The Runner Vol 11, Issue 3

OCTOBER 2, 2018 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 3 KPU’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SESSIONAL INSTRUCTORS IN CANADA STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET A recent survey reveals that contract faculty are suffering financially

NEWS

CASA Report Encourages Government to Support International Students

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CULTURE

Slamapalooza’s Fifth Poetry Team Prepares for a Year of Performing

OPINIONS

The Case Against Tim Hortons

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› 13

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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

Community Reporter

Ashley Hyshka community@runnermag.ca

Production Manager

Sarah Kraft production@runnermag.ca

04 08 10 13

NEWS

CASA Report Encourages Government to Support International Students

The report examines the many benefits that international students bring to Canada and points out areas where the government can be doing more to help them.

FEATURES

Sessional Instructors in Canada Struggle to Make Ends Meet

Like the students they teach, many post-secondary instructors work multiple jobs, possess zero job security, and are suffering in silence.

CULTURE

Slamapalooza’s Fifth Poetry Team Prepares for a Year of Performing

“Poetry is very vulnerable. It puts you in a position where you’re laying out everything you feel in front of people that sometimes you don’t even know,” says team member Naaz Sidhu.

OPINIONS

The Case Against Tim Hortons

People have been complaining for years about the decline in quality of Tims food and coffee, but most people don’t know that there’s a systemic reason behind it.

Photo Editor

Kristen Frier photos@runnermag.ca

HASHTAG KPU

Post on Twitter or Instagram about or around KPU and you could be featured!

Art Director

Nicola Kwit art@runnermag.ca

Web Manager

Alex Rodriguez web@runnermag.ca

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

CONTRIBUTORS Yuta Anonuevo Marcus Barichello Kristine Hui Jessica Limoanco Samantha Mayes Sobia Moman @RESLUS Kayci Roy Aisha Scego Jeremiah Ukponrefe

COVER BY Nicola Kwit

Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778-565-3801 www.runnermag.ca Vol. 11, Issue no. 3 October 2 // 2018 ISSN# 1916 8241

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

EDITORIAL

FROM THE EDITOR

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS MONTH

MyWellness isn’t up to snuff for suffering KPU students Aly Laube | Editor in Chief Seeking help when your mental health is faltering is hard enough. Once you take that step, being met with insufficient resources can be a setback that influences whether your well-being is on the upswing or downswing.

The MyWellness app adopted by the Kwantlen Student Association and offered through its health and dental plan is designed to allow students to complete an assessment on their mental state and connect with professionals well-suited to their needs.

Unfortunately, it only accomplishes the former.

When you get to the MyWellness landing page, you have to select your school before being redirected to a home site. The first thing you’ll see there is a big green button that reads “start my assessment”, along with a series of tabs under “your support resources” labelled “video counselling”, “campus support”, “suicide prevention”, “crisis lines”, and “find a doctor”.

As a testament to the app’s lack of efficiency, the “find a doctor” tab links exclusively to the directory for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. Why it wouldn’t take users to a new page full of local, affordable, mental health-specific options around KPU campuses is beyond me.

The tabs also redirect to a series of other services; for video counselling, you’ll end up on Inkblot Therapy’s website. For your assessment, you’ll end up on FeelingBetterNow. You have to make a separate account for each of these services, and Inkblot even has you complete a second assessment despite encouraging users to attach their existing FeelingBetterNow assessment to their profile.

It’s exhausting and redundant. A comprehensive list of local, vetted professionals who offer a student discount, along with contacts for peer services and on-campus counselling, would be far better and easier to use. The site has almost no resources that are exclusive to KPU students, which is a shame. The sheer

OCT. 5

LOGAN CREEK INTEGRITY PROJECT

This event is a ceremonial tree planting and plaque unveiling that will launch phase two of the Logan Creek Integrity Project. The ceremony will be held behind the South (Health) building, with snacks and refreshments offered in Room 1010 afterwards.

10:00 am - 11:30 am,

KPU Langley, free.

OCT. 10 - 11 2018 KSA BY-ELECTION

Rock the vote (don’t rock the vote, baby).

Rock the vote (don’t tip the boat over).

Seriously, find out who’s running and who deserves your vote. Consider it a practice run for the municipal elections later in the month.

10:00 am - 7:00 pm,

all campuses, free.

(Jessica Limanco) amount of unnecessary information cluttering each tab makes it that much harder to find what students in crisis might need but may not have the mental energy to pursue.

Somehow, this app is award-winning. If there’s a trick to using it that boosts its usefulness, the KSA ought to be educating students who pay for their health and dental plan about that. Otherwise, using the app without direction yields very little benefit.

Though the app fails to connect students directly with individuals who can help them at a rate that’s reasonable for low-income folks, it can certainly be validating for some to get confirmation that the way they feel is diagnosable in a medical sense. The assessment tool provides that. In addition, up to $500 in mental health practitioner-related fees is covered per

student. Those dollars pile up fast when you’re paying the hourly rate to see a doctor, but it’s a whole lot better than nothing.

The resources listed on the app are useful—they’re just generic and easily accessible elsewhere. The counselling on campus takes a while to get into but it is there, and crisis lines are always open to those in need.

Thinking clearly can be difficult if your head is clouded by anxiety, depression, or another disorder that’s getting in the way of your happiness. It goes to reason, then, that an app meant to help students with specifically those obstacles should be user-friendly and straightforward. The resources provided on it should be as immediate and easy to access as possible.

It has not been a good week for the Simon Fraser Student Society.

At its annual general meeting on Sept.

24, members of the SFSS voted to impeach President Jas Randhawa after he was accused of physical assault, mishandling sexual misconduct allegations against an at-large representative, failing to follow policy and procedure, and being unresponsive to criticism from his colleagues.

According to The Peak, SFU’s on-campus newspaper, the vote was briefly interrupted by a smoke bomb that was dropped in the Leslie and Gordon Diamond Family Auditorium just prior to the meeting being called to order.

Who dropped the smoke bomb and why they did is currently unknown.

Leading up to the annual general meet-

This presentation will explore a series of sound installations called “From Here and Beyond: Stories of Art, Scholarship, and Language Reclamation” and will be hosted by Dr. Jennifer Hardwick from the English department.

11:30 am - 12:30 pm,

KPU Surrey Conference Centre, free.

OCT. 11 - 13 PEATLANDS FOR PEOPLE

The Burns Bog Conservation Society and KPU are proud to present this groundbreaking conference on the theme of peatlands, wetlands, and species-at-risk.

Surrey Conference Centre, tickets start at $60.

SFU Student Society President Impeached ing, Randhawa sent an audio recording to The Peak of a meeting between him and several board members who suggested that he should resign as president. These members confronted Randhawa about how they believe he failed to support those who came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against at-large representative Wareez Ola Giwa earlier in the month.

They suggested that he resign rather than potentially be impeached so that he could “step out of [his position] peacefully” rather than jeopardize his mental wellbeing and future job opportunities. Still, Randhawa declined out of the belief that he “would not be upholding to being president of the student body at SFU by giving into threats and frivolous accusations,” as he stated in an email to The Peak.

Although the student society’s board of directors has not yet reached a conclusion as

OCT. 11

ARTS SPEAKER SERIES

Oct. 11, 10:00 am - Oct. 13, 3:00 pm,

NEWS BRIEF

Aly Laube | Editor in Chief

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to whether or not it will hold a by-election in the near future, it isn’t mandated to do so.

Even though Randhawa has been removed, the society maintains its minimum number of directors.

If a by-election is not held soon, there will be another election in March. The vice-president student services, Samer Rihani, is now in charge of carrying out the duties of the president.

Jessica Nguyen, a business representative for the SFSS, took the mic at the AGM to criticize Randhawa's reaction to the sexual misconduct allegations.

“You did not do your due diligence in ensuring our safety and respecting our wishes,” she said to Randhawa at the meeting, according to an article in The Peak.

In response, he held firm on his stance that his impeachment was unjustifiable.

OCT. 16

MOVIES FOR MENTAL HEALTH

The KSA Peer Support Program is collaborating with Art With Impact to offer an interactive workshop that uses the emotional power of short film to initiate dialogue with students on the topic of mental health.

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm,

KPU Surrey, free.

OCT. 16 GAMES NIGHT

Take a break with your friends to enjoy a night full of games, entertainment, relaxation, and free food. Though registration is required, the event is totally free, so why not stop by?

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm,

Grassroots Cafe, free.

