The Navigator Vol 48 Issue 14

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APRIL 5

SEPTEMBER 6

Vol 48

FREE

VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY STUDENT PRESS

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PrOFessor calls for sustainabILITY on campus

19 YEARS: JUMPIN'

YEAR IN REVIU

“If we take out those green spaces we already have, I’m not sure how we’re going to get them back.”

“A small business or enterprise is only as good as their following.”

“Never settle, enjoy every minute of it, because it goes fast.”

JAVA'S FAREWELL

CONTENTS

NEWS

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Editorials

Students collaborate with City of Parksville --Tuition rates in BC rise 2.5 percent in election year

News in a Nutshell --Projects proposed at Green Ideas

News in a Nutshell --Professor calls for sustainability on campus

FEATURES

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Dirtyin’ The Nav: Accessing sex --19 years: Jumpin’ Java’s farewell

Advice for graduating students

The rising threat of racism: A call to action --The social media vortex

Everyday Earth: An edible revolution

Year in ReVIU

ARTS

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The future of journalism

Coming soon: Arts events Nanaimo --Louder than history: Influences in Aboriginal music

Kendall Patrick’s Peaks and Valleys --Student artist showcase

Why art?

SPORTS & LIFESTYLE

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The end of another season for VIU Rugby --ASMR: Internet phenomenon leaves viewers tingling

Exercise that brain power

Improvements planned for VIU Athletics --Health of the human spirit

Local athletes join Mariners Men’s Basketball team --It’s a dog’s life

Comic

CONTENTS

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LETTERS

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CONTRIBUTORS Don Alexander Dallas Bezaire Linda Bracken James Chumsa-Jones Dane Gibson Brandon Kornelson

Brian MacDonald Krista Meckelborg Diana Pearson Elijah Robinson Chantelle Spicer Kiara Strijack

THE NAVIGATOR WELCOMES READER CONTRIbuTIONS

Kelly Whiteside

To submit, visit <thenav.ca> or email <editor@thenav.ca>.

THE NAVIGATOR TEAM Molly Barrieau Editor-in-Chief

Jessica Pirson Graphic Designer

Avery Crosson Art Director

Zyre Hoskins Graphic Designer

Natalie Gates Associate Editor

Spenser Smith Web Editor

Cheryl Folland Arts Editor

Elissa Doerksen Social Media Sp.

Aislinn Cottell News Editor

Lynne Williams Bookkeeper

Cole Schisler Sports & Lifestyle Editor

Christine Franic Business Manager

Catherine Charlebois Production Manager

Sarah Torgerson Copy Editor

All submissions must be original work of the author. Editors reserve the right to refuse submissions, and to edit for space or clarity.

Letters to the editor should be no more than 400 words in length.

The Navigator does not pay for letters. Opinions expressed in The Navigator are expressly those of the author and/or artist and do n eflec e ie s The Navigator staff.

the Regarding Christie Clark’s claim that NDP leader, John Horgan, lacks a “backbone,” the obvious implication is that she herself has one. If by backbone she means enriching herself through ‘pay to play’ exclusive dinners, then that’s certainly nervy if nothing else. If she means tearing up her predecessor’s much-celebrated climate policy, then that also takes guts of a sort. If she means pursuing the chimera of LNG as the will-o’-wisp that will solve all the province’s problems, then that takes a certain amount of moxie. And, if she means fanatically pursuing the $9 billion Site C u i i fl us n s c es ss n displace farmers and wildlife, and take away the homeland of local First Nations, that’s certainly brazen. Except that instead of calling it “backbone,” I would call it pigheadedness, shortsightedness, and self-interest. I don’t think we can afford another four years of this kind of ‘backbone’.

- Don Alexander

DESIGN WORK

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Avery Crosson Cover

Zyre Hoskins Spread

900 Fifth St. Bldg. 193, rm. 217 Nanaimo, BC, V9R 5S5

T: 250-753-2225 F: 250-753-2257

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Letters

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EDITORIALS

Rest in pieces

Molly Barrieau --Editor-in-Chief The Navigator

Hi, my name is Molly. I am a klutz. Is that how it’s spelled? Anyway, unfortunately, my final editorial for The Navigator Newspaper ever, after four lovely years and 56 issues, is about my poor, sad laptop.

In truth, my laptop now stands as a metaphor for how well life goes a month before you graduate from university. I thought, hey, pay a little for that portable one, and you’ll never have to leave it at home. Here I sit, my final week of classes looming over me, as I stare at a cracked, smashed and miraculously still-functioning screen. A sorry state of a laptop, that I am now too scared to unplug, or let sleep.

It used to have a touch screen. It used to have

a working power button. But then I had to go and carry too many nail polishes at once, across my tiled kitchen floor when, like the Titanic, she went down.

“What happened?” My sister yells from her bedroom after I audibly scream.

There she lay, screen lit, looking up at me as if to say “Why did you do that to me, mom?”

I really didn’t think my final addition to this paper’s fourth page would be so depressing. I knew that leaving the most important job of my life (to date) would be difficult. But to lose my companion, the screen I so longingly stared at in devastating writer’s block, might be harder.

You can’t beat good timing. At the time of writing, I

have only seven more actual days of class, two exams, and a few final projects between me and the finish line. While everyone is stereotypically tossing their cap in the air, I’ll just chuck my sad laptop.

So, thank you, kind readers, for taking the time these past few years to check out our paper. I am so incredibly proud of my team, and I cannot wait to see where life takes each of them. Congrats to Cole Schisler, my eager and worthy successor. I look forward to seeing what you do as Managing Editor. And to Avery Crosson and Natalie Gates: Grad 2017 looks pretty good.

And here’s to you, cruel world, I hope I’ve transferred everything onto my OneDrive.

Ignorant Canadian goes to ‘Murica...again

Natalie Gates --Associate Editor The Navigator

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editorials

I recently got back from the city so nice, they named it twice: New York, New York. NYC. The Big Apple.

Between this and my roadtrip to Oregon this past summer, I find it a little strange how I’ve visited the States twice in less than a year, given that I hadn’t spent any time down there since a trip to Seattle six years ago—and the fact that the world is currently looking at the US with such a watchful eye.

I felt a twinge of guilt before I took off as I read news articles about Canadian Girl Guides canceling their trips to America to avoid any unwanted trouble crossing the border, and stories of Canadians avoiding the upset state to explore our own “flourishing” nation.

New York City’s marketing organization, NYC & Company, projects that 300K fewer international tourists will visit New York City in 2017 compared to last year. “Because of recent policies, a lot of people are either boycotting the U.S. or nervous about coming here,” said Editorial Director Pauline Frommer in an ABC article.

So what is it that drew me ? Our prosperous dollar?

The serene political landscape? The complete lack of international tensions or racial discrimination?

Nah, it was simply my own selfish curiosity to see the sights. For years, I’ve wanted to walk the same streets as all my favourite rock stars, bask in the magical glow of Times Square, catch a show on Broadway, and eat a fat slice of NY cheesecake from a classic deli.

While all these negative connotations danced around my mind, I quickly let my worries subside.

When we first hitched a ride on the park n’ fly shuttle to the airport in Seattle before the flight to JFK and made small talk with the other passengers, I had this curiosity bubbling inside me—wondering what they,

REAL LIFE AMERICANS, thought about their new president, and of the increasingly tainted reputation their country was acquiring. Of course, I didn’t dare ask. From my past experience down the coast, I had already observed that most West Coast Americans bore many similarities to their Canadian counterparts.

But maybe New Yorkers would be different.

Perhaps they would fill the American stereotypes my friends and I had laughed about so many times.

I pictured self-obsessed, rude, and pushy folks, breezing by me without a care.

I was only there a few days and walked firmly in the shoes of a full-on tourist, so feel free to take my observations with a grain of salt, but the first thing that struck me about New Yorkers was how much they pleasantly surprised me.

They repeatedly went out of their way to give us detailed directions of the streets, the park, the mindboggling subway system, even when we didn’t ask.

“Is this your first time on the ferry?” one man behind us chimed as we boarded the Staten Island ferry that passed the Statue of Liberty. “Make sure you go to the right side and stand by the window. Don’t sit. Stand by the right window so you get the view.”

They smiled, walked the bustling streets with an ease I found myself trying to recreate; they were polite, and gave great service. They were just generally nice.

It sounds bad that I feel the need to highlight this, but it truly stood out. Overall, there was a sense of togetherness, pride, colourful energy, and love.

One thing that struck me as both unnerving and comforting, was the constant reference to safety. Plastered on all the subway cars were posters reminding you to alert someone if you saw something suspicious: “New Yorkers look out for New York” they

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beamed. There were constant announcements to report abandoned bags, security checks before every major building, and the odd armed military official patrolling major areas.

I saw some “Trump tourism” with Trump bobbleheads, mugs, and t-shirts in the gift shops, a dude taking a beaming selfie with Trump Tower, and one or two bright red Make America Great Again hats walking down the street. I guess this says nothing about those personalities, besides their political affiliations, but these were clearly not a representation of the majority of NYC locals, anyway.

Now, I recognize the total bias in my experience. I was only there a few days, as a white Canadian. I have no idea what the everyday lives of the people I crossed are truly like, and I have no idea how the experiences of visitors from other countries—visitors who represent various nationalities and minorities—differ. And, of course, New York City does not make a country. I only know the little I witnessed, and that I liked it.

NYC & Company President Fred Dixon said in a statement: “While projected declines among travelers are concerning, the irrepressible hospitality and welcoming nature of New York City gives us confidence that our destination will continue to appeal to visitors from around the world.” To help this, a new marketing campaign is underway directed at international tourists called, “New York City, Welcoming the World.”

I can’t speak for the rest of the world and whether they are feeling welcomed in NYC. But maybe this concrete jungle really is where dreams are made.

Maybe I just fell for the spell.

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NEWS

Students collaborate with City of Parksville Kiara Strijack ---

VIU students and the City of Parksville are proposing a new Community Park Master Contributor Plan to maintain and improve the Parksville Community Park and 53 other parks in Parksville.

The process has two parts—the Community Park Master Plan and the Parks Survey.

The plan will direct the city on how best to sustain and manage Parksville’s Community Park over the next 20 years, and the Parks Survey will include a detailed inventory of all the parks in Parksville using Geographic Information System (GIS) work.

All VIU team members, most of whom are Master of Community Planning students, work under the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI).

MABRRI conducts student-led and community-based research and education about local environmental issues. The team is gathering data through surveys, community engagement activities, and secondary research, such as policy documents.

There will be one survey going out for residents, and one that

VIU students will distribute for tourists this summer.

On March 4, VIU students and professors hit the streets of Parksville to do in-person surveys during Parks on the Street, which was the first event that gathered feedback from the Parksville community about their parks.

Devan Cronshaw, a second-year student in the two-year Master of Community Planning program at VIU, said that the original goal was to complete 100 surveys at the event. “We ended up getting 272 resident surveys.”

Diana Jerop, a data analyst on the team and first year student in the Master of Community Planning program, said “It was exciting to see some community members actually coming to us.”

The team collected results from Parks on the Street to discuss at the World Café on March 25. This event gathered more information about residents’ thoughts and concerns about their parks.

“When we look at the Community Park Master Plan, the Community Park is 100 percent Parksville’s biggest park— probably the biggest park in the central Island,” Cronshaw said.

Sarah Holden, Research Assistant at MABRRI and project lead, said that if the plan is done well, it can be used to guide the future of the community park, which has an enormous effect on tourists, the economy, and community identity.

“It’s exciting to see how communities are really willing,” Jerop said. “Some of the reasons projects fail or succeed is the level or degree of community ownership of that project.”

Holden said that this is a unique career opportunity for students.

“It’s a real job,” Holden said. “Most people have spent quite a few years in planning before they have an opportunity to work on a project of this size.”

Parksville Mayor Marc Lefebvre stated in a news release on March 2: “Throughout the years, VIU has supported our city and region by offering experiential learning opportunities to students who have contributed to a number of different projects.

The work they do is of the highest quality and the energy and enthusiasm they bring benefits us all, which is why we are excited to work with them on this project.”

Tuition rates in BC rise 2.5 percent in election year Cole Schisler Across the country, costs of tuition have been --steadily rising, year after year. According to The Navigator

a report published by Statistic Canada, the average Canadian will pay $6,373 for tuition in the 2016/17 year, a 2.8 percent increase since the 2015/16 year.

In British Columbia, the cost of tuition has increased 2.5 percent. BC students will pay $5,534 on average for tuition. Simka Marshall, chairperson of the BC Federation of Students (BCFS), believes that there needs to be a reduction in tuition fees.

“There is a very limited amount of financial aid available to BC students,” Marshall says. “Students in BC are graduating with an average of $34K in debt. We need a comprehensive grants program for students in BC, because currently, there is none.”

Marshall says that funding for post-secondary institutions has been cut consistently for the past 15 years. At Vancouver Island University, less than 50 percent of the budget comes from government funding. The rest of the budget is made up of tuition and student fees.

The BCFS has been calling on the provincial government to reinstate funding for Adult Basic Education, and for student

loans to be interest free. In the BC Liberals Balanced Budget 2017, it was announced that there will be a reduction in interest rates on student loans. Despite the reduction, the threat of student loans still looms over students.

“If I do stay in school for longer, I might get worried because tuition keeps getting higher and higher,” says Ernest Dushime, a student studying social work at VIU. “I think lots of students have a hard time with their loans. I’m very optimistic right now, but what if I don’t get that job when I finish my education? Most of my classmates are worried and are always talking about how much schooling they have to take.”

