The Cascade Vol. 28 Iss. 07

FEBRUARY 26 TO MARCH 4, 2020

VOLUME 28 ISSUE 07

More butch than your dad since 1993

UFV'S INVESTMENT IN FOSSIL FUELS 3

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NEW PRO-LIFE CLUB HOSTS TABLING EVENT

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MAGIC MUSHROOMS, MEDICINALLY?

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BOJACK HORSEMAN’S FINAL SEASON

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

Jr. News Editor Sam Young samuel@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Carissa Wiens carissa@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Andrea Sadowski andrea@ufvcascade.ca

Feature Editor Darien Johnsen darien@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Chandy Dancey chandy@ufvcascade.ca Sports Editor Alex Jesus alex@ufvcascade.ca

Photographer David Myles

Illustrator Kayt Hine

Staff Writer Aleister Gwynne

Illustrator Kelly Ning

Staff Writer Nicholas Ashenhurst-Toews Staff Writer Krystina Spracklin

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Sports Writer Nic Jackson Social Media Coordinator Daniela Vasquez

The Shuffler Aaron Levy

CONTRIBUTORS Danaye Reinhardt

Back Cover: Elyssa English

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

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12 20......Events Calendar

Snapshots.......9 @UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 28 · Issue 07 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 800 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. Pitch meetings are held every Monday in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus at 2:30pm.

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 200 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.

The Cascade is published on the traditional, unceded territory of the Stó:lō peoples. We are grateful to be able to work and learn on this beautiful land.

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ARTS

Digital Media Manager Anoop Dhaliwal anoop@ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

Production Manager Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

NEWS

Creative Director Mikaela Collins mikaela@ufvcascade.ca

CONTENTS

FEATURE

Business Manager Aneesha Narang aneesha@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Nadia Tudhope nadia@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

Executive Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

18.......CIVL Shuffle

Study Break.......10

NEWS Fossil fuels......3

3......SUS policy change

Nicola Campbell Q&A......4

5......New pro-life group holds event

OPINION Editorial.......6

6.......Dear Robin

Volunteering.......7

7.......Dairy alternatives

Medicinal mushrooms.......8 CULTURE Cascade Kitchen......12

12.......UFV comedy event

Domestic abuse discussion......13 SPORTS Carter Bronson Interview.......14

15......Men's and women's basketball

ARTS Birds of Prey......17 Bojack Horseman finale......18

17......The Wheaton 19.....Cascade rewind

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

news@ufvcascade.ca Jessica Barclay — News Editor

NEWS NEWS

UFV //

NEWS BRIEFS

RCMP clear Mohawk rail blockade Ontario RCMP took action Monday morning to clear a rail blockade on Tyendinaga Mohawk territory in central Ontario, detaining several demonstrators after a midnight deadline requiring them to move was ignored.

As of Monday, numerous other rail blockades remain in place across the country.

The barricades, which were set up three weeks ago after B.C. RCMP cleared out pro-Wet’suwet’en protesters blocking access to a Coastal GasLink worksite, have brought Canadian rail traffic to a standstill. “The impact of these rail disruptions is untenable,” said Bill Blair, Public Safety Minister, on Monday morning, though he said the government remains committed to the reconciliation agenda.

- The Canadian Press

Coronavirus delays university admissions for Chinese studentss Language proficiency testing agencies in China announced last week that due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus, English exams have been suspended through the end of March. Now, Canadian universities are seeking to extend exam deadlines and searching for alternative means of assessing language skills for incoming students.

Education consultants believe the cancellation will primarily affect applicants enrolling in the fall semester. Affected schools include UBC and SFU, who both say they will be extending exam deadlines for affected students.

China is often the single largest source of international students at Canadian universities, such as UBC, where over onethird of all international students come from China.

- The Globe and Mail

UFV’s stake in the fossil fuel industry JESSICA BARCLAY An estimated 12 per cent of UFV’s $10-million endowment fund is invested in the fossil fuel industry.

Phillips, Hager & North Investment Funds Ltd., the company which manages UFV’s endowment portfolio, released a snapshot of UFV’s investments for a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

On Oct. 31, 12.3 per cent of the portfolio was invested in various companies related to the fossil fuel industry. The exact percentage and companies invested in varies day to day for UFV, but UFV’s investments have remained relatively steady over the last five years in both amount and industry, according to the FOI. In 2019, UFV’s endowment fund totalled just under $10.5 million, an increase from $9.9 million in 2018 and $8.65 million in 2015. UFV currently has approximately $1.3 million invested in the fossil fuel industry and has invested over $1 million per year for the last five years.

According to the FOI, the only investment UFV has in the fossil fuel industry is through its endowment portfolio.

An endowment fund is an investment fund commonly held by universities, among other not-forprofits. Donations to the university

are held and invested; generally the primary donation is maintained and the returns are used for initiatives, though some endowments are slowly used over time.

At UFV, the endowment portfolio returns help fund a variety of scholarships, bursaries, and leadership awards.

UFV was contacted for comment on their investment strategy and the university’s thoughts on divestment, but did not comment in time for publication.

The discussion around divestment There has been a worldwide push for certain institutions to divest from the fossil fuel industry as part of climate change action from a variety of sources, including activists, non-government organizations, and governments.

On Jan. 10, UBC released a letter announcing its divestment from the fossil fuel industry following a five-day hunger strike on campus from members of the UBC branch of the Extinction Rebellion.

This was announced as the next step in the wake of UBC president Santa Ono’s declaration on the “climate emergency” in December.

At the time, UBC was investing around two per cent of its $1.71-billion endowment fund in “the extractive fossil fuel industry,” ac-

cording to Yale Loh, UBC treasurer.

The discussion around divestment at UBC began in 2016, with protests from students and a vote for their student union to divest, which passed. The UBC board of directors rejected the idea of divestment in 2016 as “not a viable option” after taking financial council. The board instead created a sustainable future pool, where under one per cent, or $16 million, of the endowment fund was actively invested in sustainable initiatives.

It has been argued that divestment is not an effective policy to combat climate change. Bill Gates was quoted by Financial Times as saying that divestment “probably has reduced about zero tonnes of emissions.” Instead, companies should use their money to “promote progress” and invest in companies that are making environmental impacts.

Some activist groups and organizations disagree. The United Nations backs divestment “as it sends a signal to companies, especially coal companies, that the age of ‘Burn what you like, when you like’ cannot continue,” said Nick Nuttall, the spokesman for the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC). Valérie Plante, mayor of Montreal, urged pension funds to divest from fossil fuels last May as part of the city’s fight against climate change.

SUS //

New policy prevents interpersonal relationships on SUS executive team JESSICA BARCLAY The Student Union Society (SUS) held an additional board meeting this month to approve a new policy regarding interpersonal relationships.

Interpersonal relationships, defined in the policy as individuals being related or partners, will no longer be permitted on the fourperson executive committee. If partners or relatives are voted on to the executive team during the same election, or develop an interpersonal relationship while on the board, one will be asked to step down.

Additionally, partners or relatives are no longer able to be su-

pervised or hired by a partner or relative within the society. They are able to work at SUS, but if the project or department they work for falls under the jurisdiction of a relative or spouse, the person will be moved to a different department.

The Interpersonal Relationships Policy was sent back for wording changes at the last board meeting.

Tania Smart, SUS vice president internal, said the board wanted to approve the policy before the start of elections as it could affect who is able to run. Nominations for the SUS elections began Feb. 17, and the policy was approved Feb. 13.

According to Smart, issues regarding interpersonal relationships within the society were noted in

the past. There were concerns that if two people were in a relationship on the executive team the relationship may influence decisions.

This policy addition is part of the ongoing revisions and updates to SUS’s policies and forms. Currently, the Election Rules, Election Oversight Procedure, and Oversight Policy have been updated and approved by the board, along with the Conferences and Travel Expenses policies.

Four more policies have been updated and are waiting for approval, including the Election Policy which needs to be voted on at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on April 1 at 1 p.m.

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VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

NEWS Professor Profile //

Nicola Campbell brings Indigenous storytelling to UFV KRYSTINA SPRACKLIN Nicola Campbell is an Indigenous sessional professor at UFV with Nlaka'pamux (Thompson) and Syilx (Okanagan) ancestry on her mother’s side, and Métis on her father’s. She has lived in Sto:lo territory for 25 years, is a paddler (someone who races canoes), and currently teaches creative writing at UFV. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from UBC, and she is presently working on a PhD dissertation about Indigenous storytelling practices.

What brought you to UFV? English department head Melissa Walter contacted me about teaching. I live close by, in Chilliwack, and I’ve been working on my dissertations, so it’s a nice break from the solitude of writing full-time and parenting.

Did you have an association with UFV prior to joining this semester?

During my undergrad I attended UFV for my first year. Then I switched to UBC and went into the Bachelor of Education program there, where, actually, I changed my program. There was a death in my family that was significant, and I took some time off. I went back and wanted to finish it, so I did creative writing, and that was when I published my first book.

While you were still an undergrad?

Yes. The actual release date was after I graduated.

What other projects do you have in the works?

Two children’s books. One has a signed contract and is essentially complete aside from the editing and translation. It’s titled I Went Running. It was inspired by the children’s picture books I Went Walking and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do

You See? It explores my perspective as an Indigenous person on the land. The other is a children’s book about paddling and war canoe racing. It’s a multidisciplinary memoir of poetry and prose.

Can you provide a list of your current published works?

Shi-shi-etko and its sequel, Shin-chi's Canoe, which received the TD Canadian Children’s award. My third book was Grandpa’s Girls, and my fourth is A Day With Yayah. In the next two years, my fifth and sixth books should be released.

I’ve also published in various anthologies and whatnot — mainly Indigenous anthologies. I don’t submit poetry very often for publication, unless I’m asked specifically to contribute a piece.

