The Cascade Vol. 28 Iss. 16 by The Cascade

JUNE 3 TO JUNE 17, 2020

VOLUME 28 ISSUE 16

At a loss for words since 1993

WORKSHOPS FOR ONLINE CLASSES

FEATURE: ACING ONLINE CLASSES

BLACK LIVES MATTER

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 16

Opinion Editor Carissa Wiens carissa@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Andrea Sadowski andrea@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Chandy Dancey chandy@ufvcascade.ca

Feature Editor Darien Johnsen darien@ufvcascade.ca Digital Media Manager Anoop Dhaliwal anoop@ufvcascade.ca Graphic designer Shara Hamed

Sports Editor Alex Jesus alex@ufvcascade.ca Production Assistant Anoop Dhaliwal

Illustrator Kayt Hine

Photographer David Myles

Illustrator Rain Neeposh

Staff Writer Aleister Gwynne

Sports Writer Nic Jackson

Staff Writer Nicholas Ashenhurst-Toews

Social Media Coordinator Daniela Vasquez

Staff Writer Krystina Spracklin

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 28 · Issue 16 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 will be digital for the remainder of the semester. Please email managing@ufvcascade.ca to be put on the assignment email list. 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.

OPINION

News Editor Sam Young samuel@ufvcascade.ca

8- 9 ARTS

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

NEWS

Production Manager Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

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

10 Snapshots.......7

16.......Study Break

NEWS Online learning assistance......3

3......CIVL announces grant

Changes to withdrawl policy......4 OPINION Learning online.......4 Editorial.......5

5.......Dear Robin 6.......Ending white silence

CULTURE Cascade Kitchen......10

10.......Picking flowers

Broadway turns to broadband......11 SPORTS UFV soccer.......12

12......Professional sports

Basketball awards.......13 ARTS Fairytales and disability......14

15......Soundbite - “Wandering Boy"

Soundbite - SAWAYAMA......15

15......Cascade Rewind

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 16

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

news@ufvcascade.ca Sam Young — News Editor

NEWS

UFV //

NEWS BRIEFS

Toronto protesters decry anti-black and - Indigenous racism

UFV Counselling offers assistance for online learning

UFV counsellors now offering workshops, online sessions, and more

Following nation-wide protests in the U.S. last week, thousands took to the streets of Toronto Saturday to march peacefully against racism and police violence. The protest comes after the highly publicized deaths of George Floyd, a black man who suffocated to death while restrained by police, and Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a black woman who fell from her balcony Tuesday while police were in her Toronto apartment. Korchinski-Paquet’s death is still being probed by Ontario’s police watchdog. The rally was organized by a group called Not Another Black Life, and concluded in front of Toronto police headquarters.

- The Canadian Press

SAM YOUNG Through the month of May and early June, UFV Counselling is offering a number of workshops alongside their traditional services, in order to help students struggling with online learning. According to Priscilla Ang, department head for UFV Counselling, the workshops are intended to address “common challenges to online learning” by helping students examine their own emotions and habits. “[The workshops] look at emotional and self-critical beliefs and expectations, and developing some ways of dealing with ourselves more compassionately,” Ang said via email. “[They] also look at external blocks to studying.” “Students will be discovering more about their unique learning style and how that can be adapted to this time, and then practical skills to help structure and break things

down to be effective within an online environment.” She added that the workshops may also provide students with connections to one another and assurance that they are not alone in struggling to adjust to online learning. In addition to providing workshops, Ang said that UFV Counselling is taking other steps to continue providing services to students during the pandemic. Traditional one-on-one counselling is still being offered via video or phone, and students may call Student Services to book sessions. A new UFV Counselling Facebook page containing contact information and resources for mental wellness has also been created. “We hear of students struggling to transition to an online learning format, struggling to stay financially afloat, struggling to support family who have been affected by the pandemic, and struggling with anxious, depressive feelings and a greater

sense of isolation,” said Ang, adding that UFV Counselling continues to offer support to any who feel they need it. Ang also said that given what the counselling department has learned during the pandemic, online counselling sessions will likely become a permanent part of the department’s offerings going forward. “This pandemic has taught many of us a new way of being, and allowed us to explore other potentials,” she said. “Our team would like to continue offering online therapy as an ongoing service, as it may offer more flexibility for some students, such as those who would like appointments on days that they will not be on-campus, or those who feel more comfortable in a virtual setting.” The final workshop in the online learning series will take place on June 3, and the final in a series of workshops focused on decreasing anxiety will take place on June 4.

CIVL //

B.C. increases minimum wage A scheduled minimum wage increase will take place June 1, raising the province’s minimum hourly pay to $14.60 — a 75 cent increase. The increase comes at a time when businesses throughout the nation are struggling due to COVID-19. Labour Minister Harry Bains defended the raise, stating that “It’s not fair to ask [workers] to delay their wage increase” at a time when many are struggling financially. However, others have been critical of the decision not to delay the increase, including Professor Andrey Pavlov of the Beedie school of business at Simon Fraser University, who said the raise “could be just the catalyst that pushes many businesses over the edge.”

- The Canadian Press

CIVL announces Common Room Recording Grant UFV’s radio station partners with Common Room collective to fund local musicians SAM YOUNG CIVL Radio, a community station run through UFV, announced Friday that it has partnered with the Common Room Music Collective to offer a recording grant for Fraser Valleyarea musicians. According to a press release issued by the two organizations, the Common Room Recording Grant will allow eligible applicants to receive $3,500 in funding for “a musical project of their own work.” Common Room is an Abbotsfordbased collective of songwriters that has been holding songwriter nights and shows since 2016. Fundraising for the grant began last June, and CIVL has now announced that it will be matching Common Room’s funds, and signing on as a long-term sponsor of the grant.

Applications will be accepted for two months, after which submissions will be evaluated by a combination of staff and volunteers from CIVL and Common Room. A full list of criteria for eligibility is available on Common Room’s website, and the press release states that the prize is

intended for musicians in the Fraser Valley area “who do not have label support.” The winner of this year’s grant will be announced this August via webcast during Jam in Jubilee, a yearly concert series held in Abbotsford of which CIVL is an annual partner.

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 16

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

NEWS UFV //

UFV seeks to change withdrawal policy Draft of revised policy would allow students to withdraw at any time prior to 75% course completion

SAM YOUNG According to a policy consultation posted on the UFV website on May 19, UFV is considering changes to its withdrawal policy that would grant students a longer period to withdraw without penalty. The proposed changes to university policy 81, which outlines UFV’s rules and expectations around course withdrawals, would permit students to withdraw from courses without penalty at any time prior to 75 per cent course completion. UFV’s

OPINION

current policy allows withdrawals up until a student has completed 60 per cent of a course, after which point all withdrawals are considered “late” and require committee approval. The current policy also states that late withdrawals may be accepted on “medical or compassionate grounds” when “extenuating circumstances” prevent course completion. The draft of the new policy expands on the definition of “extenuating circumstances,” and specifically rules out “short-term illnesses, pre-existing unmanaged conditions, [and] acceptance

of employment” as acceptable reasons to permit late withdrawals. According to a policy request form submitted by Alisa Webb, UFV’s vice president students, the rationale behind the proposed change is that under the current policy, students do not yet have a sufficient sense of their academic standing in a course when the 60 per cent withdrawal date arrives. The rationale section of the request form also mentions that other institutions across the country have become more flexible around their assessments, and that in

many courses, the bulk of assessment now occurs later in the term. Additionally, the form suggests that the current withdrawal period leads to a “cumbersome and time consuming” late withdrawal process that affects both students and the committee who have to deal with requests. According to the policy request form, work on these policy revisions “began pre-COVID,” although given the “current context,” the university hopes to implement the new policy beginning in the Fall 2020 semester.