Dushime says that he believes his education has been worth the financial cost, however he does believe that the cost of postsecondary education should be reduced so that it is more fair for all students.

Alex Usher, president of Higher Education Strategy Associates agrees with Dushime. In several articles, Usher has detailed that there is a problem with the way student aid is distributed, especially in BC. He says that student aid should be better targeted to those who need it.

“The remission program in BC is ludicrous because they don’t even tell you what the admission criteria is,” says Usher. “We give a lot of money through tax credits, which historically has been a way to get money to students easily, without increasing spending. People are starting to come to the realization that it’s ridiculous. The federal government eliminated half of their credits last year, and Ontario got rid of all of their tax credits. So instead of loaning the money and forgiving it, they’re giving grants up front.”

Despite the rise in tuition, Usher says that students in Canada are getting a good deal on their education. Much like the position of the BCFS, he believes that provincial governments can do more to provide students with financial assistance.

The cost of tuition is expected to continue rising in the foreseeable future, however, students in BC will have an opportunity for change in the upcoming May 9 provincial election. The BCFS is currently promoting their Students Are Voting campaign on campuses across BC, and encourages students to educate themselves on party policies.

While the outcome of the election is uncertain, what remains certain is students in BC will be looking for improved aid from whichever party forms government.

theoxypub@outlook.com

Daily Drink and Food Specials Breakfast Specials Karaoke every Thursday and Friday Music Trivia every Saturday

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NEWS

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NEWS

News In a Nutshell Aislinn Cottell | The Navigator

WHAT

WHERE

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

On April 12, VIU Sustainability is hosting researcher Jackie Hildering, from the Marine Education and Research Society, to speak about humpback whales.

Nanaimo Campus Malaspina Theatre 7 – 8:30 pm

Recently taken off the endangered species list, humpbacks are still at risk for net entanglement and boating collisions. Attend to learn how you can assist their rehabilitation.

WHAT

WHERE

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

On April 12, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities is hosting 12 panelists from various disciplines to discuss “Teaching in the Post-Truth Era”.

Nanaimo Campus Malaspina Theatre

WHAT

WHERE

On April 21 and April 22, TheatreOne is presenting the famous play God is a Scottish Drag Queen by Canadian comedian Mike Delamont.

Nanaimo Campus Malaspina Theatre

ic i n ies i en i e s u s ein the 2016 word of the year; join the conversation about what this means for students and teachers.

1 – 3:30 pm

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

7:30 pm Tickets: General $29, Students $15

In this “Hilarious, divinely, and wickedly funny” (Montreal Gazette) performance, God has come to Earth to clear up some misunderstandings surrounding his role as the Creator.

Projects proposed at Green Ideas

Students and teachers view presentations on sustainable project proposals for the VIU at the Green Ideas event in March.

Linda Bracken and Don Alexander ---

St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated with creativity at VIU’s Green Ideas event held in the upper cafeteria Contributors on Friday, March 17. The event was designed to have a similar format to the wildly popular Dragon’s Den program; proposals and posters invited from the VIU community were judged by four green dragons: Don Alexander, Kim Sharpe, Avery Bonner, and Linda Bracken.

Proposals on how to help VIU be more sustainable were vying for up to $1K for project implementation, and the top three posters were awarded prizes.

Several proposals were received and included Stephan

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News

Iwasawa (for himself and Serena Gaiga) presenting on Pedal for Power—a bicycle charging station for small devices such as cell phones; Addison Hermann discussing the idea of having a living wall at VIU; Caroline Alexander, who pitched a proposal for an Atrium Memory Garden inside bldg. 356 where people could memorialize those who have passed on by planting bulbs; and Edward Bracken, who recommended rehabilitating the Community Peace Garden by planting more native vegetation and having Facilities take over its maintenance.

The $1K funding for Green Ideas was divided between Pedal for Power receiving $800, and the Living Wall $200 for exploratory research. Posters were judged on a combination of

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Dane Gibson

votes from event attendees and judges’ decisions, with prizes awarded to the top three entries.

A cash bar featuring drinks festooned with edible four-leaf clovers, a tasty buffet, St. Patrick’s Day themed table coverings, and sustainability-themed banners created for the Education department by VIU’s Strategic Marketing Office added to the festivities.

Many thanks to the Sustainability Advisory Committee members (and especially Margot Croft) for the beautiful job they did in organizing and setting up the Green Ideas event.

To learn more about the Sustainability Advisory Committee, please visit <viu.ca/sustainability/SAC.asp>.

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NEWS

Professor calls for sustainability on campus Aislinn Cottell ---

For the most part, Glenda Hunter is very happy with the university at which she The Navigator works. A professor of chemistry and biology in the Adult Basic Education department, Hunter loves the community, values, and environment of the VIU campus. However, in December of 2016, she faced a dilemma.

When walking past one of the new construction zones, she saw several workers surveying a grove of five Douglas Fir–“skamalk”–trees. When she inquired as to their intention, she was informed that the trees were to be removed to make way for the new Health and Science Centre that was planned for the site in 2019.

“I said, surely there has been a mistake, as those “dougfir” trees are sacred, and endangered, and as old as 100 years,” Hunter recalls. “And at VIU, we have a sustainability policy upholding the Earth Charter, and we are a signatory to the Talloires declaration.”

The first ‘sustainable action’ at VIU took place in 1999, when it was decided that the fees collected from paid parking on campus would be used to fund green spaces for students.

In 2006, the university put a more concerted policy into place, which referenced the Earth Charter and Bruntdtland Report.

Next, the university signed the Talloires Declaration in 2007, a document established in 1990 by a number of universities pledging to be world leaders in developing and maintaining sustainable practices. Today, VIU has implemented initiatives such as a compost and recycling system, farmers’ market, and water bottle stations, while groups such as ACER work to promote awareness of environmental issues.

Hunter herself is no stranger to sustainability. Studying soil chemistry for her undergrad at Dalhousie University, she went on to complete her masters in agronomy, the study of using plants for multipurpose tools for food, fuel, fibre, and land reclamation. She then competed her EdD in leadership and policy at UBC in 2014, with her thesis being a case study of sustainability policy at VIU itself. In her classes, Hunter uses environmental protection as a core principle in her curriculum.

Concerned about the incongruity of the trees’ removal with these values, Hunter made a short video about the issue, and attempted to communicate her unease to her colleagues and VIU President Ralph Nilson via email. However, when she returned to the campus in January, the trees were gone.

“That was my first day back at work and I was speechless,” said Hunter. “One of those trees was at least a hundred years old. In my lifetime, if I’m fortunate to live a hundred years, a tree will never be that big.”

Hunter is not against the new building—far from it. The new construction is being planned as eco-friendly, with expected LEED-Gold status and a geo-exchange energy system utilizing the flooded coal mines already present beneath the campus.

Furthermore, as someone passionate about the sciences, Hunter is enthusiastic about the new opportunities that will be available for students and proud of the “green chemistry” movement at VIU. However, she is concerned about the message the construction sends.

“It may not seem important to protect these things at your workplace, but we have to show leadership and sustainable environmental practices for our students,” said Hunter. “If they see that a parking lot and a building is more important than a forest, then maybe that’s what they’re going to take with them when they leave our institution.”

Hunter reminds that we are obliged by BC’s carbon neutral legislation and that every tree we remove is a step away from that.

“If we take out those green spaces we already have, I’m not sure how we’re going to get them back,” she says. “The other thing that concerns me on a practical level is the slope stability–each time we carve out more of those majestic, sacred, magnificent trees, we also make the slope less stable.”

She cautions that it can be easy to pay lip service to the

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concept of sustainability but that it takes real commitment in the present to make that concept a reality. For example, VIU’s 50-year plan—available on the VIU website—envisions a campus with substantially less parking space than it has today.

While Hunter says this is an admirable goal—envisioning a future where we are less dependent on cars—she cautions that it’s dangerous to set such high expectations on future students and faculty. Instead, we should be working to improve what we have now and not make assumptions about what we will be able to achieve in future decades.

“I believe we really don’t know what 50 years in the future is going to look like. I cannot imagine people not using cars 50 years from now.”

Hunter says part of this problem lies in the idea of “condensation symbols”. These are terms defined as “a name, word, phrase, or maxim which stirs vivid impressions involving the listener’s most basic values and readies the listener for action.” This may sound great on the surface but Hunter says the issue occurs when the symbol in question does not have a clear meaning to everyone using it.

For example, take the term “sustainability.” It’s a buzzword that pretty much anyone will agree is a desirable goal but may not actually understand what it takes to get there, or what “there” really looks like. At the same time, Hunter says that Western culture has a “habitus” of unsustainability, aka, a daily lifestyle and set of habits that are inherently unsustainable.

The average Western household usage of water, fossil fuels, and food, for example, is far beyond the scope of what Earth can support. The combination of not having a clear goal and path to sustainability, as well as working in a culture that is inherently unsustainable, can make progress difficult.

According to VIU, the construction is necessary for the future plans of a greener campus.

“The VIU Campus Master Plan focuses on higher density buildings with the goal of creating more green spaces on campus, including the reforestation of a greenway across the top of campus for the reintroduction of traditional plants and trees,” said William Litchfield, executive director of University Relations. “The realization of the Campus Master Plan does require some landscaping adjustments to develop improved learning spaces for students, implement a close to zero carbon geo-exchange energy system, and create the opportunity to consolidate infrastructure for the reforestation stage.”

Hunter understands that compromises must be made, and says that she wants to work with the university to build a better future. “I want to bring a solution, I don’t want to criticize. I am very respectful of the leadership at this university.”

Hunter has several projects on the go, the most directly related being a grant application to install a living wall in building 205. Living walls are self-sustaining vertical gardens that can be attached to the exterior or interior of a building; Hunter was teaching at Dalhousie when they installed one.

She thinks it would be a great option to improve the quality of life on campus for both students and the environment.

“It’s off the beaten track, but it’s the right way to transform how we do things and protect the environment,” says Hunter. “It’s so important to do this, even if you don’t care about wildlife, even if you don’t care about people besides yourself—you need oxygen, you need food.”

Hunter also held a project with her BIOL 047 students this semester, building posters calling awareness to the different species of trees on campus. They presented these at the CREATE event on campus in March, among over 130 other student projects. Hunter says she is optimistic about student involvement in issues of sustainability.

“We need more student leaders. We need to look to students for leadership—and they have leadership skills,” she says. “I find students feel they’re overwhelmed by the environmental degradation around them and they feel they are powerless— they are not powerless.”

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"It may not seem important to protect thEse things at your workplace, but we have to show leadership and sustainable environmental practices for our students."

NEWS

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FEATURES

Dirtyin' the nav : accessing sex

Diana Pearson | Contributor

Expressing sexuality and finding intimacy are incredibly important for health and well-being. But let’s be honest— many conversations about sex prioritize able-bodied sexual beings, leaving people who have physical disabilities behind.

People with physical disabilities face much more stigma around sexuality, namely the myth that they are non-sexual, infantilized beings. These assumptions often leave them with limited space to explore their desires.

But today, more and more organizations in Canada are finding ways to support people who have physical disabilities and who may have faced barriers to meeting their sexual needs. These groups are finding creative ways to advocate for sex-positivity in disability communities.

Take, for example, Sensual Solutions, a Vancouverbased company established in 2011 by Trish St. John. While working as a booking agent for a legal escort company, St. John learned that clients with disabilities had often faced abuse or disrespect from sex workers when seeking sexual services. Recognizing this as a human rights issues, she began Sensual Solutions which provides intimate services to singles and couples. From assistance in putting on condoms or facilitating creative sex positions for couples, right down to the nitty gritty, with erotic massage and orgasms for singles,

the Intimacy Coaches are there to make sure the client’s needs are met. The company’s ethos guarantees the experience is private, safe, non-judgmental, respectful, exploratory, and has ethical guidelines in place to protect both the client and the employees’ health and safety. Many of the intimacy coaches are already employed in health services or therapeutic services who recognize sexuality as essential to well-being.

“I think it’s important that everyone have their sexual needs met. It’s a basic human right; it’s not a privilege like riding a bicycle or ice skating,” says Lexi, an Intimacy Coach in Vancouver.

Why not re-write the narratives of sex and disability?

This is what Andrew Gurza of Toronto does under the banner Deliciously Disabled. He is a Disability Awareness Consultant, host of the sex-and-disability-intersecting podcast, “Disabled After Dark”, organizer of sex parties in Toronto that are hosted specifically for disabled people who want to explore their kink in a safe but erotic space, and the star of the award-winning short film, Bedding Andrew (2014).

According to an interview on All Access Pass Podcast, Gurza describes himself as “a queer man with sexual desire and who lives with cerebral palsy.” While in university, he tried to connect with the queer community, but found that his

identity wasn’t represented there. “I wasn’t unwelcomed, I just wasn’t given much space,” he said. He describes his first steps branding Deliciously Disabled as powered by a great motto: “If you’re hungry, be the bread!” In other words, he didn’t see himself represented in the queer community, so he became his own advocate, in turn helping other people to advocate for their needs as well.

His philosophy when talking about sexuality and disability is to “tell the truth.” He aims not to feed “into stereotypes of disabilities, about how my life is so hard. So tragic.” Nor does he tell triumphant stories of “getting over” or “overcoming” disability (a dangerous narrative, what gender and disability theorist Eli Clare calls “supercrip stories”, stories that celebrate disabled people for achieving superhuman feats to prove they can “conquer” their physical bodies).

