kusa.

Try new things. For example, if you’re a business major, don’t limit ca/clubs, and a look inside some of yourself to only taking courses that the more active clubs can be found in sound like they’re business-oriented. the very paper you’re reading now. If Take Visual Literacy (COMM 1200) you don’t see any that appeal directly to your needs, consider starting your own. With nearly 20,000 enrolled students, a few others are bound to be interested as well.

Get involved. Aside from clubs, the Kwantlen Student Association has a ton of different services and committees for you to take part in.

From the Executive Committee to the Student Life Committee, these are the people who help determine what the KSA does with its money.

Visit with an Academic Advisor. They exist for a reason, and that reason is to advise you through your academic career. They can help you sort out prerequisites, program requirements, semester planning, and discuss other program options that might better fit your future career goals. The last thing you want to do is take a bunch of courses only to find (Yuta Anonueva) out they don’t actually get you closer to achieving your goals.

Melissa Pomerleau | Contributor

(Yuta Anonueva)

Make use of instructor office hours. Few people make use of the office hours every instructor is required to have. It’s a great way to get to know your instructors, especially if you’re enrolled in a program within the faculty they teach. You’ll probably see a lot more of them over the next few years. A good rapport with your instructor can lead to industry contacts, volunteer opportunities and upcoming jobs in your field. It’s also a great time to ask those questions you have but were too afraid to ask in class.

Stay healthy and resist the urge to skip. Missing a class can sometimes be detrimental to your semester, especially if that class is offered only once a week for 3 hours. Not

only will you miss that day’s lesson, you could miss out on important reminders or information on upcoming tests and assignments. If you absolutely have to miss a class or two, make sure you’ve made friends with someone you sit next to. Exchange emails or phone numbers and give them a heads up that you’ll be missing from class and ask them politely to let you know what you’ve missed.

Relax. Seriously, school can take up a lot of your time. Between friends, family, work, and whatever else you probably have going on, make sure you carve out a little bit of time just for you. Read a non-school related book, go for a walk, do yoga, or whatever else calms you down. Try to take a few moments each day to be

mindful and relax so you don’t burn yourself out just before exams hit.

KPU Sports and Recreation Facilities even offer 30 minute and 60 minute mindfulness yoga sessions to help you master relaxation techniques.

While some of these tips may seem like common sense, they are easy to forget in the middle of the semester, when midterms are fast approaching and essays are piling up.

Remember to relax and ask for help when you need it. School can be hard, but it’s also incredibly rewarding and filled with endless opportunities to build relationships. You might even learn a little bit about yourself in the process.

Living in a Net Zero Home

What it’s like getting off the grid and on the bandwagon

Alyssa Laube | Staff Writer Sleeping in a net zero home has always been a pipe dream of mine. In the dense and buzzing metropolis of Vancouver, they’re hard to come by and even harder to justify. This twentieth-century world runs on technology and the city simply can’t operate without electricity pumping through its veins. Modern men and women need to use their laptops and smartphones to get through their work day.

They need to microwave their dinners, heat their apartments, and take steamy showers. Generally speaking, Vancouverites demand the convenience of a lifestyle that leaves a doozy of a carbon footprint on Earth, and I can’t blame them. For my whole life, I’ve done the same.

As a matter of fact, before this month I had never stepped foot into a net zero energy home. That experience came to me at the end of July, while residing on a tiny island off of the coast of Tofino.

A weekend getaway to the island meant staying in a totally off-

grid cabin which, for me, would be a highlight of the trip. Outside, a small shack contained a compost toilet and foot-pump sink, the water for which was icy, taken from the sea and chlorinated. Inside, a wood fireplace for heat, a few solar-powered lights, and one propane stove were the only sources of energy.

While the stove kept the cabin from being entirely net zero, it was pretty darn close. The most exciting part of the entire stay was that I hardly even noticed I was living without electricity until a few days in.

The most gruelling setback of living there was what you might expect: survival without access to the internet. As a journalist, that meant I couldn’t work, but it was a vacation, so that could be forgiven.

The more frustrating aspect of going unplugged was the anxiety of not hearing from my friends and family back home for a few days, but that also faded away as time slugged on.

