The Cascade Vol. 24 No. 8 by The Cascade

MARCH 9 TO MARCH 16, 2016

VOLUME 24 ISSUE 8

Based on math since 1993

Works in progress Beating the commuter campus tag · pg. 2 Towards a more comfortable campus · pg. 9 What’s holding student events back? · pg. 10-11

What would an earthquake do to UFV? WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

CONTENTS

News

Opinion

Making UFV more accessible

Social media and group projects

Renovations to make campus more accessible near completion date

Blackboard killing your group project? There’s a cure for that

Editor-in-Chief Michael Scoular michael@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Alex Rake alex@ufvcascade.ca

Illustrator Sultan Jum sultan@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor (interim) Glen Ess glen@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Glen Ess glen@ufvcascade.ca

Webmaster (interim) Michael Scoular michael@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca

Multimedia Editor Mitch Huttema mitch@ufvcascade.ca

Production Manager Brittany Cardinal brittany@ufvcascade.ca

Staff Writer Sonja Klotz sonjak@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Danielle Collins danielle@ufvcascade.ca

Advertising Rep Kayla Schuurmans kayla@ufvcascade.ca

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca News Editor Vanessa Broadbent vanessa@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review

The Scene is dead. Long live the scene!

Kendrick comes out of nowhere!

Hometown musicians take Abby and Mission by storm.

Lamar’s latest release Untitled Unmastered pulls no punches

CONTRIBUTORS

STAFF

Business Manager Jennifer Trithardt-Tufts jennifer@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events

Megan Lambert Joel Robertson-Taylor Pankaj Sharma Rachel Tait Terrill Smith

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

Volume 24 · Issue 8 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 Cover Design: Sultan Jum Based on a photo courtesy UFV Printed by International Web exPress

The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 1,500 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities. The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Writers meetings are held each Monday at 2:00 p.m. in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus.

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

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

EDITORIAL

NEWS BRIEFS

EDITORIAL

Commuter campus no more? Will more buildings make UFV feel more like a university? Or will it take something else? MICHAEL SCOULAR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

SUS officially opposes new fees for 2016-2017 UFV budget VP External Sukhi Brar released two statements opposing the Student Wellness and Experiential Fee (SWEF) and the Administration Fee for new international students. The fees are included in the UFV budget for the upcoming 2016-2017 fiscal year. The SWEF will charge $2.79 per credit and the new fee for international students will cost an additional $1,400 per semester. Brar writes that the fees could be detrimental to students if UFV is using that income to fund services that would normally be funded by the university. “This is a worrying decision by UFV, and could start a trend of this university instituting further mechanisms to charge students for the privilege of accessing resources and support that previously were included in tuition and ancillary fees,” she states. The new fees will come into effect in September 2016. Queen’s University approves sexual assault violence policy KINGSTON — The Board of Trustees of Queen’s University approved a sexual assault policy that was in the works for a year and a half. Ontario released a provincial action plan against sexual assault last year, and the board of the university noted that it aligned their policy with the provincial values and with the possibility of legislation in the future. In 2015, the Toronto Star reported that out of the six “major” universities, only two had sexual assault policies — one of which is UBC. Queen’s policy recognizes and defines sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. — The Queen’s Journal Homeless village re-proposed to Abbotsford City Council A plan for a homeless village — 40 shed-like homes on an empty plot of land close to Bateman Road and Highway 11 — has been re-proposed to Abbotsford City Council after it was dismissed in 2014. Society president Josh Gruban explained that the $375 supplied to residents by social assistance would provide affordable rent and cover the cost of operating the site. The proposal would need to pass through Abbotsford City Council, whose next meetings are March 14 and March 21. — Abbotsford News

“I refuse to surrender my original sense of what the word ‘successful’ means: that success is private, pegged to an internal barometer, and utterly tangential to any fame, adulation, or payment.” — Teju Cole For students reaching the end of their final semester, these weeks are filled with mixed feelings — the end of many attachments, the hope for new ones, the temptation and dread of looking ahead. But accreditation brings something else too, a double consciousness — yes, your work matters, and your ideas matter, but now you have something else to think of: what does the world think of a University of the Fraser Valley graduate? How far do you have to go in the world before people don’t know UFV? The university, of course, has departments whose reason for existence is to work against those fears, but consider: eight years ago, this place wasn’t a university. Reporting on the change from UCFV to a full-university status designation by the province, Leo Charbonneau quoted then-president Skip Bassford as saying, internally, it wouldn’t lead to many big changes. “Within the institution, the change will make fundraising ‘much more effective’ and will improve efforts to recruit international students,” he wrote for University Affairs. That is, the university tag matters as a brand, as a symbol, and as something that means a great deal to someone with no knowledge of the history of this place, but beyond that, the passage from UCFV to something else is a much more incremental, slow process, with no certain beginning or end. At this week’s budget forum, president Mark Evered said something along the lines of the next increment. “We don’t want to be a commuter campus,” he said before the full room of administrators, faculty, and staff. “Frankly, if we remain a commuter campus, we’re probably going to lose a lot of students through competition from other [institutions], so there are costs associated with that.”

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Accreditation brings something else too, a double consciousness: what does the world think of a UFV graduate? How far do you have to go before people don’t know UFV?

UFV not a commuter campus? Is there anything more closely linked with UFV’s identity, at least to students, than the daily routine of driving, walking, or taking transit, grimacing at the food options available on campus, and watching the sun set and parking lots empty in perfect synchronized motion? But Evered, nearing the end of his second-to-last year as president, is looking, as some students no doubt have, at UFV as sitting somewhere on the continuum between “university” and University — the kind you don’t need to look up, the kind that sits, unsurprisingly on recommended ranking lists in glossy magazines older relatives buy at the check-out counter. There are countless ways to break down UFV’s reputation, but the one Evered refers to is geography. UFV is a commuter campus because it has a very small residence, because it was built in pieces, because on all sides it is surrounded by roads that lead to farm land, industrial areas, roundabouts that lead to the highway, and private residences that are mostly not tailored to students. When UFV was built, and certainly when it became a university, there was no clean slate. Even the newest campus building, in Chilliwack, is a move away from the downtown core, even more isolated from the things a student might want to walk to in between classes, or the spaces needed to clear room

Illustration: Sultan Jum

for residence buildings. And those buildings are what matter most: a new draft of a “Campus Master Plan” from the university’s planning department shows that when UFV pictures itself as a University, that’s a major part of its look. Now, the document is a series of ideas, none of them yet paid for, none of them detailed line by line — a major shift in government funding, a skip forward in municipal partnerships, and countless negotiations would be necessary for any of its contents to become real — but at the same time, the university is serious about this. Briefly, the features include: a U-Village extending into a re-designed King Road, leading into a Welcome Centre, with renovated classroom buildings, an expanded C building, an amphitheatre landscaped into the campus green, plazas and rounds just like in the campus novels you maybe picked up and read somewhere along the way, and, beyond the gym, student residences, or, rather, a “Student Village.” “The need for better social and collaborative learning spaces on campus has been a consistent theme throughout the master planning process,” reads the document. It seems to get most of the problems students have commuting and studying on campus — it’s based on a considerable amount of research. It doesn’t feel out of touch in the way universities, slow to change, often do. Would this campus work better for students? Aside from the controversial residence fee hikes surely to come, the delayed construction, the same story of every real estate development in history, sure. There would be food and shelter and parties on campus. Still, is this just a coincidentally busy year for campus planning and building ideas, or is this really where the university’s priorities lie? When students, presumably, line up in this future, to get their keys, when they sit down in expertly modelled collaboration spaces, when they sit in their student-centred learning environments, or whatever tired phrases they’re using to describe them then, will they be any happier, will something bigger tell them they were right for having chosen UFV, does the work feel any more meaningful? It might look that way — you can’t argue with an artist’s sketch and road map for the future that says, hey, this map can change if we need to. But there’s also this: planning at UFV might be reaching new levels of sophistication, but our present looked modern, enticing, and worth buying into for thousands of people not very long ago.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

NEWS After federal lobbying, SUS awaits budget announcement with eye toward student loans MEGAN LAMBERT CONTRIBUTOR

