The Cascade Vol.26 Issue 19

SEPTEMBER 5 TO SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 19

Shrieking the facts since 1993

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Production Manager Caleb Campbell caleb@ufvcascade.ca

Jr. News Editor Edina Balint edina@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Multimedia Editor Mikaela Collins mikaela@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Jen Klassen jen@ufvcascade.ca

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kayt Hine kayt@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Simer Haer simer@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Cassie de Jong cassie@ufvcascade.ca Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca Online Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca Social Media Coordinator Anjuman Grewal anjuman@ufvcascade.ca

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Dylan Plantenga Rachel Macarie Cover: Kayt Hine Back Cover: Caleb Campbell

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 26 · Issue 19 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley.

The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 1,000 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Writers meetings are held every Monday at 2:00 p.m. in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus.

In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved

by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 200 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

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OPINION

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

4

7 8-9 ARTS

Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca

FEATURE

Editor-in-Chief Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

STAFF

NEWS

CONTENTS

13

18

Snapshots.......9

13.......Study Break

Events Calendar.......16

17.......CIVL Shuffle

NEWS The Canoe remains closed.......3

3.......Ashing out campus smoking

SUS builds a sports court.......4

5.......Program audit launched 5.......The PRLC relaunches Food Bank

OPINION Editorial.......6

7.......Vancouver is busy

Why?.......6

8.......A long wait for elections

CULTURE Abby and 'Wack UJoin.......14

15.......Jam in Jubilee 2018 concluded

ARTS Sawbones is wholesome fun.......17 Sense8.......18 Matthew Lee Cothran.......19

18.......Soundbite: Ba:zel 18.......Soundbite: Hello Moth

NEWS

Jessica Barclay — News Editor news@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Campus food //

The Canoe goes under This ship has taken on enough water

NEWS BRIEFS

JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Saudi Arabian students seek asylum in Canada A Saudi Arabian man is helping 20 medical students from Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia seek asylum in Canada following the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Canada last month. The students are looking to continue their studies in Canada, and did not leave Canada by the Aug. 31 deadline imposed

by Saudi Arabia on Saudi international students.

Omar Abdulaziz said the students were concerned about returning to the kingdom, especially after missing the deadline, fearing questioning by Saudi authorities and the uncertainty of whether they will be allowed to return to Canada for their studies.

-Chilliwack Progress

Half of students unable to find paid work placement A poll released earlier this summer by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) found that 49 per cent of students are unable to secure paid work placement, and 57 per cent of current students have participated in unpaid work placement in their field of study.

Despite this, 74 per cent of current students who took the poll believed that paid work in their field of study or as part of their academic program was the most valuable thing in helping them find a job after graduation.

“Unpaid work placements are not only less valuable when it comes to helping you find a job after graduation, but they also contribute to rising student debt,” CASA’s executive director, Manjeet Birk, said.

-CASA

The Canoe restaurant will not open this September, and the Student Union Society (SUS) says they have no plans to reopen the campus restaurant.

The Canoe has been difficult to float since its opening in 2015, accumulating close to a $300,000 deficit.

SUS president Gurvir Gill said they are looking at the possibility of bringing a franchise into the space. Until then, the Canoe lounge — the seating area — will be open for use.

The restaurant, run by the SUS, was closed for the summer because sales were expected to drop, but was originally planned to reopen in the fall. Fair Grounds, the café operated by the SUS, runs at a profit and will stay open.

“We just don't have enough staff, fulltime staff, and the professionals to properly run a pub or restaurant,” Gill said.

“We have to cut money from somewhere” Last year, the SUS kept the Canoe operating through the summer to test summer sales, but it ran an even greater deficit.

“We tried. We tried to make it work for a year,” Gill said. “Even in my first term, the budget already projected a deficit, but we wanted to see what we could do.”

“I’ve talked to students, and many of them have been here a while but have

The Canoe remains locked. Sept. 4, 2018. Abbotsford, B.C. (The Cascade)

only ever gone once or twice. So that’s it, I don’t think it attracted the student population.”

Gill explained that balancing food prices with affordability is one of the greatest challenges.

“If we raise [food] prices, obviously we could maybe cut [the deficit] back, but then it's not affordable to students,” Gill said. “The same is true vice versa. If we make it affordable, it's not accessible, we can’t open it longer. We have to cut money from somewhere.”

At the SUS 2017/18 budget presentation last February, SUS executive director, Mark Wellington, said that from his experience with student-run restaurants, due to the nature of the business, almost all of them run a deficit.

The money previously put into the Canoe will be reallocated towards two new positions, a front desk assistant, and an events manager, as well as into general programming.

“We could have staffed it more, we could have tried to market it more,” Gill said. “We could have done so many things, but I feel like it still would have hit a deficit one way or another regardless of if we made some reasonable [increase to revenue].”

The Canoe opened for business in Oct. 2015. In Sept. 2016, the Canoe saw changes that brought the cafeteria style of service to reduce operation costs. It closed for summer in April 2018.

Campus life //

Ashing out campus smoking

UFV to prohibit smoking on all properties JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Smoking of any kind will be prohibited on all UFV campuses and properties come Oct. 1. The ban includes vaping and smoking inside vehicles, and there will be no designated smoking zones on campus.

The ban does have to do with the nearing national legalization of marijuana, with it providing a definite timeline, but UFV had been planning to enact a smoke-

free policy, Dave Pinton, UFV director of communications, said.

“UFV wants to be a healthy environment for everyone and secondhand smoke is almost as bad as smoking,” Pin-

greenhouse gases released by smoking, and reduction of deforestation caused by tobacco production as the benefits of a smoke-free campus.

Designated smoking areas are not a

“UFV wants to be a healthy environment for everyone” ton said. “We want to ensure that, like many Canadian universities, we provide the cleanest air we can for all of our students, staff, and faculty. There’s been a bunch of universities that have gone this route.”

UFV’s website cites the campus and global environment, health, reduction of

part of the new policy because a truly smoke-free campus doesn’t have an appropriate place for smoking anywhere, Pinton said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Student Union //

SUS builds a sports court Basketball/volleyball court to be installed outside the SUB JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

Construction is ongoing outside of the Student Union Building (SUB) for the installation of a basketball/volleyball court, estimated to be completed midSeptember. The project will also include the extension on the path by the shuttle bus stop along the curb and installation of LED lighting for the shelter.

The court will be upgrading the previously unused area of lawn space outside of the SUB, which often flooded with water during heavy rains. The pavemented court, according to Student Union Society president Gurvir Gill, will hopefully prevent the area from becoming unusable in the rainy seasons.

Gill said that the court will also offer students another physical activity to do in their downtime, while waiting for the bus

or between classes.

“Things like these attract community; they’re community building,” Gill said. “We hope we can do a little bit of that in the SUB.” “It’s something unique for a student union to have and for students to check out and enjoy.”

The court will have poles installed allowing for a net to be put up for badminton and volleyball games, which will be able to be played in a full court, and two basketball hoops placed side by side that will allow for half court games.

“Weather permitting, we may just leave up the volleyball court,” Gill said. “It sets up a nice line between the two basketball courts.”

Equipment will be available to borrow at the SUS front desk during operating hours, including basketballs, volleyballs, and possibly badminton equipment.

New blacktop pad in front of SUB. Abbotsford, B.C. (The Cascade)

Students are also welcome to use the court with their own equipment.

Gill said that in the future, SUS will be considering the possibility of having an outdoor shed or rack with equipment for student use, depending on interest.

Money for the project has come from SUS’s capital savings,

which are used for emergencies, and general building projects such as expansions and building safety.

“I want [students] to be aware that this project is completely from our capital,” Gill said.

“Whereas, if you wanted to change U-Pass or shuttle expansions, that would completely

'SMOKING'

A guy smokes a cigarette. (The Cascade)

4

have to go through referendums themselves, or we would put them through our operations budget.”

The cost of the project was not available in time for print.

they are looking at renewing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 that benefit for employees who have already used it, on a case“We want to make sure that by-case basis. it's a healthy environment and UFV’s employee and family that students have a chance assistance program also offers to have the healthiest life- quitting assistance programs. style they can. It's up to them The provincial government whether they quit smoking or will provide a 12-week supply not.” of cessation products each calPinton said that UFV recog- endar year. nizes the difficulty in quitting For UFV employees who and will offer some supports to won’t have enough time to aid in the process for those that leave campus during their choose to. break, they may discuss ar“It's a tough one. We recog- rangements with their supernize that,” he said. visors, Pinton said.

