VOL-08-ISS-17
June-14-2016
Monologuing internally since 2009
Where in the World is
Kwinten the Eagle? News
A look at KPU’S Declining Enrolment Culture Battle of the Bands Coming to Grassroots Opinion Why Young People Still Live at Home
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02 Table of contents
staff
04
News | Provost Salvador Ferreras speaks out on how and why enrolment is slowing at KPU
Coordinating Editor Tristan Johnston editor@runnermag.ca
Over the past half-decade, there has been a 5 per cent enrolment decrease in domestic fulltime equivalent courses (FTE’s) at KPU, with one fifth of that accumulating over the past year.
Executive Editor Samantha Thompson deputy@runnermag.ca @sampthompson
08 10
Feature | Where in the World is Kwinten the Eagle?
Managing Editor Connor Doyle managing@runnermag.
It’s been more than a year since the day that Kwantlen Polytechnic University administration changed its priorities concerning the athletics department...
Art Director Scott McLelland art@runnermag.ca
culture | 101.7 CIVL radio will bring four local bands together to compete on campus
Production Editor Danielle George
production@runnermag.ca
Four bands—Gravity Pistol, MG Graveyard, Stereo Anthems, and Paravel—will congregate in the Cafe on the June 23 to compete for first place. The show will be the Grassroots’ first late-night live music event.
Photo editor Kier-Christer Junos photo@runnermag.ca @kierjunos
13 14
Web editor Yaunna Sommersby web@runnermag.ca
Opinions | Why You’re (Probably) Still Living at Home
The average young adult looking to live well in Vancouver is stuck with a daunting ultimatum—room with their parents or leave the city.
Production Assistant Kayla Frier
production@runnermag.ca
Staff Writer Alyssa Laube staff@runnermag.ca
Columns | Winona Forever: Vancouver’s teenage dad rock band
“I think we just dress like dads,” says Bingham about their semi-inexplicable genre tag. Webster-Shaw nods, “I think it’s just Ben’s glasses.”
Operations Manager Scott Boux office@runnermag.ca 778.565.3801
#BestPhoto
krdforsyth I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known. Xox#hashtagsthatarerealavent
#FeatureTweets KPU Agriculture @KPUAgriculture Sept 2012 seems just like yesterday when we started our BASc SustAg - now our first grads #crossedthestage at #kpuconvocation2016 #kpu KPU Alumni @kpualumni Congrats to over 1,000 #KPU grads who walked the stage this week. Welcome to your alumni community! Reception photos@ http://www.facebook.com/KPUalumni/ Mark_Hamilton @gmarkham No matter how many you’ve been to, convocation always produces a few dust-in-the-eyes moments. Proud of all our grads. #KPU #journalism
Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778.565.3801 www.runnermag.ca Vol. 08, Issue no. 17 June 14, 2016 ISSN# 1916 8241
Contributors Awais Mushtaq Natalie Musell Kat Nekuryashchikh Rosa Ojeda Keith Harris Shandis Harrison Kyle Prince Stephanie Davies Monica Mah
Cover
Kat Nekuryashchikh is a freelance illustrator who graduated from Emily Carr university in May 2016. She was born in Perm, Russia, and has spent her childhood there before moving to Canada in 2005. When not hunched over her sketchbook or drawing tablet, Kat can be found playing video games, Dungeons and Dragons, and even socializing with other people. Sometimes she even goes outside.
The Runner is student-owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society. . The Runner recognises that our work, both in and out of the office, takes place on unceded Coast and Strait Salish territories, specifically the shared traditional territories of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Sto:lo and Tsawwassen First Nations. Our name is inspired by the hun’qumi’num meaning of Kwantlen, which is tireless hunters or tireless runners. Just as Kwantlen is adaptable and changing so is The Runner.
From The Editors
Editorial 03
New media should be viewed as critically as old media
What’s Happening this week Samantha Thompson
June15 Dance fit
KPU is offering all sorts of fitness classes this month, so you might as well take advantage of them. And what better way to get started than with a dance class to...Top40?
4 p.m., KSA Active Studio (Richmond). Free.
june16 bakesale and bookdrive
(Danielle George)
Tristan Johnston | Coordinating Editor
For some time, I have been advised to take a closer look at Buzzfeed for their news content. Putting my biases out in the open, I’ve had a very hard time taking them seriously, and scoffing in The Runner office when I’m advised to look past their “gif articles” and clickbait headlines. To be fair, it was better than I expected, but I still saw “Assisted Suicide Is Now Legal In Canada But These 7 Questions Remain Unanswered” advertised along the side, which to me seems rather clickbaity. Vice has also been getting bigger, and if you had asked me three years ago for my opinion on Vice, I would
have given you an instant, “They’re great, they cover what others don’t and with an interesting take.” Today my opinion is much more nuanced. My YouTube subscription feed could yield four well-done, intense docs on gang warfare in Colombia in one week, then “Secret confessions of …” and some sarcastic hipster recommending comic books. In fairness, the video with Kenny Hotz going around the U.S. and acting like an idiot was pretty funny. Out of all media companies, I probably have the least amount of respect for Gawker. I put them on the same level as Breitbart and Rebel Media. However, I was listening to Canadaland some time ago, and Jesse Brown made an interesting point about them. He said that he supported Gawker for being the media company
that was willing to do the dirty work. For being the organization that didn’t have a reputation to uphold. Yes, Gawker was involved in breaking the Rob Ford cocaine story with The Toronto Star, and also had a hand in bringing out the leaked Sarah Palin emails. They also publish tons of useless gossip and I still remember the app they had for reporting and mapping celebrity sightings in New York. I suppose, in some ways, it’s great that we have a variety of media sources producing different types of journalism. There are plenty of stories that the BBC or CBC won’t touch, due to the fact that they must uphold their reputation as serious, well-respected publicly funded broadcasters. When the CBC interviews Trudeau during an election campaign, they’re going
to ask him about policy, and Rosie Barton is going to ask some hard questions. So will Vice, but they’ll also ask him what his favourite marijuana strain is, and focus more on what he’ll do in regards to education and LGBTQ rights. I mean, as a young person, I should—in theory—be consuming more Vice and Buzzfeed, but whenever I wake up in the morning, I still check the CBC and BBC long before I bother with any of the newer media companies. They still get the best access, and they’re still the best of at least making their biases difficult to perceive. I suppose if news organizations are like food, then the CBC is a consistent sandwich from a chain store in the mall, and Vice is frozen yogurt. Gawker might be cheap beer.
KSA aims to improve future student senate and board of governors elections News Briefs
Kier-Christer Junos| Photo Editor KSA aims to improve future student senate and board of governors elections Organization suggests there are improvements to be made Kier-Christer Junos, Photo Editor The Kwantlen Student Association is looking to take on the university-run senate and board of governor elections at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. KSA Council’s recently adopted policy expresses the student association’s aim to take over student representative election duties for the university’s highest decision-making bodies. Students are currently allowed
up to two seats on KPU’s board of governors, and four seats on the senate. Tanvir Singh, KSA vice-president of services, says that the university’s election processes are “nowhere near as comprehensive” when compared to the student association’s practices. The nomination packages provided by the university, for example, are among those privy to Singh’s criticisms. “The document style itself, when it comes to the actual package, it’s fine—there isn’t a lot of problems— but just because it’s fine doesn’t mean it’s great,” says Singh. “We think that we as the KSA could put together a
better document.” Meanwhile, KPU’s chief returning officer Zena Mitchell has withheld the results for the student senate elections due to a “potential voter irregularity.” The results were due in early April, and the issue has since been deferred to the senate’s election appeal committee for deliberation throughout June. While Singh says that issue didn’t “directly” influence KSA council’s adoption of their new policy, he says, “We believe some of these issues would be resolved faster.” The KSA’s new policy notes that the Alma Mater Society, the student society at the University of British Columbia, currently conducts the student
The Creative Writing Guild was once one of the biggest clubs on campus, in the pre-KGG era. Support their legacy by buying some books and eating some treats--proceeds go to their yearend celebration. 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Surrey campus courtyard. Nothing over $2!
june18 healthy smiles
Going to the dentist is a pain, but today they’re coming to you! Free cleanings under the KSA dental plan.
11:30 a.m., Richmond campus Rotunda. Free.
june 21 national aboriginal day
KPU is celebrating the 20th anniversary of National Aboriginal Day, with “more details to come…” Good news is, their hashtags are all ready to go.
12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., Surrey campus courtyard. Free, maybe.
june 22
tea and treats
Join the KPU’s international team to discuss how to make friendships to last a lifetime. This may be worthwhile, as allegedly the average university student loses three to four friends a semester. 1 p.m., Cedar 1110. Free.
june 23 Philosophy of mind
This ongoing discussion group explores many deep topics featuring multi-syllable words, and today they’re wondering, “Can a purely physical scientific approach to reality account for consciousness?” I don’t know, can it?