Coming back from a conference on Parliament Hill, the Student Union Society (SUS) executives seem pleased with their advocacy efforts — and they’ve got the group photos with Trudeau to prove it. The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) holds four conferences each year for student unions to meet with government officials to discuss issues relevant to students. The October 2015 election threw the regular conference schedule off, so CASA combined their advocacy week and their general meeting in one trip. SUS president Thomas Davies and VP external Sukhi Brar attended the week-long conference at the end of February and participated in 160 meetings with MPs and stakeholders — including nine meetings with ministers and the prime minister. Davies says that even though many of the items SUS wanted to discuss were included in the Liberal platform, the conference was a good way to remind the party to stay on track. “We got some very good feedback on a couple items, which we think definitely have a good chance of making the budget on March 22. We’re definitely excited for that. There’s some good support for students that will come

down the line as a result of these advocacy efforts,” he says. Some of those efforts include support for the Canada Student Loan program. Davies says that because the amount of $210 per week hasn’t changed since 2004, over 40 per cent of students who use the program still have unmet financial needs. CASA was advocating for that amount to be raised to $245 per week — a relatively low-risk investment. “This is one of the easiest to sell to the government because this would put about 150 million dollars into student pockets which are going to be paid back, which means after the money is recovered and everything, it’s only administration [costs],” he says. “So it [would] only cost 44 million dollars.” Another part of CASA’s lobbying efforts focused on Aboriginal education — the Liberal party has promised to invest 50 million dollars into the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) that provides postsecondary funding for Aboriginal students. Federal funding for the program has been at a cap of two per cent since 1996 — but Davies says inflation has surpassed that amount and there are still approximately 10,000 potential students who are not taking funding away from the program. “It ties into a segment of the truth and reconciliation commission calls to action

Photo Courtesy Student Union Society

regarding education,” Davies says. “We’re calling for them to go the full mile and help improve this program which exists but needs some more work.” SUS executives also attended the general meeting portion of the conference where CASA either amended, approved, or updated a total of 25 policies. Davies says that CASA policies and their advocacy efforts revolve around a few key themes, this year’s including more support for graduate students; an increase in loan and grant amounts; increased support for the Repayment Assistance Plan; increased Tri-Council funding (for research in the sciences, humanities,

engineering, and health sectors) and advocating for more student representation on those governing boards; and to increase funding for co-op and paid internships and apprenticeships. Davies says that all of these efforts are based on the data CASA has collected about student debt, support, and needs. “We don’t take an ideological perspective when advocating; we do our research, we develop a policy, we consult with relevant people, and that’s what we present to the government,” he says.

Already playing to a theatre near you UFV promo video plays in cinemas, extends brand MITCH HUTTEMA THE CASCADE

Looking to stay competitive, UFV has produced a video, which is now showing in theatres, to target potential students. Produced by association Cassiar MediaWorks, an Abbotsford-based video production company, the 30 second video is showing in theatres across the Fraser Valley until the end of March. The promo, which cost UFV $19,200 to produce and market, features scenes from several campuses, as well as aerial footage courtesy of the UFV aerospace department. UFV president Mark Evered presented the video to the board of governors at its March 3 meeting. “Leslie [Courchesne], our executive director of university relations, got a little frustrated,” he said. “She goes to a movie and she sees an ad for Kwantlen and she says, ‘Why aren’t we doing that?’” There were two themes that UFV wanted to express with this video. “UFV is a place where you can come and have a good career outcome,” says Caleb Zimmerman, director of marketing and student recruitment at UFV. “Secondly, you can be a top student and have big dreams and big plans and you don’t need to leave the Fraser Valley to get the best possible education for you.” The planning process for the project began in December when UFV contacted local production companies for proposals.

“[UFV was] a great client to work with because they valued our creative direction,” says Adam Wormald, creative director at Cassiar. Wormald says that UFV was very receptive to the company’s creative input. “I met with them, we came back with a bit of a vision … They gave me six things to communicate and suggestions on how to word it, and I didn’t use any of it,” Wormald says. The advertising package with Cineplex is not limited to the 30-second spot being shown on the big screens; it also

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I met with them, we came back with a bit of a vision … They gave me six things to communicate and suggestions on how to word it, and I didn’t use any of it

shows on smaller screens in theatre lobbies. In total, the Cineplex theatres where the promo video will be shown are: the Colossus in Langley, High Street VIP in Abbotsford, SilverCity in Mission, and Galaxy in Chilliwack. UFV is already planning for several more videos as well. The first is a testimonial-based video from UFV’s students and the second focuses on the university’s community aspects. The video can be viewed on the “Get the best learning experience” tab of the Future Students section of UFV’s website, as well as on Cassiar MediaWorks’ website, and in any of the Cineplex theatres in the Fraser Valley until the end of the month.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

NEWS New student fee for next year presented, amid controversy Opponents criticize new interpretation of limit policy by Ministry

Photo Courtesy UFV

MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE

A new student fee, presented to the broader university community at Monday’s budget forum, is intending to add service staff for the next academic year. Critics, including the provincial party of opposition (NDP), the Student Union Society (SUS), and the president of the faculty-staff association (FSA) see it, however, as a work-around for the provincial tuition-limit policy, which allows public universities to raise tuition no more than two per cent each year. This fee, the “Student Experiential Learning and Wellness fee,” will cost $2.79 per credit, or $83.70 in an academic year for a student on-track to complete their degree in four years (30 credits per year). This announcement follows news of other institutions, including Vancouver Island University, Vancouver Community College, and North Island College, adding similar fees. But reporting from the Canadian Press shows that this trend was directed, in part, by the Ministry of Advanced Education. The president at North Island refers to being informed of “a new interpretation” of the limit policy. And at UFV, chief financial officer Jackie Hogan calls it an “opportunity.” “We received that information,” she says, “and considered, ‘How does that fit with our goals and teaching plans?’” There are five exceptions to the limit policy, which has existed, unchanged, since 2005. The relevant one here states: “Institutions may set the initial tuition and mandatory fee rate for new instructional programs (not amendments to existing programs). After the first year, tuition and mandatory fees will be subject to the tuition limit policy.” The proposed budget for 2016-17 lists several positions

that will be funded in part or in whole by the new fee, which is projected to total $540,000 in new revenue. These include part- or full-time staff positions at: the Career Centre, focusing on career networking; support for the co-curricular record and Peer Resource and Leadership Centre (PRLC); a coordinator in portfolio development; and a coordinator in recreation and wellness education and programs. Additions will also be made to the Educational Enhancement Fund, which supports students attending conferences and research that requires travel. Aside from the portfolio program, a long in-the-works plan that would align with the co-curricular record’s aims of a more extensively quantified transcript, these positions would reside within already-existing centres. But Gordon says communication with the Ministry shows this shouldn’t be a problem in getting the new fee approved. “If we’re going to be offering new programming, even if it’s offered through the PRLC, it’s still new programming,” she says. “It might be operated under PRLC, under Student Life, but it’s a new program, a new service that’s being provided to our students.” Based on a survey conducted by The Cascade of 87 students on the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses, opinion on the matter is split, with 38 in favour and 49 against the idea of the fee. Student responses against the fee cited wishes for optional fees, usage-based fees, and low satisfaction with the alreadyexisting services. “If the fee was less I could get on board,” said Dan Coates, an engineering student. “But this seems a little much — this should be partially covered by the university.” Another student echoed other comments in favour, wishing for more of an effort made to share information with students. “I know and like what it goes towards, even if I don’t need those services right now,” said Chuck Barker. “But if all budget plans

were made known to students … I would have enough info to make a more educated decision.” Opposition to the new fee has focused on this use of a technicality to add to steadily-increasing tuition rates. “The Tuition Limit Policy is supposed to provide assurance to students that the cost of education can be reasonably predicted over the course of their program,” writes Sukhi Brar, the vicepresident external for the SUS in a statement. “Instead, [the Ministry] suddenly has created a new interpretation of a decadeold policy without public information or consultation, thereby allowing institutions across the province to charge students for the costs of government inaction.” At the budget forum, FSA president Sean Parkinson voiced his disappointment following Hogan and Gordon’s presentation. “It’s not my job to advocate on behalf of students,” he said. “But I would like to say that maintaining properly funded postsecondary education is in all of our interests, and to get around a tuition limit policy is unfortunate.” No representative from the SUS was present at the budget forum. Gordon says that concerns over student affordability are not a significant problem with this new fee, citing statistics regarding student financial aid as one indicator. “About 20 per cent of our students receive government assistance under the student loan plan, and the average for the province is about 30 per cent,” she says. Gordon also adds that student work-study positions will be added to assist with the new additions. President Mark Evered, responding to Parkinson’s comment at the forum, focused on affordability as well, rather than the technical nature of the fee, posing a rhetorical question: “What is that reasonable amount for a student to pay, for probably the very best investment in their life?”

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

www.ufvcascade.ca

NEWS Accessibility ramp at front of Abbotsford campus nears construction completion VANESSA BROADBENT THE CASCADE

The frenzy of construction by the front entrance of the UFV’s Abbotsford campus will soon be coming to an end, as the construction of the new ramp is nearly finished. Craig Toews, executive director of campus planning and resource development, confirmed that UFV has been planning to build the ramp for several years. “It’s been a long time in the making, and we applied for funding from the ministry of advanced education years ago,” he says. The project, which is scheduled to be finished by March 31, has already been in progress for three months. “This project started before Christmas,” Toews says. “They were doing some of the landscaping and trees were cleared away, but the bulk of the project has happened in the new year.” The ramp is only one part of UFV’s goal to make the north side of the Abbotsford campus more accessible. “For many years, the strategy has been to have accessible parking on the west side of the building,” Toews explains. “We just felt it’s a good message to have our front door accessible. We created a compelling case for government to fund this and we received funding dollars for it.” While the ramp will make the front entrance more accessible, Toews also notes that the surrounding areas are being improved as well.

