October 9, 2013

Page 1

TRU to get a brewing program? We investigate. Pg. 8

The Omega Thompson Rivers University’s Independent Student Newspaper

News Pages 1, 2

Editorial & Opinion Page 3

Volume 23, Issue 6 October 9, 2013

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Life & Community

Arts & Entertainment

Sports

Pages 5, 8

Pages 6, 7

Page 11

Ground control to Major Hadfield Canadian astronaut inspires listeners with speech about his life and space Mark Hendricks Ω Science & Tech Editor Canadian astronaut and former International Space Station (ISS) commander Chris Hadfield spoke to a packed Campus Activity Centre on Oct. 4 about his life as an astronaut and what The complaint might be seen as “a subtle drama” to some, but the humanity can do when we work together. Labour Relations Board will be the decider in the case. “I have some pictures to show (Brian Turner/Flickr Commons) you,” Hadfield teased. Hadfield certainly did have pictures to show. Anyone who has followed Hadfield on Twitter knows that while in space he took tens-of-thousands of pictures of Earth and brought the realities of living in space home for social media followers everywhere. Hadfield used these pictures as talking points for his presentation, which took the audience from Earth to space and back to Earth again. Hadfield is Law faculty goes to labour relations board accusing fairly modest about his trips into TRUFA of acting “discriminatorily and in bad faith.” space, recalling little details such as which underwear was appropriate for each occasion. Karla Karcioglu Maw said the complaint hasn’t really “I’ve put on my space affected law students and that it wasn’t underpants three times,” Ω Roving Editor something students were directly told Hadfield said. “They were actually a diaper because that’s On Sept. 12, TRU law faculty filed about. a complaint to the Labour Relations “It seems pretty contained,” Maw what you wear in space, and Johnson and Johnson puts little Board against the TRU Faculty said. Association (TRUFA) and its employer, Third-year TRU law student Chris pink and blue astronauts on them TRU. Albinati said it will be students who for us.” The complaint says that there’s receive the collateral damage from “You’re driving out to your been a “breach of the duty of ongoing issues. rocket ship and everyone else is fair representation” and that over Albinati is concerned about the driving away from your rocket the previous two years, the TRU value a law degree from TRU, based ship because it has about four Faculty Association (TRUFA) acted off the school’s reputation, compared million pounds of fuel in it and “arbitrarily, discriminatorily and in to other established law schools across everyone has to get out to a five kilometer circle because if bad faith on its dealing with [law Canada. faculty].” “When you are competing in this it blows up that’s how big the More specifically, the complaint says sort of environment, a new brand is a crater is going to be,” Hadfield TRUFA failed to “properly inform itself big question mark,” Albinati said. “The said. as to the needs [and] particular interests more bad press that’s coming out is Ever since he was a young of TRU’s Law Faculty” and has rejected making it worse for [students].” child Hadfield started steering “without reason, all proposals made by “If [the program] gets limited in his life towards becoming an [the law faculty] for modifications of terms of salary, and can’t attract the top astronaut, even though at the the collective agreement which would faculty, then our law program becomes time it was impossible for a Canadian citizen to become an accommodate the specific needs of a third-rate,” he said. new law faculty.” VP advancement Christopher astronaut. But Hadfield got his The agreement was in effect from Seguin said the complaint is not a lucky break. “They put an ad in the April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2012 and negative issue but rather “an issue was extended while the university and necessary to the creation of the [law] newspaper that said ‘wanted, TRUFA continue negotiations for a school.” astronauts’ and I thought, ‘yes, new agreement. “All new ventures come with this is my chance right here,’” The complaint states that the actions change, and this new venture is a Hadfield said. by TRUFA “genuinely threaten the very complicated one,” Seguin said. The international nature of continued viability of the law program “However, we are positive that we the ISS was a large focus of the at Thompson Rivers University.” have found extremely qualified faculty speech. The space station was TRU Society of Law Students’ who are providing a world-class legal built by countries all over the external representative Kelly Maw education to our students throughout world and according to Hadfield called the complaint a “subtle drama this issue.” is an example of what people can in the saga,” referring to a history TRUFA and the TRU law faculty do when you give them a good, of events that also includes the were contacted by The Omega seemingly impossible, example. resignation of founding dean of law several times but could not be The journey to the ISS was the culmination of a lifetime’s worth Chris Axworthy. reached for comment.

TRU law complaint a “subtle drama in the saga”

of effort for Hadfield. “After a voyage that had started when I was nine years old and taken me through two shuttle f lights, I had to learn to speak Russian [and] learn to be the pilot of a Soyuz to f ly to the space station,” Hadfield said. “We got to the space station and opened the hatch and it was just a wonderful experience.” Hadfield took the audience on a tour of the world from space, giving a view of the planet that only a few people have ever seen in person to the guests in attendance. He also used his pictures to show what life is like on the ISS as well as the scientific work that goes on there. “If you’re on the space station and you close your eyes and wait a minute or two you’ll see a

bright f lash,” Hadfield said. “It’s one of the high energy particles going through your optic nerve, you can actually see the radiation going through your body… which is not that settling.” Eventually Hadfield’s journey took the audience back to Earth and the difficulties of being on Earth after six months of weightlessness about the ISS. “You can’t believe how heavy everything is,” Hadfield said. “You have to pick up your arms, which just seems so unfair. You have to hold your head up, I hadn’t held my head up in six months.” Hadfield opened the f loor to questions, and befitting his inspirational status, over half the questions were from children dreaming of space.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield pauses for a question during his lecture at TRU Oct. 4. (Kevin Skrepnek/ The Omega)


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October 9, 2013 by The Omega - Issuu