The Cascade Vol. 23 No. 15

Vol. 23 Issue 15

“

May 20, 2015 to June 3, 2015

Food

No employees eaten by velociraptors since 1993

is the new

Oil

p. 10-11

”

A SAFE PLACE TO BE Newly announced Equalities Resource Centre will offer support for marginalized students

p.4

TELLING 110 STORIES Play about September 11 attacks preserves stories of trauma and grief

p.14

THE MAD AND THE FURIOUS How do two movies about car chases stack up in terms of filmmaking?

ufvcascade.ca

p.16

2

NEWS 4

Opinion

7

Culture

13

Arts in Review

17

Superhero roundtable: Part I, Phase I

Sports & Health

19

More than just a pretty face (and voice)

Briefs

CHILLIWACK — After several protests and discussions at City Hall, Aevitas Inc., the company that was planning to develop a waste plant near the Vedder River, pulled out at the beginning of May. The company’s reasoning was that “multiple hurdles” prevented them from developing. The plant was meant to recycle mercury and other metals, but protesters argued that the toxic waste the plant would produce from this process would pollute the Vedder River. Since the cancellation, the City of Chillwack has said that there is still a need for the city to have a recycling facility for those materials in the future.

—The Chilliwack Progress

City seeks public input on McCallum Rd. development ABBOTSFORD - The City of Abbotsford has received a proposal to build a commercial shopping centre on the corner of McCallum and Hwy 1. The complex would have a large parking lot with a large outdoor sporting goods store as the focal point. Designed similarly to areas around HighStreet or West Oaks, some community members argue that another similar development would contradict the city plans for a more “liveable” and “complete” community, such as the U-District. The City of Abbotsford is holding a public hearing on May 25. The Cascade will continue to cover this story in the coming weeks.

—The Abbotsford News

UFV tuition raises reflected on Fall 2015 timetable ABBOTSFORD - UFV has raised tuition by two per cent on all for-credit courses and has added tuition to Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. From 2014, tuition for 100-level or higher courses has been raised by $2.95 per credit. Classes like three-credit ENGL 105 now cost $451.05, an increase from $442.20 last year. Four-credit courses are now $601.40, following the two per cent increase limit set by the provincial government. This winter, the BC government also allowed post-secondary institutions to add tuition to ABE courses. At UFV, these now cost $127.77 per credit, whereas last year the average ABE course cost $22 as a whole.

Another significant increase in tuition has occurred with the UFV Theatre mainstage shows. Last year, the fourcredit THEA 399 Birdsong production cost $589.60. For Fall 2015, The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts will now cost participants $1202.80 — the cost of eight credits for a four-credit course.

Have a news tip?

Let us know! news@ufvcascade.ca @CascadeNews

www.ufvcascade.ca

SUS dismisses three paid student positions

News

News

Controversial Chilliwack waste plant cancelled

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

Two weeks ago, the Student Union Society (SUS) laid off one student and fired two representatives without notice through an email. Megan Lambert has more.

Taking out the trash is just the beginning Communities could benefit from approaching spring cleaning in a new way, suggests Katie Stobbart.

Cookies, ice cream, and intercultural inquiry The Global Lounge is hosting ice cream socials every Tuesday, featuring a student discussion on various topics of a cross-cultural nature. This week’s topic addressed childhood games and how we grow from play.

Valerie Franklin, Alex Rake, and Mitch Huttema discuss Daredevil, the latest comics-are-everywhere adaptation to reach a screen.

Megan Lambert chats up CIVL Radio’s station manager Aaron Levy about his experience with baseball — and beer.

The Cascade’s guide to smoking KODIE CHERRILLE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

It was early August 2013, and I thought I had failed as a writer.

I was taking a writing course at the time, and it was the night before the due date of the final project. We were given a lot of leeway for our projects, and mine was ambitious — especially because I had hardly started the thing.

I had one night to do it, but I had a plan: I was going to take up smoking.

I figured the nicotine would keep me awake and alert, and I’d have the whole night to work on my project. That must be why the image of a brooding, cigaretteconsuming writer is so ubiquitous.

So I bought some smokes, and started getting to work at home, out in rural Mission. A little bit past midnight: okay, time to smoke.

I went outside, and because I live with my parents, I walked up my driveway to avoid being caught. I paced between my house and my neighbour’s, and took my first drag. I felt terrible: my lungs started to burn, and I got a headache. A distant summer storm flickered with lightning, and I was sure there was something rustling in the bushes. Why am I out here?

At that time, I wondered Volume 23 · Issue 15 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

Image: Joan M. Mas / Flickr

whether I even enjoyed writing anymore. I’d drive to UFV, go to class, and go home. I would put off the homework.

I grumpily stomped out the cigarette, went inside, and trudged through the project. The next day, I gave away the rest of the pack.

I passed the course, but I wasn’t happy at all with what I handed in. It’s terrifying when you go to university with a passion for something, just to have that initial drive dwindle with nothing to replace it. I needed grounding; brooding with a cigarette didn’t

provide grounding.

When a classmate, Valerie Franklin, convinced me to write something for the paper, the spark began to return. I wrote some more — it was immediately rewarding to write about something relevant to university life.

When I was hired as copy editor, I found a staff so supportive and close-knit that they became more like family than coworkers.

I was addicted to being around so many talented, friendly, and creative people; sometimes I had no reason to be out here, but I would

News Editor megan@ufvcascade.ca Megan Lambert

Webmaster michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular

Opinion Editor alex@ufvcascade.ca Alex Rake

Production Assistant eugene@ufvcascade.ca Eugene Kulaga

Culture Editor nadine@ufvcascade.ca Nadine Moedt

Advertising Representative jennifer@ufvcascade.ca Jennifer Trithardt-Tufts

Business Manager joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson

Arts in Review Editor michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular

Staff Writer jeffrey@ufvcascade.ca Jeffrey Trainor

Production and Design Editor anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi

Sports Editor vanessa@ufvcascade.ca Vanessa Broadbent

Contributor Jasmin Chahal

Copy Editor katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart

Video Editor mitch@ufvcascade.ca Mitch Huttema

Editor-in-Chief kodie@ufvcascade.ca Kodie Cherrille Managing Editor valerie@ufvcascade.ca Valerie Franklin

Illustrations and Comics Dessa Bayrock and Kenichi Kajiyama Cover: Anthony Biondi

simply drive from Mission to the office in Abbotsford just so I could see everyone.

I got addicted to The Cascade, and now it has consumed my life. The editor-in-chief position requires you to eat, sleep, and breathe this newspaper. (“Congratulations on selling your soul,” said one keen editor.)

And while I am excited to guide The Cascade for the next year, I am also nervous to follow the act of Katie Stobbart, who has been editor-in-chief for the last year. I have heard countless times how this newspaper has continued to get better and better, and there is no way that could have happened without someone as brilliant and daring at the helm as Katie.

At the same time that I feel nervous, I know that I have rediscovered a motivation that was lost somewhere — one that I can direct towards The Cascade, towards facilitating growth and greatness from students. There are so many skills, connections, and achievements from the paper that I would not have acquired in the classroom, and I want to give people the chance to make the paper mean something to them the way that chance was given to me.

And when I’m jonesing for something a little more, I need little more reason than “this paper is a part of me” to come to the office.

I know exactly why I’m here.

Printed By International Web exPress The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of over 50 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature.

Submissions are preferred in electronic format through e-mail. Please send submissions in “.txt” or “.doc” format only.

Articles and letters to the editor must be typed.

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. The writer’s name and student number must be submitted with each submission. Letters to the editor must be under 250 words if intended for print. Only one letter to the editor per writer in any given edition.

Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, Cascade staff and collective, or associated members.

3

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Four motions headed to Senate in response to Writing Centre-Academic Success Centre change Report concludes with “significant concerns” about student writing support MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE / PHOTO

Following a review of documents requested from UFV administration about the Writing Centre to Academic Success Centre changeover, the Academic Planning and Priorities Committee (APPC) is sending four motions to Senate.

Before those motions were discussed, acting APPC chair Peter Geller suggested separating the meeting into an in-camera session, which would have restricted any public attendance, minutes, and outside discussion by committee members. Three members, including geography professor Michelle Rhodes, provided reasons against this move.

“I do think it’s important that this remain an open dialogue, because there were decisions made that were not open and this is the continuation of the fallout of that, so I don’t think it lends itself to a sense of trust in the process,” Rhodes said. “I have huge issues putting the whole thing incamera.” Geller’s reasoning was based on the potential disclosure of employment decisions and salary information connected to individuals. During the 100 minutes of discussion that followed, this subject did not come up.

The first motion recommends that Senate accept the APPC’s report, compiled and written by a subcommittee that included Geller, Rhodes, and English pro-

fessor Melissa Walter, who each spoke about the purpose of what the APPC is now doing.

“We are stuck in a position right now where the old Writing Centre has been disbanded, and the Academic Success Centre (ASC), they’ve already started hiring tutors,” Rhodes said. “The process of review has unfortunately not been connected to the process of actual change on the ground.”

The APPC’s report is the first formal step to address what many in the university community identified as a lack of consultation before the announcement in February of an Academic Success Centre replacing the Writing Centre.

Program development co-ordinator Sylvie Murray was also part of the subcommittee, and said even with this effort, there is still a considerable distance between the work the committee was able to do, and the work it could have done — had it been involved sooner.

“We shouldn’t be spending [months] reacting to decisions,” Murray said, adding that the information made available was still inadequate, in some respects. “[The subcommittee] had no assessment of the Writing Centre that allowed us to speak in an informed way on whether or not it should have continued in that format.”

Following directions from the Board of Governors and Senate, the APPC’s report discusses the service change in relation to UFV’s Education Plan and Strategic Enrollment Plan, while also discussing the structural differences between the two centres.

Its conclusion was made into another motion, intended to emphasize the findings of the subcommittee when it is presented before Senate.

“Taken individually,” it reads, “the goals of each model could be deemed consistent with the Education and [Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM)] plans, and the Writing Centre has shown a

capacity in the past to contribute to student success. However, there are significant concerns about the ASC implementation and feasibility, and about its ability to provide writing support of equal quality. Writing is key to the student success sought in the Education Plan and the SEM plan. Any model that seeks to maintain the integrity of writing support at UFV needs to incorporate the expertise of those in the field, and should be appropriately budgeted.”

While the APPC debated the wordings of each motion and the effectiveness they might have, members recognized that it is Senate and then the Board of Governors who will take this information and reject them, revise them further, or accept and plan specific responses to them.

Therefore, the committee’s two other motions recommend two potential courses of action in response to the academic changes that have already taken place.

To prevent the recurrence of decisions made, intentionally or not, without the consultation university governance policy requires, the APPC “recommends that Senate and Board develop mechanisms and criteria used to determine jurisdiction of, and processes for, review of academic support services and units.”

Gerry Palmer, who is also the Senate vice-chair, said that beyond the ambiguities in policy

language, there needs to be better, earlier communication from the people making decisions at UFV. “Somebody should have asked a question at an early stage — we need an early warning system, otherwise this is just the first of many,” he said. “Those people who forward things on, like administrators, need to have a clear understanding: If there’s a question, ask, here’s the mechanism.

And then we won’t be in this position again.”

Finally, in response to how the Academic Success Centre is described as a service that is curriculum, rather than skill-based, the APPC “recommends that a process be developed for initial (a year from now) and ongoing evaluation for the Academic Success Centre, specifically including the quality of writing support provided by the Academic Success Centre.”

