The Runner Vol 11, Issue 10

FEBRUARY 5, 2019 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 10 KPU’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WORKING TOWARD RECOVERY How students with eating disorders can heal using resources in their communities

NEWS

Student U-Pass Program to Be Voted on Via Referendum

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FEATURES

Meet the Candidates in the Upcoming KSA Election

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OPINIONS

What Went Wrong with KPIRG?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STAFF Editor in Chief

Aly Laube editor@runnermag.ca

Managing Editor

Connor Doyle managing@runnermag.ca

Staff Writer

Braden Klassen staff@runnermag.ca

Production Manager

Sarah Kraft production@runnermag.ca

Graphics Editor

Kristen Frier graphics@runnermag.ca

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NEWS

Student U-Pass Program to Be Voted on Via Referendum David Piraquive, KSA Vice President Student Life, says that he is in favour of students voting “yes” on the referendum question.

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FEATURES

Meet the Candidates in the Upcoming KSA Election You, as paying members of the KSA, are the only demographic on campus with the power to decide who will get elected. To get a better idea of whose name you want to write down on the ballot, you can read more about the candidates below.

CULTURE

Kwantlen St. Winter Market Puts Students First “We decided to make it not just about bringing in our vendors to sell local produce, but to make it a special project where we tried to work with students,” says organizer Anne Janzen.

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OPINIONS

What Went Wrong with KPIRG? In my time observing the group, one of the questions I often asked myself was, “Where does KPIRG’s funding go?”

Web Manager

Alex Rodriguez web@runnermag.ca

Operations Manager Scott Boux office@runnermag.ca 778-565-3801

Spring Semester 2019 Student Publication Fee opt-outs available in person from Feb. 1 - Feb. 28 Student ID and proof of registration and payment are required

CONTRIBUTORS Thomas Buecking Netanya Castillo Ivy Edad Cristian Hobson-Dimas Kristine Hui Tristan Johnston Jenna Keeble Amei-lee Laboucan Nic Laube Valerie Leung Jesse Pottinger @Reslus Fatima Romero-Afi Leah Rosehill Kayci Roy Tae Whitehouse

COVER BY Graeme

Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778-565-3801 www.runnermag.ca Vol. 11, Issue no. 10 February 5 // 2019 ISSN# 1916 8241

PIPS Office: Arbutus 3710, Surrey campus Hours: 10 am-5 pm Monday to Friday Phone: 778-565-3801 Email: office@runnermag.ca

All submissions to The Runner are subject to editing for style, quality, length, and legality. The Runner will not publish material which the editors deem to be harmful or discriminatory.

The views expressed within the publication are not necessarily those of The Runner staff or of the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society.

The Runner is student-owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society. The Runner recognizes 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 KPU is adaptable and changing, so is The Runner.

EDITORIAL

FROM THE EDITOR

The Ford government’s move to make student fees optional could hurt B.C. campus press Aly Laube | Editor in Chief As anyone working in the field will know firsthand, student journalism is rarely taken seriously. It’s a battle to earn respect and to carve out a spot for yourself in campus culture, especially if you’re a new paper like The Runner. What’s more, there’s very little public faith in the press right now, and debates about free speech are brought up routinely on post-secondary campuses.

This sort of environment provided the perfect setup for the Ford government to propose a draft policy that would make student union fees—and, as a result, publication fees— optional on Jan. 17. “[The provincial government should] protect and guarantee the freedom of students by allowing individuals to choose, for themselves, whether or not to become a member of their student association,” reads the directive, which goes on to explain that the motion would allow for students to opt-out of all fees deemed “non-essential”, constituting all but those related to health and safety. Quite likely, this would put funding for student papers on the chopping block.

This notion has the potential to terrify anyone with an understanding of the necessity of autonomy between press and institutions.

While the policy is just a draft, and will surely become more specific in later iterations, the vagueness of this process could spell disaster for important on-campus resources.

There is a rationale for the idea that we can safely do away with student press, commonly held by right-leaning students, which makes sense considering that the policy was introduced by Doug Ford’s conservative government.

“It is extraordinarily irritating for conser-

KDOCS

The KPU documentary festival team is hosting a movie night featuring two award-winning documentaries: RBG and Won’t You Be My Neighbour? with a keynote address at 4:00 p.m. and a panel discussion at 6:00 p.m.

3:30 pm - 9:00 pm,

Surrey Conference Centre, free.

FEB. 8

TALK: PRUNING FRUIT TREES

The Varsity is the University of Toronto's student funded newsroom. (Submitted) vative or libertarian students to be forced to pay for a university press which—save for the odd letter to the editor—never reflects their values or viewpoints,” writes a commenter on a Varsity editorial about this issue. Hypothetically, they might have a point.

In November, The Runner printed an editorial acknowledging that conservative writers are few and far between in the realm of student publishing, adding that those interested in contributing to our newsroom are more than welcome. Reluctance to pay for a publication you don’t see yourself reflected in is understandable, but making all student union fees optional won’t solve that problem, especially because almost all on-campus papers already provide opt-outs. You can see notice of ours on page two of this issue (issue 11, volume 10).

At KPU, students who feel so inclined can choose to stop paying the Student Publica-

tion Fee when we run a notice about opt-outs like this at the beginning of every semester.

That’s a measure that has always been available and always will be.

Giving students the option to opt-out of all “non-essential” fees would do more than just potentially shutter up the windows and doors of the community newsrooms. It would also put many of the services provided by the unions themselves in jeopardy. Through this policy, the Ford government—which seems so concerned about issues of free speech—could end up decimating the sole aspect of campus culture that allow students to access the truth about their institution.

This has only been proposed in Ontario, but it’s also being discussed in Alberta, and once the ball starts rolling it might not stop until it hits B.C.’s doorstep. When and if it does come here, we should know where we stand.

Delirium says that she has only foggy memories from her childhood, and was unsure of the details of her family history until she encountered an uncle who was responsible for recording their ceremonies. Now she says her work with Virago Nation brings awareness to issues she believes in while allowing her to honour her family.

At the panel held after their performance, member Sparkle Plenty talked about how the media portrays members of Indigenous communities as victims. Plenty emphasizes that Indigenous people are worthy of being celebrated, and that it is important to let other Indigenous women know that through the work of groups like Virago Nation.

Convening member of the collective Shane Sable says that one of her difficulties with transitioning into a performance space was incorporating Indigeneity into her burlesque personas. This was because of the cultural fac-

KPU horticulture instructor Betty Cunnin will be leading a workshop to learn the basics of how to prune and care for fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. Make sure to bring gloves and hand held pruners.

10:00 am - 12:00 pm,

Langley Room 1540, free.

FEB. 11

CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

Come enjoy KPU International’s celebration of the year of the pig, complete with food, music, and a lion dance.

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm,

Richmond Rotunda, free.

FEB. 11

KPU READS: LISTENING TO THE BEES

Students, staff and faculty are invited to read and discuss Listening to Bees, a collaborative book by Mark L. Winston and Renée Sarojini Saklikar that combines science with poetry.

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm,

KPU Surrey Library, first floor, SW Corner,

Indigenous Burlesque Troupe Performs on Surrey Campus The Indigenous burlesque collective known as Virago Nation performed in the first of a series of events entitled “Medicine In Our Very Bones: Gender, Sexuality and Embodied Resistance in Indigenous Burlesque” on Jan. 24.

The event was held in order to educate and highlight the importance of Indigenous identity and sexuality, which is often oppressed

by Canada’s colonial narratives. Their performances emphasized the resilience and recognition of violence against Indigenous women, among other subjects. Overall, it provides a platform for its performers to demonstrate control of their bodies in a positive way.

Scarlet Delirium’s performance, for example, was a beautiful presentation in honour of her Nation and her homelands. For “Medicine In Our Very Bones”, she danced to a song about land protectors and water defenders.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS MONTH

FEB. 6

NEWS BRIEF Ivy Edad

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tors involved; she was worried about contributing to the oversexualization of Indigenous women’s bodies and that, by doing so, she may be perpetuating the violence that society encourages against Indigenous women.

Later, she concluded that the positive sexual Indigeneity central to Virago Nation allowed her to represent their own communities and, by extension, allowed her audience to learn from and heal with her.

First and foremost, Virago Nation performs for the Indigenous community. The healthy representation of Indigenous sexuality is a way of healing from the intergenerational trauma that has been caused by ongoing colonization, the panellists explained.

Virago Nation will be holding workshops and performing at KPU at least two more times in the future. Updates on these events will be announced on their website soon.

free.

FEB. 12

TALK: SECURITY & PRIVACY ON THE INTERNET

Join KPU Manager of Network Operations and security specialist Robert Ball as he shares cyber security tips on how to stay safe and keep your information secure while browsing the web.

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm,

Surrey Cedar 1205A, free.

FEB. 16

WRITING BOOTCAMP

Drop by to attend workshops on a number of topics like how to deal with writer’s block, how to self-edit and how to properly quote, summarize, and cite sources.

10:00 am - 3:45 pm,

Surrey Fir 120, free.

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NEWS

Student U-Pass Program to be Voted on Via KSA Referendum

KPU students will choose whether to accept a fee increase in order to keep a program that saves transit users $133.00 per month Braden Klassen | Staff Writer If you are a KPU student and you’re reading this, it is statistically probable that you use a U-Pass card to transit to school.

According to TransLink’s 2017 annual report on the U-Pass program, 61 per cent of KPU students who paid the U-Pass fee used their cards. The report also shows that, in the fall 2017 semester, an average of 13,203 KPU students were eligible and paid the monthly fee of $41.00. Of those eligible, 61 per cent used their pass, eight per cent enabled but did not use it, and 31 per cent did not enable or use it at all.

A TransLink three-zone pass costs $174.00 per month, meaning that students who use the pass regularly save $133.00 a month. If approximately 61 per cent, or 8,054 eligible students, used their passes in the fall semester, they would collectively save $1,071,159 per month—or $4,284,637 over the entire semester—by not paying the regular fare for a three-zone monthly transit pass.

Approximately 4,092 students paid the fee without using the card, which means that over the course of the fall semester, $2,848,679 was collectively paid by students who did not use the program.

The contract for the U-Pass program is up for renewal and will require a monthly fee increase of $1.50 plus two per cent per

year starting on May 1, 2020. Noah Berson, Vice-President of External Relations for the Capilano Students Union and U-Pass Student Co-Chair, says that students who make use of the pass generally use it at least 20 times a month, and that the fee increase matches a general increase in TransLink fees across the region.

