The cascade vol 25 issue 9

MARCH 8 TO MARCH 14, 2017

VOLUME 25 ISSUE 9

Interplanetary mushroom humans since 1993

Interim president announced CFO and vice president internal Jackie Hogan will be taking over for Evered as of July 1.

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Bakkhai UFV Theatre’s latest is experimental and exciting.

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Studying Abroad pg. 8-9 The Courtneys II The latest from The Courtneys is kinda fuzzy but still okay.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

EDITORIAL

Trigger Warning: I am about to talk about trigger warnings JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR MANAGING EDITOR

There’s no predicting what might cause an individual extreme stress. My mom used to cringe at snakes — she didn’t just not like them, she panicked at the sight. You don’t realize how often pictures of snakes or things that look like snakes appear in magazines, ads, and movies until you know someone with a snake phobia.

So should she be warned every time she’s entering a space that might contain snakes or pictures of snakes?

Last week, trigger warning notices were posted on the entrances to the Student Union Building, and another notice booth sat outside of the room full of the potentially disconcerting content.

It was an art gallery. The theme of the display was pro-life.

I would have expected those two words to naturally act as a euphemism for trigger warning — the purpose of art is to move, shake, and challenge people and systems.

I can appreciate the care that may have gone into the idea.

Someone had the wherewithal to foresee a potentially bad situation if someone walked into the gallery unprepared for art.

But are trigger warnings helpful? There’s a lot of research that says they’re not, that they’re actually damaging. Of course, there are also studies that say trigger warnings are now very necessary.

In all likelihood at times they can be both harmful and helpful.

It just depends on when and where.

According to an article in The Telegraph, some professors at multiple law schools (notably, Harvard and Oxford) are no longer teaching law for sexual offenses because, as described by a professor contributing to The New Yorker, it’s “not worth the risk of complaints of discomfort by students,” and there is ongoing discussion about completely removing rape law from the syllabus.

What an awful situation to be in. How can we honor the victims of sex crimes if the laws aren’t taught and their situations aren’t made known? Should we not, instead of hiding from trouble, be equipping each other for the trouble we might face later on in our lives?

Perhaps it comes down to a question of fundamentals: what is the purpose of the university in today’s world? If it’s simply to

pump out degrees, then the path of least resistance makes the most sense. If it’s to empower and equip students for a lifetime of positive influence, well, being remoulded and shaped might get uncomfortable at times.

It’s well known that this is a common conversation on university campuses. And it looks like it’s continuing to grow in popularity. So maybe it’s true, “It is not truth that matters, but victory”.

“This isn’t promoting respect, it’s instituting intolerance” It’s not that I think a courtesy warning is unnecessary, it actually sounds like good practice for certain topics. Where I see the danger is in systemic censorship. Yes, if a portion of a class is made uncomfortable by a portion of the course content, it would be unreasonable to test them on it. Then it would be unfair to deliver different exams for different people. Eventually the simplest solution would be to leave out sexual assault, then racism, then religion.

When we no longer learn about religion and it’s tyranny, are we not likely to repeat the same mistakes? How do we get educated on important shit?

Classrooms are inherently safe spaces. This is an unpopular idea in some circles but it’s true. I don’t believe there’s a professor or instructor at UFV who won’t allow certain topics to be discussed. Everything is welcome. What makes a safe space isn’t

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the removal of difficult content (for which there is ultimately a near endless list), it’s the inclusion of it.

The underlying danger is that this movement will sterilize ideas, art, and culture. This isn’t promoting respect, it’s instituting intolerance.

Announcing beforehand, what could turn out to be be a traumatic theme in a book, a painting, or a movie unfairly categorizes the piece before it’s aesthetic can be examined. I don’t think that Michelangelo intended for the prevailing idea to be taken away from David was that his exposed penis might make some of us uncomfortable.

It seems that the entire thing is driven by a fear of discomfort.

But strong and uncomfortable emotions are some of the most natural things about being human. The idea of making universities safe, and regulating content might make sense if we believe that discomfort is a sin; who decided that discomfort was a bad thing? Pleasure exists because pain contrasts it.

Trigger warnings are a genuine and probably caring gesture.

It’ll be upsetting, to say the least, if our biggest silencer is selfinduced. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call the movement a cultural hegemony, where an extremely small portion of society exercises dominance by regulating content. Like gatekeepers who decide who can and cannot pass.

Universities and institutions of higher learning should not and cannot curtail their content to be comfortable. Honestly, I find it concerning that warnings need to be posted on the door of an art gallery. It means we’re failing as a culture on more fronts than one.

This planet won’t always be a comfortable place, so why don’t we aim to fix the problem instead of hiding the symptoms?

There’s nothing stopping us but ourselves from re-entering a dark age of thought. And if we do, it will be exactly this kind of religious ignorance for rationality. Universities are the place where all ideas should be welcomed.

If we’re going to use trigger warnings, and it looks like we are, it’s important to keep in mind the inherent dangers. Every bad idea starts off as a good one.

CONTRIUBUTORS WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA @UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/THE.CASCADE

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

Opinion Editor Panku Sharma panku@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Bradley Peters brad@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Jeff Mijo jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Illustrator Amara Gelaude amara@ufvcascade.ca

Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca

Photographer Alexandrah Pahl Alexandrah@ufvcascade.ca

Cover: Molly Jones Back Cover: Brittany Cardinal

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

Production Manager Brittany Cardinal brittany@ufvcascade.ca

Distributor Griffy Vigneron Distributor@ufvcascade.ca

News Editor Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Molly Jones molly@ufvcascade.ca

Ad Rep Kayla Normandeau-Cowan Kayla@ufvcascade.ca

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.

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Volume 25 · Issue 9 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

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 12:00 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.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

NEWS NEWS BRIEFS Cascades sign new recruits The UFV Cascades added two new recruits to their program this week.

John Kasper will be joining the men’s soccer team, and Harsimran Bhullar to the men’s basketball team.

Kasper comes from the Vancouver Whitecaps FC youth residency program and played for the U15 Canadian men’s national team. The 6’2” centre back is “one of the highest-profile recruits in program history.”

Bhullar comes from Panorama Ridge Secondary in Surrey. In 2015-16, Bhullar has spent the last three seasons with the Panorama Ridge senior team and helped lead the his team to its firstever B.C. AAAA championship berth.

The 6’6” guard is the team’s first recruit of the 2017 season.

-UFV Cascades

Concerns over foreign student strain on rental market The B.C. government claims that it has received far more foreign student per capita than anywhere else in Canada.

The students bring with them $2-billion for the local economy a year.

Despite praise from advanced education minister Andrew Wilkinson about the students essentially creating 29,000 jobs, there is virtually no strategy to house the foreign students.

Many people in Metro Vancouver are worried about the state of the rental housing market — four out of five B.C. foreign students chose Vancouver as their city to study in.

The Metro regional district reports that the rental vacancy rate dropped to 0.7 per cent in 2016, dropping for the fourth straight year. Only seven out of 1,000 units are available for rent at any given time.

-Vancouver Sun

Green party candidate announced for Chilliwack The B.C. Green Party (BCGP) announced Monday their nomination for the candidate the Chilliwack riding.

Wayne Froese will run in the upcoming May provincial election.

Froese has been a long-time activist and works in web design and online communication. He has fought against a hazardous waste recycling facility in Chilliwack and is in favour of a boycott of salmon farms.

In the 2013 provincial election, Green Party candidate Kim Reimer received 8.4 per cent of the vote in Chilliwack, which was won by BC Liberal MLA John Martin who received 47.6 per cent.

-The Chilliwack Progress

Photo: UFV Flickr

UFV’s interim president announced CFO Jackie Hogan will replace Mark Evered as president and vice-chancellor on July 1 JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR MANAGING EDITOR

Last week in an in-camera session of the board of governors, UFV chief financial officer and vice-president administration Jackie Hogan was voted into the interim position of president, come July 1, after current president Mark Evered’s retirement.

Originally, a candidate had been chosen from a pool of applicants to replace Evered but he withdrew his application after deciding he couldn’t fully commit the role.

“When our candidate didn’t come through, we could see that there wouldn’t be someone in place by June 30, when Mark leaves,” said Hogan. “So obviously there would need to be an interim plan put in place.”

Shortly after the candidate withdrew, an interim president was chosen to fill the role until the next president could be selected. An official vote to appoint Hogan to the position was made at the March 2 board of governors in-camera session.

Hogan said that the position wasn’t one that she saw herself in prior to the need to fill it with someone internally.

“It’s a big responsibility, I don’t take it lightly,” she said. “I’m aware of that and so that is something that I’m considering and was part of the consideration when I accepted the interim position.”

Because the position is temporary, a lot of the work will be to provide continuity between

Evered and the following president.

“I certainly want to continue with the work that Mark has been doing, that’s really my main goal, to provide that leadership over the next

“It’s a big responsibility, I don’t take it lightly.

I’m aware of that and so that is something that I’m considering and was part of the consideration when I accepted the interim position.” while,” said Hogan.

Hogan is a chartered professional accountant and holds a bachelor of accounting science degree from the University of Calgary. She also

earned the Lieutenant Governor Silver Medal for academic excellence with her business administration diploma from UFV. John Pankratz, chair of the board of governors, said that the board didn’t want to sign an interim president to a contract with a fixed closing date in case a hire could be made within the next year.

“In the event we’re able to find a suitable candidate and I know we will, if they’re able to come to us before July 1, by all means we want to get someone plugged into the permanent role as soon as it’s practical to do so,” he said.

In Hogan’s current role, she oversees and leads the financial and administrative support services at the university. She is responsible for the management of UFV’s $115 million operating budget and $250 million in capital assets.

“I’m here as long as I’m needed, hopefully it’s not too long,” she said. “I’m hoping that our search continues quickly and we’re able to name someone to the permanent position soon.”

Hogan’s temporary replacement hasn’t been decided but the decision will be made from an internal pool.

In the meantime, the board of governors is re-establishing a search committee to find a permanent president.

“I’m optimistic,” Pankratz said. “This is not where anybody wanted to be, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad.”

With files from Vanessa Broadbent

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

NEWS

The future of history UFV history department moves to offer more courses online VANESSA BROADBENT JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / MANAGING EDITOR

In an effort to provide flexibility to students, UFV’s history department is offering its first upper-level online course.

David Milobar, associate professor with the history department and the courses’ instructor, was motivated to move his History 364 course on Indian social history online out of curiosity and convenience.

“I just thought it would be interesting to try,” Milobar said.

“There are certain groups that are particularly attracted to online courses, people who, as one student described it to me, have a life, who maybe are working.”

Like other online courses Milobar has taught, History 364 will have an audio lecture component, images, and even virtual tours.

“For my English history classes, they go to see exhibits that are in the British Library or the British Museum that are available online, so that’ll be incorporated as part of the course,” Milobar said. “In my opinion the key is simplicity. If it becomes complicated for students to find articles and things like that, they get discouraged and they drop the course very quickly.”

Chris Leach, head of the history department, noted that along with offering flexibility to students, online courses also attract students that aren’t even in the country.

“One of the things that we’re noting is that we’re actually tapping into international students through the online environment,” Leach said.

Milobar experienced this while teaching India 264 in the fall semester, where he had students taking the course from India and New Zealand.

“It has to be designed in such a way that they can access material and conduct the assignments without ever having to set foot

on UFV campus,” he explained. “Things have to be designed so that there’s the possibility that they can do a stripped-down version because in some parts of the world they don’t have great internet connections and if you’re dependant on lots of bandwidth, they wouldn’t be able to access it.”

Aside from the ability to student nearly everywhere, offering courses online also caters to students with varied learning styles.

“For some people, because the lectures are available in audio format that they can listen to and replay, if they’re intimidated about their language comprehension it provides them an opportunity to listen and replay,” Milobar said. “There are some people that don’t feel comfortable in an environment with a number of students, they just prefer to work on their own.”

However, online courses come with their own set of disadvantages as well, and Milobar explained that teaching in an online setting can become difficult without the element of in-person interaction.

“If students come to me and have a question, if I look at them I can tell if they’re not getting it or understanding what I’m saying,” he said. “Online, the nature of that type of communication can be kind of more difficult to get the nuances of human interaction. If I look out on a class while lecturing and they’re all asleep, I know it’s a pretty boring lecture … You don’t get that with an online environment.”

Online courses also require a level of self-discipline and independence that Leach noted can be a challenge for students as well, especially with the online discussions that are a required part of the courses.

“History is a course, a debate if you will, where you read historians’ works and we’re constantly talking about how to interpret the past. I think in order to do that … you have to communicate your ideas,” he said. “Many students aren’t used to doing that in class, but I think it’s even harder if you have to do that with self-motivation. To contribute to discussion is harder I think in an online environment.”

Despite these challenges, the convenience of online courses is still a growing attraction that has resulted in an increase of offerings not only in the history department but within the rest of UFV as well. Peter Geller, UFV’s vice-provost and associate vice-president academic noted that the amount of online courses offered each semester is rising.

“I know that our numbers over time have been increasing,” he said. “We have more and more offerings.”

Along with courses that are strictly online, the institution is also increasing the amount of courses that combine online with classroom learning.

“I think something we really have been encouraging is sort of the hybrid approach,” Geller said. “There’s elements that take place in the online environment and others that are face to face, so you can combine them.”

History is one of the departments at UFV that already offers hybrid courses, including one where students complete the course mostly online but meet for four full-day sessions throughout the term as well.

The department is currently developing its next upper-level online course, this time on historical autobiography, a subject that has only been taught as an independent study. Leach noted that there are also plans to offer more online courses, as well as hybrid courses, in the future.

“We’re realizing that those options are what students are looking for,” he said. “That said, our plan is still that the live classroom experience is the most commonly offered type of course.

We’ve done student surveys and by far the vast majority of students still prefer the live course, but offering flexibility and options is the priority of the department as well.”

“The in-class experience is the most important one to us and we can all agree as instructors, and students seem to agree, that that’s really their favourite format. But there’s a significant minority that like the online flexibility so we want to cater to that as well.”

The Cascade is hiring an Online Editor Interested in uploading content, organizing and designing websites, and managing social media?

Email Joel@ufvcascade.ca.

The Cascade is hiring a Jr. News Editor In conjunction with the News Editor, the Jr. News Editor will find, assign, collect, and edit the content of our news section.

Interested? Email Joel@ufvcascade.ca.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

NEWS

Substance abuse counselling certificate suspended due to low enrollment VANESSA BROADBENT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

After five years of no student enrollment, UFV Senate has approved to suspend the school of social work and human service’s substance abuse counselling certificate for two years.

The suspension will allow the department to review the program and decide whether to discontinue offering it all together or revise it and bring it back into regular programming.

“Basically, this is a program that has really had low enrollment since 2011/12,” said Peter Gellar, UFV’s vice-provost and associate vicepresident academic. “It was still on the books, but there were only a couple students a year, it’s not a very robust program.”

It’s unclear why the program has seen such low interest, but Gellar noted that it could likely be due to similarities between the certificate and other more popular programs with the school of social work.

“The needs in terms of addictions and addictions counseling are quite broad perhaps, and dealt with through social work and the other credential we have,” he said.

The future of the certificate, along with the department’s other programs, will be discussed by a social work and human advisory committee that includes representatives from

relevant employers in the social work and human services professions at a community forum this month. To help increase employment opportunities for students, Gellar noted that changes to the certificate could include offering it as a post-baccalaureate certificate or a graduate certificate.

“They’re looking at what actually is in the curriculum and how it might best meet the employment needs of students,” he said. “Out of that, they’re hoping to get some feedback from actually potential employers, those who are working in the field.”

With fentanyl overdoses at an all-time high in British Columbia, Gellar said that the program is still relevant and in demand locally, but needs to be altered to be successful.

“One would think that this is really an important area, substance abuse counseling, given where we’re at in the province with a crisis in substance abuse and the effects of it,” he said. “I think it’s not saying that we shouldn’t be addressing that, but this existing program unfortunately clearly has not been.”

The suspension will be in place for the next two years, and a decision on whether to reopen a revised version of the certificate or discontinue it altogether will be presented to Senate then.

With files from Joel Robertson-Taylor

Photo: Joel Robertson-Taylor

Stories worth paying attention to #NotAgain

#Who’sWatchingTheWatchmen? #IllegalMoney

Cleanup underway at site of 1,500 litre spill At least 1,500 litres of biodiesel was leaked into the ocean by a fish farm off the northern coast of Vancouver Island.

Employees at Burdwood Fish Farm in Echo Bay, B.C., northeast of Port McNeill, reported smelling diesel just before 5 a.m. on Sunday. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says the spill was caused by a diesel pump that was left on overnight.

The CBC reported that Courtney Bransfield, emergency program co-ordinator for the Mount Waddington Regional District, said all the recoverable diesel had been “contained to the farm’s fish pens” and absorbents to soak up the spill were in place.

According to the Globe and Mail, the company that owns the farm site, Cermaq Canada, said that the fish are showing “normal behaviour.”

-CBC, Globe and Mail

Montreal police official suspended

Liberals under investigation

The deputy director of the Montreal police force was suspended and relieved of his duties as allegations of abuse of power, fabrication of evidence, and bribery throw the force into a major crisis.

Elections B.C. is investigating the B.C. Liberal party for its fundraising practices. The investigation comes after the Globe and Mail reported that lobbyists are routinely illegally funnelling money to the party on behalf of corporate and special interests.

Police chief Philippe Pichet told his officers in an e-mail that Bernard Lamothe will be suspended “until all light can be shed” on allegations against the officer, according to the Globe and Mail.

Long and ongoing allegations against the police force including “office backstabbing, dirty tricks in the field, fabrication and suppression of evidence against fellow officers, and taking bribes from organizedcrime co-conspirators” have been reported by news organizations in Quebec and throughout Canada.

The scandals have led to multiple large investigations into the police force. Currently, no charges have yet been laid against any officer in the force.

Elections B.C., the independent body that enforces the province’s election laws, said its probe will examine tens of thousands of dollars made over multiple donations.

Only two months before the next provincial election, the report sheds a light on the fundraising methods of the Liberals. This election, they will finance their campaign with a record $12 million raised last year, much of it raised through the internationally criticized “cash for access” fundraising.

-Globe and Mail

-Globe and Mail

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

OPINION

SNAPSHOTS

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Awards shows are garbage

Landmark in Ruins

Panku Sharma

See, it wasn’t until the return trip leaving campus along McCallum after my last snapshot about buying the property that I realized most of the Towne Cinema had already been demolished. On the drive in I’d only see the remaining standing wall, and not the demolition behind it. That probably happens quite often, my brain filling in the gaps to keep the scene familiar — not necessarily to avoid reality, but because the familiar is the foundation of so many good memories and moments. I’d spent my first paycheck there, snuck in once or twice, got kicked out once or twice, and even had my first serious debate over the function and validity of theatre butter. I saw a lot on those screens, and did a lot of growing up in those dark rooms (***heh). And once the cement and rubble is cleared to make way for more parking, I’ll have one less reminder for all of those moments.

Martin Castro

Snapgram?

Christy Clark tries to save face by apologizing

Rachel Tait

Illustrations: Amara Gelaude

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In early February, B.C. Premier Christy Clark accused the New Democratic Party (NDP) of hacking into the B.C. Liberal website and accessing private information, including feedback and personal information from supporters. She was proven wrong when it was pointed out that the information in question was in fact posted on the public website and made accessible to anyone because of poor design and website infrastructure. Although she had been vehement and animated, Clark stepped back and made moves to apologize. The funny thing is that although she called NDP Leader John Horgan, she didn’t actually speak to him, but left a message on his voicemail. To date she has not made another attempt to rectify the situation on a more personal level. This is a prime example of how easy it is to make a judgment or accusation without knowing all the facts. The outcome could have been less sensationalized and embarrassing for the premier, and potentially less damaging for everyone involved if they had followed these rules: think before you act, know before you speak, and don’t become overconfident when you do. The consequences can be devastating.

Awards are cool. I have nothing against awards. If a piece of music or a movie does enough to broach aesthetic or narrative fields in a manner deemed worthy of recognition by informed and relevant parties, then I wholeheartedly believe those works ought to be recognized. If awards are the way we choose to recognize them, then awards are cool with me.

I have nothing against awards.

Awards shows are garbage, though.

In particular the Oscars are kind of garbage.

Mostly because they’re entirely useless and needless. The awards get given out anyway, and all they really need to do is publish a list of the films that won in each category, along with those nominated. To think that we, collectively, would sit through an hour and a half of preamble, then close to two hours of a ceremony which in reality is not much more than a bunch of rich people sitting in a room clapping for themselves, is ludicrous.

Moreover, there are people literally being persecuted for their beliefs right now. So much so that it’s entirely disingenuous to me to think that anyone could think it even remotely acceptable to watch people we’ll never meet wearing clothes that cost more money than we make in three months, all clapping for each other.

The whole thing is a joke. And a bad one at that.

Vanessa Broadbent

I like Snapchat. The face filters are pretty fun and the inability to like others’ posts takes away (some of ) the incentive to post excessive self-portraits and fish for self-validation. But I don’t need two Snapchat accounts and Instagram’s latest story feature kind of makes it feel like that.

All social media platforms start to blend into each other and feel the same after awhile anyways, but the thing is Instagram stories aren’t just like Snapchat, they’re pretty much a copy of Snapchat.

Balancing multiple social media accounts is just a skill that most millennials have mastered but it gets confusing when the platforms start to overlap and each one isn’t unique anymore.

What’s the point in keeping up with all of them when they start doing the same thing?

Until Instagram comes with its own set of face-distorting filters, I’ll just stick to Snapchat. But if they do adopt their own set of facedistorting filters I’ll probably still be frustrated at their lack of originality and still stick to Snapchat.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

OPINION v SATIRE

Kellie Leitch has gone Viral Check your Firewall Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS / Liam Richards

The last argument involved whether or not they caused cancer PANKU SHARMA OPINION EDITOR

PANKU SHARMA OPINION EDITOR

In a stunning example of the advances in artificial intelligence, a recent computer-generated Conservative hopeful has gone viral as thousands of Canadians have seen the video it released on the topic of screening for Canadian values. Kellie Leitch, developed originally as an integral call relay directory for Stephen Harper’s barbaric acts phone line, became cognizant in early September 2016 when she was accidently given access to the internet via human error and a chain email from a government worker’s grandmother.

Over time, Kellie Leitch has developed not only self-awareness and a concept of mortality, but also a conservative leadership platform concerned with dog-whistle politics and fearmongering. In late February, Leitch released a bizarre eight-minute video of uninterrupted musings on what it means to be Canadian and affirmations of its own existence and sentience.

However, while the visuals do give the appearance of being on the nominally correct side of the uncanny valley, there are a few points that stand out in discrediting the work. First off, the infancy and underdeveloped neural networks of the artificial intelligence are clearly evident in its unwillingness or inability

to edit out any of its incoherent tangents. While she attempts the common politician’s trope of co-opting positive attributes that stand in antithesis to her stated goal — like mentioning how tolerant we are as a society and saying the word diversity without grimacing — she does so without the subtle human flairs common to politicians; namely the unconscious flashes of shame and self-loathing that can be see in the glint of their eyes as they advocate for separated families and arbitrarily racialized exclusion.

Also, while Leitch’s robotic corporeal form is stunningly realistic in its awkward imitation of pleading, human-like gestures and facial expressions, the unedited final product clearly shows her facing away from the camera every 15 seconds or so and in between sentences to either take directed external input, find and process the next audio file, or recharge its battery unit with what I can only assume is the world’s fastest micro-USB. We are truly living in a golden age of technological achievement and progress, but it’s times like this when I question the value, efficacy, and danger in unregulated research and development. While it’s come a long way, Leitch still hasn’t developed the moral and intellectual framework to integrate with humanity. However, sadly, it might be enough for the Conservative party.

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Writers meetings: Mondays @ noon in S2111 or email Joel@ufvcascade.ca.

I can’t possibly be the only one whose Facebook feed has been infected with sponsored content from the tobacco industry. From a community page titled “Both Sides of the Argument,” an initiative put in place by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), one of the three Canadian companies that were required to pay out $15 billion to Quebec smokers in 2015, has been trying to stall efforts to have plain packaging of cigarettes required across Canada.

In short, the idea behind the proposal is to make cigarettes less appealing to youth by removing branding and instead only having health warnings and simplified brand names in unassuming standard font. After implementation in Australia, there have been numerous studies that prove its effectiveness in reducing attractiveness and consumption. I mean, it seems like a silly thing to draw any sort of ideological line on, but the tobacco propaganda has tried to turn into a public scare that illegal cigarettes (courtesy of those darn First Nations according to some of the more supportive comments) will be more likely to harm young people if they can’t distinguish between the types of cigarettes. Because that’s the immediate issue. Part of the campaign includes video confessionals (that are totally probably unpaid) from people who appear to be and probably most certainly sort of are teachers, law enforcement, and health professionals.

It’s not just the blatant scumminess and overhanded nature of the tobacco industry propaganda that bothers me; after all, most of the comments and engagement is from people who see through it and are vocal in their disdain for JTI and their compatriots. I can live with that because it’s so obvious in its intent and they don’t try and hide their affiliations and backers. Even if they had better arguments or objections at least they would be muddied by the speaker.

What bothers me more is the frame they use, that modern-day, wanna-be-intellectual “radical centrist because I’m above having an opinion” bullshit that assumes that there are in fact two sides to every argument. It’d be the same one that Republican’s might use arguing against updating water infrastructure to not have dangerous lead pipes, or oil companies against safety regulations and contingency plans. While it might sound like there are arguments, in cases like this it’s nothing but unfiltered greed.

I haven’t looked into what the status of the plain packaging campaign in Canada is, but based on just what my increasingly corporate, polarized, and cynical social media intake has given me I’d say they have a stronger case every day. They must if their opponents have to stoop as low as blatantly sponsored fearmongering on a website famous for propagating fake news and social insecurity.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

FEATURE

Painting landscapes of memory The glorious and grueling marathon of studying abroad Written by: Laura Andrés Early check-ins and winding queues, delayed flights, sitting on suitcases, squeezing luggage into bathroom stalls and feeling the bags formulate under my sleepless eyes as the hours blend into meaningless PA system rabble. I am going to Abbotsford where I will be an exchange student of English and Creative Writing. I am surrounded by rushing strangers, families, and overburdened businessmen bustling from the airport restaurant to scattered boarding gates; people push through security control only to frantically yank on their tightly laced sneakers once they're told to remove their shoes and place their laptop in the tray. Airports remind me of the eternal atmosphere in big cities: everyone always seems late for something, bustling to arrive hours before check-in.

But, in my case, I really am racing against the clock. I have to endure a marathon that’s more exhausting than the Ironman. Barcelona to Copenhagen, Copenhagen to Las Vegas, Las Vegas to Vancouver.

Skyscanner decided that it was 390 dollars cheaper to take flights that go in opposite directions, if for no other reason than to sadistically stretch out my suffering. Twenty-five hours of travel time — more than a day — doing completely random and useless layovers to arrive at my final destination. The second flight is delayed, so I can only pray the third flight is held back as well so I don´t miss it. I’m lucky; the third flight is postponed. This isn’t especially surprising since I’m flying with budget airlines, but I finally arrive in Vancouver! The air is fresh and the transit system seems convenient, but I opt for a taxi; I’m exhausted. I shuck my bag into the trunk, slide into the backseat, and close my eyes. I finished the relay, barely. I wasn’t the only student undergoing a travel marathon in search of something new and exciting that week.

During those same early days of January, UFV student of Spanish and Mexican history Natasha Berg faced a similar challenge; three flights, plastic food, no sleep, and an airport night of janitors and fluorescentlight buzz. The good news is that she didn’t have any major delays.

Natasha arrived at the Querétaro airport in México with her friend and fellow UFV student Cassy, and they both took a bus into the city.

Querétaro was very different from Abbotsford; a vibrant landscape of cobblestone and sweeping archways would will be her home for the coming months. This new home was not only comprised of bustling streets and dazzling views, but also by the people she would meet

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and be sharing her life with. The friends Natasha made are one of the best parts of her experience in México.

“I’ve learned about the different ways people live here and the values that they hold. I’ve learned that students from all over the world have more in common than I imagined,” exclaimed Natasha.

“There are a lot of people from so many different countries here. The world seems a lot smaller to me now.”

In addition to studying at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Querétaro, Natasha is doing a parttime internship in an art museum, which enriches her professional career. Studying abroad challenges your perspective and it broadens your horizons at a personal and professional level.

According to The Huffington Post’s Kayla Mathews, students that have been abroad are more likely to find a job, to hold jobs of greater responsibility, and to be more creative than students who get a degree solely from their country of origin. Mathews also reports that 97 per cent of students who study abroad find a job within 12 months of graduation, while only 47 per cent of students who haven’t studied abroad find a job within the same time period. Abandoning your comfort zone forces you to adapt and be more versatile in different work environments.

For both me and Natasha, going from the places we started from, our familiar home, to the foreign country we wanted to see necessitated a full 180 degree turn. Natasha lives in the university dorms in a convenient area close to supermarkets and restaurants in Querétaro. The city is located in central Mexico, about 200 km northwest of Mexico City. Compared to Abbotsford, it is quite large (population of over 1.2 million including the metro area) and much more urban. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is very beautiful, with its old colonial streets and European-style architecture. The rest of Querétaro is very modern and metropolitan, with several shopping malls, highways and sleek buildings. “I’ve had the chance to see places I never thought I would see,” Natasha said smiling. “This is definitely different than the typical university experience, but I feel fortunate to be here and I’m glad that I chose this university.”

While speaking with me, Natasha recalled an amazing trip to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, a beach town on Mexico’s southwest coast. It was a long bus ride, but necessary to escape the city and relax in the

sun, to feel the warm sand for a weekend. She swam in the waves, snorkeled with tropical fish, ate exotic food and released baby sea turtles into the ocean.

This all sounds enchanting, and is a stark contrast from my experience.

In the dorms of Baker House, I sometimes feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere, with raindrops tainting my windows. I have never seen so much rain in my entire life. Also, I’ve never been so far away from everything, a cheap meal or walkable streets. In Barcelona, the nights never die; sparkling lights paint the streets and you could get a kebab at four in the morning if you felt like it. Now, I need to convince someone to drive me to Walmart to get groceries, or to I take the bus. But it’s not all bad. The air doesn't smell muggy and the city doesn’t look grey from the pollution. British Columbia takes my breath away each time I discover another cascading waterfall, or when I’m simply breathless from going on another majestic hike.

In my university, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, I attended classes with over 100 other students. Here at UFV I have 20 classmates and all the teachers know my name. Most of my classes in Barcelona entailed listening to a teacher recite a PowerPoint and then taking a theoretical exam at the end, only to forget everything the next day. At UFV, we do personalized workshops and local writers and publishers come to share their experiences with students; I am writing a film and I am doing a volunteering program with children to promote their rights through literature. It feels like my fellow students and instructors are genuinely invested in my success.

At Baker House, I am five meters away from the common room in the dorms, where I share dinners, laughs, and good times with people from all over the world. But they aren’t simply people anymore, now I have the honour of calling them my close friends. My home is not only in Barcelona anymore, but divided between two cities 8587.46 kilometers away from each other. I hope that a part of me will stay in Abbotsford, carried in the hearts of everyone I have been lucky to befriend, in the same way that a part of them will stay with me forever. Like Natasha, the world feels smaller to me now.

You might be wondering if everything would go so well for you if you decided to study abroad. I don’t have an answer for you. I can tell you that most, if not all of the people I have met on exchange have had

“97% of

students who study abroad find a job within 12 months of graduation”

www.ufvcascade.ca

positive experiences, but there are always exceptions and every person is unique. Traveling is not a blissful leap into a pink bubble with guaranteed fun. Sometimes you get lonely, especially for those who live in flats, because it’s harder to meet people. You’ll be far from home, not only in kilometers but also in feeling a loss of connectedness.

In Barcelona the timezone is nine hours later than in Abbotsford, so if I need to talk to someone from there I usually have to wait for brief overlaps in workable hours.

The language barrier can also be problematic when studying, especially at the beginning.

Life is a rollercoaster, especially when you decide to get out of your comfort zone, and nothing is more outlandish and wild than travel. This rollercoaster ride implies that there will be experiences that sometimes take an

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

unexpected turn and low points that make you feel a little uneasy, but there are also those peak moments, the ones that become and inerasable landscape in your memory that you can recall and retread through your mind for the rest of your days. My experience in Canada has been one of those times.

I must admit that I ended up in Abbotsford by chance.

I knew that wanted to go to Canada and study Creative Writing. I did the exchange application the day before the deadline, so I didn’t pay much attention to which city I applied for. When discovered that my exchange had been approved and that I was going to Canada, I celebrated; but then the euphoria wa replace with concern. Where is this city anyways? I wrote down “Abbotsford” in Google and was shocked by the definition in urban dictionary:

“A city in British Columbia, Canda, where everything is boring and everybody wants to go to another town to do stuff.” This definition was reinforced by some newspapers, explaining that Abbotsford was named as one of the most boring cities in Canada. After a mini crisis, and a spat of cursing myself for not having checked Google before applying, I tried not to panic. I told myself that “it’s not about the place. It’s about the people.” I didn’t realize how prophetic I was being; this has ironically been some of the funnest months of my life in one of the supposed most boring cities.

I was supposed to go back to Barcelona in May. Today, I applied to stay as an international student at UFV next fall.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

STUDY BREAK v CROSSWORD ACROSS

DOWN

1. The cost of sending a letter

1. 1994 Tarantino movie: _ _ _ _ Fiction

5. Snow house

2. Leonard Nimoy’s famous role (and likely Zachary Quinto’s, too)

6. Spoken sound 8. Cat noise

3. Blacksmithing surface, prominently used as an instrument in an opera

9. African river 14. South American pack animal

4. To alter text

15. Adorable weasel-like water mammal

5. Moby Dick narrator name 7. Roman ruler title

16. The skill to understand feelings of others

10. The source of black mana in Magic: The Gathering, or a quagmire 11. Close relative of the salmon 12. Medieval weapon; the first name of Samuel L. Jackson’s Star Wars character 13. To not leave

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: Across: 1. South Africa 5. Bollywood 6. kin 8. par 9. untie 11. Scot 12. acne 14. protagonist

Down: 2. outback 3. abby 4. Cheddar 7. nut 8. pea 10. twig 11. sap 13. ent

Made by Jeff Mijo

v HOROSCOPES

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Astrological mysteries interpreted by special guest astrologer superstar Mr. Tacos

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 All artists are always angry — avoid asking around about aspirations.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 Ask her out. No, not her. Her. Yeah, that one.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 You will begin to find many similarities between your life and M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 masterpiece, The Last Airbender.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 If a professor asks you a question in class, they are not testing your knowledge. They are challenging your authority. The only way to regain their respect is to get up and fistfight them in utter silence the moment they ask for an answer. Trust me.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 Say no.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 He’s lying. Ask again, but this time, continuously tilt your head backwards while maintaining firm eye contact.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 The stars say you should initiate a bitter months-long campaign to lobby the Student Union Society for the creation and funding of UFV’s first Book-Burning Bonfire and Ritual Shrieking Club.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 Our News Editor Joel will buy you a coffee.

He said so himself. Find Joel. Claim your coffee. It’s your destiny!

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 If you see UFV president Dr. Mark Evered walking around, show your appreciation for all he does by surprising him with a warm, fuzzy, bearhug.

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Everybody says it’s getting better all the time but it’s bad!

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 IBill finds Will sitting limp, in fright. Strict, Will insists Bill’s skirt clings tight. Bill flicks Will’s lips. Will kicks Bill’s shins. Is Will high?

Is Bill bi?

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Despite what your prof says, crippling anxiety caused by fear of “the big one” is a more than acceptable excuse for not writing your midterm.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

CULTURE

Art of the Month February

Finding Balance

Katherine Strand Various metals, wood, moss, flowers, vines, plant Artist statement: Within my art-marking process there’s no constant. I’m always changing, I’m always developing and looking for new inspiration. My life is a balancing act. Friends, family, school, work, obligations, and it feels like there is never enough time for it all. This work reflects how fragile balancing life can be. If you lean too far on one side, the other side will fall.

Spherical

Amanda Vergara Acrylic on canvas

Artist statement: To create a painting involves movement. Within life, there is movement that surrounds one another. This style of painting had originally began my Movement series, which was created shortly after the passing of a beloved one. With a dark edge on the canvas that morphs into a light wash, the painting flows and creates movement in itself. I, as the artist, have some control over what colours to use and where to initially place them, but I let go of that control when it comes to one colour dripping or mixing into another. Letting go and moving forward through art has helped me greatly. We are and always will be in movement no matter what life we may be living in.

Reverence

Lynda Walchuk Photo Intaglio and Chine-Colle Print Artist statement: I have used a photo of a willow tree. It has two large branches and a hollow bowl in the middle. As the snow continues falling, the tree’s hollow bowl becomes higher and higher with the snow. It was so beautiful; the silence becomes magical, very secretive and full of imagination. I sketched in two cedar trees to create a sense of harmony. I sketched four ladies, each one out of a feather. They all have long, braided hair in the shape of hearts, and the ladies were central in my composition; they are the Chine-Colle. I felt the ladies were observing the arrival of the canoe, creating a feel of distance. I added small drops of snow and feathers to my print for added contentment.

Mushroom Mountains

Roger Sandwich Collage (paper cut)

Artist statement: When I saw a book introducing different mushrooms with colour sketches, I got a fuzzy idea to create a collage project.

I played with the mushroom pictures to improve my ideas. I learned this layout from a Chinese ink painting.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

CULTURE

Play preview: Bakkhai UFV presents last production at Chilliwack performance stage Photo: Alexandrah Pahl

JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR MANAGING EDITOR

Dealing with the vast spectrum of socially acceptable human nature as well as the balance and disbalance of order to chaos, Bakkhai is a retelling of the famous Greek tragedy The Bacchae by Euripides.

Bakkhai was written by Canadian Anne Carson and brought to the stage by the UFV theatre program. It’s the story of Dionysus, a demigod, who has come to the city Thebes to punish Agave and her sisters for disbelieving in his divinity.

Dionysus descends upon Thebes, he is motivated to teach the city a lesson; he seeks revenge. He’s furious that the city, and especially his aunts, don’t believe that he is a god. And to prove that he is, and that he’s the son of Zeus, he exercises his dominance through madness.

But Bakkhai is about more than a god’s vengeance. Directed by theatre instructor Raïna Von Waldenburg and theatre student Reilly Ellis, the play stretches all aspects of civility and social order to the point of being unrecognizable.

Dionysus contorts the boundaries of comfort. He brings a new religion, a new system of blurred boundaries and sensual convictions into the tidy city of Thebes. In this play, the ideas of social boundaries are laughed at by the demigod.

Pentheus, (Erich Petkau), is the son of Agave (Natasha Purnell) and half cousin of Dionysus

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(both Delaney Bergstrom and Steven Bowman). Pentheus represents the orderly and the civilized. He is the king of Thebes — he is the king of rigidity and structure and has banned worship of Dionysus.

But Dionysus is the god of wine, of pleasure, of theatre. He is also wrathful. His revenge? He drives the city mad in lust, infidelity, and primal instinct.

The rationale behind casting two people to play Dionysus at once is to expose the non-binary nature of the god.

“It’s sort of like a piece of jazz music, it’s playing with each other and off of each other so there are moments when it perfectly flows together then there are moments of sharp contrast in the ways of things,” said Bergstrom.

“The dynamic that our personalities have as individuals really shows up in our performances as well,” Bowman added.

The play also features Eli Moores as Teirsesias and Desiree Hale as Kadmos. The Bakkhai, this play’s chorus, are played by Brad Bishop, James Sloggett, Daniel Emily Eggert-Botkin, Houston-McMillan, Trudy-Bridgette Smith, Makailla Palliyaguru.

This rendition of the play is play notably poetic. There’s an organic expression that comes from the truly raw, experiential delivery.

The production takes physical movement experimentation to the extreme and is very demanding on the actors. The concept of binary and reshaping social constructs is woven throughout the play, displayed by the extensive

contortions of the actors. Much of the conditioning for this show involved extensive yoga sessions and strength exercises.

What’s more is the actors have been encouraged to avoid acting. Instead, Von Waldenburg led them to be themselves on stage.

“Every person in the play plays their own individuality in the show,” said Gagnon. “So it’s not that we’ve cast somebody and said we want you to play this character like this, the directors have cast such a person because they have seen something within them that they want to see on the stage.”

“What I didn’t want to do as a director is create the great drama, because I hate that shit,” said Von Waldenburg. “And so I thought to myself, okay how do we get around that? Then I thought the worst thing to do would have been to cast the actors and tell them who to play as or tell them to do their character homework and to become those characters.”

“So these Bakkhai, all of the little quirks that we have — some people have twitches, some people have certain postures, all of that you see in this. Everybody plays with their own individuality in this as well,” said Gagnon.

The set was designed by assistant professor Parjad Sharifi, who is a scenographer and award winning light designer.

Even the set was built to be fluid and elastic.

It is minimalistic but expansive. Two walls that swivel, made of white elastic bands create the height and width of the set. Four pylons make up everything else that the characters need to

work with.

There’s a strong sense of symmetry within the set, but it’s constantly reshaped and contorted throughout the show.

“There are so many great examples of how the actors use the set as an extra limb and display really huge paintings of symmetry and then completely mash it up and making something new out of it,” said Ellis.

In addition to the physical structures, elaborate projections decorate the set.

The show’s makeup designer is Mhairi McKay give the characters dark, red eyes, and otherworldly white faces.

This will be the UFV theatre’s final production at UFV’s Chilliwack North campus, the last to be shown before the program will move to the Abbotsford campus in September. Von Waldenburg said that had a major influence on the direction of the play.

“There’s the side of us that’s rational and containing — building and developing, and crushing this theatre down, it’s about that side of us,” said Von Waldenburg. “And the other side is about impulse and instinct and subconscious and the fricken pelvis and pleasure.”

Bakkhai will run March 9–19 in the UFV performance theatre at the Chilliwack North campus with showtimes Thursday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 for regular admission; $10 students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased online at ufv.ca/plays.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

CULTURE

Life is a Box of Swiss Chocolates: Upcoming job fair highlights summer jobs Tinder tour guides JEFF MIJO

CULTURE EDITOR

Finding work in this day and age can be overwhelming; with so many websites listing countless jobs, narrowing it down to find something that you’re qualified for, have a chance at actually getting, and — hopefully — are going to enjoy doing isn’t easy. But if you’d like a chance to meet a selection of local employers face-toface, ask questions about the job, and drop off some résumés the old fashioned way, the “UFV Hiring Now! Fair” might be just the thing for you.

On Thursday, March 9, over 25 employers will fill the SUB atrium from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. to offer students a chance to learn about their companies and organizations. The employers present will range from fast food and retail, to banks, and even military.

UFV has been hosting annual career fairs for 10 years now, but the “Hiring Now! Fair” is a bit different from the traditional setup.

“A few years ago the Career Centre decided

to alternate each year with a traditional Career Fair and a Summer Job Fair (Hiring Now! Fair),” explains Jessica Peakman, career development & events assistant at UFV’s Career Centre. “The idea of the Summer Job Fair is that it is smaller but that each employer is required to be currently recruiting students for positions in their company.”

In addition to copies of your résumé, Peakman suggests writing a cover letter if there is a specific position you’re interested in applying to. The positions can be found on CareerLink (ufv.ca/jobs/careerlink), as can an up-to-date list of the employers in attendance.

For students who worry their interview skills may keep them from landing a job, the Career Centre is offering mock interviews during the fair, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., though signing up and submitting a résumé to networking@ ufv.ca ahead of time is required. The Career Centre does offer coaching by appointment without the need for a fair, however, and can also advise you on writing résumés and cover letters, as well as in job searching skills.

Raiseberry a success Raspberry Magazine’s first fundraising event saw just over 100 attendeed ans raised just over $1,000 dollars. The event featured live music from Corey Primus, the Sylvia Platters, and Western Jaguar, as well as poetry readings from

Photos: Joe Johnson

Saint Soldier, Alex Rake, Martin Castro, and Katie Stobbart. Local artist Shannon Thiessen completed a live painting, which was sold at the end of the night in a silent auction, with proceeds funding the magazine.

JENNIFER TRITHARDT-TUFTS CONTRIBUTOR

Life is a Box of Swiss Chocolates is a weekly column showcasing the life of a UFV student studying abroad. Jennifer is in Lucerne, Switzerland at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts this semester, and documenting the process as she goes.

Well, I have been here just over a month now and Swiss spring is in the air! When I first arrived it was very cold and I was worried I hadn’t brought the right clothes, but now it’s slowly warming up and everything is so beautiful. There are clear days more often, the mountains look absolutely incredible, and the evenings are getting warmer, which makes an evening walk by the lake quite nice in a light jacket. I think I am adjusting well to the Swiss lifestyle and to my surroundings. The 53 stairs to my apartment are getting easier too, but I do miss Costco. No wholesale bulk stores here.

I think I have prepared myself well financially for this trip, but the later I dip into my line of credit the better. I was surprised by some unexpected charges and events involved in the immigration process, which I still need to go through even though I am only here until the first week of July. The whole process will end up costing me roughly $400 Canadian.

The next surprise was that my travel insurance from the Student Union Society’s (SUS) health plan is not sufficient for Switzerland, and because I am a woman at childbearing age I require much more extensive maternity coverage. It was a little tough for me to take the news that I would need to spend roughly another $400 Canadian because I am able to have a baby, even though I have no intentions of it! In the grand scheme of my study abroad and education it is not really a big deal, but when you arrive here and have no opportunity to work or gain more money it can be a bit discouraging. This was information I did not really research because so many of my friends had sufficient coverage through the SUS plan.

If you are planning on studying abroad make sure you bring an emergency contingency. If I hadn’t been able to put my line of credit in place before I left for my trip this would have been a bit more detrimental to my being able to travel, so be prepared!

Now that I am feeling more comfortable with my surroundings, I wanted to start to get to know more local people. How do you befriend locals in this modern day and age?

First of all, I try to be very friendly with my classmates, I talk to fellow students on a regular basis in my group work assignments, and...

Tinder.

Is Tinder a conventional option? Maybe, maybe not, but I’m giving it a try! Quite possibly the best way to stay on my slightly depleted budget is by going on dates and meeting locals.

I have only been on a few dates so far, but I have had some great conversations, delicious coffee, and smooth beer. Chivalry is not dead in Europe, and all of the guys have been very gentlemanly. I always let at least one person know where I am going, what the guy’s name is, and what time I am meeting them. Typically, I meet up in the middle of the day and

only in areas I know well, which also happen to be by the train station, just in case I need a to make a quick getaway. One Tinder user asked me what I was looking for on Tinder, and I was totally honest with him and said, “Basically a tour guide who can keep good conversation and has excellent taste in beer. Before you get mad at me, it’s expensive to go out here!!”

I have to tell you about the first date though.

I was very nervous. I hadn’t been on a date with someone totally new in almost two years. First of all, it started off with him waiting outside and me waiting inside the Starbucks we agreed to meet at for almost 10 minutes. He finally came in and we chatted, and on the way out he fell down the stairs. There were only five steps and he was agile so it wasn’t that bad, but I had to try really hard not to laugh. Usually I’m the one tripping over things.

At the restaurant we ordered nachos. However, he didn’t like cheese on his nachos so we ended up with warm chips and a bowl of melted cheddar cheese, and I made it work.

The rest of the evening was full of him telling me how much he hates Donald Trump until he eventually asked me what state I live in and I said no, I’m from Vancouver, Canada not Vancouver, Washington. I think he was kind of embarrassed — just goes to show Google doesn’t always help you out. On top of all that, I think he was in love with his brother’s girlfriend. It was a great first date for me because it can’t possibly get any worse than that, and all of them have been much better since. I’ve gotten a few free drinks and great travelling advice.

If you know me, you know I don’t typically stay still for very long. Usually I am juggling three classes and 2-3 jobs, or at least I have been for the last couple years. However, you can’t work legally in Switzerland until you have lived here for six months, which is a good thing. For the last three months I have been unemployed and I just recently started classes again, so I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life and my education. I’m learning a lot about myself. I’m getting to know my limits and fears, what I like and don’t like, what type of people I get along best with, what my triggers are, and what I need in order to be happy.

Every once in awhile I get sad and homesick, but the last time that happened I forced myself to get out of bed, get dressed, and head downtown. I took about four different random buses all over the city of Lucerne, and as I explored I wondered why I was so sad before. I need to take advantage of the beautiful place I am in for such a short time. I am also learning that it is important to talk about how you are doing with the people you are on exchange with.

People are always very supportive and when you say you are having a bad day you’d better believe there will be a get together or an outing planned that night to distract you. On that note, the German and Hungarian guys just walked into my apartment and apparently we’re playing flunkiball at my place tonight.

Google it.

Ciao.

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www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

ARTS IN REVIEW

MAGIC

ALBUM REVIEW

The Chilliwack Arts & Cultural Centre Society presents

Mostly Autumn's Sight of Day makes no sense

JEFF MIJO

CULTURE EDITOR

How do you follow up a masterpiece? In the case of Mostly Autumn’s Sight of Day, it seems you don’t even try to capture the lightning in a bottle twice. And I don’t entirely know what to make of what they did put together.

First, a bit of background. I can’t talk about Sight of Day without talking about Dressed in Voices. Dressed in Voices came out in 2014, and, by my accounting, is not only the best of Mostly Autumn’s 12 albums by an immeasurable distance, it’s my personal favourite album of the current decade, and a strong contender for my all-time number one. It’s not perfect, but the intricate, depressing-yet-hopeful concept album about the victim of a mass shooting reflecting on their life weaves story and music together in a way that is accessible, deep, and moving all at once. (If you want an example, look up “The Last Day” and listen to the whole song uninterrupted.)

So naturally, I was looking forward to seeing what Mostly Autumn could come up with after three years of silence.

Now, I should explain that Sight of Day isn’t even fully released yet — it officially comes out on April 7. But Mostly Autumn is a relatively unknown indie Celtic prog folk band (imagine Pink Floyd mixed with Enya), and that description should explain why they opt for an alternative retail method, selling 2,000 limited edition pre-orders that come out early and include an extra CD to fund the main release. That’s what I listened to, with high hopes for something even close to the level Dressed in Voices reached.

Sight of Day doesn’t break from Mostly Autumn’s recent trend of concept albums, but rather than the straightforward and heavy idea of Dressed in Voices or the silly, creepy fun of its preceding album, The Ghost Moon Orchestra, Sight of Day’s theme is… ambiguous. From my surface-level listening, I’m pretty sure the recently married couple behind much of the songwriting and vocals may have had a child, based on the album art and a lot of family / parental references in the lyrics. But there’s also something about time travel, a strong hint of struggling with depression, and some historical and fantasy references. Maybe they’re not all tied

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into one single concept, but enough clearly are — based on callbacks between songs — that it makes me suspect there’s a level of cohesion that is much harder to find than in their previous work.

Themes and band history aside, this is still a collection of songs, so let’s talk about those. It’s not Mostly Autumn’s best, but it’s not their worst. The title track, which runs over 14 minutes and opens the album, is excellent, memorable, and varied. But as soon as the second song, “Once Around the Sun” started, I worried this would be a heavier, more guitar-centric album, and I was right. I like heavy music, but it isn’t Mostly Autumn’s forte. Sight of Day also relies too heavily on the band’s male singer, Bryan Josh, and while he’s doing some of his better work, he doesn’t hold a candle to the voice of Olivia Sparnenn-Josh. Almost universally, the songs she sings are the album’s highlights, though even with her talent, I found a lot more songs that just blended together and bored me than I’d expected. There’s good music here, but I can’t listen to it in isolation — I can’t separate it from what I know these people are capable of.

And then there’s the song “Native Spirit.” It’s awkward, out of place, and I’m not even sure what it’s about, beyond glorifying vague stereotypes of “Indians” in the exact way you’d expect from an English band that, as far as I’m aware, had no First Nations people at all involved in it. The second half of the song is some of the musically best work on the album, but I was too surprised by the preceding lines, like: “Give me Indians, Indians, give me way of life, way of spirit / Love the Canada mountains, trees and bright moons that shine all around.” If anyone can explain what this song is supposed to mean and why it’s not problematic, please let me know.

Now, the strangest thing is that, after listening to the main 73-minute CD, I took a little break, wrote some mostly disappointed notes, and then moved on to the bonus, limited edition CD. And I was immediately flabbergasted. The first two songs are absolutely classic, excellent Mostly Autumn, and they explain what could be the seeds of an album plot more clearly than anything on the CD that will see a wide release. It’s like there was a coherent story constructed, but somewhere along the line they decided to add in some more songs, and push the extras to this spare CD. Those first two are followed by five more songs, which are a mix of experimental but successful and just plain superb.

I don’t understand this album. I don’t know what they were trying to say, I don’t know who thought “Native Souls” was a good song to write, much less release, and I have absolutely zero understanding of why anyone would possibly choose to include all 10 minutes of it — or several of the other songs — on the main CD that’s all most listeners will hear, while hiding legitimately amazing songs on the limited edition that only 2,000 people (and probably anyone who tries to find them online) will have.

It probably sounds like I hate Sight of Day; I don’t, I really don’t. It went straight onto my main playlist, and there are a lot of songs I’ll seek out and listen to more over the coming weeks. But if you haven’t heard of Mostly Autumn before, do yourself a favour and go buy Dressed in Voices. I promise it’s worth your time, and maybe a spike in sales will convince the band to return to the style they excel at.

Cabaret of Wonders VII Join an extraordinary gathering of magicians for the later cabaret style show at 10pm!

You can even bring bar drinks into the Theatre if you are 19+

Featuring magicians:

LON MANDRAKE

(son of famed magician Mandrake!)

ROD CHOW BRIANNA CARLSON 7:30 &10pm

MARCH

604

KYLE HISLOP

Tickets

All seats: $20

CHILLIWACK

391.SHOW

CULTURAL CENTRE

17

The Chilliwack

Progress

9201 Corbould St., Chilliwack • www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca

opinionated about arts?

Send anywhere from 150-1000 words on what you think about a new album, book, movie, or TV show to martin@ufvcascade.ca.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017

v ALBUM REVIEW

CHARTS 1

Why? Moh Lhean

2

Gregory Pepper And His Problems Black Metal Demo Tape

3

JW Jones High Temperature

4

Lee Rosevere Trappist -1

5

Grandaddy Last Place

6

Loans Self-Loaning

7

Little Wild Uptight (single)

8

Run The Jewels Run The Jewels 3

9

Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa bouche Pas Pire Pop (I Love You So Much)

10

Jenny Banai Live @ CIVL

11

Weed Born Wrong Love

12

Pick A Piper Distance

13

Peter Silberman Impermanence

14

Cam Penner Sex & Politics

15

Mitchell Ko This is Hell

16

Bored Decor S/T

17

The Painters Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

18

Steve Kozak It’s Time

19

The Blue Hearts Pumpin’ Out the Blues

20

The Darcys Centerfold

SHUFFLE

The Courtneys II is a little too fuzzy

MEGAN HAMEL APPLIED BUSINESS PRACTICUM STUDENT

CIVL’s ABP student Megan Hamel takes a literary and bibliographic view of modern hiphop selections. Fun fact, she once doubted Station Manager Aaron Levy was familiar with one Aubrey Graham of Forest Hill Collegiate Institute in Toronto.

Kodak Black Tunnel Vision This is a song about Black’s recent trip to jail for drug misdemeanor. He missed Jay-Z’s “Made in America” festival because of his incarceration. He knows that through it all, his mom will always be there for him. She tells him to keep tunnel vision in the sense that the only thing that matters are his goals.

Ty Dolla $ign Wavy Right off the bat, this song has a good beat and catchy lyrics.

Many people don’t know that the term “wavy” means having an extravagant, personal style showcased especially by an expensive taste in name brand clothes and luxury cars. Mr. Dolla $ign is most definitely “wavy” in his Ford Mustang GT Eleanor Replica worth over a million dollars.

Jazz Cartier Tempted This Jacuzzi song came out early 2017 and immediately became a hit. Jazz Cartier confirms on Twitter that a situation can be manipulated and seem greater than it is. In this song he refers to the mixing of alcohol, drugs, and women to make an ecstasy-like state. Fun fact, he also says that Ashanti was one of his childhood crushes.

Gucci Mane Squad Car The intro of the song is a combination of different news segments relating to the crime in Atlanta. He refers to being similar to Charles Bronson, arguably the most violent prisoner in British history. Mane has made it clear in many songs that he has a history with drugs and cartels.

He says he just drove 50 bricks up from Texas in a UPS truck.

MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

Following the grand tradition of straightforward garage rock / pop outfits, The Courtneys’ latest record is full of jangly, not-quite-pop hooks and lollipop-sweet harmonies.

Their sophomore release is effectively a reduction in the culinary sense of the same playful energy that filled their debut.

If there’s one qualifier that can be broadly applied to The Courtneys II, it’s fuzziness. The (not overly) lo-fi production takes up just a little more space than it needs to, and ends up covering the content of the record like a thin blanket, providing texture some of the time, vaguely annoying the rest.

The record’s opening track is spot-on to soundtrack a summer road trip in that it’s got the same tempo and lyrics of the “he likes me, he likes me not” variety that seem to appeal to most major Hollywood studios when looking for music to score just that kind of scene. In this sense, most of the record, outlined by its slightly off-kilter pop structure, is fresh because it sufficiently moves past the regurgitation of genre tropes (within garage rock, a genre that is essentially one big trope) and yet entirely comfortable because it is familiar. The Courtneys II takes a couple of steps forward but doesn’t cover so much distance that it asks listeners to deal with anything (narratives, instrumentality, aesthetics) that they have not already experienced.

That said, what the record does do, it does well. “Country Song” and “Lost Boys” for example, set a steady, headbopping rhythm via fuzzed guitars and steady kit-work that drive the tracks forward. The vocals swing by with vaguely bittersweet melodies that, barring lyricism, are more of a key component to the tracks than the guitars

are. Of the two, “Country Song” boasts one of the most infectious chorus structures on the record, despite the spaces between verses that drag on just a little too long.

“Iron Deficiency” is probably the least pop-leaning track on the record in that the vocals take on a more deadpan tone, but for all their lacklustre affectations, the track’s simple groove turns an otherwise underwhelming lo-fi track into the catchiest of the more compositionallysleepy tracks on this record.

However, the formula that The Courtneys seem to stick to throughout the record is straightforward and unburdened by attempts to reach lofty production goals.

“Frankie” for example is again set to a backdrop of fuzzy guitar rhythms. Almost surf-rock in its use of a downstroke-heavy bassline, the track’s vocals, augmented by reverb, provide the catchiest set of verses on the record while managing to retain originality through its four-minute run-time.

Perhaps sonically amorphous at first listen, The Courtneys’ latest record manages to skirt the pitfalls of hookfetishizing pop while at the same time maintaining a strict philosophy of strict simplicity in its approach to composition; function trumps form and, for the most part, we’re better off for it.

If they don’t break away from the shroud of fuzzy distortion they seem so eager to wrap themselves in, The Courtneys might devolve into the kind of band that releases the same record over and over. But if they focus on the structural grounding and pop-tinged hooks employed masterfully throughout this record while moving, with purpose, in a specific direction, then The Courtneys might turn out to be the band that fills the void left by acts like the Arctic Monkeys and The Vaccines when they turned, to their detriment, towards calmer, less-abrasive tones.

15

UPCOMING EVENTS

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

MAR

8

POWER PIONEERS @ The Reach 10:30 AM

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

MAR

11

@ SUB (UFV Abbotsford) 2:00 - 5:00 PM

I AM WOMAN! HEAR ME LAFF!

@ Chilliwack Cultural Centre 7:30 PM

UFV THEATRE: BAKKHAI

@ UFV Performance Theatre 7:30 – 9:30 PM

MAR

12

MAR. 12 THE SKY’S NO LIMIT — GIRLS FLY TOO! @ Abbotsford International Airport 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM

MESA LATINA (SPANISH LANGUAGE GROUP)

MAR

13

@ A305 (UFV Abbotsford) 1:00 – 2:00 PM

@ UFV Performance Theatre 7:30 – 9:30 PM

LONG NIGHT AGAINST PROCRASTINATION

@ Building G (UFV Abbotsford) & Building A (UFV Chilliwack) 5:00 – 11:59 PM

MAR

14 MAR

LECTURE: SHOULD WE ABANDON CLASSICAL ECONOMICS

@ C1427 (UFV Abbotsford) 12:30 – 2:00 PM

LION BEAR FOX

@ Chilliwack Cultural Centre 7:30 PM

UFV THEATRE: BAKKHAI

@ UFV Performance Theatre 7:30 – 9:30 PM

15

ST. PATTY’S DAY AT THE CLUBHOUSE

@ UFV Performance Theatre 7:30 – 9:30 PM

VISUAL ARTS GRADS “COEVALITY” EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION

PRESIDENT’S LECTURE SERIES: LINDA FRIMER

UFV THEATRE: BAKKHAI

@ SUB 6:00 – 10:00 PM

UFV THEATRE: BAKKHAI

@ UFV Abbotsford 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

@ Chilliwack Cultural Centre 7:30 PM

NOWROOZ CELEBRATION

@ Abbotsford Rugby Football Club 9:00 PM

SPRING BREAK CAMPS AT UFV (AGES 5 – 12)

RING OF FIRE

@ Global Lounge — B223 (UFV Abbotsford) 4:30 – 6:30 PM

10

17

@ S’eliyemetaxwtexw Gallery – B136 (UFV Abbotsford) 4:30 – 6:30 PM

@ B101 (UFV Abbotsford) 4:30 – 5:30 PM

GAMES NIGHT

MAR

MAR

@ UFV Abbotsford 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

@ SUB (UFV Abbotsford) 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

GAMES NIGHT

@ Mennonite Brethren Church (Abbotsford) 6:00 PM

FIRE DRILLS

UFV HIRING NOW! FAIR

@ A305 (UFV Abbotsford) 1:00 – 2:00 PM

UFV POSITIVE LIVING ROUNDTABLE

@ UFV Performance Theatre 7:30 – 9:30 PM

@ UFV Performance Theatre 2:00 – 4:00 PM

9

MESA LATINA (SPANISH LANGUAGE GROUP)

@ Global Lounge — B223 (UFV Abbotsford) 4:30 – 6:30 PM

UFV THEATRE: BAKKHAI

UFV THEATRE: BAKKHAI

MAR

16

@ Kariton Art Gallery (Abbotsford) 2:30 – 4:30 PM

@ A1202 (UFV Chilliwack) 4:30 – 7:00 PM

@ B121 (UFV Abbotsford) 5:00 - 7:00 PM

@ Abbotsford International Airport 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM

MAR

HOW TO WRITE SONGS — NO INSTRUMENTS REQUIRED

CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING EVENT

OCCUPATION OF THE AMERICAN MIND (DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AND DISCUSSION)

THE SKY’S NO LIMIT — GIRLS FLY TOO!

MARCH

MAR

18

FRIENDS WITHOUT BORDERS

SAVING BBC

@ Abbotsford Arts Centre 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM

UFV THEATRE: BAKKHAI

@ UFV Performance Theatre 7:30 – 9:30 PM

@ Global Lounge – B223 (UFV Abbotsford) 4:00 – 6:00 PM

MAR

UFV THEATRE: BAKKHAI

(DIS)ENFRANCHISEMENT 1907 – 1947: THE FORTY YEAR STRUGGLE FOR THE VOTE EXHIBIT TOUR

MAR

TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY: A MONTH IN PROVENCE

@ Sikh Heritage Museum 10:30 AM

UFV CREATIVE WRITING CLUB - PRECISE POETRY: VILLANELLES @ SUB (UFV Chilliwack) 6:00 – 8:30 PM

GET A FRESH TASTE OF SPRING

@ Rivers Dining Room (UFV Chilliwack) 6:00 – 8:30 PM

19 22

@ UFV Performance Theatre 7:30 – 9:30 PM

@ The Reach 10:30 AM

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