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NEWS

CASA Report Encourages Canadian Government to Support International Students The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations believes international students deserve better Braden Klassen | Staff Writer A new policy paper published by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is calling on the federal government to provide additional support to international students studying at post-secondary institutions across the country.

The report, entitled “Value Beyond the Dollars and Cents: International Students’ Contribution and Their Need for Supports”, examines the benefits that international students bring to Canada and points out areas where the government can be doing more to help them. The paper identifies a number of obstacles that could keep international students from achieving a quality post-secondary education experience in Canada, including a lack of social and financial support, fewer work opportunities, and difficulties with pursuing Canadian citizenship.

For instance, the paper notes that, after

graduation, international students are given a 90-day deadline to find a job required for a work permit, which is much shorter than the average four and a half to five-months it typically takes for graduates to find work.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s most recently published student profile from 2017 states that 18 per cent of the student body— close to 3,200 students—are international. Notably, these statistics were gathered before the surge of international enrolment at the beginning of 2018 which contributed to KPU’s decision to cut off all international student applications until January 2019.

This means that the number of international students attending KPU this fall is likely higher than it ever has been.

“What we’re starting to see is that many universities across the country are starting to take in more and more international students,” says Adam Brown, Vice President External of the University of Alberta Stu-

dents’ Union and the Chair of CASA. “Students [from other countries] are starting to look at Canada more as a viable place to get a quality post-secondary education, but when they get here they can run into a number of barriers such as accessing work permits, student financial aid, or the difficulties in the pathway to citizenship.”

The CASA report quotes a 2016 Global Affairs Canada study which revealed that, in 2014, international students contributed approximately $11.4 billion to the Canadian economy through tuition and other spending.

An updated version of the study reports that, in 2016, the total contribution had risen to approximately $15.5 billion.

In March 2018, the KPU Board of Governors voted to increase international tuition by 15 per cent.

“As growing international recognition of KPU’s student experience helped fuel a surge in international student enrolment in 2017 and into 2018, the university increased its international tuition fees to meet cost pressures caused by that surge and to maintain the quality experience international students told us they value,” KPU Provost and Vice President Academic Sal Ferreras wrote in an email to The Runner.

From September 2017 until August 2018, international students paid $572.20 per credit. Now, from September 2018 until August 2019, currently enrolled international students are paying $615.12 per credit, and newly admitted international students pay $658.03 per credit.

“To help international students settle into life in a foreign country and be successful in their studies, KPU provides them with access to a range of supports, including international student advisors, student services, and counselling,” wrote Ferreras.

The KPU International office also offers services such as orientations, academic and non-academic advising, translation and educational resources, and events to foster a sense of community for international students.

“While much of the CASA policy paper contains recommendations for the federal government, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) agrees with its view that international students benefit Canadian universities by bringing a global voice to campuses and creating ambassadors who can talk knowledgeably about Canada abroad,” wrote Ferreras.

Fernando Cilento is a KPU international student from Brazil who came to Canada on exchange from Mackenzie University in Sao Paolo. Cilento decided to stay in Canada in order to pursue a degree in journalism with a minor in political science and became an international student after the term of his exchange finished. He says that KPU International helped him with this transition, but notes that paying his tuition has still been a struggle.

“I understand that there are more students and more demand. They need to increase other services. It costs money to do that and they need to increase tuition, but for me, it’s a bad time,” he says.

Cilento currently works at the Grassroots Cafe on the Surrey campus, which helps him cover the costs of living and going to school.

Fernando Cilento transferred from Mackenzie University in Brazil to study at KPU. (Braden Klassen) After graduation, he plans to find work in Canada and apply for permanent residency.

“I consider myself really lucky. I couldn’t be more thankful to Grassroots because it has allowed me to stay here,” he says. “There are a lot of students who are looking for jobs and they don’t know [if they can stay] because the bills keep coming every semester and they need to pay.”

Cilento says he has paid more than $5,000 to enroll in three courses this semester, and says he would take more courses if he could afford it.

“You have to hold Kwantlen accountable,” he says. “If they’re taking all of this money, they have to provide an equal service—it’s only fair. After all, we’re not paying a small amount of money. I think that providing a service that’s of good quality is their duty.”

According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, Canada is one of the most popular destinations for students who want to attend post-secondary school abroad. Between 2010 and 2017, the number of international students in Canada increased by 119 per cent.

“Canada is seen as a country where the people are polite, and it’s multicultural country that has all these diverse ethnicities,” says Cilento. “I don’t see myself living in Canada for the rest of my years, but I don’t see myself going back to Brazil in the near future.”

Brown says that it will take some time before any or all of the recommendations in the policy paper can be implemented, and that it will depend on the level of the federal government’s involvement.

“There’s no one timeline that we could [use to] say, ‘This is how long it is going to take to get everything done,’ because first we need to make sure that political parties are listening to what we’re saying and are including these in their policies or even their platforms as we approach the 2019 election,” he says.

He continues, “Parties are starting to look at how they’re going to build their platforms. The thing to consider is that, even though international students can’t vote if they’re not Canadian citizens, they still carry a lot of weight because they can talk to other domestic students and they contribute a lot to our campus communities, classrooms, and economy.”

NEWS

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KPU Partners with Centre for Child Development to Research Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Researchers are studying children with FASD in social settings Braden Klassen | Staff Writer Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term that includes a variety of disabilities and disorders which occur as the result of mothers consuming alcohol during pregnancy.

The disorder can cause a variety of conditions including learning and physical disabilities, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and skeletal problems. The government estimates that, every year, approximately 3,000 babies in Canada are born with FASD. In September, Kwantlen Polytechnic University announced a partnership with the Centre for Childhood Development to study children with the disorder. The CCD, which is based in Surrey, is a non-profit organization that offers support and resources to children with disabilities. It provides families and children with access to physiotherapists, social workers, speech language pathologists, psychologists, doctors, and early childhood educators.

The partnership is being funded by a Partnership Engage Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. It will study the social cognitive abilities of children with FASD in relation to children with autism as well as those with neurotypical development.

Dr. Daniel Bernstein, a KPU psychology instructor and the head of the Lifespan Cognition Lab, is a part of the project. He is looking for indications of egocentrism in children with FASD similar to that in children with autism.

“Kids, when they’re very young, tend to be very egocentric—their world is the world,” he says. “Then they grow out of that and understand that that doesn’t map onto the real world so much. Just because they think something doesn’t mean that everyone else shares that thought. We’re constantly assessing our own feelings and thoughts in relation to what other people are thinking and feeling.”

Even though high-functioning adults can also fall victim to egocentrism, Bernstein says that it tends to happen more frequently with children and adults with autism.

“One of the things that you find quite often with autism is that the child does not engage very well socially, and so there has been a lot of work on that,” he says. “There’s been very little work, relatively, on kids with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder with respect to social cognition.”

Dr. Brian Katz is the Director of Psychology & Family Services at the CCD. He anticipates that the project will help the centre develop more beneficial resources for children with FASD, such as social skills groups.

“Through our research, we hope to learn more about the similarities and differences in how people with [ASD or FASD] behave in social situations so we can develop more effective interventions,” he wrote in an email to The Runner.

The study includes interactive hour-long tests that allow children to participate in

Michelle Hunsche, a KPU graduate, hopes to spread awareness about FASD. (Flickr/Kwantlen Polytechnic University) games which measure their perspective-taking abilities, such as finding toys that have been hidden in a box by estimating what other people are thinking.

The project is being coordinated KPU psychology graduate Michelle Hunsche, who studied psychological aspects of FASD for her Honors thesis.

“It is more difficult for families with children with FASD to obtain services, and there is far less awareness of the need for services for these children,” she wrote in an email to The Runner. “Our goal (and my role as project coordinator) is to share our results with both the scientific and the general community in

hopes of spreading awareness about FASD and the social challenges that these children face.”

The results of the testing and the project’s findings could be published within two or three years, after which the CCD will be able to use them to help the families that the organization serves.

Bernstein says that their preliminary tests have already begun to yield surprising results.

They could suggest that the social cognitive abilities of children with FASD might not differ as much from typical children as was originally expected.

University Students and Faculty Question the Usefulness of Course Evaluations

Some students feel they aren’t used effectively, while academics tend to think they shouldn’t be used at all Sobia Moman When it comes to filling out course evaluations, most of us are familiar with the drill.

As each semester comes to a close, evaluation forms are distributed so that students can provide feedback on their courses and instructors. Kwantlen Polytechnic University heavily encourages students to fill out these evaluations, which have been used by post-secondary institutions for decades.

How the surveys are utilized, however, is unknown to the majority of students, leading many to believe that they are not being used at all.