“It’s a steep fee increase that is far less than TransLink is increasing their fees, which is excellent,” he says.

“It provides an incentive for TransLink because we have all of these folks that understand how to use the transit system, and are commuting by transit everyday, who maybe wouldn’t have gone on in the rest of their life to become transit users,” he continues. “But now that they’ve been introduced through this program, [they] go on to use transit consistently in their day-to-day life and really take congestion off the roads.”

The 2017 report also found that the U-Pass program is linked to a measurable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions—from 9,652 tonnes in 2016 to 10,998 tonnes in 2017.

David Piraquive, KSA Vice-President Student Life, says that he is in favour of students voting “yes” on the referendum question.

“In my own opinion, students should vote ‘yes’ because students are saving a ton of money by using the U-Pass,” he says. “But some say it’s too costly. Some students argue that it’s

Patrick from KSA Campaigns is hoping to save the U-Pass. What do you think?

(Kristen Frier) not fair; that, ‘If we’re paying for the U-Pass, why do we still have to pay for parking?’”

The KSA also offers exemptions and hardship bursaries available for students who meet certain criteria. However, as KSA Executive Director Ben Newsom points out, exemptions are different from opt-outs.

“If you go and ask any group of people, there are a million reasons why people choose to opt out,” he says. “It’s understandable, it’s an extra amount of money they have to pay to

get a credential.”

The on-campus referendum on Feb. 12 and 13 will ask students to vote on this question: “Do you agree to continue the U-Pass BC program for all eligible Kwantlen Polytechnic University students at $42.50 per month beginning May 1, 2020; and allow for up to a 2% annual increase (with fees rounded to the nearest nickel) thereafter?”

The Future of KPIRG Rests in Students’ Hands

Voters will decide whether or not to redistribute the PIRG fund to scholarships and bursaries on Feb. 12 and 13 Aly Laube | Editor in Chief The Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group, the on-campus organization which has been struggling to function normally since filing a notice of civil claim against its founder Richard Hossein last year, could soon be left without a penny to its name.

In May, the Kwantlen Student Association voted to stop remitting fees to KPIRG, a decision that was made due to the belief that— by using student funds irresponsibly, as was alleged in the notice of civil claim—the group had violated its autonomy agreement with the KSA and could not be trusted to make proper use of student fees.

As such, KPIRG has been functioning with zero revenue, surviving through the last eight-and-a-half months solely off of its previously collected funds.

On Dec. 15, the KSA told the university to stop collecting a PIRG fee, so as of Fall 2019, no new fees will accumulate in the fund. Furthermore, the student association voted to put to referendum whether or not it should take all of KPIRG’s remaining money and redistribute it into “the creation and support of scholarships and bursaries.” Students will answer this question by casting their ballots during the KSA elections on Feb. 12 and 13.

By bringing the question to referendum, the KSA hopes to give students the power to make their own decision about KPIRG, according to KSA President Joseph Thorpe.

“If students are paying into something, it

should be for their benefit. That’s really where the referendum question came from,” he says.

“If they want that money to go to scholarships and bursaries, that’s their decision. If they don’t want that, if they want KPIRG to keep the fund there, then that’s their prerogative.”

Thorpe abstained from the vote to put the question of KPIRG’s funding to referendum at the Dec. 15 meeting of council. While he understands the group’s concerns about how it will operate without student fees, he reiterates that the PIRG is ineligible for funding without having a functioning autonomy agreement with the KSA. Simon Massey, who is on KPIRG’s board of directors and has been the face of the organization since the fraud scandal broke in March, is nervous about what’s to come for the group.

He says that the future of KPIRG “all depends on the KSA,” although the organization is “still trying to remain relevant” and “trying to get back on [its] feet.”

“We’re still trying to support events as best we can, although our budget is starting to really tighten up,” says Massey. “We’re down to one staff member and I don’t think we can afford to replace our outreach coordinator, whose term ended in the summer, and our research coordinator’s term ended in the fall.”

Massey explains that, due to the lack of funding and the departure of staff members, KPIRG will have to rely more on volunteer work in order to sustain itself.

“Ideally, [the KSA] wouldn’t stop collecting [the PIRG fee], it wouldn’t convert to bursa-

KPIRG board member Simon Massey remains at work in the research group's off-campus office. (Kristen Frier) ries, and they’d just keep giving it to KPIRG, but that’s obviously what I want as someone who still sees the value in KPIRG’s work,” adds Massey. “It’s still my hope that KPIRG would be able to prove itself.”

To build KPIRG back up, Thorpe says that the team needs to make sure that they’re “internally strong” and are organizing community and advocacy-based initiatives.

“I think a PIRG is a benefit on campus and I hope that, in the future, it starts up again and the KSA can work with them to bring it back, because it works for advocacy on so many levels,” he says.

The board is also considering how it will proceed with its civil suit against Hossein as the window to take action will soon be closing. Whether their financial position will allow for this, however, is uncertain.

“If we proceed fully with litigation, it would be great if [the KSA] would fund it," says Massey. "They could bestow any amount of that fee to KPIRG for any PIRG-related purposes. It’s very open as to what they could do.”

“I think KPIRG needs to really think about if the litigation is worth the cost,” responds Thorpe. “[But] I can’t have a stance on a legal battle that I’m not a part of as president.”

NEWS

Low Attendance at KSA General Election “All Candidates” Meeting Causes Confusion

KPU Aboriginal Gathering Place to Take New Direction

Only 40 per cent of the candidates attended the meeting before campaigning began Braden Klassen | Staff Writer All candidates meetings are organized before Kwantlen Student Association elections to ensure that eligible candidates understand the rules and responsibilities before campaigning begins. It is typically at these meetings that The Runner interviews the candidates for a pre-election profile in order to inform KPU students about each of nominees’ platforms and experience.

For the upcoming election on Feb. 12 and 13, the candidates were asked to attend a meeting scheduled for Jan. 28 in the Birch building. While all candidates meetings have been relatively well-attended in the past, with only a handful of candidates absent, that was not the case this time; only 14 of the 35 total candidates were present.

“It’s lower than what I would expect,” says KSA Chief Returning Officer Ron Laufer, who organizes and hosts the all candidates meetings. “Not attending has the potential for candidates to make more mistakes in their campaign than somebody who comes to the meeting, and in the end, those candidates tend to ask me more questions by phone or email because they’re confused.”

There was reportedly some confusion between Laufer and a few of the candidates

leading up to the meeting, including a typo in one of the candidate’s email addresses and a potential issue with the eligibility of a submitted nomination package. Laufer says these issues have since been resolved.

Minutes from a September 2018 Appointments Committee meeting addressed the problem of low attendance from members of the KSA. According to the minutes: “There are individuals who have been members for a long time and have either never shown up or haven’t shown up in a long time; this applies to both student members and council members.”

Murdoch de Mooy, KSA VP University Affairs, says he is hopeful that those running in the election plan to attend all of the association’s meetings that they can.

“It’s rather disappointing, but my hope is that they understood the nomination package rules sufficiently,” he says. “Some students are unavailable at that time, and if that’s the case, I hope that they seek other means to be informed.”

When meetings are not sufficiently attended, they might not meet the minimum quorum to pass or discuss certain motions.

“If a committee doesn’t meet, then council and the KSA as a whole loses that ability to have experts [on the committee] that discuss topics at length and figure out recommenda-

Amei-lee Laboucan | Contributor

(Kristen Frier) tions that would be the best course so we can make sure that students are always given the best option,” he says.

The Runner’s profile of the KSA candidates is included in the “Features” section of this issue.

Unfortunately, less than half of those running in the election responded to requests for interview by press time. Any additional profiles will be added to the web version of the article over the coming week.

KSA Council Hasn’t Posted Meeting Minutes Since July of Last Year The association says a vacancy in its records coordinator and archivist position is the cause of missing council and committee minutes Fatima Romero-Afi Transcribed records from the Kwantlen Student Association’s council meetings have not been posted to the KSA website since July of last year. In addition, nearly all of the minutes from the association’s committee meetings are absent from the website beginning in September.

Recording and posting these minutes is the responsibility of the Records Coordinator and Archivist (RCA), but according to the KSA that position has been vacant for months.

Making the minutes from the student association’s meetings available online is not only a measure to keep the KSA accountable and open to its members, it is a directive from the association’s bylaws. According to 11.3(d) of the KSA Bylaws, the Speaker of Council shall, “post, or cause to be posted, the minutes of meetings of Council, not including in-camera minutes, no more than five (5) business days after the meeting of Council at which the minutes were approved.”

“Usually we have an RCA. They’re really quick on the ball, and … have a very in-depth understanding of the by-laws, so they will obviously raise a concern, like ‘Hey the minutes aren’t complete,’ or ‘I’m missing something; can we please get this done?’” says KSA President Joseph Thorpe. “When we don’t

have someone in that position, it gets harder.”

Thorpe explains that, without an RCA, councillors who do not have minute taking experience are required to jot down notes throughout the association’s meeting. This potentially leaves many of the KSA’s records formatted incorrectly or incomplete.

“That’s why [the RCA is] such a core member, but it’s such a unique skill set that it has been really difficult finding a replacement,” says Thorpe. “It’s a giant issue if [the minutes are] not up. The KSA tries its best to make sure that they’re up. That’s why we have that position.”

Ben Newsom, the KSA’s executive director, was unavailable for an interview before press time. According to Thorpe, Newsom is currently holding two full time jobs at the KSA, and has access to files from the previous meetings, but has been having trouble balancing his workload. Although individual members of the association have tried to take meeting minutes in the absence of an RCA, making sure that the minutes have been completed properly before revealing them to the public is a large part of the job that Newsom has not had time to address.

Without access to the meeting minutes, council members aren’t able to reference the notes if they need to look anything up. This is irritating for them, Thorpe notes, and may

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A sign points the way to the KSA offices.

(Kristen Frier) lead to a misunderstanding of what the KSA has been doing since last summer.

Primarily, though, he wants students to know that he is sorry that the minutes are not up, and that he and his team are trying to resolve the issue as quickly as they can.

As of press time, minutes from the last seven KSA Council meetings are absent from the website.

Changes are coming to KPU’s Aboriginal Gathering Place, known for now as simply the Gathering Place, under the direction of the Indigenous Advisory Committee. The decision to rename the space, made on Jan. 28, reflects a move made earlier this year to change the name of KPU’s Aboriginal Services to Indigenous Services for Students.

