October 12, 2011 by The Omega

The Ωmega www.theomega.ca

Thompson Rivers University’s Independent Student Newspaper Oct. 12, 2011

Another walkabout for a prize

PHOTO BY CORY HOPE

TRU joins Research Universities Council of B.C. 3

UVic segregates smokers even more

WolfPack 6 Sports 11

October 12, 2011

Feature Facebook: a post-secondary complaint forum Social network allows instructors to vent frustrations and commiserate in private Tannara Yelland

Prairies & Northern Bureau Chief SASKATOON (CUP) — The university teacher-student dynamic can be a strange one: on one hand, students are students, and should reasonably be expected to act accordingly, deferring to professors as superiors and as more knowledgeable. On the other hand, students know they pay a good chunk of their professors’ salary, and this can sometimes lead to students feeling as though they deserve more equal footing with their instructors. Professor June Madeley of the University of New Brunswick is one of a growing number of post-secondary instructors who has found a distinctly modern way to deal with the frustrations of an increasingly entitled student body. “That’s PROFESSOR Uptight to you, Johnny” is a private Facebook group where professors meet to gripe about students and to support each other. Madeley, who joined two years ago when a colleague forwarded the group to her, says it fills an important void in professors’ professional lives. “In public schools,” she said, “in high schools, they have a staff room. I’m sure they have conversations about frustrating things there. “Profs don’t have that [in uni-

versities]. There isn’t a lot of room for commiserating.” Madeley also explained that while professors share complaints about students and sometimes post hypothetical scathing responses to student emails, it is more often a venue “for selfsupport.” “It’s also very helpful to know that the kinds of things we’re facing, others are facing them too,” Madeley said. “It’s a morale thing.” The private group, which has members from Canada, America and the UK, has never been a source of trouble to a professor, as far as Madeley knows. This is very different from how a group of University of Calgary students were treated after creating a group to vent about a professor. Twins Keith and Steven Pridgen have been embroiled in a legal battle with their university since being placed on 24 months of academic probation for their membership in a Facebook group called, “I NO Longer Fear Hell, I Took a Course with Aruna Mitra.” The group was not private, Keith said, though “it was not intended to be for the public. The Facebook group’s creator, Tom Strangward, said that he did not really think about that aspect of it when he made the group.” The Pridgens won their case against the U of C in late 2010, when Justice Jo-Ann Strekaf

Facebook is waiting, arms wide open, to bear the burden of your troubles. Just don’t forget to make them private. (Image by Sean MacEntee/Flickr)

ruled that the university was required by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to respect the Pridgens’ right to free speech. In early 2010, the U of C announced its intention to appeal the ruling, claiming it was seeking “clarification.” Keith Pridgen said the appeal hearing “could reasonably be heard before the court by early November, although the date is not set in stone as of yet.” When asked about the Pridgens’ case, Madeley said she hopes students exhaust every possible official option before turning to online complaining when faced with an unsatisfactory teacher. “I think the fact that [the U of C group] was public was more

of a problem,” she said. “Professors have contracts, they need to meet tenure; if review committees were looking at it, that would be inappropriate, in the same way that Rate My Professor is inappropriate for [assessing professors].” Pridgen said he and his brother had, in fact, already contacted the university through conventional channels, and had met with no success. “We brought questions to to the professor during class,” he said. “Then we began to appeal our grades to the head of the program.” After this led to many students receiving an even lower grade, Pridgen said they took their complaint to the associate dean

Maybe that’s on you:

of law. This led to higher grades for many students, but the Pridgens also found out that the head of their program, who had lowered their grades, was married to the professor they were upset with. “It was only after all this that we decided to join a Facebook group intended only for fellow students to voice their concerns about the professor.” On the other side of this fraught relationship is Madeley, who said that it can be difficult to teach class upon class of students who expect more and more from professors in return for less and less work. “[Teaching] really is such a demoralizing experience, sometimes,” said Madeley.

A response to June Madeley’s strange complaint Mike Davies Editor-in-Chief

If professors don’t want students to talk disparagingly about them on forums like Facebook and Rate My Professor then maybe they should figure out more or better ways to not suck at connecting with students. Granted, there’s no magic formula that will allow a professor to get through to every student — nor is there some system that every student can follow to respond positively to every professor’s teaching style. If I have a professor who I can’t learn from, I feel like I should have the right to discuss that with others — no matter

who is at fault for that lack of connection. Sometimes it’s been my fault that I didn’t respond well to a style of teaching — and I’m willing to admit that. In fact, when students ask my opinion on a professor I’ve had in the past, I will share it freely — and if it was my fault I couldn’t connect with them I will explain to them exactly why it didn’t work. I think there should be more (and more public) venues for these discussions, not fewer (or more private) ones. If a student knows what style of teaching they are most likely to succeed with, shouldn’t they be able to find out where they

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will find that style? Won’t that give them the best chance of success? Do we not want students to succeed? I also think that maybe these forums SHOULD be a source of information for people making various decisions in regards to instructors. If an administrator deciding on a contract extension for a professor doesn’t have access to the people who’ve taken the courses taught by that instructor, then how are they deciding anything? “Professors have contracts, they need to meet tenure; if review committees were looking at it, that would be inappropriate, in the same way that Rate My Professor is inappropriate

for [assessing professors],” according to professor June Madeley of the University of New Brunswick. I have a hard time believing that she has seen the jokes that are the student surveys that go out every semester to students at Thompson Rivers University. If these surveys are the only reference that administrators have in assessing the competency of a professor, then our education system is in even more trouble than I thought. Explain to me why you wouldn’t want more sources of information about professors? What could possibly be the downside of that? The upside, as I see it, is that

students have more access to some information that will give them the best chance of success in their educational endeavours and professors will be able to see what students are (and are not) responding to and adjust (or not adjust) their teaching styles accordingly. As long as students are honest in their criticism — and if they’re not they’re being libellous and you can punish them for that — I have a hard time believing that anyone will convince me that there are more negatives than positives to these discussions about professors, or the forms of media being utilized to have them.

