Vol. 5 issue 08 by The Runner

Feb

THE

2013 News and Culture for the students of Kwantlen Polytechnic University

/08/

WHY WE KPUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW PRESIDENT ALAN DAVIS

find us online / www.runnermag.ca / twitter.com/runnermag / facebook.com/runnerpaper

notice of poll:

GENERAL

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FEB / 05 / 13

notice of referendum:

GENERAL

KSA

THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

KSA

ELECTION and REFERENDUM

february 27 – 28, 2013 february 27 – 28, 2013 Each voter must show a valid Student ID to receive a ballot

Nominations Open

Monday, January 21, 2013 at 9 AM

Nominations Close

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at Noon

All Candidates Meeting

All candidates must attend this meeting Tuesday, February 12, 2013, 10 AM – 12 PM Surrey Campus – Cedar 2110

General Election Polling and Referendum

Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 9 AM – 5 PM

Cloverdale – Across from the Cafeteria Langley – Bookstore Hallway Richmond – Rotunda Surrey – Main Atrium Corridor

General Election Polling and Referendum

Thursday, February 28, 2013, 9 AM – 5 PM Cloverdale – Across from the Cafeteria Langley – Bookstore Hallway Richmond – Rotunda Surrey – Main Atrium Corridor

For the full notice of poll for the KSA general election, visit:

Each voter must show a valid Student ID to receive a ballot

Referendum Question 1:

U-Pass B.C. Program Do you agree that the U-Pass B.C. program be continued for all Kwantlen Polytechnic University students for $35.00 per month of study for the first year, for $36.75 per month of study for the second year, and for $38.00 per month of study for the third year?

Referendum Question 2:

Public Interest Research Group Do you support creating an independent Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group at a cost of 80¢ per credit per semester, and thereafter adjusted annually for inflation according to the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI), provided that every student will be able to opt out? For the full notice of the KSA referendum, visit:

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THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

FEB / 05 / 13

NEWS U-Pass

Kwantlen students set to vote on MultiPass fee hikes

Arzo Ansary, the Kwantlen Student Association’s director of external affairs thinks the U-Pass is a good deal for students. Matt DiMera/The Runner

Price set to increase to $45 monthly.

MATT BOSSONS ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

Kwantlen students will soon have the chance to vote on whether to keep the U-Pass or to scrap it. If they do keep it, they’d better get ready to pay more. Beginning May 1, 2013, the price of the monthly U-Pass will jump to $35 from $30. Kwantlen students will also pay an extra $10 for the MultiPass services for a total of $45 monthly. It will then increase to $46.75 per month beginning May 1, 2014 and then to $48 per month beginning May 1, 2015. The Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) will hold the referendum concurrently with their general elections Feb. 27 28, to determine whether or nor the U-Pass program will continue at Kwantlen after the end of the spring semester. According to Arzo Ansary, the KSA’s director of external affairs, the price could have been even higher if she and other student representatives on the U-Pass advisory committee hadn’t fought back against TransLink’s initial demands. The $10 MultiPass package that is al-

ready in place will not be up for a vote and will remain unchanged whether the referendum passes or fails, meaning students will still have access to the inter-campus shuttle, the Car2go program and the Steve Nash/ Fitness World fitness services. The referendum will be decided by polling stations on each campus, as opposed to an online voting system. “Historically speaking, the KSA and online voting don’t go well together, so because of past precedent we decided to do polling,” said Ansary. Ansary agreed Langley lacks sufficient transit services, but said the KSA was hoping to change the situation for students in Langley and Cloverdale. “Yes in a sense it appears that Langley students are shafted but we are trying everything we can do on our end to push TransLink and the ministry for better infrastructure in Langley,” said Ansary. “We have done a lot of lobbying on Surrey light rail. The infrastructure is already there, but they just need some money to inject in there and try and liven it up and fix it up. The KSA, according to Ansary, is pushing the government to increase the rate of students allowed to opt out of the U-Pass

from one per cent to 1.5 per cent. Ansary and the KSA also recently set up a hardship bursary to help pay back some students who may not be able to afford paying for the U-Pass. She acknowledged that students at schools closer to downtown Vancouver benefit from more transit and yet still pay less than Kwantlen students. “[It] still provides a service, and though not the same as UBC it’s still something,” she said. “And it provides students with the shuttle for example and other things they can use their U-Pass with.” Christopher Girodat, the KSA’s director of student services pointed out that Kwantlen students also have services not available to other schools. “The intercampus shuttle is huge, it’s letting students who would never have gone to the Langley campus before have access to tons of class sections that they wouldn’t be able to take if they had a 70-minute transit ride by TransLink,” noted Girodat. He also praised the Car2go program as a good service, offering affordable access to Smart cars located at KPU campuses. “There’s tons of parking zones for those

Smart cars, so when you drive to another campus you can just dump it there,” he said. Benjamin Newsom, the KSA’s MultiPass program coordinator recounted students who have used the Car2go service to go to Whistler, instead of using their larger trucks. “It cost them about $90 to fill the truck whereas it costs them $80 to use the Smart car and they don’t have to pay for gas or insurance or anything,” explained Newsom. Students at colleges and universities across Metro Vancouver will be voting over the next few months whether or not to continue using the U-Pass. Students at UBC and Vancouver Community College (VCC) voted overwhelmingly to keep their U-Passes in referenda held last month, with UBC 96.4 per cent in favour and VCC 97 per cent in favour.

Tell us what you think @ letters@runnermag.ca

NEWS

THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

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FEB / 05 / 13

Board of Governors

New Kwantlen conflict of interest policy may restrict elected board reps

KPU’s new code of conduct manual may restrict elected student members on the board of governors like Jared Penland (left) and Iman Ghahremani (right). Matt DiMera/The Runner

Board chair says policy isn’t new, but is now just better defined.

