The Cascade Vol. 27 Iss. 25

NOVEMBER 6 TO NOVEMBER 12, 2019

VOLUME 27 ISSUE 25

Underdressed for emergency evacuations since 1993

0 1 a i d e m n whe ies f i r s o s l e g n l l i l a t m en

sexualized violence survey

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Remembrance day

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Metis Awareness Day '

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WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 25

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Carissa Wiens carissa@ufvcascade.ca

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Chandy Dancey chandy@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Andrea Sadowski andrea@ufvcascade.ca Feature Editor Darien Johnsen darien@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kayt Hine

Sports Editor Alex Jesus alex@ufvcascade.ca Digital Media Manager Anoop Dhaliwal anoop@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kelly Ning

Social Media Writer Katee Clements

Sports Writer Nic Jackson

Social Media Writer Krizzia Arcigal

Staff Writer Karen White

Photographer David Myles

Staff Writer Krystina Spracklin

The Shuffler Aaron Levy

CONTRIBUTORS Aleister Gwynne Steve Hartwig Emma Kent-Dion

Cover Design: Mikaela Collins Back Cover: Renée Campbell

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OPINION

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

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10-11 13

19 20......Events Calendar

Snapshots.......9 @UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 27 · Issue 25 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 1,000 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 2:00pm.

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

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

Study Break.......17

18......CIVL Shuffle

NEWS 4......Pride coordinator Q&A

Sexualized violence survey at UFV.......3

OPINION Editorial.......6 Remembrance day.......7

6.......Dear Robin 7.......Getting over break ups

CULTURE PACS Lecture......12 Métis Awareness Day......14

13.......Captain's Cabin concert 14.......Cascade Kitchen

SPORTS Parm Bains interview.......15

16......Men's basketball

Women's volleyball.......16 ARTS Dead Soft album release.......18

19......Drag Race UK

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

news@ufvcascade.ca Jessica Barclay — News Editor

NEWS

UFV //

NEWS BRIEFS

Student Life surveys students about sexualized violence at UFV JESSICA BARCLAY

McDonald’s app accounts hacked

by Hambugrlar A hacker known as the Hamburglar has been infiltrating the app accounts of McDonald’s customers, which are linked to users’ debit or credit card, and ordering pickup meals. In one instance in April, a user was charged over $2,000 at various locations. Several customers were initially told by McDonalds that the charges on their app were a system glitch, but were later told it likely was an infiltration.

McDonald’s has reportedly not directly refunded customers, but instead instructed them to contact their banks or credit card providers.

"While we are aware that some isolated incidents involving unauthorized transactions have occurred, we remain confident in the security of our app," Ryma Boussoufa, McDonald's Canada spokesperson, said in an email to CBC News.

Student Life is conducting a survey to assess the climate around sexualized violence at UFV. The anonymous survey will look at the thoughts and experiences of UFV students on sexualized violence, and the adequacy of UFV’s current responses.

The survey will be available for all current students to take starting Nov. 12, over student email and on the UFV website. Students will have until Dec. 3 to respond, and will have the option to put their name in a draw for $50 on their student card.

The results of the survey will help inform updates to UFV’s sexualized violence policies, which will be undergoing revisions over the next eight to 10 months, and to assess any gaps in services that UFV and Student Life provide, such as workshops.

UFV will be conducting its government-mandated review of its sexualized violence policies during the survey’s response period, but Greg Mather, manager of student wellness and development at Student Life, said that the survey is more focused on informing an immediate

response than policy change.

“The policy is a core document, and then we look at our response and our processes and if that's not a policy piece, then we're very adaptable and in the moment adaptable,” Mather said. “If we're doing something and we're like, ‘Oh, this is not working for our students,’ and we're hearing that from this climate survey, we can respond a little more quickly than the bureaucracy can sometimes.”

From 2015 to 2018, UFV had six incidences of allegations of sexual assault on campus that were reported to Student Life. Three of those incidents, all from 2018, were passed on to the Abbotsford Police department for investigation. During this same time period there were 11 reported allegations of sexual harassment on UFV campuses.

Mather said that UFV is not immune to sexualized violence, but that UFV only receives reports or disclosures.

“So, that's just a minority of what is probably happening, not only on our campus but the wider community. That's what all that kind of research is pointing to, that it's a hidden crime or unknown kind of stat,” Mather said.

- CBC News

Bald eagles returning to Fraser Valley David Hancock, a local biologist, says that hundreds of bald eagles will be returning to the Fraser Valley for the winter over the next two months.

When he first began researching bald eagles in the 1960s, he reported seeing only three nesting pairs in the valley, but estimates there are now over 550. Hancock said that he has identified over 480 nesting territories in the Fraser Valley, and counted over 500 eagles at the Harrison and Chehalis rivers. The difference in numbers, according to Hancock, is due to the changed attitudes toward the birds: 20 years ago, eagles were considered “vermin” and were shot regularly, and the birds have only just begun to trust their safety in the area.

- Abby News

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Bryanna Anderson, student support coordinator at Student Life, added that with the #MeToo movement, among other recent sexualized violence awareness campaigns, it is likely that students are growing more comfortable coming forward to report incidents.

“It's really hard to get a sense of the actual numbers because as people become more comfortable with the process and the idea of reporting, we're going to see more of those people come to us,” Anderson said.

The topics covered in the survey will address some of the knowledge gaps caused by the fact that an incident must be reported to be officially known about by the university.

Topics will be broad, with questions ranging from sexualized violence experiences on campus to understanding of current UFV policies. “[Things such as] how do people feel about the topic and how do they perceive the institution to be responding to it, but then also their actual experiences so we can find out how prevalent it is on campus,” Anderson said.

The UFV survey is based off of the Association of American Universities Campus Climate Survey, a large-scale survey conducted in the U.S. for undergraduate and graduate students, and has received ethics approval from the UFV Human Research Ethics Board (HREB).

Students will have the option at the end of the survey to be sent to a website separate from the survey where they can sign up for a draw for one of 10 $50 in “Cascade cash” (money loaded onto student cards) gift cards. There will also be an option to take a second anonymous survey about the student’s response to the language and ideas in the first survey.

Data analysis will be done internally by several members of the Student Life In this Together — Sexualized Violence Prevention Team. The team consists of five members of Student Life who have worked to develop the survey over the last 10 months.

Mather emphasized that the survey is for everyone, not just those who have experienced sexualized violence, and the more responses the survey receives, the better informed Student Life and UFV will be when responding to sexualized violence on campus.

“It’s a really great opportunity to have your voice heard and inform institutional policy, which isn't always an option students have,” Anderson said. “This is a really good opportunity so that this process is led and driven by students.”

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NEWS

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 25

Q&A //

What the Pride Department is doing to advance LGBTQ+ conversations on campus

Michaela Reist. UFV Abbotsford. Nov. 5, 2019. (The Cascade)

JESSICA BARCLAY Michaela Reist is the coordinator of the Pride department in the SUS Equality-DiversityInclusivity Center. The Centre’s three departments — the Pride, Gender Equality, and Ethno-Cultural departments — are ran out of the Inclusity resource centre on the second floor in the Student Union Building.

The Pride department runs programming specific to the LGBTQ+ community, and Reist, both as a student and as the coordinator, is involved in activism and education campaigns both at UFV and in the broader Abbotsford community.

There are a number of events planned by the Inclusivity Centre over the rest of the Fall semester. Nov. 4 - 8 is sex week, where everything from sexuality, cunnilingus tips, sex toys, and masturbation are being discussed.

Tucked and Loaded, a drag show, will be hosted on Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in Streats. The next week will focus on breasts, and will include bra sizing, a talk by a local nurse on checking for breast abnormalities, and a talk by Linda Meyer, an activist that supports everyone's right to go topless.

Students can find more information on these events on SUS social media and the SUS website.

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What are some on-campus issues that you think specifically the Pride department can help address?

One thing I’ve noticed, that I've collaborated with Student Life on, was name change forms. So if someone, for example, wanted to change their name but they haven't legally changed it, and they're just wanting professors to use the proper pronouns or use their chosen name. It was really difficult for students to be able to do that.

Another huge issue that I personally experienced was trying to put gender neutral washrooms on campus. That was something I started doing back when I was just a volunteer and part of the working group. We had a lot of backlash against that, when people really didn't want it. But it's such an important thing for our trans folks on campus.

There's still only one official gender neutral washroom. There are still other accessibility washrooms on campus that are technically gender neutral, but weren’t designed with that in mind. Not only does it make our trans, or non-binary, or gender neutral friends feel illegitimate, but it could also be taking space away from students that need the accessible washroom.

There are many people who've been actively against SOGI, a special orientation and gender identity education in schools.

There is just a lot of hate and prejudice in the Abbotsford community but also at UFV, that just shocks me every time I find out more about it and witness those things. There's a lot of discrimination still.

What do you think about to make sure programming and events are inclusive for all of the different groups on campus?

I [and the other two commissioners] have been through gender and sexuality training. It's something that I've been doing since grade 10 when I started a Gender and Sexuality Alliance in high school, and it's been something that I've been focusing a lot of my research into. I’m also nonbinary, agender, pansexual. That’s where my background is.

I feel like between all of us [the other Inclusivity commissioners and Student Life, who they have been collaborating with], we do have a pretty good repertoire of assets and skills to be able to make sure that it is inclusive.

That being said, we are all still students and learning. So there's always room for growth and I'm always open to receiving feedback and just having open communication with people.

There's always new topics that are coming up and new things that the collective

society hasn’t thought about. It needs to evolve with constant conversation.