Can you give some insight into what you’re writing about for your dissertation?

In the works of Leanne Simpson and other Indigenous scholarly writers, they talk about the importance of resurgence. Not so much reconciliation, but about resurgence among Indigenous people.

In my younger years, during my undergrad, I was an avid reader of authors such as Sherman Alexie. There was one specific collection he published, and in there was a short story titled "A Train Is an Order of Occurrence Designed to Lead to Some Result." In that story, the main character is a man who wakes up on his 60th birthday. He has never had a drop of alcohol in his life. He goes to work, he gets fired. He goes to visit his family, there’s a problem that occurs and they decide to shun him and abandon him. He goes to a bar, he gets drunk, he goes to a train bridge, he commits suicide. End of story. This had an impact on me. It made me question our roles and responsibilities as writers; myself, specifically, as an Indigenous writer. What are my responsibilities? What kind of stories do I want to tell? What kind of stories do I want my

children to read?

I’ve been taught ever since I was young that our stories are powerful, that when we share our stories, they come to life. All that I am, as my elders have taught me, is a vessel.

So, I had to ask myself, why did I find this story so deeply painful? So disturbing? And [I realized] it was from how many years I spent grieving, and how many years I spent working through my own trauma, as somebody who had witnessed and experienced and knew the level of violence that my parents, g ra ndpa rent s, and great grandparents experiNicola Campbell. (Nadya Kwandibens of Red Works) enced as a result of colonization. and even the characters they turn to are The thing that became important to me is that I don’t tell just as disempowered or violent or introthose kinds of stories, that the only op- ducing drugs or alcohol to cope. Whereas tion is to commit suicide when we have in real life, when we are struggling, we our worst day. It’s lazy writing! There’s need to return to our traditional teachno excuse for it, to me. At the end of the ings. story, what’s important to me is that I see my characters rise. That I see them grow This interview has been edited for length and some way, somehow, and transform clarity. themselves. When I look at certain stories

by Indigenous writers, I see a tendency for characters to repeatedly go from one terrible, traumatic incident to another,

do you have a nose for news?

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VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

NEWS UFV //

New pro-life club hosts tabling event University has new requirements for abortion-related events in common areas MIKAELA COLLINS UFV Students for Life, a new student antiabortion club, ran a tabling event outside the cafeteria in Building B on Feb. 12 and 13, where they invited passing students to talk about abortion in Canada.

“We are categorically against abortion in all circumstances, and we want to invite the UFV community to participate in the discussion ... and hopefully change some minds who might lean pro-choice because we think we have a pretty convincing position,” Rachel Keras, the president of UFV Students for Life, said.

Past pro-life events on campus such as another tabling event in 2015, which included loud music and plastic fetuses, and the 10,000 flags display in 2016 have been criticized for being strategically held on the Green, which is one of the most heavily traversed places on campus. Holding events there, critics noted, made it difficult for students to opt out of attending the events.

UFV Students for Life did not hold their event on the Green, but chose an area near the cafeteria doors in Building B. “We're looking forward to seeing what the reaction will be, and obviously this area is maybe the prime spot. We’re just experimenting,” Keras said.

Unlike in previous years, an informed consent sign stood on either side of the group’s table, advising oncoming students that the event conducted beyond “contained information related to abortion.”

These were required and erected by the university, though the wording was mutually agreed upon by the university and Keras.

UFV Students for Life is not connected to the defunct UFV Life Link group who planted the 10,000 pink and blue flags on the Green in 2016, each representing 10 of the 100,000 embryos and fetuses aborted in Canada each year. However, Kyle Baillie, the director of Student Life and Development at UFV, said over email that the university’s approach to UFV Students for Life’s event was informed by students’ response to the flag event.

“Keeping people informed prior to the event and during the event can help to an-

swer questions people have, reduce anxiety, and dispel rumours,” Baillie said.

UFV Students for Life’s display consisted of a table holding a laptop, and a vertical pink banner that read, “92% of Canadians are against sex-selective abortion. What’s your opinion?” Sex-selective abortion is the practice of aborting fetuses based on their sex. In most cases, the term is used to refer to parents aborting female fetuses in order to have sons rather than daughters, and was the focus of the event.

“It happens a lot in China and India and other poor parts of the world for various political and cultural reasons,” Keras said.

“But a lot of times when those people from other cultures come here, there's a statistic that shows that actually girls are being, especially in those communities, disproportionately killed in the womb because, culturally, boys are preferable.”

According to Keras, UFV Students for Life intended to hand out small cards with abortion statistics and a photograph of an aborted fetus, but they had to choose between giving out the cards or being in a common area given the sensitive nature of the photograph.

“While Charter rights to freedom of expression would normally apply in any public spaces, the BCCLA vs. UVIC (2016) decision found that university common space is Charter exempt in this regard,” Baillie said, expressing concern that inadvertently seeing graphic material could be distressing to students or staff. The latter, he said, could constitute a violation of WorkSafeBC regulations.

The cards, as well as the banner and a survey participants were asked to fill out, were provided by the National Campus Life Network, which Keras said UFV Stu-

dents for Life is partnered with.

UFV Students for Life will be holding group discussions on abortion in the coming weeks, and invite students from all perspectives to join the conversation.

“We believe that our position is reasonable, and we believe that if you believe in logic and if you believe in reason, and if you believe in science and if you believe in justice, then you will come to the same conclusion as us. And you will see that there is a real and expansive human rights violation happening in Canada every single day. And we want it to end,” Keras said.

Declaration of conflict: The writer of this piece was one of the students protesting against the 10,000 flags event in 2016.

UFV Students for Life members at event. UFV Abbotsford. Feb. 12, 2020. (David Myles/ The Cascade)

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

OPINION

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

opinion@ufvcascade.ca Andrea Sadowski — Opinion Editor

Editorial //

Advice //

Depolarizing the Dear Robin protests JESSICA BARCLAY The recent rail blockages across Canada have polarized the dialogue around Indigenous land rights in B.C. Because many who are engaging in climate activism are taking up a voice to support the five protesting hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, the line between the two issues has been muddied.

The Wet’suwet’en and anti-pipeline protests are connected: much of the reason for the hereditary chiefs protesting the Coastal GasLink pipeline is environmental concerns for the unceded territory.

But it has progressed beyond that. The protests have become a symbol of Indigenous people fighting for their rights within B.C. Media coverage can make things feel like a for-or-against argument, but it is important to remember that in any debate there are multiple perspectives informed by many types of knowledge.

You don’t need to support the Wet'suwet'en protestors to be against the creation of pipelines, and you don’t need to be anti-pipeline to support the Wet'suwet'en land claims.

You don’t need to support the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs’ protest in order to support Indigenous rights and denounce the grave injustices to Indigenous groups across Canada, and you can be for the protests and be irritated by the transit blockages.

Constructive dialogue breaks down in polarization. Few conflicts can be broken down to only one issue, yet often people are pushed to choose sides.

Wet’suwet’en hereditary subchiefs have recently come forward to express disagreement with the five hereditary chiefs’ protest. At the same time, mass protests across the country indicate a high level of frustration from the general population and Indigenous groups about the treatment of the Wet’suwet’en Nation by the RCMP and Ca-

nadian government.

In November 2019, B.C. became the first province in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which requires that free, prior, and informed consent is given for large-scale development projects that will affect Indigenous nations.

However, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) released a document shortly after UNDRIP was adopted expressing concern over the lack of free, prior, and informed consent from Indigenous stakeholders regarding large-scale construction projects, including the Site C dam and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

If one thing has been made clear by these protests and the response to them, it’s that the Canadian government is not set up to constructively deal with Indigenous legal systems and governments, despite British Columbia’s acknowledgment of their right to exist.

Much of the negotiations have been hindered by pride, misunderstanding, and an unwillingness to engage. There is an excess of incomplete information and a lack of diverse voices. However, this isn’t only an issue of individuals. It is a systemic problem that must be addressed if these protests are going to have any lasting impact.

Environmental issues, land rights, the rail blockades, and the idea of rule of law are (obviously) deeply interconnected, but they are not all the same issue, yet they’re continuously being conflated. Because of this, many people who could be participating in the conversation feel like they can’t, and that’s keeping potential solutions from being brought forward.

Your opinion on the Wet’suwet’en protests doesn’t have to be — and shouldn’t be — one opinion. Polarization does not propel change for future generations.

ROBIN HALPER Life is tough and confusing and weird.

We all need help sometimes, and when you need an expert opinion, you turn to an expert opinion-giver like Robin Halper. Whatever problem you’re facing in life, Robin will have a solution.

The Cascade cannot guarantee the effectiveness of Robin’s unique approach to life, but if you’re in a jam, get some advice by writing to halp@ufvcascade. ca Workplace professionalism Dear Robin, I often get reprimanded at work for not being "professional" enough. I just want to lighten up the mood a little bit and throw a meme into a presentation every once in a while — I don’t see the harm in that. Do you have any advice for someone struggling to fit into a "professional" work environment but also just wants to have a little fun?

Sincerely, Sloppy at work Hello, I suggest you get fitted for a brand new suit or two and make those your workplace wardrobe staples.

After that, invest in a sleek briefcase to lug around all day at the office as well as to happy hour after work with your peers; then they’ll know you mean business. Once you’ve spent many months looking

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the part, maybe your bosses won’t scold you for being unprofessional when you reintroduce memes in your presentations.

Robin Mind matters Dear Robin, I’m in UFV’s mindfulness program, and now that I’ve been enlightened I just can’t handle how unmindful everyone else is on campus and in everyday life, even my family. How can I cope with this?