Student Services will proUntil Oct. 1, smoking and vide cessation and counseling vaping is allowed on UFV for students who wish to stop campuses and properties, but smoking. UFV faculty and staff is prohibited near doors and benefits include up to $500 in windows. smoking cessation products for a lifetime, but Pinton said

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

UFV News //

UFV News //

Program audit launched for students JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Construction is ongoing outside of the Student Union Building (SUB) for the installation of a basketball/volleyball court, estimated to be completed midSeptember. The project will also include the extension on the path by the shuttle bus stop along the curb and installation of LED lighting for the shelter.

The court will be upgrading the previously unused area of lawn space outside of the SUB, which often flooded with water during heavy rains. The pavemented court, according to Student Union Society president Gurvir Gill, will hopefully prevent the area from becoming unusable in the rainy seasons.

Gill said that the court will also offer students another physical activity to do in their downtime, while waiting for the bus or between classes.

“Things like these attract community; they’re community building,” Gill said.

“We hope we can do a little bit of that in the SUB.” “It’s something unique for a student union to have and for students to check out and enjoy.”

The court will have poles installed allowing for a net to be put up for badmin-

ton and volleyball games, which will be able to be played in a full court, and two basketball hoops placed side by side that will allow for half court games.

“Weather permitting, we may just leave up the volleyball court,” Gill said.

“It sets up a nice line between the two basketball courts.”

Equipment will be available to borrow at the SUS front desk during operating hours, including basketballs, volleyballs, and possibly badminton equipment. Students are also welcome to use the court with their own equipment.

Gill said that in the future, SUS will be considering the possibility of having an outdoor shed or rack with equipment for student use, depending on interest.

Money for the project has come from SUS’s capital savings, which are used for emergencies, and general building projects such as expansions and building safety.

“I want [students] to be aware that this project is completely from our capital,” Gill said. “Whereas, if you wanted to change U-Pass or shuttle expansions, that would completely have to go through referendums themselves, or we would put them through our operations budget.”

The cost of the project was not available in time for print.

I AM SO HAPPY

The PRLC relaunches the Food Bank Service at UFV EDINA BALINT JR. NEWS EDITOR

The Peer Resource and Leadership Centre (PRLC) will launch the new food bank service at UFV, starting Sept. 5.

The program will help to provide students with easier access to basic necessities by creating a balanced food hamper for those in need, which will include servings of fruits and vegetables, dairy, and meat.

The PRLC will partner with the Student Union Society (SUS) to develop the food bank. It was previously run independently by the SUS, but they were not able to keep it running.

“I think the challenge has always been to find the right people, the right space, and the right programming,” Kyle Baillie, director of Student Life, said.

The SUS originally did not see the numbers to keep the food bank staffed and running, so chose to discontinue the program, SUS president, Gurvir Gill, said.

With the new partnership, the SUS will provide the space for the program, which will be located on the second floor of the Student Union Building on the Abbotsford campus.

The location of the food bank will be convenient for most students, and the large space includes a freezer, a fridge, and plen-

ty of shelving units which facilitates storage.

Start up costs for the program will be covered by a $2,500 award Student Life recently received from UFV. The food bank will partially be funded internally through the student health/wellness and experiential learning fees, and partially from the assistance of Coast Capital Savings through a community development grant.

There are hard startup costs associated with running such a program and Baillie said that certain food items such as fresh fruit/vegetables and meat are difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, Baillie hopes that the PRLC will find ways to build relationships with local vendors and producers to sustain this program.

The collaboration with the PRLC and the SUS is expected to provide more staff in order to successfully operate the food bank.

“The SUS is open to working with other groups within the university on projects that are in the interest of students,” the SUS president Gurvir Gill said. “[The PRLC] has the connection and the people, and we have the space,” he said.

Students in need will be able to access the food bank service by filling out an online form linked to the PRLC’s website. On the

application they will provide their student number for verification purposes and list any food allergies or particular food items they are in need of, and the staff at the PRLC will prepare a hamper for pick-up. Baillie said that the aim is to keep the UFV food bank a low-barrier program so that people in need do not hesitate to request assistance.

The PRLC is still working on drop-off locations for donations, but food items are currently being accepted at the Student Life offices in Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

“The physical space is here, but we believe that we will be moving hampers on SUS shuttles and we will be able to get them out to Chilliwack to serve those students as well,” Ashley Ward-Hall, coordinator of the PRLC, said.

Baillie hopes to see the program expanded in the future to include “paywhat-you-can” community dinners.

“Ultimately, this would be a community building and community development opportunity, and also a fundraiser for the food bank,” said Baillie.

Baillie would also like to start healthy and sustainable cooking classes in partnership with Baker House, where small groups of 12–20 people would learn to cook budget-friendly, nutritious meals.

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OPINION

Jeff Mijo-Burch — Opinion Editor opinion@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

SUS Election //

The long wait for election results Solving the mystery of who won SUS’s election, four months after the fact JEFF MIJO-BURCH OPINION EDITOR

Back in April, UFV’s Student Union Society (SUS) held their annual elections. They were probably not the most exciting elections in SUS history — president and vice-president went uncontested, with the previous two running again. . However, the vice president external and vice president students each had two contenders, and each with different visions for the role. That was where the election’s main point of interest lay, so when the election closed I watched and waited for those results to come in.

And waited.

And waited.

Voting closed April 12. I imagine the results were compiled within a few days at most, given that the voting was electronic and there weren’t paper ballots to

count. I was keeping a close eye on SUS’s social media and website, or for an email from them, because I’m part of The Cascade’s social media team, and wanted to make sure we had a post congratulating the new SUS team.

I never made that post, because I never saw the results.

Fast-forward to August. I’ve been curious about the election results since April — that kind of slow, percolating curiosity where you wonder something, but not enough to send an email to those who could answer the question.

The kind of curiosity that is likely the extent of most students’ level of interest in SUS, or most other organizations at UFV. But every time I’ve checked, I haven’t been able to find the answers.

Finally, as the fall semester is about to start, I found out the results. More than four months after I cast my vote, I just asked

another editor at The Cascade who tends to be more directly involved in SUS affairs. Doing some digging, I also managed to find the names listed on the SUS website — not in the obvious location like the SUS Team page though, but on a page specifically about the elections, and in the executive reports. They’re there, but they’re not easy to find if you don’t know where to look.

Student engagement is difficult to achieve. There are thousands and thousands of students at UFV, and only a small fraction put any thought into aspects of the school beyond their classes.

SUS struggles with this, The Cascade struggles with this, and just about every club struggles with this. But we also understand why.

Everyone has a busy life, and the onus is on us to show students why they should care, not on students to come to that conclusion

blindly.

By the looks of SUS’s elections page, only 654 people voted in the election. That’s not many at all, considering UFV’s student population of around 15,000. And that’s why it’s critical for all of us who are engaged in some wider aspect of UFV culture beyond our classes to make every effort to make what we do accessible, open, and most of all interesting to those students who don’t give us any thought. We all need to work hard on reaching out to that majority of students, and welcoming them into what our various organizations have to offer, or we’ll be stuck as an insular, cliquey group of a few hundred. When you’re immersed in that world every day, it’s easy to forget that most people aren’t.

That’s why it’s critical for SUS to announce the results of their elections publically, loudly, and

JUST BECAUSE THEY SWIPED RIGHT DOESN’T MAKE IT RIGHT. Sexual violence and misconduct can never be part of student life.

It will not be tolerated.

Make campuses safe for everyone, play your part.

6

quickly. That’s why it’s necessary to design for those with no previous knowledge of SUS to find within seconds of landing on their website. That’s why The Cascade needs to make sure we explain not just what happens, but why it happens and what it means. And I’ll admit, the lack of public results was a failing on us too. I should have sent those emails in April and made a post with the results as soon as possible.

We all dropped the ball. This year, let’s pick it back up and do better. Let’s make engaging at UFV the easiest part of the university experience.

Congrats to our new(ish) vice president external, Rajdeep Dhaliwal, and to our new vice president students, Sunny Cheema. Sorry about the delay.