KPU’s Provost and Vice President Academic, Dr. Sal Ferreras, says that the evaluation forms are used to “strengthen the curriculum by helping [instructors] understand where the challenges are for students in being able to absorb the information they are learning.”

An issue that some students have with the course evaluations is that filling them out isn’t mandatory. KPU student Rupinder Benipal finds that, because many students will never submit the evaluation forms, the results that are received by the administration or instructors are not representative of the feelings of the class as a whole.

If they were obligatory to fill out, Benipal says

that she would be more likely to feel that her feedback would “actually make a difference.”

For instructors and post-secondary administrators, course evaluations pose a very different problem. In July, an arbitrator in Ontario directed Ryerson University to not consider student course evaluations when measuring the effectiveness of an instructor’s teaching ability, and to ensure that they play no part in decisions regarding promotions or tenure for instructors.

One of the primary reasons that this trial took place is because numerous studies have found that student surveys are biased. Many students tend to consider an instructor’s physical attributes when filling out the forms, leading the results to be skewed against instructors of a different race or gender than those of the students.

The arbitrator for the case, William Kaplan, found student-conducted course evaluation forms to be “downright biased and unreliable.”

He argues that they should not be used as the basis for any decisions made by post-secondary institutions regarding their faculty.

Faculty unions in Canada have long argued that students are not able to measure their own learning or the effectiveness of their courses and instructors. Ferreras does not agree with these claims, believing that “stu-

Few students know what happens to course evaluations after they are submitted, leading to questions about their relevance. (Kristen Frier) dent feedback is an essential component of any overall quality assurance process.”

“It allows academic units to continually renew, revise, and improve the educational experience,” he says.

Benipal sides with Ferreras. She feels that, because students are the ones listening to the

lectures, taking the exams, and completing the assignments, they have the best understanding of their course and their instructor.

However, because course evaluations have been found to be problematic, she agrees that universities should consider dropping them altogether.

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NEWS

New Party Hopes to Capitalize on Surrey’s Changing Political Landscape The Independent Surrey Voters Association is fielding five candidates for city council this election Marcus Barichello | Contributor Campaigning for the 2018 Surrey municipal election is well underway and a new political party, the Independent Surrey Voters Association, has thrown their hat into the ring. This party includes members of the Surrey community from backgrounds and professions ranging from realtors to TransLink workers and anti-bullying advocates.

The party didn’t put forward a mayoral candidate in the already crowded race, but they are hopeful that their diverse slate of candidates and their knowledge of the public’s grievances will give them an edge in the election for city council.

“We don’t care [which party] the mayor comes from. That’s the reason we didn’t choose a mayor,” says Saira Aujla, a candidate for the Independent Surrey Voters Association. “If any one of [them] are elected and the five of us are elected, we can oppose them.

If there are some things the public doesn’t want, we are public’s voice. If public doesn’t want it, we should not have it.”

Aujla is already familiar with Surrey politics. A former radio and television host and current realtor, she ran as an independent candidate in the 2014 municipal election and as a B.C. Green Party candidate in the 2017 provincial election. This year, Aujla joined the Surrey Community Alliance party, but had to leave when the party was dissolved following the resignation of its president, Doug Elford. “[Elford] left us with nowhere to go,” says Aujla. “Then I had a chat at home with my

girls and I told them what was happening, and they told me, ‘You are strong enough.

You don’t need to move anywhere. Stay here.

Make your own team.’”

Aujla assembled her team of five council candidates which includes herself, Asad Syed, Bernie Sheppard, Derek Zabel, and Nasima Nastoh. The party is running on a platform of increasing affordable housing and decreasing homelessness and crime.

“We don’t have enough low-income houses,” says Aujla. “If you’re not making $100,000, how can you afford [housing]? You [can’t afford] … to live in a basement because your basement rent has gone from $500 to $800 now. At the end of the day, you’re going to be on the streets because you can’t afford rent.”

In addition to creating more low-income housing in the city, the Independent Surrey Voters Association also wants to invest in free after-school arts and sports programs to assist parents and protect children from turning to a life of crime.

With seven parties and nearly four dozen candidates running for just eight seats on Surrey City Council this year, being elected will be a challenge. Notably, just a year ago, seeing any party other than Surrey First winning seats was highly unlikely.

The Surrey First party has held municipal power for over a decade, winning every seat in the past two elections. However, with current mayor Linda Hepner not seeking re-election and prominent, long-serving city councillors leaving to join other political parties, this election is likely to result in a major shake-up.

Saira Aujla, a city council candidate for the Independent Surrey Voters Association, supports low-income housing. (Marcus Barichello) Jacinta Danso-Dapaah, the financial manager for the Independent Surrey Voters Association’s campaign, believes that Surrey is currently “needing a change.”

“Our team has just gone door-knocking over the last one or two [days] and they’ve had

very positive feedback,” says Danso-Dapaah.

“This team just needs to demonstrate to Surrey what type of change they’re bringing; what they are going to be doing differently from what they already have.”

Single Mother Becky Zhou’s Campaign for City Council is Personal Having lost her husband during a home invasion, Zhou hopes to improve public safety in Surrey Kristine Hui | Contributor This year’s election for Surrey City Council is hotly contested, with dozens of candidates vying for just eight spots. While every candidate has a unique reason for running, Becky Zhou—a realtor and single mother of two—is driven by a more personal story than most.

For Zhou, who is one of the first Chinese-Canadians to run for office in Surrey, winning a seat on city council would be more than a political victory. In July 2015, a 22-year old man attempted to break into her Cloverdale home, and her husband, Colin Hill, was shot and killed while trying to stop him. This incident is the driving force behind Zhou’s desire to run for city council.

“I want to change the public safety issue,” says Zhou. “I want to be part of it so that no one has to go through what I went through. I don’t want to see it happen to somebody else.”

After the shooting, Zhou admits that she thought about leaving Surrey for the safety of her family. She felt that there was not an adequate response from the police or government to improve public safety in Surrey, and believes that drugs and gang-related violence have only worsened over the following three years.

Rather than moving to a safer neighborhood, she decided to fight to improve her community. If elected to Surrey City Coun-

cil, she plans to implement the “No Call Too Small” policy, which is currently being used in Delta. Rather than waiting for small disturbances to turn into emergency situations, this program allows people to call the police to report non-emergency issues and have them investigated seriously.

Reflecting on the incident that killed her husband, Zhou says that she feels the police didn’t take her case seriously enough, and that a larger police presence is needed in Surrey.

“It could happen to anybody and I don’t want it to happen to anybody,” she says. “This is serious. If I have to I will bring [this issue] to Trudeau. We want more police. We want the streets safer. We want the communities safer.”

Zhou also thinks that, for the safety of communities, halfway houses should be kept in isolated areas rather than placed in residential zones. She suggests creating a farm for the homeless to work and live on as one example of how this could be achieved.

She would also like to see mentorship programs installed in the city. Through these, successful members of the community could speak with and inspire youth. Zhou hopes that this would help them see a future for themselves beyond getting involved in drugs and crime.

In regards to transit, Zhou would like to see the completion of Surrey’s Light Rail Transit project, as the city now has the funding to

Becky Zhou believes in improving public safety in Surrey communities. (Kristine Hui) move forward with it. She thinks that the government should work with developers to help rezone areas near Skytrain and light rail train stops. In turn, the developers will contribute money for low income housing and more public transportation infrastructure.

This election may be Zhou’s first foray into politics, but her first-hand experience as a victim of crime gives a voice to many Surrey residents who have been affected by growing violence in the community.

FEATURES

7

Local Talent Hits the Runway at Vancouver Fashion Week KPU student Wendy Schindler debuted her first collection as Devotion Designs on Sept. 19 Aly Laube | Editor in Chief Twice per year, emerging and established designers from across Canada come together to present their best work at Vancouver Fashion Week. The seven-day event has welcomed talent from home and abroad since it was conceived in 2001, and has historically seen collections from Kwantlen Polytechnic University students and alumni.

Last year, KPU’s own Sam Stringer watched models wearing her designs on the VFW runway. Stringer’s looks returned to the catwalk this September, though having recently convocated, she attended as a graduate. The only current student to present an original collection this season was Wendy Schindler, who participated under her brand, Devotion Designs.

Schindler was scouted by a Vancouver Fashion Week representative who found her via Instagram. When she first heard this news, she says that she was “over the moon excited” to see her work presented as part of an esteemed show for the first time.

She premiered a collection entitled “Devotions”, which was inspired by paintings from Claude Monet and themes of confidence and femininity, on Sept. 19.