Multiple faculty members present at the meeting agreed that without the Writing Centre, course syllabi and planning will likely be affected adversely. How much that effect reaches students would, potentially, be tracked by the “process” suggested in this motion.

These motions will now go before Senate at its June 5 meeting, with the last Board of Governors meeting of the academic year following two weeks later, on June 19.

UFV campus used as set for TV movie MEGAN LAMBERT

THE CASCADE / PHOTOS

Two weeks ago, the film company Holy Road Productions rolled in trucks, lighting, and camera equipment to film a TV movie called Ungodly Acts at UFV. On the weekend of May 8 to 12, the crew set up in The Cascade office, Baker House, the library, and various rooms in D building. Written by Paul Ziller and directed by Carl Bessai, the show was recently wrapped and is about to begin post-production.

4

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Three SUS staff dismissed suddenly over email One laid off, two terminated without notice; more facilities staff positions opening for Fall 2015 MEGAN LAMBERT THE CASCADE

On April 28, the Student Union Society (SUS) laid off one permanent staff position and terminated two student officer positions by email.

The facilities director position was in charge of handling all things Student Union Building (SUB), from contracts to ordering furniture. Previous office administrator and long-time SUS employee Megan Zacharias took on the position, but was laid off shortly after moving into her new office space in the SUB. According to an anonymous

source, the layoff is due to a major deficit in the SUS budget. However, President Thomas Davies says more facilities staff positions will open for Fall 2015.

“There will be additional student staff hired to help with the facilities in general. Much like front desk [staff], our facilities team will have positions posted at some point over the summer,” he says, calling it “just a sort of a re-organization.”

When approached for a statement regarding the facilities director layoff, Davies said he would not comment on HR-related items.

SUS does not have a specific fir-

ing, termination, or layoff policy — but Davies says SUS abides by all provincial legislation, which would include the BC Employment Standards Act and the BC Societies Act. The advocacy officer and engagement officer, who both worked under VP external Sukhi Brar, were notified of their termination by SUS executives via email the same day of their termination. According to one officer, Alex*, they were let go because of a change in their availability. The original agreement stated the officers had to be available for up to 20 hours per week; Alex says whether this meant time spent in

the office or working in general was unclear.

“It was implied — if not directly stated — that we could work from wherever we wanted to work, as long as we were getting our stuff done,” Alex says.

According to Alex, there was no communication between the officers and SUS about their availability being problematic. However, SUS was acting within their rights to terminate an employee without notice in their threemonth probationary period.

Alex says even so, they would have preferred to have met in person: “If they had a conversation with me — totally different

story.”

As for the deficit, Davies did not confirm that the layoff is due to a loss in the SUS operating budget. He says if there were changes in finances, it would fall to VP internal Ricky Coppola to revise the budget.

“As for the information right now, we don’t have a comment.

When there is information available, you can expect that at a board meeting,” Davies says.

The next SUS Board of Directors meeting will be held next Thursday, May 28.

Name changed to protect anonymity of the source.

Equalities Resource Centre gets the green light New student service to have home in the SUB, although funding is still unclear KODIE CHERRILLE KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

The Student Union Society (SUS) is making space in the Student Union Building (SUB) for an Equalities Resource Centre (ERC) after being approached by a number of student groups and associations, individual students, and some faculty members.

The space for the centre on the third floor of the SUB was initially planned to be a study room.

But when students from the UFV Pride Collective and Women’s Initiative presented an open letter arguing for the necessity of the ERC at the March 15 SUS general meeting, SUS began to seriously consider finding a space for it, a month before the SUB was set to open.

On April 13, SUS posted a press release on its website announcing that the ERC will indeed come to fruition. The release also explains that the space opens up opportunities for a potential partnership with UFV VP students Jody Gordon for additional programs or services.

SUS has also formed an Equalities Committee, consisting of seven representatives from the student groups that were most involved in getting the project off the ground. The committee was formed with the intention of ironing out what the ERC and its services to UFV students will look like.

SUS has also appointed equalities officer Sunny Kim to guide the committee. However, VP ex-

ternal Sukhi Brar stresses that the decision-making process will be in the hands of the committee, not SUS. “Since it was something brought to us by students, we’re letting students figure out what to do with it,” says Brar.

The initial push for the centre was brought forward by UFV Pride coordinator Kyle Stamm, who says the idea first came from a friend attending Simon Fraser University. SFU has a similar centre adjacent to their Women’s Centre called Out on Campus, a volunteer-run lounge area with a resource library. After seeing their example, Stamm saw the need for it at UFV, as purportedly one of the only universities in Canada lacking a space that caters specifically to marginalized students.

“People don’t know what they’re missing,” Stamm explains, noting that UFV’s character as a diverse and accepting institution does not negate the need for the centre.

“For the sake of argument we’ll say, ‘Okay, fine — this is an accepting institution.’ But that doesn’t mean we’re free from those big overarching systemic oppressions … systemic sexism, homophobia, racism, those things. People are coming to campus and bringing those things with them.”

Specific services that will be offered at the centre have yet to be determined, but Stamm imagines it will boil down to two things: the physical space itself as a centre for community, and the function of disseminating informa-

SUS’s VP Cuddles has alone time in the ERC, on the third floor of the SUB. tion and providing resources.

“Between the actual physical resources and being able to build communities and have those social connections — that’s where I think the strength of it comes from, is being able to merge those two things together,” he says.

Ultimately, Stamm hopes the ERC would be the place where students could go in addition to other initiatives like the Peer Support Centre, which will be situated on the first floor of the SUB, and the Positive Space campaign headed by Jody Gordon, the goal of which is to offer training for staff and faculty.

“The Positive Space campaign is good but … just like the Peer Support Centre, it’s rather limited

in its scope,” Stamm says. “The Peer Support Centre is this general idea of peer mentorship and leadership training with a referral to other students. The Positive Space training is this general idea of awareness around issues facing the queer community. But … they both fall short in the category of actually physically doing something.”

The idea, then, is to complete the triad with a physical space to refer students to.

However, funding the ERC may be an issue. Brar explains that SUS had not expected students to come forward with the proposal for an ERC, so no budget was set aside for it.

“For a study space, we wouldn’t

Image: Megan Lambert

have needed a whole lot of money — we’d just buy the furniture, people would use the space, and maybe there would be repairs,” Brar observes. “It might be a bit of a challenge, but we’re going to find a way.

“We’ve taken the funding for that would be for the study space furniture, and now we’re putting that towards the ERC, in terms of shelving and such,” she continues.

So while the ERC’s services and funding have yet to be set in stone, we do know that there will be a space for it.

The ERC is tentatively set to open this fall.

5

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Prof Talk

Thirty-seven years of drama

Retiring English professor Virginia Cooke on student discovery in writing and poetry over her career at UFV MICHAEL SCOULAR

15 years later who say, “I still go to plays,” or, “I still remember that assignment you gave us.” So I think they are still as receptive, but they probably read less.

THE CASCADE

Prof Talk is The Cascade’s oral history series, featuring the people best qualified to talk about what UFV has been like over the course of its first few decades: its professors. Each week we’ll interview a professor from a different department, asking them what UFV was like before it was UFV, and how they expect things will continue to change here.

Virginia Cooke is a retiring English professor with a Ph.D. in English from Queen’s University. Her focus is on drama and poetry. Cooke was on the hiring committee for the UFV theatre department and was instrumental in its inception. She directed a theatre performance before the theatre department existed that starring Alan Davis, who is now the president of Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). Cooke has won various awards, having developed curriculum for faculty and students alike.

What brought you to UFV? I was teaching for a short time at Queen’s and the University of Toronto and they were replacement positions — they weren’t full-time jobs — and I had a new baby, and my family were on the West Coast. So I started looking around at what kinds of permanent jobs there were on the West Coast. There were two or three, all within colleges, and so I applied and got a phone interview and then came out. This appealed to me more than the other jobs, but I think I thought it would be a short stay. And that was 37 years ago.

Was it the place that kept you here?

Partly it was because I had a family to start worrying about. It was so intense back then — back then we had to teach eight courses, very heavy. We had to do a lot of writing, so I did some research and became an expert in writing because my primary field was in literature.

There were a lot of things that were appealing: it was a young, growing place, there were lots of vibrant people. The students were sometimes needy, but sometimes in the earlier days there were a lot of older students who never had the chance to take university courses because of where they lived. The college was relatively new; I certainly wasn’t there in the beginning, but in the first five or six years. There were these amazing older students who were

Image: University of the Fraser Valley / Flickr

Virgina Cooke has created courses and led new projects in drama, fiction, and poetry at UFV since its early years. Now, she is retiring. full of ideas who wanted to try out education. They were obviously so smart; they would have just sailed through university in their younger days if they had had a chance to do it. There was always a fair amount interesting going on.

Still, I had my own research to do and there wasn’t time for that.

There were summers I remember trying to write a book. But there was also a lot of room for projects.

There was one point at which I spent a semester writing and making recommendations to our department, and revamped how we did that. They just let me do that because you need time during the semester to do that. There would be other tasks that would come up, so my job was continually changing depending on what I was interested in.

The courses you’re teaching now, do they differ from the courses you started out teaching?

I’m most passionate about teaching drama, although I really like teaching poetry. I’m most skilled at teaching the novel. I didn’t dislike teaching reading. I’m not a specialist in rhetorical theory, although I have taught a course in rhetorical theory that was

twinned with a practicum in the Writing Centre, and that feeding from rhetorical theory. I would supervise working there in the Writing Centre. I’ve developed a huge number of Arts courses that have since died down, but in the early days — not that there weren’t people here already doing that, but I think both Canadian Drama and various special topics. I just taught a course entitled “Inventing Ireland,” and of course that included drama and poetry and novels. So there’s a lot of stuff I like.

Has students’ perception of drama or poetry changed over time?

Or has it stayed the same?

It’s different. But unlike some people who whine and cry, I don’t think it’s worse. It’s different. They probably don’t read as much, the first-year students.

By the way, one of my favourite courses is English 103. I love introducing students to the field of dramatic writing. I’ve found that many of the students haven’t seen the “why” of theatre. I used to arrange for buses to take them, but it’s gotten too expensive. They now have to take themselves to write a live performance review.

It’s like opening up a whole world to people, and I meet people 10 or

Have you had to adapt your teaching method or style to adapt to that?

I’ve changed my teaching style.

Like most people who came out of the background with a Queen’s doctorate, I started out doing a lot of lecturing. Some of my classes are far more interactive now. I do use media, but not cleverly.

I’ve developed a teaching philosophy statement, and one of the things I’ve learned over the course of many years of teaching is to try and become invisible because I don’t want to be standing between the students. My aim is to skillfully project their attention to the material and to facilitate understanding. The other thing is, I’m a little less intentionally witty and fast on the draw, because I want the students to feel safe. I don’t want them to feel like I can get them with a quick retort. I never meant to aim anything at them anyway, but I want them to feel safe.

Are there and colleagues or students who have been influential in terms of how you teach, how you think, that sort of thing?

This would be easier if I weren’t looking at 37 years.

Maybe in the last 10 years?

I’ve just been engaged in a teaching excellence project where I’ve been interviewing the last 14 years’ worth of teaching excellence awards. How I wish I had interviewed them 20 years ago and learned from them. They all tend to say the same things.

