DECEMBER 11, 2018 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 8 KPU’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
HOW KPU CAN INDIGENIZE It will take collective action from the community to see change, members of First Nations explain
NEWS
KSA President Caitlin McCutchen Resigns
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CULTURE
Rabbitats Provides Abandoned Bunnies with a New Home
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OPINIONS
7:00 AM Classes Are a Bad Idea
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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 photos@runnermag.ca
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NEWS
KSA President Caitlin McCutchen Resigns
McCutchen, who says she’s stepping down for personal reasons, has been involved with the KSA for the better part of three years, beginning as a student volunteer for the association's “I Will Vote” campaign during the 2015 federal election.
CULTURE
Rabbitats Provides Abandoned Bunnies with a New Home Bunnies in the Fraser Valley who have been abandoned by their owners can find a safe and loving home at one of Rabbitat’s micro-sanctuaries. Founded by Sorelle Saidman, the non-profit organization has provided a home for hundreds of rabbits.
FEATURES
Indigenizing KPU Requires Collective Action KPU takes its name from the Kwantlen First Nation, but often, recognition of its history and culture plays a very minimal role in our educational experience.
OPINIONS
7:00 AM Classes Are a Bad Idea
Imagine a student who lives in Richmond needing to arrive on the Langley campus before 7:00 am. If they’re lucky enough to be able to drive, they would only have to endure an approximately 40-minute commute, depending on traffic.
Web Manager
Alex Rodriguez web@runnermag.ca
HASHTAG KPU
Post on Twitter or Instagram about or around KPU and you could be featured! Operations Manager Scott Boux office@runnermag.ca 778-565-3801
CONTRIBUTORS Kyler Emerson Cristian Hobson-Dimas Tristan Johnston Amei-lee Laboucan Jessica Limoanco @RESLUS Kayci Roy Lesley Salazar
COVER BY Kristen Frier
Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778-565-3801 www.runnermag.ca Vol. 11, Issue no. 8 December 11// 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 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
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FROM THE EDITOR
Independent newspapers and magazines are in a pinch; here’s why you should care Aly Laube | Editor in Chief It’s a strange time for independent media outlets right now, and an even stranger one for those owned by multi-million dollar companies and investors. In the transition from the golden era of journalism—when every family on the block woke up to a daily on their doorstep—to today’s digital age, it’s nearly impossible to guarantee the success of small-scope newspapers and magazines. Still, the debate about how to keep the press profitable has largely resulted in shrugs and sighs. Many say that, to get a job in the field, your best bet is to pack up and move to a small town, where you can settle into a cozy life as a reporter delivering slice-of-life stories. Others say that it’s best to freelance as much as you can, to hustle your way up the ladder and take money wherever and whenever it’s available to you. Then there are those who still believe in the ever-elusive full-time reporting job which, although usually occupied by veteran journalists, does still exist for a select few. But this isn’t just a problem for individual workers. Their struggles are a symptom of the financial panic that most news and culture outlets are fumbling through. Editors, administrators, and investors are scrambling to figure out how they can stay afloat in a time when people don’t want to pay for the news and, thanks to the world wide web, usually don’t have to. Go above the outlet heads and you’ll get to the big fish—the companies and elite investors who own and operate those small publishers which exist apart from the mainstream, but aren’t entirely independent. These people are the ones responsible for making the financial decisions that can make or break a newsroom.. After Mic—a millennial-focused news
Independent magazines like Bitch rely on reader donations and subscriptions to stay afloat, but even they report struggling to meet their fundraising targets. (Aly Laube) outlet—sold itself to Bustle Digital Group, a majority of its staff were laid off in one fell swoop. While exactly how many of the company’s 170-some employees lost their jobs is uncertain, one thing is for sure—the man who now owns both companies, Bryan Goldberg, is growing increasingly influential in the realm of media and publishing. Mic may be the newest notch on Goldberg’s belt, but it certainly isn’t the only one. Aside from owning and founding Bustle, Elite Daily, and the Zoe Report, he also purchased the now-infamous gossip site Gawker at a bankruptcy auction last summer for only $1.35 million. This took place after the outlet’s reputation and value took a horrendous nosedive as a result of wrestler Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against them for publishing his sex tape. Goldberg is also one of the founders of The Bleacher Report, which distributes sports coverage, although he sold that company to
Turner Broadcasting System in 2012. Part of what makes the Mic layoffs upsetting, aside from their abrupt and extreme nature, is that dozens of talented journalists—many of whom were millennials producing content relevant to other young people—are now out of work. There are a series of sections under Mic, including “Slay: News, views, and ammunition for strong women”, “Payoff: Making money, explained”, and “The Movement: From the front lines of social justice”, proving that, while it certainly isn’t the leading voice for hard-hitting social critique, Mic is a popular player in making the media more progressive. There are so few existing major outlets made by and for young, feminist millennials that, when an indeterminate number of journalists from a sizable newsroom lose their jobs, it resonates. Many magazines and newspapers with limited target markets are in such
a financially unprofitable situation that turning down a buyout or major investor could mean the difference between struggling to keep their heads above water and being able to rapidly expand their reach. What happened at Mic is an example of what’s possible when one wealthy investor puts good money above good media, which is precisely what millionaire-entrepreneurs like Goldberg do. The fact that small, community-oriented outlets need to rely on either corporate investment or private donations means that reader revenue is more important to the press now than it ever has been before. It also means that keeping an eye on the companies that exert power over journalists is absolutely crucial, and should be recognized as a duty that we as media consumers all need to exercise to the best of our ability.
NEWS BRIEF
Winter Get Together Offers Students a Chance to Celebrate on Campus
Lesley Salazar The Winter Get Together at KPU Surrey brought students together to eat, drink, and be merry on Dec. 4. It started off with two games. The first was an icebreaker called “Find Out Who”, and the second was a team-based competition for who could most beautifully decorate one of their fellow students using materials like Santa hats, bows, and Christmas lights. The winners were awarded gift bags and other festive prizes. A hot lunch—complete with a mixed salad, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and turkey slices—was also served along with cold drinks and hot chocolate. Afterward the meal, the event concluded with even more games. “The Winter Get Together [was the] last event of the year and usually we offer it around this time because we understand that many of our international students come from other countries and, no matter their religion, usually they have some holiday activi-
ty planned for this month of the year,” says KPU International Student Life Coordinator Waheed Taiwo. He explains that, while there are many programs and services offered to international students “to make sure that they are able to cope with their academic and non-academic life at KPU,” the winter get-together provides them with an “an opportunity to make new friends and also spend time with their current friends.” The event also provides a non-denominational space for students of various backgrounds and religious beliefs to celebrate the winter season. “As for my team, the international student life team, we offer lots of events and activities that support their social and emotional needs,” says Taiwo. “In addition to the events, we also have volunteer programs. We offer peer-support programs as well, in addition to some workshops, [and] games that we do feel bring students closer to other students on campus.”
Students at the Winter Get Together were welcomed with festive decorations and the opportunity to get to know each other. (Lesley Salazar) In the beginning of the new year, Taiwo says the team will be taking students to participate in Fly Over Canada. They’ll also be visiting the Tulip festival in Chilliwack in the spring, and in the summer they’ll be going
to Playland. Taiwo encourages students who are interested in these outings to check the website because, “every month of the year, [they have] events and activities that are suitable to that period.”
