The Confluence | September 4th | 2018/2019 Fall Orientation Edition

Confluence The

YOUR OFFICIAL COLLEGE MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018 Artwork by: Catherine Sharp

Looking Forward

06

Poetry

08

Let’s Talk Budget

10

The CNCSU FAQ

14

2018/2019 Fall Orientation Edition

Damon Robinson Editor-In-Chief The Confluence

VACANT

News Editor The Confluence

Harman Dandiwal Organizer CNC Students’ Union

Submissions, inquiries and requests can be made to editor@cncsu.ca, in person at the CNCSU room 1-303, or mailed to “The Confluence c/o CNCSU 3330-22nd Ave. Prince George, BC V2N 1P8.

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All submissions are welcome, the authors of edited works used in the confluence receive a $20 cheque upon publication. Advertisement rates are available upon request.

Editorial

by Damon Robinson

It was a crazy feeling, walking back into the college for the 2018 Fall semester. To all the students who are coming into CNC for their first year, welcome! It’s great to have you here and I would love to meet you. For the people returning for their second, third, fourth, or eleventh year, welcome back. It’s good to see your face around here again. As for who I am, I am the editor-in-chief of the Confluence and a student in the Web and Graphic Design program. My first issue was the April/May 2018 issue which to may or may not have read from earlier in the year. If you did, then we are already best friends. If not, well, we can still be friendly acquaintances.

As for this coming school year, I am excited to say that the Confluence is going to be a bi-weekly issue that will come out every two weeks of every month. Each issue will be taking submissions from the students here at the College of New Caledonia and articles written by the Confluence staff.

So here’s my pitch. I need your submissions. I need all of your submissions. The Confluence relies on the works of the students here at CNC. Being honest, there are a lot of works made here at the college that deserve the recognition. For submitting you will get a $20 cheque, the ability to say you’re a published writer, artist, or photographer on your resumes, and recognition for your work! Here’s a list for what content I am looking for:

All submissions can be sent to editor@cncsu.ca, and I will get back to you if your stuff makes it into the issue. If you have any complaints, comments, praise, or want to say hello, make sure to swing by the Students Union or send it to the editor email as well!

Cheers, Damon Robinson Editor-In-Chief of the Confluence

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Photographs Artwork Poetry Journalistic Articles Short Essays Questions Life Stories and more

CONTENTS LET’S TALK BUDGET PAGE 10

LOOKING FORWARD PAGE 6

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POETRY PAGE 8

STUDENT’S UNION FAQ PAGE 14

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NEW STUDENT TIPS PAGE 12

Looking Forward: Our Mission

by Damon Robinson

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I have a lot of ideas for the Confluence, and I look forward to putting them all in place during my tenure as the new Editor-In-Chief of the magazine. The one thing that I want to make clear, is that as long as I am the Editor-In-Chief, is that we will have a high standard of free speech and honesty. I want the magazine to be your megaphone to give yourself a voice. During my tenure I look to hold a high journalistic integrity. With all of these plans of journalism, it makes sense to announce my plans for how the magazine will be ran and what content we will be publishing.

While we will still publish everything that we have published prior, (Poetry, Short-Stories, Art, etc.) we will shift ourselves more towards journalism and news coverage. This is the reason for why

we are actively moving towards getting more journalism articles done for the magazine. With a potential News Editor being hired just for articles done strictly for the Confluence, you can be sure that each issue will be worth picking up.

Plus, it’s free, man.

At this moment we will focus on journalistic integrity, as I believe it is important for me to state what kind of bar there is and what I expect when we publish content in the Confluence.

High-Quality: All piece that will be published in the Confluence must meet a high enough standard to be included. This includes: The quality of the content Good reasons for the piece being written Grammar, spelling, basic editing, etc.

Honesty: We want to maintain a standard that

all pieces published should be fact-checked, or come from a place of experience. We look to spread the truth, but also not offend anyone in the process.

That’s right, we will publish two issues of the Confluence each month starting in September. Along with this, the responsibility of my job is to look at everything sent to me and approve it for publishing. If anything was to gain controversy it would lay on myself and the person who wrote the articlepoem-story. If you disagree with something, feel free to come to me and we can talk about why it was published. My personal belief is that everyone has their own voice, and should use it. This would encourage healthy discussion amongst us at the community. However, there will be no tolerance of any sorts towards hate-speech and excessive vulgarity. We have morals too, you know?