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

S S SSh NA ho AP ot ts s

Brief bits of bite-sized brevity Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Tedious cellular turnover Why do so many people buy new phones simply because their service provider informs them they are eligible for an upgrade, even when there is nothing really wrong with their old device? It probably has something to do with our intensely capitalist culture. But, when I witness masses of people standing in line to purchase the latest and greatest smartphone with all the newest features and upgrades, I can’t help but picture a horde of devolved neanderthals pointing and drooling at a shiny hunk of metal.

As a result of how fast wireless companies are pumping out new models,

how many perfectly decent and functioning phones are currently sitting in landfills because they’re three or more years old? Do people bother to recycle their phones? Or do they just sell them on craigslist and forget how many phones they’ve even owned over the years? Continuing to use your older but still perfectly fine device can save you a pretty penny and is one more way that you can decrease your carbon footprint.

Be the change! Use your old brick from the ‘90s if you have to!

Cassie de Jong

Awesome, obnoxious onions You know what I like about onions?

They’re versatile. You can chop ‘em up to use in soups and stews, you can mince and fry them for a stir fry, slice ‘em real thin to put on a (lactose-free) grilled cheese sandwich, or, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can take a bite out of a raw one — though I wouldn’t suggest this unless you don’t plan on seeing anyone for a week.

You know what I don’t like about onions? The tear-inducing fumes that waft up from some of them. The worst part?

You never know before you buy which onion will produce these noxious vapours. It’s like playing Russian roulette, but worse. But there’s always a plus side: got someone coming over whom you aren’t particularly fond of? Have them cut the onions that of course are going in your dinner, then sit back and watch them scream.

Or, you know, just don’t invite people over that you don’t like. It’s your call.

Cat Friesen

Oversupplying I know I’m not alone in this. As soon as September rears its ugly head, or more specifically, the one-week-before-school anxiety does, the pressure to suddenly become the most organized and productive student settles in. We buy our frivolous pumpkin spice lattes and go all out: colour-coded pens, stacks of unsharpened pencils, eight Five Star notebooks for three courses, and most importantly, a daily academic planner that never fails to be used once and only once. We’ve all done it — needlessly spent well over a hundred dollars worth of supplies for a false sense of productivity. Every.

Single. Year. Or every semester, if you’re

Illustrations: Simer Haer

truly keen. In high school, the supply list was mandatory, now it’s more than voluntary as the need for academic stability rises and university students become increasingly aware of the direction they’re heading. At least the three different shades of yellow highlighter helps numb the pain. This school supply binge undoubtedly concerns those who chase that familiar high of “having your life in order” without any of the dirty work. I write this as my 2018/19 planner rests on my desk, in pristine and crisp condition. I look forward to never using it.

Rachel Macarie

Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do I’ve always loved daisies. Not the ones that come in a whole bunch of different colours at the grocery stores, but the ones that my sister and friends have lovingly dubbed “ditch daisies.”

The ones that grow on the side of the road, wild and free. With hearty stalks and faces that reach toward the sun. The ones that don’t grow in nicely cultivated places, but grow out of the hard land that hasn’t been tended, and is mostly forgotten.

The flowers that children make crowns out of, wreathing their innocent heads, making them feel like a queen, the fairest in the land. The ones bouquets are made of by small hands and given to mom as a token of love.

They don’t need a pricey vase; they look perfect in an old milk bottle, or an empty mug. These are the only kind of flowers that I want given to me.

Jen Klassen

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Crowded Outdoors //

Breaking news: Vancouver is busy And, surprise, B.C.’s parks are overflowing with people

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, B.C. (Pixabay)

CAT FRIESEN MANAGING EDITOR

Frequent hikers of Joffre Lakes Provincial Park in Pemberton are annoyed that it’s become swamped with hikers, tourists, and nature enthusiasts, according to an article on CTV News. In 2017 alone, Joffre Lakes saw over 120,000 visitors to the park, and, also in 2017, all of B.C.’s parks combined saw a total of 21.5 million visitors.

This influx of park visitors has people up in arms. What was once a closely guarded secret is now a well known selfie destination. That, and the increase in visitors means an increase in safety concerns: hikers and campers leaving garbage that will attract bears, the few self-important idiots who think the fire ban doesn’t apply to them. (Have you watched the news lately, or per-

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haps looked up toward the apocalyptic nightmare that was our sky for over two weeks? Please don’t start fires, kids.)

As of 2011, Vancouver was recorded as having 603,502 residents, and in 2016, was estimated at having 610,000 residents. That’s 603,502 - 610,000 people crammed into 115 km², and doesn’t include Surrey (470,000), Burnaby (224,000), Richmond (190,000), Coquitlam (128,000), or, further on, Abbotsford (135,000). And, because Vancouver is well known for its natural beauty (once you step away from the concrete and traffic jams), people flock to it from all over the world. In simple terms: Vancouver is busy.

And those people like to take breaks — hey, who doesn’t? But what those people don’t like is when their favourite hideaway is suddenly swarming with other people looking for an escape. Understandable, but also, did they

really think it wouldn’t happen?

But the city is on it, planning and organizing ‘til their fingers bleed: expanded parking lots!

More park rangers! Having to reserve hiking trails! Sure, these may work in the short term, but what happens when Vancou-

“What was once a closely guarded secret is now a well known selfie destination” ver expands further, when more tourists inevitably visit?

An important note about these changes: I can guarantee no one wants to reserve their hike. How many people do you know who say “I’m going to hike in this

exact spot, on this exact day, at this exact time”? Not many, I bet. Most of them wake up after a night out, slam a glass or three of water, and get their asses out of bed for a post-partying hike to nullify the effects of those six tequila shots and a party-sized plate of nachos the consumed the previous night.

I think overflowing parks and hiking spots are just an offshoot of a bigger problem: overpopulation. Look anywhere and you’ll see it: no places to park at the grocery store, no seats available in your favourite coffee shop, bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway every single day (but that’s an entirely different article). Why? Because there’s too many damn people living in and visiting Vancouver.

What I find stupid about the complaints that Vancouver is busy is that these people choose to live around here. They chose

to move to Vancouver or the surrounding area, or they already lived here and chose to stay. No one is forcing them to live here.

If they wanted, they could move somewhere with less people. Like Hope, or Castlegar, or a cabin on the Alaskan tundra.

But these people chose to be here for a reason. Perhaps it’s the nightlife, or the natural beauty of B.C., or the Starbucks on every second corner. Regardless of what the reason is, they made the choice to be here, and, generally, adults are expected to take responsibility for their choices.

There are two morals to this story. One: things change. Be glad you’re around to see it, even if you don’t like it. Two: humans are surprisingly adaptable (so get used to the idea of probably having to reserve your hiking spots).

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

The big questions //

Why?

DYLAN PLANTENGA CONTRIBUTOR

Quick story: when I was in grade six or seven, my teacher told us of a philosophy class at a high school or college somewhere where the exam question was: why? Literally the only question was “why?” The answers were varied from long, drawnout answers to short, quick-tothe-point answers. There was only one answer and only one student got it. The answer: “why not?”

I begin to feel as if this is the simple philosophy that the world’s troublemakers have adapted to combat its ambiguities. In other words, I think that when we hear about religious nuts (by that I mean religious extremist groups, not your runof-the-mill religious folks, who I believe are almost all good) who kill in the name of God or in the name of revenge, their ideologies almost always boil down to “why not?”

In fact, take the case of Brenda Spencer. In San Diego, California in 1979, she opened fire on an elementary school, ending the lives of two employees and injuring nine more — one police officer and eight children. When they asked her why she did it, she said “I don’t like Mondays.”

In 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris committed one of the worst school shootings in American history: they killed 12 students and a teacher. Later on, the media would call it the Columbine Massacre. No official motives were ever given, but the police did find tapes of Dylan and Eric threatening to commit some sort of massacre upon those who they thought deserved it. Again, it comes down to “why not?”

Before I continue, I believe that God has given me not the will to commit mass murders or acts of terror but to write, for the pen is mightier than the sword.

I could write 24/7 if I wanted/ needed to. This, to me, seems like a more logical conclusion than that God told me to kill infidels or ram two planes into the World Trade Center. I have also never held a gun in my life nor have I shot one. I harbour no resentment toward anyone to the point of threatening their life, and if you ask anyone

who knows me they’ll say I’m a clean-cut, straight edge good guy. I was not born nor bred with the mindset of being able to kill dozens of innocents. I like to think at least 99 per cent of the world’s population feels the same way.

