The cascade Vol. 23 No. 24

Vol. 23 Issue 24

October 7, 2015 to October 15, 2015

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O u tr tr ig a g ge e r cu wa lt r n ur in e g s vs . p.

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Disposing of the evidence in CIVL’s sink since 1993

ALL-CANDIDATES DEBATE, ROUND TWO Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon candidates respond to questions on student debt, progressive change, and more

p. 4

FERTILE GROUND FOR ART

Art battles, art marathons, and art journals, oh my!

THE PURSUIT OF APPINESS

p. 12-13

A glance at three mental health awareness apps

p. 19 ufvcascade.ca

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NEWS News

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Facilitating discussion in the classroom, working ideas on the page

Creative writing professor Andrea MacPherson talks with Rachel Tait about the creative process and student-led learning.

Strategic voting in the federal election

Opinion

10-11

Culture

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All over the map, on all fours

Arts in Review

17

Kin, Sylvia Platters, Alea Rae, and Frankie rock the Basement

Sports & Health

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Why is our women’s soccer team so awesome?

What is it? Why is it? And should you care? Alex Rake addresses these questions in a guide and plea for strategic voting.

Volume 23 · Issue 24 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Editor-in-Chief kodie@ufvcascade.ca Kodie Cherrille

Xtina breaks down common spots to get down. The mile-high club is overrated, by the way.

Managing Editor valerie@ufvcascade.ca Valerie Franklin

Glenn Ess checks out an intimate show full of Buddy Holly stylings, haunted keyboards, and more.

The Cascades have been on fire lately. Vanessa Broadbent talks stats, players, and morale with head coach Rob Giesbrecht.

Not your grandparents’ Canada Real estate sale another symptom of deepening divide between CBC and government

Business Manager jennifer@ufvcascade.ca Jennifer Trithardt-Tufts Production Manager brittany@ufvcascade.ca Brittany Cardinal Copy Editor kat@ufvcascade.ca Kat Marusiak News Editor megan@ufvcascade.ca Megan Lambert Opinion Editor alex@ufvcascade.ca Alex Rake Culture Editor seamus@ufvcascade.ca Seamus Heffernan Arts in Review Editor martin@ufvcascade.ca Martin Castro Sports Editor vanessa@ufvcascade.ca Vanessa Broadbent Webmaster brayden@ufvcascade.ca Brayden Buchner

Image: Graham Ballantyne / Flickr

VALERIE FRANKLIN

MANAGING EDITOR

“You won’t recognize Canada when I’m through with it.”

— Stephen Harper, 2006 Ask any Canadian for a list of 10 Canadian symbols and they’re likely to list the CBC somewhere just below maple syrup and beavers. What could be more fundamentally Canadian than Hockey Night in Canada, which has been broadcast since 1952?

Who doesn’t love the snappy political satire of This Hour Has 22 Minutes? But two weeks ago it was announced that the CBC will sell all its property and real estate across Canada in a fire sale, suggesting that it’s edging closer to bankruptcy — the latest step in a long series of downhill slides under the Conservative government.

If the CBC is destroyed, it will not have been an explosive demolition so much as a slow, deliberate, and systematic dismantling. In 2011, the Conservative government under prime minister Stephen Harper announced $115 million in cuts to the CBC over three years. Since then, two of the CBC’s 10 remote recording trucks have been quietly sold; its most experienced senior producers have been dismissed;

all its regional offices have been closed; and its irreplaceable music archives, comprising over 100,000 recordings on vinyl and cassette, have been sold or destroyed. The recent decision to sell its real estate is the culmination of this dismantling — a new high-water mark for the destabilization of the fourth estate in Canada. If the sale goes through, the CBC will become a tenant rather than an owner. Its permanence as a Canadian institution will no longer be a certainty.

The demographic of CBC listeners is generally a little older than your average university student, and chances are you’re not one of the die-hard fans with the kitchen radio permanently tuned to Radio 2. But even if you don’t listen to it often, the CBC should be appreciated not only as one of Canada’s foremost producers and supporters of Canadian content, but as a mainstay of our national culture. The corporation’s mandate, set out in the Broadcasting Act of 1991, lays out seven specific points, including that the corporation must “actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression,” as well as “contribute to shared national consciousness and identity.” Originally founded in 1936, a time of uncertainty, division, and economic hardship, the CBC’s

broadcasts were intended to unify Canada’s scattered and diverse population across almost 10 million square km of rugged land, creating what political scientist Benedict Anderson would later famously term “imagined community”: a sense of kinship among people who share few other cultural similarities or face-to-face interactions to bind them together. In doing so, the CBC became a symbol embedded in the national consciousness of Canada. If we lose this symbol, which seems more and more likely with the significant destabilization this fire sale represents, we lose more than Canada’s most prominent source of journalism and culture — we lose an essential piece of our national puzzle.

Disturbingly, the cause of this gradual dismantling appears to be politically motivated. The idea of public broadcasting is based on the idea that access to information is essential to democracy, and that in order to maintain unbiased coverage that is free of political or economic influences, broadcast institutions must be publicly funded.

The CBC operates autonomously from the government — yet out of 11 directors on the CBC’s board, nine were appointed by Harper himself. Many critics have voiced frustration with the

decreasing quality of the CBC’s programming over the last several years, but is this decline really coincidental, considering that the left-leaning journalism that the CBC is known for conflicts with the current Conservative government’s politics?

Is the intention of this Harperappointed board to run the CBC into the ground, weakening the quality of its content until, when it finally collapses, no one cares?

There’s still hope for the CBC; Tom Mulcair has penned a letter urging them not to sell their real estate in the hopes that an NDP government could restabilize the corporation, and both he and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau have pledged to reverse the $115 million of funding cuts if either of their parties is elected. But if the latest polls are correct and the Conservative government is poised for re-election, it seems unlikely that the CBC will survive the next four years.

Protests have not helped. Petitions have not helped. If you care what happens to the CBC either way — whether it should be quietly retired as an antique of days gone by, or whether it should be preserved as a precious artifact of Canadian culture — vote.

Turn to pages 10 and 11 to read Alex Rake’s feature on strategic voting.

Production Assistant danielle@ufvcascade.ca Danielle Collins Video Editor mitch@ufvcascade.ca Mitch Huttema Staff Writer jeffrey@ufvcascade.ca Jeffrey Trainor Distributors Vanessa Broadbent and Tia Oostenbrug Contributors Esra Al-Abduljabar, Harvin Bhathal, Michael Chutskoff, Vikash Gill, Rachel Tait, and Glen Ess Cover art: Brittany Cardinal

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 1,500 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.

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Mission mayor talks local industry, NEWS

BRIEFS

seeks partnership with UFV Board of Governors KODIE CHERRILLE

Abbotsford City Council approves 600-seat banquet hall ABBOTSFORD — At the September 28 Abbotsford City Council meeting, Council approved, with a five to four vote, a banquet hall in an industrial area of West Abbotsford. Opponents argued that the hall won’t fit in with its surroundings, whereas supporters said that the hall will contribute to community events. The building will be 1,575 square metres and will have 166 parking spots. Mayor Henry Braun opposed the building, saying it doesn’t fit with the city’s land-use plan. The land was previously zoned as agricultural.

— The Abbotsford News

Student Union Society (SUS) leaves ABCS CHILLIWACK (UFV) — At the previous SUS board meeting on Friday, September 25, the board approved a motion to leave the Alliance of British Columbian Students (ABCS), reportedly because the membership was no longer serving the society and was not an effective use of student funding. In a statement, VP external Sukhi Brar says that the key issues included: “organizational problems, lack of communication to member schools, lack of action when concerns are expressed by member schools, and loss of support from member schools.”

Public forum on affordable housing comes to Abbotsford ABBOTSFORD — A Housing First Best Practices forum will be held on Thursday, October 15 with four panellists discussing ways to address housing for the homeless population.

Topics will include the role of shelters and affordable housing. There will be a presentation about a community workshop series offered in late 2015, the data from which will be included in the Homelessness in Abbotsford Action Plan. The Cascade will continue to cover this story in the coming weeks.

Have a news tip?

Let us know! news@ufvcascade.ca @CascadeNews

THE CASCADE

Mission mayor Randy Hawes, Mission’s chief assistant officer (CAO) Ron Poole, and assistant superintendent Randy Huth were invited to speak at the October 1 Board of Governors meeting, which was held last Thursday at the Mission campus.

In his update, Hawes elaborated on the city’s plan to create what he calls a “centre of innovation.” The proposed centre would house manufacturers and businesses specializing in agricultural technology.

“Those [who] come out of UFV with great skills could use that innovation centre, and I’m hoping we’re able to explore that,” he said. “However, we do not have enough industrial land for that,” he added. Hawes said he intends to take land out of the Agricultural Land Reserve to develop the centre, in hopes that it will create jobs for those living in Mission.

He then spoke of a recent meet-

ing with UFV president Mark Evered and VP academic Eric Davis regarding Mission’s Riverside College, which is facing challenges with enrollment and accreditation. Hawes hopes to see new programs developed in co-ordination with UFV, as well as accreditation for trades courses taught at Riverside. Adults taking unaccredited courses are unable to take out a student loan from the provincial government.

Assistant superintendent Randy Huth spoke to this: “We had to really look at Riverside. It gets challenging, unless you have the numbers … we need to find ways to support it.”

CAO Ron Poole also briefly spoke on the city’s priority to have enough workers in 20 years to build and maintain oil pipelines in B.C. “Most of those workers will come from the lower mainland,” said Poole. Poole has recently moved from Kitimat, the proposed ending point for the Northern Gateway pipeline.

Hawes introduced Poole as a “peacemaker” who consolidated

differing opinions over whether the pipeline should receive an OK from the municipality.

Hawes also asked UFV to consider using Mission’s Clarke Theatre as part of the university’s theatre program, which is primarily situated at the Chilliwack North campus that is currently for sale. In June 2015, the Mission City Council had given the Clarke Theatre $75,000 to keep it from closing.

“We can’t let it close,” said Hawes to the board. “It’s an iconic part of this community.”

Finally, Hawes suggested that UFV begin a film industry program in Mission, which would entail site-building, stunt work, and production work. Citing the weak Canadian dollar, Hawes predicted that B.C.’s film industry will see more traffic from filmmakers south of the border.

“We’re going to see more films up here … we just need training and more knowledge,” he said.

After dinner, business was brief. In his report, Mark Evered noted that there has been a significant rise in international

student enrollment at UFV: 926 students this semester — about 38 per cent more than in 2013.

Evered also reminded those present to remain non-partisan during the election period — but encouraged engagement with the election, commending the Student Union Society’s participation in the Get Out the Vote campaign. Two items were brought forward from last month’s in-camera session: the membership on board committees for 2015-16; and UFV’s statement of financial information, which discloses the salaries and expenses of all UFV employees making over $75,000, as well as payments to goods and services suppliers.

The public meeting adjourned at around 6:30 p.m., and the following in-camera session lasted about 20 minutes. The Board of Governors will meet via teleconference on November 5. The next in-person meeting will be at the Chilliwack’s CEP campus on December 3, 2015.

Business, breakfast, and bacon MEGAN LAMBERT

THE CASCADE / PHOTO

Last Friday, October 2, the UFV School of Business hosted their second annual Careers Networking Breakfast in the Great Hall of the Student Union Building.