October 12, 2011

THE

MEGA

www.theomega.ca

October 12, 2011

Volume 21, Issue 6

Published since November 27, 1991

editorialstaff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mike Davies

editorofomega@gmail.com/250-372-1272 BUSINESS MANAGER Natasha Slack

managerofomega@gmail.com 250-372-1272 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Cory Hope

SPORTS EDITOR

Nathan Crosby Copy Editor

Larkin Schmiedl Photo Editor

Cory Hope News Editor

Brendan Kergin

omegacontributors Tannara Yelland, Sean MacEntee, Devan C. Tas, Taylor Rocca, Blake Morneau, Ian Merkley, Damira Davletarova, Hayley Dunning, Jenny Boychuk

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF * Mike Davies BUSINESS MGR * Natasha Slack INDUSTRY REP * Mike Youds FACULTY REP * Charles Hays STUDENT REP* Sadie Cox

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Literary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste and legality. The Omega will attempt to publish each letter received, barring time and space constraints. The editor will take care not to change the intention or tone of submissions, but will not publish material deemed to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. Letters for publication must include the writer’s name (for publication) and contact details (not for publication). The Omega reserves the right not to publish any letter or submitted material. Opinions expressed in the Letters & Opinion section do not represent those of The Omega, the Cariboo Student Newspaper Society, its Board of Directors or its staff. Opinions belong only to those who have signed them.

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News

TRU joins prestigious research council Brendan Kergin News Editor

Thompson Rivers University has become the latest member of the Research Universities Council of B.C. (RUCBC). The group is made up of the six major universities in B.C. including UBC, UVic, SFU, UNBC and now Royal Roads University (RRU) and TRU. RUCBC works towards coordinating the efforts of member schools in a variety of areas, specifically research and public policy. “We are a young university,” said Dr. Alan Shaver, President and Vice-Chancellor of TRU, “so being able to work closely with other members of the council will support our exciting future. “[It] recognizes our progress as an institution.” Joining RUCBC is important to TRU because it recognizes the research work going on here, notably ecological work and agriculture, and puts TRU into the same league as the more established universities of the province.

TRU better access to information at other schools, allowing the university to better organize research and funding. Through video conference, RUCBC’s current chair, Dr. George Iwama, welcomed TRU and RRU. “On behalf of the RUCBC I am pleased to announce that TRU and RRU have been invited and accepted membership in the RUCBC.” The council is excited to add TRU’s international experience to its membership, a unique aspect of the school, —Allan Calhoun said Iwama, who is also President and Vice-Chancellor of UNBC come active participants instead in Prince George. Collaboration of separate uniof just learning from the past. Joining RUCBC also gives versities helps B.C. lead in a va-

TRU has seven research facilities and a faculty with internationally recognized investigators, said Shaver. Research at the university gives students a chance to be-

“...the partnership with TRU and the RUCBC universities will help B.C. play a big role in innovation.”

riety of categories, notably sustainability. “Each institution in this organization has a unique orientation on research,” Shaver said. While the big three B.C. universities will still receive the majority of government research funding, their recognition of TRU will bolster its standing. It was big news for RRU as well, since it is also a young university with a small student body. RRU President and ViceChancellor Allan Calhoon said, “I think the partnership with TRU and the RUCBC universities will help B.C. play a big role in innovation.” While there will be no immediate access to new funding with membership, Shaver expects that in the future researchers will have better accessibility. He also hopes this announcement will attract better faculty for positions at the school. This will not alter the way TRU is run, however. Shaver said TRU will continue with its current education style. The RUCBC will help open doors for students, but it won’t alter the way they learn.

October 12, 2011

Life & Community

Students forced to leave campus to vote Devan C. Tasa

Omega Contributor Those wanting to vote in November’s civic elections will have to leave campus to vote at a polling station – unless the Thompson Rivers University Student Union (TRUSU) gets its way. “We’ve sent a letter to the city asking if it would be possible to have a polling station at TRU,” Nathan Lane, the student society’s executive director said. That’s unlikely to happen according to Cindy Kennedy, chief elections officer for the city of Kamloops. Adding a polling station “is a decision made by the chief elections officer early in the (election planning) process, around (February, March or April of an election year),” Kennedy said. Generally, Kamloops polling stations are located in schools as the city can use the space without charge in exchange for conducting the election of school trustees. After the decision is made, the city hires around 200 staff to conduct the election, said Kennedy. The TRUSU is concerned that

students won’t be able “to make it to other polling stations in the city,” said Lane. Having a polling station on campus “would encourage [students] and staff to vote in the election.”

“We

campus polling station. The cities rejected the request. “The reasoning that we got was it was the lack of resources,” said Dylan Sherlock, a UVSS director. “We will hopefully have it in place for the 2014 elections and we have a whole bunch of both local politicians and city officials who are saying that’s a thing they’d want to do.” If the TRUSU, like the UVSS, has to wait until the 2014 election, the student society should write a letter asking for an on-campus polling station in November or December 2013, said Kennedy. At press time, there were two universities in British Columbia that have confirmed that they will have an on-campus poll for the civic election: the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George and the University of British Columbia – Okanagan in Kelowna. To vote in the Kamloops civic election, one must be a Canadian citizen, have been a resident of British Columbia for six months, and have been a resident of Kamloops for 30 days. Citizens must also take two pieces of identification. Voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 19.

will hopefully have it in place for the 2014 elections...” —Nathan Lane To Lane’s knowledge, there has never been a civic, provincial, or federal polling station on campus. TRUSU isn’t the only student government body that asked for an on-campus polling station. The University of Victoria Student Society (UVSS) also approached the cities of Victoria, Oak Bay, and Saanich for an on-