“There was a study that came out that showed that a good majority of women feel a lot more confident when their bra and underwear are matching,” says Schindler. “I wanted to use that theme of feeling confident in your lingerie, when you’re feeling really beautiful, and tie it back in with Monet’s colours and textures.”

Schindler attended the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Monet exhibit and used the inspiration she found there to create a dress she designed as part of a fundraiser for mental health and addiction awareness and resources. The pieces she put forward at the fundraiser marked the first time she incorporated elements of Monet’s work into her own.

Long before she joined KPU’s design program, Schindler was a high school student with a passion for textiles. The first time her designs were displayed publicly was during a small show held by her Grade 12 class, when she created a series of wedding and flower girl dresses.

“When I compare the two collections it amazes me, because I remember looking through one magazine to get inspiration for that [first] collection,” she says. “[For ‘Devotions’], I pulled every single book I have in my library, I went to the school library and had all these different books pulled out.”

What she feels sets her style apart from other designers who took part in Vancouver Fashion Week is “the time and energy that goes into every single one of [her] pieces.” For instance, thousands of hours of hand sewing and detailing were required for the creation of the looks she presented at VFW. “I put so much time and energy and love

Schindler's collection as Devotion Designs was based on both inspiring female confidence and adopting Claude Monet's color palette. (Aly Laube)

Backstage at Vancouver Fashion Week, models, designers, makeup artists, and more rush to get ready for the show. (Aly Laube)

Models wear designs made by Wendy Schindler, a soon-to-be KPU graduate. (Aly Laube) into each single piece and I love everything I do,” she says. “I really hope that shines through in my work and that people see that.”

To incorporate the survey about matching lingerie and women’s confidence into her collection, Schindler had most of her models wear pieces that included built-in bustiers.

“Doing my research and focusing on this confident woman in her matching lingerie, I looked to that morning-after-your-weddingnight kind of feel. You put on your silk robe, you’re in Paris with your husband, you’re feeling so beautiful about yourself. I looked into those—negligees and bustiers and that very soft, feminine type of feel,” she says.

Throughout her life as a designer, education has been crucial to Schindler. This impact began with her Grade 12 debut and now is primarily tied to her current relationship with instructors from the Wilson School of Design. Two of those faculty members in particular, Jessica Bayntun and Mary Andro-

siuk, have helped guide and support Schindler throughout her burgeoning career.

At the end of her VFW show, Bayntun came on stage for a tearful embrace with her student, and Schindler describes Androsiuk as “very versatile in how she teaches.

“She has always supported me and let me tailor my projects to more of what I want to do,” she says.

Lukas Daase, another local and emerging designer who graduated from Blanche Macdonald in 2016, was also new to Vancouver Fashion Week. They released their debut collection, “In Bloom”, on the same day as Schindler.

A sixteenth century allegorical painting by Bronzino named Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time was Daase’s primary inspiration behind the collection. Each of its looks was inspired by a different character from the painting.

“I wanted to combine streetwear and modern wear with period pieces and Renaissance garb,” they say. “The modern garments were

quite masculine and the Renaissance garments were quite feminine. I wanted to find this hybrid, playing with gender roles and gender performance and that kind of stuff.”

Daase’s own relation to gender identity is also part of their reason for the androgyny and hybridity of their collection.

“I was very influenced and inspired by my own journey with figuring out where I stand on the gender spectrum and just about my pronouns,” they say. “It was a bit of self-exploration as well, which I want to say is a very personal experience, and beyond that, my clothes are quite neutral.”

Earthy tones, loose-fitting garments, long coats, and sheer fabrics are some of the defining elements of Daase’s wearable but whimsical collection. More of their work will be available for viewing on their website shortly.

Fans of Devotion Designs or Lukas Daase can likely expect to see them again at the next run of Vancouver Fashion Week.

8

FEATURES

Sessional Instructors in Canada Struggle to Make Ends Meet A recent survey reveals that contract faculty are suffering financially Ashley Hyshka | Community Reporter

While many university students scrimp and save to get through school, they tend to think of their instructors as relatively well-off.

Unfortunately, gainfully employed academics enjoying five or six-figure salaries are rarely seen in reality. A recent survey by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) of over 2,600 contract university faculty members reveals that several of them are also struggling to pay their bills. Like the students they teach, many professors work multiple jobs, possess zero job security, and are suffering in silence.

The CAUT survey showed that, even though many professors are rehired year after year, 48 per cent of them have side jobs outside of academia and a further 16 per cent work at multiple universities to make ends meet.

The Toronto Star further explored the survey, revealing that, while “contract faculty are expected to maintain the same standards as tenured professors, they’re often paid about a third as much per course.”

“Several respondents said their income from one institution was not enough to bring them above the poverty line,” the article states.

Government funding for post-secondary institutions has decreased since the 1980s. At that time, it represented 80 per cent of their overall funding, but now that figure has dipped below 50 per cent. From 2005 to 2015 the number of contract professors who work for only part of the year skyrocketed by 79 per cent, while the ranks of regular professors increased by a mere 14 per cent, according to the Star.

Sarika Bose, the chair of CAUT’s Contract Academics Staff Committee and sessional lecturer with UBC’s department of English, is more familiar with this crisis than most. She calls the statistics “alarming” and a “matter of national concern.”

“CAUT tries to represent various interests of academics across Canada … and [they] hold everybody to a certain standard of social justice or ideals,” she says.

Those who are visibly ethnic, disabled, older, and of various gender identities were “overrepresented in the lower ranks” of sessional professors in this precarious situation, according to Bose. Approximately 50 per cent of academics have contracts which do not afford them job or financial security.

Many universities are run as corporations that need to produce profit, shifting administrative focus onto cutting costs. Bose challenges this status quo and implores others

to revisit what a university’s true purpose should be.

“I think people think there is no fighting the system—I don’t believe that,” she says.

Treatment of Contract Faculty in B.C. Kwantlen Polytechnic University relies less on sessional instructors than most other universities in the Lower Mainland. For instance, in January 2018, KPU had approximately 610 full-time faculty and only 93 contract faculty.

This balance is something that Bob Davis, president of the Kwantlen Faculty Association (KFA), is constantly fighting for. The KFA is the bargaining unit for all KPU faculty members, representing approximately 1,000 individuals.

According to Davis, the reason why KPU professors fare better than those at other post-secondary institutions is due to its collective agreement—a set of laws between the university and the bargaining union. Davis says that KPU has a well-thought-out collective agreement which allows professors to regularly advance from occupying a contract position to becoming a regular faculty member.

“Other universities may have different collective agreements, or different unions representing the sessional faculty versus the ongoing continuing faculty,” says Davis. “The provisions may be slightly different, and that comes out of a historical perspective. So [if] you’re comparing us to SFU, UVIC, UBC, we’re quite different, especially because we have a [teaching-focused mandate].”

In an emailed statement to The Runner, KPU Provost and Vice-President Academic Dr. Sal Ferreras wrote, “At KPU we work hard to provide the conditions that allow us to sustain the dedicated and committed faculty needed to teach students in small classes that focus on the educational and experiential crossroads where thought meets action.”

The core reason behind professors being hired as contract employees rather than fulltime is that post-secondary institutions lack funding. Davis says that the provincial funding going towards universities represents a smaller and smaller percentage of the institution’s overall budget.

“While the grant may remain status quo, the costs are escalating for a university to deliver offerings,” he says. “A continuing faculty member costs a lot more than a sessional faculty member.”

Because of this, yearly tuition hikes are becoming the norm, with a minimum two per cent increase expected annually. For international students at KPU, this increase has skyrocketed to 15 per cent over two years.

Historically, contract staff have been seen as substitute workers with smaller workloads and responsibilities than their full-time counterparts. Today, however, these faculty members often perform similar duties because contract staff want to better their chances at receiving a full-time promotion.

“It’s just about that guarantee year-afteryear that there’s a job for them,” says Davis.

“It’s just being able to plan your life …[and] that next semester, I’m not on pins and needles if I have any work or not.”

The Toronto Star reported that 53 per cent of contract faculty want a tenure-track or full-time, permanent job, but Davis reinforces that budget constraints are affecting the ability of universities to authorize these promotions.

“16 years of the previous government and fiscal restraint on collective bargaining— even restraint on how we bargain—have made it very difficult to keep up with the cost of living,” says Davis. “It has been a struggle.”

Davis believes that, through collective bargaining with employers, it is possible to improve this situation. He sees potential in the current government to obtain better salaries for sessional faculty.

