The Cascade Vol. 25 No. 1

JANUARY 4 TO JANUARY 11, 2017

VOLUME 25 ISSUE 1

Dodging parking fees since 1993

Free rec classes

UFV’s secret map

Killer by Kimmy Walters

New year means new things for UFV’s campus recreation and wellness program, including free fitness classes.

The best places to go on UFV campus that they wont tell you about.

Kimmy Walter’s latest poety collection Killer is refreshing and entertaining, as well as quite funny at times, but that’s about it.

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Trip reports from intoxicated students pg.10

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

EDITORIAL

I don’t want to be here

Why the first week of the winter semester is my least favourite week of the year VANESSA BROADBENT

“There’s absolutely no way to to start a brand new semester in a brand new year when you’re still traumatized by the last”

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

My plans for this winter break included camping in Nevada, hiking in Yosemite, and a whole lot of not worrying about school, but none of that happened. A lack of funds, a job I couldn’t afford to take days off from, and a cold that started December 1 and is still going strong made leaving my house, much less the country, nearly impossible. But it wasn’t the staying home that made the break miserable — living in the Fraser Valley makes up for not being able to climb mountains in California — but rather the constant, unhindering, impending doom that the new semester was just around the corner, and there was nothing I could do to prevent its arrival.

There’s something horrible about the fall semester. Maybe it’s that there’s no reading break (please UFV, we need one), the lack of vitamin D that comes with the arrival of winter, or just the ever present thought that the end of the fall semester doesn’t actually mean that school is over, but that the new semester is only a few short weeks away. Regardless, the breaks following all of the four fall semesters that I’ve attended at UFV have not been spent relaxing and preparing for the next semester, but trying desperately to regain my footing and my health, sleep enough to make up for all the allnigthers pulled, and mainly just try my hardest to forget that it all starts again soon.

Because of this, the first week of the winter

THAT FEEL semester has to be one the worst weeks of year.

It’s not that it’s as bad as finals — nothing is as bad as finals — but there’s absolutely no way to start a brand new semester in a brand new year when you’re still traumatized by the last. Rather than feeling optimistic and ready to take on the new school year like I usually do after taking the summer off of classes, I spend the first week of the winter semester trying my best to not let my lack of enthusiasm and

STAFF

CONTRIUBUTORS

Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Broadbent vanessa@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Jeff Mijo jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Distributor Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca

Researcher Trevor Johnson trevor@ufvcascade.ca

Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Production Manager Brittany Cardinal brittany@ufvcascade.ca

Staff Writers Emma Groeneveld emma@ufvcascade.ca

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

Online Editor Tanya Vanpraseuth tanya@ufvcascade.ca

Michael Chutskoff mike@ufvcascade.ca

News Editor Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Bradley Peters brad@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Panku Sharma panku@ufvcascade.ca

Illustrator Amara Gelaude amara@ufvcascade.ca

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desire to be anywhere else than in a classroom obvious to everyone else around me, and it’s not that easy.

However, the winter semester does eventually get better. Unlike the fall, there is an end in sight (unless you need to take summer classes, in which case I’m sorry), there is a reading break, and rather than each day leading up to final exam period becoming rainier and darker, by the time finals roll around it actually starts

to feel like spring.

Well, at least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself this week. Rather than arriving to each of my classes at the last possible moment to avoid spending any more time in class than I absolutely need to, sitting in the back so that I don’t have to talk to anyone and can just suffer alone, and just all together trying to forget where I am, I should try to approach the new semester with an optimistic outlook, grateful that I have the opportunity to even attend university.

But we’ll see. I’ve told myself this before.

Also, in case you were wondering, there are 40 days until reading break, 93 until the last day of classes, and 110 until exams are done.

Klara Chmelarova Kayla BWD Jelena Rados

Cover: Vanessa Broadbent Back Cover: Brittany Cardinal

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Volume 25 · Issue 1 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 1,250 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

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

In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 400 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

NEWS NEWS BRIEFS Review of universities The Globe and Mail reviews universities every year to help students determine where they should attend. This year UFV is below average in both giving financial aid and library resources.

UFV scored above average however, in applied learning and in student experience.

According to the study, graduating UFV students rated their overall educational experience above the provincial average. 94 per cent of graduates found employment in their field two years after graduation. This is out of the 63 per cent of UFV students that graduate from their program.

Former Cascades inducted into first class of hall of fame The first class of Cascades Hall of Fame inductees ceremony will be held Jan. 6 at the Envision Athletic Centre. The Cascades Hall of Fame was launched in June, receiving nominations from the community.

At the ceremony, a former directors, coaches, and athletes will be honoured, as well as at an on-court ceremony between games on the same day.

The Hall of Fame will include plaques displayed in the Envision Athletic Centre mezzanine, along with an online component at ufvcascades.ca.

First day on campus aid The Coast Capital Resource and Leadership Centre peers along with volunteers will offer help to students for their first few days on campus.

From Jan. 4-6 they will be available at Abbotsford and Chilliwack CEP campus for aid in finding classrooms or providing general assistance.

UFV Cascades put up a fight in California UFV men’s basketball team played a trio of exhibition games in California last week in preparation for the second half of the Canada West conference season. The Cascades lost all three games. The Cascades return home this week to play against the MacEwan Griffins on Jan. 6 and 7.

New Experiential Learning and Wellness fee helps fund changes in UFV’s campus recreation and wellness program VANESSA BROADBENT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The new year comes with new changes, especially in UFV’s campus recreation program.

In an effort to get more students involved in campus recreation, the athletics department is offering all fitness classes for free this semester.

“We felt that it was something that we could waive in order to get students to participate,” Cheryl Van Nes, UFV’s program manager of campus recreation and wellness said.

The changes come partially as a result of UFV’s new Experiential Learning and Wellness fee, which was implemented last semester and is based on the number of credits a student is enrolled in. (The average full-time student pays $42 per term). The fee covers initiatives including UFV’s Career Centre and Peer Resource and Leadership Centre, as well as campus recreation and wellness.

With the increased funding to the campus recreation program, Van Nes filled the newly created position of program manager of campus recreation and wellness after working as the athletics department’s operations coordinator.

“Campus recreation and wellness is part of the new fee that the students are paying,” she explained. “My position is funded through that new fee, so I’m trying to get students engaged in activities that are part of wellness, as well as student engagement, just to be able to give students opportunities to be able to participate in these activities that are eventually going to be beneficial to their studies and outside of the classroom.”

Van Nes’ position is the first that solely focuses on campus recreation, something that was previously organized by Student Life, and one of her goals in her new position is to garner interest surrounding the campus recreation program and draw new students in. Waiving fees for the fitness classes was a way to do so.

“Before, it was $2 a class so it wasn’t that expensive,” she said. “It’s funny because as soon as you say it’s free people are listening.”

However, although the programming is currently free, Van Nes noted that a campus recreation fee may be a possibility in the future.

“Eventually there’s probably going to be a fee at some point so that we can improve the amount of classes that we have,” she said. “A lot of what I do is based off of what other universities are doing. Some universities charge their students, some universities provide it for free.

But those that provide it for free to students have a higher fee for the recreation; they have a rec fee specifically.”

It’s still unsure what that fee will look like — or if it will even be implemented — but Van Nes noted that to improve recreation opportunities for students, some additional funding may be required.

“It all comes down to it’s a brand new program and we’re trying to figure out what it is that we’re trying to provide students,” she said.

The former gun range on UFV’s CEP campus now hosts free fitness classes.

“We want to provide quality programming and that might require fees. It might be the fact that there are some classes that are free and some classes that are at a charge, depending on what it is.”

The changes to the new campus and recreation program also include the revitalization of the former gun range on UFV’s CEP campus in Chilliwack. Formerly used as training space for RCMP, approval for a new indoor firing range left the building vacant and in the hands of UFV’s athletic department.

“The space has been released to recreation,” Van Nes said. “As the program manager, I oversee all of that so I have free use to do whatever I want in that place within reason.”

Van Nes’ plans for the space include two classes this semester, but she hopes to add more classes and events in the near future.

“This is the beginning of so much more, the possibilities are endless because we’re starting from nothing,” she said. “I’m super open to working with a handful of students and creating some sort of event, be it a ball hockey tournament or a basketball tournament.”

Currently, there are nine classes offered this semester but Van Nes hopes that demand will grow, requiring her to add more.

“I would like for that space to be totally maxed out and I’m forced to create more classes,” she said. “Right now I’m at the bare minimum of what I can offer without knowing how many

Photo: UFV Cascade

people are coming in because I do have to pay these instructors, but if there’s demand, I’ll bring in more.”

Van Nes is hoping to get students involved in planning what is done with the CEP space, as well as on UFV’s Abbotsford campus.

“There is opportunity for students to work with me to create more opportunity for students,” she said. “They would be working with me to come up with programming ideas to get students engaged in physical activity, recreation, personal wellness type things, just getting students up and moving and physically active outside of the classroom.”

The positions are volunteer and applicable for co-curricular record credit, and could lead to work study positions in the future.

“At this point, it’s volunteer with the opportunity that we will have work study positions hopefully in September,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to build your portfolio.”

“It’s something that I’ve been really passionate about to do for a number of years,” Van Nes continued. “It’s 2017 and it’s a new beginning for what opportunities there are for students to get engaged outside of the classroom in a healthy, active lifestyle.”

Dates and times of available classes, as well as registration forms and more information are available at ufvcascades.ca/rec.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

NEWS

Students make big plans for a little town Regional and community planning class researched and planned for Yale JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR NEWS EDITOR

Yale might often be overlooked as a single stoplight on the TransCanada Highway, but for a UFV geography class it was the subject of research for an applied planning course in conjunction with a larger Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) planning project.

A few years ago, UFV, Geography 360 (Regional and Community Planning), and the FVRD signed a formal memorandum of understanding so that the class could take part in the real development of its own community.

The class itself is taught by Cherie Ens who is an associate professor in planning and development at UFV. “Each year the Fraser Valley Regional District planning department comes up with a new problem, if you will, that they want students to research and address,” said Ens. “What’s most exciting about this is that when the students present their work, which is part of a semester-long course learning about how to do planning for communities, the local politicians attend as do all of the practitioners.”

Cherie Ens is a trained professional urban planner and has taught at UFV for over 20 years. Because of her professional experience, she has been able to connect with people like Margaret Thornton, director of planning and development with FVRD. “Usually the students’ work is great, they do a lot of group background research. They’re also really out-of-the-box thinkers,” said Thornton. “That’s very important for what I’ll call stodgy staff and politicians.”

This last semester the challenge was to examine the community of Yale. The town has historically been a very important hub for transport and trade as well as having a significance for indigenous populations. At one time, Yale marked the divide between river transport ­— which could not pass the turbulent Fraser Canyon waters — and wagon trails north to Barkerville.

The town itself has undergone many changes since its founding in 1848. Now that the town is being examined for future planning, various ideas have circulated about what to do next, including a proposal for an all-season ski resort just outside of the town.

In the Geography 360 class, small groups had the opportunity

to create their own visions for the Yale area. Some groups envisioned resort and spa development, others, microbreweries or tapping into the rich indigenous history.

The class heard various speakers and presenters, and communicated with locals about potential planning directions. Because of ethical reasons and time constraints, the students didn’t conduct interviews with Yale residents. Instead, their research was primarily focused on the community and its history — finding appropriate ground to begin the planning process. From that research, one group even identified potential funding for a cultural community centre.

“So what students did was more of a backdrop, it was a prevision based on their research on comparable communities and the speakers that came and spoke to us,” said Ens. Natalia Melnikov is one of the students who took the class; she participated in the various fieldwork and research activities.

“We visited Yale with the class, we met with an RCMP officer and with a few official board directors from the FVRD and a few residents who are also business owners. Then we took some pictures and heard the story of Yale,” said Melnikov. “We were supposed to offer our thoughts on what we would change there.

We had to write a paper and prepare a PowerPoint to present our ideas.”

At the end of the semester, the students presented their findings to local politicians, professional planners, and attending members of the public at the FVRD board room. They also received a letter of reference from the FVRD for their reports and presentations.

“It’s a pretty prestigious venue,” Ens noted.

Among those who attended the presentations was the Electoral Areas Services Committee. The students’ presentations directly influence the key decision makers in community planning.

“I think it gives students some hope when they see that they have skills that are valued,” said Ens. “And it shows politicians that students can be involved in professional roles.”

Although all of the groups presented their research on Yale, each examined a different aspect of the town.

“Our group specifically offered to redevelop the town centre along Highway 1,” said Melnikov. “The area as it is now doesn’t really offer much.”

Melnikov’s group compared the town centre to other similar districts and locales in British Columbia. One of those places was Fort Langley because of its similar history. What her group found was that places like Fort Langley, and Fort Langley itself, had a lot more to offer in the ways of shops and facilities. It is also open year-round.

“They offer workshops and museum tours and so on — and you don’t really see that in Yale,” said Melnikov. “It’s unfortunate because the place is beautiful.”

Although Yale has a historic site museum, it only opens seasonally; the rest of the town doesn’t offer much for restaurants or activities.

Geography 360 is structured to bring students out of the classroom and give them an opportunity to put theory into practice.

A professional planner is often conducting interviews and delivering presentations. The class provides professional experience for potential planners as well as prepares students to deliver presentations and build their portfolio.

“It was very interesting, especially for us as students to learn more about how planning works and how planners can change places,” said Melnikov.

Melnikov and her group’s research will be used as a part of the formal planning process and consultations moving forward.

“It’s been great for the regional district,” said Thornton. “For us it really creates more open dialogue that you don’t necessarily have when you’re a staff person. With students they can be a little more creative out of the box.”

Even though not all of the students in regional and community planning intend to become professional planners, the experiences that the class offers help to build the portfolios of students who are looking to further their education with graduate studies.

“In a way, just them going and wandering around the townside with the local politicians and meeting people, they all have to become familiar with the place,” said Ens. “It’s not transforming Yale tomorrow, but just this experience and interaction and awareness of Yale as a place is pretty significant for a small community that has really struggled.”

Stories worth paying attention to #SevereDrought

#StressedSalmon

Bolivia declares state of emergency over worst drought in 25 years

New Study, EPA Report Highlight Fracking’s Risk to Groundwater

Bolivia’s government has declared a state of emergency over drought and is making funds available to help alleviate the crisis.

The Tyee reports that a report released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “confirms that all stages of the brute force technology “can impact and have impacted drinking water resources” and that impacts vary “in frequency and severity” depending on location, the scale of operations, and technologies used.

The Tyee Reports that “when humans excrete drugs, some can end up in wastewater effluent and subsequently in sensitive habitats where salmon may get an unintended dose.”

Another U.S. study claims that in addition to being the cause of small to medium-sized earthquakes, fracking can alter the chemistry and quality of groundwater.

If salmon ingest those drugs, it has the potential to cause erratic behaviour and negatively affect migratory patterns.

The EPA has come under scrutiny for such regulations as the Water of the United States (WOTUS) and illegal actions taken to promote the WOTUS rule. However, their “findings put to rest claims by the oil and gas industry and its regulators that hydraulic fracturing is entirely safe and proven.”

“Gustav Hellström, a salmon biologist at Umeå University and lead author on the study, says stress is probably an adaptive response as it may minimize unnecessary risk-taking and help maintain alertness.”

“The vice-ministry of civil defense estimated that the drought has affected 125,000 families and threatened 290,000 hectares (716,605 acres) of agricultural land and 360,000 heads of cattle,” reports The Guardian.

Authorities have reported that reservoir levels are at their lowest level ever. The drought coincides with one of the most powerful El Nino events recorded.

Al Jazeera reports that some environmentalists claim that mining may be to blame for water shortages: “According to Hector Cordova, a mine engineer and analyst for Bolivia’s Jubilee Foundation, the mining companies would continue to put an increase in profits ahead of drought-related consequences.”

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#FrackingWater

Oxazepam is a drug prescribed to humans for the treatment of anxiety, alcohol withdrawal, and insomnia. According to a study out of Sweden’s Umeå University, it “affects the downstream migratory behaviour of Atlantic salmon.”

Interfering with the swimming behaviour of salmon that has been adapted to the stresses of the river would ultimately likely be bad for for the fish.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

One-year aviation diploma suspended due to low interest

Photo: UFV Flickr

VANESSA BROADBENT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Starting this semester, UFV’s school of business will no longer be offering its one-year aviation diploma.

The school of business, up until this semester, offered two diploma program options: one that is one year in length and one that is two years. However, due to a lack of applicants, the one-year option has been suspended.

“We simply don’t have anyone in the program,” said Frank Ulbrich, director of the school of business. “We came to the point where we said it doesn’t make sense to offer two different options when one is never asked for.”

The difference between the two programs was that the one-year option requires students to have already completed 30 university credits.

However, Ulbrich noted that attracting current university students doesn’t happen frequently.

“We haven’t had any students in it for a very

long time and the main reason is probably that when you want to go to university, when you want to do your pilot training and combine it with university studies, that’s where you start,” he explained. “Very few first go to university and then say ‘I also want to become a pilot.’”

Although the program has not had anyone enrolled in it for over a year, it was suspended for two years rather than discontinued altogether.

“When you discontinue a program it is more difficult to bring it back to life so we decided that a suspension would probably be a good alternative for us,” Ulbrich said. “It gives us the opportunity to suspend it for two years and then to reevaluate again when we meet with our partner [Coastal Pacific Aviation] and see if anything has changed. If not, then we will eventually go forward and recommend a discontinuance of the program, but if something should change that is unexpected, then there is an opportunity still to bring it back to life.”

By suspending and eventually terminating the program, the department will be able to focus more time and funding on a new initiative — the introduction of helicopter training into the diploma program.

UFV signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinook Helicopters Limited last year which will give students the opportunity to expand beyond the current fixed-wing training that is offered.

“It takes some resources to have a program that we offer but don’t offer, and we’d rather take those resources and make the other one stronger and make it more attractive,” Ulbrich explained. “What we’re planning is to add to the two-year aviation diploma a new stream so that our students can decide if they want to be an aircraft pilot or a helicopter pilot.”

The program is currently still being developed with no implementation date yet decided.

“We’re working with the other company on looking into how the curriculum would need to

look so that we meet Transport Canada regulation requirements and academic standards from the university as well,” Ulbrich said. “I think probably by summer we’ll have the proposal ready and then it depends on the approval process how quickly we can implement it.”

Ulbrich also noted that there is potential for the helicopter training to eventually expand into the four-year aviation degree program as well.

“We want to first implement it into the diploma program, and if that’s successful and there’s capacity to expand it then we’ll probably bring it into the BBA [bachelor of business administration] aviation degree as well,” he said. “It’s exciting for our students that they can actually in the future hopefully select between two alternatives, because I think there are a lot of jobs for helicopter pilots in particular.”

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

OPINION

SNAPSHOTS Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Joel Robertson-Taylor

Kat Marusiak

Illustrations: Amara Gelaude

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A blanket of snow

So what if it’s 2017

Snow has some unique characteristics beyond being cold. Just a thin layer of it can completely disguise any garbage dump, barren field, or a mass grave. With that remarkable ability comes — maybe paradoxically, maybe poetically — the ability to be stained by almost anything.

It’s interesting that that which can blanket any blemish, also shows the smallest drop of blood, oil, or piss.

Snow bears a lot of symbolic meaning in various languages and texts. Some refer to it as the purest form of white. I think it’s interesting that something so subtle and delicate and so easily stained can cover any pre-existing blemish. It can make anything look pure and it can do it without saying a word.

You might wake up and find that that it came in the night and everything is covered in fresh snow. And you’ll see that it can make even the most degregated parts of town look clean and new.

So it’s 2017 now. Safe to say, whining and delusion hit a real solid peak in late 2016. Celebrity deaths took a toll on North America’s collective cultural consciousness as real events of trauma (i.e. trucks plowing through Christmas markets) made their way to the back burners of concern. But never fear, for refuge seems to be found in the fact that 2017 is a new year, in which better things are possible. Seriously? The calendar turns over, not the universe. The same issues will still be there, the same attitudes are still engaged in. If you are one of the deluded expecting that 2017 will be better just because it’s new, stop placing hope in the turnover of a system of time organization and start making real action to improve the world. Musicians and movie stars have the power to shape your childhood and worldview, but it is your current self that has the ability to deal with and enact change in the world today.

Mitch Huttema

Elitism is the worst

Waiting on grading

As a member of several online communities, there is one thing that grates on me like sandpaper: elitism. The sad need of insecure, obnoxious people to proclaim that their opinion on something is actually rooted in fact; that somehow, simply because they personally prefer something, that makes all alternatives lesser.

For example, far too often I see fans of the same video game series (from Fallout to Final Fantasy) in petty, childish fights with each other over whose favourite is clearly superior. I’ve even seen so-called “fans” of musicians actually declare that the artists should kill themselves for daring to make new music that said asshole didn’t care for.

We are all allowed our own feelings and opinions — individuality is a good thing, not something to belittle or try to make others feel foolish for (let alone condemn them to death).

So to all the pretentious elitists out there: get over yourselves. To everyone else: if something moves you, inspires you, helps you somehow, makes you feel in any capacity, then love it, own it, and don’t give two shits if some jerk tries to make you feel like you shouldn’t.

Nothing makes a break really feel like a break more than being able to put the stress of the previous semester behind you. However, with final grades not in before the holidays (and still not in at the time this was written), that wasn’t possible for me this Christmas break.

I am aware and understand the problem could have resulted from the matter of timing involved. Campus closure over the break may not have made it possible for all grades to be in before Christmas. Being who I am, obviously what could have gone wrong did. I was troubled daily as I numerously and begrudgingly checked my student email at an almost compulsive level. Murphy’s law would have it that the one class I was worried about would be the grade I would wait for.

As a result, the much needed break that I was looking forward to as a time to chill and not spend thinking about classes was the opposite.

Christmas Day was clouded with thoughts in the back of my mind of whether or not I would pass. New Year’s was overshadowed by the pending doom that I had hoped to leave behind me with 2016.

So here’s to hoping that my first week of the new semester won’t be wasted worrying about the last. Jeez.

Jelena Rados

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

OPINION

New Years, same fears MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

It’s over! 2016 is over! Out with the old, in with the new! After all, 2017, all bright and shiny and chromed out on the show floor, barely out of the factory, is bound to be much better than last year. Look at all the dubious events and milestones that plagued the past 12 months.

The Olympics, held in the impoverished Rio, we were told were a celebration of competition and the indomitable athletic prowess of humans. It seemed to me to be ludicrous that Rio’s inhabitants were quite literally brushed under the carpet so that the rest of the word could host a self-congratulatory sports tournament in the vain hope that it could stand outside the lived realities, political strife, and inequality of our international order. Some tried their best

to remind us, as evidenced by Ethiopian marathoner and would-be silver medalist Feyisa Lilesa’s choice to hold his arms over his head in an “X” in protest of the Ethiopian government’s ethnic cleansing of the Oromo ethnic group.

2016 has been a rough year, yes, but not of its own volition. Inequality of every kind (racial, social, economic) worsened while the socalled silent majority, apparently tired of being told that systemic bigotry was alive and well and ought to be addressed, that passive or active discrimination, espoused under the false labels of freedom of speech and nationalism were just not acceptable, cracked down even harder.

All of this was, of course, exacerbated by tensions between the U.S. and Russia, as well as an unprecedented refugee crisis in the wake of the Syrian civil war. Radicalization (Christian, Islamist, Conservative, Fascist masquerading as

Conservative) seemed to spring up out of the ground almost endlessly as the result of economic and social stagnation. Brexit all but confirmed it: nationalism is the flavour of the day.

But let’s not kid ourselves, none of this has anything to do with what year it is. Personal goals are always good, and we should set them and strive to achieve them regardless of it being New Year’s or not. But to think, relieved, that the strife that so violently shook so many communities throughout 2016 will end simply because the year is up is foolish, and worse, it’s counter-productive.

Oppressed peoples will not be granted rights because the year has changed. Corruption will not subside because the year has changed. Terrorism will not subside because the year has changed. Donald Trump will still have won the election, Brexit will still have been a thing.

We can’t erase those events, only deal with their consequences.

So, here’s what I propose: in 2017, let’s not kid ourselves. The year is up, but the struggle is ever-present. If you’re a resolution-making kind of person, here’s a good place to start: in the coming year, challenge all divisiveness. Read up on the history of oppressed peoples, understand that their struggle is just as valid as yours. Open your heart and your arms, but most importantly, open your mind to new points of view, new ideas.

2016 didn’t suck. We sucked. Let’s own up to it. Gang, we collectively dropped the ball. This coming year, let’s pick it back up and do better.

CCR? More like PBR! PANKU SHARMA OPINION EDITOR

In the sense that while it is better than nothing, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Unlike Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, UFV’s Co-Curricular Record Credit (CCR) program is an attempt to enhance students’ resumes and academic portfolios by giving credit for extracurricular activities at UFV. The validation process passed over the break, and like many times before, during my time here at UFV I found myself expecting to do a lot of work, getting frustrated, and instead venting in a group chat and procrastinating until the deadline had passed.

For your benefit, I’ll recap the highlights of my frustrations with the program, as I see it (fair warning that because I’m dumb I could be totally wrong about all of these) as best I can. There are four major issues I see with it.

First, hours are only logged semesterly and require short essays (that I wouldn’t expect to be more than regurgitated feel-good platitudes if I ever got around to actually writing it) on how the volunteer hours helped you, which is already one hurdle too high and too many considering the work I’d have done itself and the benefit I expect to get from having it approved by the CCR program. Furthermore, they cannot retroactively authorize or confirm volunteer activity I’ve been doing for the last four years. Considering the constant turnover in student staff, and degree of proper file management or speedy responses expected from its officers, it’s hard enough to have to deal with that bureaucracy

ART MONTH OF THE

even once, let alone every semester. I feel like there should be more coordination between the Student Union Society (SUS) and the relevant UFV departments in logging these hours into a shared system as we go so the onus isn’t on the students and they can focus on the work they are doing, both in class and out. Thirdly, whatever this “credit” means or is worth is in my view diluted when they count everything from setting up chairs (not that it’s not important) to organizing events and fundraisers as pretty much the same thing when it comes to hours. If this program is going to work at all, I would hope it would be more stringent, if only to encourage people to give more than the bare minimum.

Lastly, with everything I’ve laid out in mind, I fail to see what the benefit is (compared to the work I’d have to do to receive the credit) over just putting the projects I’m proud of or skills I’ve learned on my resume like any other activity?

What is the big gap between the slip of paper or formal accreditation, and me stating the work on my resume and using my own words to explain what skills I developed, what use I found for them, and how it was a meaningful experience that will help me in that future? Whatever that gap is, I think we should really start considering whether it is worth the resources (money and time) that go towards keeping this program afloat. Maybe we should play to our strengths instead of developing infrastructures for engagement that won’t be used until people start living here at campus or our average age drops. We can talk about that last part a little more another time, for now I’m on the hunt for some craft brews.

Submissions are due Friday, January 31st Limit of three submissions per person, per month Submissions must have been created with in the last year

Illustrations: Amara Gelaude

Accepted mediums: painting, drawing, print, photography, digital art, sculpture, 3d work Include a 50 word bio, 150 word artist statement, and image list with titles, mediums, sizes, and dates of creation

Submissions & questions can be sent to jeff@ufvcascade.ca

All images must be in CMYK format, 300+ DPI,in Zip file, less than 5 MB total. All files must be in PDF format.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

FEATURE

The Way Way Wasted

Student stories of excess when the only answer to school stress seems to be complete inebriation Designed by: Brittany Cardinal

Another new year, another chance to drink a bit too much, sleep less, and generally disappoint your parents. Here we provide you with a compilation of stories from your fellow students to help ease the shame you still feel from that Christmas party where you had a few too many rum and eggnogs, ate all the cocktail shrimp, and passed out spooning the dog. Find comfort in learning it could have been so much worse.

New Year’s Nausea

E

ach year around the beginning of December the same brief, somewhat scrambled conversations are heard: “What are your plans for New Years?”

“How are you ending this year and starting the fresh one?”

Many place almost superstitious effort into determining where and how they will celebrate the turnover, as if whatever it is that you do will resonate on and influence the entirety of your year.

I’m not the type to place much stock on this kind of religiosity, so my partner and I decided to stay in this year, give the “quiet night alone on New Years” thing a shot. We prepped for the evening with a trip to the liquor store, a bottle of wine for each of us made sense, it was New Year’s after all. Once back, we settled in, bottles in hand and cued up Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket on the TV. As we cozied up and made our way through the wine and movie our social instincts began to jitter.

“I really don’t know if I can handle unceremoniously sitting through the turn of the year,” I said to my partner. “Maybe we can head over to a nearby friend’s place around 11ish and just spend an hour or so out before turning in?”

She agreed, and so once the film was over and the wine was done we made our way (walking, as at this point in the bottle of wine driving was out of the question) up the hill to a nearby NYE celebration.

We stumbled our way over and greeted our surprised, smug friends by ignoring their jabs that they knew we wouldn’t make it through the night without a little partying.

Being only moderately social we slipped out back of the party to sip on a cigarette. Several others were already congregated with similar intentions.

I did not know most of them, but one of them, eager to make a friend, offered me a drag on his joint.

“It’s an oil joint, so take it easy,” my new friend said.

I proudly shrugged and took my long, deep toke before passing it on. It came back around a few times; each time I took my turn. I’m only moderately acquainted with the well known party treat of MaryJane, but I figured my past experience made me ready for whatever this oil joint had to offer.

Before long, the effects set in and I became deeply certain that I was now, in fact, God. I recalled how I had created everything at one point and that all of existence was simply for my own entertainment and viewing pleasure.

About half an hour later I was on my hands and knees on the sidewalk down the street from my friend’s celebration puking up a litre of wine and my dinner from earlier that evening. My partner patted my back consolingly as my certainty of being God began to come into question. Everything was hazy, spinning, and altogether hopeless. This must be my three days in hell.

I continued like this, pausing every 10 steps to wretch a little more, down the hill and back to my house only by the will of my partner who so graciously half-carried me all the way home.

I arrived at my stoop but did not possess the functions to enter the house nor could I even comprehend the idea of climbing the stairs to my bed. So I sat there eyes shut, head spinning as I continued to puke onto the sidewalk in front of me. In the distance I heard concussive explosions and the banging of metal pots. My partner ruffled my hair and whispered in my ear.

“Happy New Year, babe.”

Shrooms killed me, and then they saved my life

I

was always one of those kids who wanted to be practically

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everything when I grew up: a doctor, an archaeologist, a marine biologist, a rockstar, an artist, a writer — the list was long. And

suddenly I found myself in my early 20s, on no particular career path because I had never been able to narrow it down.

One night I was invited to eat some psilocybin (“magic”) mushrooms with a few friends. I had tried shrooms a couple of times before and both experiences had been very positive, so I joined in.

Later that night after everyone had gone home, my trip suddenly took a very dark turn. I somehow became convinced that it was my last night on Earth. Reflecting on my life, I was horrified at how little I had accomplished. I had once had so many dreams and aspirations, yet I was still stuck working a crumby job, in a dead-end town, not on any path towards any one specific goal. I had wasted so much time, and now, once I was gone, what would I have left behind that would resonate? What would I be remembered for? What good had I done, not just for myself, but for others as well?

My spouse, sitting in the chair next to me, could barely contain giggles, trying over and over to convince me that I was in fact fine, and not going to die. “You don’t understand!” I wailed, “I wanted to do so much, and I wasted so much time, and now what do I have to show for it? I wanted to make a lasting, positive impact on the world if I could, and do something that would help others, that might keep helping even after I’m gone…”

And it was that moment, in my bad-shroom-trip-fuelled mind, that I finally decided. I had always had a natural talent and affinity for biology, and as much as I love my music, art, and other fields of interest, I decided that utilizing, nurturing, and expanding upon my skills in science would be the best way to hopefully achieve my goal. Being an epileptic, I was always drawn to the idea of helping those suffering from some form of epilepsy, especially those with far more severe types than my own. (Like cancer, epilepsy is not a single disease, but a large group of them.)

Many years later, here I am! Still alive, and a third-year biology major in the bachelor of science program at our lovely UFV, aspiring towards a career in genetics — it has been discovered that different types of epilepsy can be attributed to different genetic mutations, and targeted gene therapy may lead to breakthroughs which could vastly improve the quality of life for, and even save the lives of, many people.

Since then, I’ve eaten psilocybin mushrooms again on a few occasions and thankfully haven’t had any other frightening bad trips.

But I can’t deny that as scary as it was, I am also very glad that the scare helped me finally get off my butt, make a decision, and start working harder to make my dreams a reality. As Jack Kornfield wrote in Buddha’s Little Instruction Book: “The trouble is, you think you have time.”

I want off this wild ride

O

n April 10 I thought I was witnessing my own death. I don’t smoke much, so my first experience with edibles (double dose cookie that was a little dry; also, I prefer smarties to chocolate chips) went about as well as you would expect. I was having a great time during the climb, but things slowly began unravelling as the magic medicine began to do its work. It was small at first; my friends had been planning a road trip for a while, but I began to zone out since they were repeating a story about their itinerary that I thought I had already heard earlier that day. I zoned back in, but still got the feeling that the story and the moment seemed eerily familiar.

I had that déjà vu feeling in my gut and was getting uneasy. It was as if every single word spoken, every small movement made, even my own thoughts were echos from a memory past. It was an intense and panic-inducing déjà vu, and of course my only reasonable explanation for it was that I had in fact already died and these memories being played were synapses firing off in my brain in a last hurrah. I tried to ground myself in time, I started cross-examining my friends as to how we had gotten there, what we had done earlier, and how they could prove that it was in fact April 10 and we had not had this conversation before. You wouldn’t believe the terror in my heart when the YouTube playlist on the television played a Kid Cudi song followed by a remix with the same lyrics.

All in all it was a pretty crappy evening. There were a few moments, though, where I felt like I was peeling at the corner of reality and catching a small glimpse of what was behind it. Of a universe of caves, shadows, mirrors, and masks.

Still, just going to stick to bongs from now on, they have never yet failed me or my sanity.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

FEATURE Ganja Graverobbers

E

very time I see the large, iron cross which still sits at the foot of my bed I’m reminded of the time I, along with a few others of course, smoked a little too much marijuana and thought that it was a good idea to steal a grave marker from a graveyard.

It’s not as bad as it sounds; we didn’t actually dig the cross out of the ground and away from the grave that it identified. It was lying off to the side, close to the outlining fence of a graveyard that seemed abandoned, at least by landscapers, and like it hadn’t seen any new residents move in anytime recently. Barely visible through the tall grass, the cross seemed to simply have been dropped and forgotten there. But the name, Josephine, and age at time of death, no actual dates or anything, implied that it was once in use, despite how rusted and weathered it now looked.

It’s not as bad as it sounds; we didn’t actually dig the cross out of the ground and away from the grave that it identified. It was laying off to the side, close to the outlining fence of a graveyard that seemed abandoned, at least by landscapers, and like it hadn’t seen any new residents move in anytime recently. Barely visible through the tall grass, the cross seemed to simply have been dropped and forgotten there. But the name, Josephine, and age at time of death (no actual dates or anything) implied that it was once in use, despite how rusted and weathered it now looked.

The night began with us smoking weed in the abandoned graveyard. It was a clear summer night, and I remember feeling strange that in all the tall grass and old oaks there wasn’t the sound of a single insect or animal; no cricket chirping, frog, or caw from a crow. It was dead silent. As our paranoia grew, we began to worry if we would be able to lift the gravestone. When the time came, we walked from our spot on the hill and across the yard. We stayed in the shadows of the tall trees lining the overgrown path, reached the cross, and all four of us dragged it out through the tangled and snagging weeds to the trunk of the car without being detected. It was easier than we thought it would be, and it didn’t take long at all until the cross was relocated as a staple decorative piece in my living room.

That didn’t last, though; the roommate was creeped out at the thought of having a gravestone in her living room. So, rather than taking the cross back to its home like I should have, it was instead moved into my bedroom because that seemed like an easier solution at the time than dragging it back out to my car and to the graveyard it was originally from.

The cross has now been in my room longer than I’d like to admit and I usually just forget it’s even there, until someone notices it and I have to tell the story, trying to relay that I’m not a maniacal sociopath but rather just got really baked one time and haven’t gotten around to getting rid of it. I really should do that soon though.

Rice whiskey tastes like oblivion

I

arrived in Luang Prabang that afternoon after a three-day slow

boat down the Mekong river from North Thailand into Laos. Luang Prabang is a UNESCO world heritage site for its pristine temples and shockingly majestic architecture. After walking the main road, which was vaulted (as it is every day) with elaborate tents housing local merchants peddling handmade fabrics, journals, incense, and jewelry, I found a clean cheap room down a cobblestone alley a few turns off the main street, shucked my bag, and headed back out to sample the traditional food. I meandered along the road overlooking the river and wound up throughout different alleyways, all of which were uncommonly spotless, until I found a nice little hole in the wall where a few locals were eating and I was the only foreigner in sight. I ordered a chicken soup for $3. It was served with a side of fresh basil, lime, bean sprouts, and chili and looked similar to Vietnamese pho but tasted more tangy and was the most truly spicy thing I have ever eaten; not a spice that burns your mouth or makes your nose run, a consuming heat that you feel in your blood like a shot of moonshine that stings your extremities and opens every pour and sweat gland.

There were two middle-aged men sitting at a table deeper in the restaurant / home and after I had finished my soup they beckoned me over. They had been laughing and banging on the table and seemed to be having a good time, so I joined them and was immediately treated to a shot of homemade rice whiskey. They were drinking out of an old plastic water bottle, pouring the cloudy liquid into a tiny plastic shooter a little bigger than a bottle cap and splashing it down their throats. It tasted like paint thinner. The one man spoke broken English and taught me Laos phrases while his partner transitioned from stoic concentration as I pronounced each word to howling with

“Look, I’m going to cut to the

chase here. You reek of pot.” laughter. One amazing part of Laos drinking culture is how after one person takes a shot, that person then continues to shake the hands of all the other party members present.

So there I was, feeling fine on rice whiskey repeating endless foreign phrases and shaking hand after hand all the while. The broken English guy managed to say “bowling,” and before I knew it I was in the back of a puny flatbed truck whizzing through the late afternoon city while the driver honked and waved at all of his friends (which seemed to be everyone we passed) and they all pointed at me and laughed, yelling things at him that I’m sure meant “Oh, you crazy old fool, where are you going with that foreigner on the back of your truck,” and he replied with what could only have been “This is my new best friend from Canada and I’m going to introduce him to the boys and then we’re going have a ball.”

I don’t know how long I was on the back of the truck. The moonshine rice whiskey hit hard and all I remember is the truck stopping and me stumbling off the bed now completely drunk in the dark of night. We walked toward the bowling alley, which was a succession of dirt lanes outside of a warehouse-type building that sold beer. The game was called petanque (similar to bocce or curling) and the facility was called a boulodrome, one of a million similar Laos-style bowling facilities across the country. There were nearly a dozen of us now. I bought a round of beer. They kept pouring shots.

Karaoke blared from a covered area near the back. It was a barrage of throwing a metal ball down a dirt lane, sipping beer on ice, shooting back that vile whiskey, and everybody shaking everybody’s hands.

And then darkness.

The rest of the night comes through in flashes. Laying on the bed of the truck driving back to Luang Prabang I locked my arm around the metal grate against the cab to stop myself from rolling off into oblivion. Darkness. Dropped off on some unknown street near where we’d started drinking that afternoon, but now everything was closedup and looked uniform and indistinguishable. It was around this time that I realized (in my dim and diminished mind) I hadn’t remembered the name of my hostel, or written down the address. Darkness. I stumbled hopelessly through random side streets for God knows how long, not recognizing anyplace nor anything and too drunk to even care. The next thing I remember is standing in front of a door wobbling back and forth. I don’t know how I ever found my room that night; maybe the Buddha had mercy on my pathetic state, for even to this day it seems nothing short of a miracle. Standing there, swaying in a glassy-eyed stupor, I had to focus all of my energy into getting my key into the doorknob. I pulled the key from my pocket, considered it, wobbled, and felt an overwhelming sense of pride, as if I was the most competent person in the world when I slid the key seamlessly into the lock on the first try and opened the door; from there it’s all darkness.

Catching up with old friends

I

had just finished spending an afternoon with a friend. I’d driven over to chat and, by-the-by, touch base. We both were still alive and doing well, maybe a little stressed — they with their challenging-yet-rewarding day job, me with my part-time job and my studies.

Take heart, we each told the other, those early greying locks in our mid-‘50s will surely be worth it. Tension can only be a sign of productivity. And after all, it’s not as if we can’t take breaks. “As a matter of fact,” said my ambiguous, unnamed compadre, slyly reaching into his jacket pocket, “why don’t we take one now?” He lit the hand-rolled cigarette in his hand, inhaling before offering it to me. As we walked through the park at dusk our intentions seemed altogether unambiguous. Blunt, even.

After a while we finished talking and parted ways. By now the sun was down and I started walking in the direction of my car. He had scarcely left, when I saw it. A cop car was slowly rolling down the street. It pulled to the curb some good feet behind me and turned its engine off. “Woop-woop,” it chirped as its lights turned on.

Beautiful. I thought as the vehicle’s engine turned over and the car crawled toward me. The window began descending. just great.

“How are you doing, officer?”

“Alright. And how are you yourself?”

“Oh, not bad. Just out for a walk.”

“Look, I’m going to cut to the chase here. You reek of pot.”

Well, he had me. What was I going to say? At least he was cordial.

“Look, I don’t want to search you,” he said, eyeing me over. “So how about you just hand over whatever it is you have.”

I said I didn’t have anything (and friends, that’s the truth). He believed me apparently, because he said, “I don’t know whose car that is over there but I’m going to be driving around, and if I see it I’m going to make sure you’re not the one driving it.”

Which was a reasonable thing to say to my inebriated self. So I agreed: “Fair enough.”

I called a friend who very graciously called another and they drove the relatively short distance home. Sure enough, the law stops us to peek in the window and nod patronizingly. “Carry on.”

They put a roof over your head, food in your belly, and taught you some of life’s greatest lessons, and you repaid them by being a total little shit.

Send 250-450 words on the worst thing you’ve ever done to your parents to brad@ufvcascascade.ca and maybe we’ll publish it.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

STUDY BREAK v CROSSWORD DOWN 1: Hyphenated phrase in the title of penultimate Harry Potter novel 2: Tree-dwelling cookie baker or Tolkien’s favourite blonde master archers 3: Oceanic subregion with over 1,000 islands 4: Pierce Brosnan’s first appearance as 007 8: Torontonian time zone

ACROSS 1: The Power of Love artist _ _ _y Lewis and the News 3: Cutlery protrusion 5: Traditional Egyptian and Middle Eastern deepfried snack 6: Medieval Empire based out of Constantinople 7: To supervise or monitor 9: A tenet presented as absolute truth by an authority or movement 10: Diminutive digit

Made by Jeff Mijo

v HOROSCOPES

Astrological mysteries interpreted by Master Moji

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 There’s one last present slowly making its way through the mail system to you, but Canada Post knows you’ll need a pick-me-up in February so it’ll probably take that long.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 Y’know, I think maybe the stars were playing a trick on you last semester. It only just dawned on me that all of your horoscopes were lines from Smash Mouth’s All Star. It’s probably just a coincidence, though, I’m sure they had just as much meaning as any other horoscope!

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 You’ve been given an incredible gift. This year, you will immediately be able to put 2017 when writing the date, without ever writing 2016 first then needing to erase it. #jelly Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Did you hear about the new Toblerone design? That’s just not cool, is it? C’mon, Sweden, don’t play these games with our hearts.

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Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 Mountain climbing is fun and all, but really, all the cool kids are getting into spelunking these days. So much more fun to say.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 This new year will bring a new problem into your life. No spoilers, but you should probably watch the timeless prophecy presented in 1988’s Twins to prepare.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 I hear the directors of Genetic Control have been buying all the properties that have recently been sold, taking risks oh so bold.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 Your actions on the stroke of midnight as 2017 arrived foretell the theme of your year.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 Your future holds… adventure? It begins when you wake from a nightmare, but something isn’t quite right. You moved your pillow to the foot of your bed in the night? No… the whole room flipped. The dirty laundry moved from one corner to the opposite. That scratch on your dresser switched sides. Even the picture of your family is mirrored, making them look… wrong. You get up to investigate, but this is just the beginning….

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 Tired of shoveling all this snow? A wise man once told me “if all else fails, use fire.”

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 It’s okay to turn off the news and enjoy life once in awhile.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 A machine named Eugene, keen to demean the queen, will call her a mean, obscene wolverine with poor hygiene. Why? I don’t know, it’s just what I’ve foreseen.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

CULTURE

Navigating UFV: The essentials and the secrets v LEGEND A:

• ESL Help `Centre • Finance & Administration

B:

• Art Gallery • Cafeteria (Cascade Café) • Facilities & Project Management • Financial Aid • ITS HelpDesk • Lecture Theatre • Office of the Registrar • Security & Emergency Management • Student Services • UFV International

C:

• School of Business • Visual Arts

E (Envision Athletic Centre): • Gymnasiums F (University House):

• Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies

Original map courtesy of UFV

G (Peter Jones Learning Commons): • Academic Success Centre • Computer Lab • Library • Math Centre • Tim Hortons H (Baker House): • Bookstore • Parking Services • Student Residences S (Student Union Building / SUB): • Aboriginal Resource Centre • Advising Centre • Career Centre • Campus card office • Cascade Newspaper • CIVL Radio • Student Life • Student Union Society • The Canoe restaurant • Fair Grounds coffee shop • IT Services for Students • Supported Learning Groups T:

• Athletics

The secrets spots of UFV: 1. Coffee and chill: A building has a perfectly placed coffee shop that has windows facing the bus stop. Perfect for enjoying a beverage and relaxing while you wait for the bus.

2. The silent stairwell: In B building there is a stairwell, just past the international lounge, that is cement and has heavy closed doors at each floor. It is quiet, cold,

and echoes every sound. If you like creepy places, this is the stairwell for you. Thankfully it’s right by the security office so as creepy as it may seem, it should be safe.

4. Culture shock: C building has a rotating display of student artwork on the walls as well as a hallway of pictures and clocks with major cities’ time zones.

6. Lounge around: The student lounge on the second floor of the SUB has a pool table, foosball, and more! Great for gaming or relaxing with friends.

3. Study buddy: If you’re looking for a place to study with friends and wish to carry on conversations while doing so, there is a vestibule located on the second floor just outside of the library with seats, tables and a few power outlets, making it the optimal place for those who prefer to make more noise than the library allows.

5. The go-between: D building is a strategically placed building for walking on a rainy day. There is a covered walkway leading from B building to D building and the other end of D building comes out in front of the SUB. It’s an efficient way to get across campus while avoiding stormy weather.

7. Park Smart: It’s easier to find parking in lot 10 than anywhere else, and it has two exits for convenience. The closest parking meter is in E building.

Secret spots scouted by Kayla BWD Designed by Jeff Mijo

Reflections of an exchange student Looking back at my semester in Canada KLARA CHMELAŘOVÁ CONTRIBUTOR

Sitting in the uncomfortable airport chair with six hours to kill is a good place to start. The sky was clear, people buzzed around, and silent images of departing planes created a picturesque background. My mind went back to the moment five months ago when a scared, exhausted, and very unprepared me stumbled out of the international terminal. Not quite ready to bear any novelty, all I wanted was to turn around and fly back.

“There are three stages,” said the lady from student orientation while drawing a deceptively simple graph on the whiteboard. “First is the honeymoon, and you will love the new place.

Then the anxiety comes, homesickness makes itself known, and you will reach a critical point, wanting to go home. After that the acclimatisation happens and you will finally settle into the new culture.”

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that UFV takes this into account in the first place. But, of course, it’s not that easy. There were moments I never wanted to let the snowy top of Mt. Baker out of my sight again, but there were also moments I would have given everything to walk along the Vltava’s shore.

Before leaving my home in Prague, laying on my bed as the last day of August slowly passed by, I thought: this is it. In five months a different person will be here. Five months later, past me was right. The thing is, we are constantly on a journey. When you relax and let that shift come, prepared to take whatever it may require you to do, it will be immensely beneficial. Suddenly issues that seemed bigger than life don’t matter that much anymore. You stop caring that somebody somewhere did not approve of your ways and in general you gain some much needed distance to evaluate things through a new perspective. As anyone who ever sketched, painted, sculpted, or modelled something knows, you can work like hell on details, but it isn’t until you step away

from your work that you can truly see how it’s coming along.

Maybe this article should have been more light-hearted. After all, being an exchange student is about booze and partying without messing up your GPA. That is part of it, but ultimately we travel so that we know; know people, cultures, ourselves, our friends, our world. If you are thinking about going on an exchange, but your worry about home and friends and that doughnut from that around-the-corner bakery stops you, give yourself a chance. You can never predict what will happen, and usually your predictions will be the total opposite of what your experience is going to be. More so, you’re going to realize a very important thing: people are people and things are things. You’ll figure both out quickly. After all, Earth is just one big village, one huge kanata.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

CULTURE SCORE BOARD

Celebrating National Trivia Day, UFV style

SCORES Men’s basketball Dec 30 UFV Cascades vs. Occidental College Tigers L77-59 Dec 31 UFV Cascaded vs. Biola Eagles L 88-56

UPCOMING GAMES Men’s Basketball Friday Jan 6 8:00 pm UFV Cascades vs. MacEwan Griffins (home) Saturday Jan 7 7:00 pm UFV Cascades vs. MacEwan Griffins (home)

VANESSA BROADBENT

Women’s Basketball

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Friday Jan 6 6:00 pm UFV Cascades vs. MacEwan Griffins (home) Saturday Jan 7 5:00 pm UFV Cascades vs. MacEwan Griffins (home) Men’s Volleyball Friday Jan 6 8:00 pm UFV Cascades vs. Douglas College Royals (away)

Fraser Valley College sign (prior to becoming UFV)

Saturday Jan 7 7:00 pm UFV Cascades vs. Douglas College Royals (away)

JEFF MIJO

Women’s Volleyball

As we emerge, shivering and sad, from the winter break and plunge back into the world of classes, commutes, and coursework, it’s important to take a moment to think about things that matter most in life. Or, if you don’t feel like that, how about distracting yourself with some trivia about the place where you go to school?

Wednesday, January 4 is National Trivia day.

In its honour, and that of a new calendar year of learning, The Cascade presents the following fun facts, figures, and otherwise interesting pieces of trivia about UFV and the communities that house it. Several of these nuggets of knowledge come courtesy of UFV’s communications director, Dave Pinton.

Friday Jan 6 6:00 pm UFV Cascades vs. Douglas College Royals (away) Saturday Jan 7 5:00 pm UFV Cascades vs. Douglas College Royals (away) Wrestling Friday Jan 7 UFV Cascades @Golden Bears Invitational (away)

CULTURE EDITOR

UFV history: When UFV (then Fraser Valley College) first began classes on September 1, 1974, after only a few months of planning, the facilities had not yet even begun construction. Classes were held in high schools, church basements, and even storefronts.

UFV’s first “campus” outside of Abbotsford was Hope’s — it began classes just one month after they started in Abbotsford. Chilliwack would follow one year later.

While UFV had a permanent campus on Marshall Road from 1975 on, its current campus did not open its doors until 1983, when it was comprised of only buildings A, B, and C.

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Chilliwack’s North campus was planned as a temporary building, to be replaced within five years. Instead, it took 37 years for classes to move to the Canada Education Park campus.

UFV’s communities: One of B.C.’s largest cities, Abbotsford is also one of Canada’s most diverse — third only to Greater Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area.

Founded 30 years before Abbotsford, and incorporated 50 earlier, Mission’s name has an unusual history. The city’s founders decided to name it “Mission City” to make it sound larger and more important. This meant that, for a number of years, it was “the Village of Mission City” and then “the Town of Mission City.”

In 1969, Chilliwack elected Dorothy Kostrzewa to city council — the first Chinese-Canadian to hold political office in Canada. She continued in that role for 33 years, also making her the longest serving city councillor in B.C. In the first Rambo movie, First Blood, Hope was used to portray a fictional town in Washington … also known as Hope. It was also cited as the hometown of video game Deadlight’s protagonist.

For 10 years, UFV’s only international branch has operated in Chandigarh, India. Chandigarh, with a population of nearly a million people, holds the distinction of India’s first smoke-free city, with strict rules on where tobacco can be used.

Photo: UFV Historical Photos

UFV today: In 2015-2016, the most popular major was a bachelor of science in biology, with 278 students, followed by BA in English with 222 and BA in psychology with 196.

One of UFV’s geography instructors, Olav Lian, uses light-based technology to research B.C.’s coast’s ancient history, finding out which plants and animals used to be prevalent in the area.

UFV’s art gallery, the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery, is named to acknowledge Stó:lō Nation’s right to the land. Pronounced S-uh-leeuh-mut-out-ook, it means “a place that holds dreams or visions.”

In the heart of urban Surrey, UFV has a hightech greenhouse. This “BioPod,” a collaboration with the City of Surrey, Simon Fraser University, and the John Volken Academy, grows plants in vertical towers. They are maintained by students at John Volken Academy, an addiction treatment institution.

The average age for students pursuing bachelor degrees full-time is 22 for males and 22.8 for females.

While The Cascade has provided news and entertainment to the university for 23 years, it isn’t the school’s first student newspaper — previous publication titles included Broke Cult, Fraser Valley College News, and heterogenes.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

ARTS IN REVIEW v NETFLIX N CHILL

The Crown: About as exciting as rich people problems can get CHARTS 1

Preoccupations Preoccupations

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A Tribe Called Red We Are the Halluci Nation

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Sad13 Slugger

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Majid Jordan Majid Jordan

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Blessed Blessed

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Kishi Bashi Sonderlust

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Jay Arner Jay II

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Against Me! Shape Shift With Me

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La Sera Music For Listening To Music To

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Hot Panda Bad Pop

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Eleanore Eleanore

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Cheap High Picture Disk

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Phantogram Three

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Red Velvert Russian Roulette

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FT Island Where's The Truth

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Elephant Stone Little Ship Of Fools

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Harpdog Brown Travelin' With The Blues

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Sunday Wilde Blueberries and Grits

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Al Lerman Slow Burn

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Ghost Popestar

SHUFFLE AARON LEVY

STATION MANAGER

Akron/Family “Last Year” A song that I return to every year around this time, a beautiful, nearly momentary lamentation for every year that was, and perhaps no year was more disappointing than this past one, where we lost Prince, Bowie, a princess and her queen, a timeless poet, and many more. Reminiscently bereft.

Years “Kids Toy Love Affair” A cacophonous collage of brass, woodwinds, and meticulous instrumentation brings us quite a magnificent annual soundtrack to the wonderment and pristine possibilities that may be in the pending months. Triumphant in its melody, and deliberate in its repeating swells of era-indeterminate orchestration, this piece speaks to hopeful blank slates.

Silverchair “Anthem for the Year 2000” When this song dropped in the late ‘90s, this band was at the apex of their celebrity, riding the wave of the post-grunge era radio fad that led to Linkin Park, the Bizkit and so many others polluting our ears with angstheavy, shrieking melodrama.

They’ve since calmed down.

U2 “New Year’s Day” “All is quiet on New Year’s day,” said the Irish poet, singer, songwriter and cultural liaison with the tinted specs, and in Abbotsford it certainly was to start off 2017, after an abrupt snowfall that kept many Valley residents indoors to celebrate the end of a frustrating year for all.

PANKU SHARMA OPINON EDITOR

The first season of The Crown cost almost £100 million to produce, and its reception as a flagship prestige series for Netflix has already garnered it a second season renewal.

Now, admittedly, I’m only just starting the fourth episode, but that’s in my opinion both enough exposure to make a call on the quality of a narrative series and also about how much of a commitment I can make to something that doesn’t particularly appeal to me.

The upside of historical fiction is that in any review of it you don’t have to worry about spoiling major plot points, as most of it is based on things that already happened before most of us were born. Basically, the premise of the series follows Queen Elizabeth II (played earnestly by Claire Foy) from her marriage to Prince Phillip (former Doctor Who star Matt Smith) to the death of her father King George VI (Jared Harris, who proves one of the stronger performances in the series). The Crown covers the trials and tribulations of Elizabeth II’s early challenges in balancing her own life with the pressures and expectations of the title of Queen. The Queen’s sister Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby in a standout role) and larger-than-life character Winston Churchill (John Lithgow, who gives it his all but is also distractingly very much John Lithgow) also round out the cast of characters who you might recall from history classes.

Before I say anything else about the story and writing, I do want to point out that narrative aside, this show is damned beautiful. The cinematography and production are top-notch; the locations, were they not being used to stage a compelling story, could easily be refurbished for a tourism advertisement.

The show is at its strongest (but also in a way its weakest) in its most human moments. The illness and death of a father, power dynamics and expectations in a marriage, and

the pain of familial dysfunction and distance are portrayed poignantly. They are great frames to better understand a royal family and an institution that most of us know little about, and humanize a distant and traditional class of society that most of us would rather do without. However, the human moments the series wants to emphasize and put at the forefront — the balance between the person and the responsibility and demands of royal office — are when I lose interest.

First of all, we have the basic fact that any responsibility and demand of royal office doesn’t really seem that bad considering the level of luxury and power given to these people for no better reason than being born or married into the right family. It’s hard to feel bad that Elizabeth and her family are being thrust into this position when the images of their life otherwise are: her barely spending time with her children (the way it’s presented shows them being closer to their father), having no career or occupation otherwise and Phillip mostly just tooling around rowing boats and getting promoted because he’s royal, their awkward interactions with “regular people” (the second episode has this in spades courtesy of Phillip), and their lack of interaction or meaningful acknowledgement of the dozens of serving staff constantly around them.

Maybe it’s just the cloud of egalitarian anti-class revolution in the atmosphere talking, but it’s hard to paint a rosy or engaging image of a backward institution like the monarchy. Everyone involved has been giving it their all, but until I see a character acknowledge how fucking lucky they are to be born into the bullshit they’ve been handed, I won’t really care if you have to smile in public and have people hand you cursory reports on stuff that doesn’t really concern you.

At least the Game of Thrones has sympathetic characters, ice demons, and cool sword fights.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

ARTS IN REVIEW v MOVIE REVIEW

Pratt and Lawrence aren’t the only Passengers Director Morten Tyldum takes the audience along, but only for the sake of the ride

MITCH HUTTEMA CONTRIBUTOR

As far as I can tell, on Passengers, director Morten Tyldum is not trying to say that technology is out to get you, or that space is a tough place to have to make a go of it, but instead he simply wants to astonish us with the spectacle of what he and his team can conceive. This film is at its core very similar to Tyldum’s previous release, Imitation Game; it’s a cute story but it doesn’t say too much.

Watching Passengers was like getting attached to the wonder of an excellent dream but realizing none of it is real even before it had a chance to finish properly. Passengers follows the

story of several thousand sleeping passengers on their 120-year-long cryosleep journey to a new planet. The film begins with no immediate characters taking the stage, only a montage that outlines a ship’s journey. After the ship encounters a meteor shower, a passenger’s pod opens and he finds himself awake 90 years before the destination date with no way of returning to sleep. Lovable Chris Pratt, joined eventually by the ever-overzealous Jennifer Lawrence, faces numerous sets of problems that often seem particularly unsolvable and which clearly underscore the inevitability of the wait that the pair face.

As you follow the story, you may find that none of the events are particularly interesting,

but comedic timing, the preservation of humanity, and the visual spectacle of the film may end up keeping you satisfactorily occupied. The visual effects and elaborate, luxurious design of the ship are enough on their own to keep the audience engaged. Good thing too, as the plot of the film is as predictable as can be. As the teaser trailer promises, Lawrence’s character struggles and thrashes in spheres of floating water when the “gravity drive” fails, which leads to a slightly drawn-out, but still stunning, series of attempts to escape from the awe-inspiring display. If you aren’t familiar with the deus ex machina story technique, this film will make you abundantly capable of picking it out.

A rom-com drenched with the charm and

boyish machismo of Chris Pratt and the casual objectification of Jennifer Lawrence with a space journey twist, Passengers is the date night movie of the season. I wouldn’t consider it a spoiler when I tell you that the two of them eventually hook up, that’s obvious from the trailer, but what may spoil it for you is that the relationship drama that follows is basically the crux of the film.

If you came looking for a thriller along the lines of the Alien or Star Trek franchises, you’re in the wrong theatre, walk next door to see Rogue One, that’ll serve you better. But if you and your spouse, or your mom, or your sibling feel like watching a relationship play out in the isolated frontier of space, queue on up.

v BOOK REVIEW

Killer doesn’t quite kill it MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

I first heard of Kimmy Smith on Twitter. I don’t remember how exactly, but it must have been as it always is with Twitter: somebody retweets something and I impulsively follow the retweeted party. Killer is much less refined than a lot of the poetry that usually comes to mind when you think of the genre (Shelley, Bukowski, Neruda). But for its apparent roughness, Killer is more playful than a lot of more “serious” poetry allows itself to be, maybe because of Smith’s nonchalant style. As such, the poems found in Killer are usually missing more specific context other than the small instances they present.

If it seemed as if Smith was trying to present us with the equivalent of ballads or any kind of more structurally pinneddown form of poetry, I’d say that Killer fails to live up to its purpose. But as it stands, that’s not what Smith is doing. Or at

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least it doesn’t seem so.

First of all there’s the humour in the poems, which comes across just as slyly as I imagine Smith intended. For example, a poem about the antipathy Smith feels for the Midwest, titled “The Man Next To Me On The Airplane Makes A Line Graph In Microsoft Excel And I Manipulate My Mood To Fit Its Trajectory.”

Most of the poems deal with Smith herself; they’re either about anxiety, or reflections of Smith’s inner-monologue, usually attempting to make life less banal for herself by riffing on any given situation. While on paper it seems as if such an approach would yield an unfocused result, Smith manages to bring it all in with a subdued sense of humour that permeates just about every piece in the collection. “Party Wish” is a great example of the shorter pieces inKiller: “oh to not appear to be dancing / and yet to also / not appear to / not be dancing.”

If I had to categorize the type of poetry in Killer I’d say it’s

something between a confessional and the kind of quick-fire stand-up comedy that was famous in the ‘50s, except more melancholy. Overall, there aren’t really any deeper considerations presented by Smith other than her own experiences, which isn’t to say that the collection is in any way egoist, it simply has a limited scope.

That said, one point of praise Killer deserves regards its accessibility. Sure, there are no great eye-opening pieces riffing on existence or divinity, no self-aware formalism, but what we do get is entirely accessible to just about anyone. No prior poetic exposure required.

Is Killer ground-breaking? No. But it is earnest and funny and won’t make you deal with any towering metaphors or textual experimentalism — on the other hand, however, it also won’t challenge you.

Killer is refreshing and entertaining, as well as quite funny at times, but that’s about it.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

ARTS IN REVIEW vALBUM REVIEW

Angel Olsen makes us wish she was on MY WOMAN MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

On MY WOMAN Angel Olsen blends lo-fil aesthetics (fuzzy guitar, strummed tightly or picked and put through watery effects pedals), with a voice that’s lower than that of Adrianne Lenker’s, yet still manages to push through a sense of debilitating vulnerability in love, all while essentially playing straightforward rock. “Give It Up,” for example, is groovy and danceable while still being a lament. “Hurts to be around you, I can’t stand your lying,” Olsen sings with a vaguely wavering voice, “I can’t stand your lying. Whenever you’re beside me, a part of me is dying.”

“Not Gonna Kill You” is a bit more of a ballad than anything, but it’s oddly enough not the lyrical content that’s so appealing. Rather, it’s Olsen’s delivery, determined yet possessed of a pendulum-like emotionality, first hurt and vulnerable, then confidently defiant, that strings us along. First the choppy rhythm sets the stage,

aided by a guitar which is ever present on the record, then Olsen, without any pretension, pours her heart out for us.

The best track on the record has to be “Shut Up Kiss Me.” Oh, man. This song. Oh, man.

It’s a perfect synthesis of all that Olsen does so well previously on the record. Her faltering voice, somehowstill-melancholy lovestruck optimism, her badassery. The breakdown halfway through the track, wherein Olsen proclaims “I could make it all disappear, you could feed me all of your fears, we could end all of this pain right here, we could rewind all of those tears” is one of my favourite musical moments of 2016.

Not because it’s any more ambitious or technically impressive than any other moment, but because Olsen managed to put out a compelling, hip-swingingly danceable record that’s, at the same time, an unmediated exploration of her own infatuation, melancholy, and heartbreak.

Seriously, what more could anyone ask for?

vALBUM REVIEW

Anderson .Paak and Knxledge get (even more) funky as NxWorries on Yes Lawd!

MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

Anderson .Paak’s Malibu was easily one of the best R&B / rap albums of 2016. The entire thing just bubbles with a carefree sunny attitude that’s infectious and will make you want to dance. Later, his appearance on a slew of tracks ranging from KAYTRANADA’s “Glowed Up” to the title track off ScHoolboy Q’s Blank Face LP cemented .Paak as a force to be reckoned with in the fields of R&B and rap. Not because they’re alike, but because the man can croon one moment, and spit relentlessly the next.

Yes Lawd! is impressive in scope (there are 19 tracks on the record) but it gets lost in itself. For example, “Livvin,” the second track, builds the energy of the record up to euphoric heights, only to bring it right down Al Green-style with “Wngs.” Which was a mistake, because while “Livvin” stayed with us, “Wngs” was entirely forgettable. This is an issue that afflicts the record quite noticeably. There are entire songs that we just don’t register, either because they seem like half-hearted instrumental continuations of previous tracks, or because they’re just too short, not quite-yet realized.

That said, there are still moments on Yes Lawd! that shine bright enough to make me wonder if .Paak’s ambition in releasing such a long record is a result of his apparent affinity for the early R&B of Ray Charles or The Temptations. Tracks like the relatively late “Jodi” and “Starlite” are more removed from modern rap than they are from R&B. “Starlite” recalls a more relaxed Kendrick,

a comparison I’m sure has already been made to death but it illustrates the point that .Paak’s still not rapping as consistently as he was on Malibu. At the very least, he’s winding his rapping through a hazy curtain of R&B; “Lyk Dis” being a perfect example of this, because although he does rap on the track, .Paak seems detached.

And then there are certain tracks that must have seemed like great ideas on paper, but just did not pan out.

“Sacred Money,” for example. The track sounds exactly like the jingle playing in the background of a mid-‘80s television commercial for a bank. The really cheesy kind of commercial where it’s just people silently looking into the camera while smiling and very robotically acting out certain duties. And to top it off, it’s not even that short.

It’s three minutes long.

But that doesn’t negate the fact that there are some ***damn good songs on this record. Like the single “Suede” and the surprisingly funny “H.A.N.” wherein .Paak, in persona as a preacher, prays for his congregation in what’s more a comedy skit than a rap song.

Yes Lawd! leaves .Paak standing, seemingly, at a crossroads. Is he going to put out cohesive rap records, or cohesive R&B records? Because as it stands, short of Malibu (which was more R&B) and Venice (which was more rap) .Paak is trying to straddle two vastly different genres, doing both well, but only blending them sufficiently into one entity some of the time. That said, the parts of Yes Lawd! that shine, shine absolutely. Like the outro, “Fkku,” which sells itself.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017

UPCOMING EVENTS JAN

UFV REOPENS

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TEA TIME WITH ELDER @ Indigenous Student Centre (UFV Abbotsford) & Elders Lounge (UFV Chilliwack) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

MARGARET TRUDEAU @ Student Union Building (UFV Abbotsford) 2:30 - 4:30 PM

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CASCADES HALL OF FAME CELEBRATION @ Envision Athletic Centre 6:00 - 9:00 PM

ARTISTS CHOICE @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre 12:00 - 5:00 PM OPENING RECEPTION: FRASER VALLEY BIENNALE 2017 @ Abbotsford Arts Council 6:00 PM

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JAN

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WALK MISSION - CENTENNIAL LOOP @ MLC Lobby 10:00 - 11:00 AM

TEA TIME WITH ELDER @ Indigenous Student Centre (UFV Abbotsford) & Elders Lounge (UFV Chilliwack) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM DROP-IN CRAFTS @ Indigenous Student Centre (UFV Abbotsford) 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM RECONCILIATION: ESTABLISHING HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIPS WORKSHOP @ Gathering Place (UFV Chilliwack) 12:00 - 3:00 PM CANADIAN FEDERATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN MONTHLY MEETING @ UFV Abbotsford 7:00 - 10:00 PM

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TEA TIME WITH ELDER @ Indigenous Student Centre (UFV Abbotsford) & Elders Lounge (UFV Chilliwack) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM DROP-IN CRAFTS @ Student Life (UFV Abbotsford) 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

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TEA TIME WITH ELDER @ Indigenous Student Centre (UFV Abbotsford) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM INFLUENCES OF METIS WORKSHOP @Gathering Place (UFV Chilliwack) 12:00 - 3:00 PM KELLEN SAIP @ Cheers Bar and Grill (Abbotsford) 7:00 PM

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ARTIST MEET & GREET: IN YOUR FACE FEATURING SHANNON THIESEN @ Chilliwack Community Arts Council Art Room Gallery 6:00 - 8:00 PM OPENING NIGHT WITH HARMA WHITE @ LIVE Fridays (Mission) 5:00 PM

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MINDFUL SINGING @ Abbotsford Arts Council 2:30 - 4:30 PM T.I. US OR ELSE TOUR @ Abbotsford Centre 7:30 PM BOWIE - THE TRIBUTE @ Clarke Theatre (Mission) 7:30 PM ‘80S LIP SYNC DANCE PARTY @ The Stage (Mission) 9:00 PM

TEA TIME WITH ELDER @ Indigenous Student Centre (UFV Abbotsford) & Elders Lounge (UFV Chilliwack) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMISSION REPORT READING SESSIONS @ B140 (UFV Abbotsford) 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM GEORGE JACOB VISITS UFV @ B101 (UFV Abbotsford) 4:30 - 6:30 PM

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DRUMMING & WELCOME BACK LUNCH @ Indigenous Student Centre (UFV Abbotsford) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

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SET THE TONE FOR A GREAT NEW YEAR AT RIVERS DINING ROOM @ UFV Trades and Technology Centre 6:00 - 8:00 PM

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RESILIENCE: THE BIOLOGY OF STRESS AND THE SCIENCE OF HOPE @ Clarke Theatre (Mission) 5:30 - 8:00 PM

GAY MUSIC BINGO @ The Stage (Mission) 8:30 PM

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DROP-IN CRAFTS @ Elders Lounge (UFV Chilliwack) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

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CRIME PREVENTION AND THE TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY IN MYANMAR @ A225 (UFV Abbotsford) 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

WINTER 2017 SEMESTER BEGINS

DRUMMING & WELCOME BACK LUNCH @ UFV CEP Campus 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

TEA TIME WITH ELDER @ Indigenous Student Centre (UFV Abbotsford) & Elders Lounge (UFV Chilliwack) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

INDIGENIZING THE CURRICULUM @ B121 (UFV Abbotsford) 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

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SET THE TONE FOR A GREAT NEW YEAR AT RIVERS DINING ROOM @ UFV Trades and Technology Centre 6:00 - 8:00 PM INDIGENIZING THE CURRICULUM @ B121 (UFV Abbotsford) 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

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RECONCILIATION: ESTABLISHING HARMONIOUS RELATIONS WORKSHOP @ U-House (UFV Abbotsford) 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM SET THE TONE FOR A GREAT NEW YEAR AT RIVERS DINING ROOM @ UFV Trades and Technology Centre 6:00 - 8:00 PM CELTIC NIGHT AT TRACTORGREASE @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) 7:00 PM

HOSTING ANY EVENTS YOURSELF? WANT TO SEE THEM POSTED HERE? Send the date, time, location and any relevant info for the event to jeff@ufvcascade.ca