Sincerely,

Mentally mindful Hello, Practicing mindfulness is a wonderful thing to do. I heard Kate Middleton practices mindfulness, and looks at how glossy her hair looks — there must be some connection there. Instead of lecturing everyone around you about your new outlook on life and how they can have that too, I recommend tagging them on inspirational quotes about practicing mindfulness on Instagram. That way you don’t have to deal with their annoyance face-to-face, and can keep tagging them until the sun goes down.

Robin

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

OPINION Life //

Community //

The viability of volunteering DANAYE REINHARDT I spent a lot of my teenage years believing I wasn’t fit to be a leader. Even when I followed my sisters’ footsteps and began volunteering at summer camp at age 15, I still felt incompetent. But the longer I served, the more comfortable I felt as a camp counsellor. The more I volunteered — at camp and in other areas — the more I realized that these opportunities were what made me a better leader. Volunteering is an amazing way to develop new skills, gain experience, and help your community. Programs, events, clubs, non-profits — there are endless opportunities available for students like you.

Not convinced? There are many important reasons to give your time to your community and to your campus. First of all, volunteering will benefit you.

Some volunteer opportunities can lead to employment, either directly through the organization, by providing professional references, or by simply putting your volunteer experience on your resume. Make sure to add your volunteerism to your Co-Curricular Record through myCampusLife, which officially recognizes your volunteerism and enhances your resume or portfolio. Many students use volunteerism on their resume to let employers know that they are willing to give their time to a cause they care about. Okay, so what if your resume says that you’re passionate about the environment? Show them by volunteering with Fraser Valley Conservancy, for example.

This organization protects and preserves wildlife habitats in local areas, and they are alw a y s look-

ing for volunteers to work in public education, fundraising, and habitat restoration.

Volunteering will allow you to learn and grow, both as a person and in your professional field.

My summer volunteer work with Charis Camp in Chilliwack made me a more confident and patient leader. In addition, my leadership involvement with UFV’s University Christian Ministries brought me out of my comfort zone as I learned how to navigate leadership in a new position.

Volunteering also benefits the community around you. UFV Lead is a mentorship program that matches first-year students with current students with the purpose of supporting them in their studies and in their personal lives. UFV Lead is a fantastic volunteer opportunity for students to develop leadership skills as a mentor, while at the same time helping a fellow student.

Volunteering can also change the way you view community.

By volunteering with a UFV club and becoming more involved on campus in this way, I have found the individualistic commuter culture to fade. Campus culture will only be as strong as the students make it, and volunteering is a perfect way to start making UFV home.

Okay, so maybe I’ve convinced you that volunteering is important, but I know what you’re thinking: “Is it really plausible for busy students?” It’s true that, unlike donating money and resources to important causes, volunteering is accessible to anyone because it only requires you to give up your time. Students, however, don’t exactly have buckets of time to pour into organizations and clubs.

It can feel like you’re scraping at the bottom of the

bucket when midterms and projects are drowning you. But bear with me — you can volunteer without signing your life away.

Summer camps ask for commitment (as short as one week) in the summer months only. Soup kitchens, such as the Salvation Army, are always looking for evening volunteers without any need to commit to more than one night. Not every opportunity even requires extra time out of your day. UFV’s Centre for Accessibility Services is currently looking for volunteer students to submit their lecture notes to support students in their class who have a disability. For this opportunity and many others, you don’t even need to leave campus.

Many opportunities, especially through UFV, can be directly related to your field of study.

Even while volunteering, you are gaining skills and experience in your career path, and getting your foot in the door.

Ready to get involved? MyCampusLife is a great place to start your search. Stop by the Student Union Society (SUS) front desk, find clubs and organizations to join, and check your student email for upcoming UFV events to volunteer at. Off campus, a quick Google search can reveal many exciting opportunities in the Fraser Valley. Archway Community Services, an Abbotsford food bank, offers many programs like Fresh Food Recovery and are looking for volunteers to give three-hour shifts to provide healthy food for those in need.

Abbotsford Youth Commission needs volunteers for their dropin programs like basketball and hockey, and they even have practicum placements.

Volunteering can seem overwhelming, but there are too many rewards to pass it up. Expand your comfort zone, spice up your resume, and give back to those around you.

It’s a win-win-win!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sign up to volunteer at the Young A u t h o r ’s Conference, which takes place on April 30.

Illustration by Kayt Hine

An abundance of dairy alternatives Which milk is the best milk?

ANDREA SADOWSKI Dairy farms are massive emitters of greenhouse gases. For every kilogram of milk consumed, 1.08 kg of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.

Luckily, we live in a world with an abundance of plant-based milk options. Out of the myriad of plant milks available in the natural food aisle, which is the best choice for your health and the environment?

Almond Milk: This wildly popular plant milk but has been getting some bad buzz lately, as environmentalists argue that the use of bees to pollinate massive industrial almond trees is wiping out the bee population in California. As well, every glass of almond milk produced requires 74 litres of water. Unlike the actual almond, its milk is quite low in protein and fat, as the nutrient-dense part of the almond gets strained out in its production. Also, I've noticed that almond milk does not mix well with my coffee, or any hot beverage for that matter, which is ultimately why I will not recommend almond milk to you.

Soy Milk: The original nondairy milk. This soybean-based beverage is a winner in the protein department with seven grams of protein per cup. Many studies indicate the health benefits of soy, such as a reduced risk of breast cancer. However, negative health effects have been found with consuming too much soy as well, such as potential thyroid problems in women. Soy is a common allergen. Also, is it just me, or does soy milk have a bit of a funky taste? I respect soy milk for its pioneer spirit, but I'm going to take a pass on this one.

Coconut Milk: This is my favourite plant milk in terms of flavour, creaminess, and the way it smoothly glides into my coffee. It could be one of the best milks in terms of sustainability, as coconut trees are a potential sink of carbon. However, transportation of this product from the tropical countries they are grown in to our supermarket shelves in North America emits a significant amount of green-

house gases. As well, coconut farmers in Indonesia, India, and the Philippines are often paid less than a dollar a day with most of their crops’ profits going to middlemen. It is also the fattiest of the plant milks, with five grams of fat per cup; there has been much debate as to whether the fat found in coconut products is harmful or beneficial to our health.

Rice Milk: Rice is a very thirsty crop, which puts this plant milk as the second highest in water usage of the plantbased milks listed here, with the production of one cup of rice milk requiring 54 litres of water.

It’s also low in nutritional value, with 120 calories, 22 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 grams of sugar per cup — overwhelmingly more sugar and carbs than any other plant milk. To top it all off, I don’t even think it tastes that great, so I’m just going to take a pass on this one too.

Oat Milk: Like almonds, when oats are strained to make milk, they often lose a lot of their nutritional value, which is why companies fortify their oat milk with various vitamins and minerals. Oat milk is especially high in added B vitamins, and has been found to reduce cholesterol. Another bonus is that oats require significantly less water to grow than many other plant milks. I believe oat milk to be extremely underrated, so give it a shot next time you’re perusing the natural food aisle.

Cashew Milk: Another one of my favourites in terms of creaminess and flavour. Cashews are truly a godsend for vegans; they are capable of so much — cheese, ice cream, butter, you name it. However, cashews are extremely harmful to process, as they have two hard layers of shell, in between which are cardol and anacardic acid. Workers in India, who process 65 per cent of the world’s cashews, are underpaid and suffer burns on their hands from these acids.

In the end, no matter what plant-based milk you choose, it will end up being significantly better for the environment than drinking traditional dairy-milk from cows. Choose wisely my friends.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

OPINION Life //

Magic mushrooms are friends, not foes

Research suggests this fungi has more benefits than risks CHANDY DANCEY Shrooms: an illegal drug that’s been used for thousands of years and still remains prevalent today. Magic mushrooms, otherwise known as shrooms, are mushrooms that naturally contain hallucinogenic substances like psilocybin and psilocin, allowing users to embark on psychedelic trips when they’re ingested. These psychoactive substances being classified as a Schedule III drug in Canada — meaning that they’re illegal unless authorized for clinical trial or research purposes — remains controversial. Are these fungi a harmless way to experience something new, or a dangerous substance worthy of their outlaw?

The history of these humble mushrooms dates back thousands of years when they were used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes in Indigenous cultures all over the world before being outlawed by government bodies. Psilocybin was first identified and synthesized by chemist Albert Hofmann, and once the ‘60s hit, the hippie subculture latched onto psychedelics and the use of magic mushrooms skyrocketed.

Research into psilocybin was also growing during the ‘60s, but this became extremely limited after it was banned in 1970 in the U.S.under the Controlled Substances Act. Medicinally, researchers have recently been challenging the illegality o f magic mushrooms.

An overview study published in 2017 found that the use of psilocybin shows

Illustration by Kayt Hine

8

promise in treating conditions like depression, anxiety, OCD, and alcohol dependence. However, the problem with most studies is that the number of participants are low and the dosing and protocol are tightly controlled due to the schedule of the drug, limiting the conclusions they can draw. These studies don’t take into consideration the use of psilocybin outside of a clinic setting or that rates of nonadherence (not taking the drug as directed) can be higher in mental health populations. In order to sway the public perception of shrooms or change the current scheduling of the drug, future research should aim for larger sample sizes and protocols that are more realistic.

Just because psilocybin is currently an illegal drug doesn’t negate the health benefits it shows in studies; research findings deserve to be taken seriously and further explored. However, the science doesn’t support that it’s ready for medicinal use yet. There are still gaps in our knowledge of how psilocybin works to relieve psychiatric conditions, and it’s important for the data to be solid and understood before there’s wide-

spread use. History, in cases like thalidomide and DDT, has taught us that using the general public as guinea pigs for drugs that aren’t properly researched isn’t worth it.

Overall though, the benefits of mushrooms seem to outweigh the risks.