Guest speakers from the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and local Fraser Valley businesses gave lectures on sales and marketing to over 150 students while enjoying a breakfast buffet.

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SUS hosts all-candidates debate in the SUB JEFFREY TRAINOR

Wismer: Again, dealing with any of the issues is standing up against monopoly right. Formulating a people’s agenda that deals with all the specific problems and which is also an antiwar agenda, because it would be a pretty sad thing for people seeking employment to join the armed forces and go and attack other peoples’ countries in order to have a job. The possibility is for some manoeuvring, and with enough support and opposition to the monopoly agenda, money directed into developing Canadian industry. But there is enormous potential for creativity on ways to create employment.

THE CASCADE

On Thursday October 1, federal election candidates for the MissionMatsqui-Fraser Canyon riding answered written questions from students at the Student Union Building (SUB) at the UFV Abbotsford campus. Green Party of Canada candidate Arthur Green, independent candidate Wyatt Scott, Liberal Party candidate Jati Sidhu, and MarxistLeninist Party candidate Elaine Wismer participated at the debate.

Conservative candidate Brad Vis and New Democratic Party candidate Dennis Adamson were not present.

Opening Statements Green: First of all, I would like to thank everyone here, especially the students and UFV. I am compelled to do what I can to turn this madness around — to rebuild an economy that is built on new and renewable energy sources, to cleanse the world and see we open the greatest economic catalyst Canada and the world will ever know: an economy constructed on consolation, created by not only caring about the environment, but each other.

We are our last hope. If we don’t act immediately, our futures are dim. If we don’t stop polluting and warming the earth long before 2050, it will send us to certain doom.

Scott: I think if you ask me where I sit on the spectrum, I have Conservative, I have Liberal, I have Socialist ideology. I would say I am well-rounded in my political perspective. I don’t want to be called big blue, big red, big orange. So what I WWWbring to the table is something a little different, something that represents a community rather than a party, rather than towing party lines and doing what a “whip,” or leader, tells you to do.

Sidhu: Before I went into politics I was a farmer, entrepreneur, and I was fortunate enough to build a successful business that provided for me and my family. I volunteered many hours into this riding, starting with the board of governors at UFV … I’m pretty sure I made the motion to build this building (SUB) when I was on the board. I have always wanted to give back to make things better. Right now, a lot of Canadians are looking for change and direction and a change in leadership that will make things better.

Wismer: The Marxist-Leninist Party has its origins in the student

Image Credit: Vanessa Broadbent

The Student Union Society (SUS) also hosted an Abbotsford all-candidates debate two hours prior to the Mission-Matsqui-Fraser debate. From left to right: Stephen Fowler, Green Party; Jen Martel, NDP. union movement in the 1960s and the other mass movements of the day. The Marxist-Leninist Party stands for nation-building rather than nation-wrecking. The public right has attained a monopoly right. Now the Harper government has shown itself to be anti-public education and they’ve characterized teachers as acting in their own interests better than the common interest. There’s a struggle with students and teachers and whoever is elected in this riding should unite to fight against the monopoly right.

Questions Students face a growing debt load, according to a number of studies are graduating with more debt than students from previous generations, and that debt is taking longer to pay off and is representing a larger portion of their income. It also means that today’s youth need to wait longer after they graduate to be full economic participants and enter the real estate market.

What will each of you do at the federal to combat growing student debts?

Green: The Green Party platform off the bat proposes free tuition. I believe this will happen by 2020, if not sooner. We are also proposing forgiving large student loans, because we believe this is causing a backload on students when they are trying to get ahead and just out of school. This will also give an opportunity for poorer students to have a shot at education. I don’t know if any of the

rest of you have ever been to the car park at UBC, but if you ever take a tour of it you’ll see that it’s full of Porsches, Jags, BMWs, and Mercedes, and that the average student just can’t afford to go to UBC. So this would equal the playing field so it’s not a university just for rich people. We’re also proposing a national apprenticeship program to work in conjunction with high schools throughout the province.

Scott: I am in favour of universal post-secondary education absolutely and completely. I think that in a nation as wealthy as Canada, with the great amount of resources, and our population being tiny in comparison per capita, it’s kind of a given. I always challenge people and say, “Go out and ask your politician, what’s the greatest resource in Canada,” and 99 per cent of the time they say something silly like oil, or water, or trees, but the greatest resource we have in this country is the people, and that’s what we need to invest in. We have to look at investing within the school system; I fully support free universal post secondary.

Sidhu: I believe in education, which was part of the reasons I started with the board at UFV. I believe in easy access for students to get their education and secondly, why students go to university is to get better jobs so when they come out we need to give them job opportunities ASAP. We do have forgiveness programs, but my thinking is if students come out and get better jobs, it makes it easier for them to

pay their student loan. The Liberal Party of Canada is looking to help students, putting $750 million in funding to increase training programs every year. Twentyfive million in training facilities so students can work and study at the same time. I believe in apprenticeship through the federal infrastructure program.

Wismer: I don’t believe anyone should be saddled with a great deal of personal debt and I don’t believe students should have to provide a great deal of money for education, it should be free.

However, I’m not about to make any election promises because I think it is unfair to sell illusions in people’s minds that any of us can go off to Ottawa and work magic there. The fact is that social change and social progress has only happened through mass action, whereas there may be some candidates elected who have well intentions, it’ll be up to students and teachers as well to organize a movement in defence of what your needs are.

Recently, figures revealed that Canada’s economy was in a recession. Whether we accept the view of the government or the opposition, that means for the year we are either in a mild recession or an anemic recovery.

Neither of those will move along Canada’s unemployment rate that is stuck at seven per cent or on the youth unemployment rate that is nearly 14 per cent.

Where does your party stand on unemployment, and youth unemployment in general?

Sidhu: I am a strong believer in co-op focus programs we need to look into focus in 2025, where students get training and get paid at the same time, which has benefits for both the employers and the students. As I said earlier, we are spending $750 million for training purposes; we are spending another $25 million in training facilities under the new infrastructure program. I’m a strong believer in creating those conditions where students get educated then go to work and work for the economy.

Scott: I think in particular the green sector in B.C. is lagging behind. There’s going to be a major boom for the world in general, so if we can localize our economy it’s going to benefit us best. There’s going to be offshoots of that, the green sector is going to have to be funded by the fossil fuels, but we need to start that transition very quickly. We have an initiative in Mission where we’ve attracted some new Agri-tech firms who are doing some incredible measures in terms of growth. They are employing people and looking at growing right away. That will put the trades back to work as well, building the green sector, so I think British Columbians in general need to focus on driving the green sector.

Green: This stems back to education as well, the fact the Green Party are imposing free tuition fees and forgiving student loans sets up our future generation to acquire the skills they’ll need to carry on in the future. One of our main platforms is to establish a national apprentiship program to work in conjunction with the provincial education systems. So I think there’s great opportunity in the nurture for youth unemployment, but the current system has an agenda set on giving away our natural resources and not worrying about the future of our younger generation.

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In Canada we don’t vote directly for the prime minster, instead we vote for members of parliament, but in reality many candidates decide whom to vote for based on their opinions of the leaders of that candidates party. To each to you, why is your leader the best choice for prime minister?

Green: There’s no doubt that Elizabeth May is by far the best parliamentarian in the Federal government. For four years in a row she has been given the Parliamentarian of the Year award.

Her policies are clear and directly influential for all Canadians, they don’t just rely on money. One of our main issues in the green party is electoral reform. We need proportional representation in this country. A lot of your votes, 40 per cent of the people that voted, their ballot didn’t count. If we had proportional representation, each vote would count. So if 12 per cent of the population voted for Greens, Greens would get 12 per cent of the representative. By far, Elizabeth May is the greatest politician in Canadian politics today, and with proportional representation we can repeat that many times over.

Scott: When you have an independent representative in the House of Commons, they are accountable to the community. I always say if, for example, “Mr. Smith had a problem getting his milk to market, he went to his MP, his MP sat down with the whole community, they said they needed funding, he went back to Ottawa and said we need a little funding to form this co-op to get our resource to the market,” and that’s what they would do.

An independent is accountable to the community, not the party.

So when you hear all these lies from a party leader, we know these will never come to fruition.

I don’t promise a single thing, I just promise if you support me in October I will fight for my community and my country.

Sidhu: Well, Justin Trudeau has a vision, has a drive, and has a passion. He was elected seven years ago as a member of parliament; his father was PM when he was nine. He saw his father’s campaign and from then on he had a passion. He had a passion to serve all Canadians, not only the wealthy few. There are not many leaders that stand up on the eve of election night and say, “You know what, I’m going to tax wealthy Canadians 1 per cent and I’m going to give the rest of the 99 per cent a 7 per cent tax break. That’s leadership, that’s vision. We need to grow together the way we’re seen at the world

Image Credit: Jeffrey Trainor

level, we need to keep that image.

Wismer: The Marxist-Leninist party has put the number one item on their agenda as democratic renewal. The issue is who decides, there are a great many of problems, but who is going to decide how Canada is going to be shaped in the future. We think that what has been missing all along since the beginning of Canada is the participation of the people, the ability for people to work out their ideas for how things should be. Everyone has ideas for how Canada should be, but a great many people are so discouraged with the political system and the political parties that they have given up even trying to say what’s on their minds or even voting. So the number one issue is democratic renewal.

How Canada can participate in changing so everyone can participate, so everyone can have their views heard.

A number of candidates have been motivated to vote in this election simply to see a change in government, and some want to see two governments working together. Do you support that?

Wimer: The Conservative and Liberal parties are committed to the monopolies of large financial institutions, but in this riding and in this election there are poor people who you could call people’s candidates, and I would like to see the candidates all working

very closely with people in their ridings.

Sidhu: For the last four years the Harper government has squandered the trust of Canadian people. They have governed without consent and transparency. They have muzzled our scientists, and they bullied the oppressed. It’s a government of incompetency; our economy’s shrinking and our environment suffers. The Liberal Party has a plan that will make a difference in the lives of Canadians.

Scott: Why don’t the progressive parties work together more to get the Harper government out?

Well, that’s a great question, isn’t it? When you elect a party politician to the floor and the bill comes up, he is told how to vote by the leader of the party. It doesn’t necessarily benefit the community, the constituency that we live in, and so I think that if we look at an independent, they really have to go out and they have to meet the entire community, and what they build is a reflection of what that community needs or wants. So I think that the parties definitely need to start working together a bit more.

Green: The Green Party of Canada is the only federal party that is not “whipped.” We vote for the constituents. If the constituents challenge our party line, we go with the constituents. We have the best leader in Canada.

Closing Statements Wismer: I encourage people to take the initiative for themselves and don’t rely on heroes. It’s wonderful that people are watching the election and electing people to parliament, but again it’s mass action that changes history, and people need to study things and figure out how things work so that they can make up and formulate their own ideas about how things should be and what possibilities there are, and to stick up for those things.

Sidhu: When elected, I’d like to see grassroots concerns and issues so I can take it down to Ottawa for discussion. Under Stephen Harper we’ve seen a shrinking community for working Canadians. The first thing I see when I talk to people is that their children will inherit much worse jobs. The gap between haves and have-nots is widening. The Liberal Party has a plan that will make a difference in the lives of Canadians.