I’ve learned from students, it’s hard to identify particular ones although I have had some very good ones. I’ve learned from students never to underestimate how hard they’re working. It’s very easy to write on a student’s paper, “Well, you obviously didn’t put any effort into this.

I’ve spent more time on this than you have.” It may not be true at all; many students would spend hours on it. I’ve learned from struggling students, and then there have been a couple when I’ve directed — Kim Warden was one of the students I directed. I learned from her — so bright — how to keep students from going down rabbit holes. Not suggesting too many things, if it’s a really bright student they’ll take off with it.

You mentioned you did some time as a dean. I guess that means no teaching, then?

Well, I did try to teach. The first year I thought I would try to teach one course, but it was too hard to juggle. After that, no teaching. I was in administration for six years, and then when it came time to renew the term I felt it just wasn’t quite right for me.

Did you see a completely different side of the university, then?

I already knew that side. I had been doing all kinds of administrative work. Part of what was very gratifying was to help students who had problems solve them, other than from a faculty point of view.

What about UFV’s place within the broader geography, Fraser Valley, or community, as it’s gone from UCFV to UFV? The minute that they brought in the third and fourth year, people were able to complete their degrees. We had a really good reputation as a college. Our transfer students did very well, but when you have a full four years, you have different faculty. It’s a more interesting job. There’s a great satisfaction watching students develop, seeing how far they’ve come at the end of four years.

A lot of students came with the idea that they would do one or two years and then transfer, but our transfer rates were actually very low. That meant people were completing their degrees here and then moving on. I think changing the university college designation meant that students felt less conflicted about staying.

Just that change of name gave it a more accurate reputation within the Valley.

As a professor, did that change the way you interacted within the university community at all?

I think size does that. We used to be a very close-knit group of, when I came here, 40 or 50 faculty. It’s more layered, it’s more bureaucratic, but I don’t know how else you would run such a large institution. It doesn’t feel as cozy — it doesn’t feel as friendly. On the other hand, there are nice colleagues. I still get a pretty good feeling from students.

With files from Megan Lambert.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

6

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Call me ... maybe?

Soft opening of Student Union Building comes with minor logistical challenges, like spotty reception

pt i on rec e Ce ll

es vic ser nt de Stu

Fo o

ds er v ice s

The third floor houses the Career Centre and soon-to-be Academic Advising. General advising, Arts Advice, and Science Advice are moving on May 19 and 20 to the same block of offices in the SUB, but advisors in specific departments like Criminology will be staying in their respective areas.

Planning for fall Furniture is trickling in to furnish the SUB this summer, but is backordered until August.

For the finishing touches, Davies notes there will be music playing in the SUB. “There will be general background music in the building playing shortly. We don’t know exactly when yet,” he says.

The Monday to Friday building hours have increased from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. as of last week.

“Because the building isn’t 100 per cent operational yet, it’s under reduced hours because people aren’t in the building 24 / 7,” Davies says.

SUS is planning for Weeks of Welcome in the fall, and a grand opening of the building while the majority of students are returning to begin the academic year.

s ace sp

Three areas in the SUB are dedicated to food. The Canoe restaurant on the second floor has the main dining area, but it also breaks off into a separate alcove for students to order to-go sandwiches and other prepared food items. On the first floor, the blue gated area will be a coffee shop run by SUS. President Thomas Davies says the café is trying for fair trade and organic coffee, with other to-go food items like the what you see at a Tim Hortons or Starbucks.

Across the atrium, the orange kitchen area is a cooking space shared between Student Life and Aboriginal Access, but is not meant for food services for students. This differs from U-House, where it was common for students to host pancake breakfasts or spontaneously bake cookies.

le ab

The SUB has two reserved spaces for clubs and associations that applied for them before May 1. The spaces will house roughly four clubs or associations a week, all of which will occupy different time slots in the designated areas. Davies notes that students will also have space in two board rooms down the hall of the first floor, and other spaces, like the corner on the third floor or the student lounge on the second floor, for informal meetings or discussions.

For booking spaces, Davies says SUS will have hired facilities staff by September and will have installed an online booking form.

“Our statement is there will be a response — it might be a confirmation, it might have to be a follow-up for information, but a response of some sort within 48 hours,” he says. He notes that the online system is separate from UFV and will be managed by SUS staff.

There is a guide posted on the SUS website with details regarding fees for booking spaces for those who are not a part of a club or association.

There are 10 lockers on the first floor available to clubs and associations, and the rest can be rented out to students for a fee that is yet to be determined.

ok

The Student Union Building (SUB) opened in April 2015 and has since been moving in organizations like Student Life, the Career Centre, the Student Union Society (SUS) offices, CIVL Radio, and The Cascade, with more services on the way. The Canoe, the renamed SUS restaurant, as well as other food services, Aboriginal Access, and Academic Advising are continuing to settle into the new building over the summer in time for the official opening in Fall 2015.

Bo

MEGAN LAMBERT THE CASCADE

Depending on your cell phone carrier, cell reception in the SUB can be intermittent.

Because it’s a concrete building in a less developed area of Abbotsford, service is comparable to the gym or parts of A and D buildings. Davies says SUS has no control over this, but has contacted various cell phone service providers to encourage them to improve service.

“We recognize that people are on their phones a lot,” he says. “It seems a bit intermittent. I understand it’s a bit of an annoyance; unfortunately, we can’t do too much about it directly.”

As for wi-fi, as of May 11, the SUB has access to all four UFV networks.

With files from Michael Scoular

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

It’s time to take spring cleaning to the curb KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

The winter semester ends with the squirmy recognition of how long it’s been since I cleaned anything.

My couch is no longer a couch but a nest formed by the accoutrements of final paper writing: mugs and glasses, fading pens, and stacks of overdue library books. So the brighter, longer days of spring’s sudden onset bring the undeniable impulse to clean. And, since the end of a semester often heralds changes — whether a new job, no job, or just a new set of classes — it’s also a time to evaluate what stuff needs to stay, and what must go.

This impulse isn’t limited to students; one of the by-products of living in a society with so much stuff is that it all tends to accumulate. There are the freebies, the items your parents offloaded to you when they went through their stuff, stuff you thought you needed or wanted and never used, stuff people gave you for your birthday or Christmas that you didn’t know what to do with: all this stuff stuffed in your closet, gathering life-force like the monster you were terrified of as a child, breathing heavily behind the doors, waiting to emerge and suffocate you in your sleep.

So there’s got to be a time, a place, and a means to get rid of all this stuff. Spring cleaning is a practice that goes way back and

Image: Kenichi Kajiyama

Mission’s Spring Clean-up Week sees used treasures being offered for free; Abbotsford could do the same. is often associated with times of beginning and new growth. In some traditions it marks the start of a new year; just as we resolve to make internal improvements, we make the space to be better

people. It’s not just a matter of reorganizing cupboards or cleaning oft-neglected areas. It’s an opportunity to reassess which material objects deserve a place in your life, to downsize, and

to unclutter. But the problem arises: how do we dispose of the old without being irresponsibly wasteful?

Mission takes it to the curb.

Every year they hold Spring

Clean-up Week (this year it was May 4 to 8) during which households can put out additional waste on collection days as well as kicking other items to the curb like small pieces of furniture or appliances, and other random bits of basement detritus. During the week, people keep an eye out for free curbside treasures which may find new life in their homes, thereby reducing the amount of waste that goes unnecessarily to landfills. Manageable, contained items left behind are either recycled or disposed of appropriately by the City.

This strikes me as a better way to deal with spring cleaning than posting that old end table on Craigslist or taking items that no one wants to the dump. There are donation bins for clothes and books, and some items can be taken to second-hand stores, but, right or wrong, many consider it to be too much effort when they have a lot of items they want to disappear. Much of what accumulates at city dumps could be fixed or repurposed. So the main benefit of Spring Clean-up Week is that it takes a lot of the hassle out of discarding no-longerwelcome stuff, within reason.

There are limits and rules, but overall the practice is responsive to city-dwellers’ needs to clean up and improve their living spaces. It’s a practice other cities, like Abbotsford, should strongly consider.

A humble response to Repp Porter’s journalistic incompetence SCOT PROTTER THE CASCADE

The Cascade is not my favourite paper, but it’s my favourite paper to write for. I know at least that students actually read it and my words don’t just spill out into the atmosphere, forgotten and insignificant.

However, there is one issue I think we should address as soon as possible: Repp Porter’s journalistic integrity. Certainly, he tries his damned best, but he’s just rotten at his job. Take his last article for example, the one about Bill C-51. I count seven major mistakes. That, of course, is seven too many (have you ever seen a real calculation like that in one of his articles?).

1. In his article, Repp Porter is spelled “Rep Porter.” Everyone knows Rep Porter is a famous poker player, not a wannabe journalist. How does someone who proclaims to hold truth above all

Image: Jack Zalium / Flickr

else spell his own name wrong?

Perhaps even “Repp” is not his real name. Perhaps he has been hired under false pretenses.

This is why we need Bill C-51: to expose journalists as the liars they are.

2. Uh, how about this misquote?

Bill C-51 “slated to be the funnest bill since Bill Murray.” Yeah, right. Obviously I never said

that. I hate Bill Murray’s humour.

If being a deadpan asshole was funny, where’s my Laffy Award?

Is that even a thing? I don’t know.

I hate awards shows and I hate jokes that aren’t at the expense of terrorist sympathizers like young Mr. Porter.

3. Has nobody else noticed that Mr. Porter is always published in the opinion section? His news

aim is so bad he submits to the wrong section every time he writes! And that terrorist sympathizer of an opinion editor Alex Rake lets him in like my roof lets in the rain. Nobody has come to fix it. The roofers always hang up on me when I bring up Bill C-51, our only defense against shoddy journalism.

4. Bill C-51 passed Commons!

Mr. Porter fails to recognize this in his article. Sure, it was published before it happened, but if he had a shred of journalistic integrity he would have published it as if it were already true. Am I the only one who understands morality and destiny?

6. One of the most hurtful mistakes that Mr. Porter made is that he did not publish my press release for The Best of Canada as a news article like I had asked.

Instead, he merely mentioned the show. Actually, he mentioned me and my friend Hugh mentioning the show. This makes the show

Satire

appear worthy of ridicule (it’s totally not), and this is not good.

The Best of Canada was our only defense against American television.

7. Finally, young Mr. Porter is very desperate to paint me as somehow representative of Canadian conservatism. Just because my hero Pierre Trudeau was extremely conservative doesn’t mean I am. I don’t identify as such at all. I’m just reasonable.

Read ‘em and weep: exactly seven mistakes in your recent article, Repp. I suppose your obviously biased writing is why The Cascade hired you over me.

I’m not bitter — I’m just right. I have never made a mistake in any article, let alone the seven I have spotted in yours. I encourage everyone to find his article online and leave rude remarks for the sake of justice. I hope then he will finally figure it out.

8

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

SNAPSHOTS

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Don’t skewer the birds

Libraries aren’t for the sticky

Katie Stobbart

Alex Rake

I work at a library. Libraries are great because they’re full of books and anyone can sign them out. The only problem is that they’re full of books that anyone can sign out. Books come back with folds and tears and all kinds of awful things done to them.

Sometimes books are returned sticky.

Sticky. Why are these books sticky? I don’t wanna know. But I do want to know why you can’t just clean the thing before you give it back. A damp cloth will not damage the laminated book! But one sticky book can stickify every other book it touches. It’s also unpleasant to put your hand in a pile of books only to have it covered in dank, mysterious slime.