Above all, Gurza invites curious people to ask questions about sexuality, particularly as people with disability experience sexuality. “My thinking is, you should bring it up, you should ask questions. There’s an appropriate way to ask, it doesn’t hurt the person, you know what I mean?”

Signing off with love, Diana Pearson

To join the conversation on sex and disability, visit <andrewgurza.com/disability-after-dark>, <citr.ca/radio/all-access-pass>, and <sensualsolutions.ca>.

19 years: Jumpin’ Java’s farewell Brian MacDonald ---

After 19 years of business, Jumpin’ Java and VIU came to a mutual Contributor agreement to close the cafe on campus by April 2017. This piece was written by Jumpin’ Java owner, Brian MacDonald.

Where would such a story, such a recapping, be without a headliner. There can be only one, and it’s clear and defined in a single word. That being the name of our past star, our past friend and beloved cat, Malcolm.

Thrown to the elements, to the challenges, and yet also to a loving following, he won our hearts. And that little bundle of feline joy can be best depicted through a story in itself.

My past business partner and I struggled for some time over whether the star-status fixture around the original Campus Coffee Kiosk should be relocated to a loving home off the school grounds, or stay on as a university stray. Malcolm, after coming from an original domestic upbringing and being cast away, had integrated well, and was pretty much anything but feral.

Thus, with hesitance and yet what seemed like a sensible choice, we chose to move him to an appropriate home. His relocation was carefully done, however, Malcolm apparently had a mandate of his own, miles away from VIU. When we heard that he had elected to leave, we were saddened. What was to become of our friend? Weeks went by, and we could only hope that during a cold and snowy December, he’d somehow find his way to safety.

It was Christmas morning, and it had snowed considerably, enough that I couldn’t get my SUV up the campus roadways to feed the strays. But I had brought high boots, and I hiked up from Wakesiah to the Kiosk, now buried in a fresh overnight blanket. What was about to happen was far beyond any Christmas wish. As I approached, I saw him: sitting by the back Kiosk door, tired and depleted, was our little man.

I shook my head, I said his name, and he came and did

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as he always did, brushed against my right leg. He was home.

Realizing his exhausted state, I quickly stroked him and fetched some wet cat food. He ate well, took drink, looked at me, brushed my leg again in acceptance and what I assumed was forgiveness, and moved away as if to say “I have a job to do.” I sensed that job was to oversee where and how his other past feral cohorts were doing, to navigate again his chosen ground, his last and only true residence. Thank you, Malcolm, you’ve never been forgotten, and touched many hearts over the years!

And it’s absolutely true. Any small business or enterprise is only as good as their following. Jumpin’ Java’s near two decades of service have been blessed with a loyal and otherwise unobtainable customer base. So many shared student success stories—simply put, the best. Oh, how people gravitate towards good Java. Jumpin’ Java has evolved over all the years, not only physically from being “The Java Hut” to a full-service Espresso Bar (what we elect to call the Campus Hub) but also with offerings, and more. And yet, it’s the quality of customer and their acceptance has made the journey the pleasure it has been. For any small business, survival does not come without challenge. Through strikes, through adversity, everyone within Jumpin’ Java believed in one unshakeable constant, and have never forgotten who we were beholden to: our customers. I’ve been asked if we will relocate, but Jumpin’ Java would not be the same. It found its home on campus, just like Malcolm.

For years, Jumpin’ Java transformed both the Java Hut and Espresso Bar to the Haunted Campus Halloween Hangout. It grew to include costume contests, scares, and frivolity over a few weeks, annually. Customer costumes were fabulous, and such occasions brought all staff and customers into a more connected community. The staff and customer relationship goes beyond being served, it must be about the experience as well. As a business on a campus, we’ve wished to be perceived as a place you can decompress, albeit, most of the time, briefly.

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There’ve been lineups at times, yes, but, seemingly it’s all been a part of the ambiance. To text in wait mode, inhale the energy and aromas. Mocha Madness: it’s never changed in over 18 years! Occasionally getting visits from past students who have ventured out and immersed themselves within their field of choice in the abyss of the working world is great. They still, years later, talk about campus memories.

For a small business on a campus or elsewhere, climbing to a certain level of sustainability and success is, to a large extent, about alliances. From the onset, we rallied and dug thoroughly to acquire other supplying and supporting contractors. It can take years to acquire such trust, and,again, we’ve always been amazed just how committed and cooperative the Vancouver Island business community truly is. Over the years, it’s been evident that all the grinding, calculated risks, and investment into their vision has produced reliable—quality—successful ventures. The marketplace in today’s small business environment is not without significant challenges, and yet once committed, there’s an opportunity in every friendly wave, every marketplace. Alliances become mutual supply lines of substance and shared cooperation. To all those that have weathered the challenges, have pushed ahead logging long hours, putting it on the line, we applaud and commend you. We know what it feels like. Thank you for believing in the little spot on the hill.

This is only a glimpse of all the years and commitment to our business from our irreplaceable patrons. Truly, what seems like a blur of years, fond memories, and experiences, will remain entrenched. I will continue to reflect and consider venture and opportunity into the spirited small business and entrepreneurial dimension of our community. Each venture considered, each challenge multi-faceted in dimension.

Therein, however, lies the challenge, the will to succeed in more than one capacity: venture or adventure, it’s all one.

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Advice for graduating students Krista Meckelborg ---

For many of us, graduation is just around the corner. I’m sure you’ve Contributor been getting all kinds of tips about what to do once that diploma is received, but I’ve taken it upon myself to compile the most valuable advice I’ve heard over the past few months to ensure you’ve got the best out there.

Don’t stress about your future; take your time.

“What are you doing after you graduate? Do you have a job lined up yet?” There is so much pressure on graduating students to have everything all set up by the week after graduation: job, house, life. But in the midst of senior projects and capstone courses, how is this even possible? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I kind of want to take a break. So take that break. Take the time to travel. I know you’ve heard it a million times, but it’s true that travelling while you’re young and not tied down to a life is easier.

Also, if there is something you really want to do or someplace you really want to see, why put it off? There is so much to be gained through travelling: perspective, understanding, culture. If you aren’t entirely sure what your future holds, taking the time to travel may help you discover more about who you are.

will be the next brilliant minds, billionaires, and CEOs. Your classmates may be the very connections you need in the future.

Just because you’re leaving the institution, the city, or even the country doesn’t mean you can’t stay in touch. I don’t just mean add them on Facebook and like a few of their photos. Make the effort to stay in touch with those who matter: send them a message every once in a while, phone them, make plans for coffee and follow through.

Work towards doing what you love.

Remember your dreams and don’t settle. If your dad offers you a job with the family business and it’s the exact job you went to school to avoid taking, don’t just take it because it’s there. It’s easy to get stuck when you feel comfortable. This doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be able to do exactly what you want right away; you’re still going to need to work hard for it. Take the hard jobs to get where you need to go, but work towards your dreams, not in the opposite direction.

Create a plan for yourself.

Just because you’re taking time off doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still have a plan. Sit down and brainstorm. How long will you be travelling for? What kind of job are you going to look for and when will you start looking? If you don’t have the answers, that’s okay, but you should develop at least a rough idea of the direction you want to head. Don’t just come up with something in your head, because brains have a tendency to forget aspects or add ideas without your permission. Write your plan down. You can change it up as you go along, as long as they are conscious changes.

Let people know about those dreams.

Tell people your career goals and other aspirations, because more often than not, people are willing to help one another out.

If you are clear about what you want to do with your life and can clearly communicate that to other people, you will be the first person they think of when an opportunity arises related to your dream. Particularly if they can see your passion shine through.

You know that old saying, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have”? I think the same goes for the way you speak.

Speak about the job you want. People will hear you, help you, and treat you with the level of respect that comes with it. There’s nothing wrong with telling people about the job you have, but it’s not going to get you anywhere new.

Maintain your university relationships.

You’ve spent the past four (or five or six or more) years building relationships with other students and professors. Your generation

You are in control of your future.

If you work hard then you’ll get where you want to go. Think positively. Don’t let anything stop you: others’ opinions, job

requirements, or laziness. If you just sit around and send out a few resumés and don’t hear back, you have no one to blame but yourself. Get out there and do what it takes to stand apart from every other one of the billions of university graduates out there.

Remember that it takes a long time to succeed. Just because you don’t see results immediately doesn’t mean that they are not going to come.

Understand your privilege.

You are fortunate to have had an education and completed your degree. Be proud of your accomplishments, but don’t forget there are so many people out there who have not had the opportunities.

I’m not just talking about people in other countries and seemingly other worlds; you are significantly more privileged than many others within your own community. Take this to heart in the way you interact and respect others. And do it on days when times are tough, when you can’t find a job and nothing seems to be going well. Remember that you are privileged.

Everything is going to change and nothing is permanent.

Your dreams, desires, passions, and priorities are going to continue to evolve. The world around you is going to change too. Don’t be afraid to try something that you want to try. If it doesn’t work out, you can move on and try something new. But the same goes for the world we live in. If there is something you want to see changed, work towards changing it, because change can happen. Remember that even small changes make a huge impact. There are billions of other people out there trying to make changes too, so don’t be disheartened.

Don’t ever stop learning.

Just because you are out of school doesn’t mean your education needs to stop here. Keep questioning, because there is so much more to discover out there. Now go out there and shine.

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Athabasca University has over 850 courses for you to choose from to meet your needs. Monthly start dates of undergraduate courses fit into your schedule so that you can work at your own pace.

Fill the gap and save a semester.

go.athabascau.ca/online-courses open. online. everywhere.

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the rising threat oF racism: a call to action James Chumsa-Jones ---

VIU is known to be an accepting and welcoming campus for Contributor students of different faiths, cultures, identities, abilities, and sexual orientations. We have a Positive Space Alliance on campus as a safe space for LGBTQ+ students, as well as stairs painted the colours of the pride flag.

VIU has many international students studying here from across the globe. There is The Gathering Place (Shq’apthut) on campus as a resource for Aboriginal students.

We like to think ourselves as living in a tolerant community, that racism, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and hate crimes take place elsewhere. We like to believe that we are not affected by the negative events and white populace movements arising in the United States.

By now, many of us should be aware of the political climate south of the border. It is now hard to make it a full day without hearing about Donald Trump. The antics of the new president are being discussed online, on TV, radio, and even among newspapers. Some say it shouldn’t affect us, but many of us have already become involved.

During the Women’s March on Washington, Nanaimo had its own sister march on January 21. Many gathered in the Diana Krall plaza and walked to the Maffeo Sutton park to show solidarity for the all the women who have, are, and will be victimized by president Trump. Local Trump supporters also showed up as an attempt to disrupt the event. One VIU student was not happy about the lack of action marchers took in removing them.

Many of the fervent supporters of the racist, misogynist, fear mongering, billionaire president are also members of an ultra-right winged—or alt-right—movement. Those who identify as being alt-right are white nationalists who believe in racial segregation and white supremacy, holding several other fascist beliefs. They despise feminists, the LGBTQ+ community, socialists, and anyone with progressive or left-winged views.

Richard Spencer, a leader in the alt-right movement, held a rally last November in Washington DC which can be viewed

The social media vortex

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on YouTube. There, he gave a speech to an audience of young white men on how white people are the righteous inheritors of America. He ended his speech with “Hail, Trump! Hail, our people! Hail, victory!” while several audience members could be seen throwing what look like Nazi salutes.

Unfortunately, it seems as though this racist attitude is spilling over the border. Early this year, six people were killed in a shooting at a mosque in Quebec. In Calgary, white supremacists have been getting bolder, as organizations such as Blood and Honour have been marking the streets with their fascist imagery. In this province, flyers for the Klu Klux Klan appeared on the doorsteps of residents in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission last October.

On Vancouver Island, the street patrol gang called the Soldiers of Odin set up a chapter in Victoria and went on their first patrol last December. Their presence has been causing concern for some locals, since the original group in Finland is openly racist and has declared themselves to be anti-refugee and anti-immigration.

According to an organizer from Anti Racist Action Victoria, three Soldiers of Odin officers live in Duncan.

There are even racists in Nanaimo. This month, on the same day that VIUSU hosted an event for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, six racist posters were found on campus. These posters were quickly taken down before anyone else could see them. Media reports and VIU’s staff refuse to show the posters to anyone or describe what they look like besides saying they contain “nazi imagery” and are “extremely disturbing and certainly racist”. The RCMP, who are now in possession of the posters, refuse to give any more details or let the public see them. They say that the Nanaimo Youth Section have started an investigation with the help of the General Investigation Unit, and that the BC Hate Crime Team has been notified.

There have been no official updates or leads yet as to where the posters came from or who hung them up. Constable Gary O’Brien, media relations officer of the Nanaimo RCMP, says that posters with the same kind of imagery have shown up on the lower mainland, but there have been no other instances of

them appearing on the Island. He doubts that any incident like this will happen again in future, saying that “sometimes they’re one off” and that “VIU is a very inclusive campus”.

It would seem as though authorities are confident it won’t happen again, or perhaps there is an attempt to sweep the incident under the rug. It should be noted that there have been many instances of racism within the ranks of the RCMP. Commissioner Bob Paulson has even admitted it, saying “there are racists in my police force” at an Assembly of First Nations meeting in 2015. The RCMP have also been ineffective in solving the decades long crisis of Aboriginal women going missing and murdered.