Why do you think it's so important to be talking about and de-stigmatizing the topics that the Pride department focuses on?

Any time where something is shunned or hidden, it creates a different atmosphere around something and it creates a vibe that we really just don't want. I really think that there will be more instances of hate when we just don't talk about things.

By having more open discussions and educating people there might be some perspective that someone didn't think about and wouldn't be able to think about unless someone had that conversation with them.

In order for us to evolve as a society, no one person is going to have all the information they need to accomplish everything that needs to get done. I really think it's about encouraging and collaborating; it's about encouraging conversation so we can all learn together and help each other out. Some of us need that.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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OPINION

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 25

opinion@ufvcascade.ca Carissa Wiens — Opinion Editor

Advice //

Editorial //

UFV’s on-campus housing lags behind the curve

Dear Robin

JESSICA BARCLAY

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 Birthday battles Dear Robin, My birthday is next Tuesday, but I have a class at 7:00 p.m. My friends want to take me out to party instead. The class is only once a week and I already skipped a class last month. Should I ditch and party (with free drinks) or should I stay and not celebrate?

Sincerely,

Skip or Sober Hello, It’s so freeing to be in your first Firstly, what were you thinking when you registered for a night class? Didn’t you look ahead and see that your birthday would land on that day? Last year I didn’t sign up for a class I needed because it was on a Wednesday evening and Beyonce and Jay Z were coming to Vancouver one of those nights.

You’ve got to make sacrifices, for

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school and for your social life. But your birthday is the only day of the year where everything is about you, so I say skip that class and don’t look back.

Robin Professional Professors Dear Robin, I’m pretty tight with one of my professors. I’ve had her for several classes. She popped up as a suggested friend on Facebook. Should I add her or should I just leave it?

Sincerely, Friendly in Fifth Year Hey, Do not send a friend request to a professor, but you can accept one if they send it to you. Let them take the initiative. Simple as that. Even though we’re not in high school, it seems weird to add them on Facebook, or even Twitter. They’re still our superiors. Normally you wouldn’t add your boss on Facebook, so why add your professor?

If you want to be besties with your professor, send them an email from your personal account instead of your student one — that’ll show them you care.

Robin

Earlier this month, Simon Fraser University (SFU) announced plans to expand their oncampus housing. The $104 million project will start in Fall 2020 and will see an additional 369 beds for first year students on campus.

The project is part of the B.C. government’s university $450-million housing plan, which, over six years, plans to create 5,000 new beds for post-secondary students.

UFV has previously hinted that they are also being considered as a possible aid recipient under the B.C government's university housing plan. While no official announcements have been made, it is something that is sorely needed on campus.

UFV’s housing situation is tragically inadequate compared to other B.C. universities. Its one residence building, Baker House, opened in 2007 and there has been no significant expansion of bed space since.

The building holds 204 students, or just under two per cent of the student population.

Even for UFV’s relatively small size this is disproportionately tiny.

SFU’s Burnaby Mountain Campus has seven residential buildings and nine townhouse complexes, for a total capacity of 1,764 students. In fall 2014, this was seven per cent of the student body.

At UBC, the on-campus residences can house 21 per cent of the student body, considering both graduate and undergraduate students. UBC Okanagan can house 16 per cent and there are plans to expand the residences on both campuses as demand continues to grow over the next few years.

For a comparison a little closer to UFV’s

size, with one-third of the student population of UFV, the University of Northern B.C. still has enough beds for 15 per cent of their student body.

The size of the university and the student population doesn’t seem to matter, so what does?

The UFV Abbotsford campus is surrounded primarily by land on the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), which is protected for farming purposes. The university couldn’t expand onto it, even if it bought the land, but it’s possible that UFV has been hoping the new UDistrict community plan will fill in some gaps.

The community plan for the development of residential and commercial properties around the university says it will consider students and low income housing. So far, this has not been evident in the residential proposals that have been submitted to, and approved by the city.

Over 500 new units have been built in UDistrict over the last few years. Most notably, three buildings which will amount to over 200 units were approved in 2017 to be built on King Road. The first development to be approved for UDistrict, Ubuilding Abby on the corner of McCallum road and King Road, was completed earlier this year and has 94 residential units. One online listing advertised a one-bedroom, 550-square-foot apartment for $1,250. This is not affordable for the average student.

UFV is expanding. It is nearing capacity for class sizes and parking spaces, and has only just stopped the expansion of its international student population. If UFV plans to grow, which one can only assume it will, the expansion of its housing needs to be considered, and quickly.

Come Work With Us develop professional skills get experience writing and editing join a great team

JR. NEWS EDITOR send inquiries to managing@ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Canada //

Life //

Remembrance Day is an unwelcomed day of the year for forgotten veterans

Once upon a time I was falling in love, and now I’m only falling apart

Veterans remember How to get over a without memorials break up STEVE HARTWIG Every year Canada brings focus to veterans on Remembrance Day. We’ve made a national holiday from the memorial of those who sacrificed and died defending the rights and freedoms of all Canadians.

For many veterans, though, Remembrance Day is every day. As Kirk Bailey, a 25-year Canadian Armed Forces veteran, said, "I don't need to watch any of it, I lived it and I live it every day whether I want to or not.”

Bailey was deployed seven times on peacekeeping, humanitarian, and combat missions in the Balkans, Middle East, and Afghanistan.

“I watch the government ignore veterans until they need us, or need the publicity of attending a memorial ceremony; we are an afterthought politically, economically, and socially," Bailey continued passionately.

These words hit me hard because we share similar opinions about the experiences we've had overseas.

Countless veterans return to Canada after deployment and are essentially fired, dismissed from service because they are injured. The Canadian Armed Forces has the unofficial motto, “If you’re not deployable, you’re not employable.” Little time and few resources are spent helping the injured recover. They are left without support and forced to find their way in a civilian world that often contradicts everything they have learned in the military.

Veterans take issue with the feigned support offered publicly by the Canadian government; most often these demonstrations come during election campaigns or around Remembrance Day. The current Liberal party is an excellent example of duplicity. The 2015 election campaign was full of rhetoric surrounding veteran support and offering billions in benefits but, in the years following, they quietly left $372 million unspent.

The short period between Halloween and Remembrance Day is packed with war movies, war documentaries, and war memorial advertising from mainstream media outlets and Canadian government agencies. The primary focus has always been the highlights from the First and Second World Wars. The conversation is largely devoid of anything about the 1950s era Korean War, the Cold

War era peacekeeping conflicts, and the most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. How do we recognize the veterans of these significant eras?

As a society we don’t. Or, more correctly, we rarely do. The veteran community in Canada is frequently in conflict with the Canadian government, and frequently in court looking for the level of support and services that have been promised by politicians for decades. Justin Trudeau confirmed the government’s view on Canadian veterans with a slight against the veteran community in March 2018: “Why are we still fighting certain veterans’ groups in court?

Because they're asking for more than we are able to give right now."

In the 25 years I’ve experienced as a veteran, I’ve faced the “more than we’re able to give right now” attitude many times. I have overcome the complete denial of my service-related injuries by Veterans Affairs almost every year as I reapply for recognition of my injuries. This denial is rooted in the Canadian government’s policy of burying and eliminating evidence of workplace injuries.

I waited for almost 22 years to have my file re-opened in 2016 and I am still applying to have my hearing loss, tinnitus, and blast-related traumatic brain injury recognized and covered.

The government and Veterans Affairs overuse the statement “Thank you for your service” to a point that it has lost its meaning and sincerity.

In the midst of application denials, pleas for help, and many legal battles, “Thank you for your service” has become a phrase that mocks and humiliates. The smirking officials do little to build confidence as they erode the last vestiges of a veteran’s belief that assistance is available.

So please, don’t thank me for my service. Instead, treat me the way you’d like to be treated. In the bigger picture, assist veterans in becoming normal members of society by accepting they volunteered to do a job that many others would not. The job comes with inherent risks that have many negative consequences which require time, support, and benefits to heal from. If our government refuses to accept responsibility for the mess they’ve caused with veterans, then we as a society can fill this void with true Canadian respect, humility, and courage.

ANDREA SADOWSKI The scary thing about being in a relationship with someone is that it will end one of two ways: you either stay with them for the rest of your life, or you break up. Unless you stay with the first person you fall in love with forever, you are going to experience a break up at some point in your life.

To state the obvious, breakups are hard.

There are several types of breakups one can go through in life: the first love who you never totally get over, the one who was completely perfect for you but it had to end because of circumstances outside of your control, the long distance relationship that just wouldn’t work, t h e painfully obvious mistake that should have never happened in the first

again. You hope they’re alone forever. You hope losing you sends them to a therapist twice a week for twenty years — they deserve it for what they did to you. It is perfectly normal to feel this way, but it is essential during this stage to not act on this anger by physically harming them, verbally abusing them, or berating them online. Acting out in a moment of blind rage can have serious consequences, and you are better than that.

4. Bargaining: This is probably the most pathetic stage, and we all wish it wouldn’t happen, but it does. This is digging your heels in, trying to see if there is any possible way you can salvage this relationship that once gave you such strong hits of dopamine. Even if it means giving up your moral standards, you need this person back in your life.