1 p.m. to 2 p.m., GrassRoots Cafe. Free.
04 News
Is Enrolment a problem at KPU?
Provost speaks out on how, where, and why enrolment is slowing Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer Over the past half-decade, there has been a five per cent enrolment decrease in domestic full-time equivalent courses (FTEs) at KPU, with one -fifth of that accumulating over the past year. However, KPU Provost Dr. Salvador Ferreras deems that number to be “a really minimal decrease that would be statistically almost insignificant,” unless it continues to grow. Rather, Ferreras believes it is “something that [he and his colleagues] watch and have to monitor so that it doesn’t become a trend.” Ferreras attributes the enrolment decrease to the soaring price of living and KPU’s small class sizes, which may result in “a number of students not being able to take courses during the semester period that they may be planning to.” Because of the university’s collective agreement with their faculty union, they cannot accommodate over 35 students in each of their classes, leaving a few stragglers with less than a full course load. In reference to the high price of living, the provost believes that it is not preventing students from attending post-secondary so much as it is leading them to save money by taking fewer courses. “The average number of credits across the board that students take in any given semester is now 9.2, 9.4, around there. That’s down from 10.2
maybe a couple years ago, so we still have a large number of students, but they’re taking fewer courses in order to either lighten their load,” he says. As a result, the FTE enrolment rate is on a downturn, but the number of students attending KPU has actually grown. Overall, there are also four per cent more students at KPU than there were in 2010, making the current population nearly 20,000 students. Still, there has been an enrolment decrease in two faculties: academic and career preparation and the arts. The decrease in academic and career preparation can be explained by a change of policy that took place last year, which began demanding tuition for many previously free courses, therefore spurring an approximate fiveper cent drop in enrolment. Ferreras says that the reason why arts enrolment is decreasing is “unclear” and was unable to provide a confirmed percentage for how much it has shrunk, although he estimated it to be between one to two per cent. Meanwhile, enrolment has been increasing in science and horticulture, up 16 per cent from last year, and business, up 14 per cent. Ferreras discloses that the boom in business is likely due to pre-existing student interest, whereas science and horticulture has welcomed new programs that have recently been getting attention from upper-year students. “They were programs that were diplomas and are now degrees, and so
there are more students moving into those upper levels,” he says. “And then some new programs, like the brewing program, are brand new and people are quite interested in them.” At the same time as domestic FTEs have been ebbing, international FTEs have spiked. Over the past five years, they have grown by 70 per cent, with five per cent growth over last year. This rise is likely caused by KPU’s international recruitment in places like China, India, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as the United States, whose students may be attract-
ed by the favourable exchange rate. Like with domestic students, business and science is very popular with them, as is an education in design. While it seems the provost is not particularly concerned by the loss in domestic enrolment, he does note the measures that KPU goes to in order to keep it steady. For instance, they have changed admissions procedures so that students can declare a major later into their program instead of picking it at the beginning of their first year. They work towards providing advising support for students, particularly
those transitioning from first to second year, to “give them the skills to be able to succeed” at university. Further, they have introduced three new post-baccalaureate programs, made the admission requirements for English more lenient, and started to offer “very fundamental trades training” to both aboriginal students and students with disabilities. “These are all things that will inevitably have an impact on enrolment,” says Ferreras.
Students wait in queue for registration (Kier-Christer Junos)
Students Volunteer for Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup Event held at Serpentine Greenway by Sustainable KSA Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, 10 volunteers gather at the Serpentine Greenway for Sustainable KSA’s Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. The Kwantlen Student Association’s sustainability coordinator, Mairi Lester, hands out gloves, pincers, and garbage bags shortly before the group splits in half to tidy opposite sides of the five kilometre-long greenway, which qualifies as shoreline material for the creek and ponds it harbours. Sustainable KSA has been organizing the event for the past three years, producing a total of five cleanups and “close to 50 or 60 kilos of waste.” The one held at the Serpentine Greenway on June 8 is their sixth todate, with the seventh planned for this coming September. The Serpentine Greenway, although small, is home to a local ecosystem that could be disturbed by the litter strewn across its premises. As an area that is regularly frequented by students, families, and other members
of the community, Lester considers it the ideal area for the cleanup. “It was the nearest place to Sur-
rey campus, and I knew it was within walking distance and it didn’t have a coordinator, so it made perfect sense to us,” she says. She also chooses to continue hosting the cleanups twice per year because it “doesn’t take a lot of prepa-
ration and doesn’t cost money to run.” while neatening up the spaces. It also gives the KSA an opportunity “It’s important that we give back to “do something that helps improve to our community and I think this is a visible way to see some students out doing something, not for the sake of getting their degree or getting a project done, but just to give back,” she says. The KSA’s vice president of student life Natasha Lopes seconds that Volunteers clean up their community (Alyssa Laube) s t a t e m e n t , saying that the our community and the environment,” cleanups are “acknowledging the area and brings Kwantlen Polytechnic Uni- we live in and making it better.” She versity students from various faculties personally used the greenway as a lotogether. Although she notes that they cation for runs when she lived in the “shouldn’t do it just to get thanks,” city, and calls it “a very widely used Lester has also been commended by space.” “I’m very thankful that we’re dopassing members of the community
ing this cleanup, especially because I used to be one of the people who used that area, and there are still people who use that area and go for walks as families. It’s bringing the community together,” says Lopes. Some of the more unusual items found over the past three years include mattresses, televisions, old bike parts, and baby carriages, but most of the litter collected consists of cigarette butts, wrappers, and miscellaneous plastic. After the volunteers are finished with the cleanup, they drop the bags off for the city of Surrey to collect and send a record of what they found to the Shoreline Cleanup Agency. Sustainable KSA also looks after the campus garden and provides students with “education on how to use the organics system.” As well, they have a composter for the Grassroots, which they are hoping to get more use out of. Lester predicts that the fall will be spent working with MultiPass, a program designed to “help people to use the bus or bike or walk or carpool,” and continuing management of the campus garden.
News 05
KPU awards honourary degrees to three recipients
A mathematician, an arbitrator, and a manufacturer walk into a university... Stephanie Davies| contributor On May 31 Kanwal Singh Neel, a retired mathematics educator, received his honourary degree from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Neel continues to offer his expertise to SFU’s Friends of Simon Tutoring Program, which is dedicated to training university students as literacy tutors for immigrants and refugees from Kindergarten to Grade 12 in the Lower Mainland. “I feel so honoured, I’m filled with gratitude,” says Neel. “You keep on doing your work and then when you’re recognized by your peers and educational institutions, it really feels very humbling.” Neel started his career as a high school math teacher in Richmond. He later became known for hosting the T.V. series Math Shop. “[Math Shop] became the benchmark of ‘how can we teach math?’” says Neel. “What we would do in the series is have a problem, teach the concept, solve the problem, and it related to the curriculum from Grades 8 to 11.” Neel went on to become the President of the B.C. Math Teacher’s Association. He also became an author with the textbook series Math Makes Sense. “I contributed my ideas about doing projects in the classroom, integrating art in the math curriculum, doing math in the outdoors . . . so different things came about.” In 2011, Neel retired from his po-
sition as associate director of professional programs at SFU. He continues to work as a program coordinator for Friends of Simon. Neel is joined this year by Vince Ready, known as the foremost mediator and arbitrator in Canada, who received his honourary degree from KPU on June 1. Through his career he has brought resolutions to more than 7,000 labour disputes. “It was indeed an honour,” says Ready on receiving the degree. “I’ve followed Kwantlen over the years and I’m very impressed by their broad curriculum. I think it’s a great institution.” Ready started his career in 1965, when he was the representative for the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers. He was a labour negotiator with them for 13 years. “I learned a little bit about balancing people’s interests and understanding the opposite side’s interests, including my own. That’s what it takes to resolve conflict.” After working for the Steel Workers’ Union, Ready went into mediation. “It’s been a labour of love for me and I’ve spent a great number of years at it.” In 1982, Ready set up his own business with the desire to be independent of government. He has notably dealt with such disputes as the B.C. Transit strike in 2001 and the B.C. Teachers’ strike in 2014. His success is widespread throughout the nation, having dealt
with everything from oil and gas and forestry to human rights and discrimination, to name a few. “You’ve got to be able to use whatever techniques are available to you to move the parties in the same direction in the labour dispute,” he says. “Sometimes it takes patience and sometimes it takes persistence, and sometimes it takes cajoling. There are a number of techniques you use to move people into finding common ground between disputing parties.” Finally, Brad McQuhae also received his honourary degree from KPU the same day as Ready. His business, Newlands Systems, is a leading manufacturer in brewing equipment. McQuhae helped initiate KPU’s brewing and brewery operations program by being a part of the original advisory counsel, and by donating equipment. “I [was] somewhat dumbfounded, and flattered in other ways as well,” says McQuhae of being an honorary degree recipient. “It’s not an experience I expected to go through, so it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed every minute of it.” McQuhae began brewing 32 years ago, having started in one of the first in-house brew pubs in Canada, Spinnakers Brew Pub, in Victoria. “When I started brewing, the craft brewing industry was in its infancy. I ended up doing a bit of consulting and then I started Newlands in 1990. I started Newlands as a brewing services company, but I found out there was more money in brokering equipment.”