The racist posters episode has certainly caused a bit of a stir among VIU students. Many were upset and disgusted, while others were also shocked and surprised that such a thing would happen here. One student claimed that they have not personally experienced much racism on campus before. This has certainly been a wake up call to the community as to the possible potential threat of organized white supremacists. “It inspires me to vocalize more about diversity,” Phoebe Patigdas, chairperson of VIUSU, told CTV news in an interview.

Hopefully, this incident will inspire many others in our community to be more vocal against hate. This is a time when people should be creating coalitions to actively challenge hate speech to ensure the safety of those who may be targeted. Well meaning people have already been organizing against the tide of right-wing nationalism in Canada. During the protests and counter protests concerning M-103 earlier this month, clashes between racists and anti-racist groups took place across the country concerning the anti-Islamophobia motion. In many cities, the counter protesters greatly outnumber those who showed up for the initial xenophobic protests, showing just how many people are willing to actively challenge hate and bigotry. Vancouver Island and even Nanaimo contains many socially conscious and politically active people, and if they are properly organized they can ensure that their communities are safe, welcoming, and diverse.

Kelly Whiteside Time I started writing this article: 3:24pm.

--Time I finished writing this article: 9:47pm.

existed when you saw their name tagged in the comments of one of those videos, so now you need to know who they’re dating, and where they work, and how hot they’ve gotten. Two hours and 17 minutes later, all the creative DIY videos have you planning how you’re going to completely remodel your house. Four hours and three minutes later, you’ve given up all hope on anything creative and resorted back to scrolling through your Facebook feed. Four hours and 56 minutes later, you’ve watched precisely three videos on various recent “break-through scientific studies” and five videos on some cool new gadget which will be on the market later this year that you’ll never hear of again. Five hours and 12 minutes later, your Google history is looking extremely questionable. Six hours later, Facebook is now showing you advertisements for cancer treatment groups and trips to Vilnius, Lithuania and you’ve decided you’re going to quit your job and earn money by making pointless YouTube videos.

Contributor

Time actually spent writing this article: 32 minutes.

Time spent scrolling through Facebook: Five hours, 51 minutes It’s so easy to get lost in the vortex of social media. You’re just quickly checking what time that event is at tomorrow, but then that video on your news feed automatically starts to play and you find yourself watching it even though you don’t really care for the content but it’s already started playing so you might as well finish. Then after it’s done you casually scroll through the comments, amusing yourself with the petty arguments of strangers. Half an hour later, you’ve completely forgotten what you originally opened Facebook for, so you continue down the news feed, watching every video that pops up. An hour later, you’re creeping the Facebook profile of that person from high school you never really talked to, but you suddenly just remembered

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everyDay earth: an eDible revolution

Chantelle Spicer There is nothing like farm fresh food --bought from the market—potatoes Contributor

and carrots with soil still clinging, strawberries juicy and ripe all the way through, tomatoes still warm from the sun. It’s a reminder of the heart of food—a gift, a life given for sustaining your life, something slightly miraculous. In the winter months, particularly this long cold one, it’s easy to forget these things. I go to Costco or Country Grocer to buy food that has been shipped from afar, food that resembles the plastic food my friend’s children play with in their play-kitchen—food that I cannot connect with as a product or part of a community in a real way.

Luckily, here on the Island, our winter months are usually short, and some farmers store fall root veggie crops (like carrots, beets, and potatoes) like jewels for our yearround market. You could even grow hardy leaf crops (chards and kales) in sunny cold-frames or over-winter fresh herbs on window sills. None of these, however, compare to the peak growing season, when farms and gardens explode with generosity and abundance. Now, as the weather starts to turn towards spring, I start planning and cleaning my garden, sowing hardy seeds, and dreaming of fresh berries and days on the farm. From what I have seen and heard in the markets over the past weeks, the farmers of the area have been hearing the call of the coming season for months now.

Our local farmers are integral to the sustainability movement. Not just a sustainable food movement, but the whole thing, is only in understanding sustainability as a holistic endeavour that we will find our way to its heart and change.

The current state of industrial agriculture, evolved out of the post-WWII era due to an over-abundance of chemical nitrogen, is not the answer to anything. The US industrial food system contributes to approximately 25 percent of the nation’s carbon footprint, accumulated through fertilizer, insecticide, pesticide, exposed or tilled land, and equipment usage. It is a practice rooted in entitled ideas (“control” over plants and nature) and, in terms of meat production, animal abuse for the sake of a food system. This form of agriculture swept the world during the 50s, boasted to be the solution to feeding the world’s hunger problem, replicating the problems of land and soil loss, as well as a dependence on altered seeds, wherever it went. In India, the small-scale farmers felt so disconnected from their ancient generational knowledge of land and plants that more than 20,000 farmers have committed suicide since “The Green Revolution.”

But there are some who hold onto old ways of knowing the land—using biology rather than chemistry to grow the people’s food.

In the Nanaimo area, many of these folks come together through a love of food, the land, and the local market communities. They follow in the footsteps of founding residents, such as Samuel Robins who developed the idea of “Five Acre Farms,” the original layout of Harewood—or the “Land of Wakesiah,” as it was then known. For decades, these lands were the bread basket of Nanaimo, but as the post-war era swept over, most of these fertile lands sadly

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shifted to become the subdivisions and shopping centers we see today. However, as with most parts of history, its former farm state does still linger through heirloom fruit trees, the shape of the land—and ideas!

Small urban farms are now at a precipice, with elder farmers being forced to make a decision to sell to developers or pass on their lands to a new generation. One farm, near Ninth and Park, is in exactly this position. Having been the site of a community-driven co-operative farm for the past two seasons, Five Acre Farm has been run through Foodshare Nanaimo, who understand the role it has in building healthy communities. Through an initiative of “Growing Opportunities,” this collection of people are working to train a new generation of farmers in regenerative agriculture and finding alternative local economies. The owners of the property are regularly approached by developers seeking to expand on subdivisions in the area—but the property owners wish to see the lands remain a productive part of the community, offering Foodshare the land for $1 million.

Purchasing the farm has been a project for the organization for the past 6 months, gathering the community together to brainstorm fundraising ideas and seeking support from the city. Craig Evans, WEST program trainer, explains this project as a dream—one that all cities should have, and that can come true with support. The WEST program, run through VIU, utilizes the farm lands and opportunities for training with students, showing the role the university has to play in supporting this project. The Harewood Neighborhood Plan, created in 2013 through the city, is a recognition of both need and support for this kind of alternative land use. Stating that though much of the Harewood area “consists primarily of single family and multiple family residential uses, the development of a sustainable food system that promotes food selfsufficiency through education, engagement and land use activities is integral.” This is all provided through Five Acre Farms, as the project includes a site for seed production, research plots, the capacity to teach, learn and take part in regenerative farming techniques, and organic production methods—with many other services hopefully to come, including local gathering places and alternative social services. As the farm moves into its third growing season, fundraising, volunteering, and further education are much needed. If you are interested in finding out more, please visit their website at <nanaimofoodshare.ca>, or call 250753-9393.

Whether you are taking part in farming activities or supporting farmers through buying at local markets, you are making a difference in individual lives and on the land.

Farmer Chris Brown, of the Farmship Growers Cooperative, explains farming as relationship building—whether that be with the soil, the plants, the community, or ourselves, it is the most inclusive and communal act we can take part in.

This local food movement is asking us, as consumers and (hopefully) future growers, to shift our understanding of what farming is, how it is done, and how it can affect our lives.

I invite everyone to enjoy the summer season in a new way, celebrating local food systems. Happy growing and eating!

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year in ReVIU: Cole Schisler ---

The Navigator

Catie Hegglin Catie Hegglin has been with the Mariners for just two years, and has already won a CCAA National Championship. This year she won the PACWEST Provincial Championships with her team, she says the experience with the Mariners has been amazing.

“I loved it. The whole season we were looking forward to playing provincials at home, and also having nationals so close to home,” she says. “Winning provincials was really awesome.”

Having so many friends and acquaintances in the crowd made Hegglin nervous at first, but, as the tournament got under way, she fed off their energy and support. Hegglin went on to be named a PACWEST tournament All-Star.

Hegglin is studying political science at VIU. She says that volleyball can sometimes conflict with her school schedule, but the teachers and coaches are understanding, and help to accommodate the athletes as best they can. At the end of the day, both the teachers and the coaches agree that school comes first.

“It’s all about time management,” she says. “If you manage your time right, it’s not too stressful. I find that most of the team is able to get it done.”

With the extra workload comes added responsibility. While Hegglin balances her workload, she is also a leader on campus.

She says that playing with the Mariners has provided her with opportunities to create relationships, and also for travel with the team.

The team is like a family for Hegglin. She plans to play out her full five years of eligibility with the Mariners. She was scouted by head coach Shane Hyde two years ago, and was offered a volleyball scholarship. She fell in love with the Island, and was impressed by VIU’s programs, so she moved out to Nanaimo from Langley, BC. When she finishes her degree, she plans to travel, and may come back as a coach in the future.

She is still years away from finishing her degree. For next year, her goal is to win nationals with the Mariners.

“I’m a firm believer that National Championships are won in first semester,” she says. “It’s not the work you put in during the two weeks before Nationals, it’s the work you put in during the offseason and the start of the year.”

The Mariners will be focused on conditioning during the offseason, and will put in many long hours at practice. However, playing with the Mariners is not always about working hard. The teammates all get along with each other, and often spend time together outside of practice. They like to have a fun, competitive environment at practice — sometimes, they even get a little musical.

“For our pregame bus rides, we always blast music and sing early 2000s throwbacks,” she says. “That’s one of my favourite memories with the team.”

Hegglin encourages anyone with an interest in playing sports at the post-secondary level to pursue their dreams.

“Do it, 100 percent,” she says. “It’s such an opportunity.

There’s so many things I wouldn’t have done, and so many people that I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t come to play here.

Playing here immerses you in this culture that gives you an experience in post-secondary that is incomparable to anything else.”

Eric D’Andrea This season was Eric D’Andrea’s graduating season with the Mariners basketball team. He has been with the Mariners for four years, and says that he got everything he wanted out of his last season.

“I accomplished the things that I had set out to do,” he says.

“I was able to play on a really good team, one of the best in the country. We were pretty successful, even though we fell short of our ultimate goal. Being a part of that as an older player was a great learning experience for me. I was able to help lead, and show the younger guys what it means to play here in this culture.

I loved every minute of it.”

Unfortunately, D’Andrea has maxed out his years of eligibility with the Mariners. He initially played a year with the

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The Mariners experienced incredible success across all sports this year. As we come to the end of the Mariners athletic year, we are taking a look back at some of the Mariners who shined on and off the court.

Thompson River University Wolfpack before transferring to VIU. D’Andrea had a friend who played for the Mariners that suggested he come to play at VIU. Coincidentally, his coach at Thompson River had also coached VIU’s head coach Matt Kuzminski, who helped facilitate the transfer.

D’Andrea started playing basketball at the age of five.

His father was a basketball coach, and would often take Eric to practices with him. Growing up in Nelson, BC, indoor sports like basketball were not a high priority compared to outdoor activities. However, D’Andrea says he was lucky to have a supportive group of teachers and parent volunteers that would keep the gym open for kids who wanted to play.

D’Andrea strongly developed his skills towards the end of high school. When he graduated, he was offered a volleyball scholarship to a small college in the Kootenays where he lived, but he wanted to try living in a different area. He also wanted to continue pursing basketball, which led him to try out at Thompson River.

“I went to the ID camp at Thompson River, and the coaches came out to watch a few of my games when we were at provincials. I wasn’t offered a full-time position, but I got told to come try out. I made the team, and that’s where my post-secondary career got started,” D’Andrea says.

D’Andrea has had a successful post-secondary basketball career. In 2013, he played a roll on the Mariners team that took silver at the PACWEST Provincial Championships, then went on to become the CCAA National Champions. He was also a PACWEST Provincial Champion in 2015, as well as this year.

He says that the proudest moment in his career was winning the CCAA National Championship. Overall, he feels great pride in having played with the Mariners for as long as he has, and says that the years with the Mariners have been the best of his life so far.

“I’m proud to have played out here just because of all the people that I’ve met over the years, and all the different relationships and bonds I’ve been able to make with past and current teammates, and coaches. Those are the kind of people and friends that I’ll have forever.”

After school, D’Andrea plans to become a teacher. He is currently finishing his Bachelor of Arts here at VIU, and is enrolling for a post-bachelor in education. Going in to the future, he is excited to see what comes next, and will always look back on his time with the Mariners fondly.

Graydon Robb Graydon Robb has had a phenomenal badminton career in his four years at VIU. He will be playing Singles again next year for his final season.

In his rookie year, Robb got a gold medal in men’s doubles with Pat Thompson, and was named Athlete of the Year. In his second year, he won a silver medal in mixed doubles with Melissa Liew. In his third year, he won bronze in singles. Recently, he won silver at the CCAA Nationals, beating the same player he lost to the year before. Next year will be Robb’s last year at VIU. His goal is to get a CCAA gold medal. Robb is among the top 30 players in Canada.

Robb started playing Badminton when he was four years old.

His mother was a Pan American champion, and his grandfather also played badminton. He was born in Calgary, and joined the Glencoe Badminton Club, which had world renowned coaches, including Olympians like Ardy Wiranata, and Bryan Moodie.