This is not healthy. All logic and self-respect goes out the window as you try — and fail —

to save place… and what once was. the list goes 5. Guilt: You on. blame yourself. This Around this is all your fault. If only Illustration by Kayt Hine time last year I went you were prettier, smarter, thinthrough a particularly painful break- ner, funnier, more easy-going, texted less up; it was the first time I had been on the (or more) — then everything would have receiving end of it and it came as an ago- been different. This stage is when you try nizing blow that left me gasping for air. I to fix all of those things that you think are was so rattled from the experience that I wrong about you in the hopes of possibly saw a therapist for the first time in my life. winning them back. This stage is ugly.

She gave me some helpful advice that may This is when you truly get in touch with help those of you who are bleeding from all the parts of yourself you hate. Rememthe same kind of heartbreak. My therapist ber that breakups are never just one pertold me that a breakup is the death of a son’s fault. relationship; it is serious, and involves 6. Depression: It is hard to tell how sethe same stages of grief you would go rious this could become or how long this through if a loved one died. stage can last, which is why it is crucial 1. Shock and disbelief: You have no idea to talk to a mental health professional at what happened, and you don’t want to this point if you haven’t already. There is come to terms with the fact that it’s over. absolutely no shame in seeing a counselThis stage is especially hard if you were lor, especially if there are other factors in the one who got broken up with. your life that could intensify these emo2. Denial: You are constantly check- tions, such as stress from school. Embrace ing your phone for the apology text that the sadness and recognize the legitimacy never comes — it becomes an obsession. of this feeling, but don’t let it control your Every time your phone buzzes, your first life. thought is of them, thinking that they fi7. Acceptance: It will finally start to feel nally came to their senses and they finally good to be without this person. Your life want to talk things out. But it’s not them is yours again. It’s an exciting, freeing — it never is. Give your phone to a friend feeling. The world is your oyster. or roommate or parent to stop yourself Remember, you don’t need to be in a from checking it every two seconds. Block relationship to prove your worth. Even if their number and social media accounts you screwed up or were screwed over in too, so you are not tempted to contact your last relationship, you are deserving them. of love and always will be.

3. Anger: You hope they never know joy

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Half of all students graduate in the red. How do you get ahead with debt dragging you down?

It’s time to demand financial aid that actually helps us succeed.

STUDENTS NEED GRANTS NOT LOANS

wearebcstudents.ca/grantsnotloans

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$30,000 IN DEBT?

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READY TO START YOUR CAREER

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BRIEF BITS OF BITE-SIZED BREVITY

SN S AP HO TS

CURTAILED COMMENTARY ON CURRENT CONDITIONS

Illustrations by Kelly Ning

Stay gold, SUS’ severed limbs

Tubbing dreams

It’s easy for me to want new things all of the time, like a strawberry face scrub or a pair of leopard print booties. I don’t always give in to my desires for little luxuries, but every now and again I’ll say, “Treat yo’ self,” and splurge on a chocolate truffle or two.

If I had zero goals in life (and a partner who didn’t budget well) I would give in to all those temptations and squander my savings away. But I do have a goal in life, and it is to have a hot tub.

Hot tubs are not outrageously expensive, especially when you com-

pare it to a year’s worth of rent or a car. The real issue with having a hot tub is having a place to put it (basement suites can’t fit one).

If I had a place for a hot tub, I would give up every desire to purchase anything that I didn’t need. I would use all that money to pay for the water and heating bills to sustain my new hot tub dwelling lifestyle. But, since that lifestyle is unlikely at the moment, I’ll just stick to my current shopping choices.

Carissa Wiens

Come on guys, political science is interesting I understand that most people tune into politics for the odd scandal, the occasional election, or maybe if a key political figure comes to a town near them. However, for us political science students, it’s more of a daily thing. Now I understand that for a lot of people, politics are somewhere between annoying and disgusting, if not seemingly irrelevant. Yet here we are: PoliSci students, reading the paper and complaining about the latest news.

Here’s the thing: politics actually matter, even if you’re not interested.

You’d be surprised at the change you can make just by interacting with your local MPs. I know, calling

up your local representative isn’t exactly the coolest thing you can tell your friends about on Monday, but getting into politics has a little something for everyone, because it's supposed to work on behalf of everybody.

The next time you think about climate change, notice a city program you think needs more attention, or drive over a pothole on your way to school, consider using your rights as a citizen to make your voice heard.

You never know what change you can make until you try.

Alex Jesus

Ah, Halloween. The time of year when the weather becomes bearable, Beetlejuice is on cable almost constantly, and SUS brings out its assortment of severed limbs.

I’ve watched these holiday visitors since Fall 2015, when the hollow plastic hands and feet and their bloody stumps could reliably be found on SUS’ waiting area coffee tables; occasionally they were artfully arranged, like fruit in a picturesque bowl. This was their home base for several years, but they would sometimes be delivered to other, more logical places — for instance, anywhere with any other Halloween decorations at all — but usually, they would just be there. On a table.

This year, however, they were at the pumpkin carving contest. The lower half of a leg lay on the floor outside, beckoning to passerby, and the rest graced the foot of the decorated voting table. It was bittersweet to see them there. Gone were the bold, carefree severed limbs of my youth, boldly declaring, “It is Halloween. We are severed limbs on a table.” They’ve found a home, a community of other Halloween decorations. Will they be integrated into another display next year? I can’t say.

The only thing that’s certain is that nothing gold can stay.

Mikaela Collins

The wrong way or the wrong way Maybe you’ve heard the mnemonic: “lefty loosey, righty tighty.” This is a universal truth, except of course, when it isn’t, which is about 50 per cent of the time. Then, you have my bathtub at home, on which the taps turn in opposite directions for some unfathomable reason.

Why does my wallet always get turned upside down and spill my change into my pocket? Why does my phone get turned upside down making me awkwardly flip it over every single time?

Why is it when you read a label in Canada, it’s always the French side facing you? Do people in Quebec

have the opposite problem? “Chalis!

C’est toujours le côte Anglais!”

You would think that after a while, I would be able to guess which side of my laptop case actually contains my laptop on the first try. Nope! Wrong every time.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on life as a left-hander and all the complications that causes.

It is too much to ask of this cruel, uncaring universe that once, just once, something is already facing the right direction?

Aleister Gwynne

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Sharing stories about struggling with mental illness can do more harm than good

I

n 2011, Bell Let’s Talk Day was started by the Bell Media foundation with the intention of destigmatizing the conversation around mental health in everyday life and raising money for mental health initiatives. Every time someone uses the hashtag “BellLetsTalk” on social media, the company donates five cents to initiatives across the country to help more people access mental health aid.

Aside from donating money, the campaign raises awareness about mental health by asking people all over Canada to post under the hashtag on their social media along with a blurb about their experiences with mental illness. The hashtag connects people all over the world and starts a conversation around mental health, ed-

ucating people on mental illness and having compassion for those who are struggling.

A previous boss of mine was incredibly patient with me as I went through medication adjustments and debilitating anxiety. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a boss like that. Bell Let’s Talk Day can be beneficial for employers who don’t know much about mental illness as it provides an opportunity for education and awareness.

Even though great things have been done and are being done to help people deal with mental illness through this initiative, I also think that Bell Let’s Talk Day contributes to a big problem: the glorification of mental illness.

One can make a simple tweet of “#BellLetsTalk” to support the initiative, but many use the day as an opportunity to share their personal struggles around mental health with their friends and followers on social media. When it first began, it seemed like a good idea to me because people could find encouragement through

sharing their story and reading about others’ experiences, but as more and more people share details about their mental health experiences, I’ve been finding it triggering and ineffective.

One in five Canadians will suffer from mental illness in their lifetime. That’s an enormous number of people in our country. With a struggle so common, it makes sense that people would want to talk about it. Often when we share aspects of our lives on social media, it’s the good aspects, like job promotions, marriages, vacations, and children.

However, when a friend of mine posts about their luxurious vacation in Vegas, I feel a rush of envy towards them and their life. I’m sure it’s happened to you too. Even if we wish the best for these people, we are still envious of them and the good aspects of their life.

I believe that when we feel vulnerable, we can experience similar feelings of envy towards others when they receive attention, sympathy, and validation for their struggle with mental illness. When someone we follow on social media posts about their struggle with mental illness, the post is often met with comments like, “So proud of you,” and “You are so beautiful, inside and out.” We often feel a bit of envy toward someone’s new car, and we often also feel the sting of envy

at the encouragement and attention people get in response to their mental illness — of course we want that too.

This is especially true if we see posts about successfully overcoming or dealing with a mental illness. When we post about our experiences, it’s a polished version of our struggles and it makes them appear attractive and under control to others, even if that’s not the reality. That’s how we become envious of others with mental illnesses: they post something appealing or attention-grabbing, and get that attention, and we want the same thing. Having a mental illness may seem like something that sets you apart from others, or makes you special and different. There’s something exciting and briefly empowering about posting about it on social media, but I doubt that this empowerment and excitement lasts or extends into anything tangible in our lives.

Let’s Talk Day encourages us to talk about our struggles and destigmatize the issues surrounding mental health, but with social media being so present in our lives, only talking about these things over this medium may not help people in the ways we think it will.

There seems to be a larger societal phenomenon in our books, movies, T.V. shows, and social media reflecting an alarming trend of media glorifying mental illness. Take the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, based on Jay Asher’s novel Thirteen Reasons Why. In the book, Hannah kills herself by overdosing on pills (then leaves thirteen videotapes of the thirteen reasons why she chose to take her life, intended for those who were close to her). But on screen, Hannah takes her life by slitting her wrists with a razor borrowed from her parents’ shop. The scene is graphic and the writers justify in the behind-the-scenes documentary Beyond the Reasons that portraying her death this way was meant to dispel “romantic” outlooks of suicide.