Kanwal Singh Neel speaks during convocation ceremony (Courtesy of KPU/Flickr)
Now McQuhae’s business has over 150 employees, three manufacturing locations in Abbotsford, and they’re opening another one in South Carolina. “In 2013 I was approached by Kwantlen to sit on their advisory board because they were looking at
doing a brewing school. I was intrigued with that because I thought their timing was perfect—the craft industry, especially in B.C., was just starting to explode.”
Surrey Board of Trade’s Top 25 Under 25 Event Acknowledges Exceptional Youth Four KPU students received awards for their achievements
Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer For the sixth consecutive year, the Surrey Board of Trade handed out their Top 25 Under 25 awards to some of the city’s youngest, brightest entrepreneurs, four of whom were students from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Saghi Ahmadi, Taylor Byrom, Sukhjiven Gill, and Parabjot Kaur Singh each received certificates at the event for their accomplishments, along with graduates from Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and other post-secondary institutions. True to the nature of entrepreneurship, the evening began with an hour of networking, followed by presentations from sponsors and keynote speaker Leah Goldstein. Afterwards came the awards ceremony for the Top 25 winners before the event was concluded with more networking over hors d’oeuvres. All of the winners from KPU
KPU President Alan Davis stands beside the award recipients at the Top 25 Under 25 awards (Courtesy of KPU/Flickr)
were young women, and two of them are involved in the school’s business department. Ahmadi is a soon-to-be graduate of KPU’s Bachelor of Business Administration program in entrepreneurial leadership with professional experience in management and training. Byrom is the owner of Taylor Hart Designs—a clothing company “for little girls with complex care,” as written on the brand’s website—and graduate of KPU’s fashion and tech-
nology degree program. Gill, an international student from India, is a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting program with extensive involvement in co-op programs, and plans to become a chartered professional accountant. Singh serves on the board of directors of the Punjabi Language Education Association, works as a co-host of a children’s radio show on RED 93.1FM, and is a member of
both the Kwantlen Creative Writing Guild and the department of languages and cultures. Saghi believes that it is KPU’s applied learning style that has allowed her to achieve many of her academic and professional goals. “The great thing about Kwantlen being so applied is you are given the opportunity to work with a lot of local businesses. Through that, and through a lot of the applied learning, I was able to sort of give back to the community, specifically Surrey,” she says. “I feel like, in the last year, I’ve grown a lot academically and even professionally in how I present ideas at work or recommendations for process improvements. None of that would have happened if I wasn’t given the experience in the classroom to sort of give that reassurance of like, ‘Okay, you’re able to present your ideas, now go apply it in the outside world.’” As an international KPU student, Gill says she is grateful for the Top
25 Under 25 awards for providing her with “recognition for all [her] hard work.” “Five years ago … I was in a new Canadian environment and I struggled a lot. Over the past five years, I have been working really hard, not just in school but also in volunteer activities and case competitions, so this was really good recognition coming from a third party,” she says. CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, Anita Huberman, feels that the event is critical to the health of the community in Surrey. She considers recognition of high-achieving youth important for the prosperity of the municipality’s future. “A third of Surrey’s population is under the age of 19, and this is our opportunity to recognize and inspire and motivate our [young people] to be future entrepreneurs,” says Huberman, “While also ensuring that they have the right skill set for our future workplaces and connecting them with business leaders in the community.”
06 News
Minimum Guaranteed Income resolution passes at Liberal Party Convention Federal and provincial gov’ts agree to discuss possibility of basic income Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer Minimum guaranteed income, or basic income, is defined as, “an income unconditionally granted to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement” by the Basic Income Earth Network. Under Canada’s previous Conservative government, the idea of minimum guaranteed income was out of the question, but today’s Liberal majority has brought it to the table for discussion. The official consideration of basic income in Canada began with the recent passing of a Manitoba-based resolution for “the Liberal Party of Canada, in consultation with the provinces, [to] develop a poverty reduction strategy aimed at providing a minimum guaranteed income,” as written on the 2016 Liberal Biennial Convention website. It has now officially become policy, so although it is uncertain whether minimum guaranteed income will really be a part of Canada’s future, it being prioritized by the government. The resolution fittingly comes after 2015’s Liberal campaign, which largely focused on supporting the
middle class and lessening income inequality. “In the campaign, there was quite a bit of talk about making sure that there would be methods to reduce inequality, that would benefit the economy and help sustain families, stimulate job growth and better support citizens,” says Laura Dixon, president of the riding association for the Liberal Party of Canada in Delta. “This would be the same kind of intention, I’m sure, that Manitoba had in terms of moving things forward.” She adds that providing minimum guaranteed income could actually “reduce a lot of the costs that the government has to pay,” to address poverty, since many of their current financial assistance programs could be retired in its place. At the same time, she supports helping “people who have trouble achieving education, jobs, and health outcomes,” as a collaboration between the federal and provincial government. A federally and provincially-funded project conducted in 1970s Dauphin, Manitoba reinforces Dixon’s view that the benefits of basic income may outweigh its risks. The
project, Mincome, which ran from 1974 to 1979, acted as a means of discovering whether minimum guaranteed income would cause a disincentive for its recipients to join the workforce. Although the final results were never released to the public, an analysis of the program published in 2011 by Evelyn Forget concluded that levels of sickness and poverty in its recipients dropped considerably during Mincome’s five-year run. There is also proof of the workforce shrinking slightly during that time, although it is suggested that many of those who left did so to get an education with their newly-acquired supplementary income. Joyce Murray, the Liberal MP for Vancouver Quadra, says she is “really supportive” of the idea of minimum guaranteed income, seconding Dixon’s point that it could “replace the patchwork of programs at both the federal and the provincial level” that are aimed towards fighting poverty. In her opinion, it could also bridge the gap between the rich and impoverished, which is especially prevalent in Vancouver.
“It’s in the public good for everyone in society to reduce the income inequality gap, and minimum guaranteed income is one way to do that,” she says. She notes, however, that she also wants to “reinforce that our government has already done two very significant things in its fiscal policy that do reduce income inequality,” namely, providing the Canadian Child Benefit and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Canada Child Benefit ensures “that a family with less than $30,000 in net income will get a benefit of up to $6,400 [annually, or $533 per child] for each child under six, and that’s tax-free,” in Murray’s words. As defined on the Service Canada website, the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) is “a monthly benefit that provides extra money to low-income seniors,” with the amount of GIS paid varying based on the recipient’s marital status and income. There are other programs for financial assistance available to Canadians in need as well. Before minimum guaranteed income is provided, the government must consult as to what the obstacles
concerning it are. For instance, one of the points of minimum guaranteed income is to render programs for minorities in need of financial assistance obsolete. Yet, by getting rid of them, vulnerable demographics may be denied resources that they depend on. A common concern raised about minimum guaranteed income is whether it will discourage citizens from having a steady job, although there are also debates as to whether the amount given should raise with inflation and how it should be funded. The number proposed by the Basic Income Canada Network, a congregation of academics and activists, as minimum income for each individual is $20,000 a year. Whether Canadian government will meet or surpass that suggestion, if they provide minimum guaranteed income at all, is uncertain. Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos, who is responsible for reducing poverty, could not be reached for an interview.
symposium educates against domestic abuse Abuse prevention toolkits designed by KPU students presented at event Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer On the day that Rome university student Sara Di Pietrantonio is burned to death by her ex-boyfriend, Deltassist acting executive director Julie Chadwick reminds the public of the importance of domestic abuse awareness. “Understand that this is not a single community issue. This is a global issue, and the more that people know what they can do to speak out, the less people have to live in fear,” she says. It was for this reason that she, and the rest of Deltassist, chose to contribute to the Inspiring Voices, Inspiring Change symposium, held at the North Delta Public Safety Building on June 2. There, a Toolkit for Community Champions on how to spot and prevent domestic abuse was presented. The symposium marked a massive partnership between DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society, the province of B.C., the Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships (NEVR), the Provincial Office of Domestic Violence, the Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Canada, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The university’s involvement began with Dr. Balbir Gurm, KPU nursing
instructor and founding member and facilitator with NEVR, who assigned her students to create a free, online toolkit “on how to recognize, intervene, and provide resources for those who may be abused.” By doing so, the nurses-in-training also learned how to identify and prevent domestic abuse themselves, skills that will aid them in their future careers. “The reason I started it in the first place was because violence in relationships is a huge health issue and it’s an epidemic around the world,” says Gurm. “The real impact is going to come through prevention, where we can change the culture of our society where relationship violence is not accepted.” The students were mentored in making the toolkit by DIVERSEcity counselling services manager Corina Carroll and SFU associate professor Jennifer Marchbank, who are both members of NEVR. Carroll believes that “ending violence is everyone’s responsibility,” and that we should look at domestic abuse the same way we look at illness. “Diagnose, treat, and then focus on prevention on a larger scale,” she says. Marchbank’s approach is to
KPU nursing students present toolkit design to Delta symposium (Alyssa Laube)
“keep a constant conversation open about violence and all the different forms that it takes,” particularly for vulnerable demographics like elders and children.