“I had available coaching at a young age which inspired me to take badminton more competitively than other sports,” Robb says. “I played at a high level of baseball, volleyball, basketball, hockey, and golf, but badminton was the one that felt the best.”

Currently, Robb is taking a break from training.

He will return home to Calgary this summer, where his club is hosting a Badminton World Federation (BWF) tournament. Top ranked players from across the world will come to compete, and Robb will be among them. The BWF tournament is the highest

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level Robb has played at.

Along with his endeavours in badminton, Robb is going into the last year of a degree in international business next year.

He is also a hip hop, and visual artist. He has performed his music at various venues, and has performed at the Sled Island music festival in 2012 and 2013. While his music can be best described as hip hop, it is hard to categorize him into any specific genre, and he draws inspiration from a variety of musical genres.

After school, Robb is deciding whether or not he wants to try out for team Canada and push to compete in the Olympics.

Outside of the college circuit, Robb competes at the national level.

He aims to be in the top three badminton players in Canada, and hopes to get to that level next year. He encourages anyone with an interest in the sport to give it a try.

“It’s just a beautiful sport,” he says. “Once you break into the badminton community, it’s such a great place to be.

It’s very competitive, but we’re all still friends. It’s a very loving community.”

“It definitely wasn’t easy at points,” she says. “We would butt heads, and we’d have different view points on certain things, but looking back, he and his family are some of the closest people I know. I have the utmost respect for him, and so much gratitude for everything he has given me.”

The Mariners team was very close this year. Rosenlund says that everyone on the team got along well, there was no drama, and the team continues to spend time together even though the season has ended. She believes that the team’s strength comes from their diversity. Each Mariner brings something different to the team.

“The reason why we’re so close is because we learn from each other every single day,” she says. “We get to know ourselves a little bit better by looking at everyone’s different styles of play, and different ways of coping with emotions.

Everyone knows how to help each other out through their own experience.”

up on May 1. When she returned to the court after her injury, she worried that playing with her knee would make the injury worse. After awhile, she accepted it, and was eager to play.

Her drive to play despite her torn ACL was an inspiration for the other Mariners, who often told her she was a role model for them.

The Mariners ended their season winning bronze at the PACWEST Provincial Championships. It was a tough year for the Mariners; the roster was wrought with injuries, three players had torn ACLs, and other players had to deal with issues outside of the court. O’Sullivan says that in light of all that went wrong for the Mariners this year, it was amazing for them to win bronze.

“100 percent the Mariners can win gold next year. They have the work ethic, and hopefully next year things might go a bit our way. We won it last year, when I wasn’t on the team, they can definitely win next year.”

Megan Rosenlund At the end of her five-year career with the Mariners, Megan Rosenlund finished her season being named the CCAA Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year, and the PACWEST Player of the Year.

“I wasn’t expecting them at all,” she says. “I was very grateful to receive them. I had no idea I’d even be in the running for them. I’m pretty proud of myself in that way because I worked so hard all year and it paid off.”

Success on the volleyball court is nothing new for Rosenlund. In her rookie year with the Mariners she made the PACWEST All-Rookie team. In 2015 she was a PACWEST League All-Star. She was also an integral part of the Mariners success at the 2016 CCAA Nationals where the Mariners won gold. This year, Rosenlund led her team to a bronze medal finish at the CCAA National Championships.

Rosenlund grew up in Port Coquitlam, BC. She first started playing volleyball in the fifth grade. She made the B-team of the local club volleyball organization and it was, “the best day” of her life.

“I tried out for the U13 team and I didn’t think I was going to make it, I was the youngest one,” she says. “When I got the news, I was standing at the top of my stairs, and I yelled it down to my family.”

Megan’s sister Tamara was also a volleyball player. Tamara came to study at VIU in 2007, and she played volleyball with the Mariners under head coach Shane Hyde. When it was Megan’s turn to apply for university, she was reluctant to come to VIU because she did not want to play in her sister’s shadow.

“I am so grateful that I came here,” she says. “I think I created my own path. My sister and I are similar in some ways, but we’re definitely two different people.”

Megan developed a strong relationship with Coach Hyde.

In his farewell address to Megan, Coach Hyde noted that he had coached with a Rosenlund on his team for 10 years, and did not know what he was going to do without one next year.

Megan tried to quit in her third year with the Mariners, but Coach Hyde convinced her otherwise. She says it’s the best decision she has made in her life so far. The Rosenlunds and the Hydes are close. Megan goes on trips with the Hyde family, and she sometimes babysits his kids.

Stephanie O’Sullivan In her first year with the Mariners, fifth year player Stephanie O’Sullivan suffered a torn ACL in the Mariners’ home opener against the Camosun Chargers. Despite her injury, Stephanie continued to play, and finished her season as a provincial bronze medalist.

“I was a fifth year and I’d been through a lot before that so I just grinded through it,” she says. “It wasn’t easy. It was a lot of pain, but I wanted to do it, and help my teammates as much as I could.”

Originally from Cork, Ireland, O’Sullivan had a long history with basketball before coming to play at VIU. She started playing at the age of eight with a club team in Glanmire. High school basketball is not as big in Ireland as it is in North America, so for serious players in Ireland, club basketball provides the most opportunity to play the sport.

Along with some of her teammates, O’Sullivan made the provincial team. From there, they made the national team, and started playing in tournaments at the underage level.

This gave her the chance to travel to America, and once there, she was noticed by American coaches. She was recruited to a team in Montana, where she played for two years.

From there, she went to play for two years in Alberta.

For her fifth year, O’Sullivan was applying to go to another school. She strongly considered the North Alberta Institute of Technology, (NAIT), and other schools in the CCAA, but ultimately chose VIU. She says that she wanted to try going to school outside of Alberta, and remembered the Mariners from watching them play at the CCAA National Championships.

Out of all the teams O’Sullivan has played for, she says that she loves her fellow Mariners the most.

“They were so welcoming,” she says. “I came on a visit back in April and they welcomed me with open arms. Normally when you have a bunch of girls together, there’s always a few that you don’t get along with. This was actually my first team where there was no drama. The girls are just so funny. With them, you never know what’s going to happen next.”

O’Sullivan also has gratitude for her coaches. She says that they are great people, and the support that they gave her throughout the year made it an amazing experience for her, even with her torn ACL. To deal with her ACL, O’Sullivan has a surgery coming

Usama Zaid Usama Zaid joined the Mariners this September. Since then, he has been a force on the courts.

Zaid took PACWEST and the CCAA by storm. He was frequently named PACWEST Player of the Week, and finished the season as PACWEST Athlete of the Year across all sports.

Among his many accomplishments, he was also named CCAA Player of the Year, a CCAA All-Canadian, and CCAA First Team All-Star.

Despite his distinction as a CCAA All-Canadian, Zaid was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, California. He grew up in a large family, with 10 siblings. Zaid has been playing basketball since he learned to walk. His family is full of athletes; his brothers, sisters, mother, and father are all basketball enthusiasts. Zaid says that his family is what drives him to do his best in all things.

“I want to help out as much as possible,” he says. “We still live in South Central. Eventually we want to move out and be able to live better. I don’t want anyone in my family to go hungry, or need something and not have it. That’s what drives me to work my hardest every day.”

Zaid started playing organized basketball at the age of seven. He continued playing basketball throughout high school, which took him to college on a scholarship. It was not until his fourth year of post-secondary that Usama found out about VIU. He had never heard of the school until he was recruited by head coach Matt Kuzminski.

“Four years into it, I finally found a place that I could stay,” Zaid says. “A place where I can get my degree, and also play basketball to finish off my career.”

Currently, Zaid is in the physical education program at VIU. After school, he wants to play basketball professionally.

With his degree, Zaid hopes to be a personal trainer, or a physiotherapist. While he is in his fourth year, Zaid still has three years of eligibility to play for the Mariners, and is returning to the court next year.

Zaid says that his experience with the Mariners has been amazing. He has cultivated close connections with his teammates, he calls them his brothers. He says that the relationships he’s made this year will be with him for life.

“It’s not often in college that you meet people and actually keep in touch with them, because you meet so many people

Catie Hegglin --Volleyball Middle

Graydon Robb --Badminton Men’s Singles

Eric D’Andrea --Basketball Forward

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Megan Rosenlund --Volleyball Power Hitter

Stephanie O’Sullivan --Basketball Forward

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year in year out,” he says. “With this team and these coaches, I’ll never lose touch with them. After all we went through together this year we created a real bond. It’s been a like a family thing ever since I’ve been here.”

This year, Zaid has made big waves with the Mariners.

He is dedicated to training hard throughout the offseason to return to the court even stronger next year. He has had monumental success here at VIU, but he does not let it get to his head. He says he acknowledges it, then tries to forget it. One thing is certain: even if he forgets, his acheivements will be remembered by for many years to come.

Zach Grigg Zach Grigg was a powerhouse player for the Mariners in his final year. He ended the season a PACWEST All-Star, and was among the top scoring leaders in the PACWEST. “I had a great year,” he says. “I couldn’t ask for anything more with how good the team was and how tight it was. For me, it’s more about the relationships I’ve made while I’ve been here — that’s the stuff I’ll take away from my experience.”

Grigg says he is proud to have been a part of the Mariners family atmosphere over the years. There’s no separation between any of the different groups with the Mariners teams, he says that everyone gets along well with each other, and support a strong culture of friendship and success at VIU. Originally from Nelson, BC, Grigg had to travel to Kelowna, BC, to play volleyball on a regular basis due to the fact that Nelson did not have a volleyball club team. He started taking volleyball seriously in high school. He played in Nelson throughout the highschool season, but would have to travel to Kelowna every Sunday during club volleyball season.

“It was about a four hour drive there and back,” he says.

“I couldn’t have done it without my parents. They drove me everywhere and supported me in doing what I love to do.”

His older sister attended VIU while Grigg was finishing high school and pursuing volleyball. He was also considering VIU for the strength of its volleyball program. When he first came to play, he was offered only a small scholarship, because head coach Abe Avender had never seen him play before. At the end of his first season, Grigg was named Rookie of the Year, and his scholarship was extended after that. Grigg is grateful to Coach Avender for taking a chance on him.

“Abe is a great guy, the passion that he brings to everything is inspiring,” Grigg says. “He runs his own business, he’s a chiropractor, and he runs this team. He really preaches passion and love for the game. Being around a person like him is very inspiring.”

Grigg says that his year was his favourite year with the Mariners. Everything was a bit sweeter for him, and he says that the team was one of the best he has played on.

When he finishes school, Grigg is going to take some time off and go travelling. He bought a Volkswagen Westfalia van and plans to drive south along the coast. He has no ultimate travel plans, he just wants to go for it, and see how far he can get.

While Grigg looks forward to his future, he is focused on enjoying his remaining time at VIU. He says that anyone wanting to play for the Mariners should take the opportunity.

“Never settle,” he says. “Enjoy every minute of it, because it goes fast.”

Usama Zaid --Basketball Forward

Zach Grigg --Volleyball Power Hitter

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The future of journalism When I chose to attend university Kelly Whiteside --for Creative Writing, my mom warned Contributor

me I wouldn’t be able to find a wellpaying job in my field. Two years into my degree, I decided to focus more on journalism in hopes of finding work easier afterwards.

I assured my mom that the work experience I acquired during university would help me find a good job. The other day, when I called her complaining about the lack of job opportunities in my field in Nanaimo, she said “I told you so.”

Print journalism jobs are diminishing at an alarming rate across Canada. In March, Postmedia laid off 54 employees at the Vancouver Sun and the Province. Many people would take this is a sign that journalism is dying. I disagree. Journalism

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is simply evolving to be more than just journalism.

In my years at VIU in the Creative Writing and Journalism program, I have learned how to write long and short form poetry, fiction, non-fiction, drama, and a variety of journalistic styles. However, I have also learned a number of other important skills that may seem useless in the writing field but are actually incredibly useful, including editing, digital media, graphic design, website design, photography, videography, marketing, and social media management.

With the evolution of journalism, writers are expected to be more than just writers now. They must hunt for and research stories, conduct interviews, and compose and edit their own articles, often with ridiculous word count expectations. They are required to take photographs and/or record videos for every article. As journalism becomes more

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prominent on social media, writers are expected to upkeep Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, as well as the news websites with various forms of digital media. Journalists become marketers and SEO content writers, constantly brainstorming new innovative ways to get more readers.

Nowadays, most writers are freelancers, and must learn how to run their own business as well. And, depending on where you live, writers are often required to know more than one language, being able to write and translate each one.

So no, mom, I have no regrets about what I chose to study, because I’ve learned more than just how to write.

I’ve dipped my toes in a number of different lakes now, absorbing a little bit from each to help make up the water that is 60 percent of my being, and I can go swimming in whichever one suits my fancy.

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Coming Soon: Arts events nanaimo Cheryl Folland | The Navigator

WHAT

WHEN

Three time Juno Award Nominee, Jenn Grant, with special guest Rachel Sermanni

April 5, at The Queen’s, 34 Victoria Cres. Early show, doors open 7 pm, show begins 8 pm.

WHY YOU SHOULD GO Last time Jenn was here, she was in a duo, this time she’ll be performing with a full band. Tickets are $20 in advance, plus s/c. $25 at the door, available at Lucid, Desire Tattoo, The Queens, and online at <ticketzone.com>.