Remember, these books are for everybody. Old ladies and children use the library. If you’ve created a sticky situation, be kind and wipe it up so you don’t make your local librarian cry.

Given its BC-native foliage and naturesque logo (the gentle slope of a leaf ), I’m surprised UFV is so negative and even violent toward birds on the Abbotsford campus.

Birds land on lamp posts. They don’t cause much trouble except for the occasional mess, which would happen whether or not the lamp post was an available perch. So while meandering along the path through the otherwise peaceful campus green, it’s unsettling to see the crown of long, sharp spikes atop each lamp post on the grounds.

Such spikes are not just a deterrent to birds landing there; they pose a physical threat. Even if there was a significant defecation problem, skewering the birds seems a bit extreme. It also belies the naturefriendly image UFV strives to project.

If I had to choose, I’d rather have to look at the occasional white streak, which can be pressure-washed, than the Iron Throne in miniature.

Job-hunting is an endurance test Joe Johnson Preparing to leave university life is an interesting feeling. Gone are many of the shackles of what once felt like a never-ending endurance battle. It’s a time of reflection and a chance to step back out of the bubble for a real and freeing analysis of life and meaning. But more importantly, it’s time to make money. It’s now time to pay bills, pay down that loan, and move on to the next chapter in life. And that means taking the step from school to work, which really means finding a job.

Looking for a job is frustrating. I’m not an adept job seeker, and likely not many students are, either. I’m pointing the finger at some of the key resources that would seemingly be the first places to look. Craigslist is terrible at listing any jobs that aren’t for administrative assistants or pizza deliverers.

The Career Centre’s website isn’t helpful for students looking for jobs after graduation.

And finally, many of the flashy-sounding short-term jobs come with restrictive requirements.

I admit that I’m new to this hunt. But looking for a job is really a full-time job in itself. It’s an all-new endurance battle.

Fake plants totally not succulent Megan Lambert

When I approach a plant, I have a heart full of hope that I’ll get a noseful of fresh oxygen. I don’t want to choke on five years’ worth of dust instead. Fake plants are gross and get dusty. If I get a fake plant so I don’t have to water it, the fake plant is going to end up looking just as terrible as a dead plant. If I can’t remember to water my real plant, why would I remember to dust my fake plant?

I understand they are for decorative purposes. In fact, fake plants were once made in ancient Rome, Egypt, and China with materials like glass, rice paper, and metal.

This was an art form, and when natural materials are used nowadays they are beautiful decorations! But polyester imposters from the dollar store? Not so beautiful. Fake plants are now usually made of plastic and are sold for cheap at large corporate stores.

I’m sure the way they are produced is bad for the environment — otherwise known as the home of real plants.

Lack of proper music venues killing local scene JEFFREY TRAINOR

THE CASCADE

Local artists lack space to perform. Besides Jam in Jubilee, which is consistently the most in-tune local musical body, there is an inability for musicians to perform anywhere, turning the entire Abbotsford area into a perennial wasteland for musical acts. Even the places artists have had available to them have been less than ideal.

A few years back, we had Champion Jack’s in old Downtown Abbotsford, a swanky vintage clothing and vinyl shop that put on bi-monthly shows.

The issue there was that the whole room couldn’t have been more than 30 square feet. More recently, the venues have been O’Neills sandwich shop — which, again, is a tiny space and is not well suited for a full-band situation —

and basement or church venues, which are just that: basements and churches.

It’s interesting when you compare Abbotsford with a smaller city like Kelowna. Kelowna has a population of around 106,000 according to the 2006 Government of Canada census, while Abbotsford has nearly 18,000 more at 124,000 residents.

Upon searching “musical venues in Kelowna,” an abundance of actual spaces come up right away, such as Fernando’s Pub, the Habitat, Doc Willoughby’s, Streaming Cafe, Grateful Fed, and Blue Gator Bar. But do the same search with Abbotsford and you get Abbotsford Centre, then a plethora of options such as Chances Playtime Casino, Abbotsford Arts Centre, and Matsqui Centennial Auditorium. These are great spaces, but they are not geared towards the

local music scene. More troubling is the fact that the venues that actually put on shows are off the grid, which means you have to be “in the know” to get to shows by local artists.

All of this creates a scene that consists of the same people going to the same shows over and over again, diluting every band that starts out here until they need to either invest some serious time and money by booking a promoter in Vancouver, or simply fade into oblivion, having only performed in basements, shops, and diners.

This is just one piece of the tapestry of Abbotsford as the most boring town in BC. Hardly any bars in Abbotsford bring local acts in to play, even on “slow nights.” Something needs to change in this town. There needs to be a place that is dedicated to helping local artists build into

Image: Kmeron / flickr

Musicians need a hometown that accommodates them. something worthwhile. Every band, be it Muse, Kings of Leon, or Death Cab for Cutie, started in a local environment and pushed through that glass ceiling to become the artists we know them

as today. There needs to be a space in Abbotsford where that creativity can flourish.

9

STUDY BREAK CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

CROSSWORD Who’s that bird?

by ANTHONY BIONDI

ACROSS 5.

Prehistoric genus of bird. (13) 9.

One might hang around your neck after a bad purchase.

(9) 11.

Birds from Toronto that want to play ball. (4,3) 12.

A bigger kind of murder. (5) 13.

Also known as the rat of the sky. (6) 15.

Small household parakeet from Australia. (6)

DOWN 1.

2.

3.

4.

6.

7.

8.

10.

14.

The Weekly Horoscope

Caged and kept in a mine. (6) Blue from Rio is one. (5) Canadian hisser. (5) Black-capped blue jay. (8, 3) A forest bird friendly enough to eat out of your hand.

(7, 4) Tiny dee dee dee, science magazine for kids. (9) First name, Tony. (4) American freedom symbol. (4,5) Who? Who! (3)

Last issue’s crossword ACROSS 6. SUNGLASSES 9. DOORS 11. INVISIBLE DOWN 1. EGGS 2. IDENTITY 3. COLOURS 4. FIST 5. DYE 7. SECRET 8. MONSTER 10. MASK

Star Signs from Bibbity Boo

Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18: You will win many awards in a sailing contest this year — so many that your Mom will create a “star board”.

Gemini: May 21 - June 21: A doll will not use your coasters and leave a ring of water on your furniture. Don’t worry; she wasn’t going to drink it anyway.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20: If you gaze upon your wristwatch with disdain, it will not even give you the time of day.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22: A koumpounophobic will comment on your shirt. You will reply.

Aries: March 21 - April 19: The price of your textbook will reflect on your chequebook — if a crook took your textbook, then sock him a left hook.

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22: Your fish will put up a great fuss when you explain that his ancestors did not invent salt-water taffy.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20: A drawer with scattered clothing is your guide to understanding what happened last semester.

Virgo: Aug 23 -Sept 22: A certain amount of rain will soak your newspaper this week, but it’s summer so there might not be an issue.

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22: A cobbler will slip you a greeting card this week. It will be from Shoebox.

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21: Somebody definitely stole a cookie from the cookie jar, but your Mom will make more.

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21: A colleague will thank you with seasalt chocolate. The funny taste is due to a typo on the ingredients list.

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19: Your butler will wash your socks with unscented soap. If your feet start to itch, it’s time to find a new butler.

10

FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

“How many people ate today?”

UFV’s Day of Sustainability kicks off a global study on food systems and security

BY KODIE CHERRILLE AND ALEX RAKE

Chilliwack’s Guerilla Q offered traditional barbecued foods between the workshops and symposium.

“Food security is not something that just happens in third-world countries,” said Terisha Mitchell, a UFV geography student in conversation at UFV’s Day of Sustainability. There was much to learn at the event this year, and there will be even more to learn in future.

The UFV geography and the environment department hosted the Day of Sustainability on Thursday, May 7 on UFV’s Abbotsford campus, in conjunction with Aga Khan University, (AKU)’s East Africa Institute in Nairobi, and Panjab University from India. The event follows the recent announcement that UFV received nearly $300,000 for a global study on food systems.

The day was stimulating on a number of levels. There were workshops discussing food security and the impact of individual action. Then there was a tour of the Abbotsford campus on the sunny spring day, with a food truck offering its goods on the Green.

Finally, a public symposium gave professors and government officials the

chance to discuss food security from their own perspectives.

Though the necessity of the event was stressed at the symposium by multiple speakers, Mitchell expressed it most succinctly. “[Food security] is local and global.

It’s not simply our problem or their problem — to secure food systems locally, we have to secure them internationally,” she said.

Mitchell’s academic trajectory altered course when she saw geography professor Cherie Enns deliver a microlecture last March. While she had a certificate in agriculture and technology before the lecture, her chief interest was not in food security — that changed.

The microlecture was just a taste of what the Day of Sustainability had to offer — not just in terms of the rich subject matter, but of its impact on those in attendance.

UFV receives Diamond Jubilee scholarship The Day of Sustainability marks the beginning of an academic study by scholars and students from UFV, AKU, and Ardhi Regional University in Dar es Salaam. The study, “Urban Food Systems in Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, and the Fraser Valley: Capacity Building for Policy and Planning,” will examine sustainable agricultural systems in the contexts of urban and poverty-stricken environments.

UFV was recently granted a $293,000 Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee scholarship by the Canadian Queen Elizabeth Scholars, an association that promotes projects designed

by Canadian universities.

The association also facilitates studies abroad within the British Commonwealth. Twenty-six UFV students will have funded opportunities related to the study of food systems and urban policies in East Africa. There will also be two students from AKU studying at UFV every year for four years.

Images: Alex Rake

In light of this recent funding, the Day of Sustainability will kick off years of study examining how food systems can continue in the 21st century, in the face of unprecedented challenges to agriculture.

An afternoon of workshops and food Four workshops were held in A234 and A235 from 1 to 4 p.m., covering topics such as food security projects in Toronto and a case study of sustainability issues in Nairobi, Kenya. After each presentation, the floor was open to questions and discussion.

Professor James Khuns of Ryerson University spoke to the importance of universities’ involvement and the role to be played by students.

“A challenge … is that students are doing really interesting work but the mechanism isn’t in place to get people and their work the recognition they need,” Khuns said. He recommended somehow connecting student efforts such as the UFV gardening club with the community surrounding the uni-

11

FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

George Imbenzi from Kenya Consulate Government and Trade was one of the visiting speakers offering workshops on sustainability. versity through farmers’ markets, for example.

Other ideas introduced at the workshops included a student-run food truck and internships with universities overseas to exchange thoughts on agriculture.

The workshops were followed by the tour of UFV, and at 5 p.m., the smell of barbecue wafted over the campus Green. The source: a small green truck decalled with a crazy pig in a plane.

Guerilla Q is a food truck from Chilliwack that specializes in traditional barbecue: pulled pork, beef brisket, and ribs. A line-up quickly formed to

get a piece of the action.

Hope in the face of great challenges “How many people ate today?” UFV President Mark Evered said at the start of the symposium. He then drew on his background in neurophysiology and education to describe the correlation between food, learning, and innovation. Scarce food means less neurological development, and if Evered is correct when he says “great ideas are not additive; they’re exponential,” then the loss of the world’s potential human development is unfathomably tragic.

After Evered, professors Enns and

After the workshops, attendees mingled on the Green.