This “why not” is both a dangerous philosophy and a useful one. Now, I am not a philosophy student nor do I know a lot about philosophy other than a few philosophical fallacies and terms, but I can tell you what works and what doesn’t.

In philosophy there is a concept called “Occam’s razor” — essentially, it means that the simplest explanation is almost always the right one. Let’s take a hypothetical situation as an example: let’s say a 106-year-old lady in a hospital bed has died.

She probably didn’t die flying in from a plane while skydiving and crashing into the hospital room or saving women and children from a burning building. It was probably due to natural causes.

So what does this all mean?

It means that it doesn’t take a well-educated Harvard law student to know that gun violence is on the rise in the United States, and of course since the creation of the League of Nations — later called the United Nations — the United States has been the world’s go-to place for news and information globally. This made me think again of “why not” because, to me, it doesn’t seem like there are any logical explanations for killing innocent bystanders. None.

Zero, zilch. And clearly, why not is not a valid excuse.

So here it is, the simplest explanation for what happens when some inbred lunatic gets his hands on an assault rifle: these people are not mentally fit for human consumption. God did not tell the Taliban to drive two planes into the World Trade Center, nor did God (or any incarnation of him for that matter) tell a Japanese terrorist group to commit mass murder with sarin gas in Japan. That’s all in the mind. And oh Lord, what a dark place that must be!

It’s called free will. We all have it. Some abuse it. Some let it abuse them.

Why? Why not?

Editorial //

Campus media

JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Cascade newspaper is a culture and news weekly that appears on stands across UFV campuses and in various cafés throughout the Valley. What it is is exactly what UFV students decide it to be.

The Cascade, like your campus and community radio, CIVL 101.7, subsists on a $6.12 and $7.85 perstudent semesterly levy respectively. As fee-paying members, we’re something of a subscriber base, yet, with the opportunity to shape the creative direction. That might mean working directly for, sitting on the board of, or voting

at general meetings of these two societies.

A significant priority for both CIVL and The Cascade is to create opportunities for students. Have an idea for campus media? Pitch it. With guaranteed funding, campus media stands in a unique position to try things.

That’s why The Cascade attempts what it does: local reporting, social commentary, and creative expression. It’s a manifestation of student interests and woes.

The Cascade and CIVL have grown respectably. We both launch new projects semesterly.

We both regularly take home national awards.

Some projects we’re working on right now are a restructuring of

the organization, establishing a multimedia production team, and reimagining how we can best serve the community. We’re also preparing for a special tri-annual, semester-end edition of The Cascade, to feature student artwork, creative writing, and longform journalism, with cash for the best work. Think of it as a Cascade zine.

This edition underwent a subtle redesign. Along with it, we’re about to launch a new website. It’s all about trying new things.

After that moment of proselytizing, a caveat of reality: we’re a university rag. Work hard, but don’t take things too seriously.

9

MERRY

BAND OF

MISFITS

I

walk around campus during my second year here, hearing the back-

and I didn’t run into any cheerleaders telling me to come to a football game.

ground chatter of other students’ voices buzz in my ears. I’m focused,

I did find myself a little lost though — the only true to cannon part of the

intent, on a mission. I need to get from my Point A to Point B, and all of

“new to school” trope. Our school isn’t huge, but there are enough buildings

a sudden I hear a sentence that stops me dead in my tracks, my determination blowing away like a napkin into a jet engine.

to confuse the average newcomer.

Driving up to UFV, I assumed that I would find a subpar student body,

“UFV has no community. Everyone just comes to their classes and leaves.”

chock-full of half-assed events, and lacking in any sort of community. I be-

The voice of this student reverberated in my ears, and like a classic cartoon,

lieved that since the university isn’t the same size as the University of British

it echoed through the building, the campus, the country, then exploded the

Columbia, or University of Victoria, that somehow meant that it’d be lacking

world in an animated type of agony.

in the communal vibe. I had visited each campus — different friends attended

I was astonished! Alarmed! Aghast! How could someone say such treasonous words in my presence?

both — and found them teeming with students, all gathered in various locations, laughing together and enjoying life. Lounging by fountains, and on

Starting university was a moment in my life I met at the crossroads of Mixed

grassy knolls, looking brochure perfect. I was at UFV because it was close,

Feelings and Apprehension. For those who excelled in the small high school

and what my bank account could afford, not because I thought I would find

hallways that smelled like gym socks, rotting food, and faint B.O. mixed with

lifelong friends.

the too-sweet perfume of teen girls, leaving that safety net can be a traumatizing experience. For me, well, I welcomed the new beginning with open arms, “From Here to Eternity” style.

But unlike the movies, my first day of uni-

“I befriended people that make the school

feel more like home.”

versity at UFV did not contain any similarities

I quicken my pace away from the voice, and continue on towards my Point

whatsoever to the norm seen on television, ex-

B. As I walk, I picture myself as I was when I first started here, her ghost

cept maybe “Community.” Just not the typical

a pale figment to my left side. I was 17 the first time I attended UFV. My

Americanized version that usually graces the

smaller, juvenile self trying to just make it through the hallways and find what

silver-backed screens on our laps (or rose gold,

building, class, desk, I needed to be in.

or space gray).

After my first year I left and did life for a little while in a different direction.

I lived with my parents at the time, so there

I went to pastry school for a year, then changed directions again and became

was no awkward meeting of my new dorm mate,

a nanny, while also volunteering with a youth group as an intern and simul-

taneously working at a candy store in Kitsilano.

My tongue the Sahara, I attempted an introduc-

“American Express” website, which is a weird

I went back to a different school to pursue theo-

tion of myself, every word dynamite exploding in

place to have an article on the topic. What is this

logical studies, only to have that school close down,

a library.

world coming to if I need to take a Buzzfeed or

and then I oddly ended up being a parts purchaser

Eventually I figured out how to speak without

Cosmo quiz to tell me that having panic attacks

at an RV dealership. But ultimately, I knew I be-

sounding like my mouth was full of cotton balls,

because I ran out of colours for my daytimer to

longed at university.

and through that encounter, I befriended people

colour code all of my activities isn’t ok?

When I came back at 27, I knew I wanted it to

that make the school feel more like home.

According to Mayo Clinic, “... you undoubtedly

be different. I no longer wanted to show up, go to

While the bulk of students drive to this school,

face multiple demands each day, such as shoulder-

class, and then drive back to my home, mourning

living anywhere but on campus, it doesn’t mean

ing a huge workload, making ends meet and tak-

the social life I used to have with friends I was fa-

for a moment that there is no sense of community.

ing care of your family. Your body treats these so-

miliar with. This time I wanted to engage.

The overpopulated bulletin boards should tell that

called minor hassles as threats. As a result you may

story well enough.

feel as if you’re constantly under assault.”

As I walked through the halls the second time around, I noticed the poster boards littered with

These assaults mean that our bodies respond in

flyers advertising events, beckoning out to students

the same way as when we are under actual life-

to come and enjoy the festivities. It took a while to

threatening attacks. Whether it’s a bear, or just a

stop the bad habit of meandering past them with

bear of a prof staring at us at the front of the class,

my headphones in, focused on making my way to

our body responds the same exact way.

the next class, while trying to remember which parking lot I left my car in. Eventually, I paid attention long enough to see one that struck my fancy.

I stroll now past the milling students outside Tim Hortons, toward the SUB. I see solitary people walking alone, noses buried in cell phones inches from their faces, thumbs rolling up and down on a screen, tap, tap, tapping away messages to unknown somebodies.

I enter the cement fortress, heavy doors banging shut behind me. The whir of the coffee grinders mixes with the chatter of people gathered around tables creating a pleasing cacophony. I start up the stairs and remember the first time I entered the building.

Stepping out of my comfort zone, about to enter the room advertised on the poster, intimidated and ready to turn tail and run back to my cat who doesn’t judge me for eating a whole box of Oreos for dinner while pressing the “next episode” button on Netflix, I walked past the wall of windows, feeling every set of eyes on me as I did, hoping against all hope that I could just observe and gradually ingratiate myself toward this room full of artsy, interesting people who were way cooler than me. I schlepped along, my arms dead weights hanging from my shoulders, and my feet two sizes too big.

“...but you are here, and you can start to make a community around yourself.”