The Gathering Place on the university’s Surrey campus also has a new Indigenous Support Services Manager, Len Pierre, who hired Indigenous Liaison Ethan Semple. Both Pierre and Semple were a part of the decision to rename the space, which is intended to be a placeholder until meaningful consultation can take place to give it an Indigenous name.

Steve Cardwell, Associate Vice President Academic at KPU, hopes that the Gathering Place will become a hub for Indigeneity and a place for all students to learn about Indigenous culture.

The goal of renaming and refocusing the initiatives of the Gathering Place is to embed Indigeneity into the culture at KPU, which Cardwell says can only be achieved through continued “sustained efforts” by the university. One example of this would be requiring students to take at least one course that focuses on Indigenous perspective, which only a handful of post-secondary schools in Canada currently do.

The Gathering Place has resources available to all students on the Surrey campus. Pierre is hoping to expand its offerings to other campuses and hold events at all five campuses. Students can look forward to this in the coming months, he says.

Lekeyten, KPU’s Elder in Residence, also hopes that the Gathering Place’s role can expand. He would like to see both grandmothers and grandfathers from the various nations whose land KPU campuses reside on become Elders in Residence. He would also like to extend the office and service hours available there.

To Lekeyten, being an Elder in Residence and sharing the oral histories and cultures of the Indigenous people within B.C. is crucial to ensuring that important knowledge isn’t lost.

On Jan. 30, there was a Talking Circle event at the Gathering Place featuring Trenton Pierre. In April, the Verna J. Kirkness Science and Engineering Education Program will bring a group of high school students to KPU to work on a week-long science project. Also that month, KPU will be hosting Open Doors, Open Minds, an event welcoming Indigenous high school students to the campus. Finally, because June 21 is Indigenous Peoples Day, Pierre wants to hold events throughout the duration of the month.

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NEWS

Federal Committee to Develop National Framework Governing On-Campus Sexual Violence Policies

Minister Maryam Monsef says federal oversight is needed to update the “hodgepodge of policies” currently in place across the country Cristian Hobson-Dimas | Contributor During the first meeting of a newly appointed advisory committee tasked with drafting a Canada-wide framework to combat sexual violence in post-secondary institutions, Minister for Women and Gender Equality Maryam Monsef made it clear that the federal standard needs to be raised, according to the National Post.

During the meeting, which took place in mid-January, Monsef referred to the structure currently in place at institutions across Canada as a “hodgepodge of policies” that colleges and universities had adopted “to varying success.”

Another member of the committee—the national chair of Students for Consent Culture Canada (SFCC), Connor Spencer—said that “federal oversight is an important step in changing the culture that exists on these campuses, and the provinces and the federal government will have to work together on this.” She added that many of the laws currently in place don’t meet the SFCC’s “minimum standards” for addressing sexual assault on campus, such as clear timelines for responding to sexual violence complaints.

How long students have to wait for responses to their complaints was also brought up in a 2018 Maclean’s article entitled “Canadian Universities Are Failing Students on Sexual Assault.” The article profiles several students who attest to the high level of social and emotional stress that their college or university’s

sexual violence policy puts on them as survivors of assault, causing many of them to drop out of classes entirely.

In an email to The Runner, a spokesperson for minister Monsef outlined the importance of a unified national policy across all Canadian campuses.

“Our government is introducing a process to develop a harmonized national framework because we believe that everyone should be protected against gender-based violence, and that all survivors should have equal access to supports, regardless of where they live or study,” reads the email. “That process will involve working closely with our provincial and territorial partners, along with other stakeholders, to protect young people across Canada.”

Unlike many other countries, Canada does not have a federal department in charge of education. Instead, responsibility for maintaining the standards of post-secondary institutions is decentralized amongst the provinces. Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s policies addressing sexual assault and misconduct, for example, were designed to comply with the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Section C-6 of that policy states that “the University will respond in a timely manner to disclosures, complaints, and reports of sexual violence and misconduct.”

If a federal framework governing post-secondary institutions' responses to on-campus sexaul violence is passed, KPU will likely have to add a specific timeline for responding to

Maryam Monsef, Canada's Minister of Status of Women. (Wiki.commons) complaints to its policies.

“This framework will help universities, colleges, and CEGEPs when developing or updating their plans and policies on campus violence and will provide guidance on elements like principles, prevention, support, training, response, accountability, and reporting,” the spokesperson for Monsef wrote in the email to The Runner. “To get this right, we are work-

ing with post-secondary institutions, student groups, survivors, provincial & territorial governments, front-line service workers, and other stakeholders. The national framework is a tool that will require colleges, universities, and CEGEPs to provide a base level of support to survivors and protect students against gender-based violence.”

Indigenous Student Council Holds First Meeting The newly-created council is looking to increase the impact of Indigenous students at KPU Amei-lee Laboucan | Contributor Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Indigenous Student Council held its first meeting on Jan. 18. Among the items on the agenda were initiatives to get more Indigenous students at KPU involved in the council and coming up with event ideas for Indigenous Awareness Month in June.

The Indigenous Student Council is the brainchild of Samantha Jack, a third-year political science student. She believes that, because Indigenous students are already at the school all the time, “it just made more sense” to have a student council on campus.

The idea came to her while she was attending an Indigenous Advisory Committee meeting in December. There, leaders from the nations whose land KPU resides on, as well as representatives from the local school districts, discussed ways to Indigenize KPU. The goal of the council is to help KPU function at the same level as the University of British Columbia or Simon Fraser University “because they have such a great support network” for their Indigenous students, according to Jack.

Right now at the university, there isn’t a platform for “Indigenous students to voice their concerns or voice their needs,” she says.

Jack believes that the best way to create positive change for Indigenous students is to give

them a platform for their voices to be heard, to help them create meaningful change within the Kwantlen community, and to work with the Indigenous Advisory Committee.

“I think that this is so instrumental to the future of Kwantlen and their pledge to Indigenization and their honouring of the truth and reconciliation,” says Jack.

Other students involved include Joseph Thorpe, the queer representative and president of the Kwantlen Student Association, and Sarah Strachan, its Indigenous representative. Both Strachan and Thorpe have shown excitement about the new council and share Jack’s desire for a platform where Indigenous students can voice their needs and concerns.

The new organization’s first order of business is to raise awareness about the Indigenous Student Council by putting up posters at all campuses and displaying a message on Eagle Eye, the programming on television screens across KPU. They’re hoping to attract Indigenous students who may not have self-identified as Indigenous with the school yet. Those interested in self-identifying can do so through the Gathering Place in the Main building on the Surrey campus.

The council’s second order of business is to hold a protest on the Surrey campus in the coming weeks to support the land rights and title of the Wet’suwet’en people who were forcibly removed from their traditional land following

Members of the Indigenous Student Council pose for a photo in the Gathering Place.

(Amei-lee Laboucan) the dismantling of a gated checkpoint by the B.C. RCMP on Jan. 7. The police arrested 14 people that day for violating an injunction which would allow Coastal Gaslink to start working on its natural gas pipeline.

Another topic of discussion raised at the Indigenous Student Council meeting was which events could be held in June during Indigenous Awareness Month. The council also talked about offering better training for instructors who are going to teach courses that have Indigenous-related content. This sugges-

tion arose from an uncomfortable situation Jack experienced with a history professor who suggested that Indigenous issues don’t matter because Indigenous people represent two per cent of the Canadian population.

The Indigenous Student Council will be meeting every three weeks for two hours.

Their next meeting will be on Feb. 8 at 1:30 pm in the Gathering Place on the Surrey campus. All Indigenous students are welcome and encouraged to join the council.

8 FEATURES

Meet the Candidates in the Upcoming KSA By-Election

Find out who you want to give your vote to when the polls open on Feb. 12 and 13

Aly Laube | Editor in Chief, Connor Doyle | Managing Editor, and Tristan Johnston | Contributor It’s February, which means that KPU students are putting their names forward to run in the Kwantlen Student Association’s upcoming by-election. Right now there are 35 names on the list of potential future politicians hoping to win their say in KPU’s student-funded, student-driven governmental body.

You, as paying members of the KSA (check your tuition fees to find out exactly how much you pay), are the only demographic on campus with the power to decide who will get elected. To get a better idea of whose name you want to write down on the ballot, you can read more about the candidates below.

All statements have been edited for length and clarity.

Surrey Campus Representative (1 Position Available)

Manthan Kaushal | Business Management Why are you running for this position?

I’m running to help both international and domestic students. I want to take on some issues with the U-Pass, some food issues. I also want to discuss some library issues.

I want to study on Saturdays and Sundays but [those days] are not so good. And the gymnasium is only open from Monday to Friday, so that’s one of the issues I want to bring up.

Langley Campus Representative (1 Position Available)

Lincoln Saugstad | Policy Studies and Sustainability Why are you running for this position?

I’m going to be in Langley this semester [and] I’m going to be there as long as I’m still at university. I was on the senate last year so through that I got to sit on the board of the KSA as a senate representative. I’ve been to two or three council meetings and I chair two committees. I’m chair of the external affairs committee and the sustainability committee, and I’ve been involved with the environmental sustainability committee since I started at Kwantlen.

Why should students vote for you?

I bring a lot of interest and engagement and passion to this role.

I’ve developed a lot of experience and I already have an upper hand compared to some candidates that haven’t had that opportunity yet. I know what I’m getting into, what I’m able to do and what I’m not able to do.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

In terms of how I’d like to see the KSA develop, first it would be getting a better understanding of what the KSA is doing for students, and what areas it can improve on.

Why should students vote for you?

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I have my own charity organization. My charity’s name is “Unselfish True” and I run that organization with one of my friends. We do charity on East Hastings for homeless people. We bring clothes, food, and water, and sanitary pads for the women. So I want to build up the students [at KPU] by focusing on moral values. The main thing [I want to do] is help the students.

First of all I would be accountable because of all the work I’m doing, and all the initiatives I would bring forward would be confronted by other members of council. Otherwise, I hope to be a good representative. I’m open to people contacting me, talking to me about issues. I’ll have presence on the Langley campus, so students can contact me directly.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

Arts Representative (3 Positions Available)

I want a little bit of extra promotion about the plans, like there are dental plans, cleaning plans, [but] most of the students don’t know about them. So I want to increase that promotion. I want to bring on extra volunteers, so that every student gets the benefit [of these plans].