Unfortunately, it seems that the television show may have done just the opposite. In the three months following the release of the series, 94 more people aged 10-19 committed suicide in the U.S. than experts expected.

13 Reasons Why made an attempt to talk about the hard truths of suicide, but instead of giving hope for people struggling, it was “irresponsible,” according to Katie Dhingra, senior lecturer in criminological psychology at Leeds Beckett University. “[The show] gives the impression that Hannah is able to live on, after death, witnessing people’s reactions to her tapes, and achieves her desired outcome of teaching people a lesson. This fails to demonstrate the permanence of suicide,” Dhingra wrote in an article for The Conversation.

It seems that having conversations about

mental health in films or on social media are not always beneficial.

Conversations around mental illness may cause those who see them to be triggered, envious, or inspired to take their illness to a dangerous or harmful extreme.

One place where the glorification of mental illness is most clear is in the pro-ana (pro anorexia) community, which is active on social media and topic-related websites. Anorexia is classified as a mental disorder/illness, but in certain social media communities, it is viewed as positive and essential to members’ worth. Pro-ana websites state things like, “You aren’t attractive if you are not thin,” “Thou shall not eat without feeling guilty,” and “You can never be too thin.”

These ideas are used to convince people that they should embrace anorexia and seriously abuse their body rather than gain weight. There is plenty of pro-ana material posted on social media, all of it glorifying anorexia and promoting unhealthy behaviours. When one posts an idea in favour of disordered eating behaviours, others may follow because, more often than not, posts display thin bodies: something that many of us want. This can be especially harmful if someone struggling with recovery stumbles across one of these sites.

When we see polished posts about someone’s struggle with an eating disorder or depression or anxiety, we can find the prospect of making the same kind of post attractive because they are gaining recognition and encouragement that we naturally want. However, this praise and validation instantly glorifies that struggle and makes it look desirable.

In an article from the International Journal of Teaching and Education, Jinan Jennifer Jadayel, Rola Jadayel, and Karim Medlej present two case studies that explore youth (aged 15-22) experiences with the glorification of mental illness on social media.

Participants reported that they were very familiar with the phenomenon of glorified mental illness on social media. One participant said: “Depression was appealing to me. I exaggerated the thing on Tumblr, saved many pictures and started sketching depressing drawings. It took a few months before I sought help and got diagnosed and treated for depression.”

Some participants claimed that social media was portraying anxiety as a joke and a trend, and that having it was portrayed as cute or attractive.

One youth claimed that “social media is

romanticizing depression; you stop seeing it as a mental illness but a way of life.”

Often, our only source of information about how others deal with mental illness is posts on social media, which aren’t necessarily portraying things accurately.

If we want to know more about the struggles many people deal with, we need accurate sources and representations that are not just Netflix series and Instagram posts, especially if we have people that are close to us who are struggling. We need to have readily available sources of information about mental illness that are better than social media posts about influencers who struggle.

I think Bell has the right idea. It’s good to talk about struggles with mental illness, but we need to go further. We should be talking about our issues and struggles, but not on social media; instead, we should talk to those who are near and dear to us. When we post on social media, we get quick comments of encouragement, but that’s it. It’s just instant gratification. If we put all the effort we pour into social media — creating the right caption, getting a good angle, editing the photo properly — into seeking out actual care for ourselves, I think our perceptions of mental health would be a lot different.

If, instead of broadcasting our struggles, we actually went to therapy, or even joined an online chat group geared toward positive and helpful recovery from mental illness, the whole idea of glorified mental illness and the envy or trendiness that tags along with it might begin to disappear. We could have deeper relationships with our friends because we would be talking to them about the real things going on in our lives, rather than doing that through social media posts. We can still share about mental health online, but in a constructive way, so that people won’t turn to likes and comments for encouragement or attention, and instead go to those close to them to find ways to truly cope with mental illness.

CULTURE

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 25

culture@ufvcascade.ca Andrea Sadowski — Culture Editor

UFV Event //

Peacebuilding in Central America Guest speakers lecture on overcoming sources of violence ALEISTER GWYNNE Cesar Flores and Lizzette Miranda, area directors for the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) for Central America and Haiti, gave a presentation at UFV on conflict resolution in Central America on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Flores and Miranda have had extensive experience with violent conflict in the region, both before and after starting their work with the MCC. Miranda is from Nicaragua and Flores is from Honduras near the border of El Salvador. The Central American countries of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala all experienced civil or international wars during the late 20th century, the consequences of which are still being felt today.

However, war is not the only problem that faces Central American nations.

Violence there has a “mosaic of root causes,” according to Miranda. Other

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crises in the regions include gang violence, mass migration, drought, corruption, and poverty.

“Poverty is the worst form of violence,’’ Flores said.

The MCC, as its name suggests, primarily does its work through churches.

In places where trust in public institutions has been eroded by corruption, the church is often the last and only major institution that many people in Central America trust. The aid offered by the MCC and similar organizations are not offered only to those who attend church, but to anyone and everyone in need.

Nor does the MCC work alone; the MCC works with various partners, including churches and local community leaders.

Flores said that universities also have a role to play in peacebuilding, and that is where UFV can come into the picture.

For the past four years, UFV has had a Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) program. PACS courses are designed to give students skills in conflict analysis,

research, and strategic peacebuilding according to Steven Schroeder, teaching chair of PACS at UFV. “Students learn about how to apply

“Students learn about how to apply these skills through their field work with a local or international organization that works in the area of peacebuilding.” these skills through their field work with a local or international organization that works in the area of peacebuilding,’’ Schroeder said.

Schroeder also teaches history courses, which are important for understanding the context of local situations. Miranda and Flores pointed out that mediators who intervene with no understanding of local conditions could make the situation worse than if they did nothing at all. They also stressed how vital it can be to develop a personal connection with people and places affected by conflict, so that they become more than a mere statistic.

The PACS department at UFV also seeks to make a difference in local affairs. PACS has lately been working to establish a Peace and Reconciliation Centre, which plans to facilitate community engagement in peacebuilding, including working towards the goal of settler-First Nations reconciliation, according to Schroeder. As part of this effort, PACS has been building awareness by hosting presentations, such as the one given by Miranda and Flores.

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

SUS Event //

Embracing Halloween by carving the flesh of a squash

SUS hosted a pumpkin carving contest for students CHANDY DANCEY From Oct. 28 - 31, SUS hosted a pumpkin carving contest free of charge for all students. Between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Evered Hall opened its festive and decorated doors and welcomed students to grab a carving tool and go to town on some pumpkins.

These weren’t your ordinary pumpkins; they were large and had a lot of surface area to work with, which was great for carving. The cutting tools provided were sharp and thin enough to bend and cut a curve with — definitely not your Grandma’s dull kitchen knife.

For students stressed and strapped for cash, being able to escape for an hour to do a free craft was awesome, especially one that was hands-on and tactile. Remember the unadulterated joy of making playdough in preschool or mixing cookie dough by hand?

That’s the kind of visceral delight I got from gutting a pumpkin with my bare hands.

While there was a lot of thought put into the organization of the contest, it initially wasn’t well staffed. The first day of carving saw about two finished pumpkins, and no one seemed present to make sure students’ information was being taken down or that the carving tools were being returned.

However, the day I went to carve, Oct. 29, there were two SUS staff present to strike up a friendly conversation with, making the pumpkin carving experience a little more jovial.

There was a table offering free, reusable SUS bags that contained a bag of candy, a pen, and a bandana with the words “Straight Outta SUS.” Another table near the back displayed the finished pumpkins along with the categories that could be voted for: best design, best UFV design,

funniest design, or scariest design.

Students could vote for their favourite pumpkin in each category by writing on the slips of paper provided and slipping them into the corresponding jar. There were some straightforward pumpkins (like the UFV logo), and others that were more abstract (like a generic design artistically titled “The Degradation of Man”).

The prizes weren’t advertised throughout the week, but second place in the best design category received another reusable SUS bag (full of the same products available for free at the event) along with an extra gift box of household samples and assorted snacks. This included Top Ramen, microwaveable popcorn, a Pantene shampoo sample for grey hair, a recently expired Cliff bar, and a Trojan condom.

The unfortunate news is that very few people got to take their pumpkins home. An eraser board outside of Evered Hall directed students to retrieve their pumpkins after a specific time on Halloween, but when I arrived an hour after pick-up time began the pumpkins were already thrown in garbage bags. A SUS employee who was cleaning up said that very few participants came within the hour to pick up their creations and that the pumpkins were starting to rot anyway.

Whether you didn’t want to shell out the cash for a pumpkin or just wanted to put off studying, this year’s pumpkin carving contest was a quiet success. It was a relaxing distraction from midterms that offered candy, free SUS merch, and the chance to win a prize. However, a word to the wise from someone who found out the hard way: next time don’t bother with the contest, just take your pumpkin home after you’re done.

Local Concert //

Captain’s Cabin hosts a monster of a show DARIEN JOHNSEN EMMA KENT-DION Captain’s Cabin, a pub in Mission, hosted a free Halloween show this past Friday featuring a mix of bands from different genres.

The pub was packed with spectators dressed up to celebrate Halloween. The small size of the venue fostered an intimate and exciting atmosphere, aided by a fog machine and laser lights. There was space to sit and to mosh, and the bands had ample room to perform.

The evening opened with PlagueDoctor, a black/death metal band from Mission who were playing their first show. They had an energetic stage presence and every band member except the lead singer sported plague doctor masks. They sounded like a sludgey type of grindcore (which is catchy heavy metal mixed with hardcore punk).