WHEN

WHY YOU SHOULD GO

April 14, at Old City Station Pub, 150 Skinner St. Two shows, 7 pm and 8 pm.

Part of a monthly showcase at Old City, at $10 per show, and two shows per night, grab a friend and have a laugh. Tickets available now at Old City Station Pub and online at <ticketzone.com>.

WHAT

WHEN

WHY YOU SHOULD GO

Close Talker with special guests: Young Babylon, and Frontier

April 25, at The Queen’s. Early show to start at 8 pm.

Want some fresh rock vibes in your life? You will not want to miss this show. Tickets are $10 plus s/c in advance and $15 at the door. On sale now at Lucid, Desire Tattoo, The Queens and online at <ticketzone.com>.

WHAT

WHERE

WHY BE THERE?

Longwoodstock 2017

August 11 at The Queen’s and August 12 at Longwood Brewery 101A-2046 Boxwood Rd. 19+ event. Two pieces of ID required.

Local and ferried in talent. Comedy, music, good food, great beer–this is the block party you’ve always wanted. Earlybird advance two day passes are limited and available online for $45 plus s/c at <ticketzone. com>.

WHAT Old City Laugh Lounge, featuring Dylan Rhymer of Vancouver, BC.

Louder than History: Influences in Aboriginal Music Molly Barrieau Last year, Light in the Attic released a --compilation album Native North America The Navigator

(Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966–1985. This led to a Grammy nomination, and a review on CBC Music, which is how I came across the oneof-a-kind compilation.

It is unique in its attempt to gather and share Aboriginal songwriting in a time of civil unrest across the continent. Like many other songs written during the 70s, these all connect on levels of anti-government, anti-war, and activism.

Willie Dunn opens the album with “I Pity the Country”, and develops a story of the Canadian First Nation man, his unrest with government, its sounds are much like other betterknown hits in the genre and era. Dunn was born in Montreal, and is also known for his National Film Board film The Ballad of Crowfoot which features a single written by Dunn for the short movie.

His lyricism and storytelling compels the listener to understand the strength behind his words. You can feel the frustration in “Politicians exploit me / City life it jades me”.

Modernly, the changes to Aboriginal music sees an impact from our neighbour’s African American influences on rap and hip-hop.

Innovative groups like A Tribe Called Red take on these genres with a Canadian splash. We Are The Halluci Nation (2016) brought the group to another level of Canadian hip-hop.

Their hit “R.E.D” begins unlike other hip-hop, with traditional

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indigenous drumming. Throughout the lyrics, background chanters remind us of the beauty of Aboriginal sound and traditional chanting.

It’s impressive they managed to retain the heaviness of hip-hop, with the softness of typically female elder chanting.

It rings incredibly powerful.

Tanya Tagaq is featured on two of the records from their 2016 release, “Sila” and “ALie Nation”. Tagaq is a Juno award winning Canadian throat singer from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuutiaq), Nunavut. She untraditionally performs Inuit throat singing solo, a practice usually done by two women.

Her complements to their music is magnetic; while no words escape her mouth, it is what her voice can do, along with their poetry and a healthy beat.

According to Library Archives Canada, drumming is a connection to the afterlife, and the spiritual powers that define Aboriginal faith. “It has a definite purpose—bringing rain, providing victory in battle or healing the sick.”

To this day, deerskin drums are still used during ceremonies like a modern potlatch, and celebrations like marriage. The sound of the drum is amplified in A Tribe Called Red’s music, their most recent album has earned them three nominations for the 2017 Juno’s. Nominated in three various categories is exciting for the group, including Electronic Album of the Year for We Are the Halluci Nation, Video of the Year for “R.E.D. ft.

Yasiin Bey, Narcy & Black Bear” and Producer of the Year for “R.E.D.” and “Sila ft. Tanya Tagaq.”

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Courtesy of <exclaim.ca>

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Kendall Patrick Peaks and Valleys

Courtesy of HYPE Music

Cheryl Folland It only takes one listen to hear the depth of --life experience and heartache in Kendall The Navigator

Patrick’s lyrics. A Nanaimo native, Patrick can be found most evenings working at The Vault Cafe. In this supportive community, with it’s creation-stimulating aesthetic, her strength as a poet and musician is well received and proclaimed.

The sound pours out with a sultry soul-soothing vibe felt in the core of listeners. Patrick creates original folk melodies to tell her story with humble artistry.

“The first time I played a song, that I wrote and performed for anyone, was in grade nine,” she says. Since then, she’s grown into her voice—both musical and lyrical.

This year, she released her EP Peaks and Valleys, which “Patrick believes is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is yet to come,” says Paula Danylevich of HYPE Music.

Patrick gained “newfound confidence in her own voice and in allowing herself to be open to work with other collaborators.”

Her lyrical poetry is applicable to a vast dichotomy of relationship dynamics. Love is treated as both an action and

an experience in the lyrics of Cannonball.

“When you miss your folks When you burn my toast When you make bad jokes, I will love you the most” The official music video can be found on Kendall’s YouTube page @kendallexe. If you want a chance to see her live, she will be playing along with two other local artists, April 10, 8 pm at The Vault Cafe. Cover is $5.

Student artist showcase Cheryl Folland --The Navigator

At the end of every school year, the Visual Arts department creates space for its graduating students’ work. This year,The Grad Show will take place from April 13 to May 1 at The View Gallery (bldg. 330 on VIU campus). The Nav reached out to art graduates to gain a deeper understanding of the artist behind each piece.

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Denise Tierney Denise works across a wide range of media including paint, wax, wood, metal, clay, and repurposed objects to produce both two-dimensional and sculptural artwork. She uses layers of content to tell a story and strives to elicit an emotional response within the viewer by conveying a sense of mystery, ambiguity, or tension. She frequently incorporates materials and imagery from her travels and derives inspiration from historic events, ritual practices, and ancient iconography.

Denise holds a diploma in Visual Art from VIU and will complete a BA Major in Visual Art in April 2017. She is looking forward to showcasing select works in Chronicle—an exhibition featuring the art of four VIU BA Major in Visual Art graduates at The View Gallery on campus.

James Halliday James was raised in Ladysmith and was interested in drawing from a young age. He would often draw comic books for his friends and himself to read.

He also contributed to a mural painted outside his elementary school with a handful of other students. Studying in the Visual Arts program at VIU, James has turned his attentions to working with woodblock printmaking.

He is fascinated by the power of storytelling with art and is focusing on combining that with old myths and legends. James feels that these stories are often forgotten, but that they are the footprints left by our civilizations.

He has strived to research these folk tales and retell them in his own style through imagery.

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Emily Bourke Emily’s work focuses on visual narratives, specifically comic books and children’s literature.

She has studied visual arts at VIU for four years, and is working towards the completion of her degree. She paints playful and often humorous illustrations in gouache and ink on paper. During her studies, Emily has produced three children’s books, as well as two comic books. Her illustrative work is a culmination of her desire to allow both young and old to have an open dialogue about their individual and collective experiences, to discover a way to connect with one another, and to help kids realize their full potential to make a positive influence in the world.

Brittney Dorman Brittany was first introduced to printmaking in high school but it wasn’t until her second year at VIU that she got a glimpse into the art program and decided to switch majors. Her undergraduate focus has been drawing, printmaking, and playing with colour palettes. She began to work with the notion of human nature and replaced human heads for the animal that they most closely resembled. Brittney has recently taken to removing the face altogether and substituting it with a pattern or flat image. She favours printing with ink on paper and mylar. Her most current work reflects the 1970s and 1980s, when movements toward peace and equality marched forward and teen movies that we still idolize today were born.

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ARTS

Why Art? Cheryl Folland | The Navigator As the semester comes to a close, stress runs high. This week I interviewed people asking how art, whether created or observed, as helped them.

What causes art in its various mediums to speak to people’s hearts? How does creativity provide an outlet to deal with difficult situations?

Josh Bourget: Sometimes I feel lost. I grew up in a culture with a special connection to The Land (North West Territories), but I now live in a culture which has no understanding of it. And I’ve tried to talk to people about it, but I can’t find an adequate way to communicate the way that The Land has been calling me. So, I write poetry. Nobody’s really read any of it, but it helps to have an avenue of expression so that I don’t feel trapped by my own lack of words.

TJ Conway: I use art and music to let out the emotions that I hate to show others. Some are toxic, some are beneficial. I would rather remain neutral than show my emotions because they are that strong. I easily can let them run wild and scare others with the intensity of them. Art allows me to show ideas, thoughts, and connections. I can take a paintbrush and start with a flower, but fill in the background with a mechanical heart. It’s all symbolism. Music allows a release of emotional tension that I generally don’t allow from myself. I can make the keys, scales, and arpeggios rise and fall like tidal waves. I’ve cried before while playing guitar because I needed a way to talk that didn’t involve my voice. Voices don’t always work, but music is my voice that everyone can hear.

Maggie Hoult: Art is a way of showing the world what’s going on inside of you on a daily basis. It can show things you might be afraid to show otherwise. Sometimes it can be pretty, sometimes in can be messy, sometimes it doesn’t make sense, and sometimes it’s all over the place. But that’s okay because guess what? We are all like that sometimes.

Lauren Semple: Theatre has been my escape since my parents first separated when I was nine years old. Angry, scared, and frustrated at my inability to process the new feelings I was experiencing, I found my way to the stage as the Elephant Child in an elementary school remake of the Kipling classic. I was hooked. Not only did I fall in love with the theatre and drama, but I discovered an outlet. Even today, I still use character work, body movement, and vocal exercises to work through my emotions, on and off the stage. It is through the act of becoming someone else, really embodying the essence of character, that I am able to do two things; I can explore my emotions from an objective point of view, just as I would dissect a charged scene in a script, and work through it. The other option is to play through my emotions in another form, such as dance, vocal work, movement, and comedy. Theatre has given me the ability to express emotions using far more than just my words. Sometimes in grief, in sadness or in anger, there are no words.

Reflecting, I resonate with each response on some level. Art, music, theatre, and dance have been important in my life. Each art genre has something unique to offer those who create or observe. The perfect song can set a bad day back on track. Careful brushstrokes and brilliant colours have the ability to evoke emotion. Stageplays give an audience the chance to enter a new world without a stamp in their passport.

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SPORTS & LIFESTYLE

The end of another season for VIU Rugby

Elijah Robinson

VIU Rugby team.

Elijah Robinson ---

Following a historic season of15-a-side rugby in the first semester, the VIU Contributor seven-a-side team has yet to slow down in preparation for next season.

The VIU rugby club started the first semester of the year in confusion. With only two practices as a team, they began the season record with a loss to their Island rivals, UVic. With efforts from the senior leaders, new additions to the team, and a new coaching staff, the VIU Storm made a quick turn around, and captured their first win in the tier one level against a very tough Mainland club, United RFC. The weather wreaked havoc on the schedule and back to back games were cancelled. Despite the shortened season, the Storm’s stalwarts continued with another win against James Bay RFC, followed by a humbling loss to UBC. VIU was at 2-2 by the end of October. With just two games left in the season, VIU hosted Western Washington University and came away with their first win against another University program. For the final game of the season, VIU hosted UBC-Okanagan, a team that had trounced VIU the previous year. VIU managed to hold off a last minute UBC-O charge to salvage a 21-19 win which put the team’s record at 4-2, the club’s best record to date in tier one.

Alex Brown, the team’s active captain credited the team’s recent success to the “new recruits,” but mainly, “the under-dog heart that VIU has always had.” Brown also said, “The guys would always go out and give 100 percent no matter the outcome.”

While Brown also credits the coaching staff, Seth Recalma, one of the team’s seniors said “with the help of our head coach, Jon Rose, we’ve risen to new heights.” Recalma also credits the team’s manager, Drew Cooper, “who not only started the program, but spends day and night thinking of ways to further the team’s success.”

With a new year starting up, the core group stuck together, and returned to the field to play with the local Nanaimo Hornets club side. With a few new additions, the team also initiated training to get a head start on the seven aside season.

Unfortunately, due to weather, all the tournaments scheduled in the season were cancelled. However, this never stopped the sevens team from getting dirty. Even through harsh conditions, the VIU Storm could be found on the field, hitting bags, and running drills.

The club has improved from its start, and has yet to slow down. On top of the sevens practices, a majority of the students playing for the VIU club took on the challenge of an extended training schedule, adding two nights of training with the Nanaimo Hornets, leaving very little time for rest.

“The Hornets has had our backs from day one,” Brown said, they “helped all the new guys learn the game of rugby, [and improve] their skills, [while] providing facilities and coaching staff that have allowed [the members] to excel as a team and as individuals.”

In addition, Recalma said “I have nothing but good things to say about their program.”

Despite the slow sevens season, the VIU players made up for the lack of game time by playing with the Hornets. The VIU players were able to gain experience and learn from experienced vets of the game. Some players like Brown played for the first division team, while the majority of the team played for the division two team.

First year student and rookie, Steven Drozd recalls his time adapting to the different style of play on the Island. Despite having multiple years of experience playing rugby with his hometown club, Drozd said “there was definitely a call for a higher level of fitness [playing on the island] which was something I was not used to playing for my hometown club. It called for me to step up, to be something better than I was before and I’m glad I did, as not only did it make me a better rugby player, but showed me not to give up even when your body can’t take it anymore.”

Drozd’s level of endurance and commitment earned him a call up to the first division team where he described his experiences as being nervous as it was his “highest level of rugby” he has played, but found reassurance once the game began.