Bilan Hassan | Anthropology

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I’ve done a lot of volunteering for the orientation so I mentor first year students, not only with the arts but with what life’s like in general inside the university. I definitely want to be a voice for arts students, and a lot of it is because of our challenges, even getting into our courses, or courses unexpectedly getting dropped or cancelled.

By being honest and responsible. It’s a simple thing. Honest and responsible by doing my best with all my duties. If [the students] need something they can just ask me. I’m very open, at this university everyone knows me, so they can just come directly to me and tell me their problems.

Tech Campus Representative (1 Position Available)

Jeremy Law | Computer Aided Drafting and Design Why are you running for this position?

Someone was like, “Would you like to run? Because KPU Tech is usually very underrepresented,” and I was like, “[That campus has] been big for me because I’ve been part of it since my district program in Grade 12 year.” I just wanted to give back in a way that was more proactive.

Why should students vote for you?

I have this eagerness and this passion to learn about the position but also learn about the ways that I can help KPU Tech feel not like just a school you’re going to, to feel like it’s part of who you are, that it’s a home. For me, I always felt like that, like KPU Tech was a home for me, and I want other people to feel the same way.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

For my campus, I would love more events because it’s usually bland. We have a nice cafeteria and KPU Richmond has their Farmers Market, KPU Surrey has the many events that they hold, and I think KPU Tech should be also given that opportunity to hold those events and to have students be engaged in them.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I would make sure that there would be a direct line to me to make sure that if anyone had any issues … [they will be able] to be honest about that and their safety concerns. I would also like to be able to get to know my student body and make sure they know that I’m representing them.

Why are you running for this position?

Why should students vote for you?

I’ve been on council before and I’m currently Langley campus rep. I definitely know what the KSA does, what we can do, what we can’t do. In terms of being a representative, I feel like, as the current campus rep., I’m able to hold some events and it would be the same for arts. I’m hoping to do some events for arts students, hold some graduation events, and address concerns in the arts programs in general.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

Nothing much; just keeping more diversity and having different voices is what I would like to see.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

By attending all the meetings … [and] setting meetings in places where the arts program is attended. That’s one thing that would hold me accountable, and through written history from the council meetings.

David Piraquive | Political Science and History Why are you running for this position?

I’m really passionate about advocating for students. It’s something that I’ve done in the past and I just want to inform students about the services we have, which is something I’ve been doing in the past by doing classroom announcements, talking to students during events, going to new student orientation. We provide a lot of essential services for students and I want them to get bang for their buck.

Why should students vote for you?

I believe that the platform that I have will benefit students. I want to

advocate more for on-campus mental health resources, better transit, more core funding for post-secondary institutions. There’s also a federal election coming up, and I’ve been involved in previous Get Out the Vote campaigns, so I also want to head that if re-elected.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

One thing I’ve definitely done in the past has been more outreach to campuses. One thing that I failed to do was reach out to my other elected officials, so I want to work more with all of the other campuses reps to see how we can do outreach to other campuses. It was a little bit hard for me being an exec, because there’s a period of time where you basically have to get used to the role and to learn it, and other things come up, but I feel like I’m more prepared now to do that.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I would say just trying to do the best I can to be transparent, writing reports of everything that I do and just being honest with students, letting them know where they can see those reports.

They’re accessible online.

Business Representative (5 Positions Available)

Simranjit Dhaliwal | Business Management Why are you running for this position?

I’m a business student, and basically I know everything about business, so if students face any problems I can help them solve their problems.

Why should students vote for you?

I’m so friendly to everyone, and everyone knows me. If they have any problems or queries about business then I will definitely try to solve it and tell [the problem] to my seniors so they can solve it. [That way] all students can get opportunities and we can get new courses for business.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

Most students don’t know about the Kwantlen Student Association.

When I came to KPU last year I didn’t know. So I want each and every student to know [about the KSA] and [as a Business Representative] I would definitely go to them and talk to them. I would talk to them about [KSA] Council, and they could tell their problems to me and I would tell them to Council.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I’m an international student, so I will try to guide them through the business courses, because when I came there was no one to guide me. So I would just try to guide all the students so that they could choose the right courses, and I would take care of them.

Mayur Gupta | Business Management Why are you running for this position?

Because I am from business, and I am [earning a] business diploma.

Why should students vote for you?

I will help them, so when they have a query, they can just meet me. And I will always be available, so they can just come tell me what the issue is.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

A major concern is, when [students] register for a course, [the university] changes the professor, it’s very difficult. Last semester I had a good teacher, but after that, it was too difficult for me to get from this teacher. So I want to change this.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I will help everyone. When everyone comes [to me], I will help them.

Arshdeep Dharni | Accounting Why are you running for this position?

To be honest, I have no idea what the duties and responsibilities are under the KSA business representative. I have volunteering experience and other business-related experience and it will help me in the future, so that’s why I choose it. To be honest, I’m such an introverted person, I just wanted to

make contact with other [people].

Why should students vote for you?

I work hard. To be honest, they don’t know what kind of person I am, so I don’t know why. I just want to collect experience with different people and I will do my best to help them out.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

I would like to introduce more concepts about business for students who don’t know what the positions are. I would like to introduce something different so that everyone would like to get involved in business and business-related fields. Most people here are trying to finish their studies and complete a degree, so I would like to do some events so that people will take interest and show interest in business instead of their degrees.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I would try my best to represent myself in every meeting and every situation and if I found any difficulty I would talk with my team members.

Amrinder Singh Sidhu | Accounting Wants to switch to marketing.

Why are you running for this position?

I feel that I have to run for this position, because in the past year, all business representative, they didn’t do anything.

No one wanted to change anything important.

Why should students vote for you?

I’m already an orientation leader. I’m a junior orientation leader, so I have leadership ability. I also know more about KPU programs, like accounting and business management and peer tutoring. I also have good grades.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

I just want it to be simple, so new students can understand it easily.

When I [first] came here, I had so many difficulties to find my course.

I just came here with my accounting one, but I don’t know what KPU has in [the] marketing program, so that’s why I have to shift it now. If I knew that already, I would already take a marketing course.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I just started to maintain all these things. Focus on my studying and get a good GPA, and help the students with their programs. Mainly the new students have more problems with faculty, so I want to try to help them.

Why should students vote for you?

I am committed to continuing my work to bring more events, opportunities, and awareness to the KPU students around Indigenous people and our cultures, languages, and reconciliation.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

I have gotten to know a lot about the KSA over the last year, and there isn't much I would change. I think the challenge of getting students more involved is always a thing, and it is something that we are all working towards and trying to figure out together.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I am usually always at the Gathering Place or near the KSA offices if someone needs to find me. I am also continuously near my phone or computer and answer fairly quickly when needed. Right courses, and I would take care of them.

Students with Disabilities Representative (1 Position Available)

Jaya Dhillon | Anthropology Why are you running for this position?

I’m a disability student myself, and I know that what the schools need to accommodate for me needs to be done, so I want to be hands-on in making sure that whatever needs to be accommodated gets done.

I’m hard of hearing, so I’m part of the hard of hearing and deaf community, and part of what they do is sign language classes. The language, the dialect, is hard for me, but also I know that sign language would be not only beneficial to me but people who are teaching programs, who are [working as a] educational assistants or a disability advisor.

Why should students vote for you?

Students know what I have in mind and I think they can rely on me to make sure that what they want, and the needs they bring to the table, I will fight for it in any way I can. I also want to bring a bigger picture onto the disability students. I feel like they’re kind of neglected in some ways. I want students to know, if you’re a disability student, there are so many things you can do here. They just don’t know it yet.

Health Representative (1 Position Available)

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

Matthew Yorston | Going into Nursing

Definitely more funding for disability students, more access for them, more resources for them, as well as having more activities and events solely for the disability students and also for other students so they both can interact.

Why are you running for this position?

I hold the position right now, I got in with the by-election in October. I’ve loved it so far, and what I’ve been doing there. It’s only been four months, so I haven’t done a lot, but I’m excited at what I can do with the extra time.

Why should students vote for you?

In my high school I was on my grad council, and I was a firefighter, and I was on committees with the Fruvale Firefighter Society. I have experience and I’m excited about what I can do. I really love this idea of organizing and planning, so I think I can definitely be helpful, and with my experience, I have the qualities to succeed.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

I think the biggest thing for me is that no one really knows the health rep. exists. As far as I know, my spot was left unfilled for 5 years before I came into it. I think that’s the biggest thing, that we’re seeing a shift away from health, since there has been no representative. So we’re not seeing a lot of programs reaching out to nursing students, when actually we see the most complaints or. So that’s where I’d like to see the most change.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

The biggest thing is they keep track of what council meetings or committees you go to. So right now I’m on Universities Affairs committee, Social Equity and Justice committee, and the Internal committee as well as council. So I think a big thing is, when you see that I’m not attending these committees, which they keep track of, I think going to those meetings is the first biggest thing. The next thing is being accountable when people email me, and responding in an appropriate amount of time, so that they know I’m there and working for them.

Indigenous Students Representative (1 Position Available)

Sarah Strachan | Anthropology The candidate answered questions over email after declining a phone interview Why are you running for this position?

I am running for this position again because I love all the work that I have been able to do over the last year, and to see the

FEATURES

growth in the Indigenous students on campus, and I want to continue doing what I can to see our Indigenous community get stronger.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

Getting feedback. I want to do a suggestion box for disability students who can give feedback through suggestions, and I really do want to reach out to them, and I want them to come to me if anything’s not going the way they think it should be doing. I want them to hold me accountable.

International Students Representative (1 Position Available)

Gurdial Dhindsa | Business Management Why are you running for this position?

I am an international student, so I just want to represent my community, my [fellow] students. I can present their voice, whatever they want to say, I can make their voice reach the [Kwantlen Student] Association.

Why should students vote for you?

I’m just a normal student, like them. I just need a little courage to stand out, so I can make my voice heard to the [KSA]. So whatever the international students need, any help in their studies—I will organize events. I will help the students as a representative.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

Mature Students Representative (1 Position Available)

Jaspal Rai | Accounting Why are you running for this position?

I’m running to bring a change to Kwantlen on behalf of all the students, to make sure that they have a voice. Sometimes students don’t know who they can talk to. They usually don’t know where to go with some kinds of issues, so I’m trying to make an image for myself so that if students have problems or need guidance they can come to me.