The green laser lights added

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a sense of eeriness to the performance.

PlagueDoctor was followed

by No Faith in Fortune, a post-metalcore band originally from Alberta, but currently residing in Abbotsford.

They had a melodic, catchy, space-age sound that would definitely appeal to deathcore fans. The lead vocalist, Matty Toth, was an engaging performer, often flailing out into the mosh pit.

Up next was Villan Villan, an experimental progressive rock pop that self-describes as psycho-pop. The vocals by the lead singer, Jaydee Joseph Bateman, were reminiscent of Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

They were a foot-tapping band with an intricate sound and enormous energy – Bateman and lead guitarist, Luke Kokoszka, took turns jumping on and off dual keyboards. Periodically, Kokoszka would shake things up (literally) with a maraca.

Random Dander finished off the night. This local Mis-

sion band rocked the house with their classic rock sound and progressive features.

Jackie Lee, the lead singer, captured the crowd with her raspy vocals and occasional screams. The band members were perfectly in sync with one another — and they should be since they’ve been playing together for a decade.

Friends of the band jumped up to join them on the tambourine and Lee jumped into the crowd to dance with the audience. Both guitarists were in costume, James Kelly as a pickle and Javon Delorme as George from Seinfeld.

Seeing the bands in costume, which is always a highlight of Halloween shows, added an extra layer of fun to the festivities. Though the venue was a little cramped, it was well-decorated and the sound was spectacular; the sound technician was attentive and accommodating for each band, making all the performances run smoothly.

Villan Villan. Nov. 1, 2019. (David Myles/The Cascade)

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L’Engle’s

adapted by John Glore

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CULTURE

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 25

UFV Event //

The forgotten no more

Métis Awareness Day discusses the once-muted history of the Métis people KRYSTINA SPRACKLIN UFV’s annual Métis Awareness Day returned on Tuesday, Oct. 29 to the Chilliwack campus from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The celebration included guest speakers, beadwork, finger weaving, a display of Métis artifacts, a bison stew lunch, door prizes, and jigging performances hosted in the Gathering Place.

Eddie Gardner, UFV’s Elder in Residence, operated as MC for the event, explaining that the unique architecture of the Gathering Place is built similarly to a Stó:lō long house, which would traditionally have dirt floors to symbolize connection to Mother Earth.

Métis Awareness Day reserves time to celebrate the rich, blended history of Indigenous and European roots, but it also brings attention to the sordid history of Canada’s erasure, assimilation, and genocide of both Métis and First Nations peoples.

Deni Paquette, an Indigenous awareness facilitator from the Langley school district, delivered a detailed account of Métis origin and significance: how their culture was shaped, abused, and eventually reconciled. Paquette specializes in flower beadwork, a distinct Métis style of art, and offered a workshop at the event to teach students and attendees how to craft their own flowers to take home. She explained the

history of this beadwork: how young Métis women would knit them for the Catholic Church, who in turn would sell them back to Europe for a considerably high price. These profits, of course, never made their way back into the pockets of the artists.

“We were born of two cultures: the red and the white. Our legacy is to pull those cultures together, forever.

We will never be driven off [our] land, and we will never be subjugated,” Rene Inkster said as the final note of her speech. Inkster is a Métis Elder and seventh generation Métis woman.

“We were born of two cultures: the red and the white. Our legacy is to pull those cultures together, forever.”

At her finger weaving station, Inkster explained the significance of the colours woven in the Métis sashes, worn by several Métis attendees. The dominant red colour in the sash represents the wearer’s Métis identity.

In a traditional sash, there are four rows of colours repeated within the red sash that represent the reconciliation of Métis identity: blue is for French heritage and Father Sky; white demonstrates connection to their creator; green is for the dawn of a new culture (Métis) and the grass of the Earth; and yellow represents the sun and the Métis people who were omitted from recognition and formal identity. In honour of the missing and murdered Indigenous women, Inkster had a special sash of black, white, and pink threads on display, worn by those fighting to bring justice to those women.

In the UFV Elder Rene Inkster. Oct.29, 2019. (Krystina Spracklin/The Cascade) Chilliwack li-

14

brary, a display of the Red River Cart and Louis Riel was assembled by various local artists, including Pat Calihou, keynote speaker and local Métis artist. He constructed the cart and helped explain the significance of this display during his keynote speech. The Red River Rebellion (1869 - 1870) is a pivotal sequence in Métis history; it was an uprising of Métis people against Confederate control and eventually led to the formation of Manitoba under the leadership of Louis Riel. Calihou often recreates these carts, determined to make them as historically accurate as supplies and measurements will allow.

He also gave an account of his family’s ancestry, and the hardships he encountered trying to build that history.

“We were the forgotten ones,” Calihou said.

As the cultural celebration came to a close, Fergus Dalton, a Métis jigger, performed one last jig entitled the Orange Blossom Surprise, a competition between fiddler and jigger that grows increasingly complex as each tries to tire out the other. Jigging is a traditional style of dance paired with folk music and wooden spoons. Dalton’s various performances throughout the day included solo dances, as well as group numbers with participants from the audience who were taught steps and choreography on the spot before performing the dance to a jaunty song.

Betty Peters, coordinator of the Métis Awareness Day event, shared her thoughts on the value this celebration has on the student community.

“The role of the Indigenous Student Centre is to promote our local [Stó:lō] culture, but also the Métis culture.

We like to have it around this time because it’s significant [for] Louis Riel Day,” Peters said.

Louis Riel Day is commemorated on Nov. 16 in honour of the Métis leader and his efforts to liberate his people.

“I’m grateful to be living and working within my own home territory,” Peters said. “It’s important for us to educate people on the acknowledgement and the history of the land. It’s all part of reconciliation, of us reconciling and doing this walk together.

Moving forward.”

Peters further explained that attendance at events like this one is vital to reconciliation. Listening to the speakers, attending cultural events offered on campus, and writing assignments and research papers that focus on Métis and Stó:lō history are just a few ways in which students can extend allyship.

“Help with building that bridge, that understanding, with others in your family and your peers,” Peters said. “Have an open heart and an open mind.”

Column //

Cascade Kitchen: Green stir fry

Green stir fry. Nov. 1, 2019. (Carissa Wiens)

CARISSA WIENS The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budget-friendly recipes and cooking tips.

Check back bi-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.

This dish has all my favourite ingredients: cheese, greens, onions, and blasts of flavour, plus it’s completely vegetarian. It’s based on Jamie Oliver’s Speedy Green Curry from his cookbook 5 Ingredients but I’ve added a few extra things for some more depth. If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, swap the paneer for tofu.

Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, diced 23 g (2 tbsp) olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 head of broccoli, chopped in florets 24 g (1.5 tbsp) red curry paste 15 g (1 tbsp) red wine vinegar 32 g (2 tbsp) soy sauce Approx. 120 g (4 cups) spinach 200g paneer (half of one brick), diced into small cubes Method 1.

Stir the onion and garlic in olive oil for about five minutes over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Once the onions become slightly translucent, add the broccoli and red curry paste. Cook for another five minutes.

2. Toss in the red wine vinegar and let it simmer for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce.

3. Once vegetables and liquids are all mixed together, add the spinach and paneer. Cook until the spinach is wilted.

4. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and serve over rice or quinoa.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

sports@ufvcascade.ca Alex Jesus — Sports Editor

SPORTS

Q&A //

Parm Bains is UFV basketball’s do-it-all point guard The senior will suit up for the Cascades’ 2019-2020 bid for a national championship

UFV Cascades Sports Scores Nov. 1 – Nov. 2, 2019

Men’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV versus University of Alberta/Friday, Nov. 1 Score: UFV 75 UofW 77 Game/Date: UFV versus University of Winnipeg/Saturday, Nov. 2 Score: UFV 82 UofW 92

Women’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV versus University of Winnipeg/Friday, Nov. 1 Score: UFV 62 UofW 77 Game/Date: UFV versus University of Winnipeg/Saturday, Nov. 2 Score: UFV 72 UofW 77

Men’s Volleyball Parm Bains. Abbotsford, BC. Oct. 26, 2019. (UFV Athletics)

ALEX JESUS One thing fans can usually expect from UFV’s basketball program is a high level of individual skill from the players. Parm Bains fits that description and then some.

A fast-paced marksman, Bains employs a style that merges shooting with excellent ball handling to help diversify the offense for the Cascades. Add passing and some hustle and you’ve got a starting point guard in Bains, who now finds himself in his fifth and final campaign with UFV. To compare NBA guards Steph Curry and Trae Young’s game to Bains’ seems fair given that they also are quick point guards with reliable jumpshots, but it’s not just one player that he mirrors his game off of.

“I actually try to take things from a lot of different players. There’s no one guy that I think I’m exactly like. I watch Steph Curry a lot. He’s my favorite player for sure,” Bains said.

Whether it’s shooting the ball with a clear view or pulling up to shoot with a defender right in front of him, Bains’ lack of fear to shoot often translates to a lot of points for the 5’10 guard, who scored 18 in each of this past weekend’s season-open-

ing games.

A story familiar to most basketball players, Bains’ journey began with a backyard hoop and a dream.

“My older brother played and we had a hoop in our backyard. I would just see him play, go outside, follow him. I was probably like seven or eight years old. He was five years older than me so he taught me a lot.”

School and club play helped Bains hone his craft, until he was ready for the upgrade he had been working toward.

“All throughout highschool like, I loved basketball, that was what I committed to fully. There was always a goal, it was always in my mind, to be honest,” Bains said.