Marchbank also believes that KPU students were very well-suited for the project, “in the sense that, for front line staff, sometimes the first people to see someone that’s been a
victim of violence are nurses, in the various contexts that nurses work in.” She calls the experience “a chance for them to learn while still creating something useful,” and enhancing their research and community consultation abilities. Chadwick adds to that notion, saying that KPU’s nursing program provides a broader perspective by “looking at social justice and what’s going on in the world with global issues, not just working in a hospital.” One of the KPU nursing students who worked on the toolkit, Teila Passmore, says that it was a great learning experience and collaboration process that “opened [her] eyes to new aspects of nursing.” “It really opened up my perspective as well, of what needs to be done in the future to eradicate such a prevalent issue in society,” says Passmore. “Working towards eliminating this altogether is important, and part of this was one step in the right direction, I think.” The online Toolkit for Community Champions is available on the NEVR website, for anyone who wish to use it.
Skydance Media Comes to Surrey
Culture 07
Company arrives from Hollywood to film a Netflix series Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer The ex-printing press building for the Pacific Newspaper Group will soon become home to Skydance Media, a well-known production company from Hollywood. Skydance has produced blockbuster hits from franchises like Terminator, Mission Impossible, and Star Trek, and in an unexpected turn of events, they are opening a studio in Surrey. Up to 400 staff will serve the studio over the span of several years. During that time, they will be working on a novel-inspired Netflix series, Altered Carbon. Laeta Kalogridis, who has written for Avatar, Shutter Island and Terminator Genisys, is the scriptwriter behind the series, and The Killing actor Joel Kinnamen will play one of its lead roles. No premiere date for the show has currently been released, but 10 episodes have been ordered by Netflix. Skydance’s partnership with Netflix is set to last eight years, but what else they will create as a result of their collaboration is undetermined. Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner has acknowledged the arrival of Sky-
(Courtesy of Skydance Studios) dance as an opportunity to boost the city’s economy and artistic richness. In her annual State of the City Address, she made a nod to the connection between Surrey’s tagline and the futuristic themes of the show. “What better place to tell a story about a city of the future than right here in Surrey, a real city of the future,” she said. Surrey has been home to a small but vibrant film community for years, and it’s even had a few moments of fame. Already, some big productions have been shot in the city, such as Smallville, Fantastic Four, Juno, Deck the Halls, and The Twi-
light Saga: Breaking Dawn, but the opening of Skydance Media’s studio is predicted to mark an age of greater productivity and notoriety for the city. In 2015, Surrey hosted 193 days of filming, up 67 per cent from the year before. The Surrey Film Festival is also held in town, which awards exceptional filmmakers for their work every year. Winner of Surrey Film Festival’s Best Student Production Award, Wahid Ibn Reza, says that he shot 40 per cent of the film that won him his award in Surrey and found it to be a suitable backdrop. The production, What Am I Doing Here? is “about
an international student coming to America, chasing a dream and not realizing what the sacrifices that he’s making are.” Ibn Reza praises the city as a film set for its convenience, diversity, and size. “It was convenient because, when you are making a student film, it’s very difficult to get a location without any budget,” he says. “The landscapes are nice, and the streets are really quiet, and the different neighbourhoods in Surrey are unique. The neighbourhoods are also rather big in Surrey, so you can actually shoot a lot of stuff.”
He says “there are definitely huge possibilities and room to grow” there as well. Over the past few years, Surrey has been a location for both small and large-scale television series and movies, feature films, Bollywood films, and commercials. Some of the most popular locations for filming in the city are Crescent Beach, Holland Park, Simon Fraser University, Surrey Lakes, and the Central City Building, all of which Skydance could potentially use as filming sites.
Welcome to Surrey Approved for Pilot Funding Web series based on life in Surrey in contention for one season’s worth of funding Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer When Kashif Pasta and Shyam Valera first launched their Surrey-based web series Buddy Guys in 2011, a positive response from the community fasttracked them towards the production of a “more grounded” series. This August, the duo will be releasing the pilot for their upcoming show, Welcome to Surrey, which follows the story of a Surrey-born law student returning home after years of living in Toronto. Upon her return, she reconnects with old friends, one of which is an old flame. Pasta and Valera describe the show as a rom-com, calling it “Friends meets Little Mosque on the Prairie meets Master of None.” Unlike Buddy Guys, Welcome to Surrey is a complete production with a larger cast and more developed plot lines and characters. “It’s that idea of when you move away from home and come back, you feel like you changed and it hasn’t,” says Pasta. Ironically, the protagonist of Welcome to Surrey doesn’t like it
Welcome to Surrey creators, Shyam Valera and Kashif Pasta, discuss their project (Courtesy of Valera and Pasta) there much. Being isolated from the urban environment that she grew accustomed to while living in Toronto is irritating for the law student, but eventually, “her perspective ends up changing a little bit.” “It’s only a negative experience for her because she perceives it as negative. It’s not necessarily that the city itself is bad,” says Pasta. “Surrey does have a certain reputation, and when you have a show called
Welcome to Surrey, people are going to want to click on it. When they click, they’re going to want to relate in some way. That’s why we have a character who also doesn’t want to be in Surrey.” That’s not to say Pasta and Valera aren’t proud of their home, they just want to “reflect people’s lives back to them.” In actuality, they’re both residents and fans of the city’s architecture, community-focused at-
mosphere, and resourcefulness. “People make fun of the tagline that the future is here, but the fact is that it’s gotten really innovative,” says Valera. “It’s been really open for business, and there are a lot of great people here.” They also aim to highlight Surrey’s vibrant fusion culture with their series, calling it a “very Canadian thing.” “We see cultures interacting and
being able to choose between having authentic sushi, authentic gelato, and authentic samosa all on one street,” says Shyam. “There are challenges to living in Surrey, but you can’t deny that there is beauty in Surrey.” The duo received funding for the pilot after being voted in on Storyhive, “a community-powered funding program for emerging content creators in B.C. and Alberta,” as written on their website, where Pasta and Valera’s campaign was “one of the most local stories [with] the most global reach.” Their “incredibly diverse group of voters” is what allowed Welcome to Surrey’s pilot to go into production, and it will be released through Pasta and Valera’s production company, Dunya Media, on Aug. 8 online and through Optik Demand. Although the full first season has already been written, it won’t be approved for funding until after the second round of Storyhive voting, occurring between Aug. 8 and 12. Those interested in staying up-todate on the series can visit its website, Welcometosurrey.ca, for social media links and news.