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NEWS
KSA President Caitlin McCutchen Resigns
The Kwantlen Student Association will elect a new president following a vote from the executive committee on Dec. 11 Braden Klassen | Staff Writer At a meeting of council on Nov. 30, Kwantlen Student Association President and Vice President External Caitlin McCutchen announced that she would be resigning from her position. Following her announcement, council voted to elect David Piraquive—current arts representative and former vice-president student life—to replace McCutchen as VP External. Indigenous Students Representative Sarah Strachan was elected as the new VP Student Life. McCutchen, who says she’s stepping down for personal reasons, has been involved with the KSA for the better part of three years, beginning as a student volunteer for the association's “I Will Vote” campaign during the 2015 federal election. In 2016, she became involved with the women’s collective and was elected as a Senate representative soon afterward. In early 2017, McCutchen became the KSA’s women’s representative before being elected as its vice-president external. In the spring of 2018, her fellow KSA executives elected her president of the association, and she retained all three positions—President, VP External, and Women’s Representative—until her resignation last week. In addition to resigning from the KSA, McCutchen will also be stepping down from her positions on the boards of the Alliance of BC Students and the Canadian Federation of Students, with the latter position likely being taken over by Strachan. “Last year was amazing,” says McCutchen. “It’s been a really crazy, wild ride here, and I can’t believe it’s over. This has been my home
Members of KSA Council vote at the meeting on Nov. 30, after Caitlin McCutchen announced her resignation. (Braden Klassen) for almost three years, and I’m just so grateful to all of the students who voted for me in every single election, and every single board that I’ve sat on.” McCutchen says she is proud of the initiatives and projects she worked on with the KSA, including successfully lobbying the provincial government to allocate funds to student housing and creating a campaign to address mental health on campus. “I was nervous about the KSA and I was super shy. I never thought I’d want to join,” she says. “I never thought I’d be a person who
could stand up in front of an AGM and speak to people without being nervous. I never thought I’d be able to be on TV without being nervous. This job has given me so many skills, and I hope I’ve given back to the students as much as I’ve gotten from them.” Aside from all of the regular duties of managing KSA affairs, the new president—who will be elected at a meeting of the executive committee on Dec. 11—will be responsible for a few ongoing initiatives. These include the search for a new executive director and a referendum question regarding a new UPass
contract, as well as a potential referendum in the spring semester to join the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. “It’s bittersweet,” says Piraquive, who will be working as the KSA’s vice-president external until the end of the term in March. “She has been a fantastic co-worker and she’s someone that I definitely admire, but I’m happy that she’s moving on to better things.” McCutchen says she will be available to answer questions that the executives have regarding the transition and ongoing projects despite her resignation.
Former Youth in Care Make Good Use of B.C.’s Tuition Waiver Program
At KPU, as at other institutions in the province, ex-foster kids have their tuition paid for by the Ministry for Advanced Education Kayci Roy | Contributor Following the B.C. government’s decision to waive tuition fees for former youth in care at post-secondary institutions, ex-foster kids have been flocking towards colleges and universities across the province. According to The Province, there are currently 687 students in B.C. who are utilising the tuition waivers, which the government says represents a 77 per cent increase since 2016. Laura Vail, the Director of Student Success at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, says that, as of the fall semester, 28 of those students are enrolled at KPU. “I think it’s awesome,” says Vail. “The provincial support these students are getting is so incredibly important to providing access to such a wide range of students who might not have had an opportunity otherwise to attend post-secondary institutions.” On Sept. 1 of last year, Premier John Horgan and Minister of Advanced Education, Skills, and Training Melanie Mark announced an expansion to the tuition waiver program for former youth-in-care in B.C. Although it was previously only available at 11 of the publicly-funded colleges and universities in
the province, the program now ensures that ex-youth in care will have access to any of B.C.’s 25 post-secondary institutions. “We’re investing in the futures of former youth in care because it’s the right thing to do,” says Mark. “They have had enough injustice. Now it’s time to support them to thrive and reach their full potential. This is only the beginning of us opening doors together.” A former youth in care who uses the tuition waiver to study jazz at Capilano University, Feven Kidane, says that she wouldn’t be able to make ends meet as a student without access to the program. “It’s a very large opportunity to be afforded. They’re literally covering all of it. It’s a huge blessing,” she says. To be eligible for the expanded tuition waiver program, students must be between the ages of 19 and 26. They must also be a resident of B.C. who has spent at least 24 months in care. Students who don’t entirely meet eligibility requirements can still be granted a bursary to help cover their expenses. In addition to the tuition waiver program, the government has also donated $100,000 to the Take the Wheel driver program, helping youth in care get the materials they need to
Melanie Mark is the Minister of Advanced Education and a former youth in care. (Flickr/Province of British Columbia) learn how to drive. “We have to be mindful that when youth in care age out at 19 years old, they don’t have the same supports that other students might take for granted,” says Mark. “They don’t have a home for the holidays, or parents to lean on when the unexpected happens. The government was their parent while they were in care, and it’s our job to continue to support and encourage them into their adulthood.” At KPU, students are encouraged to contact their counsellor or head over to the office for student awards and financial assistance, located on every campus, if they want to use
the waiver. “KPU is on the forefront of supporting former youth in care, and I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done around supporting those students,” says Vail. “We continue to reach out to these students in care to ensure they know that they have the support from KPU and that they can ask for help, whether it’s academic or financial or otherwise. There are key people here who are really here to help support them.”
CULTURE
KPU Psychology Instructor Lectures on the Virtues of the Scientific Method The presentation focused on the use of skepticism to help inform ourselves Braden Klassen | Staff Writer In the latest instalment of the KPU Science World Speaker series, psychology instructor Dr. Jay Hosking delivered a lecture emphasizing how the scientific method has been, and continues to be, the best way for people to discover and collect information about the world around them. The presentation, titled “The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living: Science, Skepticism and Evidence in the Age of 'Alternative Facts'”, was hosted at Science World and was well-attended by students, professors, and interested members of the public. The Science World Speaker Series is a long-running partnership between Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Science World that began in 2015. The series sees KPU instructors delivering lectures on topics ranging from discovering exoplanets to preservation of the Amazon rainforest and sustainable uses of human waste. Hosking, whose areas of research includes topics like decision-making and addiction, says that he was inspired to give this lecture in response to growing trends in pseudoscience and misinformation online. He says that trusting the scientific method as a way of sourcing information provides an “antidote” to dubious claims and fake news. “The thing about understanding the scientific method and science literacy in general [is that] it empowers you to judge the evidence
that’s in front of you, the method by which it was acquired, and how reliable and trustworthy that information is,” he says. “The main thing I wanted to talk about was the importance of how we acquire information and how we think about the information we use to govern ourselves as individuals and govern ourselves as societies and institutions.” There are a number of ways of gathering information in order to make decisions, such as listening to authority, using common sense, or trusting our intuition, that Hosking believes can lead people to be more vulnerable to believing falsities. “I am very cautious about the idea of common sense, because common sense is related to this idea of intuition. Your intuition is only as good as the information you are collecting,” he says. “When someone prefaces something by saying, ‘I’m important,’ before they tell you about whatever they’re selling, that’s not a good sign.” It can become complicated to talk to a person who has chosen to trust a source of information that does not rely on the scientific method, he feels. KPU journalism instructor Chad Skelton, who specializes in researching and using information from online databases like Statistics Canada, agrees with Hosking. He suggests that people sometimes rely on less direct sources of news and information like Facebook and Twitter because of how practical and efficient it is to use these mediums as
Jay Hosking says the scientific method is the best way we have of gathering information. (Submitted) tools for information gathering. “The underlying problem with all of this stuff is that people have limited time,” says Skelton. “I can’t look at something on Twitter or Facebook and immediately determine if it’s coming from a reliable source. So what I would do is, if someone shares something on Facebook or Twitter, I click back to the original source. If it’s the New York Times, or the CBC, or the Globe and Mail, I’d have—not one hundred per cent confidence in it—but more confidence in it.” He adds, “If the ultimate source is someone’s blog or some weird news outlet I’ve never heard of before, I’d have less confidence in it.”