Being surrounded by crashing waves, volcanic rock, silence, and serenity certainly helped. If an off-mood struck, we could go for a walk to search for sea anemones and hermit

crabs. If we got bored, there were books, board games, and conversations to be had. To summarize, it felt almost like stepping back in time to my childhood, before I became a semi-slave to schedules and notifications. Why many folks choose to retire in net zero homes suddenly made sense. They offer a chance of reversion to simplicity and calm.

Sentimentality aside, what did get old was the fickle temperature inside the cabin, which meant opening and closing doors and windows all day.

That, in turn, led to a great swarm of bugs getting cozy between our sheets every night, so we were quite an itchy and whiny bunch during the following week.

Also longed for was the comfort of an electric kitchen. Even with the luxury of the propane stove, there was no freezer, fridge, microwave, or dishwasher. All perishables went in the sopping wet cooler. Otherwise, you devoured it. Everything you use, you wash by hand in freezing water.

End of story.

Those are only slight inconveniences, though. If there was anything to prevent me from living there,

The morning light illuminates the interior of a net-zero cabin off the coast of Tofino on Aug. 9, 2016. A fireplace sits to the left and the kitchen in the far right operates without any electric components. (Alyssa Laube)

it would be the bathroom. Call me crazy or spoiled, but I will always love hot showers, running sinks, and flushable toilets. Plus, squatting in the cold darkness at 3:00 am is no fun, especially with seaside critters peering at you from every corner.

All things considered, it was a

lovely experience and a well-needed break from the gnawing chaos of city dwelling. Alas, once a city girl, always a city girl—the only net zero home I could imagine owning for now would be one for the summer.

Opinions 17

The Death of Private Prisons in America Elizabeth May to Remain

American divestment arrives after scathing investigative piece Alyssa Laube | Staff Writer This month, media outlet Mother Jones released a harrowing and gritty account of four months spent inside one of America’s private prisons.

That specific prison happened to be so private, in fact, that the article rattled bones across the entire continent, including the President of the United States’.

Investigative journalist Shane Bauer put his life on the line for the 36,000-word read, going undercover as a prison guard and subjecting himself to violence, fear, and corruption in the process. Mother Jones calls it “the biggest investigation [they’ve] ever published,” and that title is wellearned. It seems that the article may have been enough to push the US government to action within a month of its publication.

Aug. 18 marked the day that the Obama administration announced its divestment and detachment from private prisons. With that decision came a plummet in stocks for the three companies that run them nation-wide: Corrections Corporation of America, GEO Group Inc., and Management and Training Corp.

Otherwise, it seems to be a massively beneficial, conveniently timed, and long overdue choice on their behalf.

Because private prisons are operated by companies contracted by government agencies rather than the government itself, what they do there can easily go unseen to scrutinizing eyes.

Regulations are often ignored and made up without anyone to weigh in on their fairness or morality. One of the most publicized faults of private prisons is the suspicious amount of profit they rake in, how little of that goes to their staff, where exactly it comes from, and why.

While the US is no stranger to acting shifty behind closed doors or punishing convicts questionably, the end of their involvement with private prisons is pleasant, but not a surprise.

The number of inmates in the States has declined so significantly over the years that they don’t really need them anymore.

David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project, said in an interview with CBC News that the “important, groundbreaking and historic step” is “what’s best for taxpayers and what’s best for public safety.” He is very likely right.

Although this is the most significant American divestment in private prisons so far, the administration isn’t the first to do it. In 2013, three heavy-hitting investors backed out on a collective $60-million given to the CCA and GEO Group. GEO Group themselves were pressured by lobbyists into rejecting a $6-million offer for naming rights of FAU Stadium the same year. Those are only two occurrences of a great, great many that have been steadily piling up over the years. The government was just last to the party.

All in all, public prisons are found to be safer, more affordable, and altogether more effective than private ones. Where there’s less room for corruption, there’s more room for efficiency and reform.

Logically, if there’s anywhere in the world that should be free of crime and violence, it ought to be a jail.

Merely containing and encouraging the violent behaviour that got convicts behind bars in the first place— while optimistically hoping they will be released changed and productive members of society—seems a little paradoxical, does it not?

Luckily, here in Canada, all of our prisons are government-controlled.

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Green Party Leader Despite Controversy

The Greens’ support for BDS movement to be revisited Calvin Borghardt| Contributor The Green Party of Canada held its annual convention from Aug. 5 to 7, during which the party’s membership voted in favor of supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel.

According to the movement’s website, Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions is a Palestinian-led movement that has been inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement.