“It’s well worth the fight for sure,” he says.

The Impact of the Precarious Profs Campaign The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C. (FPSE), about 10,000 members strong, is a collective of unions from across the province. Like CAUT, they are fighting to see greater job security for university instructors.

George Davison, President of the FPSE, wrote in an email to The Runner that precarious work for professors in B.C. is largely exacerbated by two factors. The first—and similar to the point raised by Davis—is that many post-secondary institutions choose to replace permanent positions with short-term positions to cope with funding shortfalls. The second is an unwillingness on the part of the previous government and institution administration to address the crisis.

“Our data shows that a little over 30 per cent of our members are contract academic staff

in this province. At some institutions, over 50 per cent of staff are contract academics,” wrote Davison. “In most cases, these individuals are paid significantly less than their permanent colleagues doing the same work.”

FPSE’s Precarious Profs campaign sheds light on how unreliable jobs in academia affect people living and working in B.C. The campaign highlights the talent and commitment of contract academic faculty, whether they’re professors, instructors, or staff.

This topic will also be addressed through other FPSE initiatives, such as its B.C. budget submission and member outreach. Students, faculty, and proponents of post-secondary education can show their support by signing a pledge encouraging fair treatment for contract academic staff on the group’s website.

“Every educator I have ever spoken to chose this profession because they love teaching. It truly is incredible to help someone find their ‘lightbulb’ moment when they understand a difficult concept or hear a completely new perspective for the first time,” wrote Davison. “Our members are proud and dedicated; they want to do the best job they can for their students.”

Just Trying to Survive Bose says that, in Vancouver, the average full-time sessional salary is less than that of an elementary school teacher.

“That’s what it’s come down to—that so many academics with all this special knowledge and [these] skills are in a position of simply surviving,” she says.

Because of the difficult position they’re in, many professors are unable to meet goals such as financially supporting their loved ones, paying for their children’s extracurricular activities, or reserving time for their hobbies. For Bose, this means skipping out on choir practice when she doesn’t know whether or not she can afford it.

Still, due to the supportive practices exhibited by UBC’s English department, Bose’s experience as a sessional professor has been mostly positive. She maintains that, despite this, contract faculty are “always vulnerable.”

“However decent our department might be, there might be restructuring from a higher level that can lose everybody their jobs just like that,” she says. “If you have to just survive … you have few opportunities in your life.”

(Courtesy of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C.)

Bob Davis, president of the Kwantlen Faculty Association. (Submitted)

George Davison, president of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C. (Submitted)

Sarika Bose, contract professor of English at UBC and the chair of CAUT's Contract Academic Staff Committee. (Submitted)

KPU Provost and VP Academic Sal Ferreras. (File Photo)

10 CULTURE

Slamapalooza’s Fifth Poetry Team Prepares for a Year of Performing Tawahum Bige, Chelsea Franz, Ainslie Glass, and Naaz Sidhu are the group’s new members Aly Laube | Editor in Chief This year’s Slamapalooza team has officially been determined, with four of its members hoping to attend the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Guelph this October.

The lineup for KPU’s slam poetry team was finalized after the season-ending championship slam was held on the evening of Sept. 21 in Birch 250. The 2018-19 team now consists of Burnsview Secondary student Ainslie Glass and KPU students Tawahum Bige, Chelsea Franz, and Naaz Sidhu.

Sidhu was the ultimate winner of the championship, although all four poets received high scores at the event. The slam was moderated by team coach Simon Massey, who often stopped to remind the audience to “applaud the poetry, not the points.”

Several poets from the community qualified for the championships but did not perform at the finals. While the slam was originally supposed to consist of three short rounds, with the five highest-scoring poets making the team, the small number of performers meant that each one of them automatically became members. This group will spend the remainder of 2018 and part of 2019 working and slamming together at home and abroad.

As this year’s Slamapalooza champion, Sidhu notes that performing in an intimate setting such as Birch 250 makes her feel “a lot more comfortable” about opening up through her work.

“Obviously poetry is very vulnerable. It puts you in a position where you’re laying out everything you feel in front of people that sometimes you don’t even know,” she says.

“So being in an environment full of people you know, especially here—everyone here is so welcoming and it really helped.”

Sidhu, Glass, Franz, and Bige are hoping to represent KPU at The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. (Yuta Anonuevo) Franz, who is just beginning to slam in front of an audience, is also glad to be part of a poetry collective that is “on campus and so easily accessible” to students.

“I’ve always been wanting to get into performances,” she says. “I haven’t done much performing before this, so this was a cool opportunity for me to kind of break in and put my foot in the door and get a chance to do something.”

For Bige, being a slam poet is “as healing as it is fun.”

“My own lived experience helps me heal from trauma and helps me not bring that home with me afterwards. I also make it a point to not leave it on the stage in a way that it cuts other people,” he says. “That’s an important

thing and I think it’s something that a lot of poets find important about doing this work.”

Bige is currently the poet-in-residence at Burnsview Secondary, where he recruited both Sidhu and Glass for the slam team.

Massey also attended Burnsview in his adolescence and can attest to the amount of creative talent that flourishes there.

This success is due, in part, to a wellknown and beloved drama instructor by the name of Leslie Stark. According to members of Slamapalooza, she has inspired several students to get involved in poetry and has, herself, taken part in KPU’s poetry team. For Sidhu and Glass, she was not only an instructor but a creative coach and a “school mom.”

Massey says that Slamapalooza welcomes

high school students to participate out of the desire to keep its slams inclusive and community-centred.

“We’re still holding onto the spirit we built this around,” says Massey. “People or poets are coming here and putting out their words.

That has always been a part of this. We’ve really tried to make the slam run in a way where people feel free to come and share their words and they aren’t as absorbed in the competition as you get with a lot of other slams.”

He continues, “We’ve always wanted to keep this about the poetry, and seeing the finals today, it really and truly is.”

Kwantlen Gaming Guild Looks to Recapture Former Glory Guild president Ryan Saunderson wants the KGG to have the highest score for student life Kayci Roy After it was founded in 2014, the Kwantlen Gaming Guild quickly became one of the most successful student groups at KPU. It boasted a large membership comprised of students from almost every campus and held a number of well-attended events. Several of its executives even went on to fill important positions within the Kwantlen Student Association.

Though its status on campus has dwindled a little over the years, the current KGG executives—elected in May—have plans to re-establish the club as one of the leading contributors to student life at KPU. “We’re currently in the works of redesigning our website, so once that’s done we’ll be doing a marketing campaign and putting that out there more often,” says Ryan Saunderson, president of the KGG. In addition to attracting new members, the guild is working on a number of events to drum up support from within the student body. These will include both large-scale

events open to everyone and smaller, more intimate meet-ups designed to get guild members together for some relaxing fun.

"Originally, there were more larger events under the first two years by the [KGG] founding president,” says Saunderson. “I'm going to try to bring that back this year."

One such event that the club is planning is an “AFK” night, where members can get away from their keyboards to meet for dinner and games. Other nights, KGG members can hang out from the comfort of their own homes via the club’s Discord group.

The Kwantlen Gaming Guild’s biggest event is their “Gaming Dead” night, an annual Halloween mixer which borrows its name from a different George A. Romero zombie film every year. Though the event is typically held in KPU Surrey’s Cedar conference centre, this year it may take place in the guild’s dedicated meeting space, a glass-walled room with couches and two TV screens in Birch building.

This room, despite its advantages as a space for student clubs, may actually be a factor in

the KGG’s dwindling membership as of late.

According to Saunderson, some guild members don’t feel as comfortable in the new room as they were in the space they used to occupy, which was a multi-purpose social justice space that was converted into a lounge during the Sodexo cafeteria renovations last year.

“Some of the members are a bit more introverted,” he explains. “Before, [the Guild’s old room] was a closed-off space, so it was more homey and cozy, whereas this one has a giant glass wall.”

Saunderson himself refers to the first two years of the KGG’s existence as “the golden years,” and although the “old guild” had the benefit of claiming more members and a cozier meeting room, the new executive team is optimistic about the club’s future.

To get involved, students can like the KGG’s Facebook page or stop by one of their “Gathering Day” meetings held every Monday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in Birch 266.

The Kwantlen Gaming Guild hosts meetings and gaming sessions in Birch 266. (Kristen Frier)

CULTURE

11

Remembering January Marie Lapuz Through Film Two KPU graduates produced My Name Was January to document the life of a local trans woman Ashley Hyshka | Community Reporter January Marie Lapuz, a 26-year-old transgender woman, was found in her New Westminster apartment in September 2012 with multiple stab wounds. She later died in the hospital.