tack, as the course work can almost always be moved to a time when I feel better. While there are several good points to the online learning experience, there are still things to worry about with the idea of a full course load of online learning. As previously stated, I get overwhelmed easily a n d like

classroom-based scenario. The one video conference class I attended during the winter semester left me overwhelmed from the amount of people talking and anxious that the feeling of being overwhelmed was going to cause me to miss some key information. Another major thing that causes me stress about the switch to online learning is the fact that the most effective way for me to learn is through audio lectures. Not everyone has the same core learning style, and while I can imagine online learning to be particularly effective for visual learners, auditory learners and kinesthetic learners may feel like the system is not suited to their needs. I have yet to see anything to ease this particular concern. Online learning also feels less personable. Without being at the same place at the same time, there are far fewer interactions between students, an underappreciated tool in gaining a better understanding of both the material being discussed but also the different viewpoints people can approach the same material from. The online learning period has been a mostly positive experience. While there are some concerns as we move forward into continued online learning, I’m certain that the university will try its best to accommodate most of the students' concerns. If handled correctly, responding to feedback and offering explanations for confused students, continued online learning could turn out to be one of the university’s most valuable tools.

opinion@ufvcascade.ca Carissa Wiens — Opinion Editor

World //

Online learning The pros, cons, and worries NICHOLAS ASHENHURSTTOEWS If you are currently attending classes, or have taken the time to remain informed about the upcoming fall semester, you're aware that UFV is currently only offering online courses, and will remain this way for the foreseeable future. The transition into online learning began back in March when the university closed its campuses as a precaution against the global COVID-19 crisis. The sudden move to online for the remainder of the winter semester left many with the new stress of adjusting to online learning as well as studying for finals, in the cases where they weren’t cancelled. The summer semester had more time to transition into online learning, and the extra preparation can be felt. With the fall semester having even more time and student feedback to iron out any last kinks, there are certain things that have not been addressed which have me nervous. There are many reasons to enjoy online learning. The classes I've been enrolled in have been work at your own pace as long as you meet assignment deadlines. For those who prefer working at their own pace and on their own, this is a very effective way to learn. The course is a reading-intensive course, something I have not taken up to this point. While that kind of in-depth academic reading can occasionally feel overwhelming, it has been

fun to really deep dive into a subject. Additionally, it has been instrumental in the development of a good n o t e - t a king strategy for readi ngi ntensive courses. It also cannot be ignored that I am someone who can feel extreme levels of anxiety and can be easily over-

Illustration by Kayt Hine

w h e l m e d when in places I don't know very well. The added relief of not really having an assigned class time has also helped when I have suffered a particularly bad panic at-

having time to recharge my battery as it were. Having many intense classes feels like it's going to be a recipe for academic disaster. I've also yet to have the experience of a consistent online

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 16

OPINION Editorial //

Don’t cut hazard pay until the hazard is gone JESSICA BARCLAY As the initial shock of the global pandemic fades, many companies in North America are demonstrating that the hazard pay initially given to essential workers was far from the act of goodwill and unity it was presented as. Quietly, and without the fanfare and social media presence the pay was originally given out with, organizations are replacing the hazard pay with capitalist-friendly incentives, or removing it outright. The $2-per-hour hazard pay was initially started by many companies in mid-March as compensation for workers who were experiencing increased on-the-job risks due to COVID-19. During the uncertainty of how devastating the coronavirus would be, workers in retail, transportation, delivery, and health care continued to keep their communities functioning at great personal risk, often without proper safety gear or precautions. Although the bulk of the companies discontinuing hazard pay is concentrated in the U.S., such as Kroger and Target, Canada is not immune. Amazon announced midMay that they would be ending the $2 pay increase for workers in both Canada and the U.S., but would be giving some workers a “Thank you” T-shirt. Save-On-Foods, a Canadian company with most of their stores concentrated in Western Canada, halted their hazard pay this Saturday, replacing it with a choice of either 10 per cent off groceries or extra points on their More Rewards program. Although the hazard pay was intended as a temporary initiative, the original reason for the incentive has not left. There are still over 34,000 active COVID-19 cases across Canada and over a million in the U.S., and while new

daily cases are slowing they certainly aren’t stopping. If anything, the risks these workers take every day has increased. More people feel comfortable leaving the house, and although many wear masks and maintain the recommended six feet of distance, far too many do not. Dangers will increase as well with the ongoing protests around the death of George Floyd. With thousands on the march across the U.S. and in parts of Canada, limited social distancing means the potential increased spread of the virus. Taking away this pay directly impacts the most vulnerable members of our communities. Black people are already disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and are more likely to be essential workers. In Canada, the most common areas of employment for Indigenous women are in health care, retail, and social services, and almost a quarter of retail workers in the U.S. are over the age of 55, the age group most at risk from COVID-19. Perhaps companies feel that with the increasing unemployment rate, they no longer need to incentivize workers to come to work — if they won’t, another person will. Or perhaps the positive publicity has already run its course, and is no longer worth the cost of hazard pay. Workers in essential services are already underpaid and overworked, and should be compensated for the risk they are taking showing up to work each day, either willingly or out of necessity for keeping the lights on at home. If nothing else, this pandemic has proven that these workers are not optional for our communities to continue to function: they are essential, and their wages are not a PR stunt.

Humour //

Dear Robin

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 The new world Dear Robin, I’m starting to venture out into the real world, but I’m having trouble with my face accessories. I wear glasses all of the time, but I’m finding it difficult to keep them defogged when I wear a mask over my nose and mouth. It would be helpful if I could see when I’m at the grocery store, but I also want to stay somewhat safe and smart by wearing my face mask. What should I do? Sincerely, Foggy-Faced Hello, For everyone who didn’t learn about fog in glasses and other helpful knowledge in elementary school, glasses fog up when wearing a mask because the moist air from your nose and mouth travel through the open spaces between your skin and the mask that’s under your eyes, therefore making your glasses fog up. That’s as scientific as I can get. So to fix this problem you’ve got to seal the mask to the top part of your face. Make sense? I suggest

using some water-resistant SpiderMan bandages to eliminate those air pockets. Your mask might even be too loose, so tighten that baby up! If your glasses are still foggy, I suggest heading to your optometrist to look into your options for laser eye surgery. Robin A different type of party Dear Robin, How the hell do I get out of a baby shower over Zoom?! Sincerely, Stuck Hey, Baby showers are already incredibly terrible with tacky decorations that let everyone know if the baby is going to be born with a penis or vagina, the ridiculous games where everyone has to match the celebrity to their baby pic, and the endless time period where the mother-tobe passes around every. single. gift. But putting that all on Zoom makes it a party the devil probably created himself. Since you probably care about this mother-to-be, don’t tell her how awful the Zoom shower is going to be, just let her know you won’t attend (you don’t need to tell her why) but would love to celebrate with her once it’s safe to. Everyone wins. Including the unborn baby who won’t have your opinion of them stained by this Zoom shower. Robin

Illustration by Elyssa English

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 16

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

OPINION Life //

It’s time for white silence to end

How many black deaths does it take for white people to start dismantling the supremacy that’s killing them?