There are clubs to be a part of: clubs about tabletop games, about caring for the environment, and creative writing, among so many more. There are on-campus jobs, volunteer opportunities, and people in your classes that are pretty dang cool if you are really adamant about not having extra curriculars.

The reality is that I try to cram as much as possible into the 24 hours in a day. Expectations of who I should be, and what success looks like are influenced by social media. I see people having side hustles, and working long hours, saying it’s all worth it because they now have this life. Often this imagining of the types of activities I should be involved in trump the ones that are actually important.

As I sit, having reached Point B successfully, I open my laptop and search “too busy” on Google, hoping to pull up some helpful, statistical, and properly factual articles. The results are more surprising than I originally guess. Everything from “too busy” quizzes, to lists of excuses for getting out of commitments, and even an article on the

Being busy is associated with numerous health risks. Increased stress, susceptibility to anxiety, and increased risk of depression. Increased cortisol levels means bad news for mental health and for wellbeing overall.

The American Psychological Association lists eight different categories of how prolonged stress can affect different, and very important, parts of your body. From bone structure to the reproductive process, chronic stress can have prolonged and dangerous consequences.

When I returned, I knew university was a fresh start, and with the blank slate laid out before me, I needed to find people to connect with, and to live life alongside. I needed to find people who, at the very least, I could talk to and feel like I wasn’t continually shoving my foot in my mouth, ashamed at my own extreme awkwardness.

Finding those friends is the challenge. They don’t just fall out of the sky. They’re made in ordinary life moments.

I didn’t consider myself popular in high school.

My grad class was just over 90 people, and I knew them all, and talked with most of them. I was a social butterfly and flitted from group to group. In my senior year, I decided to take on some extra responsibility, and became co-president of our grad

council. Taking on various events, making speech-

tivity of the experience on cortisol and global self-

These friends encouraged her to join the English

es at prom, showing up to help decorate, and do-

worth. When a best friend was not present, there

student association (ESA) in her second year and

ing the minute details of event planning were now

was a significant increase in cortisol and a signifi-

through that she met a group of friends she contin-

coinciding with doing homework, working a job,

cant decrease in global self-worth as the negativ-

ues to meet with post graduation.

and trying to maintain a healthy relationship with

ity of the experience increased. When a best friend

“This was one of the best decisions I made in my

my then boyfriend.

was present, there was less change in cortisol and

university career. I joined the ESA as their secre-

global self-worth due to the negativity of the expe-

tary, and went to weekly meetings to plan student

rience.”

events. After I graduated we continued meeting

My co-collaborator in this bid for biting off more than I could chew became a lifelong friend. To this day, taking on the role of co-president was the best, and worst decision of my life.

It was by far the most stressful endeavor I had taken on at that point in my 17 years. Between

If you don’t

look for it,

went on to complete a library tech diploma. One

you won’t find it.

ciation; again this was a great way to see people

the barrage of hormones, the unsettling reality of growing up and facing the many pressures of wanting to be liked, to accomplish every task put in front of me, and be this magic unicorn of a person who has all her ducks in a row, I was a whirling dervish of equal parts activity and catastrophe.

One of the events planned was laser tag, hosted in the school gym. This had been done every year by every grad class, and was an event everyone looked forward to participating in. Most of the grads were excited for an opportunity to shoot pretend guns at one another, exercising their prowess at hopping over benches in the dark to attack their friends. Me? I was having a panic attack in a corner due to the stress of it all.

But I wasn’t alone. My best friend was right beside me. Also having a minor panic attack. And as we sat behind the half glass, half metal doors, eating the snacks that we were supposed to be bringing out for the students to share, we found ourselves changing from being under siege by our anxiety to being overcome by a giggle fit, laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Scientific research has shown that friendships greatly reduce stress. In a study conducted by the University of Nebraska, it was tested to see if the presence of a best friend in stressful situations reduced cortisol levels and increased global selfworth, which is the idea that one has value and a place in this world.

“Having a best friend present during an experience significantly buffered the effect of the nega-

throughout the summer for a ‘book club.’ I then of the first things I did was join the student assooutside of class, and form lasting friendships.”

Having a best friend present at times when the homework has piled up, when your parents won’t stop fighting, when your boss is being a jerk, and someone scoffs in your general direction because you breathed the wrong way helps ensure that your stress levels stay lower than normal, and that you don’t get stuck in a cyclical torrent of horrendous self-talk. They remind you that you’re the best thing since sliced bread and no amount of spinach in your teeth will change that.

Jordyn Wieler, a recent graduate of UFV from the library tech program, spoke with me about her experience here, and how the friendships she formed have carried on now that she’s entered the workforce.

“I met a lot of my university friends through student associations (first English, and then library tech),” said Weiler. “In my experience, it was really nice to have friends going through the same classes and programs. Often it helped to be able to vent to someone who was struggling with the same assignment as you, or complain about a particular class.”

“When I was doing my library tech diploma, there were lots of us taking the same classes and progressing through the program at the same time, we would often have study parties together. We would bring snacks to share, as well as notes and study material. There was definitely a ‘community, not competition’ focus with this group of friends.

We still get together for coffee or game nights (with snacks, obviously).”

I recline back in my chair, resurfacing out of my Google rabbit hole. I hear voices amicably debating in the other room, laughter emits from the person sitting adjacent to me, and the ease at which I can sit amongst these people reminds me to be thankful for pushing through the weird until it became normal.

Yes, maybe UFV is smaller, and yes, maybe friends don’t come flocking to you, standing in a line, asking and begging to be a part of your life. And perhaps we aren’t situated in a city like Vancouver or Victoria, but you are here, and you can start to make a community around yourself.

I probably won’t find the love of my life walking slowly toward a frat house, their teeth glimmering in the sun, their hair perfectly tousled. I mean, that’s only because UFV doesn’t have frat houses, and not because movies set up unrealistic notions about love or anything. But I can find friends, I can find an odd group of misfits that make my oddities normal, and people whom I can live life alongside. Take a chance, step out of your comfort zone. If you don’t look for it, you won’t find it. But that’s true of most things. Including community.

The Cascade Event s Calendar Community UFV Events Music Art Culture

Note: Some of these events require tickets, most are on Facebook.

If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details.

Date

Sept 5 Sept 6

Event

Sept 12

Classes Begin - Fall 2018 Semester Mpowerment Hangout: Art & Cake Tequila Mockingbird Beth w/ Ben Jones Health Sciences Student Welcome Back

BBQ & Vendor Fair FLORA / Pop Up Shop Launch of Chantal Funk + Co Country Night Dance Party w/ Steve Hillis 2018 Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope Autumn Harvest Festival Dan Walsh Mission Track Day Abbotsford U-Join Drawing Realistically w/ Glenn School of Business Welcome Back BBQ

Sept 13

Chilliwack U-Join

Sept 7 Sept 8 Sept 9 Sept 10 Sept 11

Sept 14 Sept 15

Sept 16 Sept 17 Sept 18 Sept 19 Sept 20 Sept 21 Sept 22

Shaela Miller Band UFV Alumni Open Mt Lehman Community Fall Fair PetSmart Adoption Event Abbotsford Extreme Rodeo Fraser Valley Culture & Craft Beer Festival The Kwerks The DRAG Show - 5th Anniversary Edition Hike for Hospice PetSmart Adoption Event Blues Night w/ Shaun Verreault Listen Write Now - Punk !

Sketching Details w/ Glenn Art of the Book 2018 Opening Reception Abby Theatre Fest Indigenous Radio Cafe Abby Theatre Fest Abby Theatre Fest Fraser Valley Literature Festival iLead Abby Fundraiser Blessed+Harma White, Kristin Witko, and Loans (Dark Side of the Moon, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones)

Time 7 - 10 p 7 - 10 p 7 - 10 p 11:30 a 2:30 p 7 - 10 p 10 a - 1 p 7 p -1 a 9 a - 12 p 11 a - 3 p 7 - 10 p

Venue The Reach Gallery Museum Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) Carport Manor (Abbotsford) The Green (Chilliwack Campus

Bldg’s A & V) 2539 Montrose Ave. (Abbotsford) 2712 Clearbrook Rd. #3 (Abb.)