My Name Was January is a documentary film that explores Lapuz’s life. It was created

by Elina Gress and Lenée Son, graduates of KPU’s journalism program.

Gress explains that Alex Sangha and Ash Brar, founders of Sher Vancouver, approached her and Son about making a short film about the life and legacy of their friend January.

Sher Vancouver is “a non-profit society for LGBTQ+ South Asians and their friends, families, and allies,” according to the group’s website, and Gress says that Sangha and Brar have been incredibly supportive since they began the project three years ago. She adds that the founders saw potential in Gress and Son—both women of colour—to tell January’s story as a woman of colour.

As the classmates began investigating and developing their film, Gress says they discovered that there was “more to the story” than what originally met the eye.

“It’s not just January; it’s about her and her struggles as a transgender woman of colour,” she explains, adding that, prior to working on the project, she was largely unfamiliar with transgender issues.

“I wish I had met her because she seems like a fun gal,” says Gress. “We wanted to highlight who she was as a person.”

Before long, Gress and Son decided to

(Left to right) Lenée Son and Elina Gress, graduates of KPU's journalism program and directors of My Name Was January. (Submitted) continue pursuing Lapuz’s story as a feature-length documentary film.

“It didn’t feel right to just do a two-minute video just about January,” Gress explains.

“We wanted to highlight … [that] she did have struggles, but she was also a person. And the fact that she got stabbed 18 times because she was transgender … it wasn’t okay for us, and we need to make that clear that she’s a person.”

For the expanded version, the pair spoke to other transgender women of colour because, as Gress put it, every woman has her own unique experience. From the people she

interviewed, Gress says she learned that Lapuz was a “radiant and glowing” person, and that everyone had only good things to say about her.

Gress says that her professors, particularly Mark Hamilton, supported her and Son throughout their endeavor to create the documentary. Both students were fascinated by multimedia storytelling, including photography and videography, and they learned the skills necessary to produce the film from Hamilton.

The documentary has already been recognized in California, winning an Award of Rec-

ognition in the LGBT category from the Best Shorts Film Competition. This achievement took Gress by surprise, who says that it was never her intention to attend film festivals, but rather to perform her job as a journalist, to change public perceptions, and “to share January with everybody.”

My Name Was January was accepted by several U.S. film festivals and is currently being submitted to various local film festivals. Gress is hoping that it will be officially released sometime in 2019.

Improv Comedy Classes Return to KPU

Lovers of comedy can attend the weekly drop-in improv workshops led by comedy veteran Daniel Chai Braden Klassen | Staff Writer Students looking share some laughs and develop their performance skills can once again check out the weekly KPU improv comedy workshops hosted by Daniel Chai. The drop-in classes take place on the Surrey campus every Monday from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm in Birch 250 and every Thursday at the same time in Room 1320 on the Richmond campus.

Unlike stand-up comedy or other forms of acting that rely on delivering pre-written lines, improv comedy is all made up on the spot, usually as a part of a game or a scene.

Chai, a KPU graduate and a longtime comedy performer, has been leading the improv workshops at the university for the past two years.

“Back in 2016, I was thinking of what I could do to keep spreading the joy of improv while also giving something back to the school that really helped me get started in my career,” he says.

His answer was to create Kwantlen Improv, which is supported both by the university and by the Kwantlen Student Association.

“It’s a chance for students to meet new people and get outside of their own day-today personal and school lives,” he says. “Each year it gets bigger and better, and we get lots of new students coming in.”

In addition to founding Kwantlen Improv, Chai is also a co-founder of The Fictionals, an improv comedy performance group, and

the creator of Improv Against Humanity, a monthly comedy show held at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver. The Fictionals, who have been performing in Vancouver since 2010, make appearances every Tuesday at Cafe Deux Soleils.

Besides using them to have fun and to get to know other students, Chai says that honing improvisational skills can be helpful with tasks related to school and students’ careers.

Some of these include forming creative essay ideas, conducting class presentations, or even doing well in job interviews.

“I think oftentimes we negate our own ideas or think our ideas aren’t that great or worth following up on,” he says. “For improv, we start off by saying ‘yes’ and seeing where the story and the journey takes us.”

Kylan Liu-Johnston, a KPU psychology student who has been coming to the Kwantlen Improv workshops since last year, says that playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends is what originally inspired him to get involved.

“I thought improv would be a great outlet and a great way to learn how to think on the fly a little bit,” he says. “Improv, I’ve found, is like a muscle that I have to work out.”

Liu-Johnston says that working on his improv skills helps him in his professional life as a commercial actor. Now, he attends improv workshops and shows around Vancouver whenever he has the time.

“The great thing about Kwantlen is that it

Daniel Chai says that learning improv skills can help students in other creative and social aspects of their life. (Braden Klassen) has students of all different ages,” says Chai.

“We have people come who are just out of high school and people who are returning students in their 30s, 40s, or 50s from all different backgrounds and countries.”

The workshops are open to everyone and

are free for KPU students.

“Most of the workshops here are all gamesbased, so it’s easy to jump in and jump out of it,” says Liu-Johnston. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained—just jump in. Everyone’s really welcoming here.”

Student Snapshot These gentlemen are jamming out on Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s campus piano located outside the Cedar building. The piano is in the perfect spot to provide a player with enough privacy so as to not disturb classes, as well as a quaint audience of students.

(Yuta Anonuevo)

KPU’s Improv club, led by Daniel Chai, warms up for their gamesbased workshops.

(Braden Klassen)

This young visitor at KPU is enjoying our on campus talent at the Grassroots Cafe. (Yuta Anonuevo) A student hangs out in the Grassroots Cafe and gets work done.

(Yuta Anonuevo)

British Columbia truly is beautiful. Look at those mountains! (Kristine Hui)

OPINIONS

13

The Case Against Tim Hortons The company deserves its poor reputation, not poor students’ money Braden Klassen | Staff Writer Everyone who has been to the Cedar building knows that the Tim Hortons on KPU’s Surrey campus is easily the most popular destination for students looking to grab a quick coffee or snack in between classes. Most items on the Tim’s menu cost less than similar ones at the Grassroots or the cafeteria, and its location makes it a safer bet than off-campus options when you’re pressed for time, even considering its constant line up.

These are all compelling reasons for students to be patrons of the coffee chain, but they should know that there’s more to this story.

Over the past decade, Tim Hortons Incorporated has done a lot of things I find disagreeable. In 2013, franchisee owners in Fernie were allegedly taking overtime pay back from temporary foreign workers, sometimes driving them to the bank to deposit their paycheques and demanding overtime pay back in cash.

The complainants and the franchisees eventually settled, and Tim Hortons decided to expand its auditing practices for the treatment of employees who are foreign nationals.

Shortly afterward, the government implemented restrictions on restaurant chains’ ability to hire temporary foreign workers.

Tim Hortons’ CEO, Marc Caira, responded by saying that the quality of products and service was likely to suffer as a result of the restrictions. This is because the chain franchisees relied on temporary foreign workers as a way to avoid improving wages or benefits

in order to attract more workers from local communities.

To wit, Tim Hortons’ actual position was that the government should let them hire more workers from outside the country—who they could get away with paying lower wages to—or they would just start offering worse service.

For a brand with an image based on being “proudly Canadian,” that is not a good look.

People have been complaining for years about the decline in quality of Tims food and coffee, but most people don’t know that there’s a systemic reason behind it. To cut costs, they’ve been reheating frozen doughnuts since the early 2000s, and about 50 per cent of their company growth over the last 10 years has come from building new locations, expanding into malls, airports, universities, and even military bases.

In 2014, the same year that Caira complained about Tim’s being understaffed, the company announced its intention to open 500 new stores in Canada and 300 in the U.S. Since then, the company merged with Burger King to form the imaginatively named Restaurant Brands International, and has been focusing on building new outlets outside of North America, including 1,500 in China over the next 10 years.

It’s becoming more evident that their business model relies on prioritizing quantity over quality, even if it negatively affects their customers and employees.