KRYSTINA SPRACKLIN It took about six minutes before George Floyd stopped speaking — nearly nine minutes before the officer lifted his knee from his neck. Captured on video from several bystanders and redacted footage from cameras worn by the arresting officers, Floyd’s final words were “I can’t breathe” and “Don’t kill me” before he went limp. The arresting police officers involved with his death claimed that Floyd was resisting arrest, though despite video footage from multiple sources, there are no signs of Floyd resisting or disobeying their instructions. This is one of hundreds of instances in the United States in which police officers have killed black Americans — since 2015, police officers have killed 1,262 black citizens, 37 of which were children. In 2014, the death of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, resulted in the Ferguson civil protests, giving rise to the #BlackLivesMatter activist movement on a global scale, a movement which began in 2013 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer was acquitted. In the same year, another black man, Eric Garner, was strangled to death by a police officer in a chokehold, his last words chillingly shared with Floyd: “I can’t breathe.” Both officers responsible for these deaths faced a grand jury. Both were not indicted. It’s a cycle of supremacy we’ve come to expect from white men in blue: committing violent acts of police brutality against black suspects, killing them, releasing autopsy reports that try to emphasize toxicology or undiagnosed medical conditions as the culprit, eventually firing the killers, placing charges, and then handing them acquittals once the immediate attention dies down. Sure enough, the preliminary findings from George Floyd’s autopsy revealed that it wasn’t strangulation or asphyxia alone that killed him but the pairing of heart disease and the officer’s fatal use of restraint. It is not surprising that Floyd’s autopsy report would reveal some underlying health conditions. It could have been asthma, a heart murmur, esophageal cancer — something to explain why he couldn’t survive Derek Chauvin digging his knee into his neck for nine minutes. It’s too harmful to hold cops accountable for their

racism and brutality — it must be the bad, unhealthy black man’s fault for not having a body in profound shape, ready to endure a cop’s abuse. An independent autopsy released on June 1 contradicted the Hen-

pernick, an NFL football player at the time, knelt during the national anthem as a demonstration of solidarity with black activists. He later filed a grievance against the NFL for colluding to keep him from

Illustration by Kayt Hine

nepin County medical examiner’s claims, revealing that Floyd died from asphyxiation due to sustained pressure. Since May 26, 2020, the United States has been ablaze in peaceful protests and furious riots. It never really matters whether the protests stay peaceful or evolve into riots — black people are repeatedly told to stay quiet and be respectful from white social media handlers. In 2016, Colin Kae-

playing and was condemned online by white people and politicians for showing “disrespect” to a nation with a disparate inclination for killing black people. By rejecting his silent means of protest, Kaepernick and other black activists following in his stead were told that their suffering was meaningless. White people are complicit in white supremacy, regardless of whether their

morals are racist or not. The system that upholds Western government and police officers cannot be dismantled without white people joining the conversation and acknowledging the systemic advantages their white skin provides them. By clinging to concepts such as #AllLivesMatter, they are essentially saying all lives but black ones matter — because so long as black people are being targeted with poverty, imprisonment, and death at disproportionate rates, all lives are not equal. If white people are so earnest in believing that all lives have value, then it’s time to listen. Don’t dismiss protestors by simply branding them as angry looters, because it’s easy to ignore quiet and peaceful demonstrations — but the moment windows start breaking, suddenly there’s a soap box to preach on. We expend sympathy on burning buildings and stolen merchandise, as if commodities aren’t insurable, replaceable, or less valuable than human life. The idea of losing stuff is more frightening than confronting our thoughts, unrecognized biases, and behaviours that have made black people in the United States killing fodder — and that attitude spills over into Canada too. Our history of anti-blackness is shrouded by feel-good stories, like accepting escaped slaves through the Underground Railroad, despite our 200 years of upholding black slavery before then. Our boast of multiculturalism and tolerance is a myth we’ve adopted as a nation. White supremacy pervades Canada, though perhaps the saturation seems muted for those who choose to ignore it. It is surreal that a prime minister who wore blackface makeup has his racism shadowed by the hateful, racist rhetoric of his American counterpart, and instead, Canada is often regarded as one of the most tolerant countries in the world. Our history of antiblackness began with slavery, transitioned into refusing black immigrants under the guise of their inability to endure our colder climate, and now today, in Toronto, black citizens are 20 times more likely to be shot by police than white citizens. If you aren’t seeing the issues of race and the disparity that elevates whiteness and murders blackness, now is the time to start listening to black voices, reading black literature, and standing in solidarity with their calls for reform and justice.

BRIEF BITS OF BITE-SIZED BREVITY

SN S AP HO TS

CURTAILED COMMENTARY ON CURRENT CONDITIONS

Illustrations by Rain Neeposh

When consuming raw eggs Yesterday evening I made Bon Appetit’s classic Caesar dressing. I whisked the ingredients together, tossed it with some greens, and enjoyed my dinner. It was only later that night when it hit me that I had consumed raw eggs (which I mixed into the dressing, as the recipe called for). Born from an over-cautious mother who warned me to never eat such things, I freaked out a little — Am I going to get food poisoning? Is it raw eggs that can give someone salmonella, or is that just raw chicken? When making the dressing I didn’t think much of it — eggs get tossed into many of the things I eat,

but I usually cook them. Of course this time was different. It turns out that eating raw eggs isn’t as uncommon as I thought it was. What do you think mayonnaise is? Raw eggs and oil. How about eggnog? Raw. Eggs. People even toss them into smoothies too. Apparently the risk of getting food poisoning from eating raw eggs is pretty low as long as you keep them refrigerated. I’ve calmed down now, and hopefully my mom will someday too.

Carissa Wiens

Insta filters are a capitalist marketing scheme I love Instagram story filters. And no, I’m not talking about the hilarious “What Ikea furniture are you” or “What Peppa Pig character are you” roulette filters; I’m talking about the ones that make you look like a Kardashian. These filters smooth out your skin, puff up your lips, and give you the false lashes you’ve always dreamed about. Looking at myself through these filters gives me hope for myself, until I realize it must be a secret, capitalist marketing ploy to get me to buy lip injections, false lashes, microdermabrasion treatments, and tattooed freckles — yet it’s kind of working (even though

I’m fiercely against marketing ploys). I’m actually fearing that they might be bad for my mental health — it’s so heartbreaking when I tilt my head just a little too far and the filter slips, and I’m left with the acne-scarred, flatlipped, freckle-less “real me” that’s, frankly, pretty disappointing. But do I tilt the filter back to its rightful angle and take the selfie anyway? You better believe it. I mean, does it really matter? The real world doesn’t even exist anymore, and we’re all morphing into Facebook avatars anyways.