Community Calendar Wednesday, Oct. 12 -Heroes Live Concert Series. Show starts 8 p.m. $5 Dollars cover. -East-Central Europe field school information session. 4:30 p.m. AE 101 -Free the Cuban 5 Political Prisoners in U.S. Jails 8 p.m. AE 108 Thursday, Oct. 13 -East-Central Europe field school information session. 4:30 p.m. AE 101 -Free the Cuban 5 Political Prisoners in U.S. Jails 9:30 a.m. AE 212 Friday, Oct. 14 -BDO Canada Basketball Tournament Women’s Basketball 6 p.m. Tournament Capital Center vs U of New Brunswick Reds -Men’s Volleyball exhibition match vs University of Saskatchewan 7 p.m. TRU Gym Saturday, Oct. 15 -Women’s Soccer Noon Hillside Stadium vs Langara -Men’s Soccer 2 p.m. Hillside Stadium vs Langara

See all this empty space in the events calendar? There’s no way that there’s nothing happening this week, but you didn’t tell us about it, so we can’t tell everyone else. Hopefully you learn from this and get your events to us so we can share them with the people who might attend. editorofomega@ gmail.com

The Omega · Volume 21, Issue 6

Editorial

Smokers: easy political scapegoats

Do Canada’s cigarette packaging warnings truly make a difference? Ian Merkley

The Cord (Wilfrid Laurier) WATERLOO (CUP) — This December will mark the tenth anniversary of the government of Canada forcing cigarette producers to place a label containing a graphic image and health warning on cigarette packages. This law requires the graphic images to consume 50 per cent of the front and back of the package. The government recently announced that it plans to increase the size of the health warnings to 75 per cent. However, it’s doubtful that increasing the size of the images will actually have any noticeable impact on the prevalence of smoking in Canada. I do not smoke and do not plan to smoke. In no way do I advocate it. I am also in no way against applying labels warning consumers about the dangerous side effects of products. In a free society, the consumer and producer mutually consent to exchange one item for another. However, neither party should misrepresent the product it proffers. Look inside your medicine cabinet. The warnings on the bottles are very different from those on cigarette packages in both size and depictions. Like nearly all other Canadians who are able to purchase cigarettes, I already know the dangers of smoking. The effectiveness of the labels is questionable. To see just how effective these graphic warning labels actually are, I looked at statistics from both the United States, which does not have these labels, and Canada, which does. I looked at the period between 2001, when the labels were introduced, and 2009, which was the date of the most recent American figures. It turns out that between these dates the number of smokers in Canada declined by 3.8 per cent. In America, it declined by 2.2 per cent. So Canadians had reduced the percentage of smokers by more than Americans. However, can this 1.6 per cent be attributed to these pictures and

warnings alone? That is unlikely. There are a number of factors this decline could be attributed to, including higher taxation on cigarettes and more laws to make the life of a smoker miserable (such as a ban from restaurants). It could also be attributed to the difference in culture. Even if we like the idea of graphic warnings on cigarette companies’ packaging, why expand it to 75 per cent of the packaging? What now makes 50 per cent unacceptable? Proponents of the size increase argue that people are now immune to the old pictures. Why not just get new pictures and keep the previous size? Pictures that are more graphic should be equally effective. Fifty per cent was a lot to ask of the cigarette companies; 75 per cent is just getting out of hand. There is a nasty double standard when it comes to cigarettes versus other potentially dangerous vices. Drinking alcohol in excess increases the chances of liver problems and could, in extreme cases, kill the drinker due to alcohol poisoning. I do not see a picture of a dying person on a beer bottle. Fast food could lead to obesity and you could have a heart attack. I do not see a depiction of someone suffering from a heart attack on the packaging when I buy a cheeseburger. Using a computer for too long may damage your eyes, and yet there are no depictions of people sheltering their eyes in agony covering 50 per cent of computers’ packaging. I hope I did not give any altruists ideas. There is little, if any, evidence to suggest that this labelling law will do any noticeable good, and this law against the tobacco companies appears to have been passed because of pure populism. I would advocate repealing the labelling law completely, or at least not increasing the size of the health warnings. After all, tobacco does not damage peoples’ eyesight, so an increase in the size of the picture will not change peoples’ level of awareness.

There is a nasty

double standard when it comes to cigarettes

ver-

sus other poten-

tially dangerous vices.

Is getting into the U.S. worth the hassle?

I’m not sure how I feel about the U.S. government assuming that everyone from everywhere is a potential criminal with harmful intentions when they want to come into their country. On the one hand they have to protect themselves — as is evident by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and others. They recognize that a whole lot of the world hates them and what they supposedly stand for. On the other hand — do you think your over-zealous “defence” strategies might have something to do with that attitude towards you? I’m a little steamed right now about my own situation, so I’m obviously biased about the topic — I guess I should explain that before getting too far into my rant. A good friend of mine in Prince George is a Washington Huskies fan. I am an Oregon Ducks fan. So when he told me he was thinking about buying tickets to the Ducks/Huskies football game on Nov. 5 — the last game that will ever be held in historic Husky Stadium in Seattle — I was understandably pretty excited and told him to pull the trigger, and make sure he got me one. Which he did. Sweet, right? Well then I have to start working on making sure I can get into the U.S. Which I can not — nor is there enough time between now and then to fix that situation. I assumed — my first mistake, obviously — that newly issued drivers licenses and government issued identification were

embedded with enough security features to allow for passage across the border. They sure look like it, and you need a whole lot of proof that you are, in fact, the person whose name is on the card in order to get one. “Enhanced” identification is