SARAH SCHUCHARD ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

A new Kwantlen policy may put major restrictions on the elected student and faculty representatives who sit on the board of governors. At their Nov. 14 meeting, the Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) board of governors adopted a new code of conduct manual, which outlined new restrictions on elected representatives and conflicts of interest. The manual now specifies that friends of elected board members are a cause for potential conflicts of interest. This polished definition of friends, could result in board members being disqualified and barred from voting on or discussing certain issues that pertain to a department or faculty that the supposed friend works for or attends at Kwantlen, according to Christopher Girodat, a student representative on Kwantlen’s senate. Under the so-called one-off definition of conflict of interest, the manual states that a

decision of the board that affects a specific institution that an elected member is enrolled in, is employed in, or an associate is enrolled or employed in. Under section 26.2 of the manual, an associate is defined as “a friend of the board.” For elected members who are a part of the faculty or the student body, the definition could be a problem. “Everyone agrees that [a] Board of Governors’ [representative] that’s involved in the university in what it does and what it stands for, that’s going to mean that everyone is going to have a friend in every faculty,” said Girodat. Gord Schoberg, the chair of KPU’s board of governors, doesn’t believe the code of conduct is problematic, and feels that it is the best decision for the university. He said that a test of reasonability could take place where adjustments can be made in future. “In my view it gives more freedom for elected board members to know when they’re in a conflict,” said Schoberg. Girodat, who was present for the Nov. 14 meeting, noted that although there were talks of a test of reasonability by the chair,

there was no clear indication of that test in the board manual. “The (test of reasonability) doesn’t come up in the text at all ... I think it’s very problematic. The way it reads is so black and white that we risk disenfranchising student governors from a big part of the decision making,” said Girodat. Under the definition of duty of constituency, the manual also states that if elected members are involved in and exercise the voice of their other duties or constituencies, they are in conflict, that they will no longer be able to serve on the board. In such a situation, the board representative must either resign from the KPU Board or from his or her position with the constituency. Elected members can also be voted off the board by a two-thirds majority vote, if they are seen as being in a conflict of interest by the board. Elected faculty and student representatives only comprise one-third of the board, while members appointed by the provincial government make up the other two-thirds. What will this mean for student repre-

sentation through the elected members on the board of governors? “What the student reps need to do, is rather than sit around the table and just act as representatives for the constituency, they need to listen to the broader perspective of the university,” stated Schoberg. Girodat disagreed with Schoberg’s take. “Elected members don’t have nearly enough influence on the board... and [the revised conflict of interest policy] is just one more way that it institutionalizes that second tier of representation,” said Girodat. Schoberg insisted that the conflict of interest guidelines are not new to the university, but are now better defined, and put forth with the “collective wisdom of the board.” Neither of the two current student representatives on the board of governors agreed to be interviewed for this story. Iman Ghahremani did not respond to multiple phoned and emailed requests, while Jared Penland referred The Runner’s questions to the board’s chair, Gord Schoberg.

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THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

NEWS

FEB / 05 / 13

KSA

Politics KSA increases executive pay; cuts compensation for representatives

KSA discount cards fail to catch on with students

Christopher Girodat, the KSA’s director of student services, has piloted a discount card program. Matt DiMera/The Runner

ESC program rollout faces repeated delays.

CHLOE SMITH CONTRIBUTOR

The Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) has launched a new $10,000 student discount card project that students likely haven’t even heard of. The KSA began distributing customised discount cards to students in late October. According to a KSA staff person, only 200 of the 2,500 cards purchased have been distributed. The current batch of purchased cards will expire later this year. The cards are designed and produced by Endless Savings Card, (ESC) a Langleybased company that offers discounts for over 450 different businesses, ranging from Chapters to Six Flags, to 19 different golf courses, 17 spas and resorts and countless restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The KSA has so far spent $9,660 on the trial project. The ESCs have been available at the student services desks on each campus since Oct. 26. “These cards give Kwantlen students access to discounts . . . around all of our campuses, which works well for us since we are a multi-campus institution,” said Christo-

pher Girodat, the KSA’s director of student services, in an interview with The Runner last October. Girodat submitted plans to the KSA executive committee for promotions for the cards to happen on all four campuses between Oct. 17 and 29, none of which actually happened. Girodat stated via email that the absence of a marketing and communications coordinator, which had been vacant since January 2011, had prevented those events from taking place. In the Jan. 2 agenda for the KSA council meeting, another report from Girodat stated that, “we are going to be issuing hundreds of KSA discount cards at New Student Orientation and with Welcome Week on each campus.” However, no cards were given out at Welcome Week because the start date for the new marketing and communications coordinator, Josephine Wong, “didn’t pan out” for the event. According to an earlier report from Girodat, the results of the trial program were to be reviewed and if the program was successful the KSA planned to purchase an additional 10,000 cards for $1.95 each, with a total at a cost of $ 19,500.

“The really cool thing about this program is it’s not just a set list of merchants,” said Girodat in October. “The Kwantlen Student Association, through myself and through student services committee; actually we have the capacity to go out and reach out to new vendors and to add them ourselves to the program. We can make this really a customized KSA discount.” Currently, the KSA is still waiting for approval to add any merchants to the program. The list of participating merchants includes everything from animal dermatology specialists to hypnotherapy and Reiki. The locations are scattered throughout the Metro Vancouver area, many of which are not located near Kwantlen campuses. For example, while the discount card can used at seven locations of Nando’s Flame Grilled Chicken, it isn’t valid at the location closest to a campus, the Ackroyd franchise, which is an eight minute walk from Richmond campus.

For more on this story, go to runnermag.ca

SASHA MANN CONTRIBUTOR

All four executive members of the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) voted to raise their respective position’s pay for the next fiscal year. The change, passed at a Jan. 16 council meeting, will increase executives’ salaries by $4,000 annually. The whole pay structure for the KSA has been altered and will take effect on April 1, 2013, when the next set of elected officials take office. Proponents of the changes argued that they would improve accountability. Under the previous system, student council members who didn’t show up to meetings would receive the same pay as those who did. Diana Fournier, the KSA’s mature students representative, stressed that the new system will change that. Kwantlen students have been “paying for a whole lot of nothing,” she said at the meeting. Christopher Girodat, the current director of student services, echoed Fournier. Although, he is one of the four executives who could potentially benefit from the raise, if re-elected, Girodat made clear his support for the new system was for the sake of fairness. He clarified that more hours of work would go along with the extra money. “I’m certainly not trying to use this as a mechanism to pay myself more,” Girodat said. As student council executives see $4,000 extra a year, others will receive less. Constituency representatives — who serve as a voice for marginalized voices such as queer students, students of colour and international students — get a regular monthly honorarium of $375 to help cover the work they put into their advocacy role. Under the new system, constituency and faculty reps will instead get paid $75 for each council meeting and $50 for each committee meeting they attend. There is usually one council meeting each month. Board members who sit on a single committee will make $125 monthly; a significant step down from the previous system.