Darien Johnsen

Pop goes the timeline There is a highly unscientific yet extremely compelling conspiracy theory that we were thrown into an alternate timeline in 2016 when an animal caused the temporary shutdown of the Large Hadron Collider. The animal (a weasel, probably, or possibly a marten, according to those on site) disrupted the collider by chewing through a number of very important wires, getting quite singed in the process. It does make sense at first glance. Only months later Donald Trump, arguably the worst president in American history and overall a miserable failure, was voted into power. Since then, Britain has left the European Union (EU), the weather went ber-

serk, Trump did various nonsensical things too numerous to list, locusts are eating Africa and the Middle East, and the world was hit with a massive and devastating pandemic. That the Queen of England has thousands in offshore tax havens was barely a subpoint in the recent turmoil. Sadly, it appears that there is absolutely, unequivocally, no evidence to support that we are in an alternative timeline or that the Large Hadron Collider is in any way, shape, or form able to divert reality. It looks like we can’t weasel out of this one; sorry world, this chaos is our own.

Jessica Barclay

Snug as a bug in my mug I am notoriously neurotic when it comes to the possibility of mold growing in my fridge, on my food, and in my various food containers that I typically tote from place to place. COVID-19 has made this easier to manage, since I’m always at home and able to clean things, but it has presented me with a new food fear: bugs. I like to take my laptop to the park to work from home, and while doing so I have had ants swarm my lunch, bees land on my salad, and spiders crawl inside the lid of my travel mug. Not through the lid into my coffee, but inside the lid, ready to crawl out onto

my face at the first unguarded sip. I know people eat insects, but I’m simply not ready to have an open-mouth policy for any crawly critters that wander into my lunch. The thought of accidentally eating a bug makes me itchy all over, but I love being outside, so I guess I must live in fear of these tiny terrors touching my teeth — and accept that other park-goers will see me frantically shooing them away with all the grace of an electrocuted gibbon.

Mikaela Collins

FEATURE //

VOL. 28 // ISSUE 16

HOW TO

ACE YOUR

ONLINE CL ASS Andrea Sadowski

The announcement that nearly all classes will take place in an online format in the fall may have felt like a terrible blow to some, and a massive relief to others. Taking university courses online can certainly be challenging, especially when it comes to staying motivated; however, there are some strategies you can use to maintain your spectacular grade point average, even when the world has turned upside down. On the plus side, at least you won’t have to drive around a full parking lot for half an hour desperately searching for a place to park every morning. Maintain a calendar. Your first step is to print all your class syllabuses, highlight all important dates like when assignments are due or tests are taking place, and write all these deadlines in a calendar. I prefer a physical calendar, but you may find an online calendar on your phone works just fine. Try setting goals for each day, and be realistic about them. A great idea is to look back and reflect on what goals you met that week; be proud of accomplishments, no matter how small. Make lists. Depending on how many classes you are taking per semester, it can get overwhelming to keep track of all the small assignments for each course. Start each week by making a to-do list for each course, listing every reading, journal, discussion board, and assignment that needs

to be completed by the end of the week, as well as preparation for larger assignments due in the upcoming weeks. I like to put even tiny tasks on to-do lists just to feel accomplished as I cross it off the list. You can get creative with to-do lists, like UFV criminology student Jemma Wright has done — she keeps sets of sticky notes on her laptop that she adds to each week with the tasks and due dates she needs to keep track of. Participate in discussions. Many online classes will require you to write a “discussion board” post each week or every other week, as well as comment on a few of your classmates’ posts. These small assignments only add up to typically 10-15 per cent of your total mark, but your participation in these discussions could mean the difference between an entire letter grade. Stay connected. Log in to your myClass account and check your student email every other day. As well, be sure to keep in touch with your professor with any questions you may have about the material. Keep in mind that some professors prefer you to be highly professional in all communication with them — the ones that do will usually make this clear in their course introduction. Have a workspace. As tempting as it may be to just stay in your pyjamas all day, it will be better for your grades and your mental health if you get dressed and study at a desk. UFV counsellor Marnie Venema explains that it’s all about “transitioning our brain into the mode of ‘I’m beginning school now.’” Because your body isn’t going through the routine of driving to school and entering the classroom, you have to find another way to put yourself in the context of learning and listening. It might be beneficial to take your books and computer to UFV, as some buildings remain open during the week. The Abbotsford campus buildings A, B, C, D, and the Chilliwack campus Building A are all open Monday - Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The computer labs in Building G, room 210 on the Abbotsford campus and in Building A, room 1202 on the Chilliwack campus are still open for students to use as well during the summer semester. Working in a space that reminds you of school will also help eliminate a lot of distractions that come with studying online, like “quick” Netflix breaks that turn into a four-hour binge session. Set a schedule. Taking classes online allows you to have a much more flexible schedule; however, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have any schedule at all. If you are a student who struggles with the motivation needed for online classes, you should set blocks of time during the week to work on each course, similar to having a regular course schedule. Having set time for you to watch lectures, catch up on readings, and work on assignments will make it feel like you actually go to school. Erin Haan, a UFV student studying sociology and communications, has found it helpful to give each course its own day of the week. Be sure to include not just schoolwork in your schedule, but create blocks of time for yourself to relax, get outside, and get together with friends. Haan prioritizes getting outside during her days off. “Having a day off no matter how much homework I have gives me motivation for the week to come,” Hann said. Study with friends. See if any of your classmates are interested in forming a study group, to either meet online in a Zoom meeting,

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or in-person while social distancing, to tackle material that is harder to understand. Studying with others can help make online classes feel like you are actually in school.

Staying Motivated A huge roadblock when it comes to online courses is remaining motivated. It is very easy to get off track when there is no need to attend class every week, which could result in falling behind, which leads to even less motivation than before. Here are some tips to help you stay motivated throughout the semester and into the fall as well. Healthy lifestyle choices: Studies have proven a direct correlation between physical health and mental health. It is so important to stick to a regular sleep schedule, consistently exercise and eat healthy, and stay away from excessive drug and alcohol use in order for your brain to function properly. Instead of ending a long day of online studies by plopping in front of the TV to binge another season of the show your friend recommended you, how about going for a run, or a hike, or a bike ride — anything that gets your heart pumping and your lungs breathing fresh air. Phone a counsellor: If you are feeling overwhelmed and just need to talk to someone about what you’re going through, you can book an appointment with a UFV counsellor, who are still taking appointments virtually and over the phone. Alternatively, you can use the Here2Talk service which connects you to a counsellor for 24/7 support through their app, website, or over the phone. If you are part of the student healthcare plan offered by SUS you can also phone Empower Me, another hotline that offers 24/7 access to counsellors for post-secondary students who need someone to talk to. Venema made it clear that there are plenty of counselling appointments available virtually with UFV counsellors and that this online format has worked surprisingly well for the department. “We’ve really connected with our clients over the phone sometimes even more so than in person because sometimes that intimidating factor of someone staring at you as you’re sharing things isn’t there, so for some people it actually feels a little bit safer,” said Venema. Why are you in that course? It is hard to stay motivated to do something you don’t see any point in doing. For each online course you are enrolled in, write down the reasons why you are taking that course — even if it is just “I need

this course to get my degree.” Whenever you feel a lack of motivation, go back to that piece of paper you wrote your reasons down on to remind yourself why you should complete that next assignment. Wright, who has often struggled with motivation while doing online courses said, “The idea that each course I complete means that I am closer to completing my degree definitely helps with my motivation.” Show yourself compassion: The counselling centre is offering online workshops to help students adjust to the challenges of online learning, and her first piece of advice for students is to have a lens of compassion for yourself through this difficult transition. She advised students that just because they have what seems like a lot more free time right now, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are expected to be productive at all waking hours. “You’re going to have to figure out a new way of doing things for yourself, and a new rhythm because that typical structure that’s been there, isn’t there,” said Venema. “Don’t be so critical of yourself; when you’re a little less critical and a little more compassionate it gives us more space to look at the problems that we’re facing and find new ways to approach them versus just judging ourselves immediately and thinking that we’re just slackers.” Prioritize self-care: Notice when you’re feeling overwhelmed and think of things you would normally do to help in order to calm yourself down. “If you’ve been inside for a long time, simply stepping outside your house and breathing the fresh air and listening to the sounds around you, feeling the ground under your feet, is going to help reorient you,” said Venema. “If our nervous system is feeling really tired and fatigued, changing our environment, our body position, the temperature, and the things that we’re seeing can really wake us up a little bit.” All in all, listen to your body and take care of yourself.

