Feb. 4, 2015

CUBA CENTRE STAGE Che Guevara conference held joint between Vancouver and Kamloops, p. 8

Volume 24 – Issue 19

AGM RAISES ISSUES Student union addresses biggest concerns in annual general meeting, p. 5

www.truomega.ca Ω @TRU_Omega

JOINING THE ‘PACK How an international student wants to join up with the ‘Pack before going pro, p.11

February 4, 2015

WINTER WAR TRAINING WITH THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGERS

Page 5

A weekend with Kamloops and Prince George reservists, p. 6-7

Cornel West talks education at TRU, p. 8

How TRU will deal with new downloading laws, p. 4

2

DEPARTMENT HEADING

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

February 4, 2015

FEBRUARY EVENT LISTINGS

ON CAMPUS, AROUND KAMLOOPS

Annie Slizak

Feb. 6 - 7, 2015 – Reflections of Fleetwood Mac at the DoubleTree by Hilton

Fourth-year English major Employee at The Children’s Place and Payless

Celebrating Fleetwood Mac, the Reflections band makes its way to Kamloops for singing and dancing.

The doors open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.

What’s your favourite pizza?

Anything plain (cheese, pepperoni) – NO VEGETABLES!

Which celebrity inspires you?

As cliché as it sounds, probably The Beatles. They’re my favourite band and their lyrics seem to speak more than anyone else’s.

What makes you swipe right on Tinder?

Feb. 7, 2015 – Doc and the Disorderlies at The Art We Are The four-piece acoustic band presents their originals, some swing, blues and ballads for a good cause. Cover is by donation with proceeds going to Save a Child’s Heart in Tel Aviv, Israel. Show starts at 7 p.m.

All the obvious things like nice hair, a sense of humour, etc. etc.

Probably the most important thing is that they shouldn’t take themselves very seriously.

One thing you wish you had more time for?

Volleyball! That and doing crafts.

Favourite TV show as a teen?

Feb. 10, 2015 – Dallas Smith at the Sagebrush Theatre Dallas Smith and band Default with special guest Charlie Worsham perform their Tippin’ Point Tour.

Sure to include songs of Smith’s 2014 album “Tippin’ Point.” Tickets are $49.50 (plus fees). Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

M*A*S*H and I Love Lucy.

Feb. 20 - 21, 2015 – Devon Coyote at The Blue Grotto These three guys are no amateurs when it comes to live performances, spending over two years touring since their forming in 2010. Ages 21+. $5 cover charge. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Feb. 21, 2015 – Kamloops Symphony: Just So at TRU Alumni Theatre With each piece crafted “just so,” the Sycamore String Quartet presents string quartets inspired from around the world. Tickets for students and youth are $10 and adults are $25. Show begins at 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 23, 2015 – Arkells at Cactus Jacks Originally from Toronto, the alternative rock band Arkells visits Cactus Jacks for a show. The 2010 Juno Award winners for New Group of the Year will be performing songs off their most recent album “High Noon.” Ages 19+. Tickets are $25. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Feb. 27 to March 8, 2015 – ART EXPOSED at The Old Courthouse The 10-day open exhibition presented by the Kamloops Art Council will showcase emerging, amateur and pro artists of 2D and 3D works. On opening night, three jurors will award prizes and honourable mentions. Admission is by donation.

OPINION & EDITORIAL

The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 19

The Omega Thompson Rivers University’s Independent Student Newspaper Published since November 27, 1991

www.truomega.ca /TRUOmega @TRU_Omega /tru_omega

EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sean Brady @iamseanbrady editor@truomega.ca NEWS EDITOR Alexis Stockford @AlexisStockford news@truomega.ca ISSUES EDITOR Ashley Wadhwani @ashwadhwani issues@truomega.ca SCI-TECH EDITOR Ryan Turcot @RyanTurcot sci-tech@truomega.ca ARTS EDITOR Kim Anderson @K_AndersonSays arts@truomega.ca SPORTS EDITOR Tayla Scott @taylascott3 sports@truomega.ca COPY EDITOR Rachel Wood @rachelwoood copy@truomega.ca CONTRIBUTORS Zain Bakhtiar Anton Dixon Hamza Hasan Steve Leahy Courtney Ranger