Rabbitats Provides Abandoned Bunnies with a New Home A huge population of rabbits in the Lower Mainland is creating the need for more sanctuaries Kayci Roy | Contributor Bunnies in the Fraser Valley who have been abandoned or surrendered by their owners can find a safe and loving home at one of Rabbitat’s micro-sanctuaries. Founded by Sorelle Saidman, the non-profit organization has provided a home for hundreds of rabbits, both domesticated and feral. Rabbit overpopulation has become a consistent problem in Richmond and Surrey. Before humane organizations started sheltering the rabbits, farmers chose to solve the issue with violence when the bunnies began eating their crops. “They did start shooting them, so I thought, ‘Why can’t they just be rounded up and put in a fenced area so they’re safe?’” says Saidman. A lack of government assistance makes it difficult for rabbits to be formally adopted. Saidman says that when rabbits are left in a park or another public place, they immediately become wildlife and are unable to be relocated or rescued, regardless of whether or not they can take care of themselves in the wilderness. “[The government] made everyone go through a permit process that took a year, when people on the other end … had hobby farms and were interested in taking a colony of 20 or 100 rabbits,“ she says. The difficulty in getting a permit means that the large population of rabbits who are
struggling outside of the domestic environment they’re used to don’t stand a chance of going to a safe and loving home. “One by one going to homes isn’t going to cut it,” Saidman adds. Rabbitats volunteer Alysha Makowsky has been taking care of rabbits at the organization’s mini-sanctuaries for years, and doesn’t expect to see a reduction in the herds of bunnies that come into the rescue’s care. According to her, many people who adopt bunnies don’t think about the effort or attention that goes into caring for an animal, and as a result, a lot of pet rabbits are abandoned or are forced to live in homes with families that don’t care for them. “People want something easy. They want something cute like the floppy-eared rabbits,” says Makowsky. “People get them, and then they’re too much work or they don’t have time for them, which is why so many of them end up here.” Rabbits are sociable animals, and visitors to the Rabbitats mini-sanctuaries can commonly find them right under their feet while walking around the enclosures. Sadly, many rabbits there have been through abusive homes and, as a result, are afraid of humans and become unable to adopt. These rabbits, as well as those with health problems or those who have special needs, aren’t typically popular with potential adopters.
Olaf and Nutmeg are best friends who grew up in Rabbitats together. (Kayci Roy) For feral rabbits, who would rather live without humans, rescuers wants to implement more non-traditional methods of bulk adoption. Places like Bear Creek Park offer train rides around the park, and putting spayed and neutered rabbits in enclosures around the park would turn them into attractions instead of pests, with lots of space to move around in. Without help, the rabbit population will only continue to grow larger in the Fraser Valley. According to Saidman, 2018 will see the area pass the “point of no return” for the rabbit boom. “Now we’re dealing with 2,000 rabbits in Richmond, and we’re already full with the house bunnies,” she says.
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Christmas Glow Returns to Langley For Another Year Kyler Emerson Christmas Glow is back in Langley for a second year to bring some lights, laughter, and cheer to the holiday season. The light show—which opened on Nov. 22 at Milner Village Garden Centre—features over 500,000 lights in a variety of themed gardens inside a beautiful greenhouse. Delicious treats are sold in food trucks set up outside the garden centre with seating past the entrance. The attraction also features three licensed bars throughout the venue. Families can attend the Christmas market inside the centre, which houses more than 40 vendors, while listening to live, holiday-themed music being played on stage. A castle playground and a glowtrain will keep the little ones' entertained as kids—and adults—whisper their Christmas wish lists to Santa. Inside the garden is a forest of interactive lights which twinkle and change colour for anyone young at heart to enjoy. These lights offer a pretty seasonal picture, and couples visiting Christmas Glow can capture that special photo under the mistletoe to get a keepsake of their holiday adventure. There is also a theme throughout the garden to keep kids intrigued. Children carry a passport and seek out booths to get a stamp for each of the seven areas, every one of them decorated to represent a different country. If they’re able to visit each one, they win a small prize and get to keep the passport as a souvenir. Last year, over 150,000 people visited the light show, and staff expect about the same this year, if not more. “Saturdays, we had about 6,000 people,” says Gina Eigeniaan, a floor guide in the light garden. “On a nice evening, we get about 3,000 visitors.” The 100,000-square foot event took months to plan and set up. Organizers hired students and volunteers to make the light show a success. "We were surprised [by] how popular it got last year," says Lauren Onderwater, a high school student from Langley working a passport booth in the light garden. "It's a nice event to take your family to, and there is something for everyone here." "This is our first Glow event," says Erin Shilliday, a mother of two who attended the exhibit. "It's good for all ages. Our baby is enjoying the lights and our young son is enjoying the activities." Like hundreds of families from across the Lower Mainland, Shilliday decided to visit Christmas Glow on its opening night. "We came from Delta and would definitely come back. We like that it's indoors because it is pouring outside right now. Parking was easy and organized," she says. "They have so many different things to do, [so] we can stay here a long time." Tickets are selling out quickly, and the event, although longer than last year, is only open until Jan. 19. It's recommended that anyone who’s interested in visiting the light show or the market should buy their tickets early.