The Stage in Mission 31419 Maclure Rd. (Abb.) Kilby Historic Site (Agassiz) Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) 7:30a - 5p Mission Raceway Park 11 a - 2 p The Green (Abbotsford Campus) House of Fine Art (Abbotsford) 2-4p 10:45 a - The Green (Abbotsford Campus)

12:45 p 11 a - 2 p Canada Education Park 7 - 10 p 12 - 8 p 9a-4p 12 - 4 p 3:30 p 7 - 10 p 7 - 10 p 8p-2a 9a-1p 12 - 4 p 7 - 10 p 7 - 10 p 2-4p 4-6p 5 - 9:30 p 12 - 2 p 5 - 9:30 p 5 - 9:30 p 6-8p 7 - 11 p

(Chilliwack Campus)

Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) Chilliwack Golf Club Mt Lehman Community Hall PetSmart Abbotsford Abbotsford Exhibition Park Chilliwack Cultural Centre Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) The Stage in Mission

Fraser River Heritage Park (Miss.)

PetSmart Abbotsford Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) House of Fine Art (Abbotsford) Abbotsford Campus Library Yale Secondary School (Abb.) CIVL Radio (Abbotsford Campus) Yale Secondary School (Abb.) Yale Secondary School (Abb.) Evered Hall (Abbotsford Campus) Abbotsford Rugby Football Club

13

CULTURE

Cassie de Jong — Culture Editor culture@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Preview //

Abbotsford and Chilliwack U-Join CASSIE DE JONG CULTURE & EVENTS EDITOR

The folks over at our Student Union Society (SUS) and UFV Student Life are itching to inspire and bolster participation in our on-campus community with their upcoming U-Join events, happening on both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses. The two societies have partnered up this year to make U-Join bigger and better than ever before.

At these events, students will have the opportunity to get a real idea of what UFV has to offer, and maybe even join a club. In addition to exploring UFV’s many resources, students will be able to enjoy free food and live music from Cambree Lovesy, who performed live at the New Student Ori-

14

entation event in May, as well as our very own radio station, CIVL 101.7.

Two separate events will take place on Sept. 11 on the Green at the Abbotsford campus, and on Sept. 13 at Canada Education Park at the Chilliwack campus, both from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Fifty tables have been confirmed for the Abbotsford event and 45 are confirmed for the Chilliwack event. The tables will feature organizations such as Study Abroad, the Peer Resource & Leadership Centre, community volunteer opportunities, and more.

In an interview, Mallory Manley, the coordinator of student transition and engagement in the department of Student Life, stated that “This is the first time that UFV departments, UFV clubs and asso-

ciations, and volunteer organizations are coming together to host a U-Join event.”

Aside from showcasing what clubs and associations UFV has to offer, the goal of U-Join is “To help students find engagement opportunities on and off campus,” according to Manley, as volunteer organizations from the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland will also be featured at the event.

Overall, U-Join aims to help students connect with staff, faculty, the services and resources available to them on campus, and information on the UFV clubs and associations they can join. Manley also states that, “The volunteer organizations are excited to meet our students and showcase all of the ways students can get involved in their community and gain amazing ex-

perience.”

If students are unable to attend either event at Abbotsford or Chilliwack, there are several online resources available to them. The SUS website currently lists all UFV clubs and associations, and if students are looking for volunteer opportunities, they can check out Volunteer UFV on myCampusLife. A few great on-campus resources for information include the SUS office, the Student Life lounge, and the Coast Capital Savings Peer Resource and Leadership Centre (PRLC), which are all located in the Student Union Building. At the PRLC, students can speak with a peer leader if they have questions, or need help finding a specific service.

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Summer music //

Jam in Jubilee 2018 concluded spectacularly CULTURE & EVENTS EDITOR

After a summer jam-packed with local art and music, Jam in Jubilee 2018 wrapped up yet another successful year on Thursday, Aug. 2. Preceded

by Vancouver-based Sister Says, and Abbotsford’s Ben Cottrill, local DJ Simon Bridgefoot wowed attendees with an impressive set list. Before he claimed the stage, however, The Cascade was able to grab a moment of the accomplished artist’s time to ask him about his history with the Abbotsford Arts Council and what he’s been up to lately.

Jam in Jubilee is put on by the Abbotsford Arts Council (AAC), whom you’ve been involved with before, having done an artist residency with them just last year. How did you enjoy working with them and how did you feel when they asked you to headline this week’s show?

At the time when I was doing the artist residency at the AAC with Kristen Witko, a girl that I lived with was actually their executive director. So, it was very easy to have conversations about how we could use the Kariton Gal-

lery space, and what we could utilize the AAC’s resources for.

So it all felt very familiar going through everything that we did.

The people that we ended up getting to play on my record and on Kristen’s record were all pals of ours, and it felt like a sort of a little family.

One of the workshops that we did ended up hooking me up with this guy called David Ivan Neil.

We did some recording together and now he’s really active in the Abbotsford, Fraser Valley, and Lower Mainland area. The whole experience was very natural, but it was also very nerve-racking, leading the workshops. So, I got pretty anxious about that. When I found out that the AAC wanted me to come back and do the last week of Jam in Jubilee, I was really excited, and I was also really nervous. Those things do seem to go hand in hand. I was trying to think about how I’ve never done a park DJ set before, since usually I’m in closed environments.

So, you’ve previously released music under the title “The Parish of Little Clifton” until last fall when you released your third album, “Ghosts Was Here”

The cascade is hiring!

An Opinon editor Edit and write for The Cascade’s opinion section

A: It’s a little bit early on to say, but when I released that album I made the change because it felt very personal to me, and I wanted to just put it under my name.

When I started DJing, I never really chose a DJ name. So, now my birth name is sort of turning into a personal brand and artist name.

At this point it’s hard to say what that’s really done. Maybe it’s made things a little more personal in terms of people knowing me. I don’t know, maybe there will be some weird fallout in a couple of years.

Do you currently have any new material in the works? Any other shows planned in the near future?

I’m always working on material, and the album I did with Kristen at the Arts Council has yet to be released. Right now, I’m working on a lot of music from this disposition of trying to be a sort of scientist about it. I’m being very methodical and mathematical and spending a very long time with things. I have a couple rules for myself, like if I start something

Simon Bridgefoot. (Brian Chan)

then I have to finish it. So right now, I’m working on something that I don’t really want to work on. But I also don’t want to break my rule. There’s always things proliferating, but I don’t feel very active compositionally right now.

To listen to tracks by Simon Bridgefoot and to learn more about the artist, check out their Bandcamp, and visit their other social media pages.

The cascade is hiring!

Community liason Distribute the paper make connections sell ads (make commission)

email cat@ufvcascade.ca

CASSIE DE JONG

under your own name. How do you feel this change has benefited you and your career?

email cat@ufvcascade.ca

A Q&A with closing artist Simon Bridgefoot

15

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

Made by Cassie de Jong

ACROSS

DOWN

1: A seasoned sauce usually containing vinegar, spices, or chilies. Often enjoyed on steak.

1: A medium-sized, smooth-haired dog breed with a pug-like face.

5: Element on the periodic table represented as Be.

2: Brexit was the referendum where Britain chose to leave the _ _ _.

3: The third longest river in Canada.

6: Instructions for preparing a meal or dish.

4: A moral principle, or form of conduct.

7: The sloping of a font for emphasis or distinction.

9: An object surviving from an earlier time.

8: The outer layers of a s’more.

9: A circulating story or report that is likely false or exaggerated.

10: A leather shoe decorated with perforated patterns.

12: Three small critters with high-pitched singing voices you generally encounter during the holiday.

13: A red chili that has a curved tip and rippled skin.

11: A person of greater age than yourself.

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS: Across: 3: Paediatrician 4: Periodic Table

Down: 1: Cardiac Arrest 2: Arachnophobia

5: Medusa 6: Naples 7: Alaska 8: Plinth 9: Roller Coaster 10: Expressionist

Horoscopes // Astrological mysteries rudely interpreted by Lady May

16

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 You’ve been up to some shenanigans recently.

Though, you are an Aries, that’s always the case. But this week in particular you seem to have it out for your Gemini friends. They’re prepared for you to make your move. But that makes the game all the more challenging, and you’ve always loved a good challenge.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 You embarrass Aquarians. Whether or not you do this on purpose is determined by your character, but that fact is certain. Don’t take it personally, but your Aquarian friends will be steering clear of you this week. They want week one of classes to go well, and your presence will surely be a hindrance to that goal.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 You’ve been feeling particularly creative these past few weeks. So much so that you’ve taken to starting bizarre new fashion trends featuring baggy gym shorts and tie dye. You probably never thought to actually look in a mirror though. It’s time you do that.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 You’re quite the messy individual. You’re also the type of person that hasn’t quite figured out how to eat cereal without getting milk all over yourself. Give it time, I’m sure you’ll get there. But for the time being, invest in a bib.