Garry Fehr acknowledged UFV’s presence on unceded Stó:lō territory and welcomed a panel of speakers: Alex Awiti from Aga Khan University in Nairobi; Dhian Kaur and B.S. Ghuman from Panjab University; James Khuns from Ryerson University; Lenore Newman from UFV; George Imbenzi from Kenya Consulate Government and Trade; and Orlando Schmidt, Regional Manager for Coast Region of BC Ministry of Agriculture.

Discussion began with the political influence of food production.

“Food is the new oil,” Imbenzi remarked. Then speakers moved on to

the dwindling sources of water in Punjab, India; to Canada’s own agricultural history; and to the loss of the planet’s arable land.

The facts were alarming and overwhelming. Yet somehow, those who lingered after the symposium were still smiling and joking. When asked how people can stay optimistic in the face of such struggles, Awiti answered that new tools, along with breakthroughs in computing, will give us measurable advances in food production.

“The way to stay hopeful is to know we can change,” said Awiti.

James Khuns, visiting from Ryerson, stressed the importance of educating consumers.

12

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Through the Eyes of Youth exhibit captures the voices of Abbotsford’s young artists JASMIN CHAHAL

CONTRIBUTOR

While the main gallery at the Reach has been temporarily closed off for the construction of new exhibits, the front gallery space is currently being used to exhibit the Abbotsford Youth Commission (AYC)’s Through the Eyes of Youth.

According to the Reach’s website, the exhibit was “planned and executed by a group of dedicated leadership students in grades 10 to 12” who are AYC members. It was open for submissions from all Abbotsford youth between ages 12 and 18, and addresses two questions: What do youth like about Abbotsford? And what would they change if they could?

The photography highlights the depth of both connection and disconnect that Abbotsford youth experience within their community. It captures an appreciation of Abbotsford’s diversity and natural landscape while exploring struggles with violence, safety, and marginalization.

Thirteen-year-old Lexi Russo’s photograph, “Homeless Camp Dog,” aims to capture the experi-

ing up within a community that is developing towards diversity and inclusivity.

Micaela Pirritano, who took a trip to Abbotsford’s International Friendship Garden to photograph her piece “Submerged Stones,” interpreted her image of the garden’s rocks as a metaphor for the beauty of cross-cultural acceptance.

“All of the stones in this image are diverse and remarkable in some way or another, yet they rest peacefully among each other Image: Jasmin Chahal in the calm, still waters,” Micaela The exhibit explores themes of violence, safety, and marginalization. stated. “In a way, this precisely depicts the type of inclusive and ences and struggles of the home- memorials she has seen in Abbotsdiverse community that I have the less in Abbotsford. Her photo ford, Denise wrote: “When asked honour to live in.” and artist statement poignantly the question, ‘What do I want to Through the Eyes of Youth acts as capture an issue some might be see changed in Abbotsford?’ I was an empowering platform for Absurprised to see a young person stumped. When you get so used to botsford’s youth to voice themaddress. something being the way it is, you selves through their artistry. The “All people … should be able to don’t actually think about how it thoughtful reflection upon issues live in affordable housing,” Russo could be improved. When I took of community explored through writes. the time to see what was actually the photography makes this a “Roadside Memorial — Re- happening, all of that changed.” display that is one worth wandermembering the Lost” by 18-yearWhile many of the pieces offer ing through. Unveiled during BC old Denise Landsberger shows a an important voice to the issues Youth Week, the exhibit will be on collection of roadside flowers with Abbotsford’s youth feel need to be display at the Reach until Thursthe intent of bringing attention addressed and improved by the day, May 28. to driving safety in Abbotsford. community, many others capture Reflecting on the many roadside the positive experiences of grow-

Trip-planning for the student traveller NADINE MOEDT

THE CASCADE

Balmy summer weather has students crunching numbers and booking time off work in hopes of a weekend getaway to a more seasonal destination. While a local daytrip may be more affordable, it certainly doesn’t offer that same sense of escapism that a few nights away from home allows.

However, travelling on a student budget poses some barriers: the price of hotels, B&Bs, gas, and entertainment spikes during the summer months. Not to fear! Research and proper planning can allow you an affordable getaway this summer. Here are some tips on how to research and plan a student budget friendly trip.

Skip the tourist attractions Make sure to do your research before selecting a destination.

Tourist attractions like Jasper or Whistler will be crowded and very pricy. If really want to go, opt to see these places during the shoulder seasons, when you’ll find discounted packages for accommodation and entertainment.

Over summer, look for something off the beaten path. Look for places where you can entertain

Image: ishareimage.com

We all want to travel, but not many students can afford it. yourself for cheap; hiking, going to the beach, and visiting museums or art galleries will be much cheaper than partaking in guided tours or in activities that require admission fees.

Consider accommodation Doing the research when booking your accommodation is always worth it. Airbnb is a great way to go when looking for a cheaper place to stay. The website allows people to rent out rooms

or full apartments and houses on a short-term basis. Reviews and website accreditation weed out any potential unsavoury or unsafe accommodation. You can find a place to stay for often as little as half the price of a hotel; these are particularly worth it if you book with friends. For example, the average price of a room in July on Salt Spring Island that can accommodate three people on airbnb is $80, while the price of a room in a hotel accommodating

two people in an average of $160.

Look for accommodation that offers a kitchenette, which will allow you to eat in and save.

Camping is another inexpensive option for those interested in braving the outdoors. To continue the comparison, a full-service campground (full-service means showers, toilets, water, picnic table, and beach access), which could accommodate four runs at about $45 per night, sometimes with discounts if you stay more than a few days. If the experience of camping appeals to you but you don’t have access to camping gear, check out an outdoors store like Mountain equipment Co-op for a rental — four-man tents start at $30 for two days.

Book in advance Planning your trip should not be the task you procrastinate. Unless you have the flexibility to grab last minute deals, book as far in advance as you can. Early bird deals may be found, and availability is often limited as the good places become booked up.

Then considering your weekend getaway, proper research, and planning can save you hassle and money in the long run.

Upcoming

Events May 23

Coffee House series: Her Brothers Her Brothers, a band who blends U2 textures with Vampire Weekend melody, will be performing at House of James beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the second concert of Abbotsford Art Council’s popular summer concert series.

May 25 Mission Youth Arts Festival The third annual Youth Arts Festival is coming to the Clarke Theatre in Mission, featuring a variety of art and performances by local young artists — and it’s completely free! Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the stage show begins at 7:00 p.m.

May 27 UFV auto shop open house

The auto shop at UFV’s Trades and Technology Centre is having a free open house, where tips on how to get that shiny-car look, free barbeque, and info on automotive training programs will be provided. Tours run from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., and online registration is required.

May 28 How to parent like a dolphin Always wanted to know how to parent like a dolphin? You’re in luck: Dr. Shimi Kang is visiting Clearbrook library to talk about how to parent, dolphin style.

Preregistration is recommended, so go to the Clearbrook Library website to book your seat. The lecture begins at 7 p.m.

May 30 Maritime history lecture Seasoned diver, researcher, and explorer Keith Bossons will present on 40 years of expeditions and dives to document shipwrecks and sunken cultural treasure. His lecture will map BC’s maritime history while providing a glimpse of what lies at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

The event takes place at the Clearbrook Library, and starts at 3 p.m.

13

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Intercultural Inquiry hosts conversation about cultural barriers

Image: Megan Lambert

International Inquiry gives students a chance to learn about different cultural barriers and methods of communication — all while enjoying free ice cream.

MITCH HUTTEMA

THE CASCADE

Every Tuesday afternoon in the UFV Global Lounge, students are invited to participate in an open dialogue on topics varying from gender roles and sexuality to racial privilege and cultural segregation.

Intercultural Inquiry is a safe space for students to gather and challenge themselves to analyze their perspectives on issues crucial to how students from cultures around the world work and learn together on- and off-campus. The event is organized by global engagement co-ordinator Chelsey Laird and hosted by Sherlock Chen, the global student associate at the International Lounge. The two moderate and encourage an intimate group of students to open up about their cultural backgrounds and explore the ways of life students from each ethnicity grow up in.

Students are especially inclined to engage in debate and conversation about their opinions and questions about the minefield that is today’s society.

Though not every student sits with a pint of beer (or three) every Friday evening and shares their standpoint on sexual identity or white privilege, each has their own view on social issues.

What is especially important about Intercultural Inquiry is that students can be free to express those views, but have the opportunity to be challenged by those who may be from another country and see the issue in an entirely different light.

At the first meeting, over 20 students gathered over cookies and ice cream to try to answer the question, “What is diversity?” Participants ranged from students in their first days of university to last semester’s graduates, and were spread across an array of cultures and ethnicities. Answers to the ques-

tion were fittingly diverse; some viewed diversity from an ethnic standpoint, while others felt it had more to do with religion or sexuality.

Firmly agreed upon by the group in their first meeting was the point that as humans, we all make certain conclusions about others from the second we meet them. Cultural stereotypes play a huge role in this, influencing assumptions made from the start and affecting the new relationship before it begins.

The second meeting yesterday took a lighter approach to culture. A more intimate group of around eight students gathered to talk about childhood games and the effect these games have on us while growing up. The group talked about games like Kick the Can, Red Rover, Cops and Robbers, and the less culturally sensitive Cowboys and Indians. “When we’re young ... you actually limit that kind of culture to good or bad,” Chen

says. “But when you grow up, you actually realize that multiculturalism and diversity is a good thing.”

What Intercultural Inquiry aims to do is to foster discussion between cultures and people who may not necessarily take the time to investigate one another’s worldviews, and bridge the gap to create a more engaged campus culture at UFV. At their second meeting, the group went outside to play childhood games on the Green.

“This is so enlightening,” one student said as the group stood up after the discussion.

On the Green, the group kicked off their shoes and ran around playing versions of Duck, Duck, Goose. Passersby looked up from their phones and grinned at the group — who were taking breaks from running so they could laugh.

Laird mentioned this, saying that using the space outside helps students to learn and en-

courage others to learn.

“There are different learning opportunities that occur both in classrooms and out of them,” she says.

At the end of the hour, the most common comment had nothing to do with culture, but was rather a collection of memories and nostalgia for childhood days — where all you worried about was winning the game.

The significant decrease in turnout didn’t stop the group from having fun; however, Chen will continue to encourage participation.

“If we got more people this would be wonderful,” he says.

Intercultural Inquiry will be hosted from 3 to 4 p.m. every Tuesday until the end of July in the UFV Global Lounge. Upcoming topics will include discussions on travel and homogenous cultures, as well as power and privilege in Western society.

With files from Megan Lambert.

14

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Theatre

CHARTS 1

METZ II

Heat Waves 2 Freak Bonnie’s State of Mind Bolt 3 Lightning Fantasy Empire

4 Dodgers Bombshells Bee & the 5 Queen Buzzkills

6

Stalk to Me Speedy Ortiz Foil Deer

Kelli Pop 7 Peach III Cronin 8 Mikal MCIII Group Vision 9 N.213’s N.213’s Group Vision To Spill 10 Built Untethered Moon Ring 11 Purity Another Eternity Cong 12 Viet Viet Cong No! Yoko 13 Oh Pinhead’s Paradise Barnett 14 Courtney Sometimes I Sit And Think,

15

And Sometimes I Just Sit Belle And Sebastian Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance

Aeroplanes 16 Paper Joy Johnston 17 B.A. Shit Sucks

18 Cafeine New Love Mountain Goats 19 The Beat the Champ

20 Wire Wire

Shuffle

MEGAN LAMBERT

Gallery 7 stages modern American tragedy in minimalist 110 Stories MEGAN LAMBERT THE CASCADE

BABY CIVLIAN / NUGGET ENTHUSIAST

Otis Redding “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” There is a magnificent live cover of this song by Sara Bareilles on her Brave Enough tour at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia. Otis Redding kept the tempo a little more happy-go-lucky, whereas Sara Bareilles completely revamped the song to a powerful jazz ballad. I recommend listening to both versions and deciding which one floats your boat.