Scott: Thank you very much for coming out, you guys. MissionMatsqui-Fraser Canyon is huge, 25 different bands, a very diverse demographic that makes it up.

It’s unique in a lot of ways. I think that whoever does go on to Ottawa is going to represent their community very well. I personally think that Canada has a great political development ahead of it. I think we’re very close to a progressive jump. I have faith in

fellow Canadians and fellow human beings that we’re close to something very good.

Green: Social justice. Participatory justice. Ecological wisdom. Respect for diversity. Non-violence.

Sustainability. These are the six principles of the Green Party of Canada. These are not just words. These are the principles that separate us from every other political party around the world.

It’s because of those six principles that we are a real alternative.

Jen Martel, Abbotsford riding NDP candidate: I’m standing in for Dennis, he’s really sorry that he couldn’t be here. He sends his regrets and recognizes a really important demographic that I fall into, and that’s young voters.

He’s used to being the voice from his area. We want to stand up for every Canadian and not just the elite class. I hope you can help us rebuild Canada.

With files from Megan Lambert.

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Andrea MacPherson talks storytelling, student engagement, and the art of facilitation CONTRIBUTOR

etry and advanced fiction along the way.

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.

Andrea MacPherson is a creative writing professor at UFV. She has been a full-time professor here for 10 years, and her teaching focus is on poetry and fiction. She has been published in a number of literary journals and is the author of the recent poetry collection Ellipses.

How do the courses you’re teaching now differ from when you started teaching?

There are just a lot more! To be more specific, we are really committed to looking at different genres and different areas of student interest. That has been helping develop courses and getting them to a place where students have more choice and more options of paths they want to follow when taking creative writing classes.

RACHEL TAIT

How long have you been at UFV? I started teaching professionally in 2005 and I got a permanent type E position in fall of 2009 — I’ve been teaching for 10 years. I know it does not seem that long, but it is. I like the small classes — that kind of more intimate community that you have with students and faculty here. It’s great!

What brought you to UFV? What inspired you to come and teach here?

Originally, I proposed creative writing classes here because when I started here there were only two or three. It was a really popular area, but it needed a lot of growth. So when Jim Anderson was the department head I contacted him about the possibility of creating some courses. That is what initially brought me out to UFV. I saw holes that could be filled.

What courses did you create?

We started off with historical fiction, then novel writing, then worked our way backwards and added in ENGL 104, that is an introduction to all genres. We got more specific with advanced po-

What kinds of changes have you made in your teaching approaches or methods over time? Or have you found one style that works?

I think the biggest change I have made over time is positioning the upper-level classes. Instead of doing smaller groups for workshopping, just doing one large seminar for it so that everyone is reading all their peers’ work and giving feedback on it. I find it works better when I can facilitate it and work through and moderate their discussions. Additionally, I think I’ve also started asking for more specific project proposals or ideas of how they wanted to approach the material, whereas before we would kind of fly by the seat of our pants. I am now looking for more pre-writing and planning, and all of those things as well.

Have there been any colleagues or students that have been particularly helpful or influential in what you do as a teacher?

I think when I first started John Carroll was the only other person teaching creative writing, and I got a lot from him in terms of what he found has worked in

of making it a core part of their education. Finding their place — whether in independent writing groups, or something like The Cascade, or the English Students Association — and seeing those kinds of groups forming and changing over time has been interesting to see. I think it always informs your teaching as well; seeing the engagement of the student body is an exciting thing to see.

Image Credit: Andrea MacPherson

MacPherson says teaching is about facilitating ideas already within students while they work on their material. his classes and how to approach different kinds of material or different projects within a creative writing class. He was fabulous along the way.

I am always learning things from students. It’s every couple years that a core group you see moving through the academic stream are really dedicated, really working on original and exciting material; that is really inspirational to instructors as well.

What kinds of projects, research, pedagogy, or course development have you worked on at UFV? Lots of course development!

There have been a lot of genrespecific things. All of my re-

search is always for creative projects. It’s ranged from residential schools to the troubles in Ireland in the late ‘60s, so it’s quite wide in terms of research.

While we often talk of UFV as a single entity, each student or teacher will take something different out of it. How would you describe what you’ve taken out of UFV and how you’re still changing it?

I think what I have taken out of it is the idea of building smaller communities within a community. I see a lot of students really striving for those communities, wanting places to belong or groups to belong in, and kind

Do you have any advice for aspiring students who want to major in English or follow in your footsteps and teach?

Read everything and write as much as you can! It really is like any other kind of fine art. You learn about painting by looking at paintings and painting. It’s the same with writing and reading: the more you read, the more you determine what you like and the styles you are drawn to, and cultivate your own voice and style.

It’s essential to any young writer.

So part of that is writing, writing, writing as much as you can, and reading widely and often.

What is your favourite aspect of creative writing?

My favourite aspect is kind of when the idea behind the project finally becomes concrete and you can start immersing yourself in the writing process — when you start seeing new subplots come up, or new storylines opening, or things coming together you hadn’t anticipated. There is something almost magical when all these things collide and the story has a life of its own. That point is probably my favourite part of the process.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You’ll fit right in.

All UFV students are invited to write for The Cascade! Come to one of our writers meetings at 1 p.m. on Mondays in room S2111 (at the top of the stairs in the SUB), or email valerie@ ufvcascade.ca to be added to our mailing list.

SNAPSHOTS

Image: Danielle Collins

Number 3 bus is a sardine can

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Image: Danielle Collins

Associations, can I get your number?

Image: Brittany Cardinal

Image: Brittany Cardinal

Write bigger cheques for writers

Math Centre, best centre

Catherine Bell

Glen Ess

Rachel Tait

Esra Al-Abduljabar

Autumn is associated with so many wonderful things: pumpkin spice, Halloween, the number 3 bus to UFV being filled to capacity ... Oh, yeah! For some reason, BC Transit thinks that peak time starts at 3 p.m. and only lasts until 6 p.m. That might be true for people leaving work and gradeschool students, but this bus is meant to service the university. Most people will only be using it during those peak hours to leave UFV. During the rest of the day, bus drivers often feel like they have no choice but to break the law and cram as many students as they can onto the bus so that they can get to class on time. I’ve seen over 50 people on the bus at once this semester. Peak hours for the number 3 bus should be different from the other buses to accommodate university students’ needs.

The basic point of a website is to make some piece of information easily accessible.

So how come I can’t find out how to contact any of the student associations or clubs on the Student Union Society’s website? The thing got updated on the 27th and 28th of July; clearly they’ve kept track of all these different groups, so why on earth are there only two clubs who’ve got a linked email address? Just how in the heck do they expect people to get in touch with them if they fail to make use of one of the simplest, easiest forms of modern communication: e-mail?

Is this just some elaborate plot to force me to go to their meetings, or a cheap way to get people to like their Facebook pages?

Do writers get paid enough? As you go through asking the world of writing, some say yes, others no. I strongly believe writers should be paid more, as they invest time, energy, resources, and research into pieces they believe in. The same can be said of journalists, who are not always well-paid for the hard work they put into their articles, or for the editors who are constantly dedicated to improving their stories.

Writing is a creative form that is often overlooked. There are jobs that make more money, but do not always fulfill the creative passions of the worker. To be brief, writers spend about the same time going to school, getting a BA or a master’s degree, contributing articles on a voluntary basis, and striving for success — and yet, they are not paid enough for it.

The Math Centre: a place that feels like home. With its warm and cozy atmosphere, it’s built in a perfect location between Tim Horton’s and the library. Inside the centre, there are tables and computers for you to use, as well as various mathematical books for reference. A teacher is always present and always happy to help you with your problems. Everything you need is close; the washroom is right in front of it, along with a water refill station and a vending machine in case you need a little snack. The best part about the Math Centre is that it’s a place where motivated people who have a goal can meet to study or work individually. I find that the environment you surround yourself with is correlated to how successful you become, and the Math Centre is certainly a good one!

Stop and smell the supermoon

The wonder of natural marvels shouldn’t go ignored CATHERINE BELL CONTRIBUTOR

In this modern world, the natural world often goes unnoticed.

Unless it’s a supermoon, meteor shower, or tourism promotion, the media doesn’t usually report on the natural wonders around us. It seems that a lot of people believe that observing these phenomena is a waste of time or no longer needed, but I believe that it’s important.

So many people take our city’s trees and grass and living plants for granted, when so many other places in North America have been so thoroughly constructed that there are few plants, even ones planted by humans, left in them. Even when the marvel is small, like a single daisy crawling its way up through cracks in the pavement, it is important to notice these things. For people

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Take advantage of our beautiful Valley and go outside! who live in desolate places, large marvels like a supermoon can motivate them to think about a natural world they might not have any contact with in their day-to-day life.

Amazing natural phenomena don’t just start at the edge of the

atmosphere, though. Beautiful forest trails, bright stars, and the smell of wet earth are something that anyone can enjoy, no matter who they are. If you have no other form of entertainment, you can walk around in the park and look at the clouds, and feel the

breeze, and see the moon and the stars. If you don’t pay attention to these wonders, things like the Kinder-Morgan pipeline and the sale of provincial and federal land to corporations can happen without you noticing before it’s too late.

Natural marvels like supermoons and meteor showers often turn people’s faces skyward, but it’s important for people to look at the world around them as well. We live in a perfect area for enjoying and spending time in nature. During the summer, I spend a lot of time at the beach, and I could spend so much time listening to music and looking at the clouds. Because of the mountains that separate the Lower Mainland from the rest of the country, the weather patterns can be interesting to watch.

Plus, out here in the Valley, the light pollution isn’t so bright

that it outshines the stars, like it does for people who live closer to Vancouver. It’s also easier to see phenomena like eclipses and meteor showers in the Valley for the same reason. If you can, you should take advantage of our unique location and see these natural phenomena.

Something like a supermoon might just be a day when the full moon is slightly closer to Earth, but the beauty of it is worth attention. Also, just because you aren’t a nature worshipper doesn’t mean you can ignore the world we live in. Only looking forward and ignoring the natural world won’t stop the Earth from being the planet we live on. It won’t make it not matter or make the loss of nature any less devastating to us. We should embrace what we can see and enjoy it while we still can.

8

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Viewer discretion is advised: The importance of trigger warnings VIKASH GILL

CONTRIBUTOR

Outrage culture has manifested in a way that has caused controversy and reactionary backlash at university campuses around the continent: trigger warnings.

Trigger warnings, also known as content warnings, are designed to help those who have had traumatic experiences, in addition to people who are not neurotypical, cope with potentially distressing material. Specific triggers can be unique to the individual, but some triggers are commonplace, like intense bigotry or realistic depictions of violent acts.

Trigger warnings are important because people need to be aware of the personal boundaries of others in their environment and be sensitive to the triggers of the people they’re addressing. A person’s triggers can also cause them to remember horrific memories, and may also make them

Letter to the editor I was disappointed to read Ms. Stobbart’s unresearched Letter to the Editor (September 30) regarding the lack of artistic touch to the SUB. We are proud to feature a diverse range of student and alumni art throughout the building. The SUS graphic designer, a student who joined our team about two years ago, designed those beautiful exterior murals and the feature walls you’ll see in SUS rooms.