In response to a $2.40 minimum wage increase last year, Tim Hortons franchisees in Ontario started cutting employee benefits,

Students line up at the Tim Hortons located on the Surrey campus. (Braden Klassen) getting rid of paid breaks, and even requiring their credit, earlier this year, they invested their employees to buy their own uniforms. $700 million in revamping the brand and are Another location has even forbid employees trying to repair Tim Hortons’ public image by from accepting tips, telling them to put them addressing what CEO Daniel Schwartz calls in the till instead. “the narrative in the media,” but they’re going Restaurant Brands International denounced to have to do a lot of work before I’ll consider these franchise owners in the press, calling buying anything from them again. them “rogue groups,” but it’s unclear if they’ve done anything else to address these issues. To

The War on Women Rages on in Media and Reality Some of the rights violations seen in The Handmaid’s Tale are already happening around us Ashley Hyshka | Community Reporter I recently started watching The Handmaid’s Tale and quickly became enthralled by its drama and characters. Then I felt terrified because that fictional world isn’t too far off from our own.

In the critically acclaimed Hulu series, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, a religious dictatorship governs the Republic of Gilead—formerly the United States—where women have been stripped of their fundamental rights. Men and women are plagued by infertility, and a select few women who are still able to bear children serve as “handmaids” against their will to the nation’s elite.

The protagonist, Offred, refers to herself as a “two-legged womb,” and the handmaids are frequently abused both physically and emotionally. In Gilead, a woman’s only purpose is to be subservient to her husband and make babies.

Unfortunately, elements of that fictional world are starting to appear in North America.

Women’s reproductive rights are once again being restricted. While Roe v. Wade saw the legalization of abortion in 1973, individual U.S. states can hinder a woman’s ability to access this sometimes critical medical procedure.

Through flashbacks, the show illustrates the United States’ rapid decline into Gilead. Offred, whose real name is June, and her friend Moira are called “fucking sluts” in a coffee shop, and when the pair are indoctrinated as handmaids, they are forced to repeatedly chant “Her fault!” toward a woman

who’d been raped.

In the real world, U.S. President Donald Trump recently nominated Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh referred to birth control as an “abortion-inducing drug” and was accused of sexual assault in 1982 by Christine Blasey Ford.

Instead of believing her, many are accusing Ford of being a liar and are condemning her for coming forward decades after the alleged incident. It’s the same victim blaming we’ve heard for years—“Boys will be boys,” “What were you wearing?” “Were you drunk?” “Did you say no?”

On Sept. 21, Trump tweeted, “If the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities.” This, coming from a man with more than a dozen sexual assault and harassment allegations against him, is a stark reminder of why victims often remain silent.

They are shamed, intimidated, and sometimes threatened if they come forward.

In the season two episode “Smart Power” (spoiler!) Offred’s commander Fred Waterford and his wife Serena embark on a diplomatic mission to Canada. Once news leaks of Gilead’s oppressive regime and human rights abuses, citizens in Toronto protest the trip, diplomatic talks are cancelled, and the Waterfords are all but kicked out of the country.

Like the Canadians in this episode, we must fight back against laws and governments who seek to restrict women’s reproductive rights and freedoms.

(@RESLUS) Gileadean women—even the wives of commanders—are their husband’s property. When a handmaid is impregnated, the married couple is seen as the infant’s true parents. Handmaids are viewed solely as human incubators.

These women are told, “You are a two-legged womb who has zero right to bodily autonomy,”

and “enjoying sex makes you a slut.”

Yes, I have a vagina and a uterus and I enjoy sex, but my body does not belong to the state, and I intend to keep it that way.

Let’s make sure that Gilead remains a fictional location in a fictional television show.

14 OPINION

What Other Departments Could Learn from My Favourite KPU Course Aisha Scego

You won’t often see me racing down the narrow and crowded halls of KPU, itching to get a front row seat in class. I’m more of a “stroll in 10 minutes late with a venti chai latte and a dumbfounded look on my face as the instructor collects papers” type of student.

The fall 2016 semester changed all that.

In a way, COMM 3100 “Media and Diversity” with Katie Warfield rebirthed me as a student. From the first week of class to the last, I found myself in constant conversation about the course, the material, the often heated in-class debates; everything about the course was so intoxicating.

I learned about my own intersectionality as a black, Muslim female and what that means in the times we’re living in. I battled with the notion that these identities I hold are not linear, but round and encompassing. I learned what it fully means to be autonomous, and how often autonomy is stripped from young women and girls through gender oppression.

We discussed feminist theory, engaged in discourse analysis, and debated patriarchy and matriarchy as social constructs, all the while having our minds fucking blown.

Full disclosure— I’m a journalism and communications major, but I swear I’m not playing favorites.

Katie’s approach to teaching is what pulled me in the most. She let us govern ourselves and direct the conversation. It wasn’t uncommon for the class to veer off in an entirely different direction from the planned class discussion, and every time we did we found ourselves in unchartered territories, often having existential crises about anything and everything.

There was no stale regurgitating of PowerPoint notes. We had real, raw conversations about representation in the media and the importance of positive representation of marginalized peoples.

This class surpassed any expectations I could have had for a rockstar course. Other departments could stand to learn a thing or two from it. First and foremost: Honey, please, if you’re just going to read off the PowerPoint slides, I might as well stay home in my fleece pj’s and watch Rick and Morty, because I can do that myself.

Secondly, for love of God, engage us.

Test our ability to be critical thinkers and prepare us for life outside of the classroom.

Lastly, and arguably most importantly, encourage us. More than anything, this class gave me confidence as an intellectual. If you’re a journalism and communication major or minor, or even if you’re just looking for an elective to pick up, I highly recommend this course.

How to be Financially Responsible this School Year (Like an Adult) Take these tips on managing your spending into account Ashley Hyshka | Community Reporter If I asked a room full of KPU students if they were struggling financially, I imagine that most would raise their hands. But there are things you can do to alleviate that burden.

I know what you’re thinking: “Why am I taking financial advice from someone with a journalism degree?” Well, I learned from the best. My father was in the banking industry for over 20 years and my parents have ingrained a sense of fiscal responsibility in me. Before I moved to Vancouver to attend KPU, I managed to save $35,000. While I did have to work part-time and obtain a student loan, this money lasted throughout my entire undergraduate degree and helped me afford major expenses like rent and tuition.

Now I want to share that knowledge with you. So here’s your handy guide on how to save money as a university student and sort of act like an adult.

Get a Part-Time Job Many, if not most, KPU students already have part-time jobs. While nothing’s more important that focusing on your studies, this can be hard to accomplish if you’re constantly under stress because you’re struggling to pay bills. A parttime job enables you to pay for your education and expenses without going into debt.

And think of your parents! Most university students are in their late teens or early twenties and can get a part-time job to help pay tuition rather than relying on their family’s help. You made a choice to attend university, so don’t put the financial burden on your folks.

Save! Save! Save!

A big part of saving money is knowing when to put your wallet away. A new iPhone or car looks luxurious, but a person must understand the difference between a “need” and a “want.”

(Leah Rosehill) I dare you to check your account and see how much money you’ve spent on food at KPU. Instead of going to Tim Hortons or Grassroots before each class, bring a lunch from home and use these outings as a treat rather than a daily occurrence.

After paying your bills, put a certain amount of your paycheque in a savings account. If it’s in a separate account, you won’t be tempted to spend it, and after several months you’ll be surprised by how much money you’ve saved.

Student Loans There are few things in this world worse than owing money to someone, but when that someone is the “Government of Canada” it sucks even more.

Still, student loans are a necessary evil. My advice is to take the loan and make immediate payments on it after graduating by using available funds like scholarships, earnings, or even tax refunds. The higher your loan, the higher your daily interest charges will be. Making an

immediate payment will prevent the interest rate, and your overall loan, from climbing.

Scholarships and Bursaries KPU offers an abundance of scholarships and bursaries. Through its website, you can fill out an online form which qualifies you for all applicable awards. Some may require letters of recommendation or writing samples, but it’s a small price to pay for a potentially huge payoff.

What’s better than free money? Nothing!

When All Else Fails If you’re still strapped for cash, I recommend getting involved with KPU’s very own The Runner! We’re currently looking for contributors for the new school year, and the newspaper is an excellent way to earn money by writing articles or submitting photos and original artwork.

We’re also one of the highest paying student newspapers in western Canada.

And if that also fails, marry rich.

The Dangers of the Amazon Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is changing the game, but he might also be breaking the rules Jeremiah Ukponrefe | Contributor Jeff Bezos’s net worth reached a staggering $150 billion on July 16, finally granting him the title of the world’s richest man. Bezos is the owner and founder of Amazon, the largest online commerce company in the world, which offers an expansive catalogue of products from technology to groceries.

By diversifying his areas of investment, Jeff Bezos had embodied the spirit of his company. An abridged list of his popular acquisitions includes Whole Foods, Goodreads, Audible, IMDb, and the Washington Post.