U2 “California (There Is No End To Love)” U2 released this free album last year on iTunes as a huge marketing scheme, and despite my initial cynicism, the music has proved to be pretty good. This song is great background music for when you’re on an epic journey to sail across a shiny sea to a dawn you’d thought would never come.

Handel “Water Music” Yes, this is classical music. George Frederic Handel wrote “Water Music” in 1717 as an apology piece to his former employer King George I. Handel sailed down the Thames River in England and enchanted the King to the extent that he was re-hired. History is cool, guys! And this summer when you’re looking for some instrumental music to accompany your history homework, “Water Music” is the way to go.

Bed of Stars “I’ll Cross Oceans” Bed of Stars is actually local musician Evan Konrad, who grew up in Abbotsford but is now making it big in Vancouver (closer to the sea). The album I Fell in Love with the City uses a lot of classic instrumentals — but always has one unique twist to keep you on your toes. This song is great for setting up a picnic outside, or getting ready to look fresh for that special sailing partner.

Stan Rogers “Northwest Passage” If you’re visiting a majestic part of Canada, this is a great song that brings tears to the eyes of anyone looking out over a large cliff or driving across a wide stretch of prairie. Stan Rogers passed away in 1983 while travelling — but his a cappella vocals sing on, having brought a rich texture to Canadian folk music.

Gallery 7 Theatre stepped outside of the box this month, breaking away from their traditional venue at the Abbotsford Arts Centre to bring 110 Stories to the Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford. Written by Sarah Tuft and directed by Carissa Boynton, 110 Stories, named after the number of floors of the World Trade Centre, is based on 110 accounts from people who witnessed the September 11 attacks, including fire fighters, police officers, ironworkers, New York City-dwellers, homeless persons, and employees within the Centre. The show debuted in New York in September 2003 and has since become popular all over North America, performed by high schools and at near-annual readings in New York by the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, Katie Holmes, and Samuel L. Jackson. By using relatable language and a minimalist set design, 110 Stories is accessible to performers and audiences alike.

The closeness of the attacks Tuft’s play is based on (happening within most of our lifetimes), as well as the chic location of the Reach, brought in a great turnout. However, the full impact of the personal accounts didn’t come across because of some simple logistical issues.

The largest problem with the Reach’s mini-stage was its acoustics, and the effect it had on the actors’ volume. The incessant echoing across the poorly insulated gallery took away from the play, simply because the audience couldn’t hear them. I found myself straining to make out the words, varying from actor to actor in their clarity and enunciation.

The Reach stage was set up like a thrust — a theatre with an audience sitting around three sides of the stage — built by UFV alumnus and head carpenter Bryan Cutler. Even though the seating was quite intimate, it did not work well for the way the play was performed. There were several times in the show when the actors would join together upstage to form a line, cutting off the vision of those sitting in the far seats of the bowl. A simple stage with seats facing one way would have been more effective, allowing the audience to see facial expressions without craning their necks.

With regards to acting, many of the actors suffered from classic problems: What do I do with my hands, and What is my next line? These questions were clearly noticeable from some members of the cast, who would have jerky hand gestures and put pauses in awkward places in their lines. The greatest loss of genuine character development happened when the actors over-emoted in their storytelling — as if their character saying they saw “a woman wearing sunglasses” was somehow significant or tragic.

Besides these fundamental issues, the set-up and concept of the show was fresh and dynamic — a move from Gallery 7’s usual choices of traditional plays towards more current drama.

The first half of 110 Stories built suspense, introducing characters and delaying the details of their deaths until the end of the act, when the second plane hits the South Tower. After the intermission, the latter part of the show explained the emotional and psychological trauma in the aftermath of the attacks. The second half was more reflective, talking about the dedication to working on Ground Zero, the horror of finding and removing bodies from the rubble, and the altruism that sweeps through a community when disaster strikes. While the play doesn’t contextualize these actions within the political climate at the time of 2001, 110 Stories

does confront the audience with the controversial and insensitive capitalization of Ground Zero after the initial clean-up, where vendors sold American flags and merchandise as if the World Trade Centre was a patriotic tourist attraction.

Within this narrative framework, and working with the play’s minimalist aesthetic, the cast also created images outside those usually used when talking about the events of September 11. At one point, a handful of actors in black clothing appeared, working with cubed black boxes against a white background. The simple setup allowed the actors to paint a vivid picture for the audience using only their script, without distraction from elaborate props or clumsy costume changes.

A narrator introduced the characters as they each came forward to speak, and the ensemble was not frozen, but present and looking at one another as they spoke. It was like watching a group therapy session moving around the room like clockwork — each person’s reactions and physical movement affecting the others, working together to move the story along.

The recurring theme throughout the play was what happens when people try to “move on” from a tragedy. As one character said, the kindness and compassion from those in New York faded away after awhile: “It’s a lot like Christmas; you want it to last all year.” Seeing as September 11 happened more than 10 years ago, this line seemed to resonate with the audience; some audience members covered their faces with their hands while leaning forward and watching with misty eyes. The very end of 110 Stories hit home with one more question: “When will humanity learn from their mistakes?”

After the bow, the actors exited stage-right in single file, while a select few audience members slowly stood for a standing ovation. There was no cheering.

15

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

S undBites

Laura Marling

Mini Album Reviews

Kelly Clarkson

Short Movie

The Mountain Goats

Piece by Piece

Beat the Champ

Geographer

Ghost Modern

Based on her experience moving from London to Los Angeles, Laura Marling’s latest album, Short Movie, sounds like it should be the soundtrack to an indie film set in the California desert.

A crisp steel-string acoustic guitar is the loudest voice on the album, but Marling layers the tracks with a distortion pedal, orchestral strings, and her own vocals. Drums are present, but rather than building suspense or adding punctuation to the music, they simply keep the tempo. The album is consequently anti-climactic — like a heat wave, Short Movie is flat, hazy, and lethargic.

Marling’s music has an old Western vibe, with Johnny Cash-style speak-singing and the occasional tambourine, affecting the sound of a country back-porch jam session. Marling’s lyrics use simple language that blends into the background, sounding more like a train of thought rather than a story. The album is contemplative and relaxed — the perfect prescription for long road trips or lowkey study sessions.

“Before Your Love,” Kelly Clarkson’s post-American Idol single, was lyrically simple, but Clarkson’s vocal power and emotional drive in that early hit was unforgettable, promising greatness. Thirteen years later, Piece by Piece marks a rut.

“Heartbeat Song” is your requisite radio-bait: already ubiquitous and catchy. But it’s not until several filler tracks later that Clarkson conveys some strong emotion in “Tightrope,” with a slight waver and good use of vocal layering. Clarkson with piano and strings is compelling; when she goes too pop-heavy, it leeches her intensity and highlights the triteness of some lyrics.

“War Paint” was lyrically interesting — though the image isn’t new, I didn’t feel like I’d heard the same lines verbatim elsewhere, as I did with other tracks. “Nostalgic” is a keeper too, with the virtue of variety as it’s sandwiched between “Dance with Me” and “Good Goes the Bye.” The former is a lacklustre invitation compared to a long list of similar but better dance floor songs, and the latter has a limp, defeated feel, compounded by the ridiculously repetitive “X goes Y” structure: break goes heart, wrong goes right, down go tears, and so on, and so on.

How cute! I haven’t heard anything else by the Mountain Goats, and I think that’s the difference between me and everyone who really didn’t care for Beat the Champ. My lack of reference points in mind, Beat the Champ is a lovely little dedication to professional wrestling.

Each song is an ode to a concept from the “sports entertainment.” Songs like “Foreign Object” don’t use the idea of bringing a fork or something into the ring as metaphor for something else; it’s literally about bringing a fork or something into the ring. Frontman John Darnielle’s literalness combined with his sentimental view of pro wrestling makes the album understandably hard to appreciate, but coming to it with a similar perspective makes for a pretty fun experience.

However, there are problems with the album besides its limited audience. For one, some of the compositions are definitely better than others. The overall sound is as if those hard-rock entrance themes for WWE stars were made into cute indie-pop. Unfortunately, those entrance themes are rather vanilla to begin with, and “cutesifying” the vanilla tends to magnify the blandness. About halfway through the album, all the musical tricks seem to have been pulled from the hat and nothing really surprising happens.

But overall, there’s nothing to hate about the album. You will either love it or not notice it’s on.

With the departure of cellist Nathan Blaz and drummer Brian Ostreicher, Geographer is now a solo project under the direction of vocalist and guitarist Mike Deci. Based in San Francisco, Geographer has become known in indie music circles for soaring vocal melodies that pleasantly mingle with straightforward pop beats and multiple orchestral musical elements. On the act’s new album, Ghost Modern, the listener is welcomed by Deci’s crisp vocal stylings, the driving force of Geographer. Deci’s voice, in particular his falsetto, is one of the most immediately identifiable in the indie music scene, so it is no surprise that the songs which resonate most are the ones which feature the best vocal parts.

In the case of Ghost Modern, these tracks are the crooning “I’m Ready,” the orchestral-folk pop “The Guest,” and jangle-pop track “Keep.” The problems with this album lie not necessarily in the tracks themselves, but the diversity between them; it is hard to get a feel for what Geographer uniquely is.

There is an abundance of familiar genre markers within the album’s 12 tracks, which could frustrate and isolate some listeners. Regardless, if you are a fan of artists like Arcade Fire, fun., Two Door Cinema Club, or the 1975, I would definitely suggest you check out this, or Geographer’s two previous albums.

Megan Lambert

Katie Stobbart

Alex Rake

Jeffrey Trainor

Book

Following an award-winning debut, Kim Thúy’s Mãn is a decidedly minor work KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

Compared to the intentionally streamlike story flow and strong reflection of central themes in Kim Thúy’s debut novel Ru, the vignettes of her latest book, Mãn, feel scattered across a book whose structure is split clumsily into two parts. A little more than half is marked by extensive and detailed description but little action. The latter part drops this approach, packing in plot with a dash of consequences, ending abruptly with a stunted denouement.

Many of Kim Thúy’s descriptions, especially of food and especially in the beginning of the book, have a sharp, unique focus.

However, attempts to link these descriptions to the “food is culture” thesis felt heavy-handed in places: “It was the last time Maman saw her father: beneath the durians, which the Vietnamese call sầu

riêng. Until that day, she had never thought about the name formed by those two words, which means literally ‘personal sorrows.’ One forgets perhaps that those sorrows, like their flesh, are sealed hermetically into compartments under a carapace bristling with thorns.”

Here Thúy’s imagery is strong, but the description as a whole draws the reader out of the story in an almost academic way. The length makes the connection feel forced instead of having an otherwise lovely, simple resonance.

These images also did not recur and thus felt purposeless; instead of remaining in focus they strayed to the periphery, and any imageheavy tangents longer than a paragraph had my eyes drifting from the page, or skimming in search of anchorage.