From the moment Bains came to UFV until now, the team has changed a lot, with new players now being one of the storylines of the Cascades 2019-2020 season. So far, so good according to Bains.

“I like our team for sure. We got a lot of hard workers on our team and I think our coaches are [doing] a really good job developing roles. Everybody knows exactly what’s expected of them.”

Roles will be the big change this year.

The Cascades have lost a few of last year’s fifth-year players who all had distinct roles

in the group. This season it will be a combination of new and returning players; however, a new culture seems to be forming with the team.

“I think we have more energy this year.

I think we’ll have more intensity. We’ve been lacking in communication, but I think we actually have guys who are more committed to… I wouldn’t say more committed to playing defence, but guys who just have more energy, who are younger.”

Adam Friesen, head coach of the men’s basketball team, also wants some things changed this year for the Cascades, according to Bains.

“He definitely wants faster pace. That’s been a huge point of emphasis for sure.”

There is no doubt that these UFV Cascades would benefit massively from increasing their pace, but whether they are in the half-court or running the floor, this team is looking like one of the most dynamic UFV varsity programs. This team has a little bit of everything, but with Parm Bains, they’ve got a very capable point guard.

Come watch the Cascades play their first home games on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. and Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. here at UFV.

Game/Date: UFV versus Camosun/Friday, Nov. 1 Score: UFV 1 Camosun 3 Game/Date: UFV versus Camosun/ Saturday, Nov. 2 Score: UFV 3 Camosun 1

Women’s Volleyball Game/Date: UFV versus Camosun/Friday, Nov. 1 Score: UFV 1 Camosun 3 Game/Date: UFV versus Camosun/ Saturday, Nov. 2 Score: UFV 3 Camosun 0

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SPORTS

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 25

Men’s Basketball //

UFV’s men’s basketball team comes up short in their first game

After a pre-season record of 2-3, the Cascades headed to Manitoba to start their regular season NIC JACKSON The Cascades’ men’s basketball team opened their season with back-to-back road games at the University of Winnipeg on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2. Coming off their last pre-season game with a win of 83-73 over the University of Victoria, the Cascades had momentum leading into the games against the Winnipeg Wesmen.

Friday night’s game started at 8 p.m. with over 180 people in attendance. Starting the game off strong, the Cascades’ Matt Cooley opened the scoring for the game, and for the Cascades’ season. After receiving a quick pass from teammate Parm Bains, Cooley was parked in front of the net with the ball and without a Wesmen defender around him. Quieting the Wesmen fans, Cooley grabbed the first two points of the game with a dunk.

Following Cooley’s dunk, the two teams traded baskets for most of the quarter.

With 2:57 left, Cascades’ Sukhjot Bains scored a basket outside the three-point line, bringing the score to 13-12 for the Wesmen. Although Bains’ goal brought the score to within one point, the Wesmen were able to increase their lead by another eight points before the quarter was over.

Within the first 40 seconds of the second quarter, the Cascades were able to cut the Wesmens’ lead in half when Sukhjot Bains and Kenan Hadzovic scored two and three points, respectively. Once Hadzovic’s basket brought the team to a score of 21-17, in favor of the Wesmen, UFV’s deficit sat between three to six points for most of the second quarter.

However, with just over a minute left in the first half, Sukhjot Bains held the ball at the top of the key. With the Cascades down by three points, Bains faked out his defender and created room for himself at the top of the three-point line. With his decision to shoot, Bains tied up the game, 36-

36. With only 1.03 seconds remaining in the quarter, neither team was able to find another point.

When the second half started, the Wesmen quickly broke the tie with two three-point baskets, both from Narcisse Ambanza. Although Cascade’s Hadzovic answered with a three-pointer of his own, the Wesmen continued to increase their lead throughout the quarter. The largest lead for the Wesmen in the third quarter was 11, when Ambanza scored another three-pointer with 3:04 left on the clock, making the score 57-46 for the home team.

After sticking between nine and 11 points behind the Wesmen for most of the remaining quarter, the Cascades were able to end the quarter down 58-51 with a late three-point basket from Hadzovic.

Down by seven, and with only 10 minutes left to play, the Cascades were unwilling to give up. Early on in the quarter, the Wesmen were able to increase their lead by 13 points, the highest lead of either team thus far. From here the Cascades slowly chiseled away at the Wesmen’s lead, until they were only behind by two with 44 seconds left in the game. Battling for the first game of the season, the Cascades were able to force a turnover with only six seconds left of play. Unfortunately for the Cascades, they were unable to find a basket in their last ball possession, resulting in a 77-75 loss.

The Cascades followed Friday night’s game with another match against the Wesmen on Saturday. However, this game ended in a similar fashion. Despite having the lead after the first quarter, the Cascades lost 92-82.

The Cascades will be heading home for their next two games. On Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16, the Cascades will host UBC Okanagan at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre. The games will be at 8 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

Slapshots // The tragic underestimation of rhythm gamers Do you know what should be a competitive esport? Rhythm games. They make up a gaming genre that combines catchy tunes and the fast-paced action of tapping on icons — the modern-day equivalent of Dance Dance Revolution but on phones and keyboards. I’m aware that most rhythm games have their own internal leaderboards, but I want to see national cups full of glitz and glamor, and saturated with teams and jerseys. Players of Osu, a rhythm game available for computers, are already known to go hard, but players of mobile rhythm games — you know, the ones centred around anime characters — are also to be feared in an esports arena.

It’s not my proudest moment, but in high

16

school I obsessively played the Love Live! rhythm game (it’s based on an anime), and it actually caught on in my friend group.

I’d have my entire group of pals crowded around my tablet, all playing together as a team. At one point, I got surprisingly skilled at playing it, but my potential was squandered when I uninstalled — it was eating up 5GB of space on my phone. Regardless, I’m tired of living a lie; my true destiny is to join a competitive rhythm game league and rise to the top amidst a cheering crowd. I can’t keep waiting for the world of esports to catch up.

Chandy Dancey

Women’s Volleyball //

The Cascades leave the weekend with a season record of 5-3 After trading wins with the Chargers, the Cascades sit at second place in the league NIC JACKSON Last weekend, the women’s volleyball team hosted the College of the Rockies, who saw the Cascades win both games, 3-1. This week, the Cascades looked again for a pair of wins at home, this time against the Camosun Chargers on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2nd. Heading into the weekend, the Cascades held a record of 4-2 in the regular season.

The first set of Friday night’s game was evenly matched; the Cascades and the Chargers took turns scoring points, resulting in the teams holding a tie at various scores in the first half of the set.

Despite both teams carrying the tie to the 14-point mark, the Cascades’ Amanda Matsui’s kill for the 15th point marked a significant change in the first set. From here, the Cascades were able to carry their lead, finishing the set with a score of 25-21.

Despite winning the first set, the Cascades went on to lose the next three.

The second saw the Cascades and the Chargers trading the lead back and forth until the set ended with a score of 31-29 for the Chargers.

With each team winning one of the first two sets, the Cascades were determined to take back the lead. In the third set, the teams battled until they were tied 20-20.

From this tie, the Chargers were able to pick up the next five consecutive points, ending the set 25-20.

Unlike the other sets, the fourth started with the Chargers gaining the lead, and slowly increasing it until the set ended, 25-17.

Although Friday’s game ended with the Cascades losing 3-1 overall, Saturday gave the Cascades another chance to beat the Camosun Chargers. Much like Friday, Saturday started with both teams trading the lead back and forth.

The first set was a battle, so much so that after 42 points shared, Camosun led the set 22-20. However, unwilling to give up on the set, the Cascades were able to grab five consecutive points, resulting in a 25-22 win.

The Cascades were able to take the game in just three matches. Ending similarly to the first, the following two sets ended with scores of 25-22 and 25-20.

Although the Cascades battled hard as a team, over half of the 33 kills for the Cascades came from Chelsea Kidd and Matsui, who scored eight and nine kills, respectively.

After trading wins with the Camosun Chargers over the weekend, the Cascades now sit at second place in the standings with a 5-3 record. Next weekend, the Cascades will be hosting the Capilano University Blues on Friday, Nov. 8 followed by an away game on Saturday, Nov. 9 in North Vancouver, against Capilano.

Kara Williams. Abbotsford, BC. Oct. 11, 2019.

(UFV Athletics)

How do we improve sports culture at school? Do cool things!

When I say things like “sports culture” your first thought might be of loud people with painted faces, chanting things whilst heavily inebriated. Fair enough. I’ll say this though: it’s usually much more casual than that. So many people watch sports for fun without a serious affinity for the games, yet they still get together, watch with friends, and have fun.

UFV has a sports culture that largely isn’t present around campus. How do we fix it?

There’s a few different things that the Student Union Society could do. They could organize games to be shown occasionally in the Student Union Building, like somewhat local games such as Vancouver Ca-

nucks or Seattle Seahawks matches. There even seems to be a soccer fandom at UFV, so what about some of the bigger, more popular European club matches, along with the Whitecaps to keep somewhat of a local trend going?

I’m not saying that sports is some kind of massive phenomenon at UFV and that it would galvanize the masses. I am saying, however, that there is a surprisingly large sports culture among the student demographic that would likely stop by, bring their friends, and cheer. Let’s give it a shot, SUS!

Alex Jesus

STUDY BREAK

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Crossword //

Made by Andrea Sadowski DOWN

ACROSS

1: Not achieving maximum productivity; wasting or failing to make the best use of time or resources.