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FEATURES
Indigenizing KPU Requires Collective Action The community needs to work together to honour the First Nations on whose unceded land the university resides Cristian Hobson-Dimas | Contributor Canada’s history is one of colonization, relationship between Indigenous people and Canada before trying to work towards reconmeaning that our nation is built on the attempt to assimilate and disempower the ciliation,” he says. “Another setback is assuming that reconciliation is an event with an Indigenous people who lived here long before endpoint. It's a process, and it's never truly confederation. That’s one of the main reasons why all non-Indigenous Canadians need to over. The relationship has to be attended to work together to create space for reconcilia- on a regular basis in order for it to function well for both parties.” tion with the First Nations community, and in He adds that “finding the right balance for order to be conscious of both the collective and individual role we play in active recon- the [Indigenous] communities” involved with ciliation, we need to examine the institutions university administrators is another chalwe pay and trust to educate us. lenge to overcome. KPU takes its name from the Kwantlen First “They have to be partners with the univerNation, but often, recognition of its history and sities, but they can't be expected to play supculture plays a very minimal role in our educa- port roles constantly. The universities have tional experience. Creating an environment in to do some work on understanding, and then which Indigenous perspectives are more inte- approach the communities as partners instead gral to our schooling can go a long way to hon- of as people needing help or in some dependent ouring the name of the institution we attend, role,” he says. “They also can't be token partand the land upon which we are situated. ners. Their input has to be real and listened to.” According to Richard Watts, a writer for the Finally, he recommends that more IndigeTimes Colonist, a large conference was held at nous people must be welcomed into post-secUVic to discuss the university’s role in recon- ondary institutions as faculty, staff, and stuciliation in November. It hosted 250 leaders dents without having to “give up who they are from Indigenous communities. at the door or as they walk onto the campus.” “The theme of the two-day forum, the fourth “As their bodies, voices, and presence of its kind, is ‘Ts’its’u’watal tseep’ which means increases, it provides a model for other Indig‘Helping one another’ in the Hul’q’umi’num enous individuals that this is a place where language,” he explains. they too can come, be accepted, and ultimateOne of the key speakers, Jean-Paul Restoule, ly succeed,” Restoule explains. is an Anishinaabe professor and chair of A political science major at KPU, Samantha Indigenous education at UVic. In regards to Gately, is Mowachaht of the Nuu Chah how KPU students can become more con- Nulth First Nation and lived on the Ruby scious of the reconciliation movement, he Creek Reserve of Stó:lō First Nation. As a offered a list of recommendations. The first of university, she feels that “we could be doing these was “knowing the land you’re situated so much more.” on, knowing whose territories you are on and “We barely have an Indigenous studies proacknowledging that.” gram here at KPU, with only two classes that “It also includes developing relations with make Indigenous culture and history their the people of that land, discover[ing] their main focus: ‘Intro to Indigenous Studies’ with dreams and aspirations, and thinking about Melinda Bige and a fourth-year criminology where you can best help them be realized,” course that somehow just got put into the he says. Indigenous studies section,” she says. “That’s He also recommended that students, staff, too low, especially from a university that uses and faculty “know the original languages the Kwantlen name.” spoken in the territory you’re on, and try to Although she acknowledges that KPU has learn it and speak it more often,” in addition “taken great steps” towards Indigenizing—such to “asking for the Indigenous perspective as creating the on-campus Aboriginal Gatheron whatever topic you’re learning about, or ing Place managed by Lenn Pierre—she also [finding] out on your own.” feels that “it needs to go further than that.” “Make it a point to be the one—or form a “We have Lekeyten, the Kwantlen Elder in group with others who do so—that asks the Residence, but at the First Nations Universiquestion, ‘What are some Indigenous per- ty of Canada, they have all sorts of different spectives on this? Why are we not hearing Elders of different First Nations and different about it? Where can we find out more?’” says bands coming together to pass on this IndigeRestoule. “Overall, make space for Indige- nous cultural knowledge,” says Gately. “They nous knowledge, and invite knowledge keep- even opened up a traditional campus, hosting ers into official roles. classes in traditional Indigenous environHe feels that one of the most significant set- ments such as inside giant tipis.” backs to making progress with reconciliation As an Indigenous student who is not a within university culture is “trying to leapfrog member of the Kwantlen First Nation, she to reconciliation before finding truth.” suggests that the university “offer more “One needs to know what happened in the diversity in [its] Indigenous education.”
“I do feel their support as an Indigenous student, but I think that it would be great for myself and other Indigenous students to have Elders in Residence that we could relate to, that were a part of and understood our cultural history, because that’s something that I have been teaching myself. There’s no access here for us to understand our unique traditional practices.” She envisions genuine representation for Indigenous people at KPU as starting with defining the boundary between recognition and tokenization. KPU's Elder in Residence, Lekeyten. “Having this Indigenous name is a great way (Mark Stewart) to step forward into this new reconciliation era, but I feel that without the real work behind it tal hardships that Indigenous people have and the real effort, it just becomes this tokeni- encountered there, such as being displaced zation, like, ‘Oh look, we’re having a ceremony, onto tiny, impoverished reserves, being and there’s an Indian present! Everything is forcefully assimilated into residential schools, fixed now.’ I don’t think that it is realized that, dying of smallpox, and even being hunted for to fully support the Indigenous students and sport,” she says, noting that the last residenIndigenous revitalization, that so much more tial school in Canada was closed in 1998, the needs to be done,” she says. year after she was born. Gately agrees with Restoule’s suggestion Having an Indigenous Dean at KPU would that Indigenous governance will be crucial to “be an immense step forward as far as recmoving forward. onciliation goes” as well, according to Gate“The way that our different identities ly. As would holding roundtable discussions interact as part of a larger system needs to between students, faculty, and Elders. change. We need to be able to come togeth“A lot of institutions don’t fully recognize er as equals with settlers,” she says. “This the value of Indigenous knowledge. They would help Indigenous peoples to overcome don’t consider it a real source of intelligence, the oppressive system of us telling them otherwise there would be more courses based what we want for ourselves, and them basi- around it,” she says. “There should be, though, cally deciding for us.” because such knowledge is full of wisdom On a personal level, Gately says that she that Indigenous peoples have lived by for has “often felt an unspoken bias” against her centuries. We need to establish it as a legitiin the classroom, particularly when histor- mately important part of our culture.” ical issues are being discussed. For instance, While non-Indigenous professors “can she says that she has been made to feel as if study and honour the culture secondhand,” she should “just get over it” when she speaks she says that having “someone who lives about colonization at school. and breathes the culture [to] teach about it” “Capilano University has taken initiatives would be incredibly valuable. where RA’s have to take Indigenous sensitiv“Nothing compares to that,” she says. ity training before they start their work. They “That’s resurgence. That’s revitalization. have a person that’s Indigenous to that area That’s reconciliation, because it’s honouring to teach about the history there, the bru- that they are the masters of their culture.”