Instructions on how to enrol should be included already on your math or statistics course’s Blackboard, or you can ask your professor. Library: Although the library may be physically closed, many materials are available online in digital format, including ebooks, online journals, reference books, and videos. Advising Centre: Academic advisors are offering virtual, phone, or email appointments for students who have questions about their programs or need help with their course selections. Counselling: Counsellors are still accepting appointments virtually and over the phone. Phone them in Abbotsford at 604-854-4528 or in Chilliwack at 604-795-2808 to book an appointment, or email them at ssfrontdesk@ufv.ca. Follow UFV Counselling on Facebook to stay up to date on the several workshops they are holding on topics such as mindfulness and study skills. Illustrations by Anoop Dhaliwal

UFV Resources UFV has many of the same resources available to students online as it did when classes were running normally. Here is an overview of services you may find useful: Academic Success Centre: Book an online tutoring session with an Academic Success Centre tutor if you are struggling with any of the course material, or need a little extra help with that research paper. Math & Stats Centre: If you need help specifically with a math or statistics course, the Math & Stats Centre is still open for online instruction; however, you still need to register for the Math & Stats Centre course, which is free.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

CULTURE

culture@ufvcascade.ca Andrea Sadowski — Culture Editor

Lifestyle //

Column //

Cascade Kitchen: Bagels

What to take from the great outdoors Get outside, collect plants, and connect with nature NICHOLAS ASHENHURSTTOEWS

Bountiful bagels. June 1, 2020. (Andrea Sadowski)

ANDREA SADOWSKI The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budgetfriendly 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. I love bagels more than I can possibly write. A good bagel with a generous slathering of cream cheese makes for the perfect breakfast or onthe-go snack. With all this extra time to bake, I tried my hand at making these beloved dough circles myself, and was pleasantly surprised with the result. As with most baked goods, these are best enjoyed fresh, so eat up! Ready in: 2 hours Serves: 4 bagels Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp active dry yeast 1 tbsp sugar 1 cup warm water 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp chia seeds 1 1/2 tbsp sunflower seeds 2 tbsp sesame seeds Method: 1.

In a bowl combine: 1 cup flour, active dry yeast, sugar, and warm water. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes. 2. Add the rest of the flour and remaining ingredients, except for the sesame seeds. Knead dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. The ball of dough should be pretty dense and somewhat heavy. 3. Place dough back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rest for 1 hour. 4. After an hour, divide dough into 4 equal balls and let rest on a floured surface for 15 more minutes. Poke your finger through the centre of the dough balls to make a bagel shape. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 400 F. 5. Place bagels in a pot of rapidly boiling, salted water, 2 at a time, and boil each bagel for 1 minute on each side. (The bagels should float at the top of the water and expand a little while boiling, so be sure to leave room.) 6. Place bagels on a baking sheet and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. Bake for 25 minutes. 7. Let bagels cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!

Not only is it kind of fun to scout out a rhododendron bush, looking for the most appealing burst of blooms, it is also exciting to decide what to do with the sample. Once the samples have been collected, they can be put to use in floral arrangements or pressed between the pages of books to be saved for later. Whatever they are used for, physically collecting flowers is something to try at least once. For the research savvy, after the flower samples have been collected it is fun to fall down a rabbit hole of research. Plants offer a unique opportunity to not only discover what they are, where they originate from, growing habits, and the varying colours they come in, but also what they mean. It was popular, particularly in Victorian times, to send your bouquet with a message. Not as in a card, which has widely become the practice, but with the blooms themselves. Some meanings are still widely known — a red rose is always going to be associated with love — but each flower has its own meaning, which can often vary by the difference in colour. For example, while a red rose means passionate love, a yellow rose’s meaning is friendship. It goes without saying, of course, that one should not collect flowers without the express permission of the plant’s owner. It is also in bad practice to harvest more flowers and leaves than necessary. Now go out and explore the garden. Happy collecting.

Since the announcement of the self-isolation period, more and more of the day is spent inside. While it is nice every once in a while to stay home, and now it is easier than ever to not leave the house for long periods of time thanks to services like food delivery. Perhaps some are feeling that they should not leave the house if they have no reason to. With the weather turning to summer, it is a shame to think that so many people will avoid the outside for fear of catching COVID-19, but as long as social distancing is maintained, being outside is fairly safe. Well, fear not, for the solution to the problem of not having a reason to go outside is to collect plants. The Fraser Valley and its surrounding areas are rich with a diverse range of plant life. From the thick evergreen forests to the lush fields, late spring is one of the most beautiful times to observe the natural world. For one, the weather isn’t biting cold as in winter, or swelteringly hot as in summer, nor has there been much of the rain that is characteristic of early spring and fall. Not only that, many different plants are in full bloom during this time of the year, offering a much wider variety to choose from. You may be asking how one goes about collecting plants. While not everyone may be interested, or in some cases allowed, to collect physical samples, the photography of local flora can be an activity that brings one much joy. Whether it’s composing a shot in a flower garden to get as many different coloured plants in frame as possible, or lying on the forest floor in an attempt to capture the towering trees, photography allows the photographer the chance to capture a moment in time, as well as collect the plant they find the most beautiful or impressive. An added benefit of nature photography is that it minimizes the risk of coming into contact with a particularly harmful plant. The brambles of blackberry bushes are recognizable enough, but other plants, such as stinging nettles, are a little harder to discern. If one is feeling particularly bold, and has the permission of whoever owns the plant, the physical collection of plant samPressed flowers. May, 2020. (Nicholas Ashenhurst-Toews) ples can also bring one joy.