For more on this story, go to runnermag.ca

EDITORIAL

THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

FEB / 05 / 13

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MAKING THE GRADE After most of the scandalous Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) board of 2011 was impeached, a new crop of elected students promised to run things differently, with more accountability and transparency. As we head into election season and the last few months of the term, The Runner asks: how has the current KSA executive team measured up?

A-

JEREMY McELROY GENERAL MANAGER

Arzo Ansary

Director of external affairs

B+

TONY CHIAO

Director of finance

Former president of UBC’s Alma Mater Society Jeremy McElroy has only been the KSA’s general manager for seven months, but he has already left an indelible mark on our student society. The 24-year-old projects an air of confidence (and competence) with mustachioed gravitas and has begun introducing countless new internal measures to clean up and protect the KSA. McElroy has also suggested importing some the AMS’s successes, including electronic voting at council meetings which would keep a detailed record of how individual members vote and help keep them more accountable to students.

Arzo Ansary admittedly had a rough start this year, struggling to balance her second job, family life and KSA responsibilities. However, the single parent has since come into her own. She successfully advocated for pulling out of national lobby group the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, arguing that the money spent on membership dues and travel fees for conferences could be better spent locally. Ansary was a strong negotiator on the U-Pass advisory committee, earning compliments from representatives at other local student unions. She showed her diplomatic side in dealings with the Canadian Federation of Students. She signed on to the Where’s the Funding?! coalition, and more recently, championed the drive to join the Get on Board coalition, pushing for better transit across Metro Vancouver. She also was a strong voice for women on campus, standing up for a woman’s right to choose, during the KSA’s shameful duck-and-cover routine, when a pro-life group popped up on campus. She has also lent her support to the Idle No More movement, pushed for pro-marijuana policies and is now mounting a broad campaign to encourage students to vote and to fight voter apathy. The KSA has a political powerhouse on their hands and could benefit from putting Ansary’s talents to use more often.

Tony Chiao has ruffled a lot of KSA council feathers, with his near-obsessive attention to pinching pennies and his reluctance to spend money on services, on salaries, or on anything, really. Admittedly, while Chiao could use a lesson in political cooperation and diplomacy, we have to give him credit for sticking to his principles. Under Chiao’s fiscal guidance, the KSA has accomplished a feat, not seen for at least half a decade: a finished budget submitted before the end of the calendar year. Chiao has already said he won’t be seeking re-election to the KSA next year (the only executive to say so, on the record, so far).

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THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

BCHRIS GIRODAT

Director of STUDENT SERVICES

EDITORIAL

FEB / 05 / 13

How do you describe Christopher Girodat? On one hand, he deserves credit for his strong opposition to last year’s controversial council. He has developed strong internal measures designed to properly balance the power in the KSA. He almost single-handedly drove the development of the KSA’s strategic plan along with extensive community consultations. His detailed written council reports, have set a high standard for proper and accountable records. On the other hand, he has difficulty letting other council members do their jobs, preferring to do them himself. During the recent tussle with Kwantlen’s pro-life club, he was the KSA’s media spokesperson, supplanting women’s rep and fellow executive Arzo Ansary. He also continues to meet bi-weekly with the university, when the KSA’s bylaws (which were largely written by Girodat himself) say that should be the director of student life’s job. He championed the committee structure, which was designed (by Girodat, again) to decentralize power from the four executives and the general manager and give more authority to council members and students. But, when faced with the reality of potentially unpredictable committees, he has been too involved in processes that are supposed to be independent. A cursory review of the available online minutes from the appointments committee show that Girodat has attended 10 out of 11 of their meetings. Records of other committee minutes, show similar attendance patterns. Girodat has the makings of a great student politician, but he’ll have to learn to get out of his own way first, if he wants to fulfill that potential.

While the executives and general manager have a large say in how smoothly the KSA runs, other people have also played significant roles — for better and for worse.

Pluses + JENNIFER CAMPBELL

MELINDA BIGE

JENNIFER CAMPBELL (Deputy speaker & Langley representative) Jennifer Campbell is the KSA’s current longest-serving member and brings a wealth of institutional memory to the table at an organization that is still trying to find its footing. Lately, Campbell has shown authority and grace as the KSA’s deputy speaker, chairing council meetings and keeping order when disagreements threaten to derail civil debate. MELINDA BIGE (Aboriginal constituency representative) Melinda Bige has demonstrated her fierce advocacy on behalf of not only aboriginal students, but all marginalized groups at Kwantlen. Bige often struggles with the rigid bureaucracy of the KSA, but her passion shines through and Kwantlen students are lucky to have her in their corner. She recently pushed through an Idle No More policy and is working on plans to register aboriginal voters on reserves for the upcoming provincial election.

C+ JAMIE CELLIER

Director of StUDENT LIFE

Minuses MATT TODD (Former faculty of arts representative) It’s not uncommon for student politicians to move on to the big leagues and run for office in the real world, doing it in reverse however seems unconventional. Matt Todd, a former two-term city councillor in White Rock, did just that, first joining the KSA executive in 2010 as director of external affairs and then returning as an arts representative in spring of 2012. His tenure was marked by controversy. After he dethroned the former executive chair and took the KSA’s top spot, a majority of councillors led a prolonged boycott of council meetings demanding her reinstatement. Todd also brought in Wayne Baldwin as an outside consultant to evaluate the KSA and used that subsequent report to fire then-general manager Desmond Rodenbour. Rodenbour subsequently alleged wrongful dismissal and defamation against the KSA in a lawsuit which was eventually settled out of court. Todd bowed out of student politics in late November and the KSA may never be the same (hopefully for the better).

Jamie Cellier only joined the executive in early December, after Amrit Mahil stepped down, so he hasn’t had the benefit of a full term to prove himself. So far, Cellier has only been responsible for one large event: the winter Welcome Week, which ran according to plan. However, Cellier has fallen short in several other areas. As director of student life, he is supposed to be the liaison between the KSA and the university, but that role currently seems to be occupied by Chris Girodat, the director of student services. Unfortunately, Cellier has also yet to take action on academic issues or policies. Perhaps, he will step up and prove us wrong, before the end of the political term.

F AMRIT MAHIL

FORMER Director of StUDENT LIFE

MATT TODD

Amrit Mahil gets a failing grade for his time on the executive. He repeatedly submitted the same report to council (with only minor changes), week after week, which we took as evidence of his lack of commitment to the job. Several of the events for which he took credit, were actually planned by campus clubs like the international students society. His lack of preparation also showed in this year’s Cram Jam concert, which, while under budget compared to the previous year’s fiasco, also failed to get students to actually attend.