A luncheon was held in the Aboriginal Gathering Place on the KPU Surrey campus. (Kristen Frier)
FEATURE
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Secondary Consultations on Trans Mountain Expansion Project will Rely on Indigenous Perspectives Members of First Nations from the Pacific Northwest weigh in on the pipeline expansion and upcoming government consultations
Amei-lee Laboucan The people managing the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project, which was bought by the federal government in May for around $4.5 billion, is holding a second round of consultations with First Nations across the country to discuss its construction. This development is a result of a ruling by the Federal Court of Appeals in August which deemed that the initial round was a failure to engage in dialogue “meaningfully and grapple with the real concerns of the Indigenous applicants so as to explore possible accommodation of those concerns.” The proposed route for the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project, parallel to the older Trans Mountain pipeline, cuts through unceded Indigenous territory. First Nations have expressed concerns about this affecting integral aspects of their lives and culture, such as the salmon spawning system, the introduction of more tanker traffic in the Pacific Ocean, and subsequent detriment to whales and other aquatic life. Many First Nations feel that these concerns have not been adequately addressed. In support of this point, the National Observer reported that Canadian public workers were instructed “to find a way to get the pipeline approved” shortly after the Trudeau government took control of the project. Comment from Members of First Nations KPU Indigenous Studies instructor Melinda Bige believes that the pipeline is currently “operating illegally,” adding that “the only laws and governance structure that should be exercised” regarding the project are those from various Indigenous nations on the unceded territories of British Columbia. “From my perspective as an Indigenous person and upholding the laws and governance structures of the people whose land I live, occupy, and benefit from, the best way to pursue this relationship … [is] to respect the history of colonization on this territory,” she says. “There is no way to go forward
and continue this project and [have] it be an agreement between two groups that would be fair. We know that the ramifications of an oil pipeline are catastrophic.” She also agrees that the initial consultations were poorly executed and need to be re-held. “They’re talking about relationships and relationship building but they’re still trying to take Indigenous people and put them into a box and force them into this word view and that’s not very positive, relationship-wise,” she says. Despite this, there are First Nations which approve of the construction of the pipeline. As reported by Huffington Post Canada, 33 of them have a mutual-benefits agreement with Kinder Morgan Canada. One prominent Indigenous leader who supports the pipeline for his Nation is Chief Ernie Crey. In an interview with CBC, he said that buying a stake in the pipeline “would depend on the particulars,” adding that the provision of “job training and jobs” is one element that he feels needs to be considered. Still, another report by Huffington Post Canada explains that some First Nations have signed agreements but felt they had no other option. Bige says that, despite her own beliefs, she “could imagine why they might sign onto a project like this.” “One reason might be [that] it is very likely this project is going to die, and to sign on to it right now in this point of time, you would be strategically maintaining some sort of a settlement and not necessarily follow through, so it would be a good strategic move for Indigenous communities facing disparity,” she says. Lekeyten, the Elder in Residence at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and a member of the Kwantlen First Nation shared similar thoughts about signing agreements for the expansion project when he spoke to a class as a guest lecturer at KPU. “When Christy Clark was Premier, she went about British Columbia to the Alberta border, and she was going to prove to the Canadian government that First Nations are taking money for the pipeline,” he explains. “[Clark] went out and she offered them thousands
Consistent protests have led to the delay of the expansion project. (Flickr/ Peg Hunter)
One of the primary concerns about the pipeline is damage to the environment. (Flickr/ Peg Hunter) and thousands of dollars to take money for the pipeline, so some of them said, ‘Yeah. If you’re going to give me 100 grand, give me 100 grand. I’ll take the money.’” “But when the First Nations leaders start looking at these people who took the money, that was 100 miles away,” he continues. “They weren’t going to affect that pipeline.” Lekeyten and others from the Kwantlen First Nation have long opposed the construction of the Kinder Morgan projects. He recalls saying, “Over my dead body,” to the men in suits who came to the KPU Langley campus to propose the Trans Mountain expansion project years prior. “Our concerns were immediately focused on our Indigenous rights and titles,” says Brandon Gabriel, another representative of the Kwantlen First Nation. “Kwantlen Nation is actively in a Supreme Court land claim lawsuit against the government of Canada for a grievance filed for the theft of our land during colonization. Our grievances include the Trans Mountain pipeline.” He continues, “The original pipeline was built in 1953, was given consent by an Indian Agent, not by Kwantlen leadership. It was a forced and coerced document that gave them permission to exploit our land and build a pipeline through it.” Kwantlen isn’t the only First Nation opposed to the expansion project. According to records from a lawsuit between several First Nations and the Attorney General of Canada, National Energy Board, and Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC, the top reasons for Indigenous opposition to the project are lack of consultation and environmental concerns. Neither Gabriel nor Bige feel that it is possible to move forward with the expansion project ethically due to its inevitable effect
on First Nations communities. “If Canada thinks it can build the pipeline with zero impact, whether it be environmentally, socially, spiritually, or culturally, I think that will never come to fruition,” says Gabriel. “Communities are still dependent on traditional food harvesting and wild resource management. Things like fish, hunting for land animals, like elk and deer and moose and caribou … where those lands are contaminated, those animals will never return and so the sustenance the First Nations people depend on is directly correlated to it.” He adds, “The government is never going to be able to compensate those communities for that loss. Ever.” Comment from the Government The Canadian government says that it is committed to doing the consultations appropriately the second time around. Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi told the Vancouver Sun that he takes this effort “very, very seriously,” stating that “the government has a mandate to adjust the project to communities’ concerns where possible.” “Where not possible, the government will explain in detail why,” he said. As National Energy Board spokesperson Robert Steedman explained in a news release, National Resources Canada will be managing these consultations. According to Steedman, the organization “will be looking very carefully at the Federal Court of Appeal decision to see if they can understand what the federal court wants to happen that didn’t happen the first time.” The NEB initiated “three weeks of Indigenous traditional testimony beginning on Nov. 19,” according to a press release on its website.
8
OPINIONS
7:00 AM Classes Are a Bad Idea
After proposing the idea to students and faculty, KPU was met with backlash Braden Klassen | Staff Writer Some people are morning people. Early risers, fortunate souls who have not just a tolerance, but an affinity for the first hours of the day when the air is brisk, the coffee is warm, and the world is enveloped in tranquility. It can be a challenge not to assume that these people are completely insane, or that they have stumbled into some kind of supernatural power that the non-morning people have yet to discover. For some of us, morning is the bleakest time of day. We leave our beds begrudgingly, unable to properly function without an IV injection of caffeine, consigned to being in a surly mood for a few hours—especially in the depth of winter when you’re laboriously scraping the ice off your car’s windshield in the dark like some kind of frigid, angry peasant. So when KPU proposed implementing an extra block of classes that start at 7:00 am, there was some predictable backlash. The idea was met with opposition after the university posted about it on its policy blog, accessible to faculty and students. It’s understandable to suppose that an extra block of class time could benefit a small subset of students who either need to take classes that early due to schedule conflicts, or who would like to be able to leave school earlier so they can work in the afternoons. There are an unlucky few of us—especially students enrolled in programs with fewer faculty—who have been unable to take required courses because of time conflicts and were unfairly forced to wait for the
following year’s intake to begin. But there are a number of problems with early classes that will inevitably arise for some students. One of the most bemoaned aspects about attending KPU is that its campuses are only accessible by commute due to an absence of student housing. For students who rely on transit, this is just part of the deal. However, the campuses are so spread out that commute time can vary quite drastically. Imagine a student who lives in Richmond needing to arrive on the Langley campus before 7:00 am. If they’re lucky enough to be able to drive, they would only have to endure an approximately 40-minute commute, depending on traffic. On transit, however, the commute time increases by an hour, meaning that students would need to leave their homes just after 5 in the morning to get to class on time. Arguably, this situation wouldn’t be common, but I personally know some students who commute from cities as far away as Abbotsford or North Vancouver who would have completely unreasonable commutes to get to school. Alongside extracurricular activities and work, this situation seems absolutely untenable. Nobody can be expected to be at their best in the classroom after waking up at 4:30 in the morning, and it would potentially be imposing a disadvantage on some students who can’t live closer to campus. Students are stressed as it is, and a lack of sleep is already a concern for their mental health. Other critiques posted on the policy blog
(Kristen Frier) mentioned how unpopular the 8:00 AM class blocks already are, and how instructors anticipate minimal turnout for them. Some challenged the university to provide concrete evidence that the decision would benefit students in general. People also pointed out that the summer semester has free space for adding classes, and suggested that KPU administration should look there for intro-
ducing new blocks instead. It seems unlikely that administrators will move forward with this decision because of these reasons, but if they do, they had better do it carefully and thoughtfully. Right now, it looks like a hasty new policy where the pros are heavily outweighed by the cons. Making a decision like this could seriously impact a lot of students, so KPU should sleep on it first.