Griffiths and colleagues, who conducted

“Doing research into how to use safely can make or break an experience with shrooms … do it right or don’t do it at all.” a study on the psychological effects of psilocybin in healthy individuals, found that a majority of their patients rated taking psilocybin as one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives. Another study done at Johns Hopkins University found that a year after treatment with psilocybin, participants showed increased openness to new ideas, experiences, and perspectives. This is no surprise, as fans of the psychoactive fungi often report transformative and spiritual experiences with the drug. Furthermore, there are no reports that psilocybin mushrooms are addictive, psychologically or physically, or that use leads to dependency.

This brings us to the use of psilocybin mushrooms for leisure, where the biggest quest ion

seems to be: why not? For healthy individuals who start at low doses, there seems to be little risk of having a bad trip. A 2017 Global Drug Survey by an independent research company found that 5.2 per cent of psilocybin users have reported ever having a difficult or negative experience and that psychedelic drug users were generally sensible and prepared compared to other drug users. That last part is paramount: doing research into how to use safely can make or break an experience with shrooms. If readers take away one thing, it should be that with shrooms, do it right or don’t do it at all.

However, the main danger of shrooms is largely due to the illegality of the drug: the possibility of contamination with other substances and a lack of education on how to use psychedelics safely to limit reckless use. Additionally, individuals predisposed to or who currently have a psychiatric condition could be at a higher risk for negative side effects, although this requires further research. These individuals would benefit more from waiting until psilocybin has been developed into a legal medicinal substance so they could have their use monitored by health-care professionals and experience less stigma about receiving medical attention if they have a bad trip.

Magic mushrooms have proven themselves to be more than your garden-variety fungus. They offer users hallucinatory experiences that many find meaningful, and they show potential to be used medicinally in the future. Although they’re currently illegal, research on psychedelic drugs is going through a renaissance that’s focusing on mental health rather than stigma, suggesting that shrooms should be the next drug decriminalized in Canada.

BRIEF BITS OF BITE-SIZED BREVITY

SN S AP HO TS

CURTAILED COMMENTARY ON CURRENT CONDITIONS

Illustrations by Kelly Ning

Vacation vacillation

Diamonds aren’t my best friend When I get engaged, I will be sure to make it quite clear to whoever wants to marry me that I do not want to see a diamond ring when he is on one knee. Society has declared that the rule of thumb with engagement rings is to buy one worth three months salary. Let's say for example my partner is a welder and makes $21/hour. According to this rule that I have no idea who thought of, he has to buy me a ring worth approximately $10,000. Do you know what I can do with $10,000? That can pay for four semesters’ worth of tuition. That can buy two used cars that are immense-

To burn or not to burn

I’m not someone who has many rituals, but since living on my own, I enjoy lighting candles around my suite after a long day. It’s not just the ambience that dimmed light provides — certain smells recreate the atmosphere of my home and help me escape from the dreariness of Chilliwack.

Since September, my candles have remained unlit. Despite using candles and a Scentsy for months undisturbed, when my upstairs neighbours learned about this little ritual, I started getting bombarded with texts that they were creating an obscene scent and making the entire household sick. Even just one tiny candle lit for a few min-

ly better than the one I am currently driving. That can go toward a down payment for a house. I cannot stress to you enough the amount of things I can buy that will be exceedingly more useful than a ring that could potentially get lost or stolen. So please, future husband, don’t buy me a diamond ring. Instead, buy me a pretty, quirky, one-of-a-kind ring off of Etsy, with any uncut gemstone that is not a diamond.

Andrea Sadowski

utes would apparently leave the smell hovering for days, regardless of if we opened the windows. It’s escalated beyond candles at this point — when I take a shower, I get a whiny text about the smell of my shampoo, and heaven forbid the one time I dared to use Febreze.

During reading break, I learned that the upstairs neighbours will be moving, probably because of all the showers they think I’m trying to torture them with. Whatever new neighbours I get will not be receiving my phone number.

Krystina Spracklin

This reading break marks the first time in my life that I’ve ever taken a vacation outside of the United States or Canada. As I write this, I’m poolside at a Cuban resort, feeling the sea breeze on my skin and sipping a refreshing cerveza. But despite the beautiful setting, I’m having a surprisingly hard time relaxing.

In the week I’ve spent here, I’ve become increasingly baffled by the enduring popularity of resorts, especially in countries where so many have so little. The all-inclusive lifestyle was never my thing to begin with — I prefer exploring new places over sitting at the beach all day — but I really didn’t

Calling out call-out culture

Have you ever had someone publicly call you out for being offensive? Were you embarrassed, angry, or defensive?

Chances are you were. Call-out culture is when people criticize each other for offensive behaviours in public places.

A common example is when a person accidentally refers to someone as the wrong gender and someone else (as in, not the person being offended) calls them out in front of other people for it.

The purpose of this call-out may be intended to correct the person's behaviour, but I find it often comes off as a way to make the “caller outer” feel better, smarter, and more “woke” than the other person. This is a horrible meth-

expect the level of inequality I’ve encountered here. Cuba is by no means a completely impoverished country, but after driving through dirty streets lined with stray animals and decaying homes, my economic privilege as a Canadian has never been more clear to me (and having butlers and cooks slaving away to cater to me certainly hasn’t helped). I understand that tourism is actually pretty beneficial for those who live in developing nations, but I’m still left wondering: do I really have any right to be here?

Sam Young

od for correcting offensive behaviour; it may actually make that person angry or defensive, and less likely to change their behaviour. (In which case that person’s probably a lost cause anyway.) Either way, most people don’t like being offended, offending others, or being publicly humiliated. So next time someone is offensive, pull them aside privately or send them a message and let them know their behaviour or words may have offended/hurt someone — don’t scream it out across the room at a party, even if it’s a room full of friends.

Darien Johnsen

9

Word Search

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

STUDY BREAK

Word Search // WORD LIST:

fallow rooster rototiller manure silo broilers hoe fence heffer colt farrier castration filly caprine scythe backhoe cultivator baler combine

corn garden blueberry hops farmer spring fall cranberry market cow pig goat mule dog cat

J DO C F SWA E B X S N P B T C I U R E GO A T R Z T A X S I XMC O S S Y N S T T C D C H E R X E H Z T X I MS DD A B I X N C U L U S D A R C F A E M L N

P F N C I T Y U S J O F C C Q Y T O L T

Y E R O R E L D B A C K I S V H OG E H B R O I MB N B U K L S L OMU E J K E MB I N F E R L OW L F A T S I MH I D R O T O I V A T H C HD L OWR C O L T

O F H U J L R G Z E E H V I L T O V V K

S T E R T F A L L X P A O E GH I R V P Y M J M C B S O Z E E R S P I R X F A V R H E Y T N I I E S H C BM Y CWO A E B T A U P F V E OM T S O R R Y X D D EWR X A L E Q A Y M I L L E R T RM Y A Y R MO S Z G F N K Y CMA J HG C GH

F A F Y R A I G R C F R A I I P R E R K R I O X N S E E G V RWC Z R O R G Y K A D X R X ODN F E D Y N E R K E O A S

V G N N B A L E R C I H X A X D O G T T

Sodoku //

TURN UPSIDE-DOWN FORANSWERS

rototiller

cultivator

castration

bluebe

cranberry

broilers

combine

rooste

caprine

backhoe

scythe

fallow

farrier

spring

market

manu

garden

heffer

baler

corn

hops

fence

fall

colt

filly

goat

silo

cow

pig

mule

hoe

cat

farmer

dog ®

Build your own custom worksheet at education.com/w

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

Made by Carissa Wiens

ACROSS

DOWN

3. Where the salt goes for a margarita.

1. Also known as a killer whale.

5. Call your accountant for this upcoming season.

2. You can buy this cheese in little wheels at your grocery store.

6. Press this button to remove your DVD.

4. Hard shell but an edible kernel.

8. It’s nice to give these cards to people when they come to your wedding.

5. A form of tot.

10. Expressing love.

12. Wear this on your hair when working with food.

7. SUS is like a high school student _ _ _ _ _ _ _, but in university.

9. Next month.

11. A solemn promise.

13. Everyone’s obsessed with this about themselves.

LAST ISSUE’S

ANSWERS: Across: 5. Area 6. Lather 8. Aspen 9. Pond 10. Logo 11. Chest 12. Jar 13. Liars

Down: 1. Gel 2. Bat 3. Tee 4. Vampire 7. Radical

Snakes and Lizards

Illustration by Elyssa English

Horoscopes //

Your weekly life predictions as told by Ang the Great

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 You will feel plenty of nostalgia this week. It may come from certain scents, or the sound of someone laughing, or the taste of that perfect cup of coffee. Remember how great the past was, but don’t dwell back there; you can do so much more in the present.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 Someone will come into your life whom you will form a special, nurturing bond with. You will both benefit greatly from this relationship, as this person will feel loved and cared for, perhaps for the first time ever, and you will feel needed and appreciated.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 Your unnervingly eager communication style will earn you a great reward in your work this week. Your boss will take notice of your attention to detail, efficiency, and work ethic.

You will soon get a promotion if you keep this up.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 You will most likely get into some heated arguments or debates this week. It is in your best interest to avoid any confrontation, as you never know how high things might escalate. Try to meditate to keep your peace.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 You give someone a hand and they ask for a foot as well. You give them an inch and they take a mile. Be on your guard for people who are trying to use you and your tender-hearted nature this week.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 YYou may feel overwhelmingly busy this week, with an ever-expanding to-do list and deadlines drawing closer each day. Be careful to do the most important tasks first, as you are prone to distraction and procrastination.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 You have been ignoring some problems in your life for too long. You can no longer turn a blind eye toward that nagging voice in the back of your head. Try your best to resolve your problems, or they will only get worse.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 You will finally reap the rewards of the seeds that you have been sowing and tenderly nurturing for years now. You should be proud of the hard work you have done and take time to enjoy the benefits of these rewards.