According to them, Israel is occupying and colonizing Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel, and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes. BDS is responding by employing economic means to pressure Israel into complying with international law, which they believe is being violated.

The leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May, has been quite vocal about her opposition to the BDS movement, as well as her disagreement with the party membership’s decision to enact support for it as a part of official Green Party policy.

She has previously discussed leaving the party over the membership’s endorsement of BDS. “As leader, I am disappointed that the membership has adopted a policy in favor of a movement that I believe to be polarizing, ineffective, and unhelpful in the quest for peace and security for the peoples of the Middle East,” said May, in a statement released on the official Green Party of Canada website. “As is the right of any member, I will continue to express personal opposition to BDS.” Ken Melamed, the Federal Council President of the GPC, says in the same statement that “the GPC supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and we continue

to advocate for good-faith negotiations. This support is intended to further advocate to that end.”

By choosing to support the BDS movement, the Greens are placing economic pressures exclusively on Israel, arguably designating them as the sole guilty party and, as a result, are effectively siding with Palestine in this conflict.

The GPC cannot claim to be neutral and seeking a two-state solution while punishing either side of this Middle-Eastern conflict. They cannot support a movement that their leader has called “polarizing, ineffective, and unhelpful” while also claiming their party wants to “continue to advocate for good-faith negotiations.”

Furthermore, the GPC tends to concentrate their efforts on domestic issues, like the rights of Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ+ rights, and the divestment from fossil fuels.

Elizabeth May continued this tendency when she told reporters at a press conference on Parliament Hill this past Monday that she was partially motivated to stay on as party leader to focus her energies on electoral reform. She added that there are many “well-meaning,well-intentioned groups” that support BDS, but a “serious” federal political party seeking to elect more members of parliament should not be one of them.

According to May, the August convention saw some motions pushed through without broad-based support from the party’s grassroots. She also believes that all policies should be enacted by consensus and is now advocating for a secondary confirmation vote by all members—whether online or by mail—of convention resolutions.

May is also committed to continuing to represent her riding of Saanich-Gulf Island and running in the next federal election in 2019.

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18 Columns

Artist Spotlight: Frogpile Their big debut and future plans

Alyssa Laube | Staff Writer Frogpile pleasently surprised Vancouver’s local scene with the release of Jackie, the four piece’s debut EP. The record is technically three tracks long, including a 40-second interlude, but the two full-lengths stand out as some of the catchiest spring-summer tunes to make it into the city’s underground. While the lyrics of the title track, “Jackie”, are eyebrow-raising to say the least, “How Do You Do?” is no more than a catchy song with a memorable hook.

The interlude, on the other hand, is a mishmash of songs that will be on their next EP all played at once.

That track opens to the sound of frogs croaking, similar to how Frogpile labels themselves as “frogressive rock”—because if you have a gimmick, you might as well do it the right way.

The cover art for Jackie is deeply youthful and nostalgic, not to mention a possible depiction of who the inspiration behind the record could be. Whether the woman on the cover

is the eponymous Jackie or not is a band-kept secret.

Guitarist Brian Tancredi says the name of the EP was inspired by the Hozier song “Jackie and Wilson”, but realized after writing the song that it was also his girlfriend’s sister’s name. While on vacation with said girlfriend, he sent a rough recording of it over to the rest of the band. They worked on it, sent it back, and without having heard the final lyrics, Brian played the song for her. Things got a bit messy from there.

“The whole chorus is about falling in love with your girlfriend’s sister, so I played that for my girlfriend without knowing the chorus of the song, and we just drove in silence for like 25 minutes afterwards,” says Brian.

“I wrote it first and it had nothing to do with my girlfriend’s sister.

It was innocent. It was benign. Then Jordy just bastardized it.”

“I was just feeling it. I thought it sounded funny at the time,” shrugs Jordan Heaney, frontman and guitarist. “I was like, ‘Hey, this would be a good joke for Brian to hear when he’s

by himself, alone.’ Then it turned into that story and we never changed them.”

Despite that slight, listening to the EP generally feels weightless and sentimental—a sensation that makes the golden month of April perfect for its 2016 release.

For the most part, Bassist Bartek Daniel mixed the EP, though Heaney contributed to the interlude, “Frogpile”.

Also in the band is Luke Tancredi on drums and Bartek Daniel on bass.