The Meatless Monday Initiative on Campus is a Misnomer Since its creation earlier this year, Meatless Monday has done little to change on-campus culture Cristian Hobson-Dimas | Contributor As it turns out, the “Meatless Monday” initiative run by Sodexo—the company that manages the cafeteria at KPU—is more of a PR initiative than an effective means of education. When it debuted, advertisements could be seen around campus and information about the benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet could be found in front of the cafeteria. Now, all that can be seen to indicate the continued existence of Meatless Monday is a small plastic plaque displaying the featured menu item in almost comically hard-to-spot print. Otherwise, everything in the cafeteria is business as usual, with beef burgers being grilled behind the counter. So why is this important? Widely acclaimed 2014 documentary Cowspiracy, which KPU’s Let’s Be Compassionate Club paid KPU students $5.00 to watch in Grassroots this year, explains that “animal agriculture and the consumption of animal products is the leading cause of habitat destruction, water pollution, ocean dead zones, and species extinction,” not to mention animal cruelty and potential personal health risks. If your health, your planet, animal rights, or all of the above are important to you, it would behoove you to take a personal interest in a dietary adjustment. Unfortunately, Sodexo’s Meatless Mondays are not going to be at all
encouraging at this point, despite their official statements on the initiative. Earlier this year, Sodexo Marketing Coordinator Colleen Dang-Wong told the Vancouver Humane Society that, “skipping meat one day a week is good for you and better for the planet. Together with the Let’s Be Compassionate Club, we can educate our campus community on the benefits of plant-based eating and what we offer on campus to support this global initiative.” But at this point, Sodexo does not appear to be pulling their weight in raising awareness about this movement. So to what do we owe the general indifference to Meatless Monday at KPU? With so much going on in every student’s life, maybe dietary adjustments feel inconvenient and inconsequential. But look at what A&W has done with the introduction of plant-based Beyond Meat burgers to their menu. In less than one month after the vegan burger’s initial launch, every location in the lower mainland had completely depleted its supply. It took almost an entire second month for the restaurant chain to restock after its unanticipated popularity boom. And while a good number of people probably went out to buy a Beyond Meat burger to support the fight against animal suffering and climate change, I don’t think such high sales figures can be attributed to altruism alone.
This is a carrot in a hotdog bun, not a hotdog or hotdog alternative. (Kristen Frier) The real reason the Beyond Burger sold out, and continues to sell so well, is simple: for a fast food burger, it’s freaking delicious to both vegans and meat-eaters alike. When people have access to cruelty-free food that tastes just as good or better than meat, and are drawn towards it by both prominent advertising and word-of mouth, progress will be made at unprecedented rates. This is where Sodexo is failing. The vegan and vegetarian food they offer is sub-par
and lazily advertised. Also concerning is that there has been no clear statement made about whether the fries and veggie burgers are cooked in the same oil as the meat. Overall, Meatless Monday leaves much to be desired if the real goal is to inform students about the benefits of reducing meat consumption. But at this point, it seems more likely that both Sodexo and KPU half-heartedly hopped onto the plant-based band wagon without much effort to keep it moving forward.
OPINIONS
9
KPU Should Start Offering Courses on Personal Financing Basic financial literacy rates in university are alarmingly low Cristian Hobson-Dimas | Contributor If you’re anything like me—or just over three quarters of university-aged individuals—personal finance is not your forté. Outside of some mental math once in a while, you likely don’t sit down to calculate your income and manage your expenses accordingly. You probably don’t know much about how the stock market works or investment strategy. Until much too recently, I wasn’t even entirely sure about the difference between a chequing account and a savings account. Writing for Maclean’s, Rosemary Counter discusses a study conducted in 2017 which found that, “although millennials are generally better educated and more skilled than their parents were at the same age, only 24 per cent have basic financial literacy (meaning an understanding of assets, expenses and income).” Some universities are taking steps to educate the alarmingly low financially-literate populace. The University of Toronto has “Introduction to Personal Finance”, a newly offered 11-week course which is “open not just to business and finance majors but every other undergraduate student, too.” According to Counter’s article, enrolment has already tripled for the class, and 95 per cent of students taking it come from non-business backgrounds. Maybe financial literacy is something we think about obtaining only after we’ve earned our degrees and started our careers, but university students have long been associated with money troubles and struggling to save. As KPU students, we’re living in the midst of a housing crisis with inadequate wages to compensate for the ever-inflating cost of living. Now tied with Toronto, Vancouver is the most expensive city to call home in Canada. Personal finance is not something we can afford
to remain uninformed about. It would be great if KPU offered even a few accessible money-related courses or programs, so that we could hit the ground running. After all, other Canadian universities are taking steps to combat the prominence of financial illiteracy. “At the University of Waterloo, students are invited to apply for a position in two extracurricular clubs, the Student Investment Fund and the Student Venture Fund,” writes Counter. “Both offer hands-on training in portfolio and venture investment, with real money— beneath the watchful eyes of industry experts.” Marc Bachand, a professor at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, offers a massive open online course (MOOC) on personal finance. According to an article in Maclean’s, “The free, five-week online class covers personal finance, taxes and tax breaks, growing your personal wealth, and a (voluntary) final exam.” As Counter’s article states, Bachand has carefully designed the program with accessibility in mind. “So far, 20,000 people have completed his course in three years. For comparison, the university has 14,000 students enrolled,” she writes. There is abundant incentive for these courses to be offered, but as it currently stands, the majority of KPU students are on their own if they wish to get educated about money in any relevant way. While I cope by daydreaming about my eventual escape from the pressures and confines of our late-stage capitalist society, about burning my credit cards and living off in the middle of the woods, I understand that, as a young citizen of Metro Vancouver, my knowledge of how money works will dictate my future livelihood. If our university played a more active role in educating us on personal
(Jessica Limoanco) finances, we could pave the way towards eliminating the link between being a student and being broke, and instead create new associ-
ations of being students and being informed about measures that will improve our lives.
Virtual Reality Gaming is an Alternative For Traditional Exercise Becoming a musical Jedi has helped keep me fit Alex Rodriguez | Web Manager I have been an avid gamer for most of my life, but for the first time, gaming is keeping me in shape. I’ve only had a virtual reality system for a couple months now, but my current personal favourite virtual reality game—as well as my favourite video game in general for the past five months—is Beat Saber, a rhythm game where you slash incoming blocks with lightsaber-like swords in each hand to a given beat. Try to imagine Dance Dance Revolution mixed with Fruit Ninja in a Tron-like aesthetic. Included in the game is a great soundtrack that’s easy to lose yourself in, as each song has different levels that both newcomers and experts can enjoy. All levels have online leaderboards where you can compare scores with friends as well as hundreds of thousands of players around the globe. Due to my competitive nature, it became quite addicting to watch my rank slowly but surely climb higher, pushing me to physically try harder and harder on each attempt. Beat Saber has been my primary source of cardiovascular exercise for the past four months, and I’m feeling more healthy and fit than I ever have been. The scoring system in
the game rewards large physical movements, making it more similar to traditional sports than competitive video games of the past. Beat Saber reportedly burns between six to eight calories per minute for players of average game skill, with the potential for moderately higher calorie expenditures at higher levels of play, according to The Virtual Reality Institute Of Health And Exercise. These numbers can be compared to tennis, the sport that I used to play before heavily diving into virtual reality and the world of Beat Saber. It’s easy to get immersed in the game and work out without even realizing it. Personally, I play for an average of two hours every day and have found myself wishing many times that my body could rest up faster so I could play more before going to bed. The gamification of exercise is a powerful thing, as setting high scores is the main goal, with fitness coming as a byproduct of playing the game. According to a study by the Journal of The American College of Cardiology, listening to upbeat music can extend workout lengths by 11 per cent on average. This makes sense to me, as the groove of the music dulls the feeling of my arms getting tired over time, unlike my time in the past spent playing tennis.