You’re embarrassing yourself.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 This week take extra care when out in public and around campus. Keep a close watch on your books or belongings, especially if you have recently crossed an Aries or Scorpio.

Specifically avoid the library if possible. That’s where they’re lying in wait to even the score.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 This week it might be best to keep your schedule flexible. Expect unexpected opportunities to come up, but also don’t say yes to everything. Be wise in your decisions, even if that means ditching a pointless meeting to go get ice cream. I mean, that sounds pretty wise to me …

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Your head’s been in the clouds as of late. As a result, you are likely to crack a rib or two while trying out any new yoga positions this week.

Best to stick to jogging to stay active, or any other physical activity that doesn’t require that much concentration for that matter.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 It seems like a good week to be a partner in crime. Stir the pot, just to see what happens.

I hear your Aries friends have hatched a devilish plan that will certainly not end well.

Sounds like fun! Just make sure you’re not the one who ends up paying for it in the end.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 Classes have barely started for the semester and you’re already making plans to get the hell out of here and jump on a plane to Bora Bora. Be patient, if possible. Good things come to those who wait. Though good things also come to people who hop on planes to Bora Bora. So, I guess you do you.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 Are your baseball skills still sharp? If so, life may throw you a pleasant curveball this week.

Just make sure you’re paying attention to it, or it will most definitely hit you square in the face. Life is like that, the little jerk.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 If you have any friends that happen to be Leos, now would be the time to avoid them at all costs. Their curious but destructive nature has led them on a warpath to make sure your first week of classes is nothing less than nightmarish. Be one step ahead of them at all times. (I’m rooting for you!)

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 More than one person has pointed out your extreme case of resting-bitch-face this week.

We all know how much you hate that classes are back in session, but you’re starting to give off fumes of rage. Tone it down, before you send the entire student body into a flurry of despair based on empathy for your demeanor.

ARTS

Martin Castro — Arts Editor

arts@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Podcast Review //

CHARTS

SHUFFLE

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WEAVES WIDE OPEN

AARON LEVY

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DUMB SEEING GREEN

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BERNICE PUFF: IN THE AIR WITHOUT A SHAPE

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ADRIAN TEACHER AND THE SUBS ANXIOUS LOVE

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy wants to welcome you (back) to UFV for the semester, and introduce you to some awesome music that might get you pumped for learning about all the awesome cultural opportunities at CIVL, The Cascade, Athletics, Student Life, and more!

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L CON INSECURITIES IN BEING

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ELVIN BISHOP BIG FUN TRIO SOMETHING SMELLS FUNKY ‘ROUND HERE

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CIVL STATION MANAGER

PETRA GLYNT MY FLAG IS A BURNING RAG OF LOVE

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FRIGS BASIC BEHAVIOUR

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JENNIFER CASTLE ANGELS OF DEATH

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JEREMY DUTCHER WOLASTOQIYIK LINTUWAKONAWA

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DEB RHYMER BAND DON’T WAIT UP

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SHAD A SHORT STORY ABOUT WAR

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JEAN-MICHEL BLAIS DANS MA MAIN

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FOUNTAIN ACID BATH FROM THE JADED JUNGLE

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DONOVAN WOODS BOTH WAYS

A podcast just as goofy as it is educational

Eminem — “We Hate Trump”

Guess who’s back! He’s back again! But last time he was back, when you saw this video of him in a parking garage raging against our fearless leader to the South, I bet you went out and told a friend! In SOPHIE honour of his new release, here’s OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S Eminem’s best work.

UN-INSIDES Jeremy Dutcher — “Honor Song” CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON Jeremy Dutcher released this STONE WOMAN genre-defying, precedent-setting album this year, melding brilliant MITSKI classical and orchestral melodies BE THE COWBOY and songwriting with traditional Indigenous storytelling, songs, SUE FOLEY and drums. It’s a Polaris Prize THE ICE QUEEN shortlisted album this year, and I SUGAR BROWN highly recommend you check out IT’S A BLUES WORLD this song and more of this ground(CALLING ALL BLUES!) breaking Canadian release.

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Sawbones is wholesome fun, plus mercury

Saint Soldier — “Bushido Code” Inaugural Fraser Valley Music Awards hip-hop award winner, Saint Soldier, has a new album in the tank ready to go, but not available yet, while this excellent oneoff track is just the song to get you stoked about what’s coming next from the prince of Valley prose.

Word.

David Ivan Neil — “Fake Tinder” Wouldn’t it be funny to watch a music video where a guy coming literally straight out of a Terminator movie shoot goes on a date with a girl he meets on Tinder, and tries to learn about all the different things she may like based on other peoples’ Tinder accounts?!

MIKAELA COLLINS MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Have you ever wondered when the best time to put a piece of ginger up a horse’s butt is?

What about whether you (yes, you!) could give birth to a litter of actual rabbits?

Have you considered the injuries the robbers in Home Alone would have sustained if some studio exec hadn’t decided against showing a child kill, maim, and permanently disable people for mass entertainment?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you need to listen to Sawbones before curiosity gets the better of you and you do something really stupid. Did you know horses can kick sideways?

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine is a weekly podcast hosted by Dr. Sydnee Smirl McElroy and her husband, Justin. Listening to it is kind of like when your cool older cousin comes to visit with her husband who is double-jointed and will readily show you how he can bend his thumbs weird.

Each week, Dr. Sydnee chooses a topic related to medical history — typically a disease, a treatment, or a person — and presents her research to Justin and the audience. Her soft West Virginia accent and unpretentious, sympathetic attitude give listeners a warm welcome and are balanced by Justin, a comedian with no medical background.

He asks all the questions that are on the tip of your tongue and has no qualms about ripping into some ancient Romans for rubbing mercury all over themselves — or doing a French accent that made me laugh so hard I fell off the elliptical at the gym one time.

Sawbones’ earliest episodes focus on “classic” bizarre treatments like trepanation, the use of mercury, and bloodletting, but in recent months, the pair have addressed current health fads and controversies like the ketogenic diet, CBD oil, and GMOs. A thorough and enthusiastic researcher, Dr. Sydnee’s commentary is balanced, and even when she has to take some air out of their sails, she engag-

es with unscientific arguments in good faith without making duped listeners feel stupid.

While Sawbones has always been as educational as it has been entertaining, these more topical episodes really make it something important; Sydnee and Justin are committed to accessibility and Syd expertly splits the difference between simple language and medical terminology, explaining what she needs to, as much as she needs to. The podcast is also family friendly, with parental guidance warnings issued at the start of more risqué episodes. Sawbones gives listeners the information, context, and tools to identify the kinds of faulty logic which have persisted since Pliny (a medieval “doctor” whose cures and remedies included washing one’s teeth with goat’s milk) in the wild, wild west of Instagram teas and vagina steam treatments. There are also more personal episodes, such as “Our Mental Health Stories.”

Justin and his two brothers, Travis and Griffin McElroy, have turned podcasting into a family business since their flagship comedy advice podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me debuted in 2010. Since then, each of the brothers’ partners, their father Clint, and various other family members have all become a part of the McElroy podcast empire, which contains more than 20 podcasts and web series. MBMBAM has remained the nexus of the McElroy brand, and their D&D playcast The Adventure Zone has become extremely popular, having even been released as a graphic novel, but Sawbones has a homey charm, a frankness, and a goal that sets it apart. Sawbones is an educational and empowering comedy podcast with two loving and lovable hosts; whether you’re a seasoned McElroys fan or new to podcasts entirely, giving Justin and Dr. Sydnee a listen is a great way to spend your commute, your gym sesh, or your plain-old medically advised me-time.

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ARTS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Soundbites //

Hello Moth @ Carport Manor

Ba:zel @ Carport Manor

Hello Moth, from Calgary, played Abbotsford Friday night.

His art is a performance of looped keyboard synthesizer and vocals with heavy effects. The result is a theatrical electricopop, making Hello Moth a kind of avantgarde singer/songwriter, touching on religious and esoteric themes.