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Reliability: We at the Confluence look to publish the magazine bi-weekly.

Poetry Submissions

I remember your smile with the sun in your eyes, And the smell of the summer, the sound of the breeze I remember your shape under powder-blue skies; Under wandering clouds; under whispering trees.

I remember the feel of the grass at our back, And the touch of its warmth, and the cool of the shade, And the calls of our friends from the river-way track, And the season that last for an age when it stayed.

I remember the fire we built of a night, And the sight of the stars as they slipped in a stream, And the furtive first-kiss that we shared by its light, And the simple, impossible, innocent dream.

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I remember you most in the starlight above, But for you it was fun - and for me it was love.

See Me

realizzato | damon robinson I’d be lying if I said I never did And know that it was only because I felt unwanted And perhaps that’s what I told myself It’s not a stretch for a liar To be lying to himself I’d be lying if I said I was happy with me, Because me was never a trophy, Because truthfully I was drowning in a sea Of all the things I knew I could never be So I lied to myself

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I was always great at playing pretend.

I thought of myself as a master who weaved masterworks out of all the best examples of beauty that surrounded me.

I didn’t realize that all these scraps I gathered from somewhere else couldn’t and wouldn’t mend.

I was playing pretend.

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Let’s Talk Budget

In 2015, The College of New Caledonia (CNC) faced severe budget cuts. Many felt the consequences of the institution losing $2.8 million; entire programs were dissolved, which resulted in 21 instructors and 17 operational staff losing their positions. The community of students at CNC also felt the impact of this decision. In addition to having to adjust to a smaller selection of courses, students faced minimal counselling services, fewer grants and risked losing daycare services altogether.

The impending stress of having to balance an educational career, as well as the inevitable burdens of life, is an issue The College of New Caledonia Students Union (CNCSU) wanted to address immediately.

Over the last three years, reverberations from the budge cuts have been fought in an uphill battle. While steps have been taken towards repairing the damages, CNCSU says further improvements are still needed. On April 20th, the CNCSU presented their budget requests to the board for the 2018/19 year.

There are five key areas Harman Dandiwal (organizer of CNCSU) benchmarked for addi-

tional funding: course offerings, campus accessibility, campus events, mental health services, and consent culture training.

The first issue presented was a significant lack of seating within high demand programs such as information technology, human resource management, and business management. Students apply to CNC from all over the world. A document handed out to board members alongside CNCSU’s presentation states “lack of course availability is a key factor in determining the speed with which students complete their studies”. With an increase in waitlist lengths in the past year, paired with a shortage of seats, program completion is becoming more challenging. If students are unable to find seats within CNC, they look for education elsewhere—essentially undermining enrolment and guaranteeing the undesired result: budget cuts.

Campus accessibility, or lack there of, is the next suggestion in CNCSU’s docket. For many students, a campus is the most effective place to study. However, CNC satellite campuses (such as Quesnel) face challenges

a 16-week sprint. The sprint would be easier with constant availability to water.

The Red Phone Project is a step CNC has taken towards battling sexual assault and misconduct on College campuses. However, additional funding is required to allow for proper and consistent training for both staff and students. This training would include ways to protect oneself, ways to spot signs of sexual assault or misconduct, and what resources are present in the community at CNC and in Prince George.

The College of New Caledonia and The College of New Caledonia Students Union are working diligently to create an enjoyable, memorable and ultimately, safe environment for all students, staff, and faculty.

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in keeping the institutions open post typical business hours. Without a reliable, quiet, well-resourced place to focus on their studies, grades are likely to suffer. Additionally, CNCSU would like the opportunity to reinforce the community at CNC with campus wide events.

A mental health service is arguably the highest priority of the allocation for funds.

There are approximately 5000 students attending CNC, and one counsellor; “for the Prince George campus, mental health has been a hot topic…financial stress just adds up, stress from exams. This is usually the peak time, near Christmas, near March-April” Dandiwal stated in an interview with the Citizen. Life does not stop when a person makes the routine altering decision to pursue an education career. It is a stressful transition, and each semester feels like

New Student Tips

by Damon Robinson

With a new semester, comes new students. First things first, welcome! It’s nice to have you here! Now onto the main reason you’re reading this. My first recommendation is to make sure you have all the basic necessities that you can get with your Student ID. - Go to the Student’s Union and get your CNCSU U-PASS. It will allow you to ride the busses in PG as much as your heart desires.