1: Cheap to buy; does not cost a lot of money.

2: A race in which contestants are so close that hard evidence must be examined to determine the winner.

3: An old fashioned coin-operated machine that plays music; a nickel-run jukebox.

4: A woman who uses magic or sorcery, especially to put someone or something under a spell.

5: A type of rock formed from lava erupted from a rupture in the crust of the earth.

6: Omit or decline to take something.

7: An object usually laid by a female bird, reptile, fish, or invertebrae, usually containing a developing embryo.

8: A Hawaiian dish made from the fermented root of the taro which has been baked and pounded to a paste.

8

LAST ISSUE’S

9: A young nocturnal bird of prey.

ANSWERS:

10: A cosmetic applied around the eyes to make them appear larger.

Down: 1: Mouthwash 2: Abnormality 4: Ash 5: Apartment 7: Mat 9: Ira 11: Hic

11: A disease typically caused by infected meat, especially pork, characterized by digestive disturbance, fever, and muscular rigidity.

Across: 1: Majorca 3: Unlearn 6: Ham 8: Harmonica 10: Autograph 12: Ant 13: Incense 14: Yoghurt

Cascade Calamities

Horoscopes //

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

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 This week may bring financial fluctuations that you did not plan for. Take a deep breath and deal with things as they come. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; you may very well need to.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 You may need to be more vulnerable and open with people you do not know very well. A situation will arise this week that may require a greater emotional depth than perhaps you are used to; just let things come as they may.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 Something has come over you that makes you feel extra flirty, super confident, and ready to mingle this week. This energy will radiate off you and you may meet your next great love at one of the upcoming Christmas parties you are currently looking forward to.

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Make your mental health a priority this week, as you may feel like collapsing under the stress of all of the papers, assignments, and group projects that are soon due. You won’t be able to write any work worthy of an A if you are suffering a complete breakdown, so take care of yourself.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 You may need to assert yourself in a way that feels unnatural to you this week. However uncomfortable you may feel, it is necessary to stand up for yourself.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 Let go of that person you are so desperately holding on to. It is time to move on; celebrate what has passed and make room in your life for someone new.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 You may experience some fierce, unexpectedly outbursts of emotions this week. With mercury in retrograde it is hard to tell whether these outbursts will result in joyful song or chaotic destruction, so watch out and get ready to surprise yourself.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 Someone may come into your life this week who is determined to break down all the walls you have constructed around yourself. It will be painful to let them in at first, but once you do, you will feel a release of pent up emotions that you so desperately need.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 This week will bring a fruitful conversation with someone you may not have expected, whether that be the classmate you sit beside and have yet to talk to, or your coworker who you have never quite gotten along with. You will make great strides in your relationship this week just by simply talking.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 All of the sugar you are eating to deal with the stress of school will start causing serious health problems soon if you don’t stop: breakouts of acne, dental cavities, maybe even diabetes. Eat a vegetable and stop putting a 1/4 cup of sugar in each cup of coffee.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 There is some unfinished business in your life you may need to take care of this week; that little thing that has been gnawing at the back of your brain for months, maybe even years.

The time is now to deal with this issue once and for all.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Welcome distraction into your life this week: take a walk on a sunny break, grab a coffee with a friend, go to a yoga class. You have been grinding too hard for too long, just relax and get away from the books and computer screen for a minute.

17

ARTS

arts@ufvcascade.ca Chandy Dancey — Arts Editor

VOL. 27 // ISSUE 25

Album //

Dead Soft’s resurrection with Big Blue CHARTS

SHUFFLE

1 Becky Ninkovic

AARON LEVY

2 Kristin Witko

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy is in a great mood. Can you tell?!

3 Mr. Merlot

Tenacious D - "Tribute"

Woe

Zone Of Exclusion City Sex Vol. 2

OKLAHOMA HONEYLAMB

"This is not the greatest song

4

in the world / This is just a Woolworm Let Me Wear the Mask tribute / Couldn't remember the greatest song in the world, (single)

5

Corridor Junior

6 Kristin Ludwig

no, no / This is just a tribute."

Jack Black has done some genius things. See: his performance in High Fidelity and the School of Rock concept; but mostly this song.

7 Jom Comyn

Bill Withers - "Lovely Day"

Wasted Time Crawl

8

Peach Pyramid Bright Blue

9

Wynne If I May (Single)

10 Rae Spoon

Mental Health

Glorious. Beautiful. Exciting.

Frabjous. Such adjectives are similar to the specific term Mr. W uses in this silky, soulful number from way back in '77, and they're all appropriate for the times we currently live in, specifically when it comes to the community inhabited by the Cascade, CIVL, et al.

11 The

New Pornogra- Jimmy Cliff - "I Can See phers Clearly Now" n the Morse Code of Brake Lights From the Cool Runnings

12 CXCX Chu Chu

Yellow Tape (Single)

13 Zach Fanta I Ain't Tha 1

14 Devours

Iconoclast

soundtrack, the film that proved to be Spaceballs, The Movie star and former Toronto Argonauts part-owner John Candy's final film that he participated in from start to finish. This song accurately, as does the Bill Withers pick before it, lays bare to the world my current mood.

15 Tegan And Sara

Bobby McFerrin - "Don't Worry, Be Happy"

16 The Pink Elephants

If there's a day that feelings mirroring the words to this song, reared their smiling faces toward the sun shining above us, saluting the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, and the biodiversity we share it with, then today is most certainly and undeniably that pessimism-impervious day.

Hey, I'm Just Like You Mirrored Times

17 Mauvey

Whole Live Mauvey

18 Micah Erenberg

Love is Gonna Find You

19 Lex Junior Driftin'

20 Knife Wife

Family Party

18

Dead Soft. (Ryan Walter Wagner)

CHANDY DANCEY Although Dead Soft has been putting out a steady stream of underground music since 2011, Oct. 18 marked the release of their long-awaited debut album, Big Blue. The group maintains an instrumental simplicity by sticking to electric guitar and drums, but lyrically they break the mold by exploring a rich, emotional landscape surrounding the band’s move from Vancouver.

In Big Blue, Dead Soft manages to capture the alternative punk rock mood and instrumentals from early 2000s bands like Green Day, giving us easygoing but impactful tracks like “I Believe You”, which serves as the thesis of the album. Written during a relocation of the band’s songwriters Nathaniel Epp and Keeley Rochon, it embodies their angst towards the unsustainable existence that many maintain in Vancouver.

Vancouver has become a city that’s notorious for pricing out its residents with rising rent costs. “I Believe You” starts the album off strong with the message of trusting yourself and allowing change to happen in lyrics like: “There’s a message waiting / I don’t know how to receive it / But I know that when I hear it I’ll believe it.”

While the album opens and ends with the equivalent of a shout, it also offers intimate and vulnerable moments where it’s more akin to a whisper. Songs like “The Static,” “Whatever I Want,” and “Snake” slow things down and show the band’s versatility. They experiment with

long, drawn-out guitar notes and mix up vocals, like in “The Static” where Rochon’s voice is featured. She refreshes listeners with a dreamy echoing of the lyrics, “I don’t know why I panic / Wild is the wind but so is the static” to reflect the mantra she would repeat to herself to ease the dread and anxiety she experienced while living in Vancouver.

My only complaint for Big Blue is that they reserved the bulk of their musical experimentation until the end of the album. The first four tracks sound eerily similar to each other and, when played back to back, make the album seem one-dimensional when that’s not the case. Putting more thought into the organization of the album would have helped alleviate the feeling that listeners have heard the same guitar riffs and lyrical cadence before.

This debut album is easily Dead Soft’s most polished musical output to date, combining a mastered sound with a relevant and poignant message of longing for peace and coping with the changes that come with it.

Lyrically, the message comes from a place of acceptance and trust, offering a hopeful perspective. Now based out of Gabriola Island, part of the Gulf Islands of B.C., the band has been influenced and molded by idyllic forests and a quiet atmosphere.

As Rochon expressed in a Killbeat Music interview: “Since we moved to the island we’ve been amazed by the way the light looks at dusk. Without man-made light sources there’s a short window of time after

the sun sets but before the night falls where the sky emanates a deep blue glow. Big Blue represents a turning point … Ultimately my dream would be to have this record serve as a catalyst for healing.”

In a bustling city like Vancouver, where artists struggle to make ends meet, this album raises the question of what that does to the surrounding culture. If the individuals that create and heavily influence the culture of their community are unable to survive, how does that affect the rest of us?

Similarly, the Fraser Valley has been no stranger to rising property costs and increasing rates of homelessness. When cities become concrete mazes where hard-working people struggle to make a living, art can suffer. In response, I encourage everyone to get involved with local art and support it. Luckily, in the Fraser Valley it’s not just surviving, it’s thriving. Take the time to look at the events and shows going on in your area, and don’t be afraid to give them some love.

Big Blue succeeds in showcasing a refined representation of Dead Soft, and its message of accepting change and critique of the unsustainability of Vancouver are relevant and served on a hopeful note. Amidst electric guitar and punk rock vocals, the arrangement of Big Blue might leave listeners with the impression that the album is stale, but the delivery as a whole is hard to find faults with, surpassing much of their earlier work.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

TV //

Drag Race UK is very British, despite the editing team’s best efforts MIKAELA COLLINS Rupaul’s Drag Race has been at the forefront of bringing drag into the mainstream in North America, but this year they’ve expanded the franchise into a market where drag is already public and well-established: the U.K. In North America, Drag Race has been criticized for promoting a narrow slice of the reallife drag community as “good drag.” This was much more pronounced in earlier seasons, when contestants were docked for not wearing corsets or nails, and the goal set by the judges was clearly to look “fishy” (as much like a hyperfeminine cisgender woman as possible). In recent seasons, looks have been judged more on completeness and strength of concept, but the finished, femme aesthetic still reigns supreme.