Editor’s Note Mike Davies Editor-in-Chief what you need, though. So you’re aware, in order to “enhance” your identification you need to make an appointment with the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), and have an interview with an agent, who fingerprints you (because you’re probably going to engage in criminal activity and they will need to be able to match your prints, right?) and interviews you to assess your risk to the public. Let me say that again. ICBC agents are assessing the

risk to the public from citizens who want to travel to the U.S. If these super-qualified ICBC representatives decide that I’m probably not a drug smuggler, then they approve my application for an Enhanced ID and I receive it in the mail six to eight weeks later, and then I can travel to the U.S. in a car. I knew you’d need a passport to get on a plane and go — but that’s because they think I’m going to take over the plane and f ly it into something. So while I understand the need for countries to protect their borders I think maybe you should relax a bit. You’re sure not helping your image by keeping out football fans, U.S. And to entrust ICBC with assessing the risk posed by people to your safety is ridiculous. I think maybe they did it that way because they recognize that for most people there isn’t much worth going to the U.S. for if it means you have to spend any time at all with an ICBC agent, because they obviously don’t want us there. This one would have been worth it to me, but since you need to start the process a few months before you want to go — I’ll watch the game on TV instead. Maybe my friend in Prince George will make the trip down that weekend. For the record, he wouldn’t have been able to get across the border, either. editorofomega@gmail.com

October 12, 2011

Life & Community UVic students fuming over new smoking rules Entire campus set to be smoke-free in two years Jenny Boychuk

The Martlet (UVic) VICTORIA (CUP) — The University of Victoria’s new smoking policy, which prohibits smoking within the boundaries of Ring Road at the centre of campus, is already facing challenges and opposition from students who feel they were left out of the loop in the decision-making process. UVic Students’ Society (UVSS) director-at-large Ariel Tseng is the only student representative sitting on the university’s smoking committee — and he was elected after the policy had been finalized. “The committee met all summer without informing the UVSS and therefore, was without a student representative. We were not informed of any meetings until September, after the smoking ban had already been implemented,” said Tseng. The policy came into effect Sept. 1, 2011. “The committee said that they had some kind of campus-wide vote, but yet hardly any students even knew about the ban. Somehow, they managed to do this without informing the student society,” said Tseng. “I had no idea there was a ban until I noticed one of the designated smoking areas,” said fourth-year student Erika Maddox. “But there definitely should have been some kind of vote this fall; when the university is almost completely

made up of students, you would think it would be important to get our opinion.” Tseng says that once he was able to state his opposition to the committee, it was too late. “They smiled and said that it was really nice that I came, and that it was important they know how people felt, but that the decision had been made. They said that there will never again be smoking within the ring, and in two years the campus will be smoke-free.” Some students can’t fathom making it outside the ring, smoking, and then making it to class on time when they only have ten minutes. “The smoking committee believes that designated smoking areas are located at a three-minute walk from any point within the ring,” said Tseng. “That’s fine, but it might not necessarily be three minutes to your next class; it just doesn’t work.” “It’s not really fair because some people really need to smoke or they get antsy, and to tell them they can’t do that isn’t fair,” said Maddox. “I’m not a smoker so it doesn’t affect me, but I can see if affecting a lot of other people — and I’ve still seen a lot of people smoking within the ring anyways.” The smoking ban has caused students to break other rules in order to get their fixes. “I saw someone smoking in a [campus building’s] bathroom the other day. This is what it’s already coming to,” said Tseng. Questions about how the policy is go-

ing to be enforced have also surfaced. Tseng says the committee doesn’t expect to have 100 per cent of students participate in the ban, but in the future, people who repeatedly break the ban will put their position at the university in jeopardy. “I’m not exactly sure what they mean by that,” Tseng said. “They should have just put more pressure on the ten-metre restriction,” said Maddox. Tseng is concerned about the plan to make the entire campus smoke-free. “It doesn’t make sense to take out smoking areas all together. If you at least have a smoking area, then people who don’t want to be around second-hand smoke can avoid those areas.” Tseng feels that, as an occasional smoker himself, not all aspects of smoking were taken into consideration. “It’s increasing smokers’ shame and stigma: some non-smokers feel like they have more of a right to openly shame and judge smokers. It’s not going to cut down on the amount of people who smoke,” says Tseng. “Smokers are literally being pushed to the margins.” The policy is not limited to cigarette smoke, but smoking of any substance. “We’ve had complaints from different clubs, such as 420,” said Tseng. However, the smoking committee hasn’t heard any formal complaints. “The feedback we have received has been minimal,” said Janice Johnson, manager of the office of UVic’s vice president of finance and operations.

Smokers are being more and more segregated and soon these types of areas will be a thing of the past. —Photo by Tess Forsyth/The Martlet

“Some suggestions included more signage, which we are working on immediately and we will be posting 10 more signs outside of key buildings on campus.” There has also been a cost to creating the designated smoking areas. “The benches and area construction were about $1,500 each, and we are looking forward to reusing them in the future if we move to a completely smoke-free campus,” says Johnson. “The signs vary, as we have created some new signs and also have reused the signs we had when we implemented the

first smoking policy changes.” When asked where the nearest smoking area is located in relation to the Student Union Building (SUB), Tseng says that it’s a grey area because it is student property. “The University of Alberta has a campus-wide smoking ban, but people are allowed to smoke at the SUB,” says Tseng. The UVSS passed a motion Oct. 3 stating its opposition to entirely removing smoking areas, and supporting a policy that permits smoking in open areas within Ring Road, such as the quad.