FEATURE

THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

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FEB / 05 / 13

Kwantlen’s Big Man on Campus President Alan Davis has big plans and big dreams for the future of Canada’s best (and only) polytechnic university.

MATT DIMERA NEWS EDITOR

When president and vice-chancellor Alan Davis started at Kwantlen Polytechnic University five months ago, he had some concerns about working directly with students. “I was worried,” says Davis. “What would the adjustment be after a few years coming back? But, I found it surprisingly easy.” His previous posts had largely involved working in adult and online education and in administrative units isolated away from the action of students. “I also find the students here surprisingly focused,” he notes. “They’re very serious about their studies and about what they’re doing here. I’m sure they have fun and do some interesting things that would reveal the generation gap, but I don’t get the sense of that.” He has enjoyed being back in the action and cheering on the sidelines for the Kwantlen Eagles, recently attending a Friday night winning game for the men’s basketball team against Capilano University. “The people seem to play hard, but they’re good sports as well. It’s been a very good experience,” he says. Davis thinks his current gig is a fantastic opportunity; one that he intends to relish. “I don’t have to deal with all the details, the slog through all the details, I can always take the glory when others do the work,” he jokes. “I can’t imagine a better job in higher education right now than to be here in this region, at this point in Kwantlen’s history.” — Kwantlen is definitely at a turning point. It continues to make the transition from a university college into a full-fledged polytechnic university. What it means to be a polytechnic university however, seems to be a little more murky.

KPU president Alan Davis at his ceremonial installation in fall 2012 Elina Gress/The Runner

“We are in fact a unique institution. We are the only polytechnic university in Canada, I make this joke — we’re the best polytechnic university in Canada,” he laughs. “I want to make it the foremost — somewhere down the line, people are going to say that’s the foremost polytechnic university. Of its kind, it is the best that you can get. People are still talking, internally, what is a polytechnic university? Well, it is what it is. That’s what we are,” says Davis. “A pure polytechnic would be something like BCIT or SAIT or something like that,” he explains. “We’re a polytechnic university so we have this unique blend of both careerfocused, and professional, technical training and a really solid base of liberal arts, science and business.” Davis envisions a merging of a traditional university with a place that integrates theory and practice, the academic and applied. He points out that Kwantlen’s research is largely focused on social justice, the environment and cultural issues. “I think the other defining feature is that we are not an ivory tower. We do, do research, some lovely research, but it’s

almost all research that connects us to our communities and it’s applied in nature. We’re trying to help people solve problems and gain awareness of what’s going on, whether it’s dealing with gang issues in Surrey, or sustainable food sources in Langley, or whatever,” he says. He also stresses the important of teaching and the need to focus on helping all learners, regardless of their background. “If they’re of college age we can find a pathway for them to achieve whatever educational goals they have, assuming that we can continue to grow, assuming we’ll be funded to grow,” he states. Davis has already begun the process of transforming Kwantlen into the institution he envisions, by focusing on becoming a leader in teaching and learning. In that vein, KPU is now looking to hire a vice-provost of teaching and learning. He is also interested in changing Kwantlen’s reputation both internally and externally. “I don’t think we tell our story in as compelling a way as it deserves,” he comments.

“I think it’s something I need to work on with the institution. It kind of lacks some self-esteem in a way. It has somewhat low self-esteem and I need to lift that both amongst the students, amongst the employees, amongst our donors and board members and external supporters, and then, hopefully, generally when we survey the community, and say, ‘what do you think?’” You have to find things that are going to grab people’s attention, make them sit up, take a second look and make them proud of us.” He believes that Kwantlen’s self-esteem problem isn’t helped by the sharp turnover rate in its administration. Davis is the third president in five years. Other recent departures include former vice president, academic Anne Lavack and associate vice president, students Jody Gordon. “The leadership thing has been an issue because of the comings and goings,” he agrees. “It’s very hard on everybody. I can see the wear and tear on particularly those people who really care and are engaged in the university.” —

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THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

FEB / 05 / 13

FEATURE

Where in the world is Alan Davis?

Editorial KPU’s new president gets top marks

A-

ALAN DAVIS

President & Vice-chancellor

Alan Davis runs from a menacing cropduster. Illustration: Jeff Groat/The Runner

Former Kwantlen president David Atkinson built an executive suite of offices in Langley, in part to help rejuvenate that campus. But Davis has decided to take a more mobile approach. “I don’t have an office, that’s what I say. People say, “where is your office?” and I say my office is basically my car, and I’ve got a smart phone. He doesn’t have an office listed on his business card. It just says: Kwantlen Polytechnic. “I think that’s the way it should be, for the president,” he says. Davis has very specific ideas about what the president’s role should be and how he intends to fill it. For now he is concentrating on internal issues, but eventually hopes to spend half his time and energy internally, and the other half externally. His plan is to stay as long as he is needed and wanted. “My focus right now, and I hope this is good judgment, is to really try to build the team I need administratively, to build the connections I need with the faculties and students and all the service areas, get them

on side with the direction we’re going in,” he explains. “I need to get myself in a position where I know exactly what we need and I can go ask for it, I can go lobby for it, and I know that I’ve got the right team in place to take us there.” “I have a five year appointment, and I’m hoping if I do a half-decent job that they’ll renew me,” he states. “I promised the search committee that I would stay for 10 years, which I think is right for a president. I don’t think you should be too much longer than that, but I’ll commit to 10 years.” Another commitment that Davis has made — one that has made a positive impression on many in the Kwantlen community — is to transparency and openness. To that end, he is attempting to master the secrets of the Twitter-verse. So far, the experiment has been positive. “It’s just so hard to constantly engage with people, but here you can send something to out to everybody who’s interested and each person can link through to the email address that I have in there and people can respond to the tweet more

publicly or they can respond individually with their ideas,” he says. “I think one of the things I heard when I came and when I was hired is that people are looking for transparency, they’re looking for openness, they’re looking for engagement.” I suppose that’s the simple answer is I said I’d do it, and here I am.”