Maia Jake also played violin on the title track, and Marta Danel provided vocals for “How Do You Do?”.

The band says that another short record is “in the works,” and they just finished their first tour tour this August.

As a live band, Frogpile puts on

The album cover for Frogpile’s 2016 debut EP: Jackie. (Photo submitted)

a fun show. What has always been guaranteed at a Frogpile show is a spirited crowd, but a majority of their

material and technical precision as artists is brand new.

Going Global

Russia struggles to make the best plays with the worst cards Tristan Johnston | Coordinating Editor

After taking Crimea, addressing dissent in the Caucuses, and playing geopolitical chess with Turkey and Syria, it might appear that the Russian state is strong.

It’s not.

Turkey, which has squarely been an ally of the West and NATO for the last several decades, is becoming more and more anti-American, going so far as to blame the recent coup attempt on the U.S. And when you start to anger the West, it’s often a good time to turn to Russia.

However, Russia gets more out of this arrangement than Turkey does.

Putin wants to see a destabilized NATO and a crumbling EU, which seems more and more likely considering the Brexit and the low support for NATO in Sweden and Finland.

While NATO can be seen as a player to help ensure the security of democracies, Russia is sort of a reverse NATO, used to ensure the security of fragile autocracies.

And yet, despite all of this, Russia is in decline, with a faltering economy facing a barrage of sanctions, low oil prices, and unhappy oligarchs.

There’s also a brain drain, with many skilled and educated Russians immigrating to EU countries, as well as Canada and the United States.

According to data from RosStat, 350,000 people emigrated from Rus-

Russian president Vladimir Putin during a G20 Summit in St. Petersburg in 2013. (Herman Van Rompuy/Flickr) sia in 2015, the highest departure rate following a sharp rise which began in 2011. Russia is simply too dependent on natural resources, and doesn’t have sufficient innovation.

Meanwhile, Putin is pinned by the situation in the Ukraine. Escalation of force would result in more sanctions and the ire of the international

community, while retreat would hurt his legitimacy as a strong leader. Remember that Putin’s approval ratings have been high following successful military action, in addition to state manipulation of the local media.

Of course, this is extremely unsustainable. With State Duma elections coming up on Sept. 18, Putin and his

party, United Russia, need to consider popular opinion.

Additionally, the Ukraine situation is especially tense at the moment. On Aug. 23, Putin, Angela Merkel, and Francois Hollande had a conference call in an effort to reduce tensions. This is because Petro Poroshenko, the current President of

the Ukraine, has warned that there’s a possibility of a “full scale Russian invasion along all fronts.”

Poroshenko has good reason to believe this, as Russia is moving military groups along the border. The U.S., however, believes that this is simply an annual Russian military exercise. Regardless, in geopolitics, capability is more alarming.

Russia continues to have interests in Syria, but the situation there is much more complicated. Both Russia and the United States want to see the civil war in Syria come to an end, but in different ways. Russia supports Assad and the Syrian government, but also the “Syrian Democratic Forces, while the U.S. supports the opposition. Despite these conflicting views, the United States has reached out to Russia in hopes of working together, but these talks have been stalled as of late.

Russia is in a weird position.

While Putin is one of the strongest and most intelligent political and military leaders alive today, he has been dealt an extremely strange hand. Like his Soviet predecessors, he’s very good at statecraft, but struggles with a recessed, sanctioned economy experiencing a tough brain drain. While next month’s elections will likely result in a continuation of Putin’s rule, it’s hard to foresee a future with a Russian leader as capable as he is, despite the bad hand.

Procrastination 19

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Don’t let those mean ol’ villagers get you down.

They think they’re so cool with their pitchforks and their fire. We’ll see who’s a monster when Wolfman gets here.

Oh no, it’s not one of those songs where Randy Newman just says the N-word a bunch, is it?

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19 You’d be more comfortable romanticising yourself as a miserable, anti-social genius if you had even once created anything worth remembering.

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20 On one hand, the 2003 Mazda would allow you to get to work safely and conveniently. One the other, that trebuchet would help you lay siege to the Damnable English.

Leo Jul 24 - Aug 23 Memories play before you like home video, the sound of Schubert drifting in from the window. It goes beautifully with the images of your life. That’s some comfort, at least.

Scorpio Oct 24 - Nov 22 Locking the window always makes you feel safe, even if the sound of those creatures lurching around outside seeps into your bedroom all night.