- Hit up the library and activate your Library Card. Basically, that means you bring your Student ID to the person at the front desk and ask politely to activate your card. This allows you to check books, magazines and movies out freely.

- While you’re in the library, make sure to add money into your PaperCut Account so you can print documents in all applicable computer labs. Alternatively, you can print documents at the Student’s Union or the Library without using PaperCut.

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- If you’re interested in a locker, you can go to the Student’s Union and fill out some documents and pay for your locker there. The CNC Student’s Union only accepts cash, so make sure to bring some.

- For all Aboriginal students, my personal recommendation is to meet the people at the Aboriginal Resource Centre (ARC). There are services provided there to make you feel at home.

- If you ever are hungry or cannot afford food, you can grab some from the Food Bank in the Student’s Union. You can grab what you need, no questions asked. However, don’t take all of it; and if you can, we would always love to have food donated. The CNCSU food bank is a student run service, so all help is very appreciated.

ADVERTISE in

Confluence The

Advertise your business, organization, etc. to the students of CNC. Advertising in the magazine is a sure-fire way of advertising to the College of New Caledonia student body.

For more information, please contact us through these methods: Editor@cncsu.ca Organizer@cncsu.ca

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Also, supporting the Confluence by placing your advertisement here will make it so we can use Helvetica instead of Arial Bold.

CNCSU byFAQ Damon Robinson

Robin

Q: Where can I get my bus pass?

A: Your CNCSU U-PASS can be collected at the Student’s Union. It’s as easy as walking into the office and requesting a new CNCSU U-PASS from one of our staff. Be warned, you only get one sticker. You don’t want to wait until the end of the deadline stated on the sticker to get a new one.

Q: How can I opt-out of Health and Dental coverage?

A: The deadline for opting out of your Health and Dental coverage is September 14th. To do so you must bring valid, current proof that you are covered through a different Health Plan. You will show one of our staff your coverage and we will make a copy and sign off on our official opt-out form. From there, you will bring the form to the Admissions Office.

Q: How can I get Microsoft Office for free?

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A: Go to https://portal.office.com and put in your student email. (“Username@cnc.bc.ca”) After confirming your identity by putting in your password and email, you will be taken to the Microsoft Office website. When your there, you can download whichever Microsoft Office products that you will need for the school year. (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)

Q: How can I start an official club?

A: You can start a club by coming to the Student’s Union’s office. Once there you can request information on starting a new, official club. You can also find out more information on clubs in general on the Student’s Union’s club day that will be happening this month.

Q: Where can I print stuff?

A: You can print documents at the Student’s Union, the Library, or your resource center if you’re applicable (Aboriginal Resource Center). Each location will require cash payments after printing.

Q: Why are textbooks so expensive?

A: Me too, man.

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Q: Who/Where can I give feedback or give ideas to?

A: If you have any suggestions for events, services, or just feedback in general you can bring it to our attention by visiting us in the office or emailing Organizer@cnc.bc.ca. You can always visit us in the office though, we’d love to see you!

Support and Crisis Contacts and Help Lines • Crisis Line- for immediate 24/7 support and information and referrals: 250-563-1214 Toll Free: 1-888-562-1214

• Youth Support Line: 250-564-8336

Chat line at www.northernbccrisissuicide.ca

• Provincial Suicide Hotline 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-784-2334

• College and University students for mental health • CNC Counselling: 250-561-5818 • UNBC Counselling: 250-960-6369

• Individuals who identify as aboriginal or wish to access aboriginal services • Carrier Sekani (Family Services): 250-562-3591 • Central Interior Native Health: 250-564-4422 • Native Friendship Centre: 250-564-4324

• Healing Centre: 250-564-4324 • SUCCESS Chinese Help Line:

Cantonese Help Line, available 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.: 604-270-8222

Mandarin Help Line, available 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.: 604-270-8222

• Bounce Back teaches effective skills to help adults overcome early symptoms of depression and improve their mental health: www.bounceback.ca