Sometimes the language, maybe as a side effect of translation, did not feel as strong. I haven’t read Mãn in the original French, but I don’t remember having the

same complaint with Ru though both books had the same translator, Sheila Fischman.

I expected the Vietnamese words and phrases in the margins (paired with English translations) throughout the novel to provide that anchorage and speak to the necessity of the vignette format; instead they seemed unnecessary, either because they were

obvious or too removed from the vignette, and added little to my understanding or appreciation of the story. The word for “identity,” for example, is paired with a very short section on getting rid of one’s identity for protection. Then the word for “mistakes” is paired with a paragraph on secret education by oil lamplight.

There are a few good examples of character description scattered throughout the novel, like this one of Julie: “She educated me in languages, in gestures, in emotions. Julie talked as much with her hands as with her wrinkled nose, while I could barely maintain her gaze for the duration of a sentence …

She imitated accents with the flexibility of a gymnast and the precision of a musician. She pronounced the five versions of la, là, lạ, lả, lã, distinguishing the tones even if she didn’t understand the different definitions: to cry, to be, stranger, to faint, cool.”

However, I didn’t feel a strong,

continued connection to or investment in any of the characters — not even Mãn herself, from whom I was separated by a narrative chasm. This was due in part to a quasi-epistolary style in which Thúy tends to recount events in summary, seldom dwelling in a moment long enough to ground and connect with the reader. That is, until Mãn finally meets the married Parisian chef mentioned in the book jacket, on page 79 of 139. This is the moment of that marked shift in focus from description to action before the book speeds toward the end.

Partially because of that awkward division, Mãn is a book I’d have put down if not for the task of reviewing it. That said, it’s only Thúy’s second novel after a winner out of the starting gate, and there’s plenty of promise in her distinct approach and thematic interests. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect her to regain ground with a subsequent work.

16

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Film

Always crashing in the same car Mad Max: Fury Road gets it right; Furious 7 just does it over and over again MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE

The first car-aided superhero stunt pulled off by the Fast & Furious crew in Furious 7 involves the suprisingly foolproof parachuting-in of roll cage-reinforced cars to a pass in the Caucasus Mountains. It is, like many of the racing-stealing set-pieces in the series, a combination of dull realism and imaginative play: the cars float down, the wind rippling past for our ears, but not theirs, what with the windows being up and all, only to crunch down on the same old highway with the same visual language the Fast & Furious series coasts on: quick cutting, an emphasis on actor reaction shots, CG stunt composition.

James Wan, known as a successful horror director, directs Furious 7 following Justin Lin’s direction of the previous four in the series, and adds a couple new twists (the camera, locked to a character’s perspective, will spin as they are flipped onto a table or wall during a fight scene; the camera, imitating a fast-forwarded Google Streetview zoom, cuts out as much as possible of, for example, the walk from building to car).

Both moves fit with the series’ approach, which is a complete absence of suggestion: did the cars land where their GPS monitors said they would? Yes, so let’s move on.

It’s impressive marksmanship but lousy storytelling — Chris Morgan’s unnecessarily complicated scripts aside, the pace of a chase in a Fast & Furious movie is often repetitive, juggling one thing at a time, holding a single new idea, if any, until the end.

In the case of this wooded heist, the group of five (Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Chris Bridges) are after a hostage being transported in a protected bus. As they approach it, ramming it from behind, compartments open up, revealing automatic weaponry.

So they duck and swerve and after about two minutes of that, a couple of crashes, a close-quarters fists-and-feet-fight, and an explosion or three, the scene reaches a conclusion.

Much has been made of why the Fast & Furious series is successful: diverse casting, near-telenovela plotting, an embrace of cars as a means for achieving the American ideals of class transcendence and family bonding. Yet its longevity, and its defining contribution as popular art, can be found in the series’ inability to completely satisfy: its action scenes are often similar and inferior to other genre standards, but with cars; its minority cast may be empowered one scene, casually killed off or framed with a sexist lens the next; or, to get specific, Kurt Russell shows up in this one hawking the same technology Batman used in the ending of The Dark Knight, and is never once shown driving a car. Dwayne Johnson spends 90 per cent of this one in the hospital. It’s a puzzle.

But back to the problem of the armoured bus. I couldn’t help but think of that modern pop masterpiece Speed Racer, which also

Image: Anthony BIondi

features a scene in which a bus opens up with gunfire on a thin, high-altitude cliffside road — only in that one, the Wachowskis cut between the car manoeuvres and an interior drama, where a menacing proposition of selling out or ending up as piranha feed (crystal-clear tank on luminous display) sent a somewhat normal scene into loopy mayhem. In Furious 7, Tony Jaa and his henchmen are presumably checking their phones or meditating in their seating compartments. Or there’s even Bond: in License to Kill, Timothy Dalton is at least duelling with a tanker full of gasoline and explosive cocaine. And Wan’s coverage, which gives us plenty of shaking piles of dirt flung at the camera, makes one wish he idolized Johnnie To’s long-take backseat exchanges in Breaking News. The ending of the scene, in which Walker dangles above an abyss, is Spielberg’s The Lost World minus the dinosaurs, or any sense of timing besides a deadline.

Of course, comparisons or not, the reasons Furious 7 have become a cultural centrepiece have just as much, if not more, to do with what happened outside the frame.

That this is Walker’s last movie, and how the crew and cast worked to finish it after his death, gives the movie a sense of paying respect. Still, the entire storyline for Walker’s character, who struggles with the idea of giving up the life of illegal racing and stealing, runs in the derivative shadow of pictures like Michael Mann’s Heat, where families, especially wives and children, are a burden at work and a stifling comfort at home. Mann, in his subsequent work, including this year’s Blackhat, has moved

on from that idea, but it remains influential for hacks like Morgan and Wan, who, in a series like this, merely stitch together a conservative installment, rather than create something lasting. It will be called a tribute, but it’s just a small part of a franchise.

Mad Max: Fury Road In 1880, Guy de Maupassant’s “Boule de Suif” was published; in 1939 it served as inspiration for a small Western called Stagecoach, directed by John Ford. Stagecoach was technically based on Ernest Haycox’s “Stage to Lordsburg,” but Ford, familiar with de Maupassant’s story, saw in it the potential for a stronger social critique to inform his straightforward narrative. It’s a simple point-to-point journey, limiting character movement and forcing people together.

In both “Boule de Suif” and Stagecoach, the authors contrast a prostituted woman with the seemingly respectable members of a makeshift society ­­— but the long journey, harsh weather, and close quarters mean that, well, when you put a banker, an alcohol salesman, a military officer, a preacher’s wife, a doctor, a wanted rebel, and a stablehand together, eventually they’ll all get hungry, grow tired, let their guards down, façades drop, and feel the need to survive, even if that means acknowledging the humanity of the people beside them.

That’s precisely the narrative jumping-off point that George Miller is working with in Mad Max: Fury Road.

It’s a sequel, but at 70, Miller isn’t making movies because he’s looking for work — there is, in the uniquely Australian

merging of car culture, hooliganism, oil trade, and arid landscape grandeur, something more to be done, 30 years later, with a different set of tools. There is much to be said for the process by which Miller constructed this film: how editor Margaret Sixel, who has edited Miller’s work since Babe: Pig in the City, brings a unique sense of how an action scene might be constructed that exceeds the then-innovative work of the original trilogy, and easily surpasses the predictable rise-rise-delay-delay-movingon structure of American action. Unlike the Fast & Furious world of momentum slowed for 90 degree turns and grey-andblack warehouse aesthetic accidents, Mad Max is an endless straightaway, composed of hand-cranked trick photography, sunlight-seared colour-timing (as boldly divided into action-painting segments as Hitchcock or Miyazaki), and crashes that tumble and cartwheel through the Namibian desert, perhaps the most dangerouslooking stunts since the streetcar chaos of silent cinema.

In the middle of two increasingly dominant movements in American film (superhero movies and Christianity movies), Mad Max: Fury Road is an example of a work that is actually on a biblical, mythological scale: Miller’s conception of the film begins not in backstory delivered in ponderous voiceover, but images, each of them carrying an individual stamp and an historical evolution. Not unlike Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer, to which Fury Road bears some similarities (its relentless pace, clear direction, and weighted respect for life and death), Miller began work on the film as a series of comic book panels. Working with artist Brandon McCarthy, the first “script” for the film was 3500 illustrations or storyboards; the level of care and detail in this film is exhaustive, and impossible to capture in a single viewing.

Fury Road isn’t just a perfectionist action film, though. It’s not for nothing that Charlize Theron, in a protagonist’s role, at certain angles, eyes glowing, wind biting her face, resembles Renée Jeanne Falconetti’s Joan of Arc. Fury Road is informed by a feminist perspective, as you’ve likely heard, but Miller, Sixel, McCarthy, and co-writer Nico Lathouris have not made a movie reducible to an ideology: it is simply that, by creating a movie and a world entirely about movement and collision, and placing human characters within that world, to not include systems of prejudice and fear that try to control social life would be ignoring an entire history that stretches back before cinema. It’s similar to how Paul Duane writes of the cinema of Howard Hawks: “No one protagonist, no easily parsed storyline, secondary characters get the redemption, and it’s not about anything — just about men and women.” As in the original Mad Max, placing a story in the future allows Miller to describe the present, with greater adjectives, and with an eye to what has yet to change.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

17

ARTS IN REVIEW

Television Roundtable

Daredevil is full of vivid characters, great action, and lazy archetypes

VALERIE FRANKLIN, MITCH HUTTEMA, & ALEX RAKE INTRODUCTION BY MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE

Where some have compared the rise in weekly rapid-response television watching to the heyday of serialized fiction, the debut of shows from corporate-sponsored streaming models have brought about something closer to the anticipated midnight novel release: will you go through it all at once, delaying sleep, shoving aside classes and work; will you choose sanity and watch an episode or two a night, reacting with outsized fear at the slightest mention of a spoiler, speaking of characters as if they were people you knew in real life; or will you explain that television, as a form particularly dependent on advertising, can never truly be art, annoying everyone?

The television world is also feeling the effects of American film productions’ currently insatiable desire for more live-action versions of superhero properties. While the A-list of heroes receive two-and-a-half hours every three months, Netflix, the CW, and CBS are sending characters with slightly less-recognizable names and potentially more idiosyncratic appeal full-season orders. Three writers for The Cascade decided to sit down and hash out the finer points of the most popular of these so far: Daredevil, which was show-run by Steven DeKnight, of Starz’s trio of gruesome Spartacus series, and had its first two episodes written by Joss Whedon acolyte Drew Goddard.

Alex Rake: Daredevil’s a show! What did you think about Daredevil the show?

Valerie Franklin: Totally addictive. I

watched the whole series in two days, which is not healthy, especially around final exams.

AR: It was cool, but also just okay.

Mitch Huttema: Let’s start with [Wilson] Fisk.

AR: I thought it was the funnest way they’ve ever done the character.

VF: I thought Fisk was great. He was absolutely, you know, evil and twisted, but he also had this child-like thing going on, where he was so devoted to his girlfriend and so devoted to ...

AR: ... his mom.

VF: Yeah, his mom maybe more than his girlfriend. It was really interesting to see that tenderness in someone who was so twisted and violent.

AR: He was physically a big baby [gesticulates].