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“Access is key to who we are fundamentally, and that’s reflected back in increases we’ve seen in students with disabilities coming to UFV.”

“It’s not just the ramp, but even something as simple as the curb and the access,” he says. “The asphalt there was cracked and really miserable to try and [access]. The whole piece is fixing that road intersection as well. It’s fixing up some things that are good for everyone safety-wise.” At this time, there are no specific plans for additional physical changes, but vice president students Jody Gordon says that UFV’s Abbotsford campus, which has buildings that date back to 1983, needs renovations to better serve its students. “We just didn’t know as much back in the 1980s about how to make space more accessible,” Gordon adds. “That’s where we use our knowledge today.” UFV’s campus planning department has been working with the accessibility committee to find areas that need improvement. “[They] look at it more from a policy point of view,” Gordon explains. And while there are specific building regulations put in place to ensure accessibility, Gordon also sees it as a moral responsibility of the university. “Access is key to who we are fundamentally, and that’s reflected back in increases we’ve seen in students with disabilities coming to UFV,” she says. “Part of our DNA is being an opening and welcoming institution to people of all abilities,” Toews adds. “So I think it goes without saying that we would do projects like this.”

Photo: Mitch Huttema

The Cascade invites YOU to attend our EGM On March 17th, at 1:00 p.m. in the S.U.B! Join us as we: • Elect a new president of the Cascade Journalism Society • Present our budget Pizza will be provided to those in attendance!

Photo: Mitch Huttema

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

STUDY BREAK Crossword

Last week’s answers

Sugar and Siracha 2

Across

7. Wasabi.

Across 3. BOW

8. What’s black and red and delicious all over?

7. CADENCE

10. Dijon.

8. WALTZ

11. Sticks, made from inner bark.

Down

9. HAYDNSEEK 12. CONDUCTOR 14. STRING 15. CHORUS

1. On fries, on hotdogs, on hamburgers. Got all that? 2. Saint Joseph’s Wort.

Down

3. Got vampires? No problem!

1. LULLABY

4 Classic soft serve. 5. Pickles.

2. DUET

6 Sweet purple plant. Popular in fragrances.

4. OPERA

9. Cousins of parsley, sage, and thyme.

5. BASS

10. Sweet, spear, cala _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

6. SAXOPHONE 10. NOTE 11. KEY 12. CHOIR 13. REST

EclipseCrossword.com

Horoscopes

Star Signs by Sybil la Clair

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 Go gluten-free — and save some dough.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 If your piano is suffering from poor self-esteem this week, remind it that it’s just grand and to hold its chin upright.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 If your friend tells you a joke, laugh. Even if it’s not funny, you’ll get the health benefits of a positive attitude.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 If you fail your driver’s test, just remember that a scooter will cost less cash to operate.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 If you get around to taking a break this week, trying to lie down and let your eyes move in rapid motions for at least a four hour cycle.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 If you notice blossoms in the trees this week, duck. There may be cherry-bombs heading straight for your face.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 Everything hangs in the balance this week — including your the books, power, and the accounts.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 Who’s that mysterious figure? Why, it’s you Aquarius! Make sure you let your profs know that you really have been in class — you’ve just been the victim of an invisibility spell.

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 If your fishbowl looks particularly empty this week, try to remain calm. Your fish is just being koi.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 If you get your taxes done sooner rather than later, you’ll get your return faster.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 If you decide to wear a hat this week, make sure you choose something that goes with your aura but doesn’t clash with your vibe.

BY ANTHONY BIONDI

SPACED

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 A cheap alternative to decisionmaking software is a magic 8 ball or rock, paper, scissors.

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

OPINION

S Curtailed commentary on current conditions Illustrations: Danielle Collins

Falling short of giving

I continually fall short of succeeding at one of the things that I set out to do with the most zeal. I’ll tell myself, today I must focus. I consciously decide to overcome my weaknesses, but veer from my intended goals not long after. What’s so odd is that I struggle with the one thing I truly want to give to people, the thing I want to get from people, and what I want others to want from me. It’s not as if it’s a chore, like some class assignments or a temporary job, both of which are tasks that one endures hoping for compensation. This one thing I seek to do — to give — can be compared with no other delight, satisfaction, or high. While seeming so natural, it’s often the most challenging undertaking of the day. I just wish I didn’t struggle so much with totally unassuming, entirely unashamed, unconditionally sincere love. Giving or receiving it.

Joel Robertson-Taylor

SUS Dog, SUS Hero Terrill Smith

SUB Lot Swamp (Pt. 2) Kat Marusiak

One of my favourite times of the school year is the final exam period. While it’d be nice to say that it’s because I love being able to demonstrate my knowledge of the course material, the truth is that all students, including myself, hate exams. The actual reason is because during this time, therapy dogs come to UFV so that students can “paws” for a study break! I was reminded of the dogs last week when, during a particularly stressful day, I saw that often-present golden retriever in the SUS offices. Now, I don’t even like dogs that much, largely owing to several traumatic canine experiences I had as a paperboy. But this golden retriever was looking at me so affectionately, and I simply had to hug him. And, like the therapy dogs, he made me feel better. Although I don’t know whose dog it is, or what his name is, I do know that he’s awesome, and that he does more for students than anyone or anything else in those offices!

Illustration: Sultan Jum

Three Celebrities and Clickbait Mitch Huttema

Springtime is here and, as always in the Fraser Valley, it has brought plenty of rain with it. Sunny days seem outnumbered by cold and damp ones, and the perpetual sogginess can at times seem almost inescapable. I look outside the back of the Student Union Building with despair; it seems they have not heard our pleas, or simply cannot or do not wish to respond. In the meantime, the SUB lot swamp grows more perilous as the days go by. Dark rumours whisper that some students have been seen leaving the Great Hall by their friends, only to mysteriously disappear without a trace, their vehicles left empty in the parking lot to be quietly removed shortly thereafter. So please, UFV, we implore you: if it is possible any time in the near future, a bridge across this dire mire could potentially save the lives of students! Please hurry before March and April showers bring May missing persons reports!

Lately, three celebrities in particular seem to be attracting all the hatred and disgust of the public. Shia LaBoeuf for his publicity stunts, Michael Bay’s shallow filmmaking, and Kanye West for his mood swings, selfglorifying music, and general disrespect of others. But what if these three are not the hacks they are made out to be? LaBoeuf’s stunts can be viewed as deranged, but they can also be categorized as performance art reflecting the effects of public attention on a celebrity as they grow up. Kanye knows that people treat him like a god, but, rather than balk at the praise, he revels in it, making people uncomfortable and forcing them to reconsider their idolization of celebrity life. And Michael Bay graduated from an exclusive and prestigious film school at the top of his class and now directs some of the lowest rated, but highest grossing films of all time. What if LaBoeuf’s work is just misunderstood, and Bay and Kanye are willing to sell anything as long as you will buy it?

www.ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

OPINION Social media saves group projects RACHEL TAIT

CONTRIBUTOR

With cluttered lives and hectic schedules, who has time for group projects that depend on other people for a high grade? To be honest, group projects aren’t enjoyable for a number of reasons: A) No one’s schedule is compatible with the other members’, making it nearly impossible to meet up; B) It is very hard to communicate with everyone in the group, especially if you are using inadequate programs like Blackboard, the only program that still prefers Internet Explorer to the more modern browsers out there; and C) Half the group either doesn’t show up for scheduled meetings, or they don’t do the work because they are slackers! However, group projects do count for a large percentage of your overall grade — often at least 20 per cent — so how do you avoid the pitfalls that stress most students who find themselves in this situation? Surprisingly, incorporating your personal life into your school work could be the answer. In an earlier conversation at Starbucks, a fellow student gave me startling advice: use social media to help organize your group assignments. She found that it helped relieve the stress of having to work with so many people, and the group got an A after completion. As an experiment, I decided to follow her advice, and it works very effectively. First of all, social media is super user friendly and, for

the most part, everyone at school has access to it. In the example of setting up a Facebook group conversation, there is a lot less stress in making sure thoughts and ideas are communicated to everyone at the same time. Everything is written down, making it clear and easy to find on the internet. Being able to reread group strategies and planned meetings also helps to lessen confusion and bring better results for projects overall. Another good thing about involving social media in group projects is that it’s generally not as complicated as navigating Blackboard, where many students may not want to put up with repeatedly finding the page to discuss what they want to do for their group projects, making it unlikely they’ll get their points across and finish their projects on time. On Blackboard, it is also easier to miss each other, since no one checks their emails on the website as much as they do on social media. Finally, it is easy to keep track of who is paying attention to the group discussions on social media. Facebook messenger shows icons of the profile pictures of all those who are following along with the messages, making it very easy to see who is slacking behind and who to trust with the more important tasks. There is also the option of Skyping or holding video conferences if members cannot meet face to face to get their point across. This is not ideal, but it does get the job done. There are so many other benefits of using social media — the list could go on. But in conclusion, using social media is a brilliant alternative to handling the dreaded group project scenario without losing it! Illustration: Danielle Collins