For more on this story, go to runnermag.ca

Like Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger in Jerry Maguire, president Alan Davis had us at hello. In the five months since Davis became president of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, we at The Runner have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like someone who has been in a string of failed relationships with inattentive or dismissive partners, when confronted with a president who might actually be a good match, we haven’t been sure how to react. Davis has made genuine efforts to reach out to administration, to faculty, to the community, and perhaps most importantly, to students. Relations between the university and the KSA have never been stronger. He disbanded the Presidential Ambassadorial Team, recognizing that the student body required broader and more democratic representation. He also heard the concerns about diversity at Kwantlen raised by minority groups, and created a presidential committee to address them. In marked contrast with certain past interim presidents who shall remain nameless, Davis has eschewed secrecy and embraced public debate and conversation; even taking to blogging and Twitter. Where former administrations worked in figuratively-closed rooms separated from the students they serve, he has taken the opposite tack. Don’t let all of this praise get to your head, Mr. President. We still reserve the right to change our mind once the honeymoon period is over, or to criticize future presidential decisions we might not agree with. But for now, we’re going to sit back and enjoy the honeymoon.

MASTHEAD

THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

FEB / 05 / 13

THE

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Sports

The Runner is student owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2MB 778.565.3801

www.runnermag.ca Vol. 05, Issue no. 08 Feburary 05, 2013 ISSN# 1916 8241

EDITORIAL DIVISON Co-ordinating Editor / Jeff Groat editor@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3803

Culture Editor / Max Hirtz culture@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3804 News Editor / Matt DiMera news@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3805 Production Editor / Roland Nguyen production@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3806

Media Editor / Kimiya Shokoohi media@runnermag.ca / 778.565.2806

Associate News Editor / Sarah Schuchard Associate Culture Editor / Tabitha Swanson Associate Features Editor / Matt Bossons

Eagles come apart in fourth quarter, fall back into last place

Associate Opinion Editor / Vacant Associate Photo Editor / Vacant Associate Sports Editor / Brian Jones Assoicate Art Director / Sylvia Dang Assoicate Copy Editor / Elizabeth Hann

CONTRIBUTORS Elina Gress, Chloe Smith, Sasha Mann, Hannah Ackeral, Cindy St-Laurent, Chris Yee, Brian Evancic

Cover Illustration: Roland Nguyen

BUSINESS DIVISION Operations Manager / Victoria Almond office@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3801

BRIAN JONES ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

I had my victory article ready. I had jotted down intended postgame questions like “What was the key to the win tonight?” and “How huge is it to finally get two wins in a row during this stretch of the season?” In my head, I already had the title: “Eagles complete weekend sweep, move one step closer to playoffs.” Then the fourth quarter came, and along with it a complete breakdown. On Saturday, Feb. 2, the Quest University Kermodes outscored the Kwantlen Eagles 38-14 in the final 10 minutes, overcoming a double-digit deficit and going on to win 102-87. Notes were scribbled over, pages were torn out, and my victory article was scrapped. “They played really well,” said Kwantlen head coach Stefon Wilson. “They owned the fourth quarter. You can’t give up 38 points, you just can’t. I mean you can’t score 14

either though.” Kermodes sharp shooter Jose Colorado had a game-high 32 points, as well as six rebounds. Eagles centre Ali Bosir put up 31 points and 15 rebounds – while only getting 18 seconds of rest throughout the game. Nii Engmann and jag Takhar rounded out the scoring for Kwantlen with 17 and 16 respectively, while Quest point guard Cartiea French-Toney dropped 19 points on 7-12 shooting, along with eight assists. The game was incredibly emotional, physical and aggressive right from the beginning. French-Toney and Kwantlen’s Aaron Ram were jawing within seconds of tip off, barking at each other every trip down the court. Initially, Ram got the best of the battle, knocking down all three threepointers that he took in the first half. With the hostile mood working in Kwantlen’s favour, as well as energetic crowd support, the Eagles maintained a substantial lead in the second and third frames. But as previously mentioned, it all blew up in the fourth. “Late in the game, we took care of the stuff

that had been hurting us in the first three and a half quarters,” said Quest head coach Sean Shook. “We got momentum, we were making shots, they were getting frustrated.” Down 73-64 heading into the final frame, Quest started to pick apart Kwantlen’s defense in the fourth and took repeated trips to the free throw line to slowly chip away at a lead that seemed almost insurmountable. Outscoring the Eagles by 24 points in the final 10 minutes, Quest applied too much pressure to a team that, just like Wilson had explained just 24 hours before, doesn’t know how to play with a lead. Kwantlen now drops to 5-12 and recedes back to last place in the PacWest standings. It’s now vital that they win at least two of their remaining four regular season games to be able to even have a shot at making playoffs. They play their last home games of the season this weekend, hosting Langara College on Friday, Feb. 8, and Douglas College the following night. Both games are once again scheduled for 8 p.m.

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THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

CULTURE

FEB / 05 / 13

Kwantlen

Music

Kwantlen’s Fraser Valley Acoustic Guitar Festival to return in February

Margaret Atwood coming to Kwantlen’s Richmond campus A Q&A will follow a screening of Payback on Feb. 16th

CINDY ST-LAURENT CONTRIBUTOR

Kwantlen’s Miss Representation Action Group is presenting the documentary film Payback, directed by Jennifer Baichwal, on Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. on Kwantlen’s Richmond campus. The documentary is based on Margaret Atwood’s book called Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, and Atwood will be speaking at the event. In an interview with Janice Morris, one of the founders of the Miss Representation Action Group and the co-organizer of the event, she described Payback as being “about debt globally and individually, and not just financial debt - conceptual debt. Indebtedness to the environment, our world, each other.” The film’s slogan, which reflects the main idea of the book, is “some debts can’t be paid with money.” Atwood agreed to the event after a sim-

ple phone call to the Lavin Agency, a North American speakers bureau. The Miss Representation Action Group was able to pay for this opportunity through support from the Kwantlen Student Association, the Kwantlen Faculty Association, CIR:CLE, the Coast Capital Library, the Coca-Cola event fund, and the department of career and academic preparation. Morris and her coworker Helen Mendes co-organized the event. They formed the Miss Representation Action Group in 2012, after a successful screening of the documentary Miss Representation, a film about the way women are portrayed in the media, in January. The group is “about representations of representations, media literacy and all the ways truth is presented in our world,” said Morris. Originally they had decided to do a three part documentary series during the 2012 to 2013 school year, but with the magnitude of the Payback event they decided to do only two. The focus of the events are to “open

dialogues and have discussions about important topics and be open to the entire Kwantlen community,” said Morris. Morris started involving herself in these projects because she feels that “a big part of being a teacher, being an instructor, is how you connect to the university community.” These projects have had the benefit of showcasing Kwantlen and its students. Kwantlen’s faculty of design and the school of horticulture are responsible for the room and stage design, while the communication and marketing department is responsible for a lot of the advertising of the event. The event will take a total of four hours and Sheryl MacKay from CBC Radio One is moderating. Registration starts at 3:30 p.m. Following this, Atwood will speak for twenty to thirty minutes and then there will be a question and answer period at the end.