VF: I think we all loved Foggy Nelson in terms of comic relief.

MH: Though he was always so run-down and just, like, greasy.

VF: He reminds me so much of some people I went to high school with. I thought he was great ... but I have to bring up the character of Karen Page. It just didn’t work for me at all. I was saying to Mitch earlier that I feel like her character was written by committee.

AR: Yeah.

VF: Like, there was one person writing her who wanted her to be this strong, feminist character who can hold her own against the guys, and then there was another person who was writing her who was like, “We need a damsel in distress who is going to be in the centre of a love triangle!”

MH: But then it dissipated.

AR: I think they formed a friendship.

MH: There was so much sexual tension.

AR: Yeah, but isn’t that how it goes sometimes?

MH: I did find her really stereotypical. Always getting rescued out of dark alleys. Always on the phone with nobody answering.

VF: Comic books in general have this long history of sexism, and that’s just something the industry, the genre has to deal with and has to fight. And I mean, gradually we’re beginning to see people moving out of this and getting stronger characters that aren’t relegated to the damsel-in-distress role, but at the same time, you also have these things hanging over them, this kind of expectation that that is the role of the woman. I just really want to see new things happen. I hope that doesn’t happen with A.K.A. Jessica Jones [and other upcoming Netflix / Marvel shows].

What about the villains? I loved the character of [James] Wesley, I thought he was good, but the other villains. I kind of had a problem with the way it had Nobu, Madame Gao, and the Ranskahov brothers.

They’re all just these terrible, stereotypical, kind of racist things, like the Russian gangster brothers who are escaped from prison, and ... I just don’t know if that worked for me.

AR: And they refer to them as “the Russians.”

MH: Everybody was exactly who you’d assume their stereotypes would be. Like the Japanese samurai guy [Nobu], give me a break.

VF: Okay, Ben Urich? Coming from kind

of a journalistic background, all three of us — they’re working on this big case, they’re building evidence for it throughout the entire series, and then Ben Urich is murdered and it’s never published. That drove me crazy.

AR: It’s the reality of journalistic corruption. [Begins eating celery stick.]

VF: Okay, I think I’m ready to talk about Daredevil’s costume. What the fuck was up with that?

AR: I’m all for corniness with superheroes.

I don’t feel like that’s a bad thing in a superhero movie; it’s okay to be corny.

VF: I was really surprised to see how high review aggregate sites had this show.

AR: Well, as an action show, the fight scenes are brilliant.

VF: I loved the fight scenes — sorry Mitch, I can see this is hurting you.

MH: The scene in the second episode, where there’s a four-minute long-take fight ...

AR: You hated it? It keeps going! It keeps going! That’s the effect of it.

MH: Maybe we should summarize what we thought of the show?

VF: I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is looking for a really high-quality, tightly written TV show. But if you want a fun, kind of fluffy action TV show, then yeah.

MH: I mean, we spoiled some of it now ...

AR: No, we didn’t reveal that Wilson Fisk is Daredevil’s mom yet.

MH: Do you want to give the show a number rating?

AR: If I give a number, I’ll disagree with it tomorrow. It’s better than the Daredevil movie though.

Know your way around Wordpress? The Cascade is seeking a Webmaster!

The Webmaster is responsible for uploading content to The Cascade's website via Wordpress and managing all social media accounts, as well as overseeing any additional media content for the web (videos, photos, etc.). Pay: $150 per issue.

Send your resumé, cover letter, and writing sample to valerie@ufvcascade.ca by May 30, 2015.

18

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Walks, Hikes, and Bikes

Upcoming

Events May 24

Scotiabank MS walk Help Scotiabank and MS Society of Canada walk for a cure to multiple sclerosis at Mill Lake in Abbotsford. The walk starts at 1 p.m., but registration begins at 11:30 a.m. Register as a team or individual at mswalks.ca.

May 28 All Star Wrestling: Midget Time The event takes place at the Abbotsford Arts Centre (2329 Crescent Way) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $15 and are available at Four Aces Comics on George Ferguson Way, or online at Allstarwrestlingcanada.ca.

May 31 Envision Run for Water Join Envision Financial in raising funds for clean water in Ethiopia. Envision has hosted the run since 2007. It only costs $35 for one person to have clean water for life. The schedule of events as well as registration is available at heritage.abbotsford.runforwater.ca.

Image: Jake Bellucci / Flickr

Othello Tunnels: rich history and stunning views VANESSA BROADBENT THE CASCADE / PHOTOS

Trails, even ones with breathtaking views, are commonplace in the Fraser Valley, and the Othello Tunnels Trail located in Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park is no exception. It offers the lush scenery BC is known for, all without having to venture too far from home. But what is remarkable about the Othello Tunnels is not so much the view; it’s their rich history.

The Othello Tunnels were originally part of the Kettle Valley Railway, a branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway that opened in 1915 and operated in southern British Columbia.

The train tracks were removed after the railway was decommissioned and sections of it were abandoned in the 1960s. All that is now left now of this section of the railway, origi-

nally known as the Quintette Tunnels, are five tunnels and two bridges connecting them.

That’s right — you get to walk through abandoned railway tunnels, some of them rather long and dark.

The trail winds along a mountain, always with a view of the Coquihalla River below, and although the trail is highly elevated, it is not a hike but a walking trail. Many people bring pets and it’s not uncommon to see the occasional stroller.

There is no incline, making it the perfect trail to visit if you feel like being in nature without building up a sweat. But if you’re the daring type and observing the rushing river from the safety of a bridge with sturdy railings is not enough, there are several paths leading off the main trail and down into the canyon below. Of course, this is not the safest

option and most likely not suggested by BC Parks*, but the view from the bottom of the canyon is just as beautiful as from above — possibly even more so.

The only downside to visiting the Othello Tunnels is that there is a bit of a drive. If you’re leaving from Abbotsford, it’s about an hour of travel time. The park is usually busy on weekends, but if you go during the week or early on a weekend morning, it’s perfect. The park has everything you need, including picnic tables and plenty of washrooms, and there really isn’t a better way to spend a sunny day in BC than outside, learning about our province’s history. *Nor does The Cascade accept responsibility for readers’ rule-breaking.

19

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

“Lager” than the big leagues CIVL station manager Aaron Levy talks slo-pitch baseball, beer, and community MEGAN LAMBERT

year we’re winning! We’re at third and fourth and we only won five games last year, so we’re way ahead. We’re a better team this year. I think there are 20 games.

THE CASCADE

Aaron Levy is known to many as the voice of CIVL Radio, UFV’s campus station. But what some students might — somehow — not know is that Levy is a long-time baseball afficianado, and graciously agreed to share some of his experiences as a player on the community slo-pitch scene.

“We’re just a bunch of guys getting drunk and printing T-shirts, you

So, you have a baseball team!

I play on a couple of baseball teams, yes.

What are they called?

One is called the Brew Jays because we drink beer. Instead of a Maple Leaf on the Brew Jays sign, there’s a mug of beer, a frosty mug of beer. I also play on the poorly named Raw Dogs.

The Raw Dogs is a mixed-league team, men and women, and then the Brew Jays is only men. This is slo-pitch, so it’s not fastball where you wind up, and it’s not softball, and it’s not hardball. It’s the lowest level of competition.

There’s several divisions in both mixed and men, so you can go from A to E, and we are in E in

know what I mean?”

There are lots of UFV students on this team, right?

There are a few! A bunch of former UFV students.

Image: Aaron Levy/ facebook

Levy has been playing baseball almost since he was a toddler. both divisions. I’m the pitcher.

How long have you been doing it for?

Slo-pitch, this is my third season in Abbotsford, but I’ve been playing baseball since I was like, five.

How did your team do last season? How’s it doing this season?

Well, this season we’re like third and fourth! We came back from behind last week. We’re okay.

We’re literally one of the worst teams in the division, but this

Do you have to be really physically active to play?

No. Some people are really out of shape and they play all the time.

It’s baseball, first of all! Second of all, it’s the lowest division of [slo-pitch]. Third of all, we’re not competitive.

Do you have team jerseys?

Yeah, we got new ones this year!

Super cool. Powder-blue. Just

like old-school regular Blue Jays uniforms, except it’s the Brew Jays. So I’ll wear it to a Blue Jays game and hopefully people will compliment my awesome team’s jersey.

You don’t think that would step on anyone’s toes as far as legal issues go?

No, we don’t have any money!

We’re just a bunch of guys getting drunk and printing T-shirts, you know what I mean? What are they going to do, cease and desist? “You’re spending too much money on community, on this brand that’s not making you anything back!” I’m not worried.

What do you think this does for community engagement?

It’s a fun time! It’s held at Exhibition Park — it’s an all-weekend thing, so you run into people from all over town. A big thing in the community is Abbotsford Slo-pitch. People like it here. I know a lot of people from outside of UFV, and then a lot of people there I see at UFV later on. A lot of people like it here, so there’s crossover. I’d like to see more.

Eating clay not advised by doctors Don’t listen to the not-so-smart weight loss secrets of celebrities without doing your own research VANESSA BROADBENT

THE CASCADE

It’s not unusual to admire celebrities. We can’t help but notice their flawless hair, makeup, and fashion every time we walk through a checkout stand at a supermarket, where we’re constantly reminded of who is dropping weight like crazy, or who is rumoured to be pregnant simply because they gained a few pounds. Our society is obsessed with appearance and feels a need to expose everyone’s body size.

But what isn’t always exposed is just how celebrities drastically lose weight. We see the inspiring before-and-after pictures of their “amazing weight loss transformations,” but no one ever takes the time to look into whether a celebrity’s newfound fabulous diet is actually all that healthy.

It wasn’t that long ago that actress Shailene Woodley told Into The Gloss about her new favourite way to lose weight: eating clay. Yes, clay: the stuff we used

Image: Wikipedia

We’ve all heard of eating our hats, but this goes a bit too far. in elementary school to build the misshapen ashtrays that our parents kept whether they actually smoked or not.

Woodley claims eating clay has many health benefits and

that it is “one of the best things you can put in your body” because it doesn’t get absorbed by your body during digestion and “helps clean heavy metals out of your body.”

Woodley’s opinion is not shared by professionals. David L. Katz, founding director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center told Huffington Post the practice could even be harmful.

“Removing metal from the body is not necessarily good — iron, for example, is a metal and essential to health. So, there could conceivably be benefits, but there could certainly be harms — and a favourable benefit-harm ratio has not been established to justify recommending this,” Katz says.

Where did Woodley even learn about this new fad diet? It must have been from some highly paid and extremely knowledgeable celebrity nutritionist, right?

Wrong.

“I first heard about the benefits of eating clay from a taxi driver. He was African and was saying that, where he’s from, the women eat clay when they’re pregnant,” Woodley said (Into the Gloss). “Seriously — ask your taxi drivers where they are from

and about their customs. You will learn a lot.”

The practice of eating clay or other earth substrates, also known as geophagia, is somewhat common in third-world countries, but usually to suppress hunger, not to lose weight.

Even the website from which Woodly claims to buy most of the clay she eats, Mountainroseherbs.com, has a disclaimer saying that their clay is cosmetic, has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and is for external use only. In other words: don’t eat clay.

Celebrities may make for great entertainment, but it’s evident that they don’t always give the best health advice — so before you jump on the latest weightloss bandwagon because one of your favourite celebrities swears by this new diet, be sure to do your research and make sure what they’re promoting is actually healthy.

20

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca