The Cascade Vol. 22 No. 7

Vol. 22 Issue 7

www.ufvcascade.ca

February 26, 2014 to March 4, 2014

Relying on Phil Connors’ weather report since 1993

p. 10-11

The protest for homeless housing continues p. 3

Students react to UFV’s decision to keep campus open p. 9

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NEWS News

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Opinion

7

Culture

15

Arts

16

Sports & Health

19

News

Briefs

SUS scholarship SUS recently approved the design of a $10,000 entrance scholarship for new UFV students. In their February 7 board meeting, rep-at-large Thomas Davies explained the award would be the first of its kind at UFV. The criteria for eligibility has yet to be finalized.

BFA funds grad show The bachelor of fine arts (BFA) graduating class holds a silent auction of their work every year to fund their grad show. However, this year, with 23 students on track to graduate, there is worry if there will be enough money. BFA students are taking matters into their own hands through a crowd funding project at GoFundMe.

Speak up!

Your Student Union Society is holding their regular board meeting two days early, which coincides with the 14 day deadline for motions to be added to the annual general meeting agenda. On Wednesday, February 26, interested students can bring their ideas to the SUS board. This is your chance to make change happen, or get informed about the issues facing SUS in the coming election.

CIVL survey If you spend time milling about on myUFV, you may have noticed a CIVL radio student services survey. The question asked students to evaluate the usefulness of various services on campus including SUS, the radio station, and the student union building among others.

We’re dying to sneak a peek at the results, and will pass any relevant results onto you.

Have a news tip?

Let us know!

Email news@ufvcascade.ca or tweet at @CascadeNews

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Dreagon’s Den hits Abbotsford

Small business owners gathered in an Abbotsford Best Western conference room to present their products to the producers of CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den. Dessa Bayrock brings you the details.

Awkward snapshots

Maybe you’ve found yourself in an “awkward” situation, and you find yourself asking, “Why me?” but all you hear is the sobbing sound of a trombone singing, womp, womp, whaaaaa. Cheer up! Tomorrow is a new day.

Cats and coffee in the same building

Wouldn’t you love to snuggle a kitty while sipping your morning latte? Taylor Breckles explores the “cat café” phenomenon coming soon to Vancouver.

What happened to the Duke of Dublin?

Well, it’s now known as the Townhall Public House. Nadine Moedt takes a look at what their three menus offer, which includes a brunch selection that starts at $4.

The Granlund brothers

You might know Mikael from the Wild and the Finnish Olympic team, but Markus has been piling up the points for the Abbotsford Heat lately. Tim Ubels has the news of what he’s been up to, right up to his recent call-up to the NHL.

Who cares about this stupid election?

Transparency, engagement, the student body, and who the hell cares anyway DESSA BAYROCK

THE CASCADE

“Who cares about this stupid election? We all know it doesn’t matter who gets elected president of Carver. Do you really think it’s gonna change anything around here — make one single person smarter or happier or nicer? The only person it does matter to is the one who gets elected. The same pathetic charade happens every year, and everyone makes the same pathetic promises just so they can put it on their transcripts to get into college.

So vote for me, because I don’t even want to go to college, and I don’t care, and as president I won’t do anything. The only promise I will make is that if elected, I will immediately dismantle the student government, so that none of us will ever have to sit through one of these stupid assemblies again!

[The crowd cheers, standing and clapping] Or don’t vote for me.

Who cares? Don’t vote at all!”

— Tammy Metzler, Election As you read this, polls are open for UFV’s student union society elections.

Did I bore you to death with that opening? I bored myself to death with that opening.

Here we are on the eve of elections, and the only thing it brings to mind is the opening line from that Election speech.

Who cares about this stupid election?

SUS receives roughly $600,000 of student money every year, not including the

Volume 22 · Issue 7 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Editor-in-chief dessa@ufvcascade.ca Dessa Bayrock Managing editor michael@ufvcascade.ca Michael Scoular Business manager joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson Online editor ashley@ufvcascade.ca Ashley Mussbacher Copy editor katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart

funds specifically collected and dedicated towards the UPass, the student union building, and the shuttle. I should hope we care. But do we?

About 9000 students are eligible to vote in SUS elections and referendums. Results are considered a roaring success if even one tenth of those students cast a ballot. Even that doesn’t sound so bad; a tenth seems like a decent amount.

But that means — on a good day — 90 per cent of the student body has better things to do than pick people to run student government.

Believing one person can change an organization is idealistic. Impossible? No. But idealistic. About a tenth of the student body is willing to be idealistic about student government, and those are the people who vote. Good for them. I applaud them.

The other 90 per cent is cynically aware of the state of things: in all likelihood, anyone we vote into office is going to do approximately the same job. Even if they make an absolute mess of things, no one is likely to notice. Why not?

Because the same 90 per cent of people who skip voting in elections also skip paying attention.

Blame lies with the students.

They don’t care enough to pay attention; it’s sheer, inexcusable laziness. Even that accusation is unlikely to elicit more than a shrug.

But blame also lies with SUS. Transparency and communication should be first on

the docket for government, no matter how small the government.

Last week’s all-candidates meeting in Abbotsford was attended by six people; two outgoing SUS members, two members of student media (one from CIVL and one from The Cascade), and two other students.

Nine thousand members, and only six students in the audience.

In class and following the meeting on Twitter, I asked presidential candidate Ryan Petersen what measures he would put in place to support transparency within SUS and communicate to the student body. He said he would “chat with more people.” He said he would engage with students at events like orientation.

Let’s talk about that word for a minute: engagement.

Engagement is a two way street; a sharing of information on both sides. Ideally, students engage their government by explaining what they’d like to see, and student government engages their students by telling them what’s going on.

My biggest beef by far with the 2013-14 SUS board is their unwillingness to share information. Since their website relaunch, meeting minutes have been posted irregularly at best.

The most recent ones posted to the website are from December. This is both concerning and confusing, considering the new, abridged formatting of minutes this year, which should theoretically hurry the

News editor jess@ufvcascade.ca Jess Wind

News writer katherine@ufvcascade.ca Katherine Gibson

Opinion editor brittney@ufvcascade.ca Brittney Hensman

Production manager stewart@ufvcascade.ca Stewart Seymour

Culture editor valerie@ufvcascade.ca Valerie Franklin

Art director anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi

Arts editor sasha@ufvcascade.ca Sasha Moedt

Production assistant production@ufvcascade.ca Kaitlyn Gendemann

Sports editor nathan@ufvcascade.ca Nathan Hutton

Photojournalist blake@ufvcascade.ca Blake McGuire

Staff writer nadine@ufvcascade.ca Nadine Moedt

Contributors Owen Coulter, Jeremy Hannaford, Aly Sczebel, and Tim Ubels

Staff writer breckles@ufvcascade.ca Taylor Breckles

Cover image Moyan Brenn / Flickr Anthony Biondi / The Cascade

process along. Fewer quotes are included than ever before, and some minutes are little more than a list of motions and vote results. It’s hardly ideal to sacrifice detail for speed, but it seems detail has been sacrificed for no reason at all.

SUS continues to state that, despite issues with the website, all minutes are available upon request. We’ve put that to the test time and time again, requesting regular board meeting minutes, committee meeting minutes, EGM minutes, AGM minutes. Minutes are always promised and rarely delivered.

It’s one thing to stonewall nosy reporters from a campus paper; from what I understand in talking to papers at other schools, that’s not exactly an abnormal practice. But this week I conducted an experiment; I asked four friends with no ties to the paper to ask SUS for recent minutes. Each received a cheery email reply, sans attachment. Our repeated requests for the same information have yielded the same result: nothing.

This is transparency; this is communication. It’s one thing to identify student apathy, another to accept it, and a third to encourage it.

So who cares about this stupid election?

No one. And it’s our own damn fault — for not paying attention, and not demanding better.

Printed By International Web exPress The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of 75 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature.

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

Articles and letters to the editor must be typed. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. The writer’s name and student number must be submitted with each submission. Letters to the editor must be under 250 words if intended for print. Only one letter to the editor per writer in any given edition.

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

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

“We can do better” Hundreds rally after proposal fails VALERIE FRANKLIN

THE CASCADE / PHOTOS

“A roof for all.”

“We can do better.”

“People over money!”

These were some of the slogans displayed on homemade placards at the February 24 rally outside City Hall. Protesters gathered at City Hall in response to Abbotsford Council’s February 17 decision against the development of a low-barrier housing unit on Montvue Avenue. The housing development would have provided shelter for up to 20 homeless men at a time, but conflicted with the City’s zoning bylaws and was met with concerns about neighbourhood decay from the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association.

Approximately 300 Abbotsford residents braved the snow and sub-zero temperatures to express their dissatisfaction with Council’s decision. Supporters of the failed housing project wore neon green, fleece scarves to demonstrate their

solidarity, signed petitions, and wrote their names on an enormous canvas which, according to the rally’s Facebook page, had almost 600 signatures at last count.

A circle of First Nations singers and drummers provided a focal point for the gathering, and several prominent members of the community, including Councillors Henry Braun, Dave Loewen, Patricia Ross, and Moe Gill, spoke to the crowd, urging solidarity and compassion while expressing their hope for similar housing projects in the future.

Ward Draper, founder and executive director of 5 and 2 Ministries, a Christian outreach group which provides care for the homeless population of Abbotsford, was pleased with the turnout.

“I’m extremely impressed with the response to this rally,” he said. “It’s nice to see how much support there is in the community for the lasting change this city so desperately needs.”

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Science on Purpose

Peanut butter jellyfish TAYLOR BRECKLES

THE CASCADE

The first ever food-animal hybrid was created on a whim.

Jellyfish are appreciated world-wide because of their unique appearance and ability to swim so effortlessly. There’s one aspect of their lives, however, that has become a great nuisance to keepers: their need for food.

Every organism needs food — or energy, to be more scientifically accurate — but feeding jellyfish in captivity has become inconvenient because of their food selection. Fish and shrimp-based protein are the foods of choice for the jellyfish, but their sources can be rather expensive as well as unsustainable.

The solution? Peanut butter.

It’s cheap, readily available, and sustainable.

“We herein report on what we believe to be the first known unholy amalgamation of America’s favourite lunchtime treat and live cnidarians,” say Dallas Zoo aquarist P. Zelda Montoya and aquarium supervisor Barrett L. Christie in the Drum and Croaker: A Highly Irregular Journal for the Public Aquarist.

One group of 250 young moon jellyfish were fed a mixture of salt water and creamy peanut butter twice a day for five weeks. This mixture contained three tablespoons of

Image: Anthony Biondi

A favourite lunchtime spread is now a sustainable source of food for jellyfish. creamy, protein-rich, additive-free peanut butter and 10 ounces of seawater, and it was added to the jellies’ tank. According to the scientists, the jellyfish loved it.

“Throughout this period, it was noted that jellies that had recently fed displayed a dis-

tinct brownish hue owning to their high degree of peanutbutterocity,” the scientific report stated. These jellies also increased in size, thanks to the high fat content of the peanut butter, when compared to the fish that ate more ordinary foods.

“We would love to claim we conducted this trial with noble purpose, but the truth is that we just wanted to make peanut butter and jellyfish simply to see if it could be done,” say the aquarists, “whether or not it should be done is a question no doubt to be debated by philoso-

phers for the ages (or at least by some aquarists over beers).”

Although the scientists admit that this experiment was whimsical and somewhat ridiculous, it did have a purpose.

It proved there can be unconventional methods to sustain aquatic creatures, or that they are at least worth a try.

“This whimsical exercise is not that far from serious aquacultural research,” the aquarists explain. “In recent years peanut meal has been evaluated as a potential additive to fin-fish diets … and has been shown to be an effective surrogate for fish protein.”

Now moon jellies are being fed all-natural creamy peanut butter and are thriving, which excites the aquarists, and their wallets. Although peanut butter may seem like an aquarium oddity now, before long a variety of lunchtime staples could be combined with a myriad of other sea creatures.

“Moon jellies have seen a storied past,” the aquarists conclude, “They have delighted children at aquaria worldwide, captivated researchers with their elegant simplicity and functionality, and even traveled to space; but we feel that becoming one with peanut butter helps them fulfill their ultimate destiny as a species — to become peanut butter and jellyfish!”

#ThingsSUSDoes

Another regular board meeting discusses an upcoming health and dental referendum, a BCSA funding request, and frustration with communication KATHERINE GIBSON

THE CASCADE

The Student Union Society (SUS) held its general board meeting on February 21 in Abbotsford. They looked to move toward referendum for the decreasing coverage of the SUS health and dental plan and heard a funding request from the biology and chemistry students association (BCSA) for the upcoming third annual Big Bang event.

Health and dental proposal approved for referendum The new plan would see additions, such as mental health treatment, as well as the readdition of previous features, like coverage for glasses. With these additions, the program’s fee will also increase from $159.92 per semester to $215.59 — an increase of nearly $56.

President Shane Potter noted that students will still be able to opt out of the program if they have outside coverage, but stressed that for students taking advantage of this program, this new system will serve their health and medical needs more effectively.

As a part of the referendum, SUS will also be asking students whether or not they believe the health and dental fee should be tied to an inflation policy.

“Every year, especially with the health and dental plan, the cost of the programs goes up.

So every year we’re forced to cut one or two things,” Potter continues. “We won’t be using the inflation policy to increase those services, but to hold them at a maintained level.”

Representative-at-large Jay Mitchell encouraged the board to investigate other competitive markets for health and dental programs, rather than just accept the amount proposed by SUS’ current health and medical provider.

Potter assured Mitchell, and the rest of the board, that there had already been research done into varying models.

BCSA requests funds for Big Bang event and questions SUS communication BCSA president Jennifer Martel explained that the event, scheduled for April 4 was a positive addition to student life, as it allows science

students from various departments to build a cohesive sense of unity within a relaxed environment.

The board had not created an actual finance motion for the event prior to the meeting, a fact Martel openly challenged.

Both rep-at-large Thomas Davies and VP finance Ryan Peterson explained that although the finance committee had received a copy of the event’s proposed budget, an official

funding request form was never received from BCSA — impeding the finance committee’s ability to create an actual funding motion to bring to the board for approval.

During the open question period, Martel once again expressed frustration with SUS’s lack of communication between the board and student associations on campus.

“When student associations don’t send a finance request in

properly could SUS work harder to contact us?” questioned Martel. “There still seems to be a lack of communication between student associations and SUS.” Further details of this meeting can be found online.

The next SUS board meeting will be held on Wednesday February 26.

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Enter the dragons CBC’s hit show comes to Abbotsford DESSA BAYROCK

THE CASCADE

The conference room is hushed. Comfortable red chairs are lined up in seven or eight meticulous rows, about a dozen people scattered throughout the room. Some are gathered in small groups, leaning their heads together to talk in low voices. All together, they look like a well-behaved audience politely waiting for a keynote speaker to arrive.

But these people aren’t here to listen to someone speak. Instead, each person is waiting their turn to see the producers of CBC’s Dragons’ Den. If all goes well, they could land a spot on an episode in the ninth season, filming at the end of next month.

During the show, entrepreneurs are given an hour to present a product or idea to five “dragons,” all of whom are successful business men and women. If they like the pitch, they might just invest — bringing a boatload of both cash and experience to the table.

It’s the chance each of these local entrepreneurs hopes for.

Their journey starts here, now, in an Abbotsford Best Western conference room.

Three men clutch grocery bags and shiny promotional materials near the main doors.

A woman in a branded baseball t-shirt checks her email on a tablet, pausing occasionally to breathe deeply. Another fellow talks to a volunteer, trying to find a way to fit his product through the door to the pitch room.

“We thought about putting wheels on it,” he says. He grins, but his voice is tinged with regret. What will happen if they can’t even get it through the door?

A pair of skis leans up against the wall, seemingly abandoned.

Priscilla Sreedharan and Richard Maerov, the producers manning the pitch room, will see between 25-30 pitch-

es today. Abbotsford is fairly low-key, they explain; in Vancouver they’ll see closer to 200 pitches before closing doors for the night. Across Canada, they estimate around 3000 people will apply for a spot in the den either in person or online. After these auditions end, they’ll whittle the shortlist down to about 250.

Small business Eileen Fisher sits beside a white-washed box of mason jars as she waits for her number to be called. She wears bright green Chucks to match her green shirt, which reads BR Laundry Soap. Her right wrist is bedecked with bright, beaded bracelets and her fingers with chunky silver rings. She has soft blue eyes and an open smile, and she’s here to pitch an environmentally friendly laundry soap that she makes in her basement studio using an old family recipe.

“It’s a paste,” she explains, turning the mason jar upside down to show how it stays in place. “It’s the consistency of thick cream.”

She thinks she has several factors going in her favour: she has solid sales, and the soap is made without phosphates or a chemical-based scent, meaning it’s safe for any kind of washer and popular with parents of young children.

She’s nervous, but making it onto the show isn’t going to make or break it for her company; she’s more than content to continue selling her soap by the jar at farmers markets and trade shows.

“We’re very small compared to what I’ve seen pitched on the show. We don’t have a huge amount invested,” she says.

She’s spent just over $1000 on the business, and her largest expense was purchasing a tent to cover her stall at the farmers market. This, she says, is a good investment — even if it’s only to teach her kids how a business works, and to follow their passions and skills.

BR Laundry soap hopes to make its way onto the ninth season of Dragons’ Den. The producers raise their eyebrows when she asks for a mere $2000 in return for 10 per cent of the company and a five per cent royalty. The company is small, and even if it triples in value she still wants it to be small.

“I based this on what I would pay for it, as a mom that does 20 loads of laundry a week,” she explains.

National expansion Two men covered in camera gear struggle to erect a giant banner of a woman advertising camera equipment as well.

It finally tips over.

“Those trade show banners are the worst,” Sreedharan clucks sympathetically. “There are legs on the bottom. They just turn out.”

With the banner finally sturdy and upright, Brook Parker and Grant Vetters leap into their pitch. They represent CottonCarrier, a locking system to carry heavy DSLRs without putting strain on the neck or back. It can mount on a vest, a backpack strap, or a belt.

The producers are extremely interested — this business is well-established, has a line of developed and popular products in over 250 retailers in North America, and earned over $1 million in revenue last year.

But, as Vetters reluctantly says, “we’ve come to a point…”

“Where you’ve kind of plateaued?” Sreedharan fills in.

The pair nods.

The founder of the company — Andy Cotton — is notably

Image: B&R Laundry Soap

absent.

“He’s out taking pictures right now — Ecuador. That’s what he does,” Vetters laughs, assuring that he can be produced if the product line is picked for the show.

“And what’s the ask?” Sreedharan concludes. The two men pause, looking at each other.

“Oh, I’m not going to hold you to it,” she assures. “You can change your mind.”

Their opening negotiation is a little stiffer than Fisher’s — CottonCarrier is looking for $500,000 for 20 per cent of the company.

And who knows — in the next year, if all goes well, you might just see Vetters, Parker, and Cotton making just that deal.

Federal government gives $6.3 million to help at-risk youth in Abbotsford KATHERINE GIBSON

THE CASCADE

While debate in Abbotsford has been heating up over homelessness, Abbotsford Community Services (ACS) has been implementing programming to help fight youth crime in the city.

On January 31, ACS received $6.3 million over five years from the federal government to help fund programs and staff positions geared toward crime prevention for at-risk youth.

Working with key community partners, such as the school district, the police department, and John Howard Society, ACS hopes to give comprehensive local support to youth in need

of help.

Youth crime in Abbotsford is unique in that much of it does not consist of young gang members fighting each other, but rather low-level involvement with established gangs that leads to deeper affiliation.

“It’s not as if we have specific gangs of youth who are targeting one another,” explains ACS community coordinator Alison Gutrath. “It’s more teenagers becoming affiliated with an adult gang and don’t even realize it, because they’ve been selling drugs or they’ve been delivering packages for someone and don’t totally see that it’s part of the larger gangs.”

Through new staff positions, such as a school district teach-

er working to help educators identify at-risk students, and various community forums, ACS hopes to help both youth and their families learn techniques to combat this type of gang involvement. Gutrath notes that one important initiative revolves around educating adults about the role of technology in gang communication.

“From Facebook, to Instagram, to Snapchat … social media is also how youth are communicating with one another and they’re able to do that in such a way that parents don’t always know who they’re talking to,” she says. “It’s not as if the [gang-affiliated] person has to phone on the landline of

the house anymore … it’s different now.”

Beyond gang prevention at the school level, the John Howard Society will also help youth coming out of correctional facilities reintegrate with the local community. The hope is, with support, these individuals will not re-enter gang life.

“They will be working with young adults up to age 24, who have served a sentence [for] gang-related charges, or they’re at risk of becoming gang-involved after their sentence,” says Gutrath. “So they will be providing outreach support for people who have been identified and are coming back into the community.”

While the issue of youth gang

involvement has been a problem in the city for some time, Gutrath notes that Abbotsford received the federal funding at just the right moment, as all the necessary community players are ready to work together.

“We’ve been working over the years, even over the past decade, around supporting youth who are at risk of gang involvement,” Gutrath says.

“Now we’re at a place where we have a lot of our community partners ready to work together and really focus on the needs of our very high risk youth.”

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Federal Liberal and former party leader Stéphane Dion speaks of ecological imperative JOE JOHNSON

THE CASCADE

Stéphane Dion, member of the Liberal party of Canada and former party leader, owns a dog by the name of ‘Kyoto’. He’s also a man strongly pursuant of a cleaner environment.

It was a decade ago that Dion was Minister of the Environment and in the 2008 election under his leadership, ‘The Green Shift’ was a core platform of the Liberal party. Long has Dion been an advocate for a world-wide carbon price. He talks about it here and will continue with his visit to UFV. Let’s start off with your trip to UFV. What are you going to be speaking about?

It’s an honour for me to speak and to be invited. The topic that I am asking to speak about is climate change, the crisis of climate change, and how much humanity is not doing enough.

What are some of the solutions?

There are a lot of solutions that we are doing as human beings, but not enough. The consequence of what we’re doing today, if we were only maintaining the current policies, would bring a warming of the planet for the end of the century that may easily be over 4°C. According to scientists, if we go over 2°C it’s already really dangerous; 4°C may mean something catastrophic for the planet.

If we want to do more we need to invest much more in clean technologies, clean deployment of these technologies, and one of the ways to convince us to do more is a carbon price. A worldwide carbon price that would focus a lot of the efforts on all the solutions that are low-carbon intensive.

Do you believe, then, it’s not too late to reverse global warming or climate change?

The more we wait, the more it will be difficult to reverse because now we are really at the turning point. What is really concerning for me is that international negotiations have stalled and climate change is less and less in the mind of the different governments.

In international negotiations how do you get other countries on board that are developing?

We need to have a worldwide carbon price that will give an incentive to use cleaner coal or switch to cleaner sources of energy than coal. As long as [a regulated] price of carbon does not exist, it’s really difficult to motivate humanity enough to implement, now, the policies that would save the future of our children.

How do you put a price on carbon?

If it were a worldwide negotiation it would be very easy to do. You may say “the price will go up in the next five years by $10 a tonne every year.” Some countries will have a price higher than others because they are richer and more ready.

But everybody will have to pay some ... If you don’t want to pay the price, other countries will have the right to impose a tariff to your products. And let me tell you, this will be a very strong discipline incentive.

Will it be difficult to get countries to bind to that?

Ideally, it would be great if all the countries were bound to that. But in practice, 20 countries are responsible for more than 90 per cent of the emissions of the world.

So when is the next step to make that happen?

I don’t know. I don’t see any driver, any country willing to take the lead on that. I know that the United Nations will invite all the leaders of

Image: Chris Slothouber/ fickr

Dion will be on campus February 27 to talk about climate change with students. the world, in New York, next fall to discuss climate change.

That would be an opportunity if there was a leader ready to say “we need to do something bold, we need to reorient the negotiations.” The way that we are doing them is not the way to succeed.

If the Liberal party wins the next election would Canada be a driver?

I don’t know. What I will speak about is my views [rather] than the view of any party.

My party certainly would do better than Mr. Harper’s tragic, very bad, policies that he’s implementing; I have no doubt that Justin Trudeau would do better.

How have the Conservatives been on [climate change policies]?

Awful. They cut a lot of programs to promote clean energy. They did regulate but their regulations were barely better than the ones of the US, or sometimes slower to implement the ones in the US. They are very proud to say that emissions went down but emissions went down in all OACD

countries, all developed countries, almost ... The main reason why the emissions went down in Canada is because the McGuinty government [Ontario] closed coal power plants.

And that has been the main change we have implemented in Canada, plus the carbon tax you have in B.C. Would you suggest the carbon tax is a good policy for other countries or provinces to develop?

If we were able to negotiate a worldwide carbon price, countries would be free to choose to raise the price through a tax or through cap and trade — it would be their choice, but the fiscal system is the most convenient one. It’s not difficult to do, you don’t need to have a large bureaucracy, and you are able — with the revenues — to decrease taxes elsewhere as I proposed in my 2008 Greenshift plan.

Can you discuss that a little bit more?

It was a plan to raise the carbon tax, as you did in B.C., and to cut the income taxes for families, individuals, and

businesses accordingly. It was a revenue-neutral carbon price.

The beauty of it is that it is good for the environment because you put the price on pollution.

It is good for the economy because you decrease the taxes on productivities, investments, hard work ... and it was good also for the social fabric of the country because we were cutting the taxes for low-income Canadians and low-income families.

What’s your position the Northern Gateway Pipeline?

I would say that it’s sad to see the environmental groups focusing so much on this issue.

Because the reality is that pipeline, or no pipeline, Canadian oil will go in the United States.

If it’s not by pipeline it will be by barge, by trucks, by train with more ecological costs and danger than if by a pipeline.

The issue is not pipeline, yes or no. The issue is to decrease our dependency on oil. That’s the key point.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Students save money with open textbooks ASHLEY MUSSBACHER

THE CASCADE

With prices of hard-copy textbooks on the rise, students will do what they can to find a bargain. Online sources like Amazon, Books2Go, and Craigslist are usually the top websites for finding textbooks at lower prices, but what would happen if teachers started assigning free online textbooks?

The B.C. campus open textbook project (OTP) archives online textbooks for free use for students taking specific courses, generally at introductory level. The project is inspired by open source learning ideals coined by David Preston in a TEDtalk about exploring and creating learning concepts and source materials to improve the learning experience.

The B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education recorded how much money students at different universities have saved as a result of using the OTP: “Individual instructors at Capilano University, Douglas College, the Justice Institute of B.C., Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langara College, and Northwest Community College used open textbooks in the fall 2013 semester, bringing collective savings of over $43,000 to students.”

Individual students reportedly saved averages of $100 at the Justice Institute of B.C. and $187 at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Cameron Foss, a Psychology student at Capilano University, is quoted on the OTP website explaining how the use of open textbooks has saved him mon-

Image: Greenasian/ flickr

Open textbooks are saving students money across the province. ey, and how he wishes more schools would get involved in the OTP. “Having many years of school left, it would be nice that more teachers and schools could use these kinds of books to help take off some of the

financial strain that students like me face,” he says. “Being a mature student on a tight budget, not having to pay $120 for a textbook is a big deal.”

A list of open textbooks is available to view on the UFV website, but there are no cours-

es currently using it.

“UFV supports the concept to provide flexible and affordable access to higher education resources in B.C.,” UFV’s viceprovost Peter Geller explains, adding that there are many considerations taken into account before a department chooses to use the open texts.

Cost to students does come into it, but so do student reactions, need, and a critical review by other experts in the field. He also notes that texts are assigned by instructors working in conjunction with their departments.

“So, in short, other learning resources would have been deemed more appropriate choices than the options offered through the B.C. Campus open texts initiative at this time,” he said.

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

SNAPSHOTS

I forgot her name Brittney Hensman She looked the part — dark brown hair, cute pastel pants, a jean button-down shirt, and a chunky knit scarf. She went to the university that all Rachels seem to go to, and had a sweet Rachel-esque personality.

We were introduced, and her name was definitely NOT Rachel.

I had a few brief conversations with her boyfriend (a good friend of mine) about her.

I expressed my excitement about their new relationship and how I thought she was such a great girl.

Perhaps it was one of those circumstances, where two names, for some reason in my illogical brain, seem to morph onto one face.

Perhaps the problem was that I didn’t say her name 10 times in my head (you know the rule when you meet someone for the first time — apparently saying it 10 times helps).

Perhaps I just blanked out in our initial introduction when she said, “Hi I’m _____.”

The reason didn’t matter — what mattered was the gut wrenching terror and utter humiliation I felt after I had sent a celebratory Facebook message. Did I seriously just hit the send button?

The message read: “Congratulations on your engagement to Rachel. I am so happy for you!”

Her name was Katherine.

Hug ‘em? Feed ‘em?

Who knows

This week’s theme: “Awkward!”

Ignoring salespeople

Do I know you?

Taylor Breckles

Katie Stobbart

Dessa Bayrock

When someone starts crying, even if they are my friends, my awkward tendencies kick into maximum overdrive — what do you say to someone who’s crying? Consolations such as, “there, there,” or “everything will be okay,” only carry a sentiment so far.

Often those statements don’t mean anything anyway — they’re not even good silencefillers.

I guess we could hug, but that can be extremely awkward. How long are you supposed to hug? How do you know if that person even wants a hug? What are you supposed to do with your hands? All these factors play a part in creating a kerfuffle for those who are awkwardly inclined.

I have found one method for coping with bouts of extreme awkwardness — never leave the house without a snack. You can always offer food! But then again, if they don’t like or want food, I guess they might have reason to cry after all.

My genetic makeup is 40 per cent sarcastic, 10 per cent bookworm, 15 per cent food addict, five per cent unladylike snort, and 30 per cent awkward, so when I say, “want some crackers?” — you can trust me. I’m doing my best to make you feel better.

I hate kiosks.

Not the innocent, silent ones that mind their own business until you willingly approach them. I hate the kiosks in the mall where the salespeople are paid to stand in your way with a creepy gleam in their eyes — the one that tells me I’m about to lose five minutes of my life trying to protest through this person’s spiel — whatever it is.

I used to feel more awkward about it — in the past, when one of them caught my eye and started to talk to me, I felt compelled to “be polite” and listen to what he or she had to say. I would gently attempt to extract myself from the kiosk’s black-hole-like atmosphere by lying: NO — I didn’t want a new straightening iron, and I already had a nail-buffing kit, and I had already bought presents for Christmas several months in advance.

Now if I see one I pull out my phone, glue my eyes to it, and double my speed. If the salespeople try to talk to me, I ignore them.

I don’t know what’s more awkward: my old technique, this gauntlet-run, or reaching the end of a line of kiosks only to realize I went the wrong way and have to turn back around.

Maybe we went to high school together, or maybe we were in first-year English. Maybe we had a semi-interesting conversation at the bus stop or while we were waiting to settle up in AfterMath.

Regardless of where we know each other from, we never really knew each other that well. More importantly, we are now walking toward each other in the hall, and are faced with that age-old question: are we going to acknowledge each other’s existence?

If so, we have a plethora of awkward options. The half-smile. The eye-contact conversation. The semi-wave. The how-areyou-no-how-are-YOU conversation. Maybe you’re a hugger. God, I hope you’re not a hugger.

But one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be awkward. It’s going to be very, very awkward.

Maybe I’ll just pretend not to see you.

Seriously — that class was a long time ago.

I’ll give you a hand, but I’m not going to carry you KATIE STOBBART

THE CASCADE

I imagine every teacher’s secret fantasy is to walk into a classroom full of awake and aware students who have all completed the class readings and are ready to receive the pearls of wisdom soon to be imparted. The whiteboard markers will work, students will sit in contemplative silence while the professor speaks, and then a spirited discussion on the class topic will emerge as the students engage with their classmates.

I would love to see this too, but to do so I would have to invent an inter-dimensional travel device — kind of like a portkey that would take us all into a world in which that dream is even remotely possible.

Every student at some point — or many points — will fall behind in the assigned readings, will not engage with the material of a particular course, or would rather jump out a window than put up his or her hand. It’s just one of those things.

However, sometimes students are so regularly disengaged I find myself wondering: ***why are you even here? Granted, not every required course is everyone’s flavour

of pudding, but I understand professors’ frustrations when a large portion of the class is consistently mute. Poking and prodding to stimulate discussion is not enjoyable or productive for anyone.

There are a number of teaching strategies developed to cope with these issues and even though I can see the reasons for them, there is one that drives me crazy.

Throughout elementary and middle school, my teachers would always seat me between two “troublemakers” to separate them.

As annoying as it was to me at the time, I can certainly understand how such a strategy contributes to classroom order.

However, it appears the same idea has carried over into university. No, we aren’t usually assigned seats anymore, but students are often put into groups. As much as I would love to pick the people I work with, I know that is not always how life works.

What bothers me is when professors pointedly separate engaged students among pods of people who have hardly opened their mouths since day one of class.

Normally I find myself stuck in a group of four or five students who haven’t done the readings and I end up carrying the load for a 10 to

Image: rockers33.com

Reading the text shouldn’t hobble you with unwilling partners.

15 minute “discussion.”

Here’s how it usually goes: 1. I give a five-minute recap of the readings.

2. I reluctantly give my thoughts on the readings or answer the assigned discussion questions, because I know it will affect my grade if I don’t.

3. We sit in awkward silence.

4. Sometimes the professor comes by to ask how we’re doing with the discussion. A cricket chirps. Then one of two things happens — either someone else in the group parrots my response, or I answer while my group-mates pretend they are invisible.

5. After the professor moves on to the next group, there is a lively

discussion about [insert banal, unrelated topic here].

This process helps no one. It doesn’t help the engaged student, who gets little to no opportunity to exchange ideas. It also doesn’t help the disengaged student — is he or she really learning by getting the answers without putting in the work?

I’m not perfect. I’m not always fully awake in class. Sometimes I drop the ball with readings. I miss a few classes here and there, and there are some times when I put the effort in and I still don’t get it. But for the most part (and after several hard lessons) I endeavour to be present and engaged.

I guess in the end, it’s not the ac-

tual teaching strategy I have an issue with — it’s the fact that, in university, with a class full of adults, this is even necessary.

I truly admire the spirit of Justin Wadsworth, the Canadian coach who helped Anton Gafarov, a Russian skier, when he broke one of his skis. But Wadsworth didn’t hold Gafarov’s hand and guide him down the hill. He helped him out while he was struggling; by giving him a new ski, he was saying, keep going.

I understand teachers want to help their students be successful — especially those who are making the effort but have perhaps broken their skis (e.g., did the wrong reading, is going through a rough time, or is having trouble making something click), but using one strong student to “carry the others” only inhibits students instead of setting them up to head for the finish line.

If someone isn’t putting in the effort, I shouldn’t have to hold their hand.

In my secret fantasy, all the people who at least try to keep up with the coursework are sorted into one group, and everyone else gets a rude awakening: Put your skis on before you come to the race.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that fantasy is any closer to reality.

8

OPINION

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Letters to the editor

Re: Get rid of the science requirement, UFV Dear Katie: Let me begin by saying that I am impressed by The Cascade’s coverage of curricular issues. Items like your February 19 article on the science requirement and Nadine Moedt’s recent piece on indigenization ask tough and important questions.

On the matter of tough questions, why indeed is there a science requirement in the BA? There are a number of answers to this question, not all of which might be satisfying to you, but some of which will, I hope, demonstrate that this is not a random or punitive requirement. The first answer is that requiring some science coursework has been a longstanding tradition in the liberal arts.

Look at virtually any university in Canada and the United States and you will encounter science requirements in the BA program. Even colleges which strongly focused on the humanities do not neglect science. Here, for example, is what St John’s in Santa Fe (widely regarded as one of the finest colleges in the US) requires of its students: • Approximately 48 credits of seminar (this is St John’s term for its sustained “great books” curriculum: it begins with the Greeks in first year and works its way up to the modern world by fourth year) • 24 credits of language • 24 credits years of math • 18 credits years of laboratory science • 12 credits years of music

By this standard, our one-course you don’t want to take will open science requirement is rather half- up to you the mysteries of the hearted. heavens.

The second answer is that we A fourth answer is that you just live in a world profoundly influ- never know what the future may enced by science and its practical hold. At this point in your studies, handmaiden, technology. Virtually you know that you want a degree every great issue of our time — en- in English. (As a former English vironmental degradation, poverty, prof, I applaud this choice.) I unnuclear power, terrorism, hun- derstand the reluctance to take ger, health, the technologizing of courses that seem completely unwork and social life related to one’s — has a scientific “A century or so ago interests and component. You do when I was in univer- abilities. But denot have to imagine yourself sity, I was planning fining yourself as a policy as an English lit maker or power bro- to become an angst- person who is ker to see that scien- ridden, existentialist not interested tific knowledge will in science limits cigarette smoker who your own possimatter to your future. How will you wrote novels on the bilities. A century make informed de- side; I saw no reason or so ago when I cisions about diet or in university, for taking courses in was health care or transit I was planning to or personal safety biology or botany. But become an angstwithout some ap- not taking those sci- ridden, existenpreciation of sciencigarette ence courses was and tialist tific reasoning and smoker who standards of evi- remains my loss. So wrote novels on dence? the side; I saw no don’t limit yourself. “ A third answer is reason for taking that science is a way courses in biolof understanding our world — its ogy or botany. But not taking those origins, its vastness, its creatures, science courses was and remains its possibilities. Knowing some- my loss. So don’t limit yourself. thing about plants and birds comYou describe high school as a pletely changes how you experi- place where one is forced to take ence a walk in the woods. Learning the bitter pill of things like math even a little about biology cannot and science; university, in contrast, help but make you marvel at the is where one is liberated to folfact that you are a living, conscious low one’s passions and become an being. That course in astronomy expert in one’s field. This is only

Re: Co-curricular record Dear Editor, In the January 29th, 2014 edition of The Cascade an opinion piece titled “Co-curricular record: reinventing the wheel?” was published, written by Ashley Mussbacher. While Ms. Mussbacher makes some interesting points, she misses out on a number of very important issues, and reasons for implementing the Cocurricular Record (CCR) at UFV. One reason for implementing the CCR is verification and validity of information. Sure, you can create your own curriculum vitae (CV) and submit it in any process requiring one, but in today’s competitive environment, employers want verifiable information.

When a student produces a CCR and attaches it to a job or grad school application, they provide a printed copy that is electronically verified through a unique code provided by the system. Additionally the document is verified through signature by the President, the Vice President, Students, and the Director of Student Life.

Another reason for implementing the CCR is that it allows students to link their co-curricular activity to the University Learning Outcomes (ILOs). The ILOs demonstrated in your CCR are your way as a student to illustrate to potential employers or organizations that you possess proficiency in the nine ILOs. When you look at the nine ILOs that UFV supports and embeds in our programs, you will notice that they are very similar to the top skills most employers are looking for in 2013 according to Forbes, the Association of American Colleges

al; Intercultural knowledge and competence; Ethical reasoning and action; Foundations and skills for lifelong learning 5. Integrative and Applied Learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies, demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems For sure, you will achieve some of these outcomes through your major, but you can’t achieve them all without substantial work in a number of disciplines. In other words, you need breadth in your degree. And, for what it’s worth, a recent research study found that employers are more interested in these learning outcomes than in the specific content of your major.

One small correction: Science students do have to take courses in the Humanities. The UFV BSc requires two courses in English or Communications.

So, I’m sorry that you’re not looking forward to that science course, but you won’t regret taking it. Honest.

Sincerely, Susan Fisher, Associate Dean, Students, College of Arts University of the Fraser Valley

Where have all the garbage cans gone?

Image: CCR poster

and Universities, and the book 10 Things Employers Want You To Learn In College (Bill Coplin, 2003).

The CCR acts as a central storage place, ready to retrieve and customize your record at your convenience.

One of Ms. Mussbacher’s criticisms is that “it quickly becomes clear that not all campus activities and unpaid positions are listed.”

This is absolutely correct as it is impossible for an implementation committee to identify every possible position or opportunity.

This is why we have made it very easy to submit a request for a new position. Go to www.ufv.ca/studentlife/ccr and you will find the one page form needed, and all of the information required to start documenting your CCR activity.

We know the system works; since its launch in September 2013 more than 2300 students have created an account, and 175 positions are available with more being added frequently.

UFV has the strategic goal of providing “the best undergradu-

partly true. One of the most important dimensions of a university degree is what you acquire through general education — through all the courses you take that are not part of your field. More and more, universities in North America are recognizing many important skills — the ones that help you find and keep an interesting job, and help you become a responsible and thoughtful citizen—come from general education. Here’s a list of “essential learning outcomes for the twenty-first century” developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (a list remarkably similar to UFV’s own Institutional Learning Outcomes): 1. Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World developed through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts and focused by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring 2. Intellectual and Practical Skills, including Inquiry and analysis, Critical and creative thinking, Written and oral communication, Quantitative literacy, Information literacy 3. Teamwork and problem solving, practiced extensively, across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance 4. Personal and Social Responsibility, including Civic knowledge and engagement—local and glob-

ate experience in Canada,” providing a CCR has become an expectation of many students across Canada. By providing a robust co-curricular environment and record of it, UFV is on par with other Canadian institutions such as: Laurier, U of Toronto, U of Calgary, Dalhousie, Carleton, Western Ontario, U of Manitoba, U of Ottawa, York, U of Alberta, Trent, Memorial, SFU, Guelph, UVIC, Bishops and more that are coming online shortly.

The CCR absolutely reinvents the wheel; it makes it verifiable, links it to specific learning outcomes sought by employers, is student focussed and delivers a national “best practice” at UFV. This is something every student should be considering very seriously.

Sincerely, Kyle Baillie, MA Director, Student Life & Development University of the Fraser Valley

About a month ago or so UFV faculty was informed that our office garbage pails would no longer be emptied by the janitorial staff. We were informed that we should trundle down long, dark hallways to empty our own garbage into large collection bins located far away. After several weeks of garbage piling up in my office garbage pail, my beloved pail suddenly disappeared while I was off campus. I couldn’t imagine anyone being so cruel. Then I discovered that a number of my colleagues have also had their office garbage pails confiscated.

Rather than some sort of nefarious garbage pail thief running loose on campus, we assume that the administration has had the pails removed. Rumor has it that UFV is under no obligation to be kind enough to supply faculty with an office garbage can.

This make life rather awkward since now I have free-range garbage piling up on my office floor (see the attached photo). I’m not only worried about the fire hazard this causes in the event of a lightning strike, I’m also concerned that the discarded soup drops and sandwich crumbs will attract rats and skunks into my office. Added to that is the concern that my junk mail may fall into terrorist hands.

I’m worried too that I may soon be asked to empty the garbage pail from the various classrooms where I teach, then from the Dean’s office, and then perhaps

Image: Peter Raabe

even from the UFV President’s office. I think it’s safe to assume that the janitorial staff is not to blame for this troubling situation.

This is likely not a case of laziness on their part. I suspect it has something to do with cutbacks. I only hope that all our abducted garbage pails have been gently stacked in a warm and comfortable place.

I also hope that, since I’m being called upon to do janitorial duties, the janitorial staff is up to the task of taking over some of my academic duties.

Regards, Peter B. Raabe Ph.D. Philosophy

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

9

OPINION

Baffled students share their opinions about Monday’s blizzard blitz After a suprise snowfall in the middle of midterm season, students woke up to a Monday announcement that ... UFV was open as on any other day. Despite an initial forecast to the contrary, steady snowfall and wind continued throughout the day, and as a result many instructors cancelled their classes.

Image: Brittney Hensman / The Cascade

Image: UFV Problems / Twitter

Image: Brittney Hensman / The Cascade

10

Board Reform Info

FEATURE CULTURE

The new SUS structure

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Election issues

Promotion/a

App and handbookS

Advocacy/lobbying: 3

SUS BOARD

What’s different about the candidates?

SUS is undergoing a restructure of their board. In an attempt to hold themselves more accountable and lessen the pressure of holding an elected position and completing work hours, SUS passed board reform at their January extraordinary general meeting.

What does it mean?

It means there are now three executive positions (down from six). These positions oversee SUS’s day-to-day activitiesby delegating to hired directors. The director positions will be taking on the workload currently executed by elected reps on the SUS board.

As well, the elected executive team will sit on a SUS board now designed to represent the departments at UFV. Seven faculties, six other representatives, and three SUS executive members make up the new oversight body. It is at this level that decisions will be made.

Why does it matter?

It allows SUS to divide labour more evenly across the board. The board will make decisions and SUS employees will carry them out. A hierarchal system is put in place that represents the breadth of UFV’s programs, so more students will be considered. However, as highlighted by the candidates statements, these positions are being run for mostly uncontested.

This board structure benefits from full participation, which we are not seeing this election season.

There are major issues going into any election, and the microcosm of SUS elections is no different. Below is a run-down of the issues facing both the current board and the coming board.

The Martel Motion Jennifer Martel, president of UFV’s biology and chemistry students association, proposed a motion that would see SUS spend at least 55 per cent of their budget on student services. The motion was brought forward at SUS’s January EGM, but wasn’t added to the agenda when the chair ruled there wasn’t enough advance warning.

Will this motion come up again at SUS’s annual general meeting?

Is the student body interested in seeing the SUS budget divided this way?

President

Vice President External

Director of Engagement

Vice President Internal

Director of Finance

Advocacy — provincial and federal SUS is currently involved with both the Canadian alliance of student associations (CASA) and the alliance of British Columbia students (ABCS). CASA operates on a federal level, while ABCS operates on a provincial level; both advocate for students at their respective levels of government. The years-old question is how useful is it to be involved in either? ABCS is free, while SUS pays membership fees to be involved in CASA and has an option to be a full member or an associate member. How large should our role be in these organizations, if at all, and is it worth what we pay?

Events: 4.5%

Clubs and associations: 7.2%

Grants/scholarship

You know those fees that show Chilliwack connector shuttle, U-P — you know what they’re for. Th of $640,000 collected via that SUS where, according to the 2013-14 S

Candidate Statemen

Ryan Petersen – Presidential candi • • •

Jarret Bainbridge – vice president •

Where’d the reps go?

The old positions of clubs and association representative, aboriginal representative, accessibility representative, etc. have been reorganized into different positions in the SUS structure. Aboriginal rep is the only elected position that has been carried over to the oversight board. The other rep positions are now divided by UFV faculty (i.e.: college of arts, faculty of science, etc.) Directors of engagement, equality, finance, and clubs and associations are all hired positions in the new structure and will take on the tasks currently performed by community reps and reps-at-large. As well, the old VP finance position has been absorbed into VP internal. One thing consistent between the old structure and new structure: trades and technology students as well as the faculty of graduate studies are not represented — before because there were no rep positions for them, now because no students are running for them.

Director of Equality

Equality Commission

Clubs and Associations Director

Transparency and communication With the launch of a new website last year, SUS entered a period where minutes were haphazardly posted to the website, when posted at all. As of print deadline, the most recent minutes posted to the SUS site are from their December 17 meeting, missing the record of January’s single regular board meeting and EGM as well as two February meetings.

Committee meeting minutes have been promised to The Cascade, but have failed to appear. Minutes may sound boring or inconsequential, but are the main way a regular student (who can’t or won’t spare up to three hours of a Friday at a SUS board meeting) can keep in touch with the decisions SUS makes and the participation of SUS board members in discussion. Candidates often promise to be more transparent and communicative than ever before, but do little to back up this claim.

Has Has Wo

• • • •

Joi Is b Wa Wa Wa

Dylan Thiessen – vice president e

Joi • Vo • He • Wo cam • Wo

Bri • Wo • Wo •

Thomas Davies – vice president in

• • • • • •

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CULTURE FEATURE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

11

Budget

Other: 12.25% Staff salaries: 24.4%

ads: 0.95%

S: 2.7%

3.8%

With all-candidates debate, SUS enters elections facing a lack of student engagement MICHAEL SCOULAR The Cascade

ps: 7.1%

Legal services: 8.6%

AfterMath: 17.7%

Board honouraria: 10.8%

w up every time you register for courses? SUS figures pretty heavily in that list: there’s one each for the AbbotsfordPass, Student Union Building, Health and Dental plan, and the standard SUS fee. The first four are self-explanatory e SUS fee is more complicated. The people you have the option to vote into student government will be in charge S fee (as well as revenues from Coke machines and ATMs on campus). Below is the breakdown of what is allocated SUS budget. Next year’s will be approved at the March 12 annual general meeting.

nts

idate

s been involved with SUS for six years: five as rep-at-large and one as VP finance s helped with new student orientation for a number of years, volunteering with Student Life ould concentrate on making sure old projects carry through the newly reformed board

external candidate

ined SUS last year as a rep-at-large and later took on the role of interim VP east behind SUS’s app-based treasure hunts as the winner of the Abbotsford News’ “The Freshman” contest ants to run a campaign to “Get Out the Vote” and stress the importance of voting federally for students ants to run small events across all campuses rather than big events

external candidate

ined SUS six months ago as part of the advocacy committee olunteers with Abbotsford Community Services in the diversity education and resource services department elped with the opening of the community food room and would oversee its transfer to the SUB next year ould work to bring new speakers to UFV, continuing in the speaker series that brought David Eby and Stephane Dion to mpus ould continue SUS’ current relationship with the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and the Alliance of itish Columbia Students (ABCS), which he believes is beneficial ould help promote the federal election of 2015 on campus, potentially with on-campus voting stations ould focus on running the weeks of welcome events and getting SUS more involved in club and association events.

nternal candidate

ined SUS last year as rep-at-large, is the vice-chair of the finance committee, and served as interim VP finance last summer a member of the SUS budget committee, the board reform committee, and the UFV student health committee so has board experience with the Chilliwack Academy of Music and Secondary Characters Musical Theatre, UFV’s Business dministration Student Association, and is a top-tier soccer referee elped conceive the proposed SUS entrance scholarship, and supports building other funding opportunities for students ould submit monthly financial reports to the SUS board and quarterly financial reports to students ommitted to releasing minutes and other information to students “as soon as possible,” though without a time- ased deadline

For the student union society (SUS) all-candidates debate ahead of their annual elections, the question wasn’t only what people in the run for board positions were saying, but if anyone would hear them.

Responding to a question about each new job’s potential difficulties, VP internal candidate Thomas Davies was unequivocal.

“It can only be student engagement,” he said. “We have about just over 9000 students ... [and] it’s not enough, in my opinion, to have 300-odd people voting in our election. It’s not ideal to have 500 people voting in referendums.”

A lack of student involvement in politics is not a problem specific to UFV, but it’s also particularly evident on the ballot. By the numbers, this year ’s electoral candidates have slid from last year ’s 21 to this year ’s 12. Following a restructure of the board last month that has reduced the number of executive positions from six to three, this may have been expected, but there are also no candidates for the positions of graduate studies, trades, or access and open studies representative.

VP external candidate Dylan Thiessen addressed this in his closing statement, framing it as a problem if students do not have enough choices.

“I find it unfortunate that there are three executive positions available, and we only have a total of four candidates,” he said. “The representative positions are a little better, but still two out of five positions are being run uncontested.” Thiessen had no problem with the system of SUS elections though, adding, “I’m glad that students can vote yes or no for uncontested candidates, thereby confirming everyone is truly elected in.”

The downsized debates (executive positions only), and low attendance (three outgoing SUS members, two student media members, two students in Abbotsford) made the issue of student engagement even more apparent. Each candidate had ideas related to changing this.

VP external candidate Jarret Bainbridge, carrying over from his work as interim VP east (Chilliwack and Hope), was confident in advertising tools like the SUS mobile app,

and considered adding the ability for students to comment on decisions on the SUS website a way to open up lines of communication. All candidates cited events and talking to students on campus as other ways SUS is promoting itself.

Ryan Petersen, running for president, is most familiar with the way SUS works, having served as a representative for five years and VP finance for one.

“My main stance for the society is to strive toward stability,” he said, also counting communication and the preservation of internal memory as key to what he would hope to do if elected.

Davies, who worked with Petersen on the most recent SUS budget and was also involved with the board’s restructure, echoed those sentiments.

“We really need to make sure the knowledge gained over a year is not lost,” he said.

Though Bainbridge and Thiessen are running against each other, both came out in favour of continuing as members of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and working with the more recently created Alliance of British Columbia Students (ABCS) to advocate for students in matters of federal and provincial education funding.

“I believe our post-secondary education in B.C. is in serious need of advocacy, support, and reform,” Thiessen said, before suggesting that the possibility of SUS-offered bursaries would be something to explore.

During the question period, one student suggested the Abbotsford campus pub, AfterMath, is most students’ main knowledge of SUS’s existence, and asked what candidates would change or improve about its operations. Since the transformation of the pub’s staff into student positions at the beginning of this academic year, there have been multiple changes in management and temporary closures when staff members are ill.

“I think one of the best things the society as a whole can do is find an effective manager of that service,” Petersen said in reply. “It is not my position or any of my other fellow candidates’ positions to run that service on a day-today level.”

Voting period for the SUS elections is February 26 through March 5, and can be done online via myUFV.

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SUDOKU

CROSSWORD “Demo”

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

by KATIE STOBBART

ACROSS 1.

4.

6.

7.

8.

A name for a resident of a locality, like “Canadian.” (7) All citizens participate equally in this kind of government. (9) To remove moss, often from roofs. (6) An unmarried young girl or woman. Think damsel. (10) Something causing a loss of hope or confidence. (12)

Answer keys Last week’s crossword

Sudoku solution

ACROSS

DOWN 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The quantifiable statistics of a population. (12) Another word for a protest or a rally. (13) To discharge from military service. (10) A supernatural malevolent being. (5) When they bring in the bulldozers. (10) You were a supervisor. Now you’re a cashier. (6)

2 GLINDA 4 FAIRYRING 6 FAIRYGODMOTHER 9 HECATE 10 ABRACADABRA 11 WAND

DOWN 1 GANDALF 3 IGNOTUSPEVERELL 5 MARYPOPPINS 7 SABRINA 8 PLEASE

The Weekly Horoscope Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18: The alignment of Jupiter and the sun strongly suggest you watch Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat this month.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20: For the perfect sunny-side up egg, fry one egg at medium heat for about two minutes, until the white is opaque but the yolk still runny. Use a nonstick pan to more easily move egg from pan to plate.

Aries: March 21 - April 19: It snowed because you wore your flip flops. The temerity!

You tempted fate and look what happened! Don’t you dare do it again!

Taurus: April 20 - May 20: If you’re going to light vanilla candles in an attempt to be romantic, double check that your date likes vanilla.

Gemini: May 21 - June 21: Dreadlocks are your spirit animal.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22: Dating sites are ineffective.

Instead, write your details in Elvish on a bus stop and wait for someone with similar tastes to answer.

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22: Your mother would like you to know that the tattoo you are considering is ill-advised, but Dionysus would like you to know he fervently supports your decisions. He also suggests drinking wine on weekdays.

Virgo: Aug 23 -Sept22: Buying no-name duct tape will leave you in tragedy this month.

Star Signs from January Jones*

*No, not that January Jones

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22: Lasers are the answers. Lasers are always the answer.

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21: Your lucky numbers are 12, £, the Korean word for shortribs, and the colour blue.

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21: Don’t try cooking liver. Ever.

I strongly suspect it will end badly for you.

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19: I agree, belt buckles can be difficult. I suggest suspenders, or else no pants at all.

Purchasing a onesie will also alleviate your… issues.

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From child to elder

Upcoming

Events

Documentary captures dance, age, and joy

February 28 March 2 Fraser Valley Women’s Expo Grab your girlfriends and hit the Fraser Valley Women’s Expo for the ultimate girls’ day out. Held at the Chilliwack Heritage Park, the Expo offers free samples, fashion shows, workshops, demonstrations, entertainment, shopping, and makeovers, as well as a variety of advice on women’s health, travel, arts, and business. Tickets $6 at the door.

March 1 Chiefs vs. Express: UFV Night Come cheer on the Chilliwack Chiefs as they take on the Coquitlam Express at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack. Fifteen bucks will get you a burger, pop, and a ticket to the game, and one dollar from each ticket package will go to the UFV Chilliwack Chiefs Scholarship Education Fund. Support the Chiefs and contribute to a scholarship at the same time!

Tickets available at www.ticketcard.ca or at Prospera Centre Box Office.

March 4 Image: University of the Fraser Valley

Children and seniors learned dance together as part of an intergenerational project captured on film by MACS professor Darren Blakeborough.

DESSA BAYROCK The Cascade

It is edging towards evening, long past the end time of most classes. We’re gathered in the black box theatre on UFV’s CEP campus, a room which, true to its name, is painted matte black on all sides. Scuffs line the wall at shoulder-height where theatre students have moved set pieces and practiced scenes.

More importantly for this evening, a white projection screen hangs from the ceiling across from a few dozen chairs set up in rows. The room is intimately small; the faint smells of clean hair and cigarette smoke fill the air.

We’re here for a screening of They’re Not Scary, a documentary put together by media and communication studies professor Darren Blakeborough and a team of MACS students over the course of the last two years.

The story follows the work of nursing instructor Shelley Canning, kinesiology instructor Michael Gaetz, and dance instructor Lee Kwidzinski. The goal of

the project? Connecting children with elders.

Every Tuesday, a group of girls between the ages of eight and 10 travelled to a Mission senior ’s home to learn to dance.

As they learned to curtsey and plié, the seniors learned it with them.

Canning and Gaetz tested the seniors periodically during the process, both mentally and physically, to gauge the effect of these dance lessons. The results were inconclusive – little progress was made with the seniors’ strength or memory.

But the effects are easily found elsewhere. As Canning takes to the podium to explain the project to a rapt audience, even though more than a year since the project came to a close, tears aren’t far from her eyes or voice.

The lights dim; the show begins. Blakeborough’s voice fills the small theatre, speaking over images of the elderly in popular media. We see two old people fighting over a bag of crisps, a woman lying on the ground with her cane out of reach, feebly crying “Help! I’ve fallen!

And I can’t get up!” and finally four seniors playing strip poker — to the chagrin of their orderly.

Blakeborough’s calming voice leads us through the portrayal of the elderly in popular media, explaining how we view elders as weak and fragile — ineffectual members of society.

And then we meet the girls.

In a montage of interview footage, they explain to us how excited and nervous they are to meet the elders, how they suspect they’ll be better at dancing than the seniors, why they think their elderly counterparts might not be able to move as quickly as they can. One girl explains that she prefers not to use the word “old.”

“What do you prefer instead?”

Canning asks. “Over-age,” the girl replies, promptly.

We watch them meet the seniors and greet them by name — shyly at first, and then confidently, and finally by nicknames. Grampa. Troublemaker.

One Tuesday, the girls tour the home instead of taking a dance lesson with Miss Lee. They visit one of the elder ’s rooms — Eleanor. She is hunched over, her

hair completely white and her eyes crinkled shut, but her smile spreads across her entire face.

“You’re all so dear!” she exclaims, greeting the girls in a row. The last one hugs her impulsively.

After the project drew to a close in summer of 2012, Blakeborough and two MACS students combed through over 400 hours of footage, piecing together the documentary. They have caught winks, grasped hands, and sweet moments between children and elders, too many to count.

The last is the recital, the final performance, the climax of the project. The girls and seniors dance together, twirling to the high, clear voice of a folk singer.

But perhaps the best is the eponymous phrase, out of the mouth of babes.

“What have you learned so far?” a MACS student asks from out of frame, as the girls gather their things at the end of a lesson.

The reply is paired with a beautiful smile.

“They’re not scary!”

The Chicken Manure Incident showing The Chicken Manure Incident is local filmmaker Kevin Miller’s documentary about the City of Abbotsford’s infamous decision to dump chicken manure on a homeless camp last summer and how it affected the community. Following the film, there will be a panel discussion and Q&A with the 5 and 2 Ministries’ Ward Draper and other prominent members of the community. The screening will be at 7 p.m. in room B101 at UFV’s Abbotsford campus.

March 14 British high tea with Dr. Lenore Newman Join the geography undergraduate society for scones, tea, sandwiches, sweets, and conversation with UFV’s Dr. Lenore Newman. Students and faculty are invited to a traditional high tea at Apeldoorn’s Restaurant in Chilliwack.

Space is limited to 30 seats, so register as soon as possible.

Tickets $5 before March 1, and $10 after that. Email GUS@ufv. ca for more information or to reserve your seat.

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Beads, wire, and love: Why Abbotsford’s downtown art community is worth supporting VALERIE FRANKLIN THE CASCADE

Donna Gomes fell in love with a handful of beads.

They caught her eye when she was standing in Strung Out on Beads, the specialty bead store in downtown Abbotsford, with her grandmother eight years ago.

“I thought they were just the neatest, prettiest things ever,” Gomes says, smiling at the memory. She bought the beads, took them home, and fashioned them into a pair of simple earrings.

The next time they met for lunch, her grandma brought her a gift: two spools of wire, a bag of head pins and eye pins, and a set of round-nose pliers with a cutter.

Right there in the restaurant, she gave Gomes her first lesson in wrapping and looping wire.

“Basically, that’s how it started,” Gomes says. “It took one pair of earrings and a bit of encouragement, and I was off to the races.”

It became her passion, and turned into a small side-business. Almost a decade later, now finishing her second-to-last semester in UFV’s library and information technology diploma program, Gomes has created countless pieces of bold and substantial jewellery, usually featuring polished metal, natural crystals, or handmade glass beads.

Intricate spirals, knots, and coils of wire give her work a distinctly organic, even serpentine feeling. The metal comes alive with movement.

Gomes loves what she does — but, she says, she probably wouldn’t have ever kept going if it hadn’t been for the unexpected coterie of passionate beaders and jewellery enthusiasts she found at Strung Out on Beads. The store where her love of beading began nurtures a quiet but vibrant artistic subculture. These days Gomes sells her work out of the showcase at Strung Out on Beads, and also teaches beading and wire-working classes there.

“They’re just fantastic people,

Image: Helen Kahlke

All Donna Gomes’ work starts off as straight wire — even the jump rings. and the store itself is so welcoming,” she says. “It’s a community.”

It’s artsy businesses like this that root Abbotsford’s creative culture in the city’s historic downtown core. Along those two or three funky blocks, artists can restock their palettes at specialty stores, sell their work, and connect with other creative minds.

Local paintings of all shapes and sizes brighten the walls of restaurants and cafés downtown, and bulletin boards in stores advertise photography lessons, art tours, and watercolour classes.

On Saturday mornings in the warmer months, crafters and artisans hawk their handmade wares at the farmer ’s market on Montrose Avenue, which sells everything from wooden doll furniture to the best sourdough bread in the city.

There’s no denying that it’s become popular, even trendy, to shop locally. Over the last several years, we’ve seen an increasing cultural appreciation for things made slowly with loving care, like handmade jewellery

Image: Valerie Franklin

It took Gomes four hours just to plan out this deep sea-inspired pendant.

— a niche market, but a growing one. And it’s not just Abbotsford. The popularity of websites like Etsy, which allows crafters to sell and ship their work directly to customers around the world, shows a rising consciousness about the value of handmade work. There’s a growing demand for everything from hand-tooled leather boots to

knitted baby blankets to carved wooden iPhone cases — and, of course, jewellery. Gomes has been selling her work in her Etsy shop, “EnWrapturedJewelry,” for the last three years.

This celebration of the unique is a refreshing change. Most oneof-a-kind objects sold by independent artists aren’t factoryperfect. They don’t look like you

look, one ring per hand does the trick.

laid or textured, try to match it with your other pieces, otherwise you get a noticeable clash.

bought them at the mall — and isn’t that the point? Instead, they have character and charm.

They’re unique. They’re made with love, and many artists will create commissioned or bespoke pieces specially made for you.

No one in the world will have one exactly like yours.

Anytime you buy local, you can also ease your conscience with the knowledge that your stuff hasn’t been mass-produced by some poor underpaid labourer in a factory on the other side of the planet. When you buy a necklace from an artist like Donna Gomes, you’re connecting with a human being instead of a company. You’re also helping to feed your city’s starving artists, as well as the starving small business owners who supply them.

But like most artists, Gomes doesn’t do this for the money; after all, making pendants isn’t a lucrative venture. She does it for the same reason dancers dance and painters paint: jewellery is her creative outlet, a wearable form of art.

“I’d like to make it pay for itself, but this isn’t something I want to turn into a job. It doesn’t matter to me if I don’t make another dime off this,” she says. “I do it because I love it.”

And that’s why we love it, too.

Fashion Forward

Put a ring on it!

SASHA MOEDT

The Cascade

Rings are one of the most classic pieces of jewellery. They are meaningful, beautiful — and a bit intimidating to wear sometimes. Here are the four most important things to keep in mind when you’re finishing — or starting — an outfit with a ring.

Keep it simple The phrase “less is best” is a good way to think about rings.

Gone are the days where a literal handful of rings looked sharp (remember Phoebe from Friends?). One ring per hand is ideal; two is pushing it, though I’ve seen it work. If you’re going to try two rings, make sure they

Image: Xavi Villalvilla

A ring or two adds just the right amount of bling. are smaller, rather than having two statement rings competing on a hand. For a clean, classic

Match colours and metals Make sure your rings match other pieces of jewellery you might be wearing, as well as your clothes. For clothing, you have room to work. For example, no one is going to gasp at this fashion faux pas, but it’s a not good idea to match statement rings with statement outfits — it just gets very busy. A consistent style in clothing and jewellery is nice; a yellow floral outfit goes well with a classic gold ring, while a trendy modern outfit might go with a flashier inlaid piece.

The clash of texture and colours in metals can be jarring. If you’re wearing silver jewellery, keep it silver. If the metal is in-

Pay attention to your hands A lovely ring draws attention to your hand. That means your hand should be just as lovely as your ring! Now, you don’t need a $50 manicure, but make sure your nails are trimmed and cleaned up. If you are a manicure person, keep in mind that sparkly gel nails might not match a neat and elegant diamond ring.

You’ve got to keep your look consistent. If you love rhinestones and sparkly manicures, then get out your glam ring (you know, the one that blinds you when you look at it too long).

If you’re the romantic type with florals and everything, wear the

gentle diamond ring.

Know your meanings The best rings are the ones that mean something — a promise ring, a friendship ring, and so forth. That’s why keeping it simple gives you that oomph. It’s special, it reminds you of something, and it has meaning. Keep in mind other people’s meanings. Don’t buy a ring with a Huguenot cross on it just for aesthetics. I’ve seen First Nations chiefs with colourful headdresses, skull Virgin Marys, and Buddhist symbols on the hands of people who clearly thought it looked cool. But misusing religious or cultural symbols is not appropriate, nor is it ever really stylish.

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The purrfect café

Cozy up with a homemade vanilla chai latte Recipe by ALY SCZEBEL It’s that time of year — reading break has come and gone, and it’s time to yet again lose yourself in your textbooks. But hey, who’s to say a homemade vanilla chai latte can’t cure the welcome-back-to-bookwork blues?

You can easily find all the ingredients you’ll need in your mom’s spice rack.

Image: Eco Dallaluna

Could cats be in Vancouver’s café future?

TAYLOR BRECKLES THE CASCADE

Japan is famous in the West for many things — anime, unique vending machines and restaurants to mention a few — but one Japanese venture is an internet sensation: the cat café. In these cafés, clients can order a coffee and some treats and play with the variety of cats that live in the shop. Each café is different, with different breeds and policies, but all of them have the same quirky, though slightly hairy, charm.

There is now talk of one such cat café coming to Vancouver for Canadians to enjoy. It’s Michelle Furbacher ’s dream to open one up so Vancouverites can play with kittens — and really, with a name like this, how can you not be associated with cats? Furbacher is hoping to attain proper permits and a location to open her cafe — the “Catfé”— as early as September of this year.

Instead of providing a spot to enjoy a little caffeine with your

furballs, Furbacher plans to provide her guests with WiFi and a small library. She doesn’t want to get into a hairy situation because of Canada’s food and safety regulations, so she told Metro News that she plans to serve “bottled drinks and packaged food bought offsite,” should the regulations allow that.

Regardless of food laws, the paw-ssibilities are endless in terms of feline fun. Furbacher even plans to add a space for guests to enjoy live entertainment while snuggling with her cats. One downside for feline fanatics is that you won’t be allowed to bring your own cats, in order to avoid catfights, but Furbacher says the Catfé will act as a foster home for cats from animal shelters, and they will also be available for adoption. Her hope is that “people will meet the cats, fall in love with them, and maybe adopt them,” which could help shelters clear some space and find more cats some good homes. For years there has been concern regarding the

crowdedness of shelters, so this cat café idea could provide a cool hangout spot while also helping with this problem.

You don’t have to worry about the health of the cats, either.

Every cat will take a trip to the vet to be vaccinated, fixed, and screened for approval before it can become a member of the exclusive cat club. And in addition to the strict standards the cats have to meet, the café itself will be under close watch for cleanliness. As much as we love cats and kittens, their fur has a tendency to cling to fabrics, skin, tongues, and everything else.

Their fur may be soft, but it’s generally preferred on the cats themselves.

Thanks to the internet, cats are a sensation, so this idea should be purrfect. In addition to satisfying the cat cravings of the feline deprived, the cat café will also provide dozens of opportunities for cat-related puns — and really, who doesn’t love to agitate their friends with an abundance of puns?

Discussions Below the Belt

Periods: as gross as they sound ROXY NOVA SEXPERT

I am a woman and my period is gross.

It is not a beautiful part of nature. It is not a chance for me to know my female form better.

It is not a time when I feel kinship with all womankind. It is an ugly, ugly, weird week of the month when blood rushes from my uterus and I do my best not to look at it.

Before you get on your enlightened horse and explain something about unrealistic media expectations warping my perceptions of my own body, let me stop you in your tracks and take you back in time — a trip down memory-menstrual lane.

I was eleven. I was a tough kid. I liked the outdoors. I liked gross stuff, like snot and worms and bugs and rotting logs and even the occasional dead bird.

Nature, I told myself, is cool. Everything gross is a part of life.

I had not, however, met my

period.

In a move almost absurdly congruent with national averages, my uterine lining thickened and shed itself for the very first time in the month of my 12th birthday. I became a woman. No angels sang. Oprah didn’t send me a letter. I really didn’t feel any different than before except blood was leaking from my nether regions.

Let that sink in.

Blood was leaking from my nether regions.

How would you react if you found blood in your underwear one morning? Would you freak the hell out? I did. Oh, I knew what it was. I just didn’t want it to BE what it was. For one desperate moment I hoped it was some genetic disease that had done this to me — maybe cancer!

Yeah, cancer would be good, my newly-12-year-old self thought.

Cancer is curable.

You know what isn’t curable?

The menstrual cycle.

My mom took me aside and showed me the products I would

use for the rest of my life to deal with my bloody uterus.

“Welcome to womanhood!” she said.

“Doesn’t sound fun,” I said, doubtfully.

“It’s not,” she said, “and I’m not going to sugar coat it for you.”

This may sound harsh, but at least it became immediately clear that my period was going to be that gross forever.

Fun fact: did you know periods are not just blood, but may also contain pieces of uterine lining? (Read as: chunks. Solids.

Stringy bits.)

I once read in a tampon instruction booklet that every period is only about three tablespoons of blood total. Fun fact: that is a goddamn lie. Some periods are in that range, sure. Others are tsunamis. Think about that for a second. A blood tsunami coming from your nether regions.

I am a woman, and menstrual blood is gross.

Period.

Image: Elana’s Pantry / Creative Commons

Makes about 1 ¾ cups of vanilla chai syrup.

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground ginger Sprinkle of salt Sprinkle of white pepper (optional) 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a bowl, add spices, stir it together, and pour it into a clean mason jar. Vanilla chai syrup can be stored for up to six months in the fridge — that’s a lot of lattes.

Make yourself a cup of black tea, add two spoons of vanilla chai syrup into your mug, stir, and enjoy!

Send us your stories and art!

Want to see your creative work featured right here in your favourite campus newspaper? The Cascade is pleased to announce that it is now publishing writing, visual art, and photography from students and faculty.

Writers, send us your short fiction, poetry, essays, oneact plays, creative nonfiction, or any other writing under 1500 words in a Word document. There is no minimum word count.

For visual art and photography, we welcome all art styles and all types of media, including photography of your sculpture or 3-D pieces. Please send your work in a .PNG format accompanied by a brief artist’s statement.

Images can be submitted in colour or in black and white.

All artists and writers are welcome to contribute regardless of their skill level or experience, but should be aware that once they have submitted work to The Cascade, that same work cannot be published in many literary magazines, including the Louden Singletree.

Don’t forget to include your full name and the title of your piece with all submissions. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

All submissions can be sent to valerie@ufvcascade.ca

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Dine & Dash

Townhall Public House NADINE MOEDT THE CASCADE

33720 S Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC V2S 2C2 Brunch: $4-6 Townhall Public House is an after-church brunch candidate by day, a manly man’s bar by evening and a sticky night club after dark.

Townhall is owned by the Joseph Richard Group, which has establishments — liquor stores, night clubs, and “public houses” — across the Fraser Valley with similar menus.

When Townhall replaced the Duke of Dublin in downtown Abbotsford, it was rumoured that all the men they hired had to meet certain “hot requirements.” While this may have been a ploy to reel in the ladies, it also may have to do with alcohol’s little trick of insidiously lowering one’s standards.

Having regretfully experienced its night club scene once, I was a little reluctant to try its brunch. However, Townhall offers $4 brunch on weekend mornings, and the draw of a cheap meal was too enticing.

Townhall is much quieter by morning, yet somehow the residue of the club remains; the waitresses are dressed in tootight, too-short skirts, and the atmosphere has a weird feeling of being in limbo. The walls have old records and vintage brewery decor, and the ads in the menu and in the bathrooms appeal to the club-goer. The establishment tries to target both the Ron Swansons and the Tom Haverfords of the world, and

Image: Townhall Public House Abbotsford / Facebook

While Townhall sports a lively club scene by night, it also offers a comfortingly inexpensive brunch by morning. falls a little flat in the attempt.

One major plus is because it is technically a bar, children are not permitted.

The food itself is good, if a little stingy in the portions. The $4 meal consists of two eggs done to your preference, toast, home fries (akin to hash browns) and a choice of sausage or bacon.

The home fries are the highlight: well-seasoned, crispy, and

just greasy enough for a midmorning meal. For free you can substitute a little bowl of fresh fruit — which has strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, and grapes — in place of the fries. I also tried the $6 breakfast wrap, which comes with the home fries; portion-wise it is similar to the $4 meal, but for those of us who don’t eat meat, it still feels like a complete breakfast with-

out the bacon. Ask for it on the side, then get the table started in a bidding war.

The coffee is outrageously expensive, especially considering we didn’t get refills. If you come during the brunch rush, about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., don’t expect to receive high-quality service.

The waitresses are in a constant state of panic, either due to understaffing or irritating patrons.

It took 20 minutes to get the bill after our meal.

Other items on the menu are perhaps a little pricey; burgers start at $11.50, fish and chips are $15, and the sandwiches start at $11. The selection is uninspired, but if you’re into the dressedup-greasy-spoon type of meal it may be worth a try.

Reading Rainbow

1996 by Sara Peters KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

“In my dreams I am a moral child,” Sara Peters writes in “Playing Lesbians,” the second in this book of thirty poems.

It is poetry written in the ink of fascination, the kind that makes you feel uncomfortable.

It makes the sound of a bone snapping or a firecracker going off — you’re not sure which — in broad daylight while the sun glints on some neighbourhood kid’s pink bicycle. It makes you want to deny everything.

Yet each word gleams irrefutably with truth.

1996 may be Peters’ first collection of poetry, but it proves she is anything but an amateur.

It is as if she has picked up the rug of life and shaken it, to reveal more than dust gathered underneath.

If you like a book that makes you feel comfortable, go home and read Anne of Green Gables.

(No offence, Lucy Maud — Anne is a charming Canadian story

and I love her to pieces, but she’s about as unsettling as a Hallmark card.) If you’re looking for something more complex, something with a little more bite to it, pick up 1996.

Actually, Anne can be unsettling — at least, in this book.

“You love this orphan, / you dickhead, but she’s carrying a butterfly knife, although / you agreed last week to keep the gables green,” she writes in “Your Life as Lucy Maud Montgomery.”

“Cruelty” is equally discomfiting: “When I was eleven, I watched my cousin cut open a gopher / with the serrated top of a tin can.” The poem finishes with the gopher ’s tormentor crooning not to worry — her dad’s a vet.

1996 is split into six sections containing poems which range from the firmly real-world “Abortion” to the mystical borders of a day at the beach in “Cryptid” to the eerie but undeniably human tale of “Mary Ellen Spook.”

Each poem exposes some strange undercurrent of our human rituals, and to read them is to peel back a kind of fugue, to remember those dark things that, as children, we push to the back of our minds because they don’t coalesce with what we’ve been told of the world. Peters takes you a little deeper, a little darker, than you may want to go.

“Secrets thud / like June bugs against screens, / and all you have to do is let them in,” she writes in “Babysitters.”

My personal favourite in this collection is the last poem, “The Last Time I Slept in This Bed.” In addition to its own shadowy layers of interpretation, this one also makes me think, in a way, of how I feel reading the whole collection: “I was involved in the serious business / of ripping apart my own body.”

1996 is more than a little dark, and more than a little disturbing.

Peters leads you to the cliffs of normal, then pushes you over.

What are good artists for?

Put on your headphones; we want your thoughts on new music.

Pop into the Cascade offices in C1027 for a free album to review, or email arts@ufvcascade.ca for more information!

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Album Review

Adrenaline Mob – Men of Honor OWEN COULTER CONTRIBUTOR

Shuffle

CHARTS

1

Yes Men Jr. There Is No Limit To How Poorly I Can Feel

AARON LEVY

CIVL STATION MANAGER

2 3 4 5

Fountain Fountain Broken Bells After the Disco Tough Age Tough Age

The Ketamines Stay Awake b/w Always Small

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Timber Timbre Hot Dreams

Cult Babies Cult Babies

Neil Young — “Rockin’ in the Free World”

Helms Alee Sleepwalking Sailors

It’s predominantly an international political commentary, but this song has a harrowing image of “A woman in the night, with a baby in her hand.” Some libertarians support efforts so no more kids will “never go to school, never get to fall in love, never get to be cool”.

The Courtneys The Courtneys

The Pack A.D. Do Not Engage

Dead Prez — “Hell Yeah (Pimp the System)”

New Vaders Dynamic Traxx Vol. 1

13 14

Angel Olsen Burn Your Fire for No Witness

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Mac DeMarco Live & Acoustic, Vol. 1 OOIOO Gamel The Julie Ruin Run Fast

Dum Dum Girls

Too True HSY

Ghost Beach Miracle

Mob is Back.” It’s catchy, but sounds like a mix of Nickelback’s “Burn it to the Ground” and Theory of a Deadman’s “Bad Girlfriend.” This quartet is supposed to be a super group, not a post-grunge, drop-D, radio-friendly band.

While I commend them for attempting to add a different feel to the album with “Behind These Eyes,” and “Crystal Clear,” these songs are other weak links. The former is because of predictable lyrics about lost love that have a Bon Jovi feeling, and an ‘80s power ballad that falls short. Bon Jovi and Poison were good at what they did, but when Allen attempts to channel his inner Bret Michaels it doesn’t work with Adrenaline

The Wolf Among Us

Queens of the Stone Age — “I Was a Teenage Hand Model” From the final verse of their debut album’s pretty, poignant closer: “These cities are sprouting like a spit in the eye. This world isn’t waiting. It’s just passing me by. I look in the window, peak inside.

The butcher’s got a fork in your face, and I’m standing in line.”

City High — “What Would You Do?” People don’t like to acknowledge

that sometimes you get into situa-

tions necessitating ways of life you never expected. How many people wanted to be authors and settled for factory work? Is it so different from aspiring actors ending up as sex workers? Yes? Lives are more fragile than you think.

Mob’s overall sound.

What is Adrenaline Mob trying to achieve with this album?

Lyrics about lost love share space with tracks like “Feel the Adrenaline,” a no-boundaries, guitar-shredding metal tune that is supposedly the essence of the band. “Crystal Clear” is forgettable: an acoustic guitar that has no build-up, a song without a bridge. The repeated chorus gets tedious enough to press skip.

A wave of new hard rock and metal is growing. While Adrenaline Mob may be leading the way with heavy performance, the creativity box is surely not checked.

Cascade Arcade

Dead Prez give a 10 Crack Commandments-style lesson on getting ahead when the world doesn’t want you to for young black men struggling with the disadvantages inherent to White Amerikkka. “I know a way we could get paid, you could get down but you can’t be afraid.”

n.213 Rejectamenta

HSY

Band Aid — “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

A song that had everybody coming together to bring awareness to hunger and the struggle of disenfranchised populations across the world. Did it work? I’m not sure. I’ve never met a native from the third world telling me “that promotional song” helped them eat meals growing up — but who knows.

Fog Lake virgo indigo

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CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy will spend Wednesday, February 26 between 6:30 and 7 p.m. (podcasted in perpetuity at civl.ca) speaking with pastor Ward Draper about issues affecting the homeless in Abbotsford on the 12th annual NCRA Homelessness Marathon, broadcast live on CIVL 101.7 FM and on 35 other campus and community radio stations across the country.

One thing is for sure: Adrenaline Mob will never be mistaken for a band that has poetically inspired lyrics. Theirs are bombastic, provocative, diverse in vocal style, and backed with a high-octane guitar. The heavy metal super group, consisting of singer Russell Allen (Symphony X), Mike Orlando (Black Label Society), John Moyer (Disturbed), and A.J. Pero (Twisted Sister), provide a dose of noholds-barred, in-your-face, straight-up heavy metal on their sophomore album Men of Honor.

Men of Honor will appeal to the masses; it’s catchy, speakerblowing loud, and the quartet is comfortable in its own skin with opener “The Mob Is Back,” exuding confidence: “We came to throw down / the Mob’s back in town.” There is ferocious drumming, courtesy of A.J. Pero who does a commendable job filling the hole left by Mike Portnoy’s departure. Stylistically there are some differences, but drumming is not a weak link.

“Come On Get Up” features a wicked guitar solo stylistically influenced by Tom Morello, which strengthens the song. “Dearly Departed” is a throwback to the Mob’s first album Omerta. “Let It Go” has an interesting guitar riff, and actually has some poignant lyrics, though the album is not so much about subtext as it is about being in your face. The album ends with “Fallin’ to Pieces,” a favourite because it sounds unique — a cut above the songwriting on the rest of the album.

The rest is mixed, like in “The

JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

Telltale Games has definitely bitten off more than it can chew.

In the closing months of 2013, the studio announced several upcoming projects. Along with another season of The Walking Dead already in motion, it will be developing games based on HBO’s Game of Thrones and Gearbox’s Borderlands. Both shocking announcements were met with much excitement.

However, that excitement began to wear off when the second episode of The Wolf Among Us missed its October 2013 release

date. It took three months of waiting, but Episode Two: Smoke & Mirrors is finally out. Despite the delay, it still feels like a rushed product.

Smoke & Mirrors is riddled with glitches, frame-rate issues, and ridiculous loading times, all plaguing gameplay.

Some other issues are the surprisingly short episode length, leaving the feeling that it was cut back in terms of content.

From the preview after episode one, it seemed like there would be a lot more to come.

One choice I really felt was underwhelming was the return to the Trip Trap Bar. In the previous chapter, I decided to sever

Grendel’s arm during my fight with him. But after viewing other videos of people who did the opposite to Grendel, I realized the scene is nearly identical. While there is a mention of whether you removed his arm or not, the outcome is exactly the same, which defeats the purpose of committing the gruesome act.

Maybe that goes deeper than necessary for a single decision, but that feeling is present throughout the story. The choices are straightforward and pointless.

I loved the first episode of The Wolf Among Us. I am enthralled with the universe it is based in.

I even started to read Bill Willingham’s comic series, which the game is based on, and I am interested to see how the game concludes. But I firmly believe Telltale Games needs to take a step back to see what it has really gotten itself into. The studio has always been somewhat consistent with games that have been passable at best until The Walking Dead. But with that game, it set a new bar. Telltale has shifted from small projects to several massive ones. The studio needs to refocus, or its products will continue to diminish in quality.

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ARTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Film Reviews

Robocop JEREMY HANNAFORD CONTRIBUTOR

Robocop is by no means one of the best remakes in recent years, but it still attempts to put a decent spin on the 1987 original.

What some remakes fail to do is add something new that differentiates themselves from the original while sticking to a similar path. Robocop succeeds with this right off the bat by opening the movie with The Novak Element featuring Samuel L. Jackson as a Glenn Beck-esque opinionated political analyst whose extreme views and propagandalike presence are reminiscent of the “Would You Like To Know More” segments from Starship Troopers.

Director José Padilha does pay his respects to the original’s director (Paul Verhoeven).

While he drifts off the original’s tracks from time to time, he still attempts to convey the same experience despite being held back by a PG-13 rating. Padilha knows how to create tension in a story (in acclaimed films like Elite Squad and Bus 174), which works to his advantage in this film. Two aspects he alters for dramatic purposes are the relationships between the pro-

tagonist (Alex Murphy) and his wife, and with the billion-dollar company who created him (Omnicorp). His apprehension at seeing his family in his new form is a welcome change from the original, which didn’t really feature this. Omnicorp also has a new face for the most part as a company whose intentions are self-serving but which still helps Murphy. That is, until the final climax when all this goes out the window.

After the conclusion, I was left feeling like Omnicorp was run by something resembling the three stooges. Jay Baruchel is the single-minded head of marketing, Jennifer Elhe is the self-absorbed PR manager, and Michael Keaton is the smooth-talking genius CEO. The chemistry between them is somewhat flat, but they do show a more “human” side than the board members from the original. They are using Murphy for financial gain but they still care somewhat for his well-being.

Gary Oldman’s performance as Murphy’s doctor also pushes this human aspect. The doctorpatient relationship adds more of a personal connection to these characters and to the emotional focus of the film. It all runs as

smoothly as it can until the finale when the web of corruption and conspiracy following Murphy’s accident becomes abundantly clear, though it doesn’t really have any reason for existing. It also features possibly the worst use of a classic line (“Dead or alive, you’re coming with me”) imaginable.

I would almost be able to forgive this if there was a flurry of intense action sequences, but in truth, there are only a few. The conflict between Murphy and the major gangs in Detroit is also resolved surprisingly quickly. Unlike the first one, Murphy’s revenge is concluded barely halfway through the film, which leads to a rather sloppy ending.

The original Robocop and Padilha’s remake are different, but so alike at times that this film didn’t need to be made. If it wanted to stand on its own, it shouldn’t have used aspects of easily corrupted police officers or media exploitation.

Robocop spends most of its time attempting to remake the character and trying to re-create the world Robocop is based in.

None of this changes how this was already done, in a way that was actually new, 27 years ago.

that meets public opposition, all overlaid with the knowledge each is equally doomed to insignificance.

Pompeii is Anderson’s fourth movie in a row shot in 3D with cinematographer Glen MacPherson. They’re outliers, in that they use the technology for effects beyond “objects x, y, and z flying at the screen.” Early countryside details are divided into layers, like if Daguerre had been around in 79 A.D. to diorama Roman slavery, and close-ups suggest Anderson cares a little bit about that Sunset Boulevard quote about faces. It’s unlikely anyone will remember a line from Pompeii, but the visual details tell another story. Ander-

son, who is not a great director of actors (Kit Harrington, Emily Browning, Jared Harris et al. do a fair job with an unexceptional script here), is a great director of models: he knows how to cast light, figures, and effects. The real interest with Pompeii might be the spectacle that’s waiting to erupt, but Anderson isn’t someone who is more comfortable with CG than actors: while he doesn’t have a Milla Jovovich or Christoph Waltz to frame against a modernist or neo-classical backdrop, he creates some carefully exacting portraits out of moonlight, raining ash, and aerial points-of-view.

When it comes to the action in Pompeii, Anderson’s preferred

Pompeii MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE

If the Resident Evil series is Paul W.S. Anderson in full, ridiculous force, his in-between works are similarly remixed works of cultural bits and technological pieces, though in a lower key. With Pompeii, that means his most sentimental, measured work. Though it opens with a quote from Pliny the Younger ’s account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii is a movie of nods, not lessons, in service of human history. Pompeii deviates from earlier visits to the scene in film history (most working from or paying lip service to Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s The Last Days of Pompeii), and mostly strikes from the familiar remove of Anderson’s eager aesthetic, the Italian romantic tragedy to The Three Musketeers’ French farce.

Opening in extreme close-up on the ash-encased figures that have become the site’s lasting markers, then establishing the presence of Vesuvius’ shadow, Pompeii isn’t a will-they-orwon’t-they scenario. Although the film opens with a different quote from Pliny, at its best Pompeii is an effective lead-in to the dread evoked in another of his account’s passages: “I might boast that, during all this scene of horror, not a sigh, or expression of fear, escaped me, had not my support been grounded in that miserable, though mighty, consolation, that all mankind were involved in the same calamity, and that I was perishing with the world itself.”

Pompeii meshes together three narratives: a Spartacus-like scenario where gladiator-trained slaves bond over boasting talk and glare at guards, an innocent love-at-first-sight saga, and an expansion of the Roman empire

mode of rapid cuts through short-swords and fists for the pre-disaster arena and followed fireball trajectories afterward suggest a lack of imagination — it’s the kind of thing Anderson can do, by now, easily, and isn’t that different from the staging in other war and siege epics. For all the effectiveness of the hellfire and world-crumbling that awaits, the stadium scene just before the earth announces its turmoil is the best scene Anderson pulls off in the film. Not unlike his father ’s role in The Hunger Games (or his own turn in the apocalyptic Melancholia), Kiefer Sutherland presides over a givethe-people-the-bloodlettingthey-apparently-want panem et

circenses routine. Entertainment is mixed with dread (the mountain, and the fate of the two lovers — one being muscled into a political marriage, the other into the gladitorial ring). As Sutherland jokingly puts it, “this isn’t sport; it’s politics.” The action, theatrically set up by a chorus, is a restaging of Rome’s conquest of the British Celts — Sutherland’s character ’s best-recorded victory. Anderson is not a director of abstract ideas, but in this dramatic irony pile-up, there’s something of what the rest of Pompeii could have been: not simply cathartic (or, at points, cheap) fear, but cruel humour with a historical sense of purpose.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

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SPORTS & HEALTH

Heat Report

Markus Granlund following in brother’s footsteps TIM UBELS

CONTRIb UTOR

Anyone who grew up with a brother or sister has seen firsthand the competitive nature of sibling rivalry, and how healthy competition can push athletes to perform at higher levels.

Throughout NHL history, from the Espisitos to the Staals, there have been many sets of talented brothers who have made it to the big show.

Twenty-year-old Abbotsford Heat rookie Markus Granlund will always be the younger brother of Mikael, who wears 67 for the Minnesota Wild and recently represented Finland at the Sochi Olympics. As a result, the most common question going into the season was how he would fare in a new league without his brother next to him.

Markus dominated the SM-Liiga (Finnish Elite League) with Mikael back in 2011-12. Playing on the same line for HIFK, the teenagers finished one and two in league scoring against men five to 10 years their senior.

However, after Mikael left the next season to play with Minnesota, Markus had a significant dip in scoring, falling from 15 goals in 2011-12 to 10 in 201213. Despite this underwhelming season for Markus, he finished among the top players of his age in the world at the 2013 World Junior Championship, scoring

Image: Clint Trahan

Markus Granlund’s (26) offensive play has impressed the Calgary Flames enough to earn a call-up following the Olympic break. five goals and 12 points in only six games.

Heading into Heat training camp this season, the small centre needed to either shore up his defensive play or increase his scoring pace if he wanted to be successful on the Heat roster. At just over the halfway point in the season, Granlund has stunned everyone, scoring 23 goals and 43 points in only 48 games. Those numbers are

good enough for the team lead this season, crushing the Heat’s rookie points record of 34, which was previously held by both T.J. Brodie and Dustin Sylvester.

Heat coach Troy G. Ward calls him “a young star in the waiting.”

Granlund has centred a line with Max Reinhart and veteran winger Blair Jones for the past month, finding great chemistry with the two Canadian players.

He’s worked hard to establish himself as the Heat’s go-to offensive force, making his fine stick skills and wicked wrist shot a real threat on the ice. His dangerous play has undoubtedly put himself on the radar of Flames management, who will be looking to fill potentially vacant spots on their roster after March 5 trade deadline.

While his brother Mikael keeps adding to his resume,

Adam Friesen, coach of the year?

SCOREBOARD Basketball MEN’S QUARTERFINALS

NATHAN HUTTON

Feb 20 UFV vs Lethbridge W 66-64 Feb 21 UFV vs Lethbridge W 77-62

THE CASCADE

UFV’s men’s basketball roster for this year was not the best in the conference on paper, and their season started out very rocky.

Unable to get a good jump out of the gate, the Cascades were at one point two games below .500.

Friesen never panicked and showed the poise that made him a stellar Canada West point guard in his day. He stayed with his regular seven-eight man rotation, only putting players in the game if it was absolutely necessary, and developed an incredible man-to-man defense that enabled his players to thrive.

Since the Cascades’ worst game of the season, an 83-62 loss to the University of Saskatchewan, the Cascades have been unbeatable, winning their last 14 regular season games and capturing the second seed in their division.

At this point it is obvious to those who watch the Cascades regularly that Friesen should be the Canada West coach of the year. He has taken a roster that many thought would be unable to contend this season and instead pulled off one of the most incredible in Cascades history, on the way to a second-consecutive Canada West final four.

posting five goals and 23 assists in 46 games with the Wild and winning a bronze medal with team Finland at the Olympics this past week, a year-end callup might be just what Markus needs to get out from his brother’s shadow and establish himself in Calgary as a key piece in the team’s uncertain future.

UFV advances to Canada West final four

Volleyball WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS

Feb 21 UFV vs Capilano L 0-3 Feb 22 UFV vs Camosun L 2-3 UFV finishes fourth in PACWEST Conference and does not advance.

Upcoming Games WOMEN’S BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS @ UFV

Feb 27 vs Calgary 7:00 p.m.

Feb 28 vs Calgary 7:00 p.m.

March 1 vs Calgary* 7:00 p.m. *if necessary MEN’S BASKETBALL FINAL FOUR

Feb 28 vs Victoria 3:00 p.m.

March 1 vs TBD Final four can be streamed on Canada West website.

Image: University of the Fraser Valley / Flickr

Adam Friesen has coached the men’s basketball team to a best-ever winning streak.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 www.ufvcascade.ca

Playoff fever hits Envision Athletic Centre

Image: Tree Frog Imaging

Jasper Moedt’s towering strength went head to head against the Pronghorns’ powerful offense, leading UFV to a two-game playoff sweep.

NATHAN HUTTON THE CASCADE

The last time UFV basketball hosted a playoff game, Joel Friesen nailed a buzzer-beater to win game three and send the Cascades to the final four.

Two years later, many of the same players on the Pronghorns landed in Abbotsford seeking revenge. In contrast only two current Cascades players carried over — Jasper Moedt and Klaus Figueredo.

At tip-off, both teams looked like heavyweight boxers in the middle of the ring, daring the other to back down while refusing to relent. Punches were thrown back and forth between the two teams as they both worked up leads only to see them disappear in a matter of positions. The game flew by at blazing speeds, with both teams’ agility creating great scoring opportunities.

The game remained close into the fourth quarter. On one critical play, Lethbridge swung the ball around the top of the circle desperately trying to set up a play. A bad pass rocketed over the middle and UFV guard Kevon Parchment jumped and came up with the steal. He then tore down the floor, launched into the air, and put down a massive dunk, sending the crowd to its feet with six-and-a-half minutes left to play. The Pronghorns immediately called a timeout, trying to halt as much momentum as possible.

With three minutes left the score was tied at 60, proving both teams were there ‘til the bitter end.

Into the game’s final minute,

Lethbridge had a slight edge, up by a point. Logan Reiter of the Pronghorns held the ball, letting time tick down. With Figueredo at his hip he attempted a layup — no good. Moedt caught the rebound, found Manny Dulay, and the Cascades went to work, eating up time, but with a purpose.

After being worked around, the ball ended up in Manny Dulay’s hands, who drained the three.

Given little time to work with, Lethbridge missed a three-point attempt and lost possession. The Pronghorns nearly made things interesting on a contested outof-bounds call that saw two players dive for a loose ball, but the referees ruled in UFV’s favour, putting an end to any hope of a Lethbridge comeback.

The second game of the weekend was a little easier for the Cascades. They controlled the second half and came away with a big 77-62 win, sweeping the series and becoming the first team to secure a spot in next weekend’s Canada West final four tournament.

“We played like a team that knows how to win in the playoffs” said head coach Adam Friesen. “The defense kept us in it when we were shooting cold and we just believed at half-time that at some point [the] shooting was going to pay off ... Once we got a run we said, ‘that’s it, we aren’t going to make the same mistake we did yesterday where we kind of let them keep in the game.’”

Next weekend the men will travel to Alberta to do battle in the final four, and the Cascades women’s basketball team will play in their own three-game series against the University of Calgary Dinos at home starting Thursday night.

Image: Tree Frog Imaging

Manjodh Dulay came through with some key baskets late in matches against playoff foe Lethbridge.