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CULTURE Lifestyle //

Broadway turns to broadband Where theatre is streaming and what it could mean for fans going forward MIKAELA COLLINS The inherent inaccessibility of theatre is something often romanticized. Theatre is ephemeral. It takes place in real time, in a certain place, and is a unique experience shared by the actors and the audience. Arts columnist Mark Harris remarked recently that the be-there-or-be-square nature of theatre is “part of the sorrow and joy that give those of us who care about it such an emotional attachment.” This may be true for some fans, but implicit to this way of thinking is the idea that people who can’t regularly go to the theatre are obliged to not just take their lumps, but a martyrly pleasure in the fact they will simply never see the vast majority of plays because such is the tragic beauty of theatre. This is problematic because much of the time, attendance comes down to class and geography, not interest. Great theatre happens everywhere, from high schools to the Hayes Theatre, but bigbudget, groundbreaking spectaculars like Hamilton and The Lion King have long been accepted as shows for the wealthy who can afford their astronomically expensive tickets; Hamilton tickets, for example, are commonly over $1,000 each and sometimes over $3,000 from the professional scalpers who hack StubHub to buy and resell an enormous percentage of tickets. This idealized elitism is used to justify high price tags and producers’ reluctance to record and distribute popular productions. But when not even the rich can go to the theatre, it turns out that romance gets put on the back burner pretty quickly. In light of COVID-19, most theatres are closed, and many actors, directors, and producers have popped up with no end of

online performances — many of them free, or by donation to support unemployed actors and pay overhead costs. These range from short videos of cast members singing together over Zoom, to line readings, to the temporary release of pro-shots: professionally filmed and licensed recordings of plays, musicals, ballets, and operas. Broadway has been shut down since March 12, and insiders say that it will likely take steep discounts to draw in cus-

“... when not even the rich can go to the theatre, it turns out that ephemerality isn’t so important after all.” tomers when theatres can reopen, but this isn’t feasible given the profit model of most productions. Musicals especially are expensive to put on and face immense pressure to turn a profit right away; even Beetlejuice, a newcomer which was a consistent top earner for most of its run, was facing eviction prior to Broadway’s shutdown because of its rocky start in May of 2019. But discounts will only help attract audience

members who are already nearby — and during the 2018-19 season, 65 per cent of Broadway’s revenue came from tourists. Producers are typically wary of distributing pro-shots due to fears that they’ll cut into box office profits. But if fans can’t or won’t buy tickets in the future, it may not be so far-fetched to hope that online distribution will be embraced as a substitute for ticket sales. Many free pro-shots have hundreds of thousands of views, and though the success of associated fundraisers has been modest, it’s clear that the audience for digital distribution exists — and is willing to put money toward it, even at a time when many are struggling financially. As a theatre fan in the Fraser Valley, I hope that the theatre industry’s forced acceptance of online distribution is more than just temporary. While we all wait to find out, here are some sites where you can get your theatre fix. The Shows Must Go On This YouTube channel by Universal posts a new pro-shot each week for 48 hours, from 11 a.m. Friday to 11 a.m. Sunday. The series began with several Andrew Lloyd Webber productions, followed by The Sound of Music and Hairspray Live!. Upcoming releases are announced on Wednesdays, and viewers who are able are asked to make donations to the Actors Fund COVID-19 Emergency Relief. National Theatre The National Theatre of Great Britain’s YouTube channel offers full-length plays for a week at a time, often with wellknown celebrities like Benedict Cumberbatch in Frankenstein and Gillian Anderson

in A Streetcar Named Desire. Their channel also offers plenty of permanent videos on theatre-making. This week’s play is Coriolanus with Tom Hiddleston, and will stream from June 4 - 11. The Globe Shakespeare’s Globe posts a new pro-shot of a Shakespeare play on YouTube every two weeks in addition to a recording of its recent production of Macbeth, which will be available until the U.K.’s schools re-open. They’re free to watch, but viewers are asked to make donations to support the theatre. BroadwayHD Except for the fact that it’s over $13 a month, it’s hard to knock BroadwayHD. It has pro-shots of musicals, plays, ballets, and operas with both recent, popular productions and older, more obscure, and foreign plays. If you’re looking for current blockbusters like Beetlejuice or Hamilton, you’re out of luck, but if you’ve burned through all the free pro-shots on YouTube, there’s a lot here. Broadway on Demand Broadway on Demand is a free streaming service with a few pro-shots, unique kids’ shows, behind-the-scenes content, and daily live programming, including followalong workshops on dance and performance with stage professionals. For those interested in the technical side of theatre, or the creative processes behind Broadway productions, this is a great free option.

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VOL. 28 // ISSUE 16

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

SPORTS

sports@ufvcascade.ca Alex Jesus — Sports Editor

Men’s Soccer//

Opinion //

The Cascades add Professional sports are too four new players eager to return to the roster With the season hopefully just a few months away, the Cascades have recruited local and international talent NIC JACKSON Despite COVID-19 putting the world of sports on hold, the Cascades have been hard at work, recruiting new members for their athletic programs. Recently, the Cascades announced that four new players — Jeevan Dhaliwal, Will Bundy, Taylor Richardson, and Tobias Spiess — will be joining their men’s soccer team in the upcoming season. This will be the first season Dhaliwal and Bundy will play at the university level; however, both have impressive soccer resumes. During his time playing for Panorama Ridge Secondary, Dhaliwal was able to help lead his team to three B.C. AAA championships, while Bundy represented the province on Team B.C. for three seasons. Regarding the decision to bring Dhaliwal and Bundy on board, Thomas Lowndes, head coach of the men’s soccer team at UFV, said: “Both Jeevan and Will bring athleticism and creative abilities to our attack for 2020. I am looking forward to [seeing] how they will both adjust to U Sport soccer and the physical defenders they will encounter. They are both strong 1-v-1 attackers and are able to create goal-scoring opportunities.” “We identified after last season that we didn’t score enough goals in 2019, and we are hopeful that both Will and Jeevan will help up score more in the 2020 season.” In addition to the two first-year players, the Cascades also signed former Douglas College player, Taylor Richardson, as well as international student Tobias Spiess, from Friedrich-Alexander

University. “Taylor is a player we have had our eye on for quite a while now; he had a very good season last year with Douglas College — he was a PacWest all-star and made the CCAA all-star team at nationals,” Lowndes said. “He is a mature player who I believe will do very well at the U Sports level. He is extremely quick and powerful and athletically can dominate defenders all game. I am excited to add a player of his quality and to see him gel with our returning attacking players for next season.” When discussing the new international player, Spiess, Lowndes said: “Tobias is a player who we recruited through the same scholarship agency that current Cascades player Kadir Yagci came from. Tobias is a very technical player with a cultured left foot, and his vision and technical passing is something that we are looking forward to adding to the team. He can play both at centre back and central midfield, and I believe his versatility will help him see minutes early on in his Cascades career. He has grown up in a country which is obsessed with soccer and has played in some great environments with some very strong teams. We are excited to bring his level of experience to U Sports for next season.” Many U Sports leagues have been affected by the coronavirus, and there is no information on whether or not the soccer season will begin the same time as previous seasons. If the season is not affected by COVID-19, Dhaliwal, Bundy, Richardson, and Spiess should begin their season with the Cascades in August.

Many professional sports leagues look for a way to return, while COVID-19 cases rise in the U.S. NIC JACKSON As someone who has enjoyed sports my entire life, I feel the emptiness in the media that was once filled by sports. In fact, right now I should be enjoying the best part of hockey, the NHL playoffs, and the start of a new MLB season. Usually, this would be the best time for a fan of these two amazing sports; however, COVID-19 has led to the shutdown of both, as well as many more professional sports leagues. Although I want sports back more than others may, with the recent pandemic sweeping the continent, starting up professional sports again may send the wrong message to millions of viewers. In British Columbia, we have seen far better results pertaining to the coronavirus. Over the recent weeks and months, we have been able to flatten the curve of new COVID-19 infections. I’m thankful to the many nurses, doctors, and health advisors that have helped save lives and spread the word that this is something that should not be taken lightly. In saying that, many of the professional leagues are international. This includes the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), and Major League Soccer (MLS). While states such as Washington and New York have begun to flatten their curves, the average infections per day in the United States of America remain in the thousands. By having players start playing, even without fans, this could lead to many players possibly travelling internationally, spreading the virus from one city to another. Some leagues, such as the MLB, have suggested that all games be played in a