The third floor highlights three stunning student oil paintings along with fantastic alumni art in the meeting rooms, including the artist featured on the 2015 alumni wine label. The first and second floor showcase even more works, and we are continually sourcing new student and alumni pieces to place around the building. Inside the club & association rooms on the second floor, groups already are decorating and painting their spaces to make the area their own — a trend we hope to see continue!

I encourage students, faculty, staff, and members of the UFV community to take time walking through the all floors of the SUB to experience art and culture of the building, and to keep coming back to find the newest piece!

— Thomas Davies, SUS president

experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Content which is triggering can also negatively impact one’s health in a variety of other ways, from causing stress to causing one to fall back into self-destructive habits.

It should be plainly said that trigger warnings are just warnings. They don’t take anything away. They don’t remove anyone’s freedom of speech. Trigger warnings aren’t censorship. They are just a way to signify that the content after the warning may be disturbing. A less controversial but comparable type of warning would be a spoiler warning.

Spoiler warnings are put in place so the person doesn’t unexpectedly read certain information they don’t want to see.

There is a great deal of hypocrisy from the people who oppose trigger warnings. Media like films and video games are constantly rated for their con-

Image Credit: pop-lee / Deviantart

Why be angry? Trigger warnings don’t take anything away.

(SPOILER: You won’t like him when he’s angry.) tent before they are released.

For example, the Entertainment Software Rating Board can rate

Letter to the editor I’d like to extend both my gratitude and my disappointment to the SUS regarding today’s allcandidates forums. Their Get Out the Vote efforts have been commendable, engaging not just one but three ridings that reflect a large portion of the student body. This effort no doubt had the added challenge of being undertaken while unveiling the much-anticipated Union HQ. Regarding the SUB, they should again be recognized for utilizing and welcoming students to enjoy the new atrium space for such events.

My concern lies in both the promotion and organization of the debates. Both debates were poorly attended by candidates and students a like. I won’t speculate as to why candidates failed to attend but, in my view, the lack of student engagement was due, at least in part, to poor student outreach. Most notable was the total lack of social media promotion until just prior to the event. This was in addition to no notification or invitation to the student body in The Cascade, and no promotional material posted until a week before (and with the Communist Party

logo on the posters, not the Marxist-Leninist Party).

So why not save the ink and let me complain elsewhere? A third debate, for the riding of Chilliwack — Hope, is scheduled to take place this Thursday, October 8 at noon. Again moderated by department head Hamish Telford, this debate will be hosting five of the six candidates in the atrium of building A at Canada Education Park. As a UFV student, and a constituent of Chilliwack-Hope, and by the power invested in me as the author of this diatribe, I’d like to extend that invitation to you now. I hope to see you there.

— David Swankey

video games “M for Mature” if they contain sexual content and gore. A film can be rated “18A”

if it contains explicit sexual content and intense violence. Why are the people who strongly oppose trigger warnings perfectly fine when various forms of media already have warnings about potentially triggering content?

The ratings systems in place also already reflect the common subject matter of trigger warnings.

Trigger warnings are great.

One shouldn’t be a jerk by infringing on the boundaries of others’ experiences. Reactionaries and the right-wing constantly mock trigger warnings, but if a person were to inform you of their triggers, it is important to respect them. To do otherwise is insensitive and shows a lack of empathy in the situation.

Words aren’t just words. Words aren’t meaningless. Everything you say has an effect on others.

Respect other people as well as their traumatic experiences. If you are outraged at outrage culture, you are part of the problem.

9

STUDY BREAK

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

CROSSWORD

Giving thanks (for the long weekend)

by MEGAN LAMBERT

ACROSS

Last issue’s crossword

3. When your time is worth time and a half.

5. Studying indoors all day might make you a little squirrelly.

6. If he’s in town, Neil Young might make a great date — even if he’s a little late.

9. You decided to leaf your layers at home in May — but now scarves are growing on you again 12. If christmas makes our hearts three sizes too big, Thanksgiving makes our pants three sizes too tight.

13. Chilliwack farms are having a field day right now. Just don’t die of starvation when you get lost in one of these.

14. Make music! Be merry! Bang out a beat with this ... just not at the dinner table.

DOWN 1. Turning light into energy.

2. Polarizing the dinner table, one can at a time.

4. On January 31, 1957, Canada began its tradition of being a total copycat.

7. Fall in love with the changing colours.

8. A vegetarian option for those against pig roasts.

10. The art of navigating through a pack of eager extended family members.

11. Turkey sandwiches. Turkey sandwiches for weeks.

The Weekly Horoscope

Aries: March 21 to April 19: Weevils are your spirit animal. Sorry.

SUBMIT SUBWAY SUBTERRAIN SUBSIDY SUBLIMATION

DOWN 1.

2.

3.

4.

6.

7.

SUBSTRATE SUBTRACT SUBORDINATE SUBLIMINA SUBPOENA SUBROSE

Gemini: May 21 to June 21: Memorize this important formula: cups of coffee consumed / number of hours of sleep lost = likelihood of passing your test.

Libra: Sept 23 to Oct 22: The answers you seek may be found where many fear to tread: in the comments section of a YouTube video.

Perhaps you do not seek them after all.

Cancer: June 22 to July 22: If you do not enjoy Placebo, try listening to the Cure.

Scorpio: Oct 23 to Nov 21: The university gods demand a sacrifice of ramen and espresso. Heed Moira’s warning: do not disappoint them.

Leo: July 23 to Aug 22: Your professor knows what you did.

Virgo: Aug 23 to Sept 22: Pies are lucky for you this week.

Actually, pies are always lucky.

Sagittarius: Nov 22 to Dec 21: Sleep. Dream. Know. Forget.

Capricorn: Dec 22 to Jan 19: Speaking in a Brooklyn accent will lead you to good fortune this week.

BY ANTHONY BIONDI

SPACED

Taurus: April 20 to May 20: Graffiti is unlucky for you this week.

Avoid train cars, tunnels, and alleyways where it may lurk.

1.

2.

5.

8.

9.

Star Signs from Moira Mysteriosa

Aquarius: Jan 20 to Feb 18: If you catch a wild thing, let it go. If it comes back to you, you are responsible for its vet bills.

Pisces: Feb 19 to March 20: Reach into the memory of your past and reclaim the long-lost art of not being late for everything.

ACROSS

FIND MORE SPACED ONLINE AT WWW.ANTHONYBIONDI.COM

A guide and a plea for

strategic voting

By Alex Rake

Illustrations by Brittany Cardinal

What is strategic voting?

Strategic voting is accepting the necessity of voting for a less ideal candidate in order to avoid having the least ideal candidate win. For many, the least ideal outcome of the upcoming election would be a Conservative victory, but non-Conservative votes are divided between the remaining parties, particularly the Liberals, the NDPs, and the Greens. For those seriously opposed to another round of Conservative leadership, the strategic way to vote would be to vote for the non-Conservative party most likely to win in their riding, effectively combining votes against the Conservative party that would otherwise have been divided.

Strategic voting is definitely not ideal, because it can mean voting against your ideals. However, the

Can strategic voting work?

The short answer is yes. StrategicVoting.ca puts it best: “Calculating the CPV across all 308 districts, plus the newly added 30 districts, we found 63 districts that would have voted a progressive MP if progressive supporters voted for one candidate instead of three.”

If strategic voting were properly implemented, according to the website, the results of the last election would have been an NDP-led minority government.

We would already have had electoral reform.

There have also been past strategic voting campaigns which succeeded. The Ottawa Sun, in a recent report on the pros and cons of strategic voting, lists a

few of these successes: “In the Alberta provincial election before last, many Liberal voters went to the Conservatives to prevent giving the Wildrose Alliance Party more power.”

“In the 2004 federal election, the Liberals were successful in winning over NDP voters by warning of a possible Tory government.”

“In the more recent British election, some people turned to the Conservatives to avoid a labour coalition with Scottish nationalists.”

So, strategic voting can, and has, worked. With the right amount of effort, it can work here and now on the federal level.

difference between a government you absolutely don’t want and a government that could just kind of be better is worth the compromise. And with the electoral reforms that every other party is considering, this way of voting not only looks at the upcoming election, but also towards future elections. It’s in future elections that ideals can come into play again.

The central resource for information on strategic voting, such as polling results and recommendations for how to vote, is StrategicVoting.ca. There are other sites for even more data, such as VoteTogether. ca. It would be useful to combine voting recommendations from as many polling sites as possible to ensure that your strategic vote is most effective.

Can strategic voting fail?

Also yes. In 2011, there was a federal-level strategic voting movement that failed. It failed because it had too few backers and some websites gave faulty polling information.

Also, as a 2011 blog post from Pundits Guide argues, “The problem with the strategic voting websites is that their electoral analysis was incompetent and utterly wrong in most of the ridings where it could be said to have mattered — leading to incorrect recommendations in many cases where it would have made a difference, and no recommendations in others that were overlooked.”

The key, then, is to make sure to understand how polling data is collected, and to use more

than one source when deciding how to vote strategically. It’s also important to encourage others to vote strategically if the movement is to work.

What’s so bad about Harper?

In that famous book, The Prince, Machiavelli argues something to the effect that a good leader ought to be a tyrant, but one who does what’s best for his people. While not a tyrant in the sense that he’s going around having dissenting citizens publicly killed, the decisions of Harper’s government reflect a certain ruthless attitude that Machiavelli might approve of — but Harper’s idea of what’s best for his people is utterly out of step with a large part of Canada’s population.

Just because he got the most votes doesn’t mean that he represents Canada’s best interests as a whole; having 39.62 per cent of the last election’s vote means that 60.38 per cent of voters did not want the Conservatives to win. That’s enough unheeded voices to allow for too many problems for too many people.

Electoral reforms — which, the Globe and Mail reports, the Conservatives are not considering

— would assuage this problem of unheard voices.

As it is, Conservative leadership has led to a government of control and anti-intellectualism. Just a few things beyond this article that deserve scrutiny: Bill C-51 increasing surveillance of Canadians; the Barbaric Cultural Practices Act and its racist implications; the Fair Elections Act inhibiting certain voters, especially demographics less likely to vote Conservative; cutting of research funding, and firing of federal scientists and scientific advisors; pulling out of global environmental initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification ...

The list of controversial decisions goes on.

What about principles?

Promises of electoral reform?

In our first-past-the-post system, candidates with the highest number of votes in each riding get to represent their party in the House of Commons. In this way, a candidate doesn’t even need more than half of the votes to win, which is a problem, because this means the elected leadership does not necessarily represent a majority of Canadians, but perhaps only a third or less. Another problem is that, in one riding, a candidate can get something like 20 per cent and win, while in another riding a candidate can get 40 per cent and lose.

There is a way to combat these potential disproportions, and that’s through electoral reform — that is, through changing the system itself. Electoral reform comes in all shapes; one way is by introducing tiered ballots (as in, you list your first, second,

third choices, etc.). Another interesting reform is through proportional representation. This means that if a party gets a percentage of the vote, they would be represented by that percentage in the government, reflecting more accurately the diverse views of Canadians.

Every major party besides the Conservatives is moving towards electoral reform. The NDP and Green Party promise electoral reform as part of their platforms, and the Liberals plan to look seriously into it. So, while strategic voting means possibly voting for somebody you wouldn’t prefer, it will very likely result in a fairer, more accurate system that would make strategic voting itself totally unnecessary in the future.

The common argument against strategic voting is that voting this way puts one’s principles at stake.