Beat Saber reportedly burns between six to eight calories per minute for the average player. (Kristen Frier) One top Beat Saber player known by his online handle, Deno, has spoken online of how he has lost 65 lbs since first purchasing the game. “It would come [as] no surprise to me if this game has literally saved my life,” wrote Deno, on his Twitter. With advancements in virtual reality hard-
ware and its uses in many fields—from architecture and engineering to art and storytelling—as well as the development of truly revolutionary games and immersive experiences such as Beat Saber, virtual reality is becoming mainstream. As VR adoption continues to rise, I am excited to be able to witness a new era of exercise and fit gamers world wide.
10 OPINIONS
The Quebec Student Strike Is Long Overdue
More than 50,000 students are on strike to protest practicum requirements of up to 800 hours of unpaid work Braden Klassen | Staff Writer
I’d like to preface this by make it abundantly clear that “unpaid internships” are not a legal practice in British Columbia. However there are two exceptions. If your internship is part of your formal educational requirements, it is counted under the “student exception” and considered a practicum, and you are not entitled to any pay. The “professional exception” designates internships for certain professions including medicine, law, nursing, engineering, and accounting as not needing to meet the same employment standards as other internships, which can include regulating overtime, rest periods, and financial compensation. If you or someone you know is in an internship without at least being paid minimum wage—currently $12.65 an hour in B.C.—they are technically considered to be doing volunteer work, and if this was not specified during the application process, their employer is illegally taking advantage of them. For this, you can report them to the Canadian Intern Association. Currently, tens of thousands of post-secondary students in Quebec are going on strike, demanding that they be paid for the internships they are required to complete for their education. Requiring students at McGill to work for 800 hours without any kind of payment is ludicrous and beyond exploitive. It can result in burnout and mental and financial instability for them. Take the case of Andy Ferguson, who was
working in a radio practicum for Astral Media, now owned by Bell Media, as part of his education at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. In 2013, Ferguson was killed in a car accident after repeatedly working overnight shifts—during which he would reportedly work up to 16 hours at a time—which his family believes left him too exhausted to drive. It can be noted, without hyperbole, that these hours are comparable to shifts undertaken by prisoners held in forced labour camps, yet neither Astral Media nor NAIT were held accountable. There’s overtime, and then there’s being so overworked that you risk your own health and safety. It’s incredibly vexing that these practices were ever tolerated by our society, and characterizing these internships as opportunities and valuable work experience can feel like a slap in the face. These kinds of unpaid work experience situations favour those with the privilege of being able to afford to work for free. A student with a robust support network (read: family money) has a much easier time navigating their internship if they don’t also have to work on the side. You don’t need a business degree to understand how this practice contributes to socioeconomic marginalization and worsens income inequality. For larger companies, growth has become the standard metric for success. Under this system, it becomes inevitable that management are forced into a position where they need to find more money in order to maintain
What's in your wallet? For students with unpaid internships, there isn't much. (Kristen Frier) their fiduciary responsibilities, even if it means increasing the burden on low-level employees. This trend is sometimes called “race to the bottom” economics, where companies who face building pressure from their competition will begin to outsource, exploit, and neglect the rights of their employees in order to keep their business afloat. Executives continue to pull in high salaries, while the cost of doing business is shouldered by entry-level employees and desperate students who have no choice but to take what they can get. When you are sitting
on a mountain of student debt, you may feel too powerless to turn these offers down. It’s embarrassing that in a country which enjoys relative economic prosperity, tens of thousands of students have to go on strike in order to secure the right to make minimum wage. The expectation for people to work for free is one of the most troubling and emblematic examples of how little some employers care for the wellbeing of their workers, and a movement like the Quebec student strike is long overdue.
Going Global: Brexit Negotiations Remain a Mess Theresa May has no bargaining power against the EU
Tristan Johnston | Contributor Shortly after the Brexit referendum results came in, many were expecting uncertainty in the days, weeks, and months ahead. But almost no one expected that there would be even more uncertainty two years down the road, and it’s looking more likely as we approach March that Brexit might not even happen. The deal that the Prime Minister has managed is garbage. No one likes it, with even some Brexiteers saying that remaining in the EU would be preferable. This deal says that, in order to avoid creating a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, the North might need to remain in the Customs Union, and the UK would need to follow EU regulations. Many don’t consider this to be Brexit, and there are numerous issues just like this to be found in the 500-page text of the plan. There are only a few decent pre-made deals available for the UK, such as the EEA (European Economic Area) that are enjoyed by Norway and Iceland. However, these deals still require freedom of movement and EU payments, and they require the UK to conform to nearly all EU trade rules, which is unacceptable to Brexiteers. In an interview on Bloomberg, Yanis Varoufakis, an economist known for being the minister of finance for Greece during the height of their debt crisis, described Michel Barnier, head Brexit negotiator for the EU, as operating without a mandate. “Bureaucrats are like software, like algo-
rithms. They have a checklist. Mr. Bernier has no mandate to talk to Mrs. May about anything of substance,” he said. “He goes down his list, ‘tick-tick-tick-tick.’” Varoufakis has said that, if he were in May’s position—which is a highly advantageous one compared to the one he had with Greece in 2015—he would have triggered Article 50, immediately demanded an EEA/Norway agreement, and kicked the can down the road for several years. He argues THAT this would have addressed the fundamental problem in the negotiations: a shortage of time. It makes sense. Some prominent Brexiteers had argued for a “Canada+” plan, believing that something like CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) between Canada and the EU would be achievable. What they forget is that it took five years and two Canadian governments to complete CETA, and that’s without dealing with land borders or citizenship rights. Above all, the EU doesn’t want to make this pretty, and it’s in the interests of the Union to render it crystal clear that no one gets the benefits without the burdens. If it were possible for the UK to leave the EU without somehow causing catastrophe, it would give ideas to the likes of Denmark, Greece, and so on. For now, no one really knows what will happen. Members of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party have said they don’t support the deal. Over 100 Conservative Party MPs have indicated they won’t support the deal, and no one except the most deluded of
(@RESLUS) Brexiteers want a no-deal hard Brexit. Some are starting to believe Brexit won’t happen, or possibly, that there might be a second referendum to hopefully give politicians a way out of this ugly mess. Theresa May has said many times that she is strongly opposed to a second referendum, but some believe that her
own advisors might be telling her differently. Perhaps May should have listened to Varoufakis: “Once the EU presents you with a deal, it’s take it or leave it,” he said. “Nobody negotiates with the EU.”