Why should students vote for you?

Students should vote for me because I’m going to bring a change.

Last year, some representatives weren’t willing to bring the changes that they said they were going to bring, so I was concerned about that and based on that I wanted to run this year.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

The main issue that we have is that there aren’t enough events happening. People aren’t socializing with each other. There weren’t enough events happening after classes or where everyone could come and socialize and make new friends, especially international students. They don’t have any guidance for where they should be going. They’re just coming to class and after class they don’t know what they do to make new friends.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I’m going to be accountable. I’m going to be on campus four days a week, and I’ll have set times so everyone will know how to contact me, and I’ll be walking around campus so people can approach me whenever they want.

Women's Representative (1 Position Available)

Amei-lee Laboucan | Journalism Why are you running for this position?

I’m running because of the [Runner’s] pitch meetings.

In every pitch list that I got over almost two years, there’s seemingly no representation for women on campus. I just thought that if the position is open and there’s zero representation, I can’t possibly do worse than what was being done before.

Women’s advocacy is [also] something that I hopefully can do with my life and with my career beyond school.

Why should students vote for you?

I only want students to vote for me if they feel like I’m someone who can represent them in the way that they want to be represented, and hopefully, in that position, I’ll be able to represent women on campus in a positive way. I feel confident that I can do that.

What would you like to change within the Kwantlen Student Association?

One of the things I’m hoping to do if I do get elected is immediately try to start a women of colour representative or a collective because I think women’s issues are important, but I also think that women of colour need a separate space to sort of deal with some of the issues they deal with. They need a safe space to do so, just like how women need a safe space from men to be able to deal with a lot of their struggles that don’t necessarily relate to men.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

I really just want to be involved. I want to be open with the students, and I want students to know that the women’s representative has eyes, has ears, has a voice for them, and I would hope that also includes me being accountable to them, me listening to any concerns they have and putting them forward, and organizing meetings for them to attend as women’s rep.

Candidates who did not respond to interview requests by press time: Academic and Career Advancement (1 Position Available) Henry To

The Kwantlen Student Association is pretty much all good, but I would try to make certain changes, like I would try to build a good relationship between students and the KSA. I will organize the association’s events, so that students can get good information about the KSA. The KSA has a lot of good things, but we don’t have much information regarding that.

Arts Representative (3 Positions Available)

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency?

Business Representative (5 Positions Available)

As I mentioned, I’m an international student, so I will be in a good position already if I am [elected].

9

Koushal Charan Harkeerat Gill Harjapleen (Japleen) Kaur Katelyn Plamondon Amandeep Singh

Vanshi Kapoor Prabhdeep Lidhar Bakhsdip Mann Karan Saggu Dhruv Shahi

Science and Horticulture Representative (2 Positions Available) Ravjot Dadial Victoria Kalitowski

Students of Colour Representative (1 Position Available)

Bhavkaran Aujla Mohammed (Amir) Mukim International Students Representative (1 Position Available) Shivam Kataria

Langley Campus Representative (1 Position Available) Paramjit Singh

Richmond Campus Representative (1 Position Available) Gurjant Dhillon Damanpreet Garcha

10 FEATURES

Community Support Offers Hope for Students Living with Eating Disorders Those who are struggling can find help from their school, their community, and each other Braden Klassen | Staff Writer

There are a few clinically-recognized types of struggling to ignore or hide their symptoms eating disorders in the American Psychology from others. This prejudice can be felt particuAssociation’s Diagnostic and Statistical Man- larly strongly by men with eating disorders. ual of Mental Disorders, known commonly as “I’ve learned to be careful about who I share the DSM V. this with,” says Graeme, a second-year stuAnorexia nervosa manifests in behaviour dent at The University of the Fraser Valley. which prevents maintenance of a healthy “Mostly it’s the stigma and shame, and that weight, including restricting calorie intake one rule for guys which is, ‘Don’t be weak; due to a fear of weight gain and distorted don’t be a pussy.’” self-perception.

Graeme, who asked to be referred to only Binge-eating disorder refers to repeatedly by his first name, has been going through eating large quantities of food regardless of treatment for his eating disorder for over a hunger levels, and is often accompanied by feel- decade, and was first admitted to the hosings of guilt, depression, or psychological stress. pital in 2006 after the level of potassium in Bulimia nervosa is a disorder characterized his blood dropped so low that he was at risk by alternation between food restriction and of having a heart attack. At the time he was binge-eating. It can cause repeated episodes experiencing hair loss and was having diffiof “purging” food through self-induced vom- culty standing up. iting in order to stop weight gain.

In the years since then, Graeme has been Eating disorders can lead to life-threaten- involved in a number of institutional treating complications like malnutrition and heart ments and programs for eating disorder failure, as well as adversely affecting mental recovery such as group therapy, nutritional health and wellbeing in one’s personal, pro- programs, and even eye movement desenfessional, and academic life. sitization and reprocessing psychotherapy, A 2005 BC study at St. Paul’s Hospital con- which asks patients to recall traumatic events cluded that, over the course of 20 years, 1 in 10 while moving their eyes side-to-side. people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa would In 2015, he took part in an ayahuasca cerdie from complications related to the disorder. emony on Vancouver Island in the hopes of Eleven years later, the Ontario Community addressing and understanding his trauma Outreach Program for Eating Disorders pub- through psychedelic experiences. lished a report based on data from Statistics He stayed at St. Paul’s hospital from OctoCanada which claims that between 725,000 ber 2017 to January 2018 before moving to and 1,088,000 Canadians meet the diagnostic the Discovery Vista House residential treatcriteria for having an eating disorder. ment program until May. Vista collaborates While statistics on the subject vary, the con- with St. Paul’s eating disorder program and sensus among experts seems to be that people “involves intensive group and individual psywho could be diagnosed with an eating disorder chotherapy” for up to 10 residents at a time, have a lower rate of self-reporting than those according to information available online. who are dealing with other kinds of disorders. The residents live together and help support Social, cultural, and self-esteem issues, as well one another through the treatment. as traumatic experiences, can all contribute “When you have that sense of connection it towards worsening a person’s eating disorder. does help significantly; knowing that you’re Stigma against people with mental disorders not isolated, that you can actually talk to somepersists in our society, and it can cause those body without filtering your words or expecting

a weird response from somebody,” says Graeme.

As a student, Graeme feels that living with an eating disorder, or any other mental health disorder, can present enormous challenges when it comes to working and studying.

“I don’t think that students with an eating disorder or depression or anxiety disorders suffer any more or less than each other, but it definitely is a big energy drain on top of what is already expected of you as a student,” he says. “There are few things as fundamental as eating, and given how many things go wrong when you’re not doing it properly, I’d say 40 to 60 per cent of your thought energy is going towards that.”

Resources for Recovery There are a number of services and programs that aim to support people who deal with eating disorders and help them along with their recovery. Online resources like the National Eating Disorder Information Centre website provide information, a helpline, instant chat, a service provider directory, and even volunteer opportunities and student placements in their organization.

Kelty Eating Disorders, based in B.C., has a website containing educational information, a crisis helpline, and a list of treatment options ranging from nutritional counselling to art therapy. It can also points people in the direction of local resources and mental help experts.

For students at KPU, there is the Counselling Services office, and Peer Support, which can offers students one-on-one time with other KPU students or graduates.

“We’d tend to prioritize the eating disorder because of the potential impact on various aspects of the student’s health,” says Nick Phillips, Director KPU Counselling Services.

There is an increasing amount of scientific literature that suggests that depression and anxiety disorders are a growing problem

among adults in North America, and that they represent the most common mental health issues that students face.

KPU Counselling and Peer Support are equipped to help students face depression and anxiety disorders as well, but because of the extensive complications caused by eating disorders, referring students to external resources is their primary goal.

“For the volume we have, and for the type of service we have, ensuring that students can get good referrals and good connections with medical professionals outside the university seems the best way for us to go right now,” says Phillips. “You’d typically have a GP. You might have a psychiatrist. You probably have a psychotherapist, and you probably have nutritional support. So you have those things in a group, and of course, three of those four things we don’t have at KPU.” Phillips says that Counselling Services experiences distinct peaks in students reaching out for help near October and March of every year, around the time when students are taking midterm exams. Counseling Services have intake through appointments and dropin sessions from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on different campuses.

“Having more avenues to receive support or to eventually connect to the type of support that you want to is always something that could be beneficial for students,” says Jennifer Lingbaoan, Peer Support Coordinator. “When someone comes and they open up about something that could be really personal and is probably impacting their life in various ways, even just coming through the door to our office is a big step for some people, and we don’t take that lightly.”

Like Counselling Services, Peer Support will work to find external resources for students so they can get the help they need.

“When we can’t support [students] directly and we refer, the other piece is trying to

(Graeme) raise awareness, not just about what someone is dealing with, but what are the resources available?” says Lingbaoan. “How can we have that ready and out there so if a student feels that’s something that they need or that they want to look into, it’s ready? They don’t have to take that extra step of sifting through everything on Google trying to figure out what would work for them.”

Lingbaoan says that she suspects that men with eating disorders underreport their issues when their health is in decline.

“According to what I’m aware of about the statistics, it’s typically less common. But

there’s this whole other piece with men and a community or peer to speak to can be an the expectations. Are the numbers accurate? important part of the recovery process.

I don’t know. I’m not too sure about that,” “That sense of community is irreplaceable. she says.

No kind of medication, nothing beyond that “In my experience, I would make an educat- will help as much as knowing people that care ed guess that the ratio of males to females is about you,” he says. “I think that if we can have closer to 50-50 who have eating disorders,” the conversation compassionately, we can all says Graeme. “The reason a lot of this goes get to a much better place. Nothing bad comes unreported is that there is a tremendous from a better understanding of each other and amount of stigma for guys in general talking understanding what’s underlying all of our about their issues.” issues.”

In addition to using medical treatment He adds that while pursuing help is difficult, and institutional resources like psychiatrists “it is a change, but it is always worth it.” and nutritionists, Graeme says that finding

The KPU Counselling office on the Surrey campus is in Main 160 and is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday. The office on the Richmond campus is in Room 1560 and is open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday. The office on Langley campus is in Room 1075 and is open 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday, but is closed from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm daily. Finally, the office on Cloverdale campus is in Room 1120A and is open from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Monday to Thursday.