Where in the World is Kwinten the Eagle? The new roles of a varsity mascot Kier-Christer Junos| Photo Editor “Show me,” I say placidly, cooly concluding the coercion of my informant from the athletics department. He rises from the chair in his small Cedar building office and unlocks the door to a back room, where on the second-bottom shelf of a steel, five-by-five garage organization unit sits a large, 60-inch electric blue duffle bag. It’s zipped to its ends. It’s been more than a year since the day that Kwantlen Polytechnic University administration changed its priorities concerning the athletics department. It was a day that spelled the end of the championship-winning KPU sports teams that competed in PACWEST starting at the turn of the century. People felt dismayed. Many athletes flew the coop to varsity teams that still could pay their dues. Despite the administration’s efforts to quell the uproar with platitudes of exploring other options, we soon knew what would become of the university’s varsity sports teams. But no one asked about KPU’s esteemed eagle mascot, Kwinten. Really, what cause belongs to a mascot without a varsity team? The roster now consists of number double-zero—Kwinten—and it ends there. He can’t even play doubles badminton. The things I heard about Kwinten in the months following the department cuts were speculative at best. I’m told his last sighting was in February 2016, at a varsity basketball game. Old, yellowing campaign posters in the newsroom suggest that he ran in the last Kwantlen Student Association general election. But he never showed up at the debates or the candidate briefings. His tweets stopped coming into my Twitter feed for some time. All strange things, really, for any avian being. These are my thoughts as I unzip the duffle bag before me and reveal a head of feathers— white, like the most liberated stripes on the star-spangled banner. I peer down and place my hand on his snowy crown. What is liberty to an eagle, if not its wings masterfully cradling the air’s rigidity in the lucid dawn? What is freedom to an eagle, if not the Chinook’s final buckling within its talons, which ferry its rose-bellied prey to piscean Valhalla? What should autonomy be, if not the eagle’s God-given right to deem only the treetops and open skies as befitting their kingly tail-feathers? I’m guessing freedom’s not the bottom of this Umbro bag. My informant, however, assures me that the eagle is still getting work. It’s just not strictly varsity stuff anymore. “Kwinten is the spirit of the students,” says the informant. “So he comes out randomly, he’s not on a set schedule, he’s not in the union. But
le With Art by| Daniel
George
Kwinten??? he will be coming out more often to student events and KPU events.” If there’s any sort of special event, he’ll be there. If there’s a barbeque, he’ll be there, mostly because of food. He does yoga. Some rec teams have even asked Kwinten to join their squads. “He does all these things,” says the informant, “And he needs now to branch out. You know, get to Richmond, get to Langley, get to Cloverdale, start meeting more students and getting excited about that.” “Is his nest usually around here?” I ask. “He has multiple nests.” Right now, the informant says that Kwinten’s current needs include his wishes for new clothes for his different roles. If he’s at a school of business function, for example, he’ll need a suit. And while no one in the Lower Mainland tailors graduation gowns with a giant, seven-foot anthropomorphic bird in mind, Kwinten happily emoted at convocating students in early June. He donned a robe that left him with naked ankles. He flapped happily as golfers tried to sink eagles at the recent KPU Foundation golf fundraiser. He recently dribbled circles around young’uns at a summer soccer camp in Delta, and he’s slated to compete in a paddleboarding competition in the Pacific Ocean for Children’s Hospital foundation. Philanthropy is perhaps an arbitrary flight for the usual cage-bound volery. Not Kwinten. I’m told he does a lot of unexpected things. “There was a time when Kwinten went into the courtyard and started playing frisbee with students, randomly,” says the informant. “He couldn’t catch for the life of him. But he tried. He definitely tried.” After my chat with the informant I ruminate in Grassroots alone, in an inebriated state before another four-to-seven class. A few Pabst Blue Ribbons are unwrapped on the coffee table and I’m just, ugh, brooding about hitting this story’s deadline. I wonder about my other story deadlines, the ones I hit about the solemn-faced changes in varsity sports last year, and then, the ones that other student
journalists hit when they reported on KPU sports in decades past. The informant was ambiguous about Kwinten’s whereabouts in 1999 when varsity sports started at the university, only saying that Kwinten is “sort of quiet about the early times.” I’m left wondering. “Does the library keep any historical information on the university anywhere?” I ask at the Surrey campus library info desk, beer on my breath. The librarian suggests such things would reside only within the university archives, a humid room of boxes and dossiers on the library’s third floor. No one goes in there, and it’s maintained by a single part-timer, who had gone on vacation. I convince the available librarian to pull out a selection of boxes for me. With them, I spend two hours in the offices across the library’s third-floor silent study area, sneezing from all the dust I inhale. I remember the informant said that Kwinten once donned a retro-blue KPU jersey. I pick through some old film contact sheets of the university, hoping to unearth such a frame. I find shots of the old blue roofs on Surrey campus, but no Kwinten. I begin to lose myself, however, in the sports sections of the old Kwantlen Chronicle newspapers from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Even in those days, the athletics department walked on coals. A 2004 headline shouts, “Eagles grounded by poor funding.” Another story discusses the department’s fortunate evasion of the “budget-cut monster.” Who knew these words would one day read like old omens. But while 2015 finally spiked varsity sports at KPU, the year failed to down Kwinten. No, even if all Eagles gear is currently 25 per cent off at the bookstore, Kwinten ostensibly plans to work like they sell at full-price. The informant said that Kwinten “doesn’t make excuses—he’s a bird,” and that he’s even happy to serve the university in this new, varied capacity. Does Kwinten speak the truth about his new roles? Or is it lip service? Who can say. Judging from his increasingly busy schedule, what is for certain is this: Kwinten lives. His destiny is not to circle endlessly the sombre perimeter of an iron aviary, nor to rock silently in a cage, within a noose masked as a bird-swing. I suppose that nothing, not even the death of varsity could ground Kwinten—for He is the Bird-King. He is the Most Righteous Fowl; He is He Who Is Begotten of Holy Poultry. He is Kwinten, the Eagle.
Kwinten last seen selling
all worldy possessions
10 Culture
Battle of the Bands Comes to KPU 101.7 CIVL radio will bring four local bands together to compete on campus Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer A Battle of the Bands is coming to the Grassroots Cafe. The event will be hosted by 101.7 CIVL Radio, the radio station at the University of the Fraser Valley. Admission to the event “was discussed at $5 at the door,” Kwantlen Student Association events coordinator Matt Hunt said in an email, but there will be “Two-for-one admission if showing proof of being a student at Kwantlen.” Four bands—Gravity Pistol, MG Graveyard, Stereo Anthems, and Paravel—will congregate in the Cafe on the June 23 to compete for first place. The show, which will start at 8:30 p.m., will also be the Grassroots’ first late-night live music event. “I think it’s a
cool event that students will be interested in attending, and it just adds to student life on campus,” says KSA president Alex McGowan. “It’s of no cost to us and it just creates an extra event, so we figured, why not?” CIVL reached out to KPU with the desire to host shows in cities other than Abbotsford, where they are based and have been active for years. The Surrey battle is just one of three other showdowns that CIVL are planning, with others taking place in Mission and Aldergrove. The battles are being held in preparation for the Fraser Valley Music Awards on July 16 in Abbotsford. Aaron Levy, station manager of CIVL Radio, says that the Surrey Battle of the Bands is “not
predetermined to be one type of music,” although most of them play rock music. Gravity Pistol is a grunge rock three-piece, MG Graveyard is four people who describe themselves as “a hard mix of rock, grunge, blues and rockabilly sounds.” The Stereo Anthems are three members making blues rock, and Paravel—a newly-renamed band under frontman Patrick Jolicoeur—is folk rock. The only other common thread between the four bands is that they are all from the Fraser Valley, an attribute that CIVL finds in all the artists it supports. The radio station decided to use KPU as a venue because it is “student-oriented,” which is relevant to them as a campus community radio station, particular-
ly one that is looking to branch out. “It’s our mandate and goal to promote, support, and engage in arts and alternative content,” says Levy. “There has always been a lack of opportunities for musicians in the Fraser Valley and we are the Fraser Valley’s campus community radio station. So we see it as an important function of what we do, to help make sure that artists have an opportunity to perform in the community.” He also believes that, “It’s good that people will be travelling to Grassroots from outside of Surrey and outside of Abbots-
ford,” as it will bring different locales together for an evening of live entertainment.
(Scott McLelland)
Magic Movie Marathon Comes to Grassroots
All eight Harry Potter movies screened June 6-8 Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer On the morning of June 6, Harry Potter fans met in the Grassroots Cafe to watch the first of the franchise’s eight movies. Beginning with The Philosopher’s Stone and ending with The Deathly Hallows Part II, the Magic Movie Marathon stretched over three days, in a similar fashion to the Kwantlen Student Association’s Marvel Movie Marathon, held from May 2-5. The two marathons are the first of many planned for this year by the Kwantlen Student Association’s vice-president of student life Natasha Lopes and Business representative John Shkurtaj. By choosing to screen the Harry Potter films, they hoped to target a new and passionate group of viewers. “Like with every big movie franchise, there’s always that fan base that differentiates. With the Marvel series, it’s a bunch of superhero and comic book fans. For Harry Potter, it’s more fantasy world fanatics that will be more interested in this,” says Shkurtaj. Lopes adds onto that point, saying, “Between Marvel Movie Mad-
ness and Magic Movie Madness, you get two different types of people. Although a lot of them share and transcend the two genres, you’re going to get another base of people. You’re going to get the kids who grew up with Harry Potter.” Lopes herself identifies as one of those kids. She describes herself as a long-term fan of the films, even own-
ing a “Weasley is Our King” t-shirt dedicated to her “favourite people in the entire Harry Potter franchise,” the Weasley family. “We grew up with Harry Potter. Harry Potter was one of those streamlined things we knew was going to come out the next year. We were excited for it when we went and watched it in the theatres,” says Lopes.