Bread and circuses: Improving and fostering a community at UFV

Illustration: Brittany Cardinal

MARTIN CASTRO

THE CASCADE

Part of the university experience includes, well, the actual university. But what’s up with UFV? The university has always been a commuter campus: we show up, we go to class, we complain about class, we go home. Some of the places that I would frequent in-between classes were The Cascade and CIVL offices, back when they were situated in C building. However, not everyone’s a part of a student organization. Admittedly, the SUB has been a great step forward in fostering what can tenuously be referred to as our school’s identity. So what can we do to further that? Well, firstly: food. The choices we have in terms of meals (without having to leave campus) are limited to the cafeteria, the Tim Horton’s, Fair Grounds, and the Canoe, not to mention vending machines peppered sporadically through the many hallways of UFV. Of these, the Canoe is the only space which is relatively comfortable enough to function as not just a food dispensary but also as a social location. The sitting area inside the Canoe is great for a group of up to around 10 people, but the main problem persists; it’s not a totally comfortable space. And comfort is everything.

Here’s the problem: alcohol and light. There’s not enough of one, and there’s too much of another. With Aftermath, a group of students could sit in congregation, drink a couple of beers, and shoot the shit, whereas it’s just awkward when you do the same in the Canoe. The place is just way too white and sterile to be comfortable, and the seating is generally pretty inflexible. The main difference is this: Aftermath was a bar with food, the Canoe is a restaurant with beer. And while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, there’s more that the Canoe can do to solidify its role as a place where students come together. Apart from its level of comfort, the Canoe is plagued by problems that inhibit its full potential. The two main problems are wait times and prices. Mostly wait times. It’s very hard for someone who has a full schedule to grab lunch and eat it at the Canoe, especially when wait times are as long as they are. There should also be more places to sit around campus. Comfortable places. Places that also have tables. This is something that UFV could implement fairly easily: add a knee-height table and four or six comfortable chairs around it, and you’ve immediately got a much-needed space to sit and talk and study in comfort. This is why the tables in the SUB by Fair Grounds see a lot of traffic day in and day out: because they’re there.

UFV wasn’t built as a social space, but, with the construction of the SUB, that has started to change, and students have responded accordingly by spending more time at the SUB than at other buildings. The main difference between the SUB and say, A building, is that there’s a solid chunk of the SUB that allows students to not only socialize, but also to work in an environment that’s less inherently divisive than those in A building. For example, the wings in A building offer seating, but no workspace, no tables. Moreover, the SUB isn’t entirely out of the way of most other amenities on campus, as is the case with the little wings in A building. Having these kinds of seating areas that are big enough to accommodate a fair-sized group of people would allow for students to sit and eat and work, and share conversation and jokes. In other words, it takes the spaced-out seating arrangement we see in the SUB and turns it into a communal space, one focused on sharing bigger, more sociable workspaces as opposed to smaller, individual tables that can’t accommodate more than two people. We should take the same triumphs that make the SUB such an inviting area of our campus and implement them at its more desolate extremities, namely A, B, and D buildings.

VANESSA BROADBENT AND ALEX RAKE THE CASCADE

For many students, being a part of a student group on campus means more than just a line on a resume. It means sharing in the ability to create events on campus, slowly laying the claim that “there’s nothing to do” at UFV to rest. Part of running a club or association is just organization — holding required meetings, going through the paperwork necessary to remain an officially-supported group through the Student Union Society (SUS). But the upside is the SUS offers some support. The new Student Union Building on the Abbotsford campus provides offices for eight groups, as well as a free, central location for gatherings and events. And, each year, the SUS devotes a budget line to funding clubs and associations. This year’s total was $50,000 — a fund to be shared by 21 registered associations and 45 clubs. The downside is, in the experience of multiple groups, the potential influx of activity on campus has been stifled by SUS bureaucracy. SUS most recently updated their funding process for clubs and associations in fall of 2014. SUS grants the group 70 per cent of their approved funding before the event, the remaining 30 per cent when they submit receipts. Before the change, groups were given a sum at the beginning of the year and were required to submit receipts throughout the semester to prove they were spending it responsibly. “We tried that, it didn’t work out, and we went back to the entirely ‘on request’ process,” says SUS president Thomas Davies. Fund requests are assessed by SUS’s finance committee, which conducts all its business in camera (in private). Requests over $1000 are reviewed by executives. Davies calls the current system “efficient and effective,”

however, some clubs have experienced difficulty dealing with the waiting time between applying for and receiving funding. “I feel that the three week waiting time is a bit much. It makes it difficult to schedule events appropriately,” says Peter, a member of a club at UFV. (Student names in this article have been changed to protect identities.) Melissa, a member of a different club, agrees that the time it takes to get approval can set clubs back significantly. “We got our first [event of the year] approved,” she says, “but it kind of took a while, a month or so, to get approved. And we’re already in the middle of the semester, almost.” Davies, on the other hand, asserts that “most requests are handled very quickly,” and that the time it takes to process them depends on how significant the amount is. “Certainly when we’re talking large requests for multiple

“Certainly, we have money to disperse and want to get as much out, but by no means is it guaranteed that the full amount is always going to be approved.” — Thomas Davies, SUS president

thousand dollars, inherently yes, the finance committee is asking for more information about it,” he says. “More details, more plans, because that’s an investment of thousands of student dollars, and again, we need to be sure the money is used appropriately.” However, even for smaller amounts, some clubs report long wait times for funding. One association member, Anne, explains that their association “did receive some funding from SUS eventually, after jumping through many

2009

2010

Student group fair, efficient, Multiple groups express hoops. It was about a two month process to get partial funding for one event — all in all very frustrating.” Davies suggests that the remedy to the long wait times is to “apply in advance of their events so they know how much money they have.” “We just really encourage people to apply in advance for funding,” he says. “Certainly, we have money to disperse and want to get as much out, but by no means is it guaranteed that the full amount is always going to be approved.” Some clubs express confusion as to why the amounts they receive aren’t as large as they expected. “This semester, we have had two events so far (with about three more planned) and they have given us less and less every time,” Peter says. “Last semester one of our events ended up getting about $240; this semester we were slashed to about $160 for the exact same event.” Davies repeats that SUS wants to be responsible with their funding. “We are handling money here, and we need to make sure it’s being spent appropriately,” he says. He describes the way they decide amounts as “taking a look at similar events, what’s happening, what’s normal, what’s the typical costs we see of an event like this — the level of impact, the broadness of impact on students.” “Not that everything has to touch everyone, by any means. But if there’s a higher cost attached to it, it’s good to see it’s

2011

$68,000

$72,000

$60,000

2008

CLUBS AND ASSO

p funding: is it , and timely?

in similar situations, top SUS executives frequently make decisions based on personal political affiliation — rather than on any particular policy or the needs/wants of its members,” says Ryan, one member of a club. Ryan also feels that the opinions of their members could also play a role in their relationship with SUS. “They equivocate the personal political opinion of an organization’s members with the merit of the group in its totality,” he says. Davies doesn’t see this as a possibility as only one executive, the vice president internal, sits on the finance committee, and their vote is only one of eight. impacting a larger number of students.” Melissa thinks the SUS’s current club-funding process “is a bit “This year we had well over 100 fund requests, so [the filimiting because [clubs] only get a little bit at a time.” To avoid nance committee is] used to seeing all types of things and the process altogether, many clubs have started paying for their events out of pocket to avoid going through SUS. “Their priority should be the forma“We’ve tried to stay away from SUS funding for our following events, most of which are low-cost and low-revenue, and tion of new clubs and continued supgenerally pay for themselves,” says Emily, an association’s pres- port for existing ones, but I feel very ident. “We’ve also funded our [association’s] scholarship that discouraged.” we give out annually almost entirely through fundraising, rather —“Peter,” club member than deal with SUS.” Davies says the new process, with the finance committee meeting once a week, for up to two hours, is an improvement over the old one, where groups would sometimes bring their requests to the entire SUS board at its monthly meetings. But know quite — in a broad sense — what type of things to some student groups feel under-informed and lacking alternate expect, and how things typically operate, what events typically need, what amount of money,” he says. “They have options with the top-down decision-making process. “One association sent in a fund request a few days before experience in this type of thing at this point, so there’s no their event (which, understandably might not be enough time) real way for one person to say, ‘I dislike this group, I don’t and received one third of their request,” Peter says. “It seemed want to give them money.’ In none of our committees deceitful because SUS knew that they had the upper hand in would people find that an acceptable response.” Regardless of the reasoning behind funding approvals, how the money was handled.” some club and association members still feel unsupported. But some students suspect that there may be more to their “The whole process is very discouraging, for smaller clubs denied funding requests than SUS is letting on. “In my experience, and from what I have been told by others especially. SUS is supposed to represent us as students,” Peter says. “Their priority should be the formation of new