Perhaps you think you are committing an ideological crime by voting for someone you wouldn’t have in a fair system. But the system isn’t currently all that fair; if you vote and your candidate loses to another who only got 20 per cent of the total votes, you aren’t represented at all. The chance for representation is not the same as representation itself.

Even if this article hasn’t convinced you to vote strategically, please vote. Part of why strategic voting is necessary in the first place is that voter-turnout is too low for a split vote against the Conservatives to succeed. With the Fair Elections Act on top of that, voting is now more difficult for marginalized groups that likely wouldn’t vote Conservative, such as homeless people, or people who live on

The first-past-the-post system is the issue. A quote from political writer Paul Adams in the aforementioned Ottawa Sun article puts it plainly: “Our voting system creates the conditions for tactical voting efforts.” The principle that democracy is always just and pure is false in a faulty system; the need for electoral reform is therefore the more important principle behind strategic voting this election.

VOTE!

reservations far from voting centres.

And if you are on the Conservative’s side, still vote! If democracy is indeed the system we believe in, it’s important that we all have our say in the future of Canada.

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The Cascade or of UFV.

12

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Below the Belt

Getting out and getting it on A review of non-bedroom romp locales XTINA SEXPERT

With enough drive and flexibility, one can have sex just about anywhere. That’s the theory, at least. While I once firmly believed it, I have since put this theory to the test and I’m sorry to say: it’s not that simple.

Here is my account of the easiest and most difficult public places in which to get it on.

I have had some success and a lot of failure with sex in cars, trucks, limos and — my personal favourite — a golf cart.

There’s nothing quite like being spontaneous and fogging up the windows. The trick here is to keep up with your stretches. Yoga is your friend when it comes to enjoyable vehicle sex. There may be an encounter that requires you or your partner to lift a leg or two over your head, and you’re going to want to be limbered up and ready for it. In the case of backseat loving, padding is your saviour. Consider bringing along a sweater or jacket you can wedge between the pokey seat belts and your ass.

Let’s move on to public washrooms.

Stalls are the most difficult and least sexy

of the bathroom variety. Once again, flexibility helps — as does being drunk, but not too drunk, as this can lead to serious injury.

But here’s the thing with stall-sex: almost always, your fellow washroom dwellers or those waiting to use the facilities know what you’re doing, and they’re never happy about it. Maybe you’re holding up the line, or it could be that you’re doing something they have never had the opportunity or balls to do. Whatever the case, they’re annoyed and hating on you, and their snippy remarks are killing your mood. You can let it bother you and stop, or ignore the toetapping and give them something to talk about.

Even worse on the unsexy-scale is the airplane bathroom. Although it elicits high-fives and carries a well-earned badge of honour, it’s a feat nearly impossible for most. Even if you manage to evade the flight attendants, who have had special training to spot the horny mile-highers, you still have to manage to do the deed in the tiny space. Any bout of turbulence could send you tumbling into the isle, pants down, red-faced, and blue-balled.

Image: Joshua Heller / Flickr

Believe it or not, cars can be even more fun than this.

Which brings us to water, which is, in my opinion, incredibly overrated. Not only is it extremely uncomfortable, it’s icky. Lake or river water has infection-causing bacteria and pool or hot tub water is loaded with chemicals, which isn’t much better. Getting wet and slippery with your partner can be pretty hot, but you may want to leave the penetration until you get out of the water.

Outdoors. This is hit or miss. Weather, bugs, and possible onlookers can rain on your parade if you let them. That being said, readers, this (like all the possible playplaces listed here) can be incredibly thrill-

ing if you have the flexibility and guts to go for the glory. Just make sure you stretch first.

For all of the inconveniences of public sex, it can also be intimate, wildly sexy, and even life-altering. After all, just think of all the crazy stories you will have. Just make sure you are ready to put yourself out there, relax, and enjoy the ride. And as always, make sure you protect yourself with contraception, padding, bug spray, and above all, stretching.

It’s no PIPE dream In the works for a year, UFV’s new art journal officially launches its first issue at creatiValley celebration KODIE CHERRILLE THE CASCADE

CreatiValley, the Reach Gallery Museum’s nine-day celebration of local culture, proved that Abbotsford is fertile ground for the arts. Concerts, improv and stand-up, art battles, and panel discussions were among the festivities of the exhibition — one highlight being a 12-hour marathon of exhibitions, events, and performances

by UFV fine arts students on Friday, October 2. One of these events was the launch of PIPE magazine, UFV’s new journal from students in the visual arts department. The Cascade spoke with Terrill Smith, PIPE’s managing editor and cofounder, to talk about the launch and the future of the magazine.

Tell me about the launch party.

The launch party happened in conjunction with creatiValley, which was a nine-day celebration of culture at the Reach. One of the days was devoted to a UFV bachelor of fine arts creative marathon, and they wanted PIPE to be involved with that because it is an important part of the vi-

sual arts department, so we decided to have the launch party at that event. The party consisted of three of the five published art history authors presenting their essays. We also had printed copies for people to look at, because the journal also includes artwork. It went very successfully — the presentations were really interesting.

Do you have any physical copies around?

We printed out three copies, just for promotional material. They weren’t professionally done. We wanted them there so that people without iPads could look at them.

PIPE is, and was always meant to be, an online publication. You can certainly access it online. We are hoping, eventually, to get a couple of professionally printed copies with proper binding, just for posterity’s sake.

When did PIPE begin?

In September 2014. The editorial board was myself, [editor-in-chief and cofounder] David Seymour, and [marketing and design director, visual arts editor, and co-

founder] Julie Epp. We had [layout editor] Diana Hiebert join in the last couple of weeks, to help us finish it. We put together a proposal, talked about submission guidelines, presented the idea to the visual arts department, and started getting everything together. We put out a call for papers in September, and it was slated for publication in the spring, but we were all very busy, and with three people, it’s hard to get much done when people get busy. We ended up pushing back the publication date to October. So it’s taken a little over a year, but it’s done. It feels good. We finally did it.

What kind of submissions are you looking for with PIPE? We definitely want to see it continue, but the submission guidelines will be different for the next editorial board, I’m sure. The last edition had art history essays and visual artwork by UFV students.

The point of the publication was to show what UFV visual arts students can do while they’re here, and what instruction in the visual arts department looks like. It’s

pretty open in terms of the art. We accepted photography, paintings, drawing, mixed media, all sorts of things.

— they do their thing, we do ours.

We both deal with art, so it’s in our best interests to support each other.

PIPE’s launched! Now what?

We’re looking into different options for continuing. What we need, though, are interested people within the VA department to take on the task of running PIPE, as it’s a student publication. We do eventually want to put out a call for interested people to get on the editorial board, because we’d like to see it continue.

What are you most proud of with PIPE? The fact that four people were able to put together a journal that looked really polished, really professional, really beautiful. It was just the four of us that did it — I mean, we had support from other people, but it was a lot of hard work for us. I’m proud of the fact that we were able to do this in the end. We hope to have made the first of many PIPEs to come. We’re happy that everyone submitted such great artwork and beautiful essays.

Where do you see PIPE fitting in with other publications, like the Louden Singletree?

PIPE runs as a part of the visual arts department, unlike Louden.

It’s also different from Louden in that you get credits for Louden, but PIPE isn’t like that. I’ve never seen PIPE as competing with Louden. Louden doesn’t feature academic essays, and the visual artworks in Louden aren’t typically accompanied with an artist’s statement. There’s never been any kind of competition with Louden

PIPE can be found online at pipejournalufv.wordpress.com, issuu. com/pipejournalufv, and on Facebook (PIPE: UFV’s Visual Arts Journal).

Kodie Cherrille is a former editor of Louden Singletree.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

13

CULTURE

Art Battle rages at creatiValley

UPCOMING

EVENTS October 8 Games Night at UFV’s Global Lounge

Join the team at UFV International in the Global Lounge every Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for Games Night! Through the magic of Jenga and Balderdash (and more) you’ll have fun, meet new friends, and practice your English language skills. All students are welcome. Snacks provided!

October 10 Jazz at Gourmet Gallery Check out the smooth-swingin’ Frank David Jazz Band perform crooner classics in the Sinatraesque vein at the Clayburn Gourmet Gallery. 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Free admission.

Ongoing until October 13 Coalesco & Encausticus art show Painter Myriame Gabay and sculptor Bill Stewart continue to exhibit their haunting yet stirring work in the mediums of encaustic wax and sculpture at the Kariton Gallery. Free admission.

Ongoing until October 20

(Mis)Interpretation: Sikh feminisms exhibition

MITCH HUTTEMA

THE CASCADE / PHOTOS

On October 2 at the Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford, the creatiValley Festival welcomed 12 artists to face off in Abbotsford’s first ever Art Battle. Started by a group of artists from Toronto, Art Battle competitions have been held over 300 times across Canada, starting in local competitions moving on to regional face-offs and eventually culminating in the national playoffs held in Toronto.

CreatiValley is an event put on by the UFV bachelor of fine arts (BFA) program showcas-

ing Abbotsford talent. On Friday night as part of the festival, the Art Battle capped off a full day of BFA related activities at the Reach. The battle consisted of two groups of six facing off against one another, with two winners from each heat. The winners of the two heats came head to head in a final round to determine the winner of the battle, who will move on to the regionals in Vancouver. Each round is 20 minutes long and winners are decided by audience voting.

For the first time ever there was a tie for first, so Abbotsford will be sending on two artists to compete in Vancouver.

In just under two weeks the Art Battle managed to bring together over two hundred people, including Henry Braun, Mayor of Abbotsford and Mark Evered, president of UFV. In an interview with The Cascade, CIVL 101.7 Station manager and the evening’s emcee Aaron Levy talked about how there had been talk between UFV Faculty and Art Battle co-ordinator Zoe Howarth about having an Art Battle exclusively for UFV student artists.

For more information, and to see firsthand exactly what went down at the Abbotsford Art Battle, check out youtube.com/ufvcascadecanada.

UFV’s Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, with support from the visual arts department at UFV and UFV International, continues to present (Mis)Interpretation: Sikh Feminisms in Representations, Texts and Lived Realities.

The exhibition includes the exploration of the five kakkars (Sikh outward symbols) through the female lens, the interpretations of Gurbani (Sikh scriptures) discussing the feminine, women’s engagement with the SGGSJ (Sikh scriptures), and the daily lived realities of Sikh women.

14

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

A Q&A with the Sylvia Platters, the band with a short attention span GLEN ESS

CONTRIBUTOR

The Sylvia Platters, a Langley-based poprock band with punk-rock length songs, played their first show here in Abbotsford in over a year on Saturday. The Sylvia Platters played at the Basement downtown alongside Frankie, Alea Rae, and Kin — one of the most exciting line-ups Red Tape Productions has put together for the Basement. I was glad to have the chance to talk to the Platters before the show.

As we stood outside in a slightly chilly breeze, we covered a lot of ground in just over 15 minutes, from the origin of their name to their hobbies outside of music.

According to guitarist and lead singer Nick Ubels, the band members “love Sylvia Plath, and it sounds a little bit like Silver Platter,” which was a refreshingly concise

reason, especially when compared to more out-there band names that just make you sit back and go, “Wait … what?”

“I’m not ashamed to admit it … I think our music comes first and our lyrics come second.”