The Omega · Volume 21, Issue 6

Arts & Entertainment

Omega Expeditionary Force presents: Kenna Cartwright Park Cory Hope

Arts and Entertainment Editor Sunset Trail. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? It’s a beautiful spot located in Kenna Cartwright Park, and I’m amazed I’ve only been there during the day and have never had the opportunity to sit down and enjoy an actual sunset. This week I went out a little farther than usual (if you use trivial things like how far you had to walk as the stick by which you measure). It’s still not very far, though, and you can stop by and have a look at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre on your way there. Please stay back from the fence and do not feed the inmates. Kenna Cartwright Park is the name of the almost 800 hectares of Mt. Dufferin that make up the largest municipal park in the province of British Columbia. It features over 40 kilometres of trails — which are labeled according to their difficulty — and there are enough intersections in the trails to allow for what feels like a limitless variety of potential routes. Although there are several different ways to get into the park, I would recommend the entrance at Hillside Drive just past Copperhead Drive. There is a parking lot there, and I believe this is the closest entrance to the location of this week’s geocache. If you enter from the gate down by Home Depot, you’ll be walking for quite a while. Not that I have a problem with that. I’m just trying to save you a bit

Find this view at Kenna Cartwright Park and win the Omega’s weekly prize.

of time. Bring a lunch, because there’s a bench up at the top of the hill as well as a picnic table and a wooden viewpoint that looks out at Kamloops Lake. If the name can be taken literally, I would assume that it’s got a great view of the sunset, too. I’d recommend you pack a f lashlight if this is your plan, and at this time of year I would also suggest perhaps bringing a friend.

Preferably one that you can outrun, as there is an increasing chance of running into bears as the winter months come closer. Type this into Google Earth or load it into your GPS: N 50˚ 40’ 27.7” W 120˚ 25’ 41.0” Although I stayed mostly on the easier trails for this one, the elevation is 772m, and the final few minutes while heading up the hill can be a bit trying if you’re not used to it.

Once you get to the top, have a seat and look around not just at the view, but also for a piece of f lagging tape. It shouldn’t be hard to see. If you’re the first person to send me an email at cory.hope@ gmail.com with the message written on the tape, you’ll be this week’s winner. As a reminder, please don’t remove the f lagging tape, as it frustrates the efforts of other people who are playing.

—Cory Hope

All I need is the email sent to me with the message written on the tape. Good luck! Editor’s note: Congratulations to Robbie Brown for finding last week’s geocache. He received a copy of Cory Hope’s Snail Mail Photo Blog — hand crafted with extra love.

Holiday movie showdown Cory Hope

Arts and Entertainment Editor Most of the holidays typically found on the calendar (if you happened to buy that calendar in North America at a non-specialty store) have been the setting for countless movies in various genres. Thanksgiving however seems to have been left behind by the movie industry. While I was scouring around looking for the perfect Thanksgiving movie I only found two options. I watched them both, and I’m happy to present you with a head-to-head brawl: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles vs. Thankskilling. Because these movies are so different I thought a juxtaposition by virtue of the actual calibre of the films would be unfair to Thankskilling, as it is a low-budget film in which the villain is a demonic turkey that is painfully obviously a hand puppet. As a result, the discussion will be a series of comparisons I found to be interesting while watching them. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles stars Steve Martin and John Candy, who were both excellent, likable actors at the top of their games when the

movie came out in 1986. Thankskilling brought such talent as General Bastard, Lindsey Anderson and Lance Predmore to the screen for the first time. In fact, the only actor involved with this film that has more than one entry on their www.imdb.com page is Wanda Lust, who apparently took a break from working as an adult film star to film the opening sequence of Thankskilling. Advantage goes to: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (PTA). The opening sequences of these movies are drastically different. While PTA director John Hughes chose to begin his film with an awkward silence in a boardroom (which Steve Martin still manages to make funny), Thankskilling director Jordan Downey opened his film by going way back into the past to the year 1621, and fading into an opening shot of a naked breast, not of the turkey kind. I think this ties up the game. PTA 1, Thankskilling 1. Never underestimate the moviemaking prowess of John Hughes, however. Only a master craftsman like Hughes would know that the best way to follow up such an awkward opening is to bring in Kevin Bacon for a Man-

hattan footrace against Steve Martin. Not only is this scene funny, but it also puts the entire cast of PTA at a Bacon Number of N + 1 for those of you who might still be playing The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Thankskilling can only be assigned a Bacon Number if television shows and directors can be put into the mix, and even then it only comes up with a Bacon Number of N + 4. Thankskilling director Jordan Downey also directed a short called Craw Lake which starred Bela Thorne who was on the show Big Love with Bill Paxton who was in the movie Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon. Because a point can’t be deducted for reasons as petty as a low Bacon Number, two points will be awarded to PTA for their stellar performance in this category. PTA 3, Thankskilling 1. If the Bacon Number wasn’t reason enough to place PTA far enough ahead of Thankskilling to prevent it from ever catching up, Downey’s decision to use the second scene of his movie to remind the audience that they didn’t have the budget to hire some of those trivial things used in movies, like writers or actors, definitely is. His movie essentially falls apart at this point, and isn’t worth watching

John Hughes’ classic comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles takes on Thankskilling in the year’s first movie showdown.

unless you’re in the mood to sit down with a few friends and poke fun at it the whole time. The final points to be awarded here will go to the biggest surprise moment, which would almost go to PTA for Martin’s sudden outburst of profanity like nothing I’ve ever heard him engage in before, had that scene not lost to Thankskilling for a scene I

don’t want to spoil for you. I’ll tease it though, and maybe you’ll go out and watch it: A turkey in disguise as a man sits at a table with a man wearing a Thanksgiving turkey costume. The turkey says “I’m not gonna lie, this is pretty awkward, Sheriff.” Final Score: PTA 3, Thankskilling 2.

October 12, 2011

Arts & Entertainment

A cornucopia of collaborations Blake Morneau

gether.

The Martlet (UVic)

2. Oysterhead

VICTORIA (CUP) — This year has brought us some highprofile musical collaborations. Jay-Z and Kanye West dropped “Watch the Throne” this summer, and fall brings both the Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration “Lulu” and the bastard child that is SuperHeavy, a group that includes Mick Jagger, Damian Marley, Joss Stone and Dave Stewart (the uninteresting Eurythmic). With the plethora of interbreeding, now seems like as good a time as any to take a look back at some of the more memorable collaborative efforts of the last few years.

Stoners around the world rejoiced when Phish front man Trey Anastasio teamed up with bass god Les Claypool of Primus and Stewart Copeland of the Police for 2001’s The Grand Pecking Order. At first glance the players don’t seem to fit, but each guy is a virtuoso and the result is an album that is danceable, challenging and endlessly fascinating.

1. The Dead Weather Another of Jack White’s seemingly neverending stream of projects, The Dead Weather gathers up White, Alison Mosshart of The Kills, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and White’s Raconteurs cohort Jack Lawrence, to create eerie, dark and spacy blues-rock. They’ve released two albums thus far, including their stunning 2009 debut Horehound. With the White Stripes now defunct, we can only hope that White has enough time between projects to get this band back to-

3. John Legend & The Roots Ultra-smooth neo-soul star John Legend recruited the reigning champions of live hip hop to help him explore the history of politically charged soul music for last year’s Wake Up! Black Thought’s rapping is used only twice on the album and to great effect. The only original track is the glimmering, fragile “Shine,” a track to remember disenfranchised members of our society. The song holds its own, even next to tunes by past soul giants. 4. Street Sweeper Social Club In 2006, Boots Riley of The Coup teamed up with Rage Against the Machine’s (RATM) Tom Morello to make furious party music for the masses.

The annoying high school anger moments that populated RATM’s classic work are traded in for Riley’s party-friendly, hopeful rhymes. Both men are known to be quite militant in their political stances and they bring their passion here to create funky, powerful music that does the unthinkable: it makes the raprock hybrid sound healthy and vibrant again.

Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready started working with Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin and bluesbass journeyman John Baker Saunders. He then recruited Alice In Chains singer Layne Staley to round out the group with vocals. McCready had hoped the group of sober musicians would help push his friend Staley into

sobriety as well, but it was not to be. Mad Season only released one record before the players had to rejoin their respective bands and Staley lost his life to an overdose. The record features some of the most haunting lyrics and performances of Staley’s alltoo-short career.

5. Monsters of Folk I’ve never been a huge Bright Eyes fan; Conor Oberst consistently bugs the hell out of me, no matter how much I try to like him. But I have to give it to him here — this is a wonderful project. Oberst brings along his Bright Eyes partner Mike Mogis and joins up with indie-folk hero M. Ward and My Morning Jacket rock god Jim James to make beautiful and haunting folkrock. Maybe if enough fans say “please” we’ll get another record out of them. 6. Mad Season The Seattle grunge scene has always been incredibly incestuous. Friends constantly poach friends from friends’ bands for all kinds of side projects.

Mike McCready onstage with Pearl Jam in Philadelphia, 2006. (Photo coutesy Wikimedia Commons)

The Omega · Volume 21, Issue 6

Science & Technology Screen-to-screen sex study heats up at UNB PhD candidate finds more than 70 per cent of students surveyed engage in some form of cybersex phone interview. UNB graduate student Maryna The Brunswickan (UNB) Ivus said she and her long-term boyfriend turned to the Internet FREDERICTON (CUP) — Stu- to continue their relationship, afdents are getting sexier with their ter she moved to Fredericton to online communication, a UNB pursue her studies. The lack of face-to-face conPhD candidate says. Krystelle Shaughnessy, PhD tact, hours of conversation and candidate in Clinical Psychology availability of technology were at UNB, said cybersex among among reasons they turned to cystudents is becoming more preva- bersex, she said. In the beginning, Ivus said, she lent. Shaughnessy has been col- felt uncomfortable. But knowlecting data from ing her boyheterosexual UNB friend was students about on the other their cybersex acside of the tivity, their underscreen, and standing of cybercybersex sex, experiences is now so and outcomes. widespread Preliminary reamong stusults, from those dents, made who have already her feel it completed the onis an option line survey, indifor someone cate more than 70 in a longper cent of UNB distance restudents engage in lationship. some form of cy“I think bersex activity. a lot of stuIn 2006, her redents are dosearch showed that only 25 per cent of —Krystelle Shaughnessy ing that [cybersex]. It’s students had cyjust a more bersex. Shaughnessy explained the secret, intimate topic,” she said. Five years ago, when the PhD hike in the numbers is due to the increasing roles of technology candidate was just beginning her and Internet in modern life, and research about cyber sexuality, it is especially visible among stu- she was starting at square one. The topic was under-redents. “Students are particularly im- searched, the definition was unportant to look at, because how clear and it kept changing with often are students not attached to technological advancements. With the effort of a team of retheir computers?” she said in a

Damira Davletyarova

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searchers and student surveys at UNB, she could finally put together an answer to the question, “what is cybersex?” “Cybersex occurs in real-time. It’s a sexual communication where at least two people are involved, so you can’t do it on your own. That means it’s different from looking at erotic images or videos,” Shaughnessy said. “People are describing either sexual activities or sexual fantasies, sexual interests or desires ... and it is over the Internet or some medium. People can or may not be self-stimulating; it might be about sexual arousal, it might not be about sexual arousal.” Shaughnessy stated clearly that her research is focused on recreational cybersex — infrequent, online sexual activity which is not compulsive, obsessive, or addictive. In her most recent study, Shaughnessy noticed there are more positive outcomes reported by students rather than negative ones. In terms of safety, she said, recreational cybersex is safer than any other sexual activity. “There is no risk of pregnancy, there is no risk of STDs, decreased risk of harassment or assaults, or even rejection, because you have more control over what’s happening on your computer screen,” she said. “If something starts to go where you don’t want it go, you can just shut off the computer.” At the same time, Shaughnessy said, nothing is safe, and students must be careful. According to the same prelimi-

nary data, more men than women responded to the survey. Shaughnessy said there could be many explanations for this. It could be that men are more comfortable to admit having had cybersex or perhaps they are more interested in it than women. The researcher is also interested to find out why both genders decide to have cybersex. “Are men and women using cybersex to experiment with activities that they are not comfortable to experiment with off line?” she said. Shaughnessy still has plenty of questions to answer. For example, with whom and on what occasions are people

engaging in cybersex activities? The data collection is still ongoing. Shaugnessy is looking for male students, 18 and over to complete her online study Sexuality and Intimacy on the Internet, which can be found at unbstudy.com. As for Ivus, she knows exactly why she doesn’t want to have cybersex anymore. She said it was just a part of her long-distance relationship, a step in her life, maybe even fear that she overcame, but she tried it — and she didn’t enjoy it. “Still, it’s unreal. For me, it is important to hug the person, to feel the person and to see him every day.”

Cybersex is becoming increasingly common among students. (Photo by Damira Davletyarova/The Brunswickan)

Researcher draws link between Puzzle of the Week #5 – More Puppies genius, prenatal testosterone Oh, look at the puppies! They are so cute. There are seven of them. Hayley Dunning

The Gateway (U of A) EDMONTON (CUP) — Savant-style genius may be affected by the amount of testosterone you receive in the womb, according to a new University of Alberta study. The roots of extraordinary genius have long been the subject of the nature-versus-nurture debate, but educational psychology professor Martin Mrazik thinks that prenatal conditions may be the determining factor. “We can’t underestimate the power of nature. Some things may be very biological in nature, and no matter how hard we try to develop a genius, maybe it’s not really the way to go about it,” Mrazik said. Mrazik and his colleague from Rider University in New Jersey recently linked prenatal testosterone exposure to children with high levels of precociousness — the presence of above-average mental capabilities at an early age. The pair used advanced techniques such as functional MRI scans to investigate how the brain works. “Testosterone seems to influence the right hemisphere. That’s where our math, science, reasoning and abstract thinking take place … we found a lot of evidence to suggest that in very precocious kids, [they] have very highly developed brain networks in the right frontal lobes of their brain.” Mrazik also found that precocious children were found to have a higher incidence of short-sightedness and allergies, conditions which may also be associated with more exposure to testosterone in the prenatal environment. “This hypothesis of exposure to testosterone seems to make sense, and it seems in some cases

where we see these children who have clear patterns of advanced math and reasoning, but that they also have some of these other disorders and allergies and so on,” he said. While this research adds weight to the idea that genius has more to do with nature than with nurture, it may not be hard-wired into our genetics. What affects the levels of testosterone received by a fetus is uncertain, although some environmental conditions may play a part, such as stress. Mrazik also noted that advancement in one area of the brain can mean that other skills are underdeveloped. The research is still in its early stages, and Mrazik is certainly not advocating for pregnant women to artificially enhance their testosterone levels, especially considering the potential negatives. He explained that in many cases, savant-like genius is associated with learning disorders such as Asperger’s Syndrome or autism. “It may explain why the highly precocious people are not good communicators. “It’s because their language skills have not developed or perhaps have even been suppressed.” In the prenatal environment, testosterone influences how cells connect with each other, thus determining how brain networks are set up. According to Mrazik, this may affect the connection between the right and left sides of the brain, pruning more of the connections than would otherwise develop normally. Mrazik wants to extend the research to see if this is also associated with genius, and to confirm the link between testosterone and advanced thinking skills.

Despite being young, they have already developed personalities. Five of them most definitely enjoy chewing on rawhide chewtoys. Three of them like chewing on slippers. Four of them are scrappers and like chewing on each other. 1. Is it possible for each puppy to have at least two preferences? 2. What is the maximum number of combinations of preferences that can be had by at least one puppy? And the minimum? 3. As in #2, but each puppy must have at least one preference? This contest is sponsored by the Mathematics and Statistics department. The full-time student with the best score at the end of the year will win a prize. Please submit your solution (not just the answer but also why) by noon next Wednesday to Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net>. Submissions by others are

October 12, 2011

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last week’s answers easy

hard

Across 1. Santa’s present carrier 5. Physics calculation 9. Goes with Saxon 14. S-shaped molding 15. Chip in? 16. Fabric 17. Part 18. Back of the house 19. Rumba relative 20. Start of a house? 23. In-flight info, for short 24. Consume 25. Jane Eyre, e.g. 28. It’s always sold in mint condition 30. Appear 26. Fleshy seed covering 27. “Waking ___ Devine” (1998 film) 29. Microsoft support rep 30. Nee Al (anagram) 31. Gut areas 34. Carve in stone 35. Horse move 36. God of war 37. “The ___ have it” 38. Butting equipment 39. Snigger maker 40. “Bingo!” 43. Backgammon impossibility 45. Attach a hose 46. An alloy

47. Supposed, for Shakespeare 49. Building style 50. Refine, as metal 51. Eagle home 54. Didn’t dillydally 55. Ending with hard or soft 56. Shakira’s don’t lie 57. Appropriate 58. Orchid arrangement Down 1. Cold dessert 2. Short-eared rabbit 3. Abdominal 4. Fall (over) 5. “Besame mucho” singer 6. Concerning 7. For men only 8. Balkan native 9. Knight’s “suit” 10. Civil rights org. 11. Equestrians’ field day 12. Court ploy 13. “Walking on Thin Ice” singer 21. “Six Feet Under” subjects? 22. What a house stands on 32. “We __ family” 33. Gas used in welding 35. Wolf, coyote, fox, dog family 37. House plan related 40. Maids 41. Actress Bloom

42. Alter, in a way 43. Not just “a” 44. “Indian Idol,” for example 48. Italian town 51. Absorbed, as a cost 52. Can you dig it? 53. House to love 57. “Home ___” 59. Young salmon 60. Bachchan, for one (var.) 61. Danger 62. HOMES part 63. Whine 64. Add color to 65. Red or whitetail? 66. Potato, slangily

last week’s answers L A O S

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“Let’s Dwell on It”

The Omega · Volume 21, Issue 6

Sports Balson gives WolfPack some bite on the links Nathan Crosby Sports Editor

Riley Balson plays golf during the day and dreams about it at night. He reaches goals on the course and in the classroom. He creates opportunities for himself on the fairway and in his busy work life. He plays golf because he loves it and his determination is setting his team up for a great finish in the PAC WEST rankings. Going into the final weekend of play at the Chiliwack Golf and Country Club, Balson was ranked fourth in the league. It started at age 10 with his friends at MacArthur Island Park. No lessons, no private instructor, but just practice made Balson the golfer he is today. “I’ve just done my own thing,” he said. “Bill (Bilton, Jr.) has been really good with my mental game, being smart, taking the right type of shots at the right time and staying committed mentally.”

On the weekend of Sept. 24, Balson’s game reached another level, finishing second at the Quail golf course in Kelowna. Not only did he not play a practice round at Quail, he had never even played the course before. “I didn’t really get to prepare much but that was a good weekend for me. I found that golf course pretty easy and it turned out all right,” he said. He finished with a 36-hole total of 141, tying for second spot with Matt Matheson of Capilano College. Balson said his success stems from being prepared. “It all starts the night before. Going to bed early, getting ready in the morning, having a good breakfast is part of being prepared.” On the side, Balson is a referee in the BCIHL and Junior ‘B hockey league. His ability to stay committed to his interests is what makes his character strong. A career as a hockey referee is not out of the question. “I want to do that as much as I can and move up and progress with my referee career, I want

to go as far as I can with it,” he said. Playing hockey also contributed to his growth as an athlete. He played up to Bantam ‘AA, but then decided his focus would be golf. “It’s my first love,” he said. Balson is also looking to the future outside of sports and has set himself up with many options for life after school. He is in the residential construction program and would like to make a living from what he has learned in his time at TRU. “Having something to fall back on is the most important thing,” he said. Like every athlete, he wouldn’t be here without his inspirations. “My parents, their support is so great. Coach Bill (Bilton, Jr.) is pretty inspiring, he helps out a lot.” The support from his family and coach made a profound impact on Balson’s game, and his team is benefiting from it. The Wolf Pack finished second at the Bear Mountain Golf Tournament in Victoria on the first

Thanks to Balson’s second place finish last weekend, the WolfPack finish fourth overall in the PAC WEST. Balson himself takes the overall bronze medal for the season. (Photo courtesy TRU Athletics)

weekend of October, one stroke behind Camosun College. Although golf isn’t known as a team game, the Wolf Pack are putting together a great season.

In school and golf, Balson lives by the advice he gives young golfers: never give up on a round, and always give yourself options.

Men’s soccer slides into third with loss Sunday Taylor Rocca

Omega Contributor The TRU Wolf Pack and UNBC Timberwolves engaged in a spirited and feisty affair on a sunny Thanksgiving Sunday at Hillside Stadium. Despite an early goal by Wolf Pack midfielder Ashley Raynes, the men’s soccer team fell by a final score of 2-1 to the Timberwolves. TRU jumped out to a one-goal lead in the opening five minutes of play against UNBC, but spoiled a chance to earn three coveted points in the standings. After a strong start to the opening half for the ‘Pack, the Timberwolves turned the tables on TRU, and the ‘Pack didn’t recover, according to co-head coach Jon Antulov. “They capitalized on the mistakes that we made and we seemed to be a little bit under pressure,” he said. Following Raynes’ goal, the Timberwolves rallied to score in both the 21st and 40th minutes of the opening half. They wouldn’t need any more offense to put the Wolf Pack to rest. Despite being outplayed through the opening 45 minutes, the Wolf Pack was still in the game at the start of the second half. Antulov liked the way his team came out in the final frame. TRU generated a number of scoring chances, but was unable to put any strikes

past UNBC goalkeeper Kyle Flannagan in the second half. Flannagan made a number of critical saves as the game wore on, helping to preserve the win for UNBC. His most important save came late in the match with only a few minutes left on the clock and TRU aggressively pressing for the tying goal. After a 2-0 win last week against Capilano College, the Wolf Pack was unsuccessful in its bid to string together two wins in a row. Sunday’s loss drops the Wolf Pack’s record to two wins, three draws and two losses this season. With UBCO earning a draw against the Timberwolves on Saturday the Wolf Pack now drop into third place in group B. The Wolf Pack now look forward to back-to-back games at Hillside Stadium this coming weekend. On Oct. 15, TRU will take on the Langara College Falcons, while on Oct. 16 they go head-to-head with Quest University Kermodes. The start time for both games is 2 p.m. The two games will mark the end of the Wolf Pack’s home schedule as they close out the regular season with road games against the Capilano University Blues and the Vancouver Island University Mariners on Oct. 22 and 23, respectively. The four remaining games should all prove to be tough tests for the Wolf Pack. While missing out on a crucial three points will hurt the Wolfpack’s playoff

Jacob Kaay battles for an inbound ball with Timberwolves goaltender Kyle Flannagan during the ‘Pack’s loss Thanksgiving Sunday. The loss drops the ‘Pack into third place in the PAC WEST. —Taylor Rocca

aspirations, Antulov believes that the team can take some positives from Sunday’s loss. “We came back and played the second half the way we should have played all game,” he said.

“We’re just going to have to work on minimizing those mistakes in training.” If the Wolf Pack hopes to solidify a playoff spot, they will certainly need to iron out their game before this coming weekend’s matches.

October 12, 2011

TRUSU Membership Advisory Pick up your

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Movie Night

Post-Secondary Education Fact:

BC students recieve 70% less student grants than the national average This Week:

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The Grown Ups 7:00 pm, October 5, Clock Tower Theatre

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