Moth’s music works as a study of the layers of a song interacting with one another in what creates a complex soundscape. Where the scream of a synth may be typified as video game music, Hello Moth’s compounding layers embolden

each track into a choir of loops.

Though Moth’s studio recordings stand on their own, well-composed, his performance demonstrates the craftsmanship required to build each song. Hello Moth masterfully loops snaps, croons, and mic taps — what you hear isn’t what you see, and yet his fingerprint is on all of it.

Hello Moth has two full-length albums. His most recent release, Nebula Songs, was released in Oct. 2017.

Joel Robertson-Taylor

Prague’s ba:zel dropped by Carport Manor last week and treated attendees to an ethereal electronic bonanza that toed the line between trance dance and a more contemplative, coo-heavy experience. The duo, whose output is sometimes energetic, sometimes lethargic, but never anxious, has been making music since 2014.

Their performance at Carport betrayed only that the chemistry between Daniel Vlček and Ewelina Ai-fen Chiu is such that, while both members focus on individual elements of the production (Dan-

iel on the synth and percussion, Ewelina on, surprisingly, flute, keyboards, and vocals), their work comes out as the product of one entity.

Listening to their latest singles, one understands that the project is as much an exercise in electronic music production as it is an exercise in comradery between the artists involved. Nowhere was this more evident than onstage at Carport, where Ewelina and Daniel performed more as if one than a duo.

Martin Castro

Netflix Review //

The many contradictions of Sense8 JEFF MIJO

OPINION EDITOR

After three years, a cancellation, a very loud fan campaign, and, ultimately, a revival, Netflix’s Sense8 came to an end this summer with one final, movie-length episode. Its story — of eight psychically-linked characters living across the world — ended the same way it started: as a shining beacon of contradiction.

It’s not that the plot is contradictory in itself — it’s a twisting, complicated, conspiracy-filled story, yes — but it’s internally consistent. The contradictions manifest throughout the show, and nowhere more strongly than in the tone. Sense8 tries to be two things at once: both a contemporary sci-fi story about shadowy organizations hunting not-quitehuman protagonists, and a more dramatic story, one grounded in the stories of those people’s ordinary lives. And those personal stories are (with perhaps one or

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two exceptions) fantastic and engaging.

When the show tries to explain the psychic links between characters, however, or wades into the history surrounding links like theirs, it gets bogged down in uninteresting and far-toocomplex details that don’t matter to the stories that actually engage the viewer. The show is at its strongest when telling the story of real people dealing with complicated, dramatic situations, as an invisible support network in their heads backs them up.

All attempts at building a larger overarching narrative are, while helpful in that they add a sense of progression and cohesion to the story, not actually, you know, interesting. See Orphan Black for another perfect example of this problem.

That said, not all contradictions are bad, by any means. The way Sense8 juggles tone is masterful to watch: the show can reach some very dark, very real places, can

burst with joy, can turn into fullon comedy, and can be a cheesy soap opera, a brutal revenge story, and a techy spy thriller all in one episode, and shift seamlessly back and forth between them.

Each of the eight characters are strong in their own right, and most could carry a full movie of their own (though a few, most notably German safe-cracker Wolfgang, do fall behind).

The Netflix format also works dramatically in Sense8’s favour.

Like most of their shows, it’s a slow burn, ramping up the tension as episodes go by after a slow start. While there are peaks and valleys of interest, with so many storylines running side by side it’s hard to find an episode where there won’t be at least something of interest for most viewers.

When it reaches its finale, the first half of the lengthy final episode does drag, but the show does an admirable job of tying up loose ends that were meant to last for two more seasons — the big mys-

teries are solved, the big choices are made, and while some characters’ personal storylines are left unfinished, they are in a calm enough place that viewers can assume a satisfying ending without having been shown it.

One element of Sense8 that needs to be discussed reaches beyond the show itself; the show has been divisive amongst viewers for being diverse in its cast and story. Some have criticized the show as pandering, especially towards LGBTQ+ audiences, but those arguments don’t hold much weight when looking at the show as a whole. Sense8 is a series about connection, love, and bringing people together. Both the main eight characters and the extended cast around them are supportive of each other, and there’s never a hint of betrayal from any character we’re meant to like (which is unusual for this genre). It’s ultimately a message of unity, of coming together despite any superficial differences

to serve a common goal of making the world a place that everybody can live in and be themselves in. And really, how could you tell a story and make that point with a cast as homogenous as a more typical sci-fi shows’?

Ultimately, Sense8 is far from perfect, and is sometimes sloppy and confusing, but it’s a show that keeps you engaged, and draws the emotions it’s aiming for without coming across as manipulative. Watching it through for the first time as a full package, without the need to wait between seasons, it works as a cohesive whole far better than a show cut so short has any right to. In fact, it feels like, given two more seasons, the show could have dragged on and gone too far down the deep end of sci-fi backstory. Maybe getting cancelled and then revived for one last hurrah was the best thing for Sense8.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Album Review //

Mathew Lee Cothran’s latest release emphasizes the act of feeling

More widely known as one half of Elvis Depressedly with ARTS EDITOR Delaney Mills, Cothran had, I was, admittedly, late to the until last year, been releasing game. The game being, in this in- solo material as Coma Cinema. stance, the maze of music at the Most of this material was eicentre of which South Carolina ther folk-tinged bedroom pop musician Mathew Lee Cothran or more straightforward rock has made his home for the past which directly contrasted Elvis Depressedly’s shoegaze and folk nine or so years. balancing act.

MARTIN CASTRO

My First Love Mends My Final Days, Cothran’s latest release, veers significantly from its direct predecessors, 2017’s Loss Memory (as Coma Cinema) and Judas Hung Himself in America, both of which were dotted with simple, irresistible melodies delivered somewhat dejectedly, as if in spite of themselves.

My First Love, instead, revels in a watery blend of feedback, echoes, and reverb, through which Cothran channels most of what makes his other projects so compelling: an immediately downcast demeanor under which lurks a musician whose practice at this point is so well-refined, that the bittersweet melody of, for example, “Purple Mountain,” could very well have been exploited in the interest of a more accessible project. Instead, what we get are a series of songs that rely on melody and hook-based choruses to the same extent that modern pop does, but are set

apart by confessional narratives that are given the same amount of space as the melody and harmony. This is to say, every element on the record is made to intermingle, so that while “First Love” is, lyrically, a eulogy of sorts directed at Cothran’s youth, it wavers between downcast and hopeful, and the melody Cothran sings is neither more nor less prominent than the instrumental cocoon around/beside it.

At the very least, decisions like this are indicative of the fact that Cothran understands and exploits the relationship between voice and instrument — or, rather, that he consistently opts for a relationship wherein voice is an instrument, and is used in harmony with the rest of the elements on any one track. This, coupled with songs that are each melodically distinct, but thematically (insofar as composition and lyricism are concerned) consistent, makes for a project that re-

veals itself continuously to the listener.

And in spite of its slow tempos and soft-spokenness, the eight songs on the record, when listened to either idly or intently, perform the same function that top 40 pop demands of its proponents: intoxication, or a kind of infiltration of the mind, wherein a Trojan horse, musical as opposed to wooden, is given leave to enter the city, and having done so, dispatches its clandestine passengers at the most trivial of times, upon which they busy themselves not with sabotage, but with the successful advertisement and enforcement of a single, overwhelmingly powerful command: whoever you are, whatever you’re doing, remember to feel.

COMBINE ACADEMICS WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME

INFO SESSIONS Sept. 18th 6:00pm—7pm S3103 SUB Building Sept. 19th 10:00am—11:00am S3103 SUB Building Sept. 19th 1:45pm—2:45pm 2416 Chilliwack

Cascades Rowing Club is looking for male and female UFV students who enjoy a challenge, value teamwork and working hard to achieve goals. The annual Learn to Row Program is running from Sept. 24th to Nov. 14th.

Attend an Info Session to learn more!

UFVRowing

Have any questions? Can’t attend an info session? Contact: cascades. rowing.club@gmail.com

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The Cascade is hosting an event!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Here are all of the details that you need

it’s gna b a blast, it’s gna b a total blast, yr gunna have a blast.

Also it’s on Wednesday September,12th CIVL is going to be there playin’ tunes There’ll be lots of food, refreshments, and a big bouncy obstacle course that’s called:

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