Originally a three-piece consisting of Nick Ubels, Tim Ubels on drums, and Simon Tressel on bass (they’ve since also had Jeffrey Trainor on guitar, but Luke Agawin was playing with them that night), the Platters have been together for two and half years and recorded their debut album over the last year.

“Simon’s parents own a cabin near Mt. Baker, so we went down there for about a

week,” Nick said as we covered the long process behind bringing an album to completion, having had the recording mastered way back in May and the release still to come. The band also took the time to walk me through their creative process, which is a collaborative effort.

“Rhyming dictionaries are a huge help,” said Tim, following it up with a tongue-incheek, “I’m not ashamed to admit it … I think our music comes first and our lyrics come second.”

As we got closer to the start of the gig, I decided that perhaps it’d be nice to switch back to a more relaxed topic, and choose to ask the band what they do outside of their jobs and outside of the Sylvia Platters. To my surprise the band all agreed that playing board games, organized by Tim, is a fun way to hang out with friends. Nick quickly darted in with, “Tim has a blog!” to which

Tim responded with a deadpan, “Don’t mention the blog.”

The digital release date for the Sylvia Platters’ debut album, Make Glad The Day, is November 27, and the band will be playing their release show at Brother’s Billiards.

Tim Ubels’ board game blog at www.cardboardevangelist.wordpress.com deserves much love.

Glen Ess hosts Rhythm & Rhyme on CIVL 101.7 every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.

Nick Ubels is a former editor-in-chief of The Cascade. Jeffrey Trainor is a current employee of The Cascade.

For a concert review of Sylvia Platters, Alea Rae, Frankie, and Kim, check out page 17 in Arts in Review.

The Style Counsel

Tips on a gentleman’s modern uniform THOMAS PALAKON RACONTEUR-IN-RESIDENCE

I was passing through the SUB this past Friday morning and encountered what I assumed, based on their briefcases and ohso earnest smiles, was a gathering of some sort of local young capitalists and earnest consumers club. (Turns out it was a breakfast meet-and-greet for our business students, but the confusion is understandable.) The young women in attendance looked sharp. The young men, sadly, looked lost.

It would seem men have gotten confused over what is proper business attire. It’s hard to blame them, as our culture has embraced the nonsense that is workplace jean days, and the deplorable rise of “business casual.”

As a result, we have a generation of men who think that a collared shirt is practically a tuxedo, and baggy cargo shorts are appropriate wedding guest attire. The poor lads shuffling about here were awash in too-big sport coats, and short-sleeved shirts and ties.

So please: let’s re-establish some basic guidelines for three crucial parts of a gentleman’s business uniform.

First, every man should own a suit. You can think you’re above

dressing like “The Man” all you want, but in life you will sometimes be expected to meet a dress code a bit more demanding than clean jeans and a logo-free t-shirt.

If it’s your first one, it’s important to go for something simple, something that can get you through everything from job interviews to funerals. The smart choices here are dark blue or grey, singlebreasted, and two-buttoned.

If you must buy off the rack, make sure you know a good tailor for post-purchase alterations.

Your suit should not sag at the shoulders, and should be cut close to the body. To give it a little pop, don’t be afraid to go for one with a subtle pattern, such as a faint pinstripe or herringbone.

Remember: The suit shouldn’t be getting all the attention. The point is for the suit to make you look good.

Invest in two or three decent dress shirts. The sleeves should reach the end of your wrist so you can show a little cuff when your jacket is on, and the collar should be snug, not tight. (A good rule of thumb: you should be able to easily slip two fingers between your neck and the collar.) Even though it can be a hassle to keep clean, white is always the go-to choice. Pale blue or (if you’re feeling particularly confident and

/ or whimsical) a faint pink are also acceptable. No more teals, no more fuchsias, no more bright purples. Generally, if the colour of your dress shirt does not occur in nature, get rid of it.

My mother always told me women judge a man by his shoes.

If this is indeed the case, I fear for your nation’s population growth.

So, to keep it simple: your shoes should be black or brown. Those are your only two options.

(Frankly, I think even brown is pushing it, but I am willing to make some concessions to modernity.) The toes should be rounded, not square or, even worse, pointy.

(Nice try, Aladdin.) They should be shined, at the very least, once a month, and given a day off between wearings. Shoes take a pounding and need a chance to recover from dirt and sweat.

Some men may sneer that suits are just a symbol of conformity, but it’s really quite the contrary.

After all, if you can sort out one decent suit and shirt combination, you will already be setting yourself apart from the polo shirt and khaki brigade. That can only be a big boost in that next job interview, or when struggling to make small-talk with your welldressed female classmate at the next breakfast buffet.

Image credit: Pixabay

Happily, modern business wear for men has relaxed a little bit.

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

15

TV

CHARTS Order 1 New Music Complete Daze 2 Teen Morning World

3 Ought Sun Coming Down 4

Iron Maiden The Book of Souls

Watson 5 Patrick Love Songs for Robots Ysa 6 Mas Seraph Noir 7 LeSousPelican Tes Paupieres Les

8

Plages Desertes Luminesce Red Velvet The Red

maces 9 spirit Torpor Kim 10 Lim Simple Minds Girls 11 U.S. Half Free Cages 12 Baby ALL U WANT & Al 13 Bob X’s

14

Folly & The Hunter Awake

15 Wavves V 16

Neon Indian VEGA INTL. Night School

Sylvia Platters 17 The Make Glad the Day

18 Childbirth Women’s Rights 19 MonkeyJunk Moon Turn Red Healer 20 Faith Cosmic Troubles

Shuffle DAVE CUSICK PROGRAM DIRECTOR / THE PODFATHER

There is no theme behind this shuffle.

Don’t you dare attempt to look for one.

“Weird Al” Yankovic “Good Enough for Now” Al is mostly known for his parody songs, but he also writes lots of clever and catchy originals. That includes this deep album cut from 1986’s Polka Party, a country ballad in which he suggests that strategically choosing a lover who is sort of, but not exactly what you’re looking for is better than the alternative.

Ramones “I Wanna Be Sedated” Often, the best mental health advice is to quiet your mind, though sometimes that’s easier said than done. (Trust me, I’ve been there.)

The Beatles “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road” When I was 13, I held the phone receiver in my trembling hand, as my local DJ informed me that I was indeed the ninth caller, and, yes, I had won a 20th anniversary copy of the Beatles (also known as the White Album). I was so nervous to be talking to an actual radio DJ that I forgot to sound excited about winning it, so they had me pretend to win again for the recording that they played after the current song on air ended. Radio magic!

ZZ Top “Sharp-Dressed Man” I’ve always thought of them as pretty Duck Dynasty-looking, but looking back, maybe ZZ Top were actually progenitors of today’s lumbersexual fashion trend?

They Might Be Giants “Meet James Ensor” “Meet James Ensor, Belgium’s famous painter! Dig him up and shake his hand, appreciate the man.” Or, if you’re more the conventional type, take an art history class.

South Park gets even more progressive KAT MARUSIAK

THE CASCADE

After over 18 years, South Park is still entertaining — and more than likely offending some — people everywhere with its 19th season, which premiered this September 16 on Comedy Central.

After 260 episodes (making it the third longest running animated series in the US), South Park has managed to maintain its staying power by utilizing pop culture and hot topics in current events as subject matter for satire. Many people dismiss the show as mindless toilet humour — but while there is still foul language, slapstick, and dirty comedy abound, the show is far more witty and intelligent than a lot of people give it credit for. Trey Parker and Matt Stone do an excellent job creating and incorporating parodies of current issues into each episode, while combining their style of outrageous, often very controversial, humour with an underlying opinion piece and a message that they wish to convey to the audience. As Kyle often says, “You know, I’ve learned something today.”

Just to give you an idea of some of the crazy shenanigans going on down in South Park so far this season: first, the boys have had to deal with the arrival of “PC Principal” at the school, who is always ready to (often violently) “check your privilege” if you say or do something possibly offensive to others. Unsurprisingly, Caitlyn Jenner also makes an appearance in South Park, and she’s

not the only one; Mr. Garrison decides to run for president (and also writes and performs a country song titled “Where My Country Gone”) after the town is flooded with Canadian immigrants, followed soon after by well-to-do, pretentious young hipsters. With the addition of a fancy “SoDoSoPa” district — a portmanteau of “south of downtown South Park” — and even a sophisticated Whole Foods grocery store, is our beloved little redneck mountain town in danger of becoming some kind of deformed, modern yupster community?

It will definitely be interesting to see exactly how the show is going to progress this season, although things are most likely only going to get worse for Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and all of the other citizens of South Park, as it seems doomed to remain a black hole which specifically attracts all things outrageous and insane — or possibly even worse for the entire United States, if Herbert Garrison somehow actually ends up being elected president. (I’m not sure who would be worse, him, or Donald Trump.) So, as Caitlyn Jenner says in the season opener, “Buckle up, Buckaroo,” because it looks like this season is setting up to be a pretty crazy ride.

You can catch all-new episodes of South Park on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. (PT) on Comedy Central (American network), as well as Wednesdays at 7 p.m. (PT) on Much / the Comedy Network.

16

ARTS IN REVIEW

S undBites

David Gilmour Rattle that Lock

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Mini album reviews

Lana Del Rey Honeymoon

The Zolas Wino Oracle EP

Beach House Depression Cherry

David Gilmour is primarily known for his work in the legendary experimental rock group Pink Floyd, but Gilmour has slowly amassed a stellar catalogue of solo releases. His latest, Rattle that Lock, contains some of the elements of experimental and ambient rock that were so crucial to Pink Floyd, but he also delves into funk, jazz, and soul influences.

Though this complex balance provides some lush moments of sonic symmetry, it also contributes to the album’s weakness: its inconsistency. For every powerful riff and catchy rhythm there is a mundane and repetitive lull in the action, which ultimately leaves you wanting to skip ahead to the next instance where everything works. Fans of Pink Floyd will surely find some solace within Rattle that Lock, but unfortunately, Gilmour doesn’t give enough to allow the album to stand on its own.

Once again, Lana Del Rey has outdone herself. Her signature melancholic melodies leave your heart heavy in a good way. Honeymoon is filled with strings and a noir-influenced beat, while Lana effortlessly weaves her voice into perfection. The title track is a powerful ballad, where Lana ponders her love for a man with a history of violence. While the premise of the song is controversial, it’s nothing new to Del Rey, as her songs tend to tackle dark themes that many choose to ignore. Lana also pays homage to her idol David Bowie in showstopping number “Terrence Loves You.” She expertly builds the song up musically, and peaks off quoting lyrics from David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” before floating back down into the final chorus.

Honeymoon shows us that Lana Del Rey has grown up from her Born to Die ways, shocking us with a dark, emotional journey that leaves listeners reeling, and her alternative take on music is something to be celebrated.

Vancouver’s own the Zolas recently dropped Wino Oracle EP, which is composed of only four tracks, and is a short, to-the-point update of what the Zolas have been up to.

“Fell in Love With New York” opens with a riff that’s reminiscent of 2012’s Ancient Mars. Synths and a more involved electronic production style sets this release apart from the more organic indiepop of the Zolas’ past. Although Zachary Gray’s vocals manage to ground “Fell in Love With New York,” they stop short of doing the same for “Molotov Girls.” The song feels a bit too loose to make much of an impact. “Male Gaze,” in stark contrast, is poppy as hell and culminates in a 15-second guitar riff that takes command of the track.