One individual having this level of control over the consumer market is immediately concerning, and even though Bezos is not necessarily known for having “bad” character, that should not excuse him from being watched.

Through his acquisition of the Washington Post, he holds the power to influence a major media outlet. In 2016, Amazon acquired a patent to develop cage-like “workstations” for

warehouse employees to use when transporting packages. The idea was quickly shelved after media criticism brought it to the public’s attention, but if Bezos had bought out the outlets that had chastised Amazon, it’s possible that the company would not have received the same amount of negative attention.

Buying the media seems like somewhat of a trend among billionaires. Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, recently purchased Time magazine, and Laurene Powell Jobs holds a majority stake in the Atlantic. This is important to highlight because almost all media has an agenda, and the public needs to know who has the final say in what is being published or broadcast.

Maybe people like Bezos, Benioff, and Powell Jobs are buying these outlets simply for business purposes, but the prospect that their investments could be used for more sinister purposes is always there.

In a memo to the Washington Post staff, Bezos expressed that “change” would be coming to the newspaper. He said that experimen-

tation would be needed, but at the time did not express what was actually being planned.

So far, he has made simple alterations such as lifting a paywall for online local newspapers, but in the future, he could make changes that might hurt journalism.

An interesting fact about Bezos is that, even though he is famous, he is not exactly a household name. He doesn’t have the revolutionary pull of Elon Musk, or the well-known charitable contributions of Bill Gates, leaving him somewhat in the shadows. His actions typically fly under the radar, which grants him the leniency to make major decisions that affect the consumer market without receiving much attention.

Jeff Bezos has changed the world, and for the most part, the fact that he has done so is admirable. But those who wield a gigantic amount of power must be viewed with suspicion. Power can always be used in negative ways, and it is the responsibility of regular people to be on the watch.

COLUMNS

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Afterthought: Big Money Still Causing Problems in B.C. Politics The province’s new election finance laws fail to hold political donors accountable Braden Klassen | Staff Writer Does spending $85,000 on advertisements for a single candidate without their knowledge violate the spirit of election finance law?

That’s the question people have been asking after it was discovered that Peter Wall, a prominent Vancouver developer and founder of Wall Financial Corp, purchased billboard advertisements that supported Vancouver mayoral candidate Hector Bremner weeks before the start of the campaign. During the month-long campaign period, third parties are not allowed to advertise on behalf of candidates without revealing their identity, and donations to parties and candidates are capped at $10,000.

Apparently, there are some interests out there who think that it’s fair game to spend over that limit as long as they take down the ads right before the campaign period starts.

Legally they’re within their rights to do so, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. It undermines the purpose of the law, which was obviously put into place to limit the influence of money in political campaigning, and it certainly contradicts basic principles of fair and open democracy.

Wall opted to come forward about the ads, though legally he didn’t have to, which raises questions about whether B.C. municipal campaign laws are strong enough to prevent anonymous interests or organizations from unduly influencing the election. Before he came forward, the only organization tied to the ads was a Facebook group called Vancouverites for Affordable Housing. Facebook took down the group’s page, which left the identity

of the donor a mystery until Wall voluntarily stepped forward.

Similarly, earlier in September, Vancouver Mayoral candidate Ken Sim was targeted by a smear campaign group on Facebook which leveled unproven allegations against him and urged Vancouverites to vote for Bremner. It was also deleted before anyone could find out who was behind it.

Critics are worried that these kinds of political strategies executed by anonymous groups are similar to ones employed by Russia in the 2016 U.S. election. Some Vancouver candidates are taking a stand against anonymous meddling by pledging to publicly disclose their donor lists, but the fact that they even have to do that speaks volumes about how ineffective the current campaign laws are.

You have to wonder how backwards our political system has become when candidates commit to transparency, not because they actually have to, but because they choose to.

Vancouver isn’t the only municipality where candidates are being questioned about who finances them. The Law Society of British Columbia issued a citation to West Vancouver mayoral candidate Mark Sager for professional misconduct after he received $100,000 in 2014 and 2015, which he says came from his godmother as repayment for legal work.

Richmond mayoral candidate Hong Guo was cited for professional misconduct as a result of his mishandling of millions of dollars between 2014 and 2016. Chilliwack city councillor and mayoral candidate Sam Waddington is being looked at by an independent auditor and the RCMP after his expenses were published, and it was found that he had spent

A screenshot of a "Vancouverites for Affordable Housing" Facebook group ad supporting mayoral candidate Hector Bremner. almost $10,000 more than any of the other councilors running alongside him.

Since the provincial election last year, the B.C. NDP has been working to change the province’s reputation as a political “Wild West,” where wealthy groups or individuals can donate as much as they want to make sure that their interests would be represented over

those of others.

The party passed legislation limiting donations to both provincial and municipal parties and candidates, and while it seems like some people agree on the importance of getting big money out of politics, it’s clear that others still have not.

Artist Spotlight: Dante’s Paradise The band has ventured from the Capilano jazz program to underground Vancouver venues Aly Laube | Editor in Chief The jazz program at CapU is home to a community of young and talented creatives, many of whom have started their own projects in the Vancouver music scene. Some are bands previously featured in this column, such as Club Sofa, Wind-Up Birds, and Wax Cowboy.

Another is Dante’s Paradise, a four-piece group that creates dreamy indie rock centred around peppy guitar riffs and confessional lyrical hooks.

What unites these bands, aside from their enrolment at the same university, is a jangly, jazz-infused sound that has become an important part of the city’s musical underground.

Lead guitarist Sam Baglier says that Dante’s Paradise differs from other projects that its members have been involved in because the group is so heavily influenced by the musicians that surround them.

“It just gave us new sounds to work with. I think we came from a pretty isolated area when we first started,” says Baglier, referring to his and his bandmates’ Vancouver Island roots.

Rhythm guitarist and vocalist Justice Cote adds that, in regards to shaping the group’s sound, “jazz school has been a big influence too.”

“Going to school and conversing with all of these other songwriters really opened a lot

of doors theoretically, and we started writing more complex harmonies than we used to,” he says.

“When you don’t know what to do in the songwriting process, it’s good to have that backlog of stuff that you know might work and [you] kind of familiarize yourself with patterns that your songs might go through,” adds drummer Todd Stewart.

Currently, Dante’s Paradise only has one record out: a three-song EP entitled Haunts My Dreams. The 15 minute-long record is full of smooth, memorable vocal melodies and meandering guitar solos cushioned in echo and reverb.

The band’s next record doesn’t have a release date yet, but it is set to include more featuring artists, instrumental variety, and “heavy, droning” synths than their past work.

This second collection is bound to be more “sonically full” and “overall a bit less high energy” than Haunts My Dreams, but Cote is confident that it will present “a big sound” that’s likely to mark a genre shift for the band.

“I think that this new album is going to be drawing on more of the folk influence that was in their previous project [The Stolen Faces] rather than the stuff we were doing before on the earlier EP,” says Stewart. “This stuff is going to be more eclectic, I think.”

In the meantime, people interested in the

From left to right: Drummer Todd Stewart, guitarist Sam Baglier, and guitarist and vocalist Justice Cote of Dante's Paradise. (Aly Laube) band can look forward to the release of their music video for “Foolish Night” from the debut record. It should be publicly available midway through October and, according to Cote, is “just about a really rough night.”

“You get to see us in some really un-glam-

orous scenarios, and I’m going to leave it at that,” he says.

Dante’s Paradise’s next show will be at Railway Stage & Beer Cafe on Dec. 8.

PROCRASTINATION HOROSCOPES

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

Simply be the smile.

Change will come, find the new right.

Express the goodness, it will be alright.

Pisces

Aries

Taurus

Float away, or stay. The clouds are yours today.

Sure, you know bold is usually better, but take a minute to see all the options.

It's OK to let up.

Gemini

Cancer

Leo

The leap is ready for taking, right now is time.

The eyes on you are watching for reasons of aid. Let it be.

Now is the time to find a high peak and roar louder than before.

Virgo

Libra

Scorpio

Take a breath, take a break. Tomorrow has time too.

Now is your time. Your journey is started with a step.

Today is the day to stay instead of turning away.

Nov. 23 - Dec 21

Feb 20 - Mar 20

May 21 - Jun 20

Aug 24 - Sept 23

Dec. 22 - Jan 20

Mar 21 - Apr 19

Jun 21 - Jul 23

Sept 24 - Oct 23

Jan 21 - Feb 19

Apr 20 - May 20

Jul 24 - Aug 23

Oct 24 - Nov 22

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