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 There is no denying that some people find your quirky habits quite strange. Don’t let these judgemental people dim your light. Own whatever makes you truly unique, and flaunt it for the world.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 Be a little more sensitive toward the needs and feelings of others this week. You will encounter someone who is going through a very rough time and will need a shoulder to cry on. Try to be empathic and adopt a keen, listening ear.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 You have done extremely well this semester and have kept on top of all your tasks remarkably. While no assignment has been missed, your friends and family miss your presence. Take some time to reestablish your social life this week and remind yourself of what is truly important.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Some friendly competition will be thrown into your life this week, most likely with a coworker or classmate. Keep the rivalry civil and you both will learn something from this experience.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

CULTURE

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

culture@ufvcascade.ca Carissa Wiens — Culture Editor

Column //

UFV Event Preview //

Cascade Kitchen:

Pistachios put to use

Escape your midterms with UFV’s own comedy special KRYSTINA SPRACKLIN

Pasta with pistachios. Feb. 13, 2020.

(Carissa Wiens/The Cascade)

CARISSA WIENS The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budget-friendly recipes and cooking tips. Check back weekly for something new to try in the kitchen, or if you want to see your own recipe featured next, get started by reaching out to culture@ ufvcascade.ca.

There’s nothing like learning to cook Italian food from a British celebrity chef. Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italy helps with this method of learning and is where this recipe is inspired from. If you’re like me and don’t want to drop upwards of $40 on a husky-sized cookbook, the Fraser Valley Regional Library has at least one copy in circulation and it’s pretty much always available. I’ve checked it out multiple times.

I felt super professional making this pasta dish because I finally got to use my mortar and pestle that I got for Christmas to crush the pistachios. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, I’m sure a food processor would be fine too. But doing the work manually made me feel extra accomplished for the day.

If you like to have some greens with a big bowl of pasta, a pan of roasted broccoli tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper will do.

This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make and makes about 4 servings.

Ingredients: 4 cups dried small pasta, like macaroni, shells, or whatever else that looks yummy 3/4 cup shelled pistachios 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp white balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp olive oil 1 pint or more of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 1/3 of a red onion, diced Fresh oregano and parsley, to taste Salt and pepper, to taste Method: 1. Boil the pasta according to package instructions.

2. While the pasta boils, grind the pistachios into a somewhat fine crumble. Place the ground pistachios into a large boil. Add in the rest of the ingredients and combine well. Feel free to add more or less of any of the ingredients.

3. Once pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain. Toss the pasta in the large bowl of the pistachio mixture. Add pasta water to loosen the pasta and pistachio mixture if needed.

12

UFV’s English department will be hosting a free comedy showcase featuring local comedians Cliff Prang, Helena Paul, and Rajnish Dhawan, an associate professor at UFV. The show will take place on Friday, Feb. 28 in Abbotsford, B101 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. Alex Wetmore, who teaches the rhetoric of standup comedy in his ENG 271 class, worked with Rajnish Dhawan to bring this event to UFV for the second time.

Dhawan explained that when he was an undergrad in India he was always comfortable performing on stage, whether it be theatre or musicals — comedy was just another box for him to tick off. After becoming a professor, he would occasionally perform stand-up as a hobby, until he moved to Canada in 2009.

“I wrote a very intense play in 2014 and 2015. After that, I wrote another intense show based on terrorism. It had some biographical elements because I have lived

through a phase of terrorism back in India. It was very intense — I was going deep into my history, so I needed to get out of it. I wrote a comedy play for a festival in Chilliwack back in 2017. I wrote that play in May, and come June, I decided that I’m going to do this comedy thing too,” Dhawan said.

Dhawan started exploring opportunities for stand-up shows and open mics within the Fraser Valley area as a way to learn the system of stand-up, the business aspect of comedy, and discover his own narrative within this hobby. When asked if he found it nerve-wracking to be on stage and expected to bring an entire room to laughter, Dhawan was only excited.

“Not when you’ve been a professor for 22 years. If you’re rehearsed, if you know your material, you’re fine. I know some think it’s supposed to be the most frightening thing in the world, but that’s where experience comes in,” he said.

Dhawan’s comfort in both a classroom and on stage has made him fearless when it comes to performance. During a professional

show at Abbotsford’s Yuk Yuk’s in which he was attending, two performers back-to-back failed to stoke the audience into laughs. Dhawan only saw this as an opportunity to bring the room to life.

“Abbotsford is a very difficult audience,” Dhawan said, explaining the humour in the Fraser Valley is more selective. He asked the emcee if he could go up next, before the headliner came out. With their permission, Dhawan was able to successfully perform his routine and get the room laughing.

Comedy is at its best when it comes from a place of truth. Dhawan has no patience for comedians like Russell Peters who rely on caricatures and stereotypes for their acts. He doesn’t want to rely on sex jokes or drug use either, but instead subvert those expectations and provide information that’s both current and relevant, all while ensuring the audience is taken for a ride.

“When they’re coming home, I want them to be discussing the show,” Dhawan said. “I want them to remember what happened.”

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

CULTURE UFV Event //

Talking about intimate partner violence NICHOLAS ASHENHURSTTOEWS When your partner abuses you: Practice, Prevention & Public Health Crisis of Intimate Partner Violence, which took place on Feb. 13, was the first in a three-part lecture series hosted by the College of Arts and the Peace and Reconciliation Centre. This event consisted of several guest speakers talking about intimate partner violence, as well as a question-and-answer period with a panel consisting of the speakers, and other professionals working in fields such as police, education, and public services. The event was meant to start the conversation about intimate partner violence and educate the UFV community about this unfortunately common crisis.

The speaker who opened the event was Grand Chief Clarence Pennier of the Sto:lo community, who talked honestly about his time as a residential school student and the abuse and trauma that was borne from that experience. He touched on the intergenerational trauma and abuse that came as a result of learned behaviour.

Pennier remarked, “I had three sisters and five brothers. We grew up as strangers because we couldn’t talk to each other.

We all became alcoholics. Most of them

died alcoholics. I have one brother left. And we don’t talk about what happened.” His speech ended with the hopeful note that they were trying to change the system, but it was going to take a long time for that to happen.

After the opening, the panelists were each given about 15 minutes to speak on the topics they were passionate about. The first of these speakers, Amanda McCormick, director of the School Criminology and Criminal Justice, spoke on the evolution of the criminal justice system in response to intimate partner violence. She offered that, historically, intimate partner violence was considered a domestic issue and, therefore, not under the authority of the system to get involved, otherwise known as the blindeye approach. This was upended in the the 1980s, when feminist movements proposed that it was a prevalent and serious problem.

Since the ‘80s, there has been research into how to deal with it and changes to try and help, though many of these policy changes were not based on proper evidence. This was followed by the criminalization era, in which charges to abusers are recommended 80 per cent of the time. Another discussion point was the dropping rate of reporting. In 2004, 28 per cent of incidents were reported, which dropped to 22 per cent in 2009, and finally to 19 per cent in 2014, less than onefifth of cases. Finally, she proposed the pos-

sible third era, in which better practices are trying to be implemented to help victims of intimate partner violence.

Indrani Mathure, a member of the Abbotsford Crown Counsel, spoke on the approach the Crown Counsel has to the files associated with intimate partner violence, as well as strangulation. She mentioned the historically poor job done when dealing with cases, and that they were trying to improve. She touched on the complexity of the files, which require specialized knowledge and skills to handle appropriately. Another main point of the speech was strangulation, when a partner uses extreme physical force to restrict airflow by grasping one’s throat.

It is a major red flag for abusive partnerships and can cause lasting health risks to the victim. She also mentioned that strangulation requires more research, both on the long-term health effects and how it is dealt with by police.

Michele Giordano, a chair of Violence Against Women in Relationships (VAWIR) committee, touched on violence reporting and the resources in place for victims.

She said that intimate partner violence is a major concern. She mentioned that while a third-party reporting system is in place for sexual assaults, there currently exists no such system for intimate partner violence reports. The importance of looking after oneself after an assault was crucial. When

speaking of why systems of reporting are important, she said, “If we wait, death can happen.”

The final speaker was Catherine Smith, an assistant professor in the nursing (BSN) program at UFV. She spoke on intimate partner violence as a major public health problem. She introduced the concept of sexualized violence and stressed the importance of talking about issues such as these: “Not everyone speaks up, so we have to speak for them or speak with them.” She also mentioned that the World Health Orginization has catogorized violence against women to be a global health issue.

As an event, this was a very effective way to educate the public on the complex issue of intimate partner violence. However, the talk was incredibly cis-centric and heteronormative, despite the fact that this was a problem that touches every demographic, as stated by Steven Schroeder, an associate professor in the history department, at the beginning of the forum. In nearly every case, the abuser was spoken of with male language, and the victim with female language. While it is understandable why this was done, it does not negate the fact that the issue of intimate partner violence can show up in any partnership, regardless of if it is heterosexual or not.

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13

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

SPORTS

sports@ufvcascade.ca Alex Jesus — Sports Editor

Q&A //

Meet Carter Bronson, most senior player of the men’s volleyball team

ALEX JESUS Carter Bronson, a fourth-year libero with the Cascades is the kind of leader every team needs. If you attend a UFV men’s volleyball game, he can be seen right at the centre of the competition, encouraging his teammates and making big plays for the Cascades on the court.

This year has seen some changes for the Cascades, including new teammates and new coaching.

“It’s nice to see some new faces that are really there to grind out the work and give it their all,” Bronson said.

These changes have really meant something for the Cascades, as they’ve upgraded their poor 2018-19 record of 2-22 to a more respectable 5-17.