TABITHA SWANSON ASSOCIATE CULTURE EDITOR

On Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m., the 16th annual Fraser Valley Acoustic Guitar Festival is coming to the Langley campus. Don Hlus, the chair of the music department, is responsible for organizing the event. “I think that’s part of my role at the university as well, not just being locked up in my classroom,” he said during a phone interview. In addition to actively engaging in Kwantlen’s extracurricular life, he said that one of his goals is to “introduce [guitarists] who are in our own backyard.” This year’s headliner is Don Ross, an international champion of fingerstyle guitar. “He really is one of the [best] guys in the world at what he does,” said Hlus. The Montreal native started playing guitar from the age of eight, and since then has won the National Fingerstyle competition in the United States twice. The festival, however, isn’t just about the performances. There will be a workshop for high school students on Feb. 14 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Flamenco guitarist Victor Klostee will be one of the teachers. “I go over some of the techniques that we use in flamenco,” said Klostee. “It’s a beginning for them.” When asked about his opinion on formal training, Klostee said that, “I think that if somebody wanted to learn flamenco, you could certainly learn a few basics here. But if you’re at all serious about it, then I always tell people, ‘Go live in Spain.’ Flamenco has always been music that’s been passed on traditionally. None of it is written out. There is no method to it. It’s the Wild West basically.” “I think the neat thing about the festival is that it is helping Kwantlen become recognized in the community,” Hlus noted. He also said that a few people have actually chosen to come to Kwantlen as a result of attending past guitar festivals. Students can attend the event for $15 in advance and $20 at the door, while commuity members can attend for $20 in advance and $30 at the door. Tickets are available at all Kwantlen bookstores or at kwantlen.ca/ guitar. So, if you’ve been looking to change up your routine and go to something different, the Kwantlen Acoustic Guitar Festival is sure to be an evening full of mesmerizing talent and a variety of different musical wonders, while still supporting your school and local community.

CULTURE

THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

Local arts

CHRIS YEE CONTRIBUTOR

When Waldorf Productions, much touted by Vancouver’s arts community, announced on Jan. 9 that it was vacating its venue, there was a torrent of outrage within hours from those who had known and loved the venue. With surprising speed, the city leapt to action and put out a protection order on the building — among other things. But within that same week, reports came out that things, perhaps, weren’t what they seemed to be. Was the eviction of the Waldorf really a siege of a shining bastion of culture by a rampaging horde of real estate developers, or was it simply a business deal gone sour? And so, we take a step back and look at the key players in the Waldorf affair. Is there a bigger implication in all of this? There might be.

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FEB / 05 / 13

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT

3 2 1 Debt

Waldorf Productions and the Puharichs

Waldorf Productions

Once home to a run-down hotel and a decidedly working-class dive bar, the Waldorf was renovated in 2010 by Waldorf Productions, a partnership between a restaurateur, a musician, a marketer and an architect. Though the venue was home to one of the last existing Tiki bars — not only in Vancouver, but the world — its real attraction was Waldorf Productions’ “dizzying” mix of events, as various media outlets have put it, including weekly parties, performances by local and international talent, and events by major cultural institutions like the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival. As the tagline went, “There’s always something happening at The Waldorf.”

Waldorf Productions leased the building from Marko Puharich of Waldorf Hotel, Ltd., owned by the Puharich family. Complicating matters further, the Georgia Straight reported Jan. 13 that Waldorf Productions had been consulting with developers last August, an act that apparently set off a dispute between Waldorf Productions and the Puharichs. Waldorf Productions was originally on a 15-year lease, and was the recipient of rent forgiveness from the Waldorf’s owners. In a Jan. 22 Vancouver Courier article, Gomez and Anselmi said they faced selling their homes to pay off the company’s remaining debt. Still, Waldorf Productions managed to secure a four-month lease from the Puharichs in September 2012. But after the sale of the Waldorf building to Solterra Development Corp. in January, Waldorf Productions was only offered a week-to-week lease. Unable to negotiate a longer term, Waldorf Productions left the building Jan. 20.

Much has been made in the media of Waldorf Productions’ financial situation. In response to these concerns, Waldorf Productions said in a Jan. 13 press release that they put in $1.6 million into the Waldorf’s renovation, including $400,000 in loans, half from the Royal Bank of Canada and half from a “private lender.” In their first year of operations, Waldorf Productions said they took on an additional $400,000 in debt, of which $105,000 was paid off from profit, between September 2012 and January 2013 — all while keeping up with rent. “The Waldorf team has created a community-driven, and financially viable business that was thriving,” the press release stresses. “Perhaps they were doing too much,” says Aaron Chapman, a Vancouver historian, author, musician and Waldorf patron. “But it was a heck of a ride. I would go down there myself... I wouldn’t necessarily enjoy everything that I saw, sometimes it wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was always interesting.” Unfortunately, The Runner was not able to contact Waldorf Productions or Waldorf Hotel, Ltd. in time for publication. The Waldorf is currently operating under the management of the Puharichs. Waldorf Productions’ online presence has all been wiped out.

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CULTURE

FEB / 05 / 13

7 6 5 4 The Community

The City

Gentrification

COPE communications director, community activist and musician Sean Antrim says that the Hastings Street corridor, along which lies the Waldorf as well as the nearby neighbourhoods of Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside, has long been a target for gentrification, threatening displacement for low-income residents in the area. Furthermore, he says, the process has accelerated post-Olympics, and the situation at the Waldorf is one of its symptoms. “A lot of people are saying that the Waldorf was drawing attention to that neighbourhood, and making it popular for the condos that are going in there eventually,” Antrim says.

Solterra

The Delta-based development company now owns the Waldorf property, and will take over its operations in September. It released a statement on Jan. 10 that it will not demolish the Waldorf. According to a Jan. 14 Vancouver Sun article, the company said in the release that they would “explore possible ways to retain and improve the hotel,” in consultation with the City of Vancouver. Solterra has a sister company, Viaggio Hospitality Group Inc., and according a Jan. 19 Georgia Straight piece by Charlie Smith, “Who Killed the Waldorf,” there’s a possibility that company could receive the Waldorf’s four liquor licences, currently held by the Puharichs’ Waldorf Hotel Ltd.