“Once that whistle goes it doesn’t matter anymore and I can be in my element,” Drozd said.

Head Coach Jon Rose pointed out that Drozd, among others, “are the sophomores [he] will be looking to lead [the] back line.”

Rose points out that the team “will only lose one player to graduation” and “the upcoming fall season is looking very promising.”

Catherine Charlebois Have you ever experienced a --pleasant tingling sensation

of Victoria student swears by the videos. After finding both therapy and medication unsatisfactory, Bridal sought out other methods and discovered ASMR by accident.

"I was getting into yoga and I really liked my teacher's voice," she says. "It was like reiki which is also relaxing, and then even more accessible were the PsycheTruth massage videos."

Having been an avid "tinglehead" for a year and a half now, Bridal has noticed a marked decrease in stress and even noticed a change in her world view.

"I listen more to the sounds around me and I have learned to appreciate people with really nice voices," she says. "I almost exclusively use it to sleep, but I also like to play one in the background during panic or a breakdown. It sorts me out."

Brendan Barlow, a VIU social work student, just can't get behind the rising trend.

"ASMR is one of those strange corners of the Internet that I don't totally understand," he says. "But also know that I don't really need to. Obviously, it does something for the people who watch it, even if I really don't get it."

Though some, like Barlow, dismiss the videos as nothing

but creepy, Bridal encourages viewers to see for themselves.

"I think it isn't for everyone's tastes," she says "Even just as a means of relaxation and not necessarily triggering ASMR 'tingles', I think people should give it more of a chance."

To date, there have been few scientific studies done on ASMR enthusiasts. In a study conducted by Swansea University trying to determine the spectrum of reactions sparked by "triggers", found that despite the prevailing critique that ASMR is sexual in nature, the response was closer to that of non-sexual intimacy.

In a Guardian interview, grad student Emma Barratt and partner Nick Davis, who conducted the study, sought to dispel common misconceptions.

“There are a lot of people who latch onto some ASMR videos involving attractive women and dismiss what we found to be a very nuanced activity as exclusively sexual," said Barratt.

In fact, only 5 percent of the interviewed ASMR users in that study sought out ASMR for sexual pleasure.

According to Davis, "It really is about feeling relaxed or vulnerable with another person.”

The Navigator

while hearing sounds like whispering or tapping? You were probably experiencing Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response or ASMR. According to Wikipedia, ASMR is "an experience characterized by a static-like or tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine."

In recent years, an emerging genre of YouTube content has been exploding with a variety of ASMR-targeting videos.

From soothing soap carving, mic tapping, and finger fluttering, to whispered roleplaying, rambles, and stories, everyone's triggers are different.

The videos spur varying reactions in viewers; some find it disturbing or uncomfortably sexual and others find it mesmerizing. While some may find it unappealing, others like Marina Bridal, use it for therapeutic purposes.

Having been diagnosed with generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder at the age of 16, the first year University

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SPORTS & LIFESTYLE

Dallas Bezaire ---

You all remember gym class, right? Where you learn about sports and activities, nutrition, and general health.

Contributor It is an important part of your education, even if you go on to mostly ignore it. Even if you end up unhealthy, you at least know roughly how to get healthy or lose weight. PE implementation is associated with better health and life outcomes, including better cognitive measures, better performance in school, and better socialization skills. It seems as if teaching kids how to be physically healthy is an absolutely invaluable part of giving kids a step up in life.

This begs the question, why don’t we teach kids how to be mentally healthy?

Some of you reading right now might be thinking, “Well, mental health is still such a mystery, we could confuse kids by trying to teach them about it.” It is true that mental disorders and the brain, itself, are still keeping scientists and clinicians busy trying to figure it out but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any idea how to promote and maintain mental health.

For one, we know that maintaining basic health is important to maintain mental health. Your brain is an organ, just like any other, so a good diet with fruits and veggies, aerobic exercise, and getting regular sleep is invaluable to keeping in high spirits and good focus. We also know that stress is something we need to manage if we want to keep mentally healthy. Stress isn’t bad, per se—it's an important part of learning, planning, and motivation. Sustained or extreme levels of stress, however, is incredibly damaging in the long term. It becomes deleterious for cells all over your body, including your heart, arteries, skin, immune system, and brain. High or sustained stress also leaves you vulnerable to acutely stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one, or traumatic events leading to long term negative outcomes such as PTSD, health problems, mental disorder, or troubles with addiction.

Stress is the most common—but far from the only—mental health problem that impacts people and prevents good mental health. Another common area is negative thought patterns. One example is all or nothing thinking, where everything goes perfectly or nothing does. If you have ever called a project a failure because a couple things didn’t go as planned, then you have engaged in this sort of thinking. All-or-nothing thinking and several other negative thought patterns, can consistently turn good days into bad days, and stop you from experiencing or trying in life. There are also many other ways in which mental cognitions can stop you or disempower you in life.

So what can you do about this? For starters, there are coping mechanisms.

While some can be negative, others are positive, they help you deal with stress and other emotions by encouraging positive behaviors, like socialization, exercise, or encouraging catharsis—the healthy expression and processing of emotion. There are a number of good coping mechanisms that you can turn to, many of which have multifactorial benefits from increasing your social connections, to improving skills and confidence, and promoting good health and cognition. Coping mechanisms make up the most basic level of dealing with life’s challenges and struggles, and maintaining good mental health.

Past coping mechanisms, you start to get into the less well known and much more proactive tools for maintaining mental health. The first and foremost of these is mindfulness. In essence, mindfulness is being present in the moment.

If this seems obvious to you, then great, but if it doesn’t, consider this; when does tomorrow come? In truth, it never does. Tomorrow doesn’t exist as far as our experience of life is concerned, and the same for yesterday. Even “an hour from now” is an abstract concept that, while it does have real relevance in your life, you never actually experience. You only experience this moment, right now. And then this one. And so on for your entire life. Just one continuous moment, broken up into seconds and minutes. Mindfulness recognizes this and asks you to be here, right now, in the moment. Mindfulness also asks that you accept this moment as it is by taking stock of your current reality, becoming aware of what you are feeling, experiencing, thinking, and so on, and then acknowledging it and letting it be.

Sounds interesting, but what is the purpose? Well, the simple act of accepting your experience as it is can be helpful, as it can give you power to act on the moment. Beyond that, mindfulness cultivates awareness, not only of yourself and your surroundings, but also how they interact. You can notice how your mood changes as the sun hides behind the clouds, how being low on sleep makes you more impulsive, or how your behaviors change your mood and thoughts. Mindfulness lets you become aware of and evaluate how your environment, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors interact and are impacted by each other.

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Perhaps you notice yourself using one of those negative thought patterns mentioned above. Maybe you get a certain sort of feeling that triggers the thoughts and cravings for a smoke. Or you notice that you are irritable and tense for no particular reason, and that it is making you short and rude with your coworkers. Noticing these sorts of interactions and ways of being are the first step in taking action about them.

When it comes to taking action, there are a number of tools and techniques available. The most simple and well-known is meditation. Now, meditation isn’t some inherently spiritual activity. In the simplest terms, meditation is exploration or creation of an emotion, thought pattern, way of being, perspective, or behaviour. It is done through deep breathing and focus, and can be done sitting down, running, walking, cleaning, or during any other simple activity. You can also create mindfulness with meditation. Mindful meditation is often the easiest way to practice mindfulness when first learning, before you take it into your everyday life. I like to meditate while I run; focusing on the extension and flexion of my muscles, the rhythm of my breathing, and the pattern of my gait as my limbs move, and then, during this, I focus on creating endurance and power with each step. Meditation can be used to explore something that needs exploring, to gain new insight or understanding, and it can be used to create emotions, ways of being, or thought patterns.

Meditation also seems to improve cognition and emotional control, not only in monks who practice daily, but in elementary school children who are given mediation time rather than detention.

Meditation is just one of many skills available for taking action on bad mental health habits and maintaining mental health. Another skill that has made waves in the psychology domain is cognitive behavioral therapy, which has been shown to be effective in treating depression, especially when combined with anti-depressants. It focuses on taking notice of and correcting negative thought patterns. These negative thought patterns include the ones mentioned above, as well as the meanings and conclusions we draw from our daily experience in life. The meanings and conclusions we draw from our life experiences can empower and motivate or they can disempower and stop us in life. For example, being rejected by someone you like can lead you to make all sorts of disempowering conclusions from negative self-labels to judgments on love, relationships, and people that can colour your world view and prevent you from taking opportunities in life. Or, in that same scenario, you can choose meanings that inspire you to keep trying; "they weren’t the one for me" or "I can learn from this and improve myself for next time." Alternatively, you can choose a neutral meaning; sometimes things just don’t work out, or there’s a time for everything and this wasn’t it. By taking control over the meanings you make about the world and the thought patterns you use to understand and evaluate reality, you can improve your mental health and live a more fulfilling and empowering life.

Of course, these tools are just the big ones. Biofeedback involves taking control of the automatic way your brain interprets your physical state, such as reinterpreting that pre-test stress as excitement rather than fear or worry, improving your performance and experience. Behavioural activation recognizes that behaviours often create emotional states and asks you to which behaviours lead to positive emotions, and which lead to negative emotions, and then to adjust your behavior accordingly. Even general philosophy and learning improves your ability to process and understand your emotions and your experience of the world. Together, it is the holistic use of both basic physical care and the various tools of mental health maintenance that allows someone to maintain an excellent mental health. A positive mental health can be protective against mental disorder and the stressors and difficulties that life throws at you, as well as beneficial for both relationships and career or life goals.

The best news is that, while we don’t teach kids these skills in school, there are an abundance of resources and educational tools online. However, it can be really useful to have someone teach it to you, so if you would rather learn it that way, you can come to the free Mental Health Maintenance Workshop being held on April 14 at 1 pm in rm. 111 of bldg. 356. There are a number of ways to keep mentally healthy and fit just like physical health. It can be a challenge to learn and get in the habit of practicing these skills, but once you do, you’ll be much more prepared for the challenges ahead and more fit and adaptable in life in general. And when it comes to living a happy fulfilling life, why leave it to chance and circumstance?

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SPORTS & LIFESTYLE

Cole Schisler ---

It has been a phenomenal year for the Mariners athletic programs.

The Navigator The Mariners are a force to be reckoned with across all sports; the Women’s Soccer, Women’s Volleyball, and Men’s Basketball teams are all provincial champions, many Mariners have received personal achievement awards in both the CCAA and PACWEST, and VIU has the highest representation of athletes, with 20 students named in the PACWEST Academic Excellence Awards.

Stephanie White, the Director of High Performance Sport at VIU says that it’s hard not to be impressed with the Mariners’ success.

“We’ve had many incredible achievements,” she says. “This institution has a great history of being successful. That tells me that there’s a strong culture here of winning. The beautiful thing about sport is that you can always be better. The question in my mind now is, how can we build on our impressive history?”

White says there are many pieces that go into developing a successful athletics program. Each of the pieces of the program needs to be evaluated so that the organization can make improvements. She says there may be a series of small modifications to strengthen the program, but the Mariners will also continue to do what they do well.

“We need to make sure that we have great coaches who are motivated and really helping to develop their student athletes. We

need to make sure that are student athletes our being the best that they can be in their playing field, in the classroom, and in their physical and mental preparation. Honestly, I just want to have great people,” White said.

On top of improvements and adjustments to ensure the coaches and athletes continue their success, White says the athletics department will be evaluating itself internally to best help the Mariners move forward. White said she draws inspiration from the Japanese idea of “kaizen,” which means to change for the better.

Among those improvements is working more closely with the Mariners' club teams, like the baseball, rugby teams, and the new coming hockey club.

“That’s definitely something that I need to evaluate and make sure that we can clearly articulate to the clubs what it means to be a club, and to be a Mariner,” White says. “They are Mariners, but, unfortunately, we can’t fund everyone equally.”

The role of VIU in supporting the club teams is more to provide access to the opportunity to play those sports at the post-secondary level. White says that the athletics department will do their best to provide support for the club teams, and give them the opportunity to represent the Mariners on the field.

Looking beyond sport, White hopes to provide VIU students with

a new gymnasium in the coming years. The current gym is reaching the end of its life span, and is not large enough to support the student body. The athletics department is currently looking at funding options to make the facility a reality. White says that the gym will not only benefit the Mariners, but the VIU student body as a whole.

“For me, it’s about on campus culture and experience,” she says.

“We want to provide a new facility where every student can have access to a great gym, good intramural programs, workout classes, and other health and wellness opportunities. I think the size of our current footprint is a little limiting.”

White says that the new facility will only be possible with support from the community. She says that while the community has been amazing in their support of the Mariners, the Mariners could do more to facilitate community support.

“I’m impressed with the support we get, but I do think there’s an opportunity for more support in this community,” she says. “I think we have a responsibility to be more active in community, and show the good work we do here. It’s time for us to go out there and be a part of the community so that the community will want to come and be a part of us.”

While the Mariners have accomplished many things, there is much more work, and many more achievements yet to come.

Cole Schisler I was at a local meditation group when I met --Les Malbon, a VIU Professor of Sport, Health,

can become a part of the oneness that connects all things.

I learned a great lesson from that field trip, that there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom, but that was only one class.

Malbon’s students say that they have gained a deeper understanding of themselves through taking the course, and that their lives have changed profoundly for the better.