Along with this season comes the big move to the Canada West conference of U Sports afterwards, which presents some big challenges, according to Bronson.

“That is a tough one because we’re going to be facing a lot of teams that are a really high skill level, and they are established, you know? They’ve been there for a lot longer than we have, and I think that’s just a hurdle that UFV as a whole will have to face.”

However, Bronson says that

isn’t insurmountable for the team.

The team now has a weight trainer, Matt Chapdelaine, who will assist in bringing up the athletes’ levels of commitment and training.

“The only way that we could probably bounce back from this is putting in the extra work that other teams aren’t really doing ...

[Chapdelaine] is always there, so that’s pretty awesome. I never had that in my first three years.”

The move to Canada West is also exciting though, and offers new opportunities that players like Bronson have waited years to have, such as new opponents across western Canada.

“The biggest thing I think is probably being able to travel a lot farther than I ever thought we would with PacWest.”

Although the changes are significant, some things that won’t change with Bronson are his humility and his lead-

UFV Cascades Sports Scores Feb. 20 – Feb. 22, 2020

Women’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV vs. University of Alberta / Thursday, Feb. 20 Score: UFV 48 UoA 64

Men’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV vs University of Calgary / Friday, Feb. 21 Score: UFV 63 UoC 78

Women’s Volleyball Carter Bronson. Oct. 26, 2019. (UFV Athletics)

ership, which he continues to work on. When asked about what continues to motivate him, Bronson responded in a way that shows his role on the team, crediting his teammates for driving him to be better.

“A huge part is just the guys, honestly. They’re a great group

of guys. They help push me and especially in the weight room. Everything like that.

They’re just always there.

We’re always competitive with each other, so that’s really nice.

I love the competitive atmosphere. That’s why I love playing in games a lot.”

Slapshots //

Game/Date: UFV vs. College of the Rockies / Friday, Jan. 31 Score: UFV 3 COTR 2 Game/Date: UFV vs. Vancouver Island University / Friday, Feb. 21 Score: UFV 0 VIU 3

What happens at Vail Before Netflix released CHEER, my only knowledge of cheerleading was from the copious amounts of Bring It On films and my high school’s short-lived cheerleading team. But thanks to Navarro College’s intense cheerleading program in Texas, I’ve learned that cheerleading is absolutely nuts and doesn’t even involve pom-poms anymore.

If you’ve started watching CHEER you know that these beautiful people are fit as hell, and not just the little women who get tossed up in the air like pizza dough, but also the beefy people who have to actually hold up the multi-level human pyramids.

Never again will I think that cheerleading is only Hayden Pannettiere talk-

ing down to her nemesis about how her boyfriend got a hotel room for both of them after the school dance (a quality scene in Bring It On: All or Nothing) – it’s mentally and physically exhausting and is straight up respectable.

Game/Date: UFV vs. Capilano University / Saturday, Feb. 22

Carissa Wiens

Men’s Volleyball

ber one heavyweight in the world, a feat he hasn’t accomplished officially since he dethroned the long-reigning Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to win his first world titles. However, Fury’s return to the top is bigger than boxing, as he has done so while publically battling drug addiction and mental health issues. With his journey back from those low points beginning in 2018, Fury lost over 100 pounds and successfully fought three times that year.

As an advocate for mental health awareness, Fury also became known for his charitable contributions. Though he

still refuses to comment on the subject, it is rumored that Fury gave at least one of his fight purses from 2018 away completely, a sum totalling millions of British pounds. He now chooses to use his money and fame to help others. In what might be the greatest comeback in the history of heavyweight boxing, the Gyspy King’s reign continues.

The Gypsy King: Tyson Fury Heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, known as the “Gypsy King,” won the WBC heavyweight championship and The Ring magazine heavyweight championship of the world on Saturday when he defeated Deontay Wilder in the seventh round of their title fight. The rematch was completely shocking for all who watched, as Fury, thought of as a technical boxer, scored a TKO victory over Wilder, who some have referred to as the hardesthitting fighter in the history of the sport.

It truly is the crowning achievement for Fury, as he now stands as the num-

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Alex Jesus

Score: UFV 3, Capilano 0

Game/Date: UFV vs. Capilano University / Thursday, Feb. 20 Score: UFV 0 Capilano 3

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

SPORTS Men’s Basketball //

Women’s Basketball //

Season ends in Cascades eliminated quarter finals for the in the quarter finals Cascades men’s team Playoff run ends with lowest score of the season NIC JACKSON

On Feb. 14, the Cascades hosted the Thompson Rivers WolfPack for a sudden elimination playoff round. In that game, the Cascades were able to win, with a score of 76-54.

The Cascades were able to move into the playoffs, where they faced off against the University of Alberta Pandas last week in what would be the Cascades’ lowest scoring game of the year.

The quarter-final game was hosted by Alberta on Thursday. The Cascades were coming off of a 12-game winning streak; however, they were unable to bring that momentum with them into the game. In the first quarter, the Pandas took a sizable lead before the Cascades could get on the board. By the time the Cascades had put up one basket, the Pandas already had eight points, and by the time the quarter had ended, the Cascades trailed, 15-8.

The next quarter was not much kinder to the visiting team. While the Cascades were able to put up double digits in the

quarter, the Pandas again scored more than UFV. By the time the second had ended, the Cascades sat at 18 points, while the Pandas had scored 31.

This trend continued as the game resumed for the second half of play. The third quarter saw the Pandas outscore the Cascades, 18-14. Although UFV followed that up with a final quarter where they led the scoring, the deficit that had built up over the game was too much for the team to overcome. By the time the game had ended, the Cascades trailed, 64-48.

Without the win, the Cascades were eliminated from playoffs, while the Pandas moved on to the next round. With the close of the game, Taylor Claggett, UFV’s all-time point scorer, has finished her university basketball career.

Although the Cascades will no longer be playing this year, the team had a very impressive season. Not only did the team have a 12-game winning streak, but all of their regular season losses were in the first half of the season.

Matt Cooley. Calgary. Feb. 21, 2020. (UFV Athletics)

NIC JACKSON After the Cascades’ playoff opening win against the University of Winnipeg Wesmen on Feb. 14, they moved on to the quarter finals. This weekend, the Cascades took on the University of Calgary Dinos, for another single game knockout round. Throughout the regular season, the Dinos had only lost four of their games, while the Cascades finished with a record of 13-7.

While the Dinos opened the scoring of Friday’s game with two baskets within the first minute of play, the Cascades did not take long to answer. Cascades’ Vick Toor was able to drain two shots early on, while Matt Cooley sank a basket. The Cascades took the lead, but not for long.

Throughout the rest of the opening quarter, the Dinos distanced themselves from the Cascades. By the time the first quarter had ended, the Cascades trailed, 19-11.

In the second quarter, the Cascades began to apply pressure to their hosts. Although the Dinos had a sizable lead when the quarter started, by the time the half was over, they were trailing the Cascades.

In the second, the Cascades doubled the

amount of points scored by the Dinos, and when the teams left the court for half-time, the Cascades held a small lead, 33-30.

In the third quarter, the two teams continued to battle for each possession, but Calgary was able to outscore the Cascades. With just over two minutes played in the quarter, the Dinos took back the lead. Although the Cascades continued to put up baskets, from this point in the quarter, they trailed their opponents, ending with a score of 51-48, for the Dinos.

In the fourth and final quarter of the game, the Dinos continued to increase their lead. Scoring another 27 points to the Cascades’ 15, Calgary was able to win the game and move on to the next round of playoffs. By the time the final buzzer signaled the end of the game, the Cascades had lost, 78-63.

With the loss over the weekend, the Cascades have been eliminated from playoffs. Not only does this game signal the end of the season for the team, but it also was the last game in which Sukhjot Bains, Parm Bains, and Matt Cooley would be a part of the Cascades team.

Taylor Claggett. Calgary. Feb. 20, 2020. (UFV Athletics)

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VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

arts@ufvcascade.ca Chandy Dancey — Arts Editor

Book //

Movie //

Free as a bird

Birds of Prey brings the hammer down on expectations for femaleled movies MIKAELA COLLINS In Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, Harley gets out of an abusive relationship with male directors and producers as much as with the Joker.

The trailers for Birds of Prey promised an unlikely, quick-witted girl gang, fun fight scenes, and a reinvention for Harley, who last appeared in 2016’s muchlambasted Suicide Squad. Suicide Squad was directed by David Ayer, whose illustrious pedigree also includes Netflix’s 2017 racial-allegory-gone-wrong Bright, and his Harley is objectified, infantilized, and dumbed-down.

A security guard calls Harley “a whole lot of pretty in a whole lot of crazy,” and Suicide Squad doesn’t seem to see her as much more than that.

Her story in Sucide Squad focuses on her relationship with the Joker as she tries to escape indentured servitude to the American military to return to him.

Throughout the movie, Harley walks around in what is otherwise a hyper-masculine military power fantasy with both butt cheeks out in four-inch heels, complete with a lingering pan up her mostly-naked body as she changes out of her prison uniform.

This is all unsurprising for a movie that originated the

“Daddy’s Lil Monster” shirt and “Property of Joker” jacket being marketed to teenage girls in every Hot Topic in North America.

Eventually, she does choose to save the world rather than bring Joker back from the (presumed) dead, but then he breaks her out of prison and she runs away with him anyway — and this is framed as a happy ending, despite how manipulative and cruel the Joker is to her. But, as a character in the DC universe, Harley wasn’t originally intended to humanize the Joker or show him in a happy relationship; she was invented to show how twisted and awful he was. This is something Suicide Squad is oblivious to, and something Birds of Prey knows intimately.

Birds of Prey is about what happens to Harley Quinn after she breaks up with the Joker. Without his protection, she is alone and under attack from everyone she ever wronged at his side, including flamboyant crime boss Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor).