Sharon Neb considers herself a lifelong fan of the Harry Potter (Alyssa Laube)
Between 10 and 20 people at a time sat in the Grassroots on the first day of the marathon, their eyes on the television screen as the stories of The Philosopher’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban unfolded. As promised, Lopes is “there and watching intently,” as is Shkurtaj. Also at the marathon is big-time Harry Potter fan and Kwantlen Polytechnic University psychology student, Sharon Neb. Her love for J.K. Rowling’s series started when she was eight years old, born out of the desire “to wave a wand and make things fly,” like the students at Hogwarts. “It’s so magical and so different from reality. It’s a different world,” says Neb. “It’s just something that you would never imagine, and it’s portrayed so well.” Although she thinks that “the books are so much better than the movies,” since they are more detailed, Neb was excited about the Magic Movie Marathon because, “You can watch all of the movies in a few days and you can still come out, have a good time and get food.” Her favourite film and novel, which she is most excited to see at the marathon,
(Alyssa Laube)
is The Goblet of Fire, but her favourite Harry Potter moment of all time comes at the end of The Deathly Hallows Part II. “I really liked at the end of all of them, when Harry’s sending his son to Hogwarts and they’re all standing there. It’s so adorable. At least there’s a happy ending to everything,” she says.
New KPIRG Board Moves Forward on Volunteer-Run Zine
Culture 11
Publication to be available at the beginning of July Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer The newly elected board of directors for the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group are moving forward with the group’s volunteer-run zine, for which they’ve already begun holding workshops. Titled “KPIRG ZINE Issue 1—A Sea of Injustice,” the publication will be available online and in print by the beginning of July. Zines, defined on KPIRG’s poster promoting the workshop, are “small circulation self-published works of original or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier.” The poster also invited passers-by to “come get creative” and bring their artistic creations and “beautiful & creative mind.” Three KPIRG staffers, four KPIRG directors, and one student volunteer attended the workshop in the social justice space of the Surrey campus’ Birch building. Works such
as poems, articles, and essays will also be included in the final issue, although a majority of what has been created so far has been visual art. “We were all involved in creating 3D art and painting. There was a lot of glitter. There were sewing materials,” says Kimberley McMartin, KPIRG Board Organizer. “They were just different expressions of how you saw social and environmental justice or action.” At the workshop, attendees also “discussed different issues” that are relevant to KPIRG’s values of inclusivity, diversity, and anti-oppression. McMartin believes that the workshop reflected those concepts, calling the event “an all-around really great, safe space.” She also supports the decision to continue producing the zine because it encourages Kwantlen Polytechnic University students to collaborate and engage with their community. “It provides another outlet for them to get together and for them to
recognize that there are other people out there who think like them, who talk like them, who believe like them and want to be out there advocating for the things that they want and believe in,” she says. Currently, dates for upcoming workshops have not been decided upon. KPIRG’s outreach and communications coordinator Inder Johal says that their scheduling “depends on space and student interest,” and she hopes that KPU’s busier fall semester will encourage more students to contribute. “In the meantime, the summer zine can give an insight of what you can do and what it’ll look like online and in print,” adds Johal. A call-out for the zine will be issued in KPIRG’s June newsletter, including samples of what was made at the workshop, so that students can “get an idea of what they can submit if they were unsure about it before,” says Johal.
KPU student to act and sing in “Talent Olympics” Argel Monte de Ramos will represent his country this July Kyle Prince| contributor Monica Mah| contributor
&
This year, at the 20th annual World Championships of Performing Arts in Long Beach California, Canada will be represented by Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s own Argel Monte De Ramos. The multi-talented business student will compete in six singing competitions and two acting competitions this July at the event which is widely touted as the “Talent Olympics.” After originally auditioning in 2013, Monte de Ramos was forced to decline entry in the event due to financial issues. He auditioned again last November and, once he received the call telling him he’d made it into the competition, Monte de Ramos “literally called all the companies [he] had been working with before.” Participation in the competitions isn’t cheap. The 10-day World Championship event can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $6,000, depending
on where the competitor is coming from. Luckily for Monte de Ramos, one of his former employers agreed to help pay his fees by sponsoring him through the competition. In addition showcasing his skills, Monte de Ramos notes that he will potentially be able make important connections at World Championship of Performing Arts, connections that Argel Monte de Ramos (Courtesy of KPU/Flickr) could greatly benefit a career in acting or dancing. signed with a contract for a year, “A lot of directors go there and where they stay in Los Angeles for do talent scouting,” he says. “There the duration of their reign. are real people from the industry that “So if I’m going to win a medal, are coming.” On top of the exposure, that’s just a bonus,” says Monte de the winner of the championship gets Ramos.
But aside from the glamour and the show-business opportunities, what he’s most excited for is the chance to properly test his talents as a performer. He’s looking forward to “seeing if [his] talent really pays, if it’s really marketable.” According to Monte de Ramos, one teacher who stands out at KPU as an inspiration is Fred Ribkoff, the professor for an IDEA class which helped him become more confident in his acting abilities. “I was thinking this would be too easy for me, I’m not going to grow,” he says, regarding his apprehension in taking Ribkoff’s course. “But Fred Ribkoff really inspired me to keep going with acting. There was a point in my life where I realized acting isn’t for me … that class really helped me a lot to realize that I should keep on going and keep stepping forward which is really cool.” “Argel is, quite simply, a multi-talented and dedicated performer,” says Ribkoff. He recalls the acting class Argel took with him, and speaks fondly about his “enthusiasm
and creative output.” Monte de Ramos also acknowledges everyone else who inspires him through their continued support. “The support coming from my friends and my family, and everyone else that I don’t know just messaging me and saying I’m really great is overwhelming, and I’m really happy that they’re with me in this.” To describe Monte de Ramos’s talents, Ribkoff mentions his role as Mrs. Venable during the end-of-semester play the IDEA class put on. “He stole the show without trying to—his love of performance is simply contagious.” Looking forward to the Talent Olympics in July, Monte de Ramos says he’s not quite sure whether or not he’ll walk away with the championship, but he’s confident in his ability to “slay” his way through the competition. “If the judges decide to pick other people, I’m not going to be like, ‘Oh no, I lost.’ More like, ‘I won because I made it here.’”
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12 Culture
Original Artwork Promoted at VanCaf
Free-admission festival brings smiles to attendees and exhibitors alike Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer After attending low-energy art conventions, Vancouver Comic Arts Association event coordinator Shannon Campbell felt inspired to create a festival “where, first and foremost, everyone was just pleased to be there— attendees and exhibitors alike.” Campbell admired the atmosphere at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival and decided to bring something similar to Vancouver, where she could help hundreds of artists, writers, and publishers promote their original creations. Today that event is called the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival, held for the first time six years ago. This year the no-admission event was held at Roundhouse Mews in Yaletown . Over 260 exhibitors set up booths between May 21 and 22 to showcase and sell their art to admiring attendees. Some of the big names at the con include comic artists Lynn Johnston, Faith Erin Hicks, Ian Boothby, James Lloyd, and Nina Matsumoto, but despite the varying levels of exhibitor notoriety and VanCAF experience, there wasn’t a whiff of elitism at the Mews that Sunday. Each artist exhibiting seemed happy to be there, and that feeling was contagious for the crowd. Painter and Graphic Novelist Ca-
milla d’Errico has been exhibiting at VanCAF for years. She says her primary reason for returning is the event’s focus on original content. “I really like it because it’s just about comics and original art, whereas a lot of comic book shows are more about fan art, games, movies, and stuff,” she says. “This is very community-based and feels like they really support the artists who try to express their own vision of art.” Charles “Zan” Christensen, founder and editor-in-chief of Seattle-based comic book publishing house, Northwest Press Publisher, agrees with d’Errico. He travels all over the world for cons but appreciates VanCAF for focusing on original art in particular. “I like the fact that it’s a place where people come to appreciate independent work and to appreciate artists and books in general,” he says. “It’s much less pop culture-y, it’s more about the art and independent work. I really love being here.” Campbell explains that instead of having to rely on fan art sales to make money, VanCAF “helps them in two ways.” “Because our show is curated and affordable, we prioritize exhibitors who have original titles and characters, and because VanCAF has developed a reputation based off of that, we find that our attendees are mostly only interested in original content,”
(Tristan Johnston)
she says. Compensating artists for original work, along with VanCAF’s low exhibitor entry fee and free attendee admission, means they can afford to get their name out there at cons. It creates a “feedback loop” that keeps the event affordable and accessible for everyone involved, Campbell explains. “Even artists who are just beginning their career can justify the expense. Likewise, we make the show free to attend so that if attendees want to drop some cash, they only have one place to do so—on the exhibitors,” she says, “That is VanCAF’s goal in a nutshell, to make a show that helps advance careers and promote new artists, while remaining accessible to the attendees, who should never feel
like they’re being excluded by a steep entry fee or a pre-existing interest in comics.” One of the exhibitors, illustrator Roberta Chang, is proof of the positive effect that VanCAF’s “feedback loop” can have on new artists. A local to Vancouver, VanCAF was Chang’s first experience with cons, and she came to sell a book that she co-wrote and designed titled Friends and Food. After having the event recommended to her by loved ones and instructors,
she finally signed up as an exhibitor and was encouraged by the reaction she received. “Hearing all the great responses about the art makes you really feel psyched about doing more,” she says. “It’s really friendly, actually. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like to begin with, but you can see that a lot of people who are here for the art, not exactly for the money.”
Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo delivers childhood nostalgia Anvil Centre event sells retro games and art to fans Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer 2016 marked “the year that [the Retro Gaming Expo] levelled up,” says event founder and organizer Brian Hughes. For the first time since the Expo began five years ago, it moved to a much larger venue in New Westminster, the Anvil Centre, and run for twelve jam-packed hours. More time and space for the event means more diverse vendors and activities, including all of the new fans that want to attend the event. On the first floor of the Anvil Centre, vendors sold games and consoles that were lost in the sands of time. Long-term favourites like N64, Sega Genesis, and Gameboy Colour products abound, but so do the lesser-known gems like Virtual Boys, mini arcade machines, and other handheld consoles. There were also plenty of booths selling fan art, from paintings and prints to t-shirts and pins. Up two floors was the theatre, where attendees listened to live shows and played whatever their hearts desired to the
(Alyssa Laube)
soundtrack of live music and shows. Hughes says that the most popular parts of the Retro Gaming Expo are retro gaming trivia, gaming tournaments, and vendors. He, on the other hand, always looks forward to seeing people new to retro gaming at the event. “My favourite part is seeing the attendees having a good time,” he says. “Especially the kids who didn’t grow up with this stuff.” Peter Chiykowski, creator of the comic Rock, Paper, Cynic and musician under that title, has been attend-
ing the Expo since its 2012 inception. He took a shine to it for its modest and genuine atmosphere, and has been travelling to Vancouver from Toronto every year since. “They just had so much heart,” says Chiykowski. “I love the fact that it’s just all these nerds getting together for a weekend. It’s not like, ‘Oh my god, let’s get these big impressive stars!’ and there wasn’t that bedazzlement. It was just this really fun weekend and I had a great time.” He agrees with Hughes that the Expo “levelled up” this year, calling
it “bigger and better and badder.” He believes that it had “everything a big show has for glamour, appeal, and a really nice venue,” while maintaining “that underground part and that spunk,” that makes it unique. This year, he provided both his artwork and his music, a collection of “geekthemed and video-game themed silly, fun songs.” An illustrator, artist, animator, and maker of “cute fan art,” Justine Pollusk, was a first-time vendor at the Expo, but her reasons for coming are similar to Chiykowski’s and Hughes’. “Just being a video game nerd and wanting to share our love of art and games,” is what brought her to the Anvil Centre, where she sold brightly-coloured prints of Yoshi, Kirby, Sonic, and Pokemon. “It’s great to have so many likeminded people in one space to share love for weird things,” she says. “I’m excited to see kids coming and parents sharing retro games with them.” The artist at the booth beside her, Alex York, calls the event a “giant garage sale for all things retro gaming,” and laughs. “I’m excited about
staying at my table, because if I leave my table, I’ll spend all my money,” he says. The event saw a bustling crowd, proving that Vancouver has a pretty vibrant gaming scene after all. Sitting down at an N64 to play Mario Kart for the first time in a decade is a blast from the past to say the least, and it’s difficult to abstain from spending too much cash there for the sake of nostalgia. Artist behind the exhibiting 8 Bits of Destiny Art Show, Micheal J. Cohen, believes that it’s the long life span of retro games that makes them so intriguing. “It’s cool, obviously, to see all the old games for sale, but what’s cooler is that games that have been around for, say, 30 years, like Zelda, last that long. People have sort of grown up with them, so it’s a really important part of their lives.” That passion was palpable at the Retro Gaming Expo on May 28, and that’s why it continues to grow every year.
Opinions 13
Why You’re (Probably) Still Living at Home
Young adults are being pressured to stay with their parents as housing prices continues to grow Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer The average young adult looking to live well in Vancouver is stuck with a daunting ultimatum—room with their parents or leave the city. Statistics Canada’s 2011 census revealed that 42.3 per cent of people in their twenties lived at home that year, as compared to 32.1 per cent in 1991 and 26.9 per cent in 1981. The Vancity Credit Union Report, published during May of last year, has shed further light on the subject, stating that although owning a home is a goal for 93 per cent of millennials, a great deal of them will leave Metro Vancouver and relocate to an area with a lower cost of living to achieve it. The report also states that the average income for a family household “to maintain the average Metro Vancouver mortgage,” must reach a minimum of $123,000, which is an unattainable standard for many who live here. At the same time, housing prices are expected to rise by 4.87 per cent “year-on-year,” while the average salary inches up at between 0.6 per cent and 3.2 per cent annually. As a result, it is predicted that 85 out of 88 “in-demand jobs”—such as health workers, educators, and lawyers— will fall short of the income needed to live in the city, and exclusively senior and managing positions will end up being profitable enough to get by. The causes behind this phenomenon are various and complex. First, Vancouver is a culturally diverse
area, and some of the cultures that exist here commonly accept living with family not only throughout childhood and adolescence, but also into adulthood. A more general reason is the money and time invested in going to post-secondary school. Higher numbers of young adults are spending several years in school, in response to an increasingly specialized, fastpaced, and competitive job market. Not only will students stay at home in order to afford their tuition and books, but they will move back home after graduating to pay off student debt. And since the economy and job market is so tough, they are forced to diligently tend to their careers, both academic and professional, in order to save money to do so. That puts young people in a situation where paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a month in rent is simply unsustainable. Add that onto the fact that less people are getting married—and if they do, they’re doing it later in life, according to census data—and it becomes even less likely that they will be able to afford survival in Vancouver alone. As with any societal issue, those struggling are not the only ones who will be affected by this. Youth living at home means that they aren’t spending their money on housewarming items or other luxuries, which results in less gross domestic product for Canada. That harms the entire economy from the bottom-up, as will the flood of millennials who will leave the city. Mass relocation of young,
educated citizens could cause a brain drain, irreparable cultural loss, and further cutbacks into the country’s GDP. That’s bad news for the whole nation. Fortunately, there are people out there who are trying to stop the downward spiral in its tracks. Real estate magnate Bob Rennie’s opinion is that young people in Vancouver only have one option for survival: give up on the idea of owning a single family home in the city and prepare to live in eternal density; that means inhabiting apartments, condos, shared homes, and townhouses. He believes that, since single family homes are no longer being made rapidly, they are a thing of the past, even more so for broke youth and students. Choosing to use a more conceptual approach, Eveline Xia, constituency assistant at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, has started a Twitter campaign with the hashtag, #donthave1million. The hashtag, which targets the unreasonable price of Vancouver real estate, has received responses from thousands of social media accounts. By extension, it even inspired a group of nearly 100 protesters to rally against the high cost of housing at the Vancouver Art Gallery this May. “I felt I could no longer stand idly by, as the city we love sees an exodus of our youngest and brightest,” says Xia, to the Huffington Post.
A larger-scale campaign, Code Red, launched by Generation Squeeze, calls for a “rethinking of Canadian household policy.” It reminds the public that it will take the average young Canadian aged 25 to 34 an astounding 23 years to save for a 20 per cent down payment. Their data was gathered from a B.C. assessment and written into a report by UBC staff, which further confirms the notion that Vancouver’s housing market has become increasingly difficult to navigate. It notes that the average price of a Canadian home has doubled between 1976 and 2014, and in Vancouver, that price tripled, reaching $813,000. The population has grown from 22-million in 1976 to 35-million in 2014, which has encouraged urban density and hiked the price of detached homes. In the rest of the country, it doesn’t take anywhere near as long for youth to save up for a down payment. In all of Canada, it takes 11.7 years. In B.C., it takes 16.1 years, and in Metro Toronto, it takes 15.2 years. Meanwhile, 55 per cent of Metro Vancouverites that claim to be satisfied with the state of the local housing market are older than 55 years of age. That can be explained by wealth gains from the rising price
of their owned housing, which amounts to an average price double what they originally paid for their property. Whereas past generations’ debt represented a fraction of their wealth, wealth and debt is now levelling out for Canadians under the age of 35, once again pushing many of them to live at home. Generation Squeeze has put forward a list of propositions for policy reform in their report, which includes “taxing the capital gains that result from the sale of homes purchased within 24 months,” and taxing net housing wealth and the properties of both foreign and local investors. Further, they suggest raising interest rates to avoid mounting debt, giving tax breaks to the young and not only the old, “Revisit[ing] zoning for single detached homes in housing market hot spots like Vancouver and Toronto,” accommodating for more rental space, creating more below-market housing, and putting forward motions to avoid letting “child care, parental leave, transit, etc. add up to second, third and fourth mortgage payments.” An official government response to Code Red and #donthave1million has not been released, but Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson continues to restate his efforts to make the housing market more reasonable in Vancouver.