“Island Life” is perhaps the least overly melodic track, but rhythmically, the song gets everything right. Gray’s restrained vocals get increasingly intenzse throughout the track, and by the threeminute mark, “Island Life” has built up so much energy that it sweeps the listener away with it.

As a prelude to Swooner, set to release at some point in 2015, Wino Oracle EP does a fine job of reminding those interested in Canadian indie that they are still very much around and kicking.

The new shoegaze / pop album Depression Cherry by Beach House leaves a soothing impression with its use of relaxing music that doesn’t disrupt the voices of the singers. The transitions from song to song throughout the album are smooth and don’t end on harsh, strong notes, but rather with an ending that prepares the stage for the beginning of another song. The lyrics throughout Depression Cherry are very simple but they stay in the listener’s mind. For example, in “Space,” the lyrics, “Tender is the night / For a broken heart / Who will dry your eyes / When it falls apart?” are relatable to many people who ask themselves “who’s really there for me when everything starts falling apart?” I believe this album deserves a lot more recognition for its clever use of musical instrumentation that blends so well together.

Definitely give it a listen!

Jeffrey Trainor

Michael Chutskoff

Martin Castro

Esra Al-Abduljabar

Ad Sales Representative An Ad Sales Representative works closely with the Business Manager in the marketing of ad

THE CASCADE IS HIRING!

space and in fostering positive, lasting relationships with advertising clients. We’re looking for an outgoing, organized self-starter with a strong knowledge of finances and marketing, as well a good grasp of spelling and grammar. This is a great opportunity for a business student looking for experience during their university career.

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to Managing Editor Valerie Franklin at valerie@ufvcascade.ca.

17

ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Concert

The Basement gets all shook up

GLEN ESS CONTRIBUTOR

Abbotsford doesn’t have much in the way of venues, which is disappointing; there are a lot of talented musicians in the Valley, but a lack of venues makes it harder for performers to be heard and build an audience. The Church Basement in downtown Abby is one of a small handful of places that bands can perform in, and when those bands include Abby’s own Kin — as well as other groups from the Lower Mainland like pop-rockers the Sylvia Platters and Vancouver’s Frankie, as well as Alea Rae — you’d really hope to see a good turnout.

Sadly that wasn’t the case, with maybe 30 people present, 40 at most — and that’s including the other performers!

It’s true that the Basement is a very small venue, but its size just makes it all the more intimate, and with a lineup of such quality and performances to match, the show sounded great. The only source of light came from the stage behind the musicians; it was a gorgeous visual accompaniment to the music, silhouetting performers and adding an almost eerie quality to the night.

Alea Rae, veterans of the past Jam in Jubilee, kicked the evening off. Patrick

Farrugia was the most noticeable with his aggressive style of playing; Alea Clark’s vocals were once again delivered in that floaty, ethereal manner that at first listen sounds mumbled, but upon further inspection, hits you hard. And my awe at how smooth and strong Jeremiah Ackerman’s drumming was only continues to grow ev-

ery time I see him play.

Up next came the Sylvia Platters, who carry with them a sense of old fashioned, back-to-the-beginning rock n’ roll. From guitarist and lead singer Nick Ubels’ Buddy Holly-esque style, to drummer Tim Ubels’ unrestrained hammering away, and Simon Tressel tying it all together smoothly on bass, the band was cohesive and tight-knit.

Of special note was guitarist Luke Agawin, who was playing with the band for the first time and absolutely nailed it! The Sylvia Platters’ debut album, Make Glad The Day, promises to be stunning!

Up next was the four-piece, all-girl band Frankie, who never missed a beat as the girls switched and flitted from instrument to instrument; lead singer Francesca Carbonneau actually played a triangle at one point! A triangle! Of particular note was how easily Nashlyn Lloyd moved from keys to guitar to bass over the course of their set. The ladies were also part of the evening’s best moments; with their “haunted, key-changing” keyboard finally giving up on them, it appeared they may have had to cut a song out until, at the audience’s urging, Samantha Lankester jumped onto the Church’s piano on the opposite end of the room. With the audience turn-

ing in a circle so they could see both sides of the room, Frankie launched into a cover of “Cry Me A River” and they absolutely killed it.

To end the night, Abbotsford’s very own Kin stepped up and delivered a typically smooth performance, with their unique blend of progressive traits and folk-ish vibes combined into something transcendent. With floaty, otherworldly guitars, soft-yet-powerful drumming, and a mellow bass, they’re a thought-provoking group. And at this point I honestly can’t think of a better vocalist in the Valley than Trevor Blaak.

Shows like this are the lifeblood of a local music scene, and Abbotsford really needs to work on getting more venues, or even just filling up the small venues we already have. How else do we expect young talented musicians like the members of these four fantastic bands to survive, let alone thrive?

Glen Ess hosts Rhythm & Rhyme on CIVL 101.7 every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.

Nick Ubels is a former editor-in-chief of The Cascade.

Album

Mac Miller wakes up with GO:OD AM MARTIN CASTRO THE CASCADE

“Ain’t sayin’ that I’m sober, just sayin’ I’m in a better place,” croons Mac Miller in the first proper track of GO:OD AM. His third studio album is also his most coherent, both sonically and thematically.

The opening track serves more as a prelude to the following song “Brand Name” than a full track in itself. “Brand Name,” however, completely incorporates a mixture of trap percussion and soulful instrumentals while Miller opens up with a verse that’s immediately charismatic and impressive: “We in between heaven and hell, fuck a nine-to-five, I’d rather end up dead or in jail / American ninja to these obstacles, no stopping me I’m on the move / Mouth running like a prostitute’s, keep your head to yourself.”

More often than I would have guessed, Mac delivers not only interesting rhymes and wordplay on GO:OD AM, but a barrage of melodic lines that caught me completely by surprise. “Rush Hour” is a track that’s carried on pretty

much just by Miller’s cadence, as the production does more for the atmosphere of the track than anything else.

“Time Flies,” which features Lil B, sees Miller spitting over distorted horns, which match his relaxed, effortless delivery almost perfectly. He raps with a confidence that would seem disingenuous coming from any other rapper, particularly because of the subject matter; Miller almost glorifies relaxation, and does it in a way that has the listener agreeing with him.

“100 Grandkids” proved to be one of the best tracks on this entire project, boasting some lush synth work and horns in the background while Miller treats the listener to a narrative replete with one-liners that, although simple (“what’s a god without a little O.D.? — Just a G”), provide enough charisma to make the track stand out. Additionally, Miller brings some of his best bars to this track. The breakdown on this track is also completely infectious, even though it only really pops up for about 12 seconds in total.

“Weekend,” featuring Miguel,

is probably the most relaxed track on the record; although Miller spits over some comparatively minimal production and his tone of voice suggests anything other than a positive attitude, the track quickly changes to a carefree celebratory, if not escapist, narrative.

Miller’s delivery is on point here — every verse on the track is worthy of the listener’s attention.

“In The Bag” is a more stereotypical track, as it’s characterized by its use of trappy percussion (hi-hats and snares are abundant), and minimalist, whiny synths providing the mere hint of a melody in the background. Although it takes longer for Miller to work his charm on the listener during “In the Bag,” as he makes his way through the narrative, the track wins the listener over.

Although Miller’s GO:OD AM is one of the most entertaining projects I’ve heard from the rapper to date, it still seems to be loosely put together at certain junctions, and it lulls mid-listen.

That said, if Miller continues this upward trend, I eagerly look forward to his next release.

18

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Season update: women’s soccer Image: UFV Cascades

VANESSA BROADBENT

THE CASCADE

After a successful first month for the Cascades’ women’s soccer team, head coach Rob Geisbrecht discusses the team’s new roster, their success so far, and what to expect over the next few months.

How was the training over the summer?

Over the summer, it was really good. Most of our girls are local so we can train together. We do a May and June training program that involves a lot of on-field training as well as a strengthening program through Innovative Fitness. That’s a local company that we contract for our strength training.

How do you think the team has grown over the past year?

That’s a good question. We had a successful season last year where we made the national champi-

onship tournament. I guess as a coach, you always have cautions of complacency setting in, so you want to avoid that. One thing I’m happy about is that our team got hungrier for success and more committed to do what it takes to be successful. I guess the team has grown; we’re mature, we’re dealing with some adversity, and the girls are doing really well.

They’ve also formed quite a tight bond among the team, and that’s really helped us do well on the field.

What’s your roster like this season?

We’ve recruited well. We didn’t graduate any players from last year’s team, but a few players did leave. We brought in a few outstanding first-year players and they’re doing quite well. We’re really excited about our future.

It’s been great to have a bunch of first-year players start games at times and really contribute to games and step up and play some

really important roles for us. But it’s a very similar roster to last year. We’re led by our defenders, and our goalkeepers are all girls that are in their fourth and fifth years, and that really helps us out, with their maturity and their understanding of what it takes to be successful at this level. They really help us out a lot.

Our goalkeeper, Kayla Klim, is outstanding. She’s a fourth-year player out of Burnaby. And then our defenders are Dayle Jeras and Jade Palm, they’re fifth years, and Tristan Corneil is a fourth year, and they’re all doing really well.

How do you think the season has been going so far?

So far, quite well. Three weeks in, we’ve played six lead games and we’re at five wins and a draw.

Asides from tying a game we probably should have won, I’m quite pleased with how things have gone. We know we have a lot of tough games ahead, but we’re taking care of business and

I’m quite proud of the girls for how they’ve performed so far this year. The last two weeks we’ve had Canada West second stars of the week. We’ve had Monika Levarsky this past week, and the week before that we had Gurneet Dhaliwal. She’s a first-year player and Monika’s a second-year player, so it’s been exciting for us to have some of our young players get rewarded for some really positive play. We’re currently ranked number five in Canada. Rankings don’t mean a lot because it doesn’t get you anything for postseason, but it’s always nice to be recognized.

What are you expecting from the rest of the season?

We’re going to take it a game at a time. We have a bit of a tricky weekend trip this weekend out to Edmonton and Calgary to play Grant McEwan and Mount Royal.

If we can get some points there and come home, Trinity Western will be a tough set of games

over Thanksgiving. We’re kind of going to be jostling for playoffs. Our goal is to be the top seat out of B.C. for playoffs. It’s in our grasp to achieve that, but no matter where we end up in playoffs, we’re going to have the playoff run through Canada West, and it’s really important that we’re playing our best soccer in late October, early November. We’re really excited about what this next month holds. With Canada West soccer, the season’s quite short, and every weekend you’re playing two tough games. It’s really important that you take it game by game, you don’t get ahead of yourself, and you take the points when they’re there.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

19

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Safe Space

Social anxiety comes in many forms UPCOMING

EVENTS Oct 8

Mental Health Education and Screening Day Join the UFV counselling department on Oct 8 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in front of the cafeteria (B building) and at Student Life (S building).

Counsellors will be assisting students and staff with tests, followed by a debriefing and mental health resource materials.

Every Monday Hip-hop dancing The UFV hip-hop dance club welcomes students of all skill levels to participate in hip-hop dancing.

Classes are every Monday evening from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall in the Student Union Building. More information can be found online at facebook.com/groups/ufvhiphop.