12 CULTURE

Past and Present Unite in Perfect Harmony at KPU Music Faculty Showcase

“It’s a good way to engage the surrounding community in live music,” says department head Jane Hayes Netanya Castillo When a group of distinguished alumni from KPU’s Music Department returned to the Langley campus on Jan. 25, they did so not to learn from their former instructors, but to make music with them.

The “Past and Present Faculty Showcase” saw three faculty members—Jane Hayes, Dale Throness, and Gail Suderman—perform alongside alumni Natascia Dell’erba, Katie Miller, and Jonny Michel.

Dell’erba, a soprano, has worked as a soloist with organizations such as Bard on the Beach and the Vancouver Symphony, and placed first in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. Katie Miller, a mezzo soprano, is also a professional opera singer who has worked with L’Opera de Montreal as an artist-in-residence. She has won operatic competitions such as the Canadian National Music Festival and the Young Artist’s Encouragement Award. Finally, tenor Jonny Michel is currently the Director of Choral Music at the Langley Fine Arts School, and has been featured in the Vancouver Symphony, Chilliwack Symphony, and Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir, as well as Trinity Western University’s Masterworks Chorus.

Although only recently resurrected, the music faculty showcase dates back to the department’s infancy.

“When we started, we used to have a faculty chamber music series that ran for about

five years but was stopped because of budget cuts,” says department head Jane Hayes. “I decided to resurrect the series three years ago because I felt that students needed the opportunity to hear their instructors perform, and it was a good way to engage the surrounding community in live music.”

The event on Jan. 25 opened with Liebeslieder Waltzes by Johannes Brahms. It is speculated that the folksongs and love poems entwined into the pieces of this opus were inspired by Brahms’s unrequited love for another composer’s wife. The alumni and Throness stood proudly on stage as Hayes and Suderman masterfully played each piece on the Steinway and Sons grand piano.

The contrasting dynamics and pitch-perfect harmonies created a truly operatic atmosphere. Captivated by such melodies, the audience watched in silent awe.

“Last year was the Music Department’s 25th anniversary, and I was a principal organizer of a big alumni celebration,” explains Hayes. “This concert was a natural extension of that event, giving us the chance to bring in alumni to perform with their instructors.”

Soon after intermission, Throness and Hayes performed Songs of Travel by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, with Hayes on piano and Throness singing baritone. The story of this song cycle revolves around the beauties and hardships a traveler faces on their journey through the English countryside. In fact, this specific cycle was

From left: Jonny Michel, Jane Hayes, Natascia Dell'erba, Katie Miller, Gail Suderman, and Dale Throness. (Netanya Castillo) performed in the original faculty chamber series 20 years ago.

For the finale, the grand pianos were placed next to each other to illustrate two generations coming together. The piano duet accompanied the performers in a Canadian

folk song suite called All Around the Circle, which was arranged by John Greer.

Both alumni and audiences will be waiting to see what the future has in store for these inspiring musicians from KPU's award-winning music program.

New Kwantlen St. Winter Market Puts Students First The organizer of KPU’s second seasonal market wants to showcase local talent Kristine Hui | Contributor The Kwantlen St. Winter Market has been many years in the making.

The notion of a mid-week market for the university was first proposed in 2015, when Kwantlen Polytechnic University approached Anne Janzen, the founder of Farm Fresh Events. At the time, Farm Fresh Events produced the North Delta Farmers Market and the Tsawwassen Farmers Market.

A year later, the first annual Kwantlen St. Farmers Market was held in Richmond. The location was chosen because it could accommodate more shoppers than the Surrey campus, and Tuesday was set as the day of the market, which runs from early spring to mid fall every year.

Before long, vendors began remarking about the need for a winter market. This time, Janzen approached KPU with the idea for a market that would start in January and run every Saturday on the Surrey campus.

What makes this market unique, however, is that it showcases the products of KPU students and programs.

“We decided to make it not just about bringing in our vendors to sell local produce, but to make it a special project where we tried to work with the students,” says Janzen. “My job is to create a venue where the students create a sense of ownership, and a sense of pride, and

feel welcome, and feel safe if they want to try out small businesses or have a demonstration.”

Since the 2016 start of the Kwantlen St. Farmers Market, there has been a student vendor program to encourage student participation in the market. The program gives students a 30 per cent discount on the $40 table fee, and is open to KPU alumni as well. Alumni can be part of the program for up to one year—something Marissa Bergeron, a 2011 KPU alumna, is taking advantage of.

While travelling, Bergeron noticed the huge amount of waste left behind at street food stalls. This sparked the idea behind her business, Eat the Dishes, which makes zerowaste street cuisine.

Bergeron debuted Eat the Dishes at the Kwantlen St. Winter Market on Jan. 12.

She offers a selection of soups—which can be made sweet, salty, or savoury by adding different spices—served in edible cups.

Bergeron is grateful for KPU’s support in her venture, saying that “they have always been supportive” of her career.

Two student vendors have joined since the market launched two weeks ago, with more set to come in the following weeks. Janzen is eager to include more KPU students and programs in the market and plans to introduce herself to the various faculties and departments to achieve this goal.

“I am happy to develop some fun projects

Wawa's Jams and Jellies was one of the many vendors at the Kwantlen St. Winter Market. (Kristine Hui) with faculty,” she says. “I’m planning to make myself available to that. If I am doing my job right, I am bringing people in here every week to come and see what is going on and taste what is going on.”

Vendor space is also being reserved for program representatives and faculty. Vendors must “make, bake, or grow the product that they intend to sell, so it is something that they have to create,” she explains.

Janzen envisions the Kwantlen St. Winter Market as a space where students feel welcome to pursue whichever interests or ideas take hold of them. Students can plan events, lead workshops, start businesses, or provide entertainment with her support.

The Kwantlen St. Winter Market runs every Saturday until June 29, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm in the Main Plaza of the Kwantlen Surrey Campus.

CULTURE

13

The History, Traditions, and Celebration of Chinese New Year The Year of the Pig starts on Feb. 5, and the annual festivities have a little something for everyone Jesse Pottinger | Contributor With a history dating back thousands of years, China is considered to be among the oldest continuous civilizations on earth, and Chinese New Year has been practiced in some form since at least the Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 BCE).

As legend has it, the origins of Chinese New Year—known as Spring Festival in China—began with the annual battle against a mythical beast called Nián (the word for “year” in Mandarin). Each New Year’s Eve, villagers were terrorized by the creature, but eventually learned that Nián feared flames, loud noises, and the colour red.

Fast-forward to present day, and red lanterns and decorations adorn streets and homes during the holiday. Red envelopes containing money are traditionally handed out with the belief that they will bring good fortune to the recipient.

“Red is important to Chinese people during the New Year holiday,” says Wenyi Xu, a KPU international student from Shanghai. “The ‘Fu’ character for ‘fortune’ and the couplet ‘Duilian’ are also very important to us. Every family will post a ‘Fu’ word on the door with a red paper.”

As for the loud noise, there’s no shortage of firecrackers set alight during the holiday. China is, after all, the birthplace of gunpowder.

Xu says that, although Spring Festival celebrations only last about two weeks, people will begin preparing for the holiday much earlier.

“Usually every year my family will go to my mother’s mother’s home on New Year’s Eve. My two cousins and their family all come together, so like 20 people [come] together to have a big dinner, and my grandfather, father, mother, aunts, and uncles will give me red pocket money,” she says.

Activities such as eating traditional food, like congee, while preparing for the New Year is also important to the holiday. The type of food eaten is regionally dependent, with dishes like spring rolls, dumplings, hot pot, and steamed fish all holding a special place at the table. For dessert, variations of rice cake, also called New Year cake (Nián Gāo) are found in abundance throughout the country.

“My family eats some Shanghai local food, like some soup. We make our local food, like fish, chicken, seafood. All the types of materials must be included,” says Xu.

Each Spring Festival is represented by one of 12 zodiac signs, depicted by 12 different animals based on the lunar calendar.

The pig—this year’s zodiac symbol—comes last in the 12-animal cycle, said to have been determined by the order in which the animals showed up to a party hosted by the Jade Emperor (not a historical figure, but a Taoist deity).

In order, the animals rank as follows: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal has its own story regarding its position. One tale suggests that the pig became peckish during his journey and stopped for a snack, after which he took a nap before continuing the Great Race.

There will be a multitude of events happening throughout the Lower Mainland, including the annual Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown on Feb. 10, as well as numerous markets, performances, and dining opportunities. For a full list of festivities, check out lunarfestival.com/events.

(Nic Laube)

Poets and Artists at KPU Get Insider Tips from the Editors of Pulp Magazine Pulp is hosting intimate workshops before its next submission deadline on Feb. 11 Kristen Frier | Graphics Editor Pulp Magazine, KPU’s on-campus arts and literary publication, has started holding workshops to help polish submissions from emerging writers.

“It stemmed from the bio making workshop,” says Chelsea Franz, the managing editor of Pulp and head of the workshop initiative. “We just realized that some people who might want to be publishing had not yet had a formal experience to try and write a professional bio.”

The bio writing workshop took place on Jan. 29 in the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society office, Arbutus 3710, on KPU’s Surrey campus.

Students who attended the event walked away with knowledge about how to portray themselves as artists through an interesting but brief description of their work and identity.

“Just sound like you,” Franz suggests. “[Bios] aren’t too hard to write if you just stop thinking about them [and] just tell people what they need to know.”

Writing a bio may not seem like an important part of the submission process, but they’re published alongside an artist’s work. Those few words are all that the reader has to get to know you or to sympathise with your perspective. A redundant or unprofessional bio may also give editors a reason to reject your submission, whereas a thoughtful, well-written bio can contribute to the professionalism of a submission significantly.

Franz explains that some artists don’t know how to articulate themselves using the written word, which she says is understandable, but warrants reaching out for assistance.

Pulp’s workshops are open to anyone who wishes to attend, whether or not they’re a KPU student.

“We are happy to have anyone who is willing to come,” says Franz. “We are looking to expand outside of the KPU community and hopefully we’ll have issues that are inclusive of more work than just Kwantlen students” The literary workshop on Feb. 4 was also highlighted by Vancouver Writers Festival as part of its email newsletter, so attendance to that event in particular could include people from outside of the KPU community as well as students.

Pulp accepts submissions for poetry, prose, short stories, and visual art. They proudly pay their contributors for the work that they publish.

“Submitting to magazines is super intimidating, especially for the emerging writer, which is our target demographic,” says Franz, adding that creating the workshops was an effort to make that process more inviting.