single facility. The MLB considered playing all games in Arizona, which, at the time of print, has 21,250 cases of COVID-19 and 943 deaths. Currently in America many of the states are promoting social distancing. While this is the case, it is extremely difficult for teams to do so. During play, there is a max amount of nine players in the field and four players running the base and batting. The problem, however, is how many non-player people from the organization must be present during the game. This includes people such as coaches, GM, trainers, etc. Also, while many people in the world are taking the coronavirus seriously, some are not. The some that are not may be players, and not following guidelines perfectly could result in an outbreak among a large organization. The simple solution would be to have daily testing for the athletes and personnel. However, if these leagues implement daily testing, much like how the White House has, that could lead to an outcry from fans who are worried that their lives are not seen as equal in the eyes of the government. A similar outcry happened when many NBA players were able to receive tests early in the pandemic. Although I want professional sports back on the TV, the simple fact is that there is no proper way of returning to sports yet. By returning too quickly, professional sports leagues have the risk of becoming new hotspots for the infection, possibly resulting in unnecessary deaths linked to the leagues. Despite the United States’s president stating two months ago that, “If somebody wants to be tested right now, they’ll be able to be tested,” it is not true.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

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Women’s Basketball //

UFV Women’s basketball continues to thrive with Al Tuchscherer Al Tuchscherer received the UFV Staff Excellence Award for 2020

ALEX JESUS Longtime coach and mainstay of UFV women’s basketball Al Tuchscherer was honoured by UFV, receiving the Staff Excellence Award for 2020. Tuchscherer, who has been at the helm for 18 straight seasons, was chosen from over 700 staff, signalling that his contributions have resonated with the school. While acknowledging that the athletic department at UFV is more of a team naturally, he was honoured to receive the award and be nominated. “It was a great honour, and to have the people nominate me who did; I was truly honored by that,” said Tuchscherer. Tuchscherer is best known these days for consistently bringing the UFV program to playoff appearances and building the team. His assembly of the 2019-20 roster was impressive to say the least, as he had Taylor Claggett, the department’s female athlete of the year and Deanna Tuchscherer, the co-rookie of the year. Deanna Tuchscherer, coach Tuchscherer’s daughter, joined the team as a rookie from Chilliwack, playing her highschool career at G.W. Graham Secondary School. UFV athletic awards are one thing, but that’s not where the story ends. Claggett earned a U Sports second team all-Canadian selection, and Deanna

Tuchscherer was selected to the all-rookie team. These came along with various conference-level awards for multiple players. The national recognition signifies a program built to win — something that coach Tuchscherer has done for a long time for the Cascades. The takeaway from the season was positive, but also valuable for the team. As Tuchscherer explained, the playoff team has some lessons to learn following their defeat by the Alberta Pandas. “There’s a lot of really positive things about the season. Our compete level, finishing 16-4 was fantastic. How we ended wasn’t great. I think it was one of those tough lessons against a veteran Alberta team that ended up eliminating us. Unfortunately, I think those are the lessons that you need to learn.” U Sports and Canada West have started the process of revising their schedules due to COVID-19. This means that among other things, travel will be restricted and less games will be played. According to Tuchscherer, this is the correct move for the teams. “Well, I think it’s the obvious thing to do. We are in a pretty difficult time, an unprecedented time. Things are changing so fast, and you don’t really know from week to week and month to month how the CO-

Al Tuchscherer. Feb 7, 2020. (UFV Athletics)

VID [situation] is going to [play out].” Needless to say, the 2020-21 season will be completely different from the seasons prior. That also isn’t just due to COVID-19. The Cascades co-rookie of the year, Deanna Tuchscherer, is set up for another staggering season. Starting off her rookie year as the 10th top scorer in the Canada West conference with 308 points and setting the

program record for points since the team joined Canada West, there is no telling where the ceiling is for this nationally recognized player. Her father, coach Tuchscherer, continues his reign as the program’s shot-caller, and his recent award is only a small part of his incredible run as the program’s leader on the court.

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VOL. 28 // ISSUE 16

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

ARTS

arts@ufvcascade.ca Chandy Dancey — Arts Editor

Book //

Redefining old stories with new ideas Disfigured dismantles ableism in fairy tales and makes it fun CHANDY DANCEY Amanda Leduc offers a stunning criticism of the ableism in fairy tales with her autobiographical book Disfigured, released earlier this year. After taking a stroll in the forest with a walking stick, Leduc struck inspiration and began to make connections between the fairy tales she loved as a child and her experiences as a person with cerebral palsy. What’s charming about Disfigured is that it’s not written by an academic who specializes in folklore, and Leduc avoids complicated or technical jargon. The book makes it clear it’s more of an autobiography than it is a fact-filled nonfiction piece. Instead, it appeals to the youth in us all, capturing what children who grew up with Disney loved about the movies instead of focusing on archetypes or abstract symbolism. That’s not to say it doesn’t satisfy a craving for psychoanalysis of stories, however, as Leduc ties in quotes from field experts to present a well-rounded argument to her readers. Disfigured reads almost like a love story to Leduc’s younger self — a whimsical but physically awkward girl who fantasizes about one day looking beautiful in a white wedding dress, but unable to incorporate a wheelchair or crutches into that dream. Interspersed between the history of fairy tales from a range of cultures and the recounting of individual stories are memories from Leduc’s childhood. These almost-mournfully described flashbacks are where the book shines, offering a pathos that’s extremely effective. They give an emotional sense of how fairy tales are innocently able to influence children into associating characteristics like ugly, deformed, or disabled with characters who are evil or who are transformed to become beautiful in a happy ending. Disney is also heavily criticized — which is both expected and appreciated — for its subtle but nonetheless damaging incorporation of ableism. Scar from The Lion King is a character who’s

based entirely on his disfigurement. The Hunchback of Notre Dame leaves Quasimodo with friends, but not love, and exploits him for “inspiration porn” — a term to describe the condescending phenomenon of inferring that those with disabilities who meet lower expectations than able-bodied people are huge sources of inspiration. Leduc’s childhood favourite, The Little Mermaid, made her retroactively realize that she related more to Ariel as a mermaid than as a beautiful princess who could walk on land with ease. For a little girl with cerebral palsy, though, there was no Ursula to strike a deal with or magical transformation that took place — for Leduc to gain her legs she had to undergo surgery and therapy. Most importantly, this book is an eyeopener for able-bodied readers everywhere. It describes disability rhetoric and sets a good foundation for anyone wanting to become a better ally for those with disabilities. It sets down a broad and working definition for ableism from scholar Talila A. Lewis as “a system that places value on people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence, and excellence.” The book also contrasts the medical and the social models for disabilities. Leduc helps readers imagine a future where we can accept differences in others without judgement, instead greeting them with a willingness to accommodate so everyone can function optimally in society. Disfigured rejoices in the nostalgia and love of childhood fairy tales while also questioning their use of a binary: if you’re good, you’re a handsome hero or a beautiful princess, and if you’re bad, you’re the ugly stepmother, a hag, or a sorceress. It does so while effortlessly weaving in stories from the author’s childhood to show that they weren’t just stories; they became internalized for many children. This autobiography offers a fresh perspective on age-old tales, encouraging readers to question what they know about disability and to learn something new about stories they thought they knew through and through.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

ARTS Rewind //

Soundbites //

EarthBound is childhood nostalgia on drugs in the best way possible “Wandering Boy” Cinder Well Dark folk group Cinder Well released a sneak peak of their upcoming album, No Summer, in the form of a single: “Wandering Boy” is a mournful, wailing tune, not deviating far from the sound of their last album The Unconscious Echo. The single contrasts most starkly to the band’s previous songs in that it’s much more onedimensional — not changing course, just staying on one track of emotion. It’s enticing to wonder what the rest of the album will journey through, as it is intended to be a response album to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their latest single is just a taste of what is sure to be an emotional new al-

bum, described on their website as being “as haunting as it is connected, as dark as it is sacred, a kind of ritual healing that’s existed through the ages.” Cinder Well is known for their traditional, raw folk sounds and gritty, vivid lyrics. The songs are entrancing, sweeping you into existential feelings of connection and oneness with the universe, making them a great listen if you’re looking to do some soul-searching and healing during these turbulent times.