frustration with process

clubs and continued support for existing ones, but I feel very discouraged. It is because of this (and other factors such as room booking times) that I feel [this club] may not continue next semester.” In an effort to be more accessible for students, SUS created a handbook for clubs and associations in the fall semester of 2014, outlining various procedures, including how to apply for funding. But with the opening of the new Student Union Building, many of the procedures, such as room bookings, have changed. “A handbook was a really good step last term,” Davies says. “With the new building … it rapidly [needs] updating.” “Hosting events is critical to a club or association’s success,” the handbook states. “Events allow you to recruit new members, keep an active presence on campus and in the community, and create good relations with faculty, administration, and more. There is no limit to what your club and association can do, and creativity is encouraged.” Davies says the SUS is looking at small improvements to the funding application process for next year. “We’re looking at some tweaks we can make to the fund request form to address some of the common [questions] we have to raise with people.” “Also we can definitely look at creating some sort of helpful hints sheet.” Long-term, the SUS’s 2015-2018 strategic plan outlines three years of progress to “provide better support for clubs/associations.” “Review and reduce bureaucratic barriers for engagement,” it reads. Both Vanessa Broadbent and Alex Rake are members of student groups: the Louden Singletree and the English Students Association. Interviews for this piece were conducted with students outside those two groups.

2014

OCIATIONS FUNDING

$50,000

2015

$59,500

$53,000

$50,000

2012

2013

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

www.ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE & EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS MAR 9 MAR 10

On both sides of the Fraser River, local music scene lives

Clubs & Associations: The Get Work Done Workshop 5:30 -9:00 p.m. @ SUB

Peace Really? Peace Studies Confront Terrorism with Dr. George Lopez 12-1:30 p.m. @ B121

UDI: Fraser Valley Development 101 1:30-5:30 p.m. @ B101

MAR 14

UFV Nursing Health Fair 2016

9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. @ West Atrium, A building, CEP

UFV math club and physics student association present: Pi Day 10 a.m.-2 p.m. @ SUB

UFV Theatre: Auditions for the Emerging Director’s Showcase 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. @ Chilliwack North

Campus

MAR 15

UFV Theatre: Auditions for the Emerging Director’s Showcase 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. @ Chilliwack North

Campus

MAR 16

MAR 3-20 12

UFV’s Yes Means Yes Campaign present: Chili Night Wednesday, March 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m. @ Baker House

Twelfth Night

March 3-20 @ UFV Chilliwack North

Illustration: Sultan Jum

GLEN ESS THE CASCADE

Despite their small-town charms, Abbotsford and Mission have a history of producing performers, some of whom go on to become industry heav y-weights, winning the approval of critics and crowds alike, while others who become mainstays of the more niche, underground scenes. Bands such as Hedley tour the world, and solo artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen rake in hundreds of thousands of record sales. Meanwhile groups such as You Say Party earn plaudits from critics, including a spot on the Polaris Award longlist. Some groups, like GSTS, don’t receive much in the way recognition outside of their hometowns, but end up being woven into the story of the scene. Ask around, and you’ll always hear about how intense a GSTS show was, and how each show topped the last. Currently, the Valley is awash with talented young musicians playing together, honing their craft, and who can say which of them will go on to be the next You Say Party? This density of talent in the Valley was demonstrated quite well last Saturday, with not one, but two separate shows — one in Abbotsford and another in Mission.

The first and earliest of these shows was held in the basement of Trinity Memorial United Church, and featured visiting bands Anchoress and Air Combat, both of whom are Vancouver-based. But they were only half the bill — the opening two bands were local boys: the queer-core P.I.S.S. and post-punk rockers Blessed. As the show began, the slowly forming audience was drawn in by the visceral nature of P.I.S.S.’s performance, and a three-man mosh pit began. Then, Blessed stepped in and did what they do best, this time with the addition of synths, leading to a more tripped-out, spacey vibe — the set showed the band’s willingness to add and further refine their style. Meanwhile, another show with local ties was being prepped at Captain’s Cabin in Mission. Vancouver rockers Owl Skowl supported Western Jaguar and the Sylvia Platters in their bid to raise funds for an upcoming tour, along with Alex Rake and the Leaves’ first performance in over a year. While the Cabin is a larger space, it doesn’t create an atmosphere where the music is the key focus as well as the Basement does. And where Abby’s scene features a much harsher, punk sound, the Mission counterpart was a smoother pop-rock style. Between these two shows, as well as a whole host of others, it’s clear that the Fraser Valley music scene is still thriving, and will continue to do so.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

CULTURE & EVENTS FASHION

Remembering the murky memories of ‘90s boy-band fashions

Illustration: Sultan Jum

WANDA REXION FASHIONISTA EXTRAORDINAIRE

What do the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys have in common with the likes of the Backstreet Boys, NSY NC and One Direction? They all had a tangible effect on the fashion of the day. From the Beatles in their suits and matching mop cuts, to the Jackson Five with their afros and f lared pants, popular music invariably gives rise to style, to what’s hot and what’s not. Let’s examine, in more detail, two of the biggest boy bands who no doubt had an effect on our adolescence. Both of them came to prominence during the ‘90s, which saw a surplus of boy bands. Rather than spending time exploring the fashion of less acclaimed bands such as 98 Degrees or Color Me Badd, I’ll instead focus on the two heavy weights: The Backstreet Boys and NSY NC. The Backstreet Boys can be credited with having done much for humanity, but possibly the greatest thing they’ve ever done is demonstrate the versatility of a plain white buttoned shirt. When paired with white pants, the boys looked almost virginal, chaste, and pure. But they could also sex it up quite a bit with a simple unbuttoning — and considering this was in the ‘90s, they partnered the

unbuttoned white shirt with the typical baggy, low-riding pants that were symptomatic of the greater fashion crisis of the mid-’90s. While the Backstreet Boys were capable of great versatility, they were also infamous for doing things that would have had the haute couture specialists in apoplexy. After all, sometimes the most interesting things happen when rules are broken. Rules such as mixing denim jackets with leather pants, or not wearing white after Labour Day, all cast aside without a shred of doubt. And so the Backstreet Boys mixed the hard edge of wearing mesh shirts with leather jackets, with the softer selecting of matching sweater vests. They were truly capable of dressing for any occasion. Meanwhile, NSY NC, while less versatile, were more in tune with the casual nature of the ‘90s, more funorientated, and less focused on their members all wearing the same clothes. NSY NC were also far more radical in their choices: from Justin Timberlake’s ramen-noodle hairstyle, to Chris Kirkpatrick ’s athletics sweater under a blazer and

OFF

Regular admission prices with coupon or student card

Valid up to and including March 31st 2016

33072 1 Ave #902 Mission, BC

sweatband ensemble at a black tie event. The band very quickly spotted the tight fitting shirt fad that was taking Europe by storm and popularized the style in North America, with the addition of two-tone pastels and, in Timberlake’s case at least, puka shell necklaces. And while they did cave in to the occasional moment when they would wear fully matching ensembles like any other boy band, for the most part, NSY NC was a group of individuals, and they dressed as such, rather than going along with the boy band uniform look. Do modern day boy bands live up to these two giants of fashion? Setting aside the debate around musicianship, they just aren’t as stylish as their predecessors. One Direction, for example, are a cross of preppy and Bohemian styles; the ultimate hipster dream. But beyond that they just lack that particular f lair, that audacious risk taking. Of course having said that, it’s probably a good thing we won’t see a boy band wearing denim overalls anytime soon.