“Before the submission period ends, they can workshop their story or poem or whatever piece of writing they have they can get it ready to be publishable,” she says.

The deadline to submit to Pulp’s next issue is Feb. 11. Check out the magazine’s website for more information.

The bio making workshop hosted by Pulp Magazine took place on Jan. 29 in the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society office. (Kristen Frier)

14 CULTURE

KPU Showcases Futuristic Tech in Richmond Smart Cities Idea Fair

Information technology instructors reveal projects on self-driving technology, artificial intelligence, and “the internet of things” Jenna Keeble An assortment of wires and sensors are strewn across a table. Next to them is a single lamp. With the simple click of a button on a phone, the light switches on.

This micro-demonstration of a smart home system was a Kwantlen Polytechnic University-born project presented at Richmond’s Smart Cities Idea Fair on Jan. 17. The event served to showcase the innovative ideas that the city has to offer, which could help Richmond land a $10-million grant from the federal government that encourages cities across Canada to improve the lives of residents through the use of data and connected technology.

The smart home system was developed by KPU students and instructors in the information technology program. It uses computers, sensors, and internet networks to allow people to turn on and off lights and heaters remotely. It also detects motion and monitors temperature and humidity in a room.

The project is connected to a bigger topic in the information technology world: the internet of things.

“Originally, we connected all the computers in the world through the internet, but now we want to connect everything in the world through the internet,” says KPU information

technology instructor, Xing Liu. Devices, like fridges and doors, can now connect to the internet to collect data and perform tasks.

The skills needed to develop this technology are in high demand, as businesses are already installing smart systems in buildings and homes.

Ted Townsend, spokesman for Richmond’s Smart Cities Project, was impressed by the smart home system on display. According to him, “the biggest thing that we can do to address climate change is actually in building design.” Because technicians can install smart heating systems that know when you need the heat on, for example, applying these new technologies can make buildings more energy efficient.

Wei Li, a KPU information technology instructor, presented a video showing self-driving software at the fair. It identified people on the street, gathering the information necessary to avoid hitting them.

Li also presented a video of a machine-learning artificial intelligence system playing an online game. When it was first instructed to play the game, it knew nothing.

“It’s like a baby,” says Li. After trial and error, however, it learned how to play the game and became exceptionally skilled at doing so—all without the help of humans. Li described this process as

The Smart Cities Idea Fair was held on the Richmond campus on Jan. 17. (Jenna Keeble) humanlike; like us, different AIs have different learning styles. They have tendencies and personality traits that their creators can not predict.

“That’s the scary part,” says Li. “We can’t control it.”

The artificial intelligence in Li’s project turned out to be aggressive. Rather than covertly and strategically winning the game, it constantly fought with anything in its way.

Li said there is a solution to this problem.

We must train any artificial intelligence that uses machine learning by positively reinforcing good behaviour, such as by giving it bonuses.

In Richmond’s Smart Cities Challenge proposal, there are plans to implement machine-learning algorithms to monitor traffic and mitigate disasters.

For Townsend, the Smart Cities Challenge is an invaluable process because of the collaboration it offers between government, business, and academia. Through this, he hopes, “we can all apply our resources together.”

While the winners of the competition are being decided, KPU students and instructors will continue to help create technology with the potential to bridge the gap between science fiction and reality.

Art Historian Explores the Transformation of Art into Cultural Currency

KPU instructor Dorothy Barenscott’s talk “What Happens in Vegas…” looked at Sin City to explain how consumerism affects art

Cristian Hobson-Dimas | Contributor As part of the ongoing Art Lecture Series at KPU, art historian Dorothy Barenscott gave her talk, “What Happens In Vegas…”, at the Surrey campus on Jan. 16. The lecture focused on the changing cultural landscape of Las Vegas, which Barenscott says serves as a microcosm of the western art world.

Barenscott has extensively researched entrepreneur Steve Wynn and his role in revolutionizing Las Vegas into the indulgent, pseudo-bourgeoisie, larger-than-life weekend experience it has become.

“I don’t want to give [Wynn] more attention than he deserves at this point,” says Barenscott, most likely alluding to the many allegations made against Wynn over the course of the #MeToo movement. “No matter how you look at it, no one has gone to Vegas in the last three decades without experiencing [Wynn’s] impact on the experience.”

In the 80s, Vegas became somewhat of a tacky and forgettable tourist trap. Wynn had something bigger in mind for the city.

Towards the end of the decade, he opened The Mirage, a Luxury Hotel and Casino which changed the Vegas experience into one of luxury, high class, and irresistible extravagance, however fleeting it may be.

Barenscott’s fascination with Wynn’s impact on the art world began when she vacationed at the Encore, located at the heart of the

modern day Las Vegas strip. In the lobby of the hotel, Barenscott noticed the ostentatious artwork Wynn had displayed there—a colourful installation auctioned at $34 million.

Displaying expensive pieces at such accessible locations began to profoundly affect the way that people interacted with art. In Barenscott’s words, the “shamelessly Instagrammable” qualities of the Jeff Koons installation (opulent, shiny, and large in scale) starts to “dissolve the lines between high and low culture.” Many of the installations Wynn had chosen to display shared these qualities. For instance, he often chose pieces that included reflective surfaces, “which makes it impossible not to see yourself in the artwork, further consuming the viewer into the luxurious Vegas experience Wynn had envisioned.”

“A demand has been created for art that is decadent, indulgent, with the illusion that this isn't costing you or the culture anything,” says Barenscott. “Art collectors and historians have historically determined what ends up in the artistic cannon of an era. Power is being taken away from them by entrepreneurs like Wynn, and art has been heading toward a more bankable future.”

Barenscott went on to discuss how Vegas is rarely taken seriously as a cultural destination, and yet is ironically accurately representative of a culture that sells you on the “American Dream,” or the idea that you can have it all.

Jeff Koons's Popeye (2014) was sold to Steve Wynn for $28 million and was exhibited at Wynn Encore. (flickr/Thomas Hawk) “But not for very long,” she adds. “Only for the weekend. And don’t pay attention as we take all of your money. We’ll take all the clocks off the walls so you don’t know how long you’ve been gambling. We’ll pump the room full of oxygen so you can stay awake much longer.”

Barenscott adds that, personally, she “loves” Vegas, but notes how easy it is for people to lose themselves there. For artists, the city can have a serious consequences on

the work they create.

“Vegas is a prime example of how, spatially speaking, everything is being reassembled,” she says. “Artists are going to be at the forefront of that, making what is invisible visible,” she says. “The ways that cultural changes are deceiving and manipulative—make it part of your art. You’ve never had as much of a hand in branding yourself as you do today, so be excited about that. What message are you going to send?”

15

16 OPINIONS

What Went Wrong with KPIRG?

A lack of proper checks on its funding contributed to the research group’s unfortunate decline

Tristan Johnston | Contributor The Kwantlen Public Interest Group’s days may be numbered, but if a well-organized group of students were to restart a PIRG at KPU, they could learn from the torrid history of their predecessors.

For context, KPIRG has spent the past year scrambling to reorganize and reestablish itself after becoming the subject of controversy for filing a notice of civil claim against its founder last spring. The claim, submitted in March 2018, sought legal action against former administrative coordinator Richard Hossein for alleged fraud of approximately $112,000.

Since then, the group has had its funding and autonomy agreement revoked by the Kwantlen Student Association, and is now anticipating the results of an upcoming student referendum that would redistribute its existing funds into scholarships and bursaries.

In my time observing the group, one of the questions I often asked myself was, “Where does KPIRG’s funding go?”

Until recently, it received $0.80 per credit from the student body, which translated to a little over a quarter of a million dollars annually. The KPIRG board used that money to hold events, of course, and to pay members of their staff $15 per hour, if we go by their job postings. I obviously don’t know what those staff members did in their offices all day, but it supposedly involved gathering research. KPIRG board members also occasionally issued grants to causes they deemed important.

(Thomas Buecking) But importantly, KPIRG didn’t have a lot checks and balances for its money. According to the notice of civil claim, Hossein told other members of the organization that they needed to pay out several thousands of dollars for “consulting,” without offering many more details.

If the allegations are accurate, did no one ask what “consulting” was? Did no one ask about the company that Hossein had “hired” without anyone else’s input, but whose services he demanded compensation for? Did anyone even Google it? Why was no one suspicious about a consultancy firm demanding

to be paid in cash?

As for KPIRG today, informed students will notice that it hasn’t updated its social media presence since October, and that the KPIRG website is down. Considering this, I wouldn’t be surprised if the student body votes to establish scholarships with the remaining money in the PIRG fund rather than re-invest any of it into the research group.

It is, of course, unfortunate that KPIRG might not be able to afford to pursue its legal claim against Hossein, but I would be willing to bet that the KSA has an interest in making sure irresponsible groups don’t get access to

student funds in the future. Beyond that, I’m sure that the student government has legal justification for doing so.

As for a future PIRG at KPU, it would take a group of very dedicated students willing to prove to a future KSA that they won’t repeat history and will maintain very stringent financial controls over the new organization. More importantly than that, they will need to demonstrate to students via clear advocacy, events, and completion of actual research that their money is being used for something worthwhile.

Therapy Chat Bots are Paving the Way for New Psychological Assistance Technology Conversational agents may be the best way to provide accessible and affordable therapy

Kayci Roy | Contributor If you find that therapy is too expensive, inaccessible, or time-consuming, online therapy bots could be the solution.

Online conversational agents work with the user to provide support and resources that fit their mental health needs. These recently developed tools, such as Woebot, Wysa, or Facebook’s Serenity employ cognitive-behavioral techniques (CBT) to help manage your thoughts and feelings. Their algorithms help them read keywords and phrases in the chat to determine your mood based on multiple questionnaires and measures.

The chatbots also emulate friendly and natural conversation, providing you with help and the sensation of companionship, depending on your situation.

A recent study found that 79 per cent of people who used Wysa regularly reported less severe symptoms of depression, a 40 per cent increase from those who didn’t use it regularly. A similar study conducted by the creators of Woebot also saw a large decrease in depressive symptoms from its study participants.

By using AI chat bots to emulate natural conversation, people can feel more at ease opening up than they might through faceto-face interactions. Chatting with an arti-

ficial companion instead of a human can allow them to share feelings without the fear of judgement.