She agrees to find a diamond he wants in exchange for her life, only to find out that it’s been swallowed by teen pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).

Harley tries to protect the kid, and the pair are joined by three other women who want to see Sionis fall: hardboiled cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), Sionis’ lounge-singer-turned-reluctantdriver Dinah Lance (Jurnee

ARTS

Smollett-Bell), and orphaned assassin Helena Bertinelli, aka Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Margot Robbie herself is one of the film’s producers; it was written by Christina Hodson, and directed by Cathy Yan. As other reviews have noted, it’s a movie by and about women — and it makes a difference.

Birds of Prey takes an interest in Harley as a character and shows us not just what she thinks she wants, but how she feels about wanting it. A lot of the story is told through the disruption of slice-of-life scenes — Harley going out for drinks with friends or buying an egg sandwich at her favourite corner store, for example — that show the audience Harley as a person, rather than just the Joker’s crazy girlfriend.

In fact, all five of the principle characters all feel fully-realized and completely distinct which is, frankly, shocking for a movie starring all women. It is an ensemble flick, so that’s not to say that no-one would benefit from some more character development — I would love to see more of Montoya and Huntress — but every one of them has a complete arc, and their decision to join up with Harley and Cass feels natural. This is because, even though all of their arcs are different, they all relate to power in a way that the character arcs in Suicide Squad didn’t, especially Harley’s.

Rather than a bunch of villains all learning to be a smidge less selfish, Birds of Prey sets up personal needs and motivations for each character, and unites them under a common goal: getting rid of Sionis.

Harley, who starts out alone and vulnerable, builds up both herself and her teammates so they can fight together. Cass, a foster kid in an unsafe home, leaves the system and pursues a career (granted, that career is crime) with a trusted mentor.

Montoya leaves the police force that consistently undervalues her, Dinah leaves her abusive employer, and Huntress gets revenge against the man who traumatized her as a child.

Birds of Prey isn’t a movie just for women — its stylized fight scenes, punchy humour, and colourful villains make it a great action movie for any audience.

But, it is a movie informed by womanhood, and that makes it emotionally rich and relatable, as well as fun. The emancipation of Harley Quinn from male filmmakers is truly fantabulous.

The Wheaton celebrates life where it’s not expected CHANDY DANCEY The Wheaton, released late 2019, is a novel that explores grief, mortality, and self-forgiveness, following its protagonist, John Davies, after the death of his wife as he takes on a job at a senior’s residence called The Wheaton. By connecting with the residents, John realizes he has amends to make, and it may not be too late to seek forgiveness from both the deceased and the living.

The book’s choice of setting serves to challenge preconceived assumptions. In a place where many assume older generations come to pass away, there is instead an abundance of life. Residents are often raucous, vivacious, and unafraid to speak their mind. As much as they reminisce about the past, they also celebrate the present. Not everybody in the novel is respectful to elders though, and the book doesn’t shy away from including employees at The Wheaton who dismiss them.

The author, Saskatoon-resident Joanne Jackson, included these perspectives to challenge them and “to show that there are people who don’t respect the elderly.”

“They push them aside. They think they’ve lived their lives and they’re done, that there’s nothing more to come out of them. We don't have to listen to them anymore because they’ve nothing left to say,” Jackson said.

Literature today often revolves around the lives of the young and bustling, contributing to the general consensus that being young is the ideal and getting older represents a slow decline to death. It’s hard to recall mainstream media that depicts the voice of older, contemporary generations. It’s even harder to find media with a senior’s home as the setting.

The Wheaton manages to do this niche justice by lovingly capturing the eccentric and colourful characters of a senior’s home along with key themes that readers of all stages of life can relate to.

When diving into a new novel, a reader’s initial response is to identify and side with the protagonist. In The Wheaton, this is twisted as John quickly reveals through flashbacks that he’s not without faults, and at times is morally ambiguous.

He’s been a selfish husband, an absent father to his children, and makes it known he resents having to support a family. Through his work at the senior’s residence, John is forced to confront his past actions, and by connecting with residents he gains insight into his own life.

Although John begins to see the error of his ways, the novel doesn’t end in his complete redemption. Instead, he takes the first steps in a difficult journey of making amends with his children who, after losing their mother, felt they had lost connection to their father as well.

As Jackson explains regarding the ending: “I didn’t want to tie it up with a ribbon and have a perfect package at the end. I never do. Life is messy, you know. Life’s a bitch, and then you die. He didn’t totally redeem himself, but he tried, and that’s all we can do in this world.”

On a lighter but equally important note, The Wheaton frequently features John’s canine companion, Clem, who not only thrives but also is treated to many walks. In a way, Clem was an homage to the author’s husband, and a way for the author to make amends of her own. As Jackson puts it: “We’re on our third border collie in 30 years right now, and our second border collie my husband wanted to name Clementine, and I said no. I’ve always regretted that, so I put her in my book.”

The Wheaton offers an intimate look into an older demographic that’s not often featured in modern media: seniors. As John allows himself to explore his past and tentatively hope for a better future, he serves as a reminder to readers that it’s never too late to reconcile regrets no matter what stage you are at in life.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

ARTS Netflix //

Bojack Horseman, the final episodes CHARTS

SHUFFLE

1 Kristin Witko

AARON LEVY

2 Dumb

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy was encouraged to write a dope, lit shuffle this week, so here we are with a shuffle full of songs from the band...

Zone Of Exclusion Seeing Green

3 XCephasx Hysteria

4 Wish Lash

OSTRICH JOCKEY

Lit - “Miserable”

5

Noe Soudy Bittersweet

6

Ian William Craig Thresholder

7

Dan Mangan More or Less

The title of this song is, I imagine, intended to be ironic, since the actress paired up with this song for musical video purposes, in this case a gigantically presented Pamela Anderson (formerly Lee, former Baywatch actor and one time B.C. Lions Fe-lion cheerleader) most likely made Lit un-miserable.

8

Ora Cogan Crickets

Lit - “My Own Worst Enemy”

9

Various Various Vari- On Jan. 21 of 2021 some readers might hope that this song's ous opening lyrics would be apCatfish Blues

Altar of Doubt

propriate to have ear-worming around inside the heads of the candidates and leaders of the losing American political party from this coming November's general election. "It's no surprise to me, I am my own worst enemy."

10

Snake River Tread On To The Seaside

11

Art d'Ecco Trespasser

12

Volunteers I Wish I Was As Happy As Lit - “Zip-Lock” John Denver

13

Glomus Circle

14

DiTrani Brothers DiTrani Brothers

15

Close Talker How Do We Stay Here?

16

Tide/Edit All My Friends

17 18 19 20

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"If I could get another chance / I'd put it in a ziploc bag / And keep it in my pocket / …

When I start to blow it would you / Show me / What I need to do before you / Hate me / I could never live with that so / Tell me / Before you're better off without me."

Drake - “Nonstop”

Since the other songs were all lit, here's one that's just dope and full of bravado. "Look, I The Sons of Rainier just flipped the switch (flipped, Down in Pancake Valley flipped) / I don't know nobody else that's doin' this / Bodies Ingebord von Agassiz start to drop, ayy, hit the floor O Giver of Dreams / Now they wanna know me since I hit the top, ayy."

Ross From Friends Epiphany Flatbed Open Up And Bleed

Netflix adult animation series reaches its conclusion

ALEISTER GWYNNE This is my third and most likely final review of Bojack Horseman.

The Netflix-exclusive adult animation series recently had its series finale after six seasons.

The deeply troubled horse actor and those around him have been through many misadventures, all of which come to a head in the final season.

The second half of the last season was delayed until January of 2020. To briefly recap the first half of the season that came out in October of last year, the various mistakes and moments of weakness for Bojack are coming back to haunt him, and a character he is close to is apparently about to be told a dark secret Bojack carries.

In my previous review of season five and the first half of season six, I predicted that Bojack’s story, when it concluded, would end with either his death or his redemption. I am not entirely sure if I was right or not.

The events that have a bearing on the final episodes reach all the way back to the very beginnings of the show and make references to characters and events viewers had forgotten about by then. While this use of continuity is impressive, it did make for some confusing moments as I tried to jog my memory of the previous seasons. It also makes for a change in that Bojack is dealing more with the long-term consequences of his actions, unlike the short-term ones he has mostly faced until

now. All of these various events look as if they will converge in the finale in one spectacular final resolution. What we get, however, is rather different.

The latter half of season six (especially the penultimate episode) raises the spectre of Bojack’s imminent death. The final episode is less nervewracking, but during it, Bojack expresses his fear that he will cause something to go horribly wrong like he has so many times in the past. The viewer shares this tension. This is the end of the series, all bets are off, and literally anything can happen. Viewers were kept on the edge right up until the final credits started rolling, wondering if the other shoe was about to drop.

The finale ends on a somewhat upbeat and optimistic note, but the ending is openended in a lot of ways. It seems that Bojack has always desired a final resolution wherein he will be happy and content for the rest of his days. Alas, the real world does not work that way, and neither does this show, but in the end, Bojack (and some other characters who struggle with their own demons) come to accept that. The finale is very introspective. In it, Bojack spends time talking with each of the four major supporting characters who have been on the show from beginning to end: Mr. Peanutbutter, Princess Carolyn, Todd Chavez, and Diane Nguyen. They have all been through a lot, and each of them has changed to varying

degrees. They are not the same people they were at the beginning of the series or even the beginning of the final season, and these changes are generally for the better. The series ends with the possibility (but no guarantee) that the destructive habits and patterns of the past will not continue.

Looking back, the series itself has changed from what it started as. In the beginning it was about a jerk protagonist getting into random, wacky hijinks with a bunch of visual animal puns in the background. It didn’t do much for me at first.