Every Wednesday Free yoga classes Join the UFV yoga club for free yoga every Wednesday. Classes are from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Great Hall in the Student Union Building. For more information visit the yoga club’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ ufvyogaclub.

Ongoing Organized drop-in sports Now that school is back in gear, drop in sports are beginning again. Stop by the Envision Athletics Centre to join in basketball, pickle ball / badminton, soccer, volleyball, rugby, or ball hockey games. No registration is required and anyone with a valid UFV campus card can participate.

For more information and to see the full schedule visit ufvcascades.ca/ rec.

ANONYMOUS Mental health seems to be one of the most difficult forms of health to maintain. While physical health is often as simple as changing your diet or getting more exercise, mental health is more elusive, and it is easy to allow yourself to be beaten up by your own inner voice.

I have struggled with social anxiety throughout my entire life, and this has given way to a plethora of other emotional issues that sometimes seem beyond my control, or even understanding. I feel that anxiety definitely comes in many different forms, and if you let it, it can

arise at any point in your life, whether you have experienced it before or not. Some may meet it for the first time thanks to a specific traumatic incident that took place during adulthood, while others may have had it since they were a child — maybe they never had a good chance at making friends, so being social never seemed natural to them.

Of course, those are only two examples in a long list of potential reasons that may cause a person to develop social anxiety.

As a child, I moved around a lot, and by the time I graduated from high school, I had attended 11 different schools — which is quite above average, from what I understand. This didn’t give

me much of a chance to make friends, and if I did, they never became lasting friendships.

Thus, not only was I a shy child, but I stayed that way, never really getting the hang of social interaction. I think it may be easier to cast off social anxiety if you find you have skill in the art of socialization.

As you may know, anxiety can lead to other unfortunate issues such as low self-esteem or feeling incapable of forming normal friendships with those who you might enjoy spending time with.

For me, anyway, this anxiety keeps me from putting myself out there to make friends or attend social events of any kind.

Often, it even hinders my ability

to give feedback in my classes, due to the paralyzing fear of having to say anything to one person, let alone an audience of 20 or more students.

Alas, I have no answer or cure for social anxiety. At times, I even wonder whether such a thing is warranted, as people can be cruel, but a good book never fails to calm my woes. In all seriousness though, I think it is just nice to know when we are not alone in our suffering — however small that suffering may be — even if we have been reassured time and time again. Even for those of us who prefer to be alone most of the time, it is a relief when we can relate to other people who have similar feelings at times.

Mental health at your fingertips Apps offer a cheap and convenient way to keep track of your progress MEGAN LAMBERT THE CASCADE

If you’re feeling the weight of the semester’s workload getting heavier and heavier, there are (weightless!) apps for your smartphone designed to help you stay positive and focused.

These programs keep track of your progress while offering a quick, cheap, and discreet way to manage your mood during a busy semester. Here are a few that have worked wonders for me — although they have their glitches.

Moodnotes tracks your triggers If you’re looking for an intuitive journal for $4, Moodnotes is a great choice. Moodnotes has two options. As a “quick save,” you can quickly choose a mood and describe what you’re feeling and where you are. Or, you can go more in-depth and choose negative and positive feelings, write down your thoughts for each like a journal, and rework your line of thinking with prompts from the app. Both options are quick — the latter took me seven minutes at most.

The app’s design is beautiful — the colours are soothing and it’s easy to type in your answers. It just looks like you’re texting, which is great if you’re unable to be alone in a quiet place. Moodnotes understands

extremely complex feelings like guilt, over-analyzing, or blaming your unhappiness on your circumstances. The app works well for changing your frame of mind more than your physical state, so it helps to use the app while you’re grabbing a glass of water or before going for a quick walk. The only problem is I turn to the app when I’m feeling down, which throws the “moodtrends” feature of the app off. To recognize what triggers negative feelings, set an alarm for two or three times a day to quickly flip to the app and check in. That way, you have a more accurate account of your progress and you can see if there are times of the day or certain situations that trigger negative moods.

Superbetter motivates you to be your own hero If you’re a gamer, this free app is for you. Designed by a programmer, Superbetter lets you become a more heroic version of yourself, even though you’re just moving through the everyday.

Superbetter challenges you to complete small tasks — like drinking a glass of water or telling a friend “thank you” — and allows you to unlock small packages of challenges as you go. You also can turn notifications on to remind you to play if you’re not a natural-born gamer, but winning points for overcoming mental blocks can

become pleasantly addictive.

The app is customizable for a lot of issues including depression, anxiety, physical pain or injury, or poor will-power. It’s an effective program that gets you up and moving and instantly boosts your mood. Superbetter takes a fun and lighthearted approach to dealing with your illness — but for me, this wasn’t a plus. At first I was enticed by the story behind the app, but the interface is a little crowded and it’s so lighthearted that the game is easy to ignore if you’re not in the mood for fun. Superbetter is great for instant and tangible results, but it didn’t work for me for the long-term.

Headspace helps you find calm and clarity Headspace is a meditation app.

If you’re skeptical about meditation, this program gives you all of the benefits of a clear head and relaxed body without making you feel like you’re doing it wrong. It guides you through basic meditation posture and practice with sweet animated videos, but the program is mostly auditory. Headspace, or rather “your friend Andy,” advises that you do the 10-minute program first thing in the morning. This is a good idea if you find yourself preoccupied at night, but meditating right before bed can help silence those worries that creep up on us when we’re try-

ing to sleep. For whatever time of day you choose, just make sure you’re not busy. Staying still when you’ve got an appointment to get to or a deadline to meet can make you feel agitated, resulting in being unable to truly enjoy the program. The biggest downside is that the app asks for a subscription once the Take10 program, the free 10-day trial that comes with the app download, is over. Headspace costs about $12.95 per month or $7.99 per month if you sign up for a year. For some, this is too pricey — but it’s a whole lot cheaper than signing up for a class. If you’re not sure that a subscription would help you, try continuing to meditate after the program for 10 minutes with a soft alarm. The app is useful because it guides you through getting distracted and reminds you to meditate, but if you’re dedicated you can do it on your own (for free!).

These apps are not a substitute for professional help or doctor-prescribed medication. If you are suffering from symptoms of depression, anxiety, or any mental health-related issue, please consult your doctor or visit the counselling centre at UFV.

20

SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Zach Olson swings into action HARVIN BHATHAL CONTRIBUTOR

Coming off a win at the KPU Invitational, Zach Olson looks to continue his success at the upcoming CCAA Golf National Championships (October 13 to 16). Olson takes a break and answers questions about how he first started playing golf, who he models his game after, and more.

You moved from Strathmore, Alberta to Abbotsford, to play for the Cascades last year. What is the major difference between last year and this year in terms of adjusting to a new place?

The main difference between this year and last year would be that I already knew quite a few people in the area after living in B.C. last year. Moving out last year was a bit nerve-wracking because I was not guaranteed a spot on the team before moving out here and I also didn’t know anyone in the area. Thankfully, I was able to make the lineup and meet some new friends through playing on the team and living in the dorms on campus. Adjusting to living in a busy city compared to the town of Strathmore did take some getting used to at first. The traffic in Abbotsford compared to Strathmore was the biggest difference.

Which city do you like better? Strathmore or Abbotsford?

I like both cities for different reasons.

Abbotsford is really nice for the temperature during the winter months and being able to play golf basically all year long. Living in the mountains is also a bonus for moving out here.

The small-town style of Strathmore is definitely something that I miss, though. There is way less traffic and I

have known a majority of my friends back home since elementary school; it was pretty cool that we stayed so close all the way through to graduation.

The typical sports kids get into as children are basketball and soccer.

How did you get into golf and what made you pursue it professionally?

I got into golf mainly because of my grandparents, as well as my dad. My grandparents lived on a really nice golf course near Ponoka, Alberta so I started swinging a golf club around the age of four. My dad had also started golfing a lot around the time I was born, so he would often head to the driving range in the evenings. Naturally, I looked up to both my dad and my grandpa and wanted to be able to play golf with them whenever I could.

As far as pursuing the sport on a professional level, I am still indecisive on whether or not I will try to go pro after my university career has finished.

Were you or are you interested in any other sports?

Yes, growing up I was more interested in hockey and lacrosse than I was into golf. I never thought of playing competitive golf until I was around 14-years-old. After I started playing a few junior tournaments, it quickly took over my passion for hockey and lacrosse, so I ended up quitting both in order to practice my swing through the winter and play more tournament rounds during spring. I still enjoy playing hockey as well as lacrosse when I get the chance.

After coming close a couple times last year, you picked up your first PacWest win of your career at the

KPU Invitational. What will you build upon in order to progress your game and win even more events?

Working on the mental side of my game would play a big part in taking it to the next level. Being able to block out negative thoughts or distractions is key in golf, and if I can improve upon that it would help bring my scoring average down.

From the current golfers on the PGA tour, who do you try to model your game after? Who is your favourite golfer to watch?

I would like to model my game after Adam Scott just based on the fact that his golf swing is about as perfect as it gets. However, my favourite golfer to watch is definitely Jordan Spieth. For only being 22 years old, the amount of skill and maturity he has is extremely impressive.

What are your thoughts on competing for the CCAA Golf National Championships on UFV’s home course?

I am very excited to be hosting the National Championship at our home course. Our team is very familiar with the course, as a few of our players have been playing at Chilliwack for a number of years. It should help ease the pressure of the tournament since our team is so familiar with the environment.

To end things on a light note, how often do you play mini golf? And how good would you say you are?

I hardly ever play mini golf. And I’m pretty poor at it — windmills can be tricky.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Image credit: University of the Fraser Valley / Flickr

UPCOMING GAMES Men’s Soccer

Men’s Basketball

Friday Oct 9, 7:30 p.m. UFV Cascades vs. TWU Spartans (home)

Friday Oct 9, 7 p.m.

UFV Cascades vs. TWU Spartans (away)

Tuesday Oct 13, 7:15 p.m.

UFV Cascades vs. TWU Spartans (away)

Saturday Oct 10, 6 p.m.

UFV Cascades vs. TWO Spartans (home)

Women’s Soccer

Womens’s Basketball

Friday Oct 9, 5 p.m.

UFV Cascades vs. TWU Spartans (home)

Thursday Oct 8, 8 p.m.

UFV Cascades vs. U of S Huskies (away)

Tuesday Oct 13, 5 p.m.

UFV Casccades vs. TWU Spartans (away)

Friday Oct 9, 7 p.m.

UFV Cascades vs. Regina Cougars (away)

Saturday Oct 10, 10 a.m.

UFV Cascades vs. Guelph Gryphons (away)

Men’s and Women’s Golf Tuesday, Oct 13 PING CCAA Golf National Championships @Chilliwack Golf and Country Club

SCOREBOARD Men’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer

Men’s Basketball

Friday, Oct 2 UFV Cascades vs.

UBCO Heat L 3-0

Saturday, Oct 3 UFV Cascades vs.

MacEwan Griffins L 2-1

Friday, Oct 2 UFV Cascades vs. U of S Huskies L 91-82

Saturday, Oct 3 UFV Cascades vs.

TRU Wolf Pack T 2-2

Sunday, Oct 4 UFV Cascades vs.

MRU Cougars W 4-1

Saturday, Oct 3 UFV Cascades vs.

Carleton Ravens L 71-67 Sunday, Oct 4 UFV Cascades vs.

UVic Vikes L 76-49