“I’m definitely more aware of things that I say and things that I do,” said Megan Rosenlund, Malbon’s student and Mariners volleyball star. “If I do say something that may be negative, I can reflect on it, and I’m able to communicate better than before.”

Malbon teaches many other VIU athletes, including Badminton Men’s Singles player Graydon Robb, who says that the course has had a deep impact on his outlook.

“It’s really cool coming from a business background, because this class is the complete opposite of what I’m used to,” Robb said. “It’s more free flowing, and there’s more of a focus on communication, and different ways of thinking.”

Both Rosenlund and Robb say that it is far easier to make friends and meaningful connections in Health of the Human Spirit than other classes. They also say that the lessons they have learned from this class will stay with them for their lifetimes.

“I think about it like sport,” Rosenlund said. “With sport, you have to practice. What I’ve felt with this class more than any other is that I want to practice what I’ve learned.”

A practical application of the knowledge learned in the course is exactly what Malbon intended for his students. For the past 10 years, Malbon taught Kinesiology at VIU, and noticed that in the literature around Health & Wellness, the health of the human spirit was becoming a more widely discussed element.

The course is named after a textbook, Health of the Human Spirit, written by Dr. Luke Seaward. The textbook came across Malbon’s

desk one day, and he took the opportunity to contact Seaward. Seven years ago, he invited Malbon down to Boulder, Colorado, and the two developed a close relationship. Seaward has come to speak to the Health of the Human Spirit class, and Malbon’s name is featured on the textbook.

“It’s not an easy thing to teach spirituality,” Malbon says.

“Spirituality in the academy can get questioned quite strongly because of rigorous Cartesian thinking, and the idea of a measurable world through science. I’m very grateful to my colleagues because they were willing to explore spirituality.”

Malbon says that there is room for science and spirituality to coexist, and believes that the connection between them will grow stronger in the future. Spirituality is now being looked at as an integral element of health and wellness, so much so that spiritual teachings, such as reiki, energy healing, and traditional Chinese medicine, are being practiced at hospices and hospitals.

The Health of the Human Spirit course provides context to the knowledge learned in the textbook, which converts that knowledge to wisdom. I learned more from Malbon, and my one-day field trip to Courtenay, than I could have ever learned purely from a book on spirituality.

On campus, there is a number of VIU professors who, like Malbon, have started to take the ideas of spirituality and consciousness more seriously in varying disciplines. They, along with VIU students, have started a group called the Consciousness Club. Students with an interest in the topic are encouraged to join the club. Malbon says that the only prerequisite is an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to learn.

“This course is an exploration,” Malbon says. “It’s the opportunity for the planting of seeds, it’s the opportunity for deepening understanding, and there’s so many different pathways to explore.”

The Navigator

and Physical Education. We ended up having a conversation about his course, Health of the Human Spirit, and he invited me to attend one of his classes.

Health of the Human Spirit is a 400-level course. This year, there were prerequisites, but Malbon has waived the prerequisites for next year. The course aims to teach students about spirituality through understanding and experience. Malbon teaches spirituality though different cultural lenses, and inspires students to be open to new ideas through firsthand experience.

“I was inspired to start this class from my own personal exploration of different ways of being and knowing in relation to spirituality. I think in any culture we have to be careful about falling in love with our own paradigms. I think that there is so much diversity available in the world. I’m not telling the class that they have to become what they learn, but what I am telling them is that there is something different, and to be mindful and careful about understanding spirituality.”

Throughout the semester, Malbon invited yoga teachers, energy healers, First Nations elders, and other experts on spirituality to the class. Students learned to meditate, and were sent out to do random acts of kindness as a class project. When I joined the class, it was for a field trip to visit a Tibetan Bon Buddhist monk, Lama Geshe Yongdong, at his temple in Courtenay.

Yongdong welcomed us with humour and gratitude. He guided the class through a seated meditation, then spoke to us about how to be happy. Yongdong taught the class to think more with their hearts.

He said that the brain is what is known as the “ordinary mind,” but the heart is the “original mind.” When one interacts with objects or others through their ordinary mind, there is duality, and separation between them. Yongdong says that when we think with the original mind, people

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Local athletes join Mariners Men’s Basketball team Cole Schisler ---

Local basketball players Alex Staniforth and Anders Cederberg have joined the Mariners The Navigator for the 2017/18 season. Mariners coach Avneet Brar has been coaching the pair for eight years, and is thrilled to have them on the team.

“I started coaching them at age 13, it’s a pretty rewarding feeling to be a part of the process of the decision of where they play in postsecondary,” Brar says.

The Mariners have a history of supporting local talent. They run summer training camps in the community, and many alumni and members of the Mariners coaching staff are involved in coaching younger players; there is a strong familiarity in the Nanaimo athletic community. Staniforth and Cederberg grew up watching the Mariners play, and have had the opportunity to train with the Mariners over the past five years.

It’s a dog’s life

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Staniforth went to school at Wellington Secondary, and Cederberg attended Nanaimo District Secondary School (NDSS).

While the two played as rivals in highschool, they are now a part of the Mariners family.

“I grew up coming to the games and watching the Mariners play,” Cederberg said. “To finally be a part of this team and this organization is really cool.”

The rookies hold themselves to a high standard. They are both focused, and driven to be the best that they can be both on and off the court. Staniforth is going to take a Bachelor's in Visual Arts, and Cederberg is enrolling in general studies. For them currently, the main focus is on basketball, but they are both looking to the future with goals in mind.

“My goal is to be the best student I can be, the best player I can be, and hopefully helping to win a national championship next

year,” Staniforth said.

Coach Brar was quick to point out that he has high expectations for the rookies.

“We definitely have big expectations for them,” he said.

“The most important thing for them at the start is strength and conditioning, but also learning our team culture. I want them to continue to work their hardest, grow their game, and do well in the classroom.”

The addition of Staniforth and Cederberg to the Mariners roster serves as a testament to the quality of the culture of sport in Nanaimo.

The Mariners programs give Vancouver Island athletes something to work towards, and provide the youth with the opportunity to compete at a high level while pursuing an education in a local environment.

Kelly Whiteside I can’t count the number of times I’ve --had customers from my workplace get

October 31, and Departure Bay Beach doesn’t allow dogs from May 1 to September 30. And, as always, Buttertubs Marsh is a dog-free zone year-round, along with all playgrounds, sports fields, and cemeteries. Beban Park, Cable Bay Trail, Westwood Lake, Colliery Dam Park, and Diver Lake Park all feature offleash areas for your dog. However, there are still general rules of respect to follow when in an off-leash area.

The Navigator

legitimately upset with me when I inform them our store is not pet friendly, and that any non-service animals must be left outside. I don’t understand it. I love my animals as much as the next person, but the thought of bringing them shopping with me seems absurd. Even with the warmer weather coming, just leave your dog at home when shopping—not outside a store and not in your hot car.

“What if I keep her in my cart?”

“But he’s so friendly and well-behaved!”

No. I don’t care. I don’t get paid enough to clean up someone else’s dog’s shit, nor do I want to waste my sick pay going to the doctor’s for a bite. Even if your dog is friendly and well-behaved, it’s the ones that aren’t that ruin it for the rest, and unfortunately there’s really no way for me to tell yours is until it’s too late.

Before moving to Nanaimo, I had never witnessed someone bring a non-service animal shopping with them. When researching this phenomenon, I discovered that Nanaimo is widely known as one of Canada’s dog capitals. The Harbour City placed third on Canadian Dogs’ list of Canada’s Pet-Friendliest Cities. Nanaimo’s place on the list was earned mostly by our natural beauty, high number of dog parks, and pet-friendly lodging and stores.

Pet populations across Canada have increased significantly over the last two years according to the Canadian Animal Health Institute. The estimated number of household cats rose from seven million to 8.8 million, with the approximate number of household dogs growing from 6.4 million to 7.6 million. The same survey reported that, overall, approximately 41 percent of households have at least one dog and 37 percent have at least one cat.

Converting Nanaimo’s population of 90,504 to fit that statistic, it’s a safe guess that there are 37,106 dogs here. With that many dogs, there’s bound to be some conflict. Of course, there are many different types of dogs with a variety of personalities at various stages of training, so it’s important to be respectful of every dog owner and their pet(s) while out in public.

As praised in the list of pet friendly cities, Nanaimo boasts plenty of nature, so dogs are not always confined to their leashes like they are in urban areas. As nicer weather arrives, though, remember that Piper’s Lagoon is a no-dog area from April 1 to

theNAVIGATOR

Know your animals. Everyone is at a different level of training with their pets. It’s okay if your dog isn’t trained to come to your side when you call every single time. It’s okay if your dog must be on a leash at all times. It’s okay if your dog can run freely and come immediately when called, even in the middle of chasing a squirrel. It’s okay if your dog isn’t friendly with other dogs or people. It’s important to know your dog’s personality and level of obedience to help you determine when it needs to be leashed or not.

Have control over your animals. Keep your dog in sight at all times. Be ready to put a leash on if necessary. Don’t let your dog run up to other dogs or jump on people without their consent.

The safety of you, your dog, and other people and their dogs should be of the highest concern.

Be mindful of others. If you are in an on-leash area, do not walk your dog off -eash. The other people and animals using that park are likely using it for the reason that it is a specified on-leash zone.

If you are coming to pass with another person, by themselves or with their dog, call your dog to your side and leash it if necessary.

If the dog passing is leashed, then leash yours as well to make the other feel more comfortable. Not everyone’s dog is okay with your dog approaching it. Not every person likes dogs and wants your dog jumping on them, licking them, or being anywhere near them. Many people are allergic to dogs. (Pet peeve: When a dog with no owner in sight comes rushing towards me and jumps on me, and then the owner comes around the corner and yells “It’s okay, he’s friendly!”). Also, remember to clean up after your dog. Even though it’s nature, it’s still unpleasant to step on dog poop at a park.

As Nanaimo begins to grow, and along with it the dog community, we must learn to be respectful of every human and animal so we can all make the best of this beautiful city.

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Brandon Kornelson is a Sociology and History student. He hopes to become a journalist.

Contact Brandon at <brandonkornelson@shaw.ca>.

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APRIL

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

5

6

7

8

Tibetan Temple Guided Tour

Portal Magazine Launch

Nanaimo Kinsmen Beer Festival

Industrious Peoples Art Exhibit

Kathok Centre, 2800 Grafton Ave., Qualicum Beach

Cavallotti Lodge, 2060 Wellington Rd.

Beban Park Social Centre, 2300 Bowen Rd.

Vancouver Island Conference Centre, 101 Gordon St.

6 – 9 pm

10 am – 5 pm

$30

FREE

1 pm

By Donation

6 pm Tickets $15

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Inflatable Archery Range Challenge

Fringe Flicks: I, Daniel Blake

Humpback Comeback

Strategy Board Game Night

Watercolours by Ludek Sotola

Saturdays at New York Pizza

Cabela’s, 6900 Island Hwy.

Avalon Cinemas, Woodgrove Centre, 6631 North Island Hwy.

Malaspina Theatre, Bldg. 300, Nanaimo Campus

Harbourfront Library, 90 Commercial St.

Art 10 Gallery, 123-4750 Rutherford Rd.

Yellowpoint Drama Group presents Touch and Go

7 pm

7 – 8:30 pm

$13

FREE

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Happy Easter!

Milner Gardens Bunny Trail

Bring Your Lunch and Learn About: Interdisciplinary on Deep Cultural Mapping

11 am – 3 pm FREE

Milner Gardens & Woodland 2179 West Island Hwy., Qualicum 10 am – 4:30 pm FREE for VIU students

5:30 – 8 pm FREE

Cedar Community Hall, 2388 Cedar Rd.

New York Style Pizza and Pasta, 499 Wallace St.

10 am – 6 pm

Starts 7:30 pm

6 – 8 pm

FREE

$20

FREE

fl Nanaimo Campus 12 – 1 pm FREE

JOIN THE NAVIGATOR ONLINE

THENAV.CA /THENAVIGATORNEWSPAPER @THENAV_VIU

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CALENDAR

23

News Editor Assumes editorial responsibility for the news section; arranges for contributions, seeks out stories on campus that are timely and relevant to the student population of VIU, and edits submissions; monitors the editorial process for the news section and approves pages; gives approved pages to Managing Editor for final review; participates in copy editing for all sections and helps enter editorial changes on production weekend.

Sports Editor Assumes responsibility for the sports section; arranges for contributions, writes content for section, and edits

submissions; and participates in copy editing for all sections and helps enter editorial changes on production weekend.

staff and directs construction of the ads; and sends proofs of the ads to the advertisers for confirmation

Ad Sales Representatives Sells ads and meets sales goals under direction of Business Manager; seeks out new clients; makes sure each client is on the master ad list for each paper requested with the correct size and price for invoicing; possesses excellent time management skills and is selfmotivated; contacts clients far enough in advance so deadlines can be met, and be paces themselves in order to provide quality client service; passes on information and materials from clients concerning ads to graphics

Online Reporter Responsible for making sure content is frequently going up online so we can have timely, relevant news content going up as it happens; reports, edits, and uploads stories from Nanaimoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community and VIU campus as they break; stories will be short and succinct, and can cover any subject (news, sports, arts, and features); has basic editing and Wordpress skills to copy edit and upload their own stories.

Send a cover letter and resume to <editor@thenav.ca>, providing two positions of interest.

Deadline is April 14. Must be a 2017-18 student to apply.