WE’RE HIRING A CULTURE & EVENTS EDITOR The Culture & Events editor works with contributors, attends events all over the Fraser Valley as well as here at UF V, and writes one Culture article per week. Must have excellent command of the English language. To apply, send your resume, cover letter, and a writing sample to glen@uf vcascade.ca

$150.00 / issue 13

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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CULTURE & EVENTS Terry O’Reilly, advertiser turned media personality, lectures on both sides of storytelling PANKU SHARMA CONTRIBUTOR

As part of UFV’s ongoing president’s leadership lecture series for 2015-16, CBC radio host Terry O’Reilly took over the SUB Great Hall on Tuesday, March 1 to host a series of lectures — a morning session that covered “Elevator Pitches” and a evening session that showcased the “Power of Storytelling.” The lecture series aims to present ideas focused on issues relevant to social, cultural, economic, and environmentally responsible development in the Fraser Valley. I only made it to the evening session (which cost $10 for a student ticket, while the earlier, morning session was free) and was greeted by a packed house. Close to 500 tickets were available for sale, but I did not see many empty seats. Admittedly, I’ve never listened to his radio show or podcasts (the most recent of which is called “Under the Inf luence”), but O’Reilly definitely has a voice for the art form. He has a diverse professional history in the fields of marketing and

advertising, and often used humorous examples to illustrate his points. In particular the campaign he devised for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, in which he dispelled the connotations of “high society” and “snobbiness” that may have held back potential fans from attending, was particularly well-executed. The power of storytelling, he says, lies in the audience developing an emotional attachment to the message. I’ve been learning much of the same in my political psychology class, that while logic and rationalism have often been thought of as the “superior” form of reasoning, emotion actually dictates most of our decision making, and without it we would be lost. When trying to persuade or present information, audiences will often skim over hard facts or details, being more likely to remember emotional appeals or narratives that help to identif y and relate to the speaker. That’s not to say you should manipulate emotion, but be honest with your own feelings and incorporate them in a fun way.

Photographs: UFV Flickr

The Cascade is always looking for new writers! Our next writers meeting will be at 2:00 PM on Monday, March 14 in the Cascade office (S2111, at the top of the stairs in the Student Union Building). If you’re interested in writing for the paper or just want to find out more, drop by! 14

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

CULTURE & EVENTS Career fair draws would-be careerists into the SUB GLEN ESS THE CASCADE

If you’re a student who has been coveting those elusive “career opportunities,” then the career fair hosted last Wednesday in the SUB was for you. An annual event, this was the first year it was held in the SUB. With 53 separate vendors all trying to convince students that their future lies within their institute or business, the Great Hall and a significant portion of the atrium was crowded and filled with the sound of sales pitches. Barely audible above the tidal wave of indistinct chatter was the campus radio station, CIV L 101.7 FM, who had been asked to provide music in an attempt to grease the wheels of industry. Other participants of the career fair included CIBC, the Army Reserves, and the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. The event had a broad spectrum of organizations vying for the attention of our student body, and the best way they could arouse student interest in their individual tables was by the tried and tested method of offering free pens, cards, candy, and stickers f lying every where. The career fair left many students laden down with these trinkets, and hopefully with thoughts of their futures outside of UFV. Career fair coordinator So Jeon, an employee at UFV’s career centre, believes that the fair lived up to expectations. “We have a strong track record with the career fairs on UFV campus — a lot of the employers do come back a lot of times, year after year,” she said, before going on to say that UFV’s student body plays an important role in enticing vendors to keep coming to the career fair. “They sometimes compare it to other career fairs at other universities and say exceptional things about not just the fair itself, but the quality of students and applicants, so kudos to students!”

Photograph: Mitch Huttema

Local libraries invade Abbotsford campus green GLEN ESS THE CASCADE/PHOTO

Who doesn’t love libraries? They’re giant repositories of knowledge, bursting at the seams and overflowing with imagination. It’s just a pity that sometimes, going to the library — the physical act of travelling — well, it can be a chore. If you’ve had obstacles getting in the way of you going to any of the Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) branches, then it’s a good thing the FVRL can come to you, as they did when their mobile library parked on the Abbotsford campus last Wednesday. LiLi: the Library on Tour, a literacy initiative managed by the FVRL and funded by a grant from the Libraries and Literacy branch of our provincial government, is not a typical mobile library. Instead of housing books, LiLi is a modern take on the notion: a sleek little hatchback with high-tech sensibilities. This cute little car came loaded with a computer, massive speakers, and even an Xbox Kinect in the back. Other nifty little quirks shown

during LiLi’s stop here at UFV included a gadget bar containing two laptops, three eReaders, an Ipad, and three audiobooks. Designed as a way for the FVRL to reach members of the community who haven’t been introduced to the library, LiLi was equipped with the ability to register people with the FVRL and print out library cards for them to immediately use. This short and sweet system was used by several UFV students, some of whom immediately began perusing the FVRL’s online selection on the previously mentioned equipment. LiLi has also been credited with being an interesting and successful method of community outreach; after all, it is capable of travelling practically everywhere across the Fraser Valley. However, while LiLi is most certainly a success, and it’s definitely something that should be applauded, I do have one quibble with the little library on tour: Does it really have to play music while I’m trying to read?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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ARTS IN REVIEW ALBUM REVIEW

Foreign Diplomats bursts into life on first album fully formed GLEN ESS THE CASCADE

Princess Flash, the debut release by Foreign Diplomats, is one of the rarest kinds of debut LPs: impressively imbued with a fullyformed sense of identity. The Montreal quintet has a very clear vision and understanding of what their style and sound is. Having played together for six years and released a five song EP just three years ago, you’d expect to find that they’ve refined their sound and moved on to something completely different. Nope. Foreign Diplomats haven’t changed anything in their playing, or in their sound, over the course of the three years between their self-titled EP and Princess Flash. However, the addition of slick production work from Brian Deck — better known for his work with The Shins and Modest Mouse — and three years of playing and working together has resulted in the creation of one of the finest debut albums in my recent memory. Princess Flash is a bouncy album, one far more than the sum of its individual parts — each musician being phenomenally talented in their own right. Thomas Bruneau Faubert’s work on keys and with synths is a constant presence on the album, adding to the catchy, summer vibe, particularly in songs such as “Comfort Design.” Faubert’s work is much like Deck d’Arcy’s

from Phoenix. In fact, some of the more powerful pop moments on the album could be quite easily compared to Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. However there are three major things preventing this comparison from being entirely accurate. For example, Charles Primeau’s staccato guitar riffs, most prominent in the track “Lilly’s Nice Shoes,” are more in line with Yannis Philippakis’ work with Foals rather than the jangling riffs in Wolfgang. The use of a funk-influenced bassline courtesy of Antoine LévesqueRoy, and the prominence of blaring trombones — again performed by Faubert, both most visible on “Mexico” — all of these instruments circle around Emmanuel Vallieres smooth drumming and Primeau’s ability to almost drown his vocals in emotion. Impressively, Primeau is able to demonstrate a wide vocal range, favouring the higher pitch without falling into the indie-rock voice so common elsewhere, a gaspy, scratchy, falsetto that sounds as if it’s three breaths away from expiring. Together, all of these individual parts swirl together into a truly compelling sound, and it is that melding that is the most interesting aspect of Foreign Diplomats. Princess Flash is without a doubt one of the most eye-catching debuts in a while, so I’m wondering just how much Foreign Diplomats can continue to develop. After all, how do you improve on something so brilliant?

ALBUM REVIEW

Breakbot shows that French House music is more than Daft Punk GLEN ESS THE CASCADE

What do Daft Punk, Justice, Etienne De Crecy, Breakbot, and Cassius all have in common? They’re all electronic house musicians, but most importantly, they’re all French house musicians. It’s interesting to note just how slick and how funky the French house scene is, in a day when the otherwise predominant form of electronic music is synth-based hard dance music or trap music. Rather than following along with the harsher North American sound or the more sparsely embellished German style practiced by the likes of R icardo Villalobos and Ellen Allien, the French house scene instead pays much closer attention to melody, and features a heav y dose of funk and soul inf luences. French house broke through into the mainstream two decades ago, leading to Daft Punk establishing themselves as radio heav y weights with 2013’s “Get Lucky,” their

first Top 40 in the U.S. Breakbot’s latest album Still Waters is another notch on the genre’s belt, full of R&B licks and old school funk embellishment. Only the second fulllength release by the French DJ, Still Waters is a prolonged love letter to the funk and soul music of the ‘70s, with Thibaut Berland — Breakbot’s real name — evoking the likes of early Michael Jackson and Curtis Mayfield. Jackson’s inf luence is especially noticeable in the track “My Toy,” which features vocals from Breakbot’s long time collaborator, Irfane K hane-Acito. Still Waters is a pop album that’ll keep heads nodding and feet tapping. It’s full of summery gloss and, even though the springtime rains aren’t going away anytime soon, it’s an album that can excite and intrigue as we leave winter behind. Who knows? Maybe this year we’ll hear the likes of “Back for More” just as often as we heard “Get Lucky” in the summer of 2013. Perhaps this coming summer will be once again dominated by that funky, fresh vibe coming from the French house scene.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

ARTS IN REVIEW

Shuffle AARON LEVY CIVL STATION MANAGER

It's mid-term time, and if that stresses you out, maybe some of these Aaron Levy favourites can either chill you back down, or at least help you get pumped for another late night buried in books and LED screens. Jas, I'm looking at you here.