Yet as the series went on, it began exploring the characters and setting more, delving into complex and mature themes like loss, mental illness, abuse, and the meaning of existence.

This is where Bojack Horseman ultimately gained its appeal from.

A cynical part of me suspects that the loose ending is to leave open the possibility of extending the series, but I hope they do not. The way I see it, Bojack Horseman ends at the perfect time in the perfect way. The show went on long enough to realize its potential, but not so long that it became stale and overplayed. The final note we leave on both fits the tone of the series as a whole, and yet feels satisfactory in a way that is hard to explain. The characters’ lives carry on, as before, but for perhaps the first time, that’s not so bad.

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 07

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

ARTS Rewind //

Subversive movies are a Holden Caulfield is more sad boy girl’s best friend than bad boy MIKAELA COLLINS

In 1975, feminist film critic Laura Mulvey published her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” in which she established the term “male gaze.” Anyone who consumes film reviews is probably familiar with the idea: the slow pan up a woman’s body; the dewy, angled-down close-ups on the female love interest. The male gaze refers not only to how women are depicted on film in ways designed for male viewers’ sexual pleasure, but also how male characters in a film are often given control of the camera. For example, if a man looks at a woman, only the woman tends to be in frame in the following shot, but if a woman looks at a man, the tendency is to shoot over the woman’s shoulder. The perspective and visual pleasure of men is generally privileged.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a 1953 musical romantic comedy directed by Howard Hawks and starring Jane Russell as Dorothy Shaw and Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei Lee. The two are best friends and coperformers who board a cruise ship bound for France where

diamond-obsessed Lorelei intends to marry her wealthybut-unattractive fiancé, Gus. But, despite starring Marilyn Monroe, arguably one of the most objectified women in Hollywood history, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes bucked the trend of the male gaze 20 years before the concept was brought into academia.

Others have identified the musical number “Ain’t There Anyone Here For Love?,” in which Dorothy sings about looking for “love” to dozens of nameless, half-naked Olympic athletes, as a scene that subverts the male gaze. However, the male gaze is subverted throughout the entire movie, and in some places replaced with the female gaze. At one point, Lorelei’s female gaze is privileged over realism — when she finds out that Piggy, a geriatric flirt, owns a diamond mine, his head turns into a diamond because that’s what she sees when she looks at him.

The male characters — Gus, Piggy, and Malone, Dorothy’s love interest — rarely direct the camera to look at the women, even in romantic scenes.

In the film’s most famous musical number, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” the

stage is set for Lorelei to perform with a chandelier made of women in bondage. Yes, real women. And the gaze for the entire scene is controlled

by Lorelei’s fiancé, Gus. This could read as the same kind of objectification present in other movies, but it works to confront the viewer with what Lorelei is singing about. It’s more than just materialism; in the song, Lorelei turns away men who confess their love for her, and sings lines like “He's your guy / When stocks are high / But beware when they start to descend / It's then that those louses / Go back to their spouses / Diamonds are a girl's best friend.” The message is not “Get diamonds because they’re pretty” but “Get diamonds so that you have something to your name if a guy leaves you in the dust.”

Early in the film, Lorelei compares marrying a man because he’s rich to marrying a girl because she’s pretty. She’s repeatedly shown to be much more clever and manipulative than the men in the movie (except Malone) give her credit for — but she plays the dumb blonde because it feels safer to her than being loudmouthed and independent like Dorothy.

She is trapped in the role of a decoration just as much as the women in the chandeliers are.

It’s telling that the most — and arguably only — provocative outfit is worn by Dorothy when she pretends to be Lorelei in court, reprising “Diamonds” in a rhinestone bathing suit and stockings; in other words, when Jane Russell is parodying Marilyn Monroe. It’s easy to look to movies where men are objectified as examples of the female gaze:Magic Mike, for example. But Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is deeply aware of how women — especially beautiful, blonde women like Marilyn Monroe — are seen by men. Giving them the power of the gaze confronts the audience with their complexity and strength, and it’s something that cinema still doesn’t always do.

CHANDY DANCEY Does the mention of The Catcher in the Rye make you groan and remember literary circles in high school designed to try and convince you Holden Caulfield’s narration wasn’t exceedingly annoying? I don’t blame you.

Upon first read of this literary classic, it’s hard to relate to or u ndersta nd the protagonist, Holden: he’s judgemental, immature, and pretentious.

The story follows him through a few days of his life after being expelled from yet another school, having failed most of his classes. Instead of immediately going back home, the 16-year-old takes a trip to New York City alone.

Personally, after reading it a second time, Holden becomes more transparent. It’s not that his narrative becomes more palatable, because he’s still very much written as an angsty teenage boy, but his actions begin to make more sense. Holden is acting out the compounded trauma of the death of his younger brother and the suicide of a classmate. He struggles to understand the actions (or lack thereof) of adults in his life, how childhood innocence can fade, and his own sexuality.

The reaction of disliking Holden is one that most other characters in the book take but that should be questioned by the reader. Cab drivers are annoyed by his philosophical questions, and teachers are frustrated by how he doesn’t take his studies

seriously. No one stops to question why Holden is unable to function in society. No adults, including his parents, take note of how much pain he’s in and the grief that he grapples with in isolation. This further perpetuates his unease of becoming an adult himself, illustrated by his fantasy of becoming a “catcher in the rye” — a figure who stands at the top of a cliff and looks out for children about to fall off.

This wellknown novel also features the iconic scene of Holden inviting a prostitute to his hotel room, and instead of doing the deed he ends up using her as a therapist and paying for her time. Holden acts about as responsibly as any 16-year-old boy is expected to (which is to say, not very much), and in doing so balances out painful memories with some unexpected laughs.

While many identify with Holden and look up to him, it’s safe to say that the novel opts to encourage readers to empathize with Holden rather than emulate him. He isn't a hero by any means; he’s a lonely, grieving boy struggling to move on from traumatic events and understand his place in the world.

By the end of the novel, Holden ends on a positive note, beginning to accept help, mature, and connect with others. He represents hope for those who feel alienated by society and an opportunity for readers to move past initial judgements to see a character for who they really are.

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Note:

Some of these events require tickets, most are on Facebook. If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details.

• Faculty Micro Lectures @ UFV (Abbotsford) A225, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

• Woof Woof Wednesday @ UFV (Chilliwack) Building A Atrium, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Alters & Avenues Creative Writing Workshop @ UFV (Abbotsford) B121, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

• Mid-Semester Motivator @ UFV (Abbotsford) Student Life Lounge, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

• UFV Film Series Screening: “Soul Food Junkies” @ UFV (Abbotsford) A352, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

• Improv Night @ UFV (Abbotsford) D123, 6:10 – 8:20 p.m.

• Open Mic Night @ Trading Post Brewery and Tasting Room, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

• Brewmaster’s Dinner @ Trading Post Eatery Fort Langley, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

• Live music @ S+L Abbotsford, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Rewire Your Brain for Change @ Tractorgrease Cafe, 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.

• Time and Stress Management Workshop @ UFV (Abbotsford) K173, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

• Scholarly Sharing Initiative @ UFV (Abbotsford) F125, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

• Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night @ Trading Post Brewery and Tasting Room, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

• “Why Public Conversations Need Women’s Insights” public talk by Shari Graydon @ UFV (Abbotsford) U-House, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

• Comedy Showcase @ UFV (Abbotsford) B101, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

• Talking About Teaching: International Students @ UFV (Abbotsford) U-House, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

• Valuing Plants: Learning from Each Other @ UFV (Chilliwack) Gathering Place A1457, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

• Black History Month Film Night @ The Reach, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m.

• Open Mic @ Tractorgrease Cafe, 7:00 – 11:00 p.m.

• Live music @ Trading Post Brewery and Tasting Room, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Other Side of the Trax @ The Railyard, 8:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

• Karaoke Fridays @ Captain’s Cabin Pub, 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

• Fraser Valley Mathematics Education Sq’ep @ UFV (Abbotsford), 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

• Staying Alive? Murder Mystery and Dinner @ The Stage, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Kara Kata Afrobeat Group @ The Railyard, 7:00 – 11:00 p.m.

• Torben Brown Trio @ Tractorgrease Cafe, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Sunday Matinee with Paul Pigat @ Tractorgrease Cafe, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

• Superhero Sundays @ Boardwalk Cafe and Games, 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.

• Paws for a Break @ UFV (TTC), 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Mad Monday Challenges @ UFV (Abbotsford) U-House, 12:00 – 7:00 p.m.

• Wellness Workshop: Regulating Emotions @ UFV (Abbotsford) D105, 1:00 – 1:45 p.m.

• Hiring Fair @ UFV (Abbotsford) E105, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

• Career Exploration & Life Planning Workshop @ UFV (Abbotsford) B214, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.

• Live Music @ Trading Post Eatery Fort Langley, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Live Music @ Trading Post Eatery Abbotsford, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Record Steward Introduction Session @ UFV (Abbotsford) K151, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

• Woof Woof Wednesday @ UFV (Chilliwack) Building A Atrium, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• UFV Theatre and UFV School of Creative Arts Ashland Speaker: Jivesh Parasram @ UFV (Abbotsford) D105, 1:00 – 5:30 p.m.

• Long Night Against Procrastination @ UFV (Abbotsford) Building G, 5:00 – 11:59 p.m.

• Long Night Against Procrastination @ UFV (Chilliwack) Building A, 3:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Improv Night @ UFV (Abbotsford) D123, 6:10 – 8:20 p.m.

• Indian Cinema and Shakespeare: Maqbool (adaptation of Macbeth) @ UFV (Abbotsford) B101, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Open Mic Night @ Trading Post Brewery and Tasting Room, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

• Live music @ S+L Abbotsford, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Rewire Your Brain for Change @ Tractorgrease Cafe, 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.