DARIEN JOHNSEN

SAWAYAMA Rina Sawayama SAWAYAMA is a powerful debut album from Japanese-British singer/songwriter Rina Sawayama that will leave listeners reeling from her masterful combination of clean vocals and tracks infused with bright, satirical pop. It manages to satirize themes like opulence and capitalism in pop so well that at times it’s too genuine. XS and STFU! (an acronym for “shut the fuck up”) are two of the strongest songs off the album. Both offer fascinating storylines (engaging in the mockery of materialism and touching on the grossness of cultural appropriation respectively) and the duality of electric guitar mixed with lighter, electropop moments. XS in particular is remi-

niscent of MARINA’s (previously Marina and the Diamonds) infectious track “Primadonna” in terms of its criticism of selfindulgence cloaked in attitude-drenched vocals. If it were a food, SAWAYAMA would be a high-quality, bubbly wine; it’s traditionally sweet and easy to swallow like other pop music, and its production quality is superb, yet it’ll have you riding a high with an exciting, unique perspective. The people are hungry for a new taste in pop music, and Sawayama offers it to us on a silver platter.

CHANDY DANCEY

CHANDY DANCEY EarthBound is a classic video game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in the mid-‘90s. While having received high praise in Japan where it was developed, it was met with a lukewarm response from North American audiences where it largely faded into obscurity. Despite being a commercial flop upon release, today the game is considered a cult classic in retro gaming that’s maintained a loyal and consistent fanbase over the years. The game is memorable not because of its difficulty or merely due to its age but because of the charm of its aesthetics and storyline. A young boy named Ness travels a two-dimensional, pixelated world, enlisting the help of other characters to confront and defeat a cosmic evil force called Giygas that threatens to destroy the planet. Along the way they battle odd enemies like animated piles of puke, territorial oak trees, and hippies. Something as simple as attacking an enemy in battle can invoke a psychedelic visual effect on screen on top of the already trippy background animations and the colourful world to explore outside of the battle system. From beginning to end, the game is unapologetically whimsical, vibrant, and downright weird. EarthBound’s world is also a heavily parodied United States, taking place in the fictionalized country of Eagleland. The game’s soundtrack incorporates and distorts “The Star-Spangled Banner” in one of its tracks, throwing out other Western

pop culture references like a yellow submarine and having an enemy named Starman — possibly alluding to David Bowie’s song of the same name. The game is uniquely charming because it throws so many rules in storytelling out the window. Following the plot of the game is almost dizzying in that it makes no sense yet is highly entertaining. At any point along the way, players will be exploring a dream world called Magicant made of memories, encountering the unofficial mascot creature, Mr. Saturn, or not moving Ness for three whole minutes to gain access to a new area. What’s special about EarthBound is that anyone can pick up the game and relate to Ness. As a young boy, there’s seemingly little he can do to defeat an all-consuming evil force like Giygas — and yet he does. The end battle involves Ness fighting Giygas with a bat (not an overpowered weapon like other role-playing games) and one of his friends, Paula, sending out a prayer for safety and strength to the friends they’ve made along the way. Finally, to deliver the final blows to the boss the game breaks the fourth wall by calling on the player directly, allowing players to feel that everyday people can be heroes too. EarthBound, if anything, is an unforgettable gaming experience even if some mechanics can feel outdated or tedious due to its age. With its colourful world, immersive plot, and rule-bending gameplay, this ‘90s game has gone on to be considered one of the greatest role-playing games of all time.

STUDY BREAK What Kind of Bread are You? A Quiz: I know you’ve spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out the answer to this question. No knead to worry any longer. 1. If your friends could describe you in one word:

a. Sophisticated. b. Fermented. c. Boring.

If you picked: c. The suburbs. d. The forest. 4. How do you take your coffee?

a. Black and strong. b. Iced and sweet.

c. Cream and sugar. d. No coffee. Tea please.

d . Earthy.

2. Your favourite toast topping:

a. Pastrami.

Mostly A’s: Marble Rye Tangy and complex. Mostly B’s: Sourdough You’re so hot right now. Mostly C’s: Plain White Classic, simple, well-loved. Mostly D’s: Multigrain You know what is best for everyone.

5. Pick a conversation starter:

a. Silence.

b. Avocado. c. PB&J.

b. “What have you been binging lately?” c. “Nice weather we’ve been having these days.”

d. Almond Butter.

d. “Those 5G towers are what gave everyone

3. Where would you live if given the choice:

coronavirus.”

a. An urban metropolis. b. A small, quaint village.

Snakes and Lizards

Horoscopes //

Illustration by Elyssa English Your weekly life predictions as told by Ang the Great

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 You will connect with someone through a shared unique interest this week. Tap into whatever quirky niche brings you joy this week and allow this new friendship to blossom.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 This week is all about self-care for you. Treat yourself, take time just for yourself, and indulge in heaps of guilty pleasures — you deserve it.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 You will find yourself overthinking every single decision this week. Don’t be afraid to make the wrong choice, because there is no wrong choice, only a series of different paths that will all lead you to the place you were destined to be.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 You may experience strong compassion fatigue this week, as caring for others has stripped you of your energy and many of your resources. Take time for your own recovery and well-being.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 Your routine has grown stale, and you are slowly wilting. It’s time to mix things up: chat with a new group of friends you want to get to know better, take up a new hobby, or take a fun online course — do anything to break out of your rut. Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 You will encounter a situation this week that will test your personal values and morals. Have a strong grounding in your beliefs and don’t waver under pressure.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 You will experience a power struggle with someone you live with this week, and it may result in an explosive argument. This is the time to come together, not tear one another down, so do your best to come to a compromise. Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 There is a creative passion project calling your name this week. Don’t feel guilty in taking an abundance of time to get your creative juices flowing, and indulge in this activity that brings you endless joy.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 You will have to make a decision on a major commitment this week. Good thing you have spent so long getting to know yourself and your values, so the right decision should come easy to you.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 You are feeling extra bummed out this week because of a cancelled trip that you have been looking forward to for months. Soak in a bathtub full of saltwater, turn your sound machine on, close your eyes, and pretend you're in the ocean.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 You will get a glimpse of a brand-new, lifechanging idea this week. It is the perfect time to start planting the precious seeds for this project, as you have an abundance of time to invest in your personal goals.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 If you have gone through a rough breakup lately, you will finally feel your heart beginning to mend this week, as you have spent weeks processing your emotions and Mars is in your house of healing.