COLUMNS
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Artist Spotlight: Whisper Disco
Viviane Chiamulera has grown alongside her band since she arrived in Vancouver Aly Laube | Editor in Chief One of the first things Viviane Chiamulera did when she arrived in Vancouver from Brazil was meet her future guitarist, Darren MacDonald, at a holiday get-together. Through a friend of a friend, Chiamulera heard about MacDonald’s annual “misfits Christmas,” meant to offer a cozy, festive space for people who don’t have family to spend the holidays with. “I ended up there with my mom,” laughs Chiamulera. “Darren was the first person I met in Vancouver.” While she was in his home, Chiamulera was playing one of his guitars, and MacDonald was impressed enough that he asked her to jam. A few weeks later, they started Whisper Disco, and were later joined by drummer Aidan Bowen. Back then, both guitarists had very barebones setups, and Bowen’s drumming style was far less controlled than it is today. Chiamulera didn’t have her own guitar, and with minimal effects being used, their sound wasn’t yet full enough to compensate for the band’s unique lack of bass. Now—with the help of time, new gear, and practice—it’s almost difficult to notice that there’s no bassist in the band. Their style relies on riffs and MacDonald’s multi-amp rig, which helps beef up his guitar tone. “It was a challenge to do it but I think that’s part of what makes our sound,” says MacDonald, on not having a bassist in the group. “It was cool to develop that.” “It’s cohesive in a way because we chose to do that,” adds Chiamulera. “We already
had a bass-y sound … but we just needed the right tone.” Chiamulera is the primary songwriter for Whisper Disco, and as such, most of the band’s lyrics reflect how her life has changed since moving to the city. “It’s been all my life in Vancouver, honestly, because if you think about it, we started right away. I can’t imagine myself without the band in Vancouver,” she says. “It’s like moving to a new city with your partner, and you know the place through your partner. It’s like a relationship.” Some of the themes that show up periodically in her lyrics are about adjusting to life far from home, the weather, and depression. “The Ghost”, for which the band recently released a video, is about a “very abusive roommate” Chiamulera had (though thankfully she has since moved out). Other songs paint a similar portrait of daily hardships and victories that have defined the past four years of her life. “When you move here, you’re basically alone. Your family’s not here and I didn’t have a lot of money. I’m not a rich person so I kind of had to sustain everything with a part time job two days per week,” she says. “So there’s a lot about struggle and living in a lot of the songs, I guess, but that’s changing. I’m happier now I think, and I write happier things!” Their sound has shifted over time as well. As the members have “figured out the dynamics” between them and their instruments, their style has become more nuanced. “I think we were going in the direction of being heavier and then we kind of stopped,
From left: Whisper Disco drummer Aidan Bowen, guitarist and vocalist Viviane Chiamulera, and guitarist Darren MacDonald cozy up in The Templeton. (Aly Laube) kind of went back and tried to make it way less, but saw that that wasn’t working and found a happy medium,” says MacDonald. “When we first started we didn’t have a drummer, and we were writing everything on acoustic guitars.” Psych-fuelled pop rock is the closest to a genre tag that Whisper Disco feels suits their sound, although Chiamulera emphasizes that the band “is not about a specific genre.” “That’s an important thing to say, because we have such a hard time describing our-
selves. It’s funny how people have different opinions and compare us to different bands,” she says. “There are people who come to us and go, ‘You sound like Tokyo Police Club or Dear Rouge.’ And there are other people who say, ‘Oh you sound like Paramore,’ or others who say, ‘You sound like PJ Harvey,’ which is my favourite one.” Whisper Disco just released a three-song EP, appropriately titled EP1, and are expecting to put out two other collections of the same length over the next year.
Afterthought: Canadian Journalists Face a Dilemma About Accepting Government Subsidies Journalists are divided on whether the government’s proposed $595 million tax break will help or hinder the industry Braden Klassen | Staff Writer In mid-November, the federal government proposed a subsidy to Canadian news publications by introducing tax credits and giving non-profit journalistic organizations access to tax incentives similar to ones used by charities. These measures are expected to direct about $595 million to Canadian news organizations over five years in order to help keep the industry afloat in times of financial instability. Traditional Canadian journalism is on its way out. It has been for years. When I walked into my first Journalism course at KPU, my instructor told the class that the news industry—as we knew it then as magazines and daily print publications— is a sinking ship. Online advertising revenue is being swallowed by Google and Facebook, and computer and phone screens are quickly overtaking paper as the most popular way for people to access daily news. We’re witnessing a revolution of the medium, the enormity of which hasn’t been seen since the advent of the printing press, which up until now had been the biggest improvement to written communication since the pen and paper replaced stone tablets and chisels. Because of this, we were told, the professional landscape of the news industry has been replete with annual layoffs and gris-
ly cutbacks that many interpret as the final death knells of print news. We were setting ourselves up for disappointment if we expected to land secure, well-paying jobs after graduation. Journalism is no longer a real career, it seemed. Information is free online, and no one—save for the government-funded CBC— could compete in the market indefinitely. These facts were reiterated in my media economics course, where we spent weeks looking at sobering charts and statistics that depicted the accelerating nosedive in revenue for formerly strong publications like the Vancouver Sun, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Maclean’s. The money needed to fund the quality and quantity of print journalism enjoyed throughout the 20th century is no longer within our reach. Despite this, I still hold on to hope that there will be a place for me in this industry some day. Does this make me deluded? Maybe. Does it make me naïve? It probably does. I am not so deluded and naïve, however, to believe that the Canadian news media’s economic problems can be solved by relying on government subsidies. We need innovation that will carry journalism into the 21st century. We need an unprecedented shift in the business models that underpin Canada’s largest news organizations. Aside from prolonging the print-centric industry’s demise, a few
Proposed tax initiatives for journalists will cost the government "an estimated $595 million over the next five years." (Flickr/Can Pac Swire, modified by Kristen Frier) dollars more will change nothing. There are other problems with the deal, too. Trust in the media has eroded steadily over the past few years thanks to fake news and propaganda. Accepting money from the government, an entity you are meant to be scrutinizing, makes for terrible optics, and whether or not this influences your coverage is hardly relevant. People will inevitably view it as a bribe, and folks will chalk it up as another reason to question the reputations, credibility, and motivations of Canadian reporters.
Notably, this announcement is coming before an election year, when political parties most need the media on their side. The subsidy could even backfire when people start to suspect that non-partisan coverage of the campaign is being influenced by money, damaging the public’s opinion of the government. It’s an agonizing dilemma for journalists, who need to preserve their credibility but also rely on the survival of the industry. Whatever happens, the money will only be a band-aid solution to a larger problem.
PROCRASTINATION HOROSCOPES
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
It will be a sad, sad day when you inevitably moonsault into a hippopotamus's waiting mouth.
You and your lover / sitting in a tree / K-I-S-S-IN-G / First came love / then came marriage / then came the galactic automatons who, with their remorseless, machine-like efficiency / reduced the worldwide population of humanity by half.
The guy from Smash Mouth keeps calling to ask if you want to collaborate on a “Soul Patch Diss Track” and all you can do is fucking scream.
Pisces
Aries
Taurus
Make the holidays flirty and fun by spinning that new hit single “Santa, if I Bang You, Will You Give Me a Car?”
There’s a man that you recently had killed staring at you with the same obsequious manner that was the reason you had him killed.
Hold your boys close.
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Find something that your enemy holds sacred and just flip that shit around. Do this in memory of Satan, who died today.
Your significant other will be surprisingly cool with the fact that you kissed a frog. In fact they’re proud of you—they’ve been trying to fuck that frog all summer.
Make good use of your unimaginably precious time on Earth this week by shotgunning every vine in history.
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Break into NASA’s headquarters and demand to know why you have to eat your vegetables.
This week a close friend of yours will crack an egg on on your forehead and christen you “eggsy”, a name you will be known by for the rest of your horrible life.
Your memes have finally reached a level of esotericism that will render them indecipherable to future generations. Congratulations, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Nov. 23 - Dec 21
Dec. 22 - Jan 20
Feb 20 - Mar 20
Mar 21 - Apr 19
May 21 - Jun 20
Jun 21 - Jul 23
Aug 24 - Sept 23
Sept 24 - Oct 23
SUDOKU
Look for the answers in the next issue of The Runner.
Jan 21 - Feb 19
Apr 20 - May 20
Jul 24 - Aug 23
Oct 24 - Nov 22