Nicki Minaj "Only" The DJ at Townhall has started playing this song finally, 1.5 years after I started requesting it. “These hoes couldn’t test me even if they name was pop quiz,” says the Minajerie songstress. Unfortunately for students, your instructors can and will test you, regardless of what their namesakes may be. The Get Up Kids "Fall Semester" From their breakout Four Minute Mile, an angst ridden, teenaged regret focused tune about friendship, failure, and the everchallenging prospect of making a future for yourself based on accomplishment and achievement in personal and relationship spheres. If the test here were to write a catchy, meaningful song, these kids pass. Radiohead "2+2=5" Opening the renaissance of Radiohead’s modern era, following the revolutionary Kid A and Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief uses this mathematically invalid statement as a litmus test for blind faith in authoritative government. To do well during midterms, make sure you’re not one who Yorke accuses of “Not paying attention.” Killer Mike "Go" “What's that Killa? Y'all n**gas don't know? So/School's in session, let's go/Dope shit get you 75 a brick that bullshit/Coke just gets you 24/Like my n**ga told y'all n**gas back in '96/The difference between a 4.0 and a 4.6” Learn from he who fuels the Bern, fighting for next term. .

CHARTS 01

Foreign Diplomats Princess Flash

You Say Party You Say Party

Library Voices Lovish

Jordan Klassen Javelin

Open Letters 10-23

Basia Bulat Good Advice

Dodgers Orphans, Fools, And Thieves (Single)

Low Level/ I Hate Sex Split

Black Fast Terms of Surrender

David Bowie Blackstar

Ra Ra Riot Need Your Light

Zuzu's Petals At Long Last

Deerhunter Fading Frontier

Gomorrah The Haruspex

Tokyo Police Club Not My Girl

Still Waters

Feddie Gibbs Shadow Of A Doubt

Sanktuary Winter's Doom

Striker Stand in the Fire

Sparkle Blood Denim Tape

Breakbot

Illustration: Sultan Jum

MOVIE REVIEW

Risen covers Jesus’ death and resurrection

from a Roman perspective MICHAEL SCOULAR THE CASCADE

The crisis of faith narrative — neither the assumed-holy story of belief rewarded, nor the revisionist, rational explanation of a myth — is arguably the most interesting type of movie that might emerge from the recent influx of “faith-targeted” film releases. It shows the Christian community trying to make itself understandable to viewers outside its community, which, if you’re cynical, is just another arm of evangelical mission work, but it can also be seen as a less self-satisfied, searching kind of movie. Just as atheist filmmakers sometimes make the best religious films (Pasolini, Rossellini), perhaps believers can likewise best understand what it means to doubt. Directed by Kevin Reynolds (known for his collaborations with Kevin Costner in the ‘90s, among other old-historical dramas), Risen follows in a tradition of outsider-perspective Christian narratives — the Roman who comes into contact with Jesus Christ. Quo Vadis, The Robe, and now Risen feature characters who are, if not immediately convinced, jolted out of their regular commands and oppressive militarism by seeing the effect of Jesus’s final days on both the converted that gather around his final trek under the weight of the cross and on the natural world (earthquakes, ominous clouds, etc.). Risen isn’t a rich, expensive epic, though. It’s a procedural, following an officer, Clavius (played by Joseph Fiennes), ordered around by Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth), tasked with solving the case of what happened to Jesus’ missing body. While this could get played up with clues, suspense, and mysteries, here everything is flattened, made less monumental: Pilate is a low-ranking municipal politician; trying to find a source to talk to in a hostile, occupied Jerusalem is as uneventful as it sounds; and the crucifixion is a perfectly normal, low-attendance event. As hangings were to the Western, so crucifixions are to the Roman Empire — Jesus is just one of many bodies. This amounts to a low-energy production — Clavius can apparently work just one case at a time, standing around, asking vague questions to suspects he assumes will have no information, while a recently-assigned tagalong, played by Tom Felton, watches, hoping someone will ask him to do something. (“His father’s a friend,” reasons Pontius.) So, this isn’t an apprentice movie, and it isn’t an epic (most of the action is confined to a few city streets, an office, and a courtyard), but it doesn’t commit to being a procedural

either. Once Clavius encounters the disciples, who are hanging around a resurrected Jesus (who vanishes every now and then), he, confronted by the presence of someone he thought dead, stands stricken against a wall, then, well, joins up. The disciples, led by Peter (spontaneous laughter and bellowing) and Bartholomew (a light-hearted hippie), welcome him into their group, and so the remaining passages of the Gospel of John (the meeting with the fish on the shore, the ascension) play out with the 11 disciples — plus a Roman. There’s no more action — a single conversation between Clavius and Jesus replaces any internal grappling. The problem, perhaps, is that the invisible, almost subconscious process of belief is not something you can depict in a glance or a gesture. But the effect here is that Clavius, not unlike the assumptions of some Christians, is merely waiting to be shown the way to be saved and converted. Despite the lower-scale scope here, the narrative is still one of Hollywood storybook realism, one that comfortably ignores the idea of a human Christ and the question of how a minor resistance group was able to turn a series of ideas into one of this continent’s most popular religions. Maybe Risen was never intended to be that kind of movie, but it’s worth wondering when, or if, a filmmaker will make something on the level of Ava Duvernay’s Selma, a movie that seriously considers the role of spirituality and charisma in revolutionary struggle. Or, at least, a movie as urgent and emotionally complex as Richard Fleischer’s Barabbas — a film that tries to capture the power of religion from an outsider perspective. Like Risen, it follows a person (played with a mix of resentment and earnest regret by Anthony Quinn) who tangentially comes into contact with Jesus — the prisoner ceremonially released by request, the final step that made the Easter pageant inevitable. Barabbas moves through history, incapable of understanding it — some of his old friends converted while he was inside, no one understands how he could have stumbled through the scenes destined to be enshrined in paintings and picture books and stained glass and movies and not noticed what he was a part of. It doesn’t lead to a moment like the one that ends Risen, Jesus addressing the screen, promising eternal life before being enveloped by an artificial sunrise. (The most famous image in Barabbas is likely its crucifixion scene, culminating in a long-take natural solar eclipse.) Instead, Barabbas is left on his own, not stamped with an impression of doctrinal grace. “I tried to believe,” he says.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

www.ufvcascade.ca

ARTS IN REVIEW

S undBites

2 Chainz

The Dirty Nil

ColleGrove

Higher Power

One of the comments that I always find myself bringing up whenever I talk to anyone about the indie genre is how much it’s changed, how sanitized it’s gotten. Everything’s just too neat, I say. Higher Power is the answer to my complaints, apparently. This record unapologetically revels in angst and aggressiveness, in that fuzzy soundscape I imagine a more playful Black Rebel Motorcycle Club might inhabit. Album opener “No Weaknesses” comes out swinging, all dissatisfaction and bravado. If anything, the opener is too high-energy; it doesn’t give the listener a chance to catch their breath, which is why it’s such a great introduction to the record.

Mini album reviews

Higher Power isn’t just punk-rock influences, though. There’s a definite mid2000s aesthetic all over the record, mostly defined by choruses and melodic lines that are way too catchy to be ignored, like those on “Zombie Eyed” and the more melancholy “Bury Me At The Rodeo.” But then tracks like “Lowlives” come barrelling down at us, going a hundred miles an hour, and we’re thrust right back into the uncontainable angst and excitement of the record — a love letter to mid-2000s pop-punk.

Because of Lil Wayne’s contractual woes with Cash Money Records, ColleGrove, his collaborative effort with the Atlanta rapper is billed as a 2 Chainz album, with a Lil Wayne feature on just about every track. While I love Lil Wayne, I’m not oblivious to the decline his career has suffered over the past years, so while listening to ColleGrove I wasn’t all that surprised that I gravitated more towards 2 Chainz’ contributions rather than Weezy’s. There’s not much technical prowess at work here, and neither 2 Chainz or Lil Wayne use the record as a platform for any kind of social commentary. But that’s more because they’re 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne than anything else. “MFN Right” is one of the best-produced

Martin Castro

Swooner

Bas

Martin Castro

The Zolas

Too High To Riot This second release from rapper Bas (who is signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville label), is a welcome record, both instrumentally and lyrically. “Housewives” reflects the instrumental aesthetic that dominates Too High. Strings sway in the background, and crisp snares and hi-hats cascade over the more ethereal instrumental components. While entertaining, songs like “Housewives” come off as a bit too undefined to stand out on their own. The one thing that holds these less-than-perfect offerings in place is Bas’ delivery, which confidently commandeers

tracks on ColleGrove; 2 Chainz bops over the beat with an enviable effortlessness. But barring some exceptions, like “What Happened,” “Section,” and “Bounce,” most of the tracks on ColleGrove are too erratic to coalesce into songs, and the record suffers for this. What we’re left with is a couple of good tracks that get by more on charisma than anything else, wrapped up in a selection of beats that seem a little overplayed. I started listening to ColleGrove because of Lil Wayne’s contribution. I stayed because of 2 Chainz’. Oh, how the tables have turned!