The city responded quickly to the uproar over the so-called closure of the Waldorf, releasing a 120-day protection order at a Jan. 15 city council meeting, which blocked new construction on the Waldorf’s property, as well as alterations to the building itself. The city also plans to conduct an evaluation of the heritage value of the building, and release a statement of significance when it is done. This motion was followed by another at Jan. 29’s city council meeting, this time to “identify and protect arts and culture spaces in Vancouver” by mapping these spaces, as well as investigating “best practices” in other cities. The Waldorf is near a heavy industrial area and is zoned MC-2, a mixed use zone that excludes condo construction. However, rezoning the area is not out of the question, and inclusion on the City of Vancouver’s heritage register does not guarantee protection.

Waldorf Productions’ announcement set off a wonder of social media-facilitated engagement. Not only was there a swarm of dismayed tweets within hours of Waldorf Productions’ announcement, there was a flurry of angry Facebook messages directed at Solterra. There were also several online petitions which urged the City of Vancouver (and, later, Solterra) to protect the building and reach an agreement with the entertainment company, and a group of people descending on the Waldorf on Jan. 13 and city hall on Jan. 15 to show their support for the embattled venue. Much of the online activity was spearheaded by Gen Why Media, which describes itself in its Twitter profile as “a collaborative production group that seeks to characterize the under represented (sic) zeitgeist of youth culture using media, events & public art.” Many of the Waldorf’s supporters stress that it isn’t so much the building they want to save as it is the unique mix of programming. But above all, they say, the situation at the Waldorf reflects broader concerns in the area.

THE WALDORF BUT WERE TOO AFRAID TO ASK

CULTURE

THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

FEB / 05 / 13

Infamy and Ecstacy

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OCCULT

A look inside Vancouver’s Ordo Templi Orientis chapter

BRIAN EVANCIC CONTRIBUTOR

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,” says the white-robed deacon. “love is the law, love under will,” replies the congregation, as they begin to witness a caricature of a regular mass unfold before their eyes. Two tables – one holding a cup of water and a cup of salt, the other a brazier containing incense – and a blue curtainenclosed altar stand between two rows of roughly 10 disciples each. The disciples extend their hands toward the ground, configured in the shape of a downward V, absorbing the atmosphere of the bi-weekly Vancouver ritual. Surreal, exotic music is playing – the kind that would be well-suited as a soundtrack to a Salvador Dali painting. The priestess - wearing blues robes and a golden tiara, with a sheathed sword attached to her waist – mixes the salt and water in a bowl and then anoints the forehead of the red-robed priest. She lights the incense in the brazier, then kneels before the priest. The priest is Branko Vrbic. The 49-year-old man joined the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) Yugoslavian chapter in 1987, the year the O.T.O. introduced itself to the country. The O.T.O. is a religious organization formed in the early 20th century. Originally based on

The Lamen, the official symbol of the O.T.O.

Freemasonry, it was soon reformed under the auspices of its most famous member, controversial occultist Aleister Crowley, and has been promulgating the man’s religion, Thelema, ever since. Crowley was labelled “the Wickedest Man in the World” by the English press of the time due to his copious drug use, promiscuity, forays into homosexuality, and his irreverence towards Christianity. While roaming the streets of Sarajevo in his 20s, Vrbic experienced a severe headache that would plague him for days. The pain was so crippling, Vrbic thought he might go insane if he couldn’t do something to quell it. One day, he decided to stop everything he was doing, close his eyes, and focus his mind on the pain. The pain ceased and he entered a strange state of consciousness in which his sense of self disappeared, and he no longer felt the divisions of self and other. He was one with everything. “Flowers in the nearby park were inside me,” he recalled. The event confirmed an intuition Vrbic had as a teenager that there was a hidden dimension - inaccessible to sense-perception and the intellect - to reality that eluded most people. He found the O.T.O. to be a place where similar-minded people could gather and build upon their initial experiences. The teachings of Crowley resonated with him, so much so that he has continued to be a member ever since he paid his first membership dues and went through his first initiation. These initiations are rituals, just like the altered form of the Catholic mass – called the Gnostic mass by O.T.O. members - in which he performed the role of the priest. The whole ceremony is an allegorical tale of a man who goes through a spiritual awakening. The priest and priestess represent dualities that O.T.O. members claim lie inside all of us. The unity of opposites is a very important concept for the O.T.O., and especially Vrbic. In his apartment he has a painting of two Hindu deities conjoined in heterosexual intercourse which he says exemplifies this concept. He also has a small tattoo on his chest of the “Mark of the Beast” symbol: a seven-pointed star that represents the Sun and the Moon - a union of opposites. The Sun and Moon is exactly the type of duality expressed in the Gnostic mass, which continues with a strange spectacle: the prostrate priestess caresses and kisses the lance of the priest, then strokes it in a gesture reminiscent of a hand job. Even stranger is the highly solemn attitude with

Aleister Crowley, the infamous occultist, was once a leader of the Ordo Templi Orientis.

which the congregation watches the act. The gesticulation, on one level, represents an ejaculation induced by the priestess. It also symbolizes the moment of the priest’s spiritual awakening. According to Vrbic, Crowley believed that sex was the most powerful magical force in the universe. Magic — or magick, as Crowley spelt it – is for the O.T.O. “the Science and Art of causing change in conformity with Will.” The O.T.O. teaches yoga, knowledge of the Kabbalah, sexual magick, and various rituals to its members that are intended to enhance their magical power. As the body master of the Vancouver O.T.O. lodge – the highest position available in any O.T.O. lodge - Vrbic has made it to a relatively esteemed position within the organization. Members make their way through a degree system. Vrbic has made it to the fifth degree in the organization out of a possible 12. One moves through the degree system based on minimum amounts of Thelemic knowledge and recommendations from other members. In 1997, Vrbic was appointed body master by the international

headquarters of the O.T.O, located in Los Angeles. One of the first things he did after he was appointed was to rechristen the chapter “The Daughter of Sunset Lodge”, based on a passage in one of Crowley’s books that he found particularly poignant. This came a year after he had immigrated to Canada from Germany, after Germany gave him refugee so that he could escape the turmoil of the Yugoslav Wars of the early 90s. Now as body master, he is responsible for organizing initiations and events (including the Gnostic mass), financial duties and ensuring the well being of the members. Some of the most controversial acts sanctioned by Vrbic’s O.T.O. came when Crowley started an “Abbey of Thelema” in Sicily during the 1920s. There, Crowley commanded his followers to consume large amounts of hashish, opium, and cocaine that he provided, and even got one of his female disciples to have sex with a goat and slit its throat at the moment of orgasm. Mussolini expelled Crowley from Sicily after hearing about the rituals of the Abbey through the British press. (cont...)