However, these bots are incapable of properly reading every word of a conversation independently and, as a result, won’t be 100 per cent accurate. Sometimes messages may seem like they don’t belong in the chat. This takes away from the flow of the conversation and stops it from feeling natural.

About one in five Canadians will struggle with their mental health this year, and many of them won’t have access to proper health care for various reasons, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In 2012, over 600,000 people aged 15 and over didn’t receive the health care they thought they needed. Chatbots provide the opportunity help to people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to talk to someone for insight on how they’re feeling.

While easily accessible and helpful to some, conversational agents don’t actually replace therapists. They’re more like a tool they could use to further their work. Chatbots are incapable of properly diagnosing for illnesses and recommending medications, and in the event of an emergency, can only tell the person to call 911.

Most of these bots tell you in some way

Hello, how are you feeling today?

...

(Kristen Frier) that they are not replacements for proper therapy, and that’s true. Modern robots aren’t capable of fully understanding human emotions or the complex human brain in its entirety. Currently, technology to replace sitting down and speaking to a professional face-to-face isn’t possible.

As we improve the technology over time, we can move towards actually creating

something close to a robotic therapist. Even if we don’t go so far as to only use robots to help with mental illness, they’re incredible tools that could further our understanding of the human mind and make mental health care much more accessible.

OPINIONS

17

Don't Hide Your Guilty Pleasures

There’s nothing wrong with self indulgence, especially if cheap thrills are all you can afford

Tae Whitehouse

taste for the mainstream isn’t about actually disliking the things we think are mainstream. It's When it comes to the media we consume, the about trying to prove to ourselves—and to everythought of revealing our guilty pleasures to one around us—that we are too intelligent to like the world sounds like social self-sabotage. the same things as the average consumer. Our Nobody really wants to reveal their love for desire to feel intelligent often has nothing to do Avril Lavigne, sappy romantic comedies, or with a desire for acquiring knowledge and everything to do with a desire to look knowledgeable. cheap tabloid magazines.

From a certain perspective, we can see this Now, while everyone’s idea of a guilty pleasure is unique, all guilty pleasures seem desire for what it really is: an integral part in to follow a common theme; they make you the structure of classism. Everyone thinks that having the most intelligent tastes, or the most scared to feel superficial.

Not many people are brave enough to list niche interests, is going to make them somehow their secret love for the Kardashians in their better than others. If you look down on yourself Tinder bio or talk openly about the hours of for enjoying things that seem unintelligent, it makeup tutorials they’ve binged on Instagram. means that you’re also looking down on everyFor myself, I know I’m far more willing to voice one else who also enjoys the same thing.

The desire to appear scholarly in order to my opinions on the literature I’ve been reading than I am to discuss the ongoing dramatics set yourself apart won’t actually make you any smarter, it’s only going to enforce the of my favourite Grey’s Anatomy characters.

Although I’m aware that my enjoyment of classist ideal that intellectualism belongs to one doesn’t take away from the other, I still the upper class, and that to belong to any find myself pretending that I only have inter- other social class is humiliating.

Ironically, in supporting the system of clasest in entertainment that makes me appear smarter. What is it that makes us feel so guilty sism, you’re just throwing yourself back into mainstream society. The guilt associated with about looking a little superfluous?

The fear we experience is derived from the feeling a little bit silly from time to time isn’t fear of appearing the same as the person next going to stop you from enjoying frivolous more information aboutyouhow media, and pretending don’t to like get it isn’tinvolved, to us. Everybody wants to For feel like an individual; we find ourselves wearing shirts for going to set you apart from the mainstream. editor@runnermag.ca. bands we don’t really like, feigning interest In fact, it will only do the exact opposite.

So instead of trying to hide your less highin documentaries that bore us, and trying to chime in on conversations about politics that brow tastes, slap on an old episode of Glee, blast pop music from the loudest speakers you own, we aren’t really following.

What we fail to realize is that this mass dis- and tell society to peddle its guilt elsewhere.

contact

DO YOU FEEL UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE MEDIA? The Runner is looking for writers from diverse and marginalized backgrounds. Bring attention to the issues and events that you care about by contributing to KPU’s student newspaper.

For more information about how to get involved, contact

For more information about how to get involved, editor@runnermag.ca. contact editor@runnermag.ca.

(@RESLUS)

18 COLUMNS

Going Global: Unrecognizing Maduro Most countries no longer consider Maduro to be the legitimate president of Venezuela

Tristan Johnston | Contributor With food shortages, mass exoduses, and hyperinflation, Venezuela has been facing hardships for several years. While the crisis arguably began during the last years of the Chavez presidency, things have only gotten worse for the people who live there over time.

Unlike other world crises at the moment, the problems in Venezuela aren’t the result of any war or the effects of another country’s interference. Many economists lay the blame squarely on the economic mismanagement of the country, citing populist policies such as price controls, which function contrary to market pricing wherein classical supply and demand determines the price of goods. The inflation rate of Venezuela is well above 800 per cent, most likely as a result of these policies.

These interventions on the market did seem to work well for Venezuela for a while, and after cutting the poverty rate from 60 to 30 per cent, Chavez was wildly popular during his time. However, there’s nothing a government can do to make its oil more valuable, nor can it convince its citizens or anyone else of the value of its currency. With its massive and easily accessible oil reserves, and an associated economic dependence on them, Venezuela was hit hard by the oil crash in 2014.

This many problems occuring while their state leadership decides to assert more power is a recipe for revolt. Since the passing of Chavez, Venezuela’s new president Maduro and his government have not taken adequate

action in addressing a humanitarian crisis born of the policies of his predecessor.

Sadly, things have become now even more complicated. While Maduro was re-elected in May of last year, the election’s validity is considered questionable by the EU, the Organization of American States, and the Lima Group.

On Jan. 5, Juan Guaidó became the president of the National Assembly, and on the 23rd, he declared himself the interim president of Venezuela.

This claim has been rejected by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, the highest court in Venezuela, though it’s widely believed to be a controlled by Maduro.

As of now, Guaidó is recognized as president by Canada, the U.S., Australia, and numerous South American states such as Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Europe broadly recognizes the National Assembly, which Juan Guaidó is the leader of, as the legitimate leadership.

Conversely, Maduro is still recognized by North Korea, China, Iran, Russia, Cuba, Turkey, and Syria, amongst others. Not a fantastic list to be on.

Whether or not Venezuela receives military intervention from the likes of the U.S. is an open question, though it’s not very likely. The U.S. has a history of overthrowing rulers in the region throughout the last century, and the vast majority of Venezuelans oppose any intervention that involves force.

With over 80 per cent of Venezuelans wanting to see Maduro gone, a detention of Juan

Only North Korea, China, Iran, Russia, Cuba, Turkey, and Syria still recognize Maduro as President of Venezuela (Flickr/OEA-OAS) Guaidó lasting only 45 minutes, and the total collapse of regional political support, I would predict that Maduro’s days are numbered. In order for authoritarians to maintain control

of their populations, there must be stability and a well-fed political and military establishment. Both of these conditions are completely absent in Venezuela today.

Artist Spotlight: Pale North

The duo look back on how their identities have changed alongside their music Aly Laube | Editor in Chief A lot has happened for the two members of Pale North since they started playing music together in Grade 9. Back then, drummer Brie Rose’s only experience with instruments was through Rock Band and guitarist Frank Hops was champing at the bit to get on stage.

While they’re still best friends today, most aspects of their lives have shifted since the release of their debut record, Wasted Years Together. Hops went through a period of rapid change and struggled to find a balance between his priorities. For Rose, the past two years have been marked by her coming out as a trans woman—an experience she says will be more identifiable in their next album.

“Now that I’m out, there are a lot of songs about LGBTQ acceptance, a lot of songs about homophobia and transphobia and stuff, a couple songs about feeling complete loneliness and despair,” she says. “A lot of the lyrics that I’ve written come from a different place, because I’m not the same person who was scared about the future because of work and whether I’ll be successful or not. Now I’m scared of being accepted and surviving, and it’s a different kind of fear that pervades on the new album.”

Rose says this theme was even present in certain songs on Wasted Years Together.

“Snake Lake”, a song Rose and Hops wrote together, “came in the wake of the whole PWR

BTTM fiasco”—a reference to when the lead singer Ben Hopkins, once widely accepted as a LGBTQ+ icon, was called out for alleged sexual assault.

“They were like, my favourite band as a closeted homosexual, and that happened and I was so salty, so we sat there and angrily, happily, wrote lyrics about basically hating everybody who is fake and abusive with their power,” says Rose.

When they recorded their debut album last year, they did so with the same youthful enthusiasm that defined the early days of their friendship and collaboration. Wasted Years Together was a 10-track collection recorded in a parent’s basement and mastered by a friend.

Like many break-out records from the suburbs, what Wasted Years Together lacks in high-fidelity pop gloss it makes up for with genuine sentiment and a carefully crafted sound.

However, the band is now ready to leave that sound behind and pursue a new style with the release of their next album this summer.

“At the end of Wasted Years Together, it’s sort of a hopeful vibe. We’re complaining about the things that we don’t want to happen, the things we want to happen, the things that are okay and the things we want to change, and the next album is sort of about getting back in touch with reality,” says Hops.

The next Pale North record will include 11 tracks, many of which will be extra long.

Brie Anna Rose and Frank Hops of Pale North get cozy in a bathtub. (Aly Laube) Listeners can expect experimentation with multiple sections, tons of instruments, and jam-inspired—though meticulously chosen— arrangements. Overall, the next album is predicted to be lighter and more influenced by midwest emo than the first, while still maintaining the punk spirit and fuzzy production

that keeps the band true to itself.

“We’re going kind of off the deep end with some of the ideas, so we’re scared that absolutely no one will like it, but it’s fun,” laughs Rose. “It’s fun to do what we want to do and make something that’s more lasting.”

STUDENT SNAPSHOT Virago Nation, an Indigenous burlesque collective, performed the first in a series of events called ”Medicine In Our Very Bones: Gender, Sexuality and Embodied Resistance in Indigenous Burlesque” on the Surrey campus on Jan 24. The troupe plans on revisiting KPU for future performances as well as workshops.

Read all about it on page 3.

(Valerie Leung)

Mandy Gill (left), a Reebok sponsored plant-based athlete, was one of the speakers higlighted at KPU’s first ever veganism conference.

Compassion Con 2019 had various plant-based snacks and vendors for students to enjoy.

(Kristen Frier)

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