By contrast, U.K. drag is influenced by the U.K.’s history of pantomime and the fact that pubs in the U.K. are more family-friendly than North American bars and clubs. In the U.S. and Canada, the first drag queens who entered the mainstream usually styled themselves as “female impersonators” to be more comprehensible to audiences unfamiliar with drag, but U.K. drag queens have never been widely subject to that expectation. U.K. drag tends to be more about comedy and original songs than the lip syncs and pageants that are American drag staples.

The debut season of Drag Race UK seems to have a mix of queens who go for a more traditional pub show perfor-

mance and queens who go for the glamour and polish American fans have come to expect, arguably thanks to Rupaul’s Drag Race. But, if the queens have been told to tailor their performances both on and off the runway to meet the expectations of American fans, it doesn’t show at all. Not only has the drag been different, but so have the queens.

In the age-old tradition of British things with American equivalents, Drag Race UK is way more relaxed, to the point that it’s messing with the format. The show was clearly cast the same way as the original; the season opened with some familiar sacrificial lambs — for example, Scaredy Kat was 19 when the season was filmed, had been doing drag for less than a year, and didn’t make it past the second episode. However, it’s obvious that the editors have had trouble setting up the dramatic arcs that they usually use.

Traditionally, one or two contestants in a season have been singled out with a villain edit, getting deliberately framed as antagonistic, especially toward another queen who receives a more favourable narrative and a strong storyline; usually this second queen is the favourite to win. The idea of the villain edit has been contentious, with judge Michelle Visage vehemently denying that editing is responsible when queens come out looking bad, but it’s something that fans have picked up on, and it’s something that’s been distinctly absent this season. In fact, there has been less conflict in general.

In episode four, Baga Chipz

and Divina De Campo were both planning to impersonate former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for one of the most anticipated challenges of every season: the Snatch Game. Snatch Game mimics an old-fashioned panel show with each queen doing improv comedy while impersonating a specific public figure. It’s a crucial challenge, and in American Drag Race, vying for the same character as somebody else is framed as grounds for a fight to the death with one person clearly in the wrong. In Drag Race UK, Baga asserts that she’d be the better Maggie — and then Divina agrees, chooses to be Julia Child instead, and gives Baga the costume she had been planning to wear before they give each other a kiss on the cheek.

Similarly, the remarks that get the shade sound effect, indicating that someone has said something catty, wouldn’t even make it into the American show.

That being said, Drag Race UK is no less entertaining than the original. It’s nice watching people have fun, and if you mostly enjoy Drag Race for the one-liners and the costumes, you won’t be disappointed. The U.K. queens are every bit as talented, funny, and creative as their American counterparts, and they’ve kept up with the show’s steep learning curve. If you’re not yet a Drag Race fan, and the drama and flamboyance of the original is intimidating, you can still get in on the ground floor of Drag Race UK; it’s sure to ease you in.

Rewind //

Ten years of a man who’s odd at sea Epic poems still exist and we have The Odyssey to thank

CHANDY DANCEY The Odyssey is the old-school original when it comes to epic poems, written by Homer in approximately 675 - 725 BCE. It depicts 10 years of King Odysseus’ life as he tries to get home to his wife and child, and it’s full of blood-pumping battles, painful detours, tear-jerking moments, and even humour. As a form of entertainment, it refreshingly strays from the formulaic and perfectly summed up plotlines of modern books, and the neverending movie sequels churned out in our media.

Going into the book, I assumed I would be faced with Shakespeare-like prose that would require some slogging through to understand, but was pleasantly surprised to find out the poem was translated into modern, readable English. It reads like any other fantasy novel on the market but with a unique charm that comes with ancient literature: The Odyssey doesn’t have a cookiecutter storyline and wasn’t bound by modern conventions. As an epic poem it defies many of the literary rules of today, such as requiring a defined beginning, climax, and resolution.

Although Odysseus is a larger-than-life hero, he’s relatable in that he’s far from perfect. He isn’t concerned with integrity; he’s a man who’ll lie, cheat, and steal to get what he wants. This cunning is what makes him a hero, not his honorable actions.

He’s a man who’s quick on his feet, able to talk his way out of the trickiest of situations. However, his arrogance is a weakness that ends up getting him cursed

by Poseidon, making his approximately two week voyage span a painful 10 years.

The Odyssey is a story that would’ve been told around campfires long ago, listeners hanging onto every word as the orator described how Odysseus returned to his wife, slaying all the suitors who were disrespecting his spouse, drinking his wine, and eating his food.

They would be in an uproar over Odysseus telling a cyclops his name was “Nobody,” causing the cyclops to foolishly cry out that “Nobody” was attacking him. It begs the question: what happened to the epic poems of today?

The answer could lie in a place one might least suspect. The live streaming of video games on websites like Twitch might just be the new fire that stories are told over. While watching a playthrough of the first Dark Souls game, I realized that it had many of the conventions of an epic poem along with a commentary element from the streamer playing it. There was an invocation to a muse, supernatural elements, a plot that involved a vast fictional world, and deeds performed by the hero that required superhuman abilities. Maybe epic poems haven’t disappeared completely; maybe they’ve just evolved with the times.

In a cultural landscape that pushes us to continually disregard the old and embrace the new, it’s easy to overlook the classics in literature as dull, boring, and irrelevant when they can be anything but. I encourage anyone with a love of literature to explore The Odyssey and find out first-hand why older generations fell in love with it.

19

Note:

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

Events Calendar • UFV Scholarly Sharing Initiative: Rajnish Dhawan @ UFV (Abbotsford), F125, 1:00 - 2:25 p.m.

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

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

• Arts & Cultural Activities — Cedar & Beaded Dragonfly @ UFV (Chilliwack), A1201, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

• SUS UFV Drag Show @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.

• Kairos Blanket Exercise @ Mennonite Central Committee, Abbotsford, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

• School of Creative Arts Townhall Meeting @ UFV (Abbotsford), D115, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

• History Dept. Film Series “Food, Culture, & History” @ UFV (Abbotsford), B121, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

• Fraser Valley Tech Forum @ Coast Chilliwack Hotel (Chilliwack), 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

• • • •

TedxAbbotsford (re)imagine @ UFV (Abbotsford), 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Farmteam @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Hastings @ The Railyard (Mission), 7:00 – 11:30 p.m.

NWO’s Daze of Derby 2019 @ Landing Sports Center (Chilliwack), 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

• Zurich Cloud Motors with Dirty Phil, Cokebottleglasses @ Carport Manor (Abbotsford), 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Joel Willoughby @ Trading Post Brewing (Abbotsford), 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

• Superbad Movie Night @ UFV (Abbotsford), B101, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

• Arts & Cultural Activities — Beaded Headdresses and Dreamcatchers @ UFV (Chilliwack), A1452, 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

• Beading & Banter @ UFV (Abbotsford), Indigenous Students Centre (S1113), 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

• Town & Gown @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m.

• C3 — The Mighty Mughals @ The Reach Gallery (Abbotsford), 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

• Andrew Christopher @ Trading Post Brewing (Abbotsford), 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

• O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy @ Abbotsford Arts Centre, 7:30 – 9:00 pm.

• Transgender Day of Remembrance @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

• KPMG Networking Event @ UFV (Abbotsford), A235, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

• Arts & Cultural Activities — Mini Button Blankets and Dream Catchers @ UFV (Chilliwack), A1201, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

• Daniel Wesley @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• C3 — Arts, Activism & Canoes @ The Reach Gallery (Abbotsford), 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

• The Paint Ball: An Emerge at the Reach Fundraiser @ The Reach Gallery Museum, 6:30 - 10:00 p.m.

• God said Kill, Warrborn, Panolith, Silent Screamers @ Captains Captain Pub, 8:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

• Table Tennis and Pong Tournament @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

• Harma White @ The Railyard (Mission), 7:00 – 11:00 p.m.

• Ryan McNally @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Downtown Abbotsford Winter Jubilee @ Downtown Abbotsford, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

• Chilliwack Independent Film Festival @ Cottonwood 4 Cinemas, 12:30 - 11:00 p.m.

• Boardwalk Puzzle Challenge @ Boardwalk Cafe and Games, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

• Chilliwack Independent Film Festival @ Cottonwood 4 Cinemas, 12:30 - 8:30 p.m.

• Belle Plaine @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

• Arts & Cultural Activities — Mini Button Blanket and Beaded Flower @ UFV (Abbotsford), S1111, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

• Ethics of Internships @ UFV (Abbotsford), B101, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

• Global to Local Holiday Market @ UFV (Abbotsford), SUB, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

• Film Night: Edge of the Knife @ The Reach Gallery Museum, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

• C3 — Campbell’s Honey @ The Reach Gallery (Abbotsford), 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

• Ryan McMahon @ The Railyard (Mission), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Kellen Saip Album Release Show @ S+L Lounge (Abbotsford), 8:30 - 11:00 p.m.

• Caroline Allatt @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Theo and Thugs (featuring members of Gob) @ Replay Boardshop (Abbotsford), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• UFV WEST Career Panel Night @ UFV (Abbotsford), B121, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

• Brian O’Brien @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Random Dander @ The Railyard (Mission), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

• Salt Thief @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.