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THE RUNNER NEWSPAPER

FEB / 05 / 13

CULTURE Practicum Don’t try this at home

The Beatles included Aleister Crowley as one of many pop culture icons on this album cover.

Vrbic says that while he does not condone everything the man did, and admits that he was a provocateur who liked to shock people, he also maintains that Crowley was “the highest adept who ever lived” and that his boundary-pushing nature was a part of what made him so great. This reserved brand of reverence for Crowley is held to an even higher degree by quite a few members of the organization. “If I met Crowley, I’m sure he’d be an asshole,” said the woman who would eventually assume the role of the priestess in the Gnostic mass. “I like some of Crowley’s ideas, but I’m really more of a Jung fan,” said a man who claimed that his ability to see in other dimensions was what lead him to the religion. One member of the organization who exemplifies this attitude is Cynddydd (pronounced sin-thith). She asked not to use her real name because of the potential

ramifications her O.T.O. membership could have on her career as an administrator in a Christian church that she also attends. “Those people would totally, totally not get what this is about,” she said. Instead, she prefers to be called Cynddydd, her “magical name” of Welsh origin. Cynddydd, a 45-year-old mother of two, composes and performs songs for Vrbic’s O.T.O. events. “I only like about five per cent of Crowley’s work, the rest I think is frankly garbage,” she said. She also believes that laypersons unaware of what Crowley was trying to do with some of his more lurid actions might hear about them and think “Oh my God, I can’t believe you did that,” without investigating their purpose, she says. She is also a member of other religious organizations. Her favourite is Santo Daime, a Brazilian sect whose rituals involve the consumption of the hallucinogen ayahuasca that she says helps her contact God. “I take

the sacrament about once a month,” she said. Cynddydd is also a Wiccan. She says that she prays by a specific tree next to a river because the location conforms to Wiccan standards of the sacred. Vrbic says that it is very common for members to be a part of other religious organizations and that O.T.O. membership does not preclude them from pursuing other spiritual opportunities. But for Vrbic, the O.T.O. is the only path necessary. He does note that for membership in some religions, like Christianity, it could be hard to reconcile the dogmas of the religion with those of the O.T.O., but if someone believes they can do it, then there will be no interference by himself or anyone else associated with the O.T.O. Vrbic ends the Gnostic mass by drawing the blue curtain open, revealing a nude priestess sitting upon the altar in a rigid posture, her red hair draped over her breasts. She now wields the priest’s spear

Aleister Crowley left many exercises for his followers so that they might ascertain their limits and maximize their magical power. Below is one of the more colourful ones, directly quoted from his purported magnum opus, Magick: 0. The Unicorn is speech. Man, rule thy Speech! How else shalt thou master the Son, and answer the Magician at the right hand gateway of the Crown? 1. Here are practices. Each may last for a week or more. (a) Avoid using some common word, such as “and” or “the” or “but”; use a paraphrase. (b) Avoid using some letter of the alphabet, such as “t”, or “s”. or “m”; use a paraphrase. (c) Avoid using the pronouns and adjectives of the first person; use a paraphrase. Of thine own ingenium devise others. 2. On each occasion that thou art betrayed into saying that thou art sworn to avoid, cut thyself sharply upon the writs or forearm with a razor; even as thou shouldst beat a disobedient dog. Feareth not the Unicorn the claws and teeth of the Lion? 3. Thine arm then serveth thee both for a warning and for a record. Thou shalt write down thy daily progress in these practices, until thou art perfectly vigilant at all times over the least word that slippeth from thy tongue. Thus bind thyself, and thou shalt be for ever free. amid an unveiled background of Egyptian hieroglyphics. She symbolizes the goddess Nuit, who reveals her true nature in the concluding scenes of the ritual. This sight, coupled with the interweaving of incense smoke, Salvador Dali music and the effects of having to chug a whole glass of wine, lead to a sensory overload for the congregation. But they continue to chant “so mote it be” in reply to the Deacon’s invocations. Vrbic kneels before the Priestess, wearing a crown in the shape of a coiled-up snake, symbolizing the O.T.O. god Hadit. He rests his head between her thighs, conjoining the two into the shape of a fleshy staircase. The union of opposites is complete.

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Sagitarius Nov. 23 - Dec 21

Capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan 20

The spirit world donated six hundred billion spirit coins which we spent on a new design at the spirit gift shop.

Don’t trust your doctor because you think you have to; trust her or him because a miniature komodo dragon told you to do so in a dream.

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19

Pisces Feb 20 - Mar 20

“He who lives in the shadow of Saturn shall one day fight an ostrich with only a cricket bat and a half-eaten mango.” - Plato

This month is going to be terrible. Then again, isn’t every month terrible? Just one shitty thing after another. Oh well.

Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20

This month is going to kick ass for you, Mr. or Mrs. Aries. You’re a superstar and everyone loves you. Keep on truckin’.

The moon is far away. Too far to walk to . Friends ended in 2004. Grapes are roughly the same colour as eggplants but are more squishy.

Gemini May 21 - Jun 20

The spirit world has only one thing to say to you this month: Give me back my Blu-ray copy of Hairspray, you cheating son of a bitch.

Leo Jul 24 - Aug 23

Pop quiz! Is the above symbol a worm with a giant creepy eye, or a woman with a tumor on her neck?

PROCRASTINATION

FEB / 05 / 13

22%

Cancer Jun 21 - Jul 23

did it to get ahead.

“Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69. Cancer. 69.” - the Pope

Virgo Aug 24 - Sept 23

Do it your way. Having difficulty getting into courses you need? Enrol today and combine online courses with your campus studies so you can complete your degree on time.

The spirit world orders you to start listening to Prince. Start with Purple Rain, OBVIOUSLY. Don’t listen to that crap he played on Ellen the other day.

Libra Sept 24 - Oct 23

Scorpio Oct 24 - Nov 22

The spirit world has some really awesome advice for you this month but, oh, I don’t know, I just don’t really feel like sharing it.

I have a confession to make: The spirit world stopped contacting me in September and I’ve been making this shit up ever since.

MC117213

www.truopen.ca/yourway

Flexible

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Credible

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Online and Distance