most of the instrumentals. There are some gems on Too High To Riot — “Clouds Never Get Old” for example, has one of the most infectious choruses on the entire project, and Bas puts out some of his most charismatic lines on Too High To Riot on this track. The same commentary applies to “Dopamine,” which features a great verse from Cozz. Overall, Too High To Riot is an engaging sophomore release from a rapper whose main struggle seems to be in differentiating himself from the much more high-profile J. Cole, both in content and stylistic nuances. Martin Castro

The Zolas, a Vancouver-based indie outfit, recently released their much-anticipated third album, Swooner. The album begins with the synthesizerdriven single “Molotov Girls,” previously heard on 2015’s Wino Oracle EP alongside two other tunes that also appear here: “Fell In Love with New York” and “Male Gaze.” Swooner shares a similar upbeat, pop-rock sound to bands such as the New Pornographers and Yukon Blonde — The Zolas’ use of synths and electronic aspects create a style (apparent in songs “Get Dark”

and “CV Dazzle”) that rhythmically bridges the mainstream pop, electronic, and rock communities. Compared to previous albums Ancient Mars or Tic Toc Tic, (earlier albums that were tailored to a specific indie-rock listenership,) Swooner has the potential to attract a greater variety of listeners who would not otherwise enjoy the indie-rock genre. While listening to the album, comparing them to some of The Zolas’ past releases, I found myself bopping my head and dancing a bit in my chair.

Sonja Klotz

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

ARTS IN REVIEW ALBUM REVIEW

Kendrick Lamar’s surprise release of extra cuts is full of new ideas MARTIN CASTRO THE CASCADE

Kendrick Lamar’s always been into jazz and funk. His debut, Section 80, was laden with funk influences, and while people liked it and recognized the sheer talent behind it, the record pales in comparison to its successor. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City saw Lamar adopt the ‘90s “West Coast” aesthetic, particularly in the smooth, refined instrumentals courtesy of SounWave, label Top Dawg’s in-house producer. GKMC’s success gave Lamar an artistic carte blanche. He had the opportunity to make pretty much whatever the hell he wanted, and the resulting foray into jazz influences yielded To Pimp A Butterfly. Now, with untitled unmastered, it seems as if Lamar’s going back to those funk influences, while still retaining the jazz aesthetic he’s surrounded himself with for the past year. One thing to note is that this isn’t an album in the same sense as Lamar’s previous releases. Firstly, it’s not telling a story, and it doesn’t have a cohesive arch tying the tracks together. It’s more of a collection of tracks that were left on the cutting room floor, or that came as a result of unrelated creative episodes. “Untitled 01” is a bit of an instrumental

creative mess up until the one-minute mark, where Lamar jumps in and delivers a barrage of observations on the social conditions around the U.S. As always, Lamar’s content is more self-reflective than not. “01” is pretty abrasive, which could cause some listeners to disregard it in favour of the more conventional tracks on the record. But as an intro, “01” sets the stage for a sequence of tracks that are a result of Lamar musically challenging himself, somewhere inbetween having fun and being impassioned and angered by the social and personal conditions that we’ve seen reflected in his more current work. “02” starts with a man yelling, “Pimp-pimp! Hooray!” Lamar seems to be at odds here, reflecting on both his success and the life that’s come with it and the reality of the block he grew up on — the fact that although he’s been lauded as the poet laureate of the hip-hop community, he still grew up gangbanging. “Get God on the phone,” he raps over a woozy bass. “Said it won’t be long / I see jiggaboos, I see Styrofoam, my hood going brazy, where did we go wrong? / I see jiggaboos, I see Styrofoam.” There’s a sense of desperation to the delivery on the track until Lamar gets back to more conventional hip-hop aesthetics and delivers a verse that goes right back to the basics in delivery, one that looms over the entire track.

Lamar gets more straightforward in “03,” rapping over an instrumental that’s cheerful and funky. If anything, this is the track that symbolizes the volta in untitled, reflecting on the oppression of different groups in America through their societal situations and goals. “04” is more of a jam, more interesting instrumentally than it is lyrically. “05,” on the other hand, gives us a Lamar that’s a lot more upfront about his confusion and his anger. “Why you wanna see a good man with a broken heart?” he asks. “Once upon a time I used to go to church and talk to God / Now I’m thinking to myself, hollow tips is all I got.” Apart from being a ridiculously well-delivered verse, there’s more anxiety here than there was in most of To Pimp A Butterfly. Here he’s not contemplative, he’s angry. “I plan on creeping through your fucking door and blowing out every piece of your brain until your son jump in your arms / Cut on the engine then sped off in the rain, I’m gone.” Cee-Lo Green jumps on “06,” and together he and Lamar answer the questions laid out in the preceding tracks. And the answer, to Lamar, seems to be self-acceptance and self-love. The cheerful mood of the track doesn’t last long, though. “07” is easily the best track on this entire album. Bass and a twangy synth slump on. “Love won’t get you high as this / Drugs won’t

get you high as this / Fame won’t get you high as this / Chains won’t get you high as this.” Then what, Mr. Lamar, will get me high? It’s as if Lamar is reflecting on his own career throughout the eight-minute track, speaking out against how musical discourse fences artists in, defining them by their contemporaries. Instrumentally, “07” shifts and moves, and the last third of the track seems a lot more encouraging, at least until the small verse nestled in the last half of the track that’s an obvious response to Drake’s recent showboating: “I ain’t even playin’ no more / Said you just make me wanna Drake you down to the ground … like bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.” It’s also interesting to note that “07,” one of the best-produced tracks on the record, was produced by Swizz Beatz’ five-year-old son, Egypt. “08” closes the record off with a return to funk, and the more cheerful side of Lamar’s recent work. It’s apparent that even though he falls to perhaps even lower points of self-doubt in untitled than he did in TPAB, Lamar’s response is still to love his way out of it, finding strength and happiness in community and the people around him.

ALBUM REVIEW

To listen to Lucinda Williams is to listen to yourself ALEX RAKE THE CASCADE

Singer / song writers are often only as good as their lyrics. When artists like Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell start singing at you, you expect to hear words on words on words. You expect complex stories told by a string of metaphors and rhymes. Of course, the music itself is important, too, but the words are what give the song its identity. You can’t let your attention drift or you might miss something. Lucinda Williams also depends on your attention, but she gets it not by spouting epic poetry. Her lyrics depend more on refrains, on repeated lines, and her choruses often take up more space and time than her verses. This, combined with her tendency to write songs over five minutes long, make for a trance-inducing, meditative

experience. As a supposed country singer, this style sets Williams apart. Her latest release, The Ghosts of Highway 20, feels like one long string of meditations. For example, the opening track, “Dust,” rocks back and forth from verse to chorus. The verses repeat within themselves (“You don’t have to try to hold the tears back / You don’t have to try to hold the tears back / Because you couldn’t cry if you wanted to / You couldn’t cry if you wanted to”), and the chorus follows up with repetition after repetition of the line, “Even your thoughts are dust.” On the surface, these lines might sound like a drag to hear over and over again, but in the context of the music they act as mantras that keep you focused on the moment you’re experiencing. You’re always aware that you’re listening to a song. You’re always aware that you exist here and now and always.

This zen-as-heck experience is not the work of the lyrics alone. Lucinda’s albums can be pretty hit-and-miss musically, often torn between dry rock styles or boggeddown reverb effects, but Ghosts of Highway 20 is on point with its balance of forward drive and a ref lective atmosphere. Drums crash quietly, guitars meander with a purpose, and Williams’ voice is even more hushed and strained than usual. It all adds up to a sound that sucks you into the music and keeps you there, if you’re listening. As background noise it may seem unremarkable, but put some headphones on and shut your eyes and you will have no choice but to confront and transcend your ego, man. I’m very serious, though, about this particular album as a meditation. I don’t think any other Lucinda Williams album takes as much advantage of its meditative potential. 1996’s Car Wheels on a Gravel

Road is no doubt her masterpiece in terms of storytelling, but it’s more a satisf ying punch in the gut than a trigger for introspection. 2008’s West is also very repetitive, but because its atmosphere isn’t as deep or welldefined as this album’s it can feel a little grating. Williams gets it right — very right — this time around. And, to bring it back to Williams’ skill as a song writer: whereas legends like Bob Dylan have to construct all kinds of ridiculous metaphors, or those like Joni Mitchell fire off a million words a minute, all Williams needs to tell her stories are a few basic, precise words hammered into your brain. You fill in the rest yourself, and therefore to listen to The Ghosts of Highway 20 is to confront yourself. If you really pay attention you might even learn something.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

www.ufvcascade.ca

Photograph: Mitch Huttema