The Vancouver housing market is teetering More regulations needed before it collapses Awais Mushtaq| contributor Many people will tell you the housing market in Vancouver is a house of cards, but realistically a Jenga tower is a more apt comparison. People are not only adding to the problem, they’re compromising the structure as they do it. Housing prices in the city are not a surprise in themselves, but a new initiative by the B.C. Ministry of Finance, looking at disclosing non-citizen investments in the housing market, might have the answer to why housing prices in Vancouver increase more rapidly than any other city in Canada. Many people are quick to blame foreign investors buying up properties, but few condemn Vancouver-based real estate firms for con-
ducting such housing transactions. In addition, they rarely collect or disseminate this information to Canada’s anti-money laundering agency, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FinTRAC). The percentage of foreign home-ownership in Vancouver is a figure yet to be calculated. Provincial auditors will have to look more closely at real-estate transactions in the future, specifically to address disclosure information on the citizenship of those looking to buy or sell. Luckily, the Minister of Finance’s office has said that they plan on doing just that. Another important regulation will be the collection of information from real estate firms on the types of contracts that are successful. With contract assignments such as “dark flipping” not being out of the ordinary, new regulations hope not to
deter licensed realtors from these practices, but to monitor and help sellers become aware of consent in such matter, and ultimately to make the most possible profit out of their investments. For now at least it seems the rising housing market prices question is far from answerable, at least until further information becomes available from these forthcoming regulations. Until then, remember the wisdom of Lex Luthor: “You can print money, manufacture diamonds, and people are a dime a dozen—but they’ll always need land. It’s the one thing they’re not making any more of.”
(Natalie Musell)
14 Columns
Artist Spotlight: Winona Forever Meet Vancouver’s teenage dad rock band Alyssa Laube| Staff Writer “It’s actually really rare that we’re all together this early,” says Ben Roberston, guitarist and vocalist for Winona Forever. The band’s three other members—Rowan Webster-Shaw, Alexander Bingham, and Cole Frizell—have gathered over coffee at Vancouver’s Helen’s Grill on Main Street, despite the fact that only Robertson lives nearby. Frizell resides in North Vancouver, Webster-Shaw stays in Burnaby, and Bingham travels all the way from Bowen Island via ferry for each of their practices and shows. The distance between the bandmates makes the amount of success they have achieved since releasing their debut EP all the more impressive. The record, Yacht Rock, was published last summer, and it has already earned them considerable media attention and a dedicated fan-
Winona Forever pose for a photo (Alyssa Laube)
base. Over the past year, the band has played live sessions on radio shows, had features in several publications, and been a part of countless gigs in the city’s underground music scene. Soon after that support began to grow, Winona Forever was unanimously deemed “dad rock” by their audience, which has both pleased and perplexed its members.
“I think we just dress like dads,” says Bingham about their semi-inexplicable genre tag. Webster-Shaw nods, “I think it’s just Ben’s glasses.” The band describes their music as an amalgamation of math, indie, and bummer rock, even going so far as to adopt the dad rock label. They’re still hesitant to put themselves in a box, however, saying that they’re “not
aiming at any one specific sound.” Listening to Yacht Rock in contrast to the band’s new single—“#1 Summer Hit to Grind to”—that statement holds up; Winona Forever’s sound has become more complicated over time. When the band first formed, their music was “much cleaner and more poppy,” whereas it is now “a lot heavier and more focused on rhythm.” And while their original sound was a result of solely Webster-Shaw’s song and lyric writing, he and Robertson are now splitting the writing responsibility “50/50”. With the duo functioning simultaneously as songwriters, guitarists, and vocalists, the band has begun recording their first full-length LP. Similar to Yacht Rock, they hope to record it “like a live show”— with minimal takes, all members playing in the same room, and few overdubs added—to maintain the high energy they create when they
perform. Fans of Webster-Shaw’s angsty-but-relatable lyrics can expect more coming their way with the new album, too, though Robertson predicts a “little bit more variety.” Near the end of the summer, the LP - tentatively titled This is Fine will be available online and on cassette tape for those wanting to listen. “I’m really excited to record this, really own it, and after that is a blank slate. Like, we can change our sound and let whatever happens happen,” says Robertson. Webster-Shaw smiles, “It is exciting. I feel pretty stoked about the future.” Winona Forever’s plans for next month include a set at Khatsalano on July 9, a show with The Courtenays at The Astoria on July 12, and a band visit to Victoria. Anyone interested can stay tuned to their Bandcamp page for updates on the upcoming album release.
Going Global
Britain’s departure from the EU would be a disaster Tristan Johnston | Coordinating Editor On June 23, Britons will be voting on whether or not to remain in the European Union. Voting anything other than “remain” will be a historical mistake. This comes some time after Prime Minister David Cameron made a promise that, if the Conservatives were re-elected in 2015, they would renegotiate Britain’s deal with the EU, and hold a subsequent referendum. Cameron did this in February, having negotiated a deal that would take effect, should Britain vote
“remain.” Included in the deal is an “emergency brake” which would allow Britain to put waiting periods on other EU citizens attempting to claim British social benefits. This means it could take up to four years to make a claim, depending on one’s situation. Another element of this is the refugee crisis. Under the EU, countries need to take in their “fair share” of refugees from Syria and Iraq, and everywhere else for that matter. Refusing to do so will result in fines. Needless to say, there’s a large portion of the UK that is worried about immigration, and many of them are likely to vote “leave.”
Of the reasons to stay, however, economics is surely the largest. Through the EU, Britain gets access to an entire single market (different from a “free trade area”) to sell goods and services to, and other countries get to do the same. What this means is that if Britain leaves, they’ll have to renegotiate a ton of trade deals, including those with Canada and the United States, and that will (not could) take years. Typically, other countries only need to negotiate with the area as a whole. Furthermore, no tariffs with other European countries are critical to the relationship. This could mean that
pensioners in Kent might be paying much more for imported Spanish tomatoes. This also means that other Europeans might be paying much more for British goods, and thus sending less money to the British economy. In addition, according to the Center for European Reform, Britain’s trade with the EU amounted to at least £130-billion, while their trade with China was only £43-billion. Again, leaving the EU brings a huge amount of uncertainty. It could be argued that Britain could simply join the European Economic Area, along with Norway and Iceland, giving themselves fisheries
exemptions while retaining many EU features, such as market access and movement of people. However, member states of the EEA still need to contribute to the EU budget, without getting a say at the table. Will the British people vote to stay? It’s hard to say, as polling numbers suggest that both sides are neck and neck, with a portion still saying that they’re “unsure.” If it weren’t for the 15-year non-residential voting rule, I would have long mailed out my vote for “remain,” and I hope my British friends do the same.
Universities shouldn’t ban student-faculty relationships
We’re all consenting adults here Awais Mushtaq| contributor As of late, the University of British Columbia’s interim President Dr. Martha Piper has been discussing a potential policy reform which would see the regulation of student-faculty relationships at the university. In practice, the policy she’s discussing would be less of a regulation and more of an outright ban on romantic relationships between the two parties. If enacted, the policy would be the first of its kind in any Canadian university to confront this behaviour. The rash of sexual assault allegations at UBC is likely a contributing factor in the creation of this policy,
(Shandis Harrison)
but it is unknown how many of those incidents included a member of fac-
ulty. In this light, barring teacher-student relationships seems logical,
given the inherent power imbalances involved in such a pairing. Piper even compared the teacher-student dichotomy to that between a physician and patient, though honestly if all faculty members were required to take a Hippocratic oath there would likely be a lot more teachers out of a job. So far the supposed policy is still only in the discussion phase—nothing concrete has yet emerged aside from a statement on the matter from Piper. With a complex issue such as this, what is often lost in the creation of policy is context. Not all relationships between faculty and staff can be neatly categorized together—of equal importance is the discussion around the rights of consenting adults. Given the nature of this subject,
it’s easy to argue from an ethical or moral standpoint. UBC should have a policy where faculty are obliged to disclose such consensual relationships to the administration for the sake of transparency. But disciplinary measures should not doled out at the expense of those in legitimate consensual relationships merely on the basis of precedent setting. As difficult as it may be to define consent in university environments, particularly with student faculty relationships, this is one place where the interpretation is as important as what gets set out on paper, for everyone involved.
Procrastination 15
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Horoscopes
SUDOKUSudoku 1 2
Tough
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Sagittarius Capricorn 1 23 7 - Dec 5 21 3 8 6 2 9 Dec. 4 22 - Jan 20 Nov.
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The solutions will be published here in the next issue.
Previous solution - Medium
Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19
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No. 149
Leo Jul 24 - Aug 23
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For Sale One gently used milk carton.
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