PUBLISHING BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sean Brady INDUSTRY REP Christopher Foulds FACULTY REP Charles Hays STUDENT REP Kim Anderson STUDENT REP Mason Buettner

PUBLISHING Cariboo Student Newspaper Society (Publisher of The Omega) TRU Campus House #4 900 McGill Rd, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 0C8 Phone: 250-828-5069 Advertising inquiries: accounts@truomega.ca

LETTERS POLICY 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 any section with an “Opinion” label 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.

COPYRIGHT All material in this publication is copyright The Omega and may not be reproduced without the expressed consent of the publisher. All unsolicited submissions become copyright The Omega 2014.

Canada should match U.S. in broadband speed regulations We’re both big countries, but let’s aim just as high as our neighbours so we can keep progressing Sean Brady

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω

In 2011, Canada’s communications regulator, the CRTC, put forth its recommended guidelines for the minimum speed of broadband Internet. To accommodate “a single user to stream higher-quality audio and video” and “to participate in video conferencing at reasonable quality” with online health consultation in mind, the CRTC’s committee recommended 5 mbps download speed and 1 mbps upload speed.

That’s fast enough to download an MP3 in about seven seconds and upload one in 35 seconds. But MP3s aren’t really the benchmark, these days – instead, we look at whole albums, Netflix stream quality and how fast YouTube loads (which, it turns out, is slow for entirely different reasons).

On Monday, Feb. 2, the U.S.’ regulator, the FCC, put forth a recommendation that all broadband connections should provide at least 25 mbps download speed and 3 mbps upload speed.

In terms of connection speed, however, the U.S. and Canada are

nearly identical, at least according to survey data by Akamai, a large cloud services provider that boasts one of the largest content delivery networks in the world. In its quarterly state of the Internet report, it puts Canada just behind the United States in average connection speed at 9.7 mbps to the U.S. figure of 10.5 mbps. The figures are also similar in percentage of connections above 10 mbps, at 32 per cent for Canada and 36 per cent for the States.

Although the populations differ by an order of magnitude, it makes sense to me to compare the two countries. Both developed at roughly the same time, saw similar infrastructure booms long ago and have groups of people scattered across the entire North American continent.

So now, where we really differ, is our goal. The FCC’s new broadband benchmark might seem lofty to some, but a 25 mbps minimum speed is really just a somewhat future-proof assertion. We already have high-speed offerings in Canada that quadruple the new U.S. minimum (although they’re only available in major centres), but that’s not what this is about. High-speed accessibility is room to breathe for

software developers and new services. Unless the doctor shortage goes away soon, the trend towards “virtual house calls” by Canadian doctors is likely to only increase, but how long will that last if broadband can’t keep up?

Another place where Canada and the U.S. differ is the CRTC’s adoption of what is known as net neutrality – the idea that ISPs should not provide faster lanes of service to companies and content providers who can pay for it. The regulator’s position was hardened late last week when it declared that Bell could offer unlimited streaming of its own broadcast networks while charging for usage on others.

I usually hate it when Canadian legislation or regulation follows the United States so closely, as if we’re always taking cues from south of the border, but in this instance, let’s follow their lead, or aim even higher.

With technological progress, there’s always a bottleneck. There’s always that one thing that can’t quite keep up with the rest of the system.

We owe it to ourselves, though, to make sure that our Internet infrastructure is not that one thing. editor@truomega.ca

Opinion: Let’s talk about Bell Kevin Levangie

THE ARGOSY (CUP)

Despite what they may try to tell you, Bell is not a sincere ally in the struggle against mental illness. Bell’s role in the communications oligopoly made up of Bell, Rogers and Telus that dominates the Canadian cellphone market is representative of some of the worst aspects of capitalism. Corporate charity is not motivated by altruism, but veils and softens the edges of an economic system that is inherently exploitative and fundamentally dangerous to the mental and physical well-being of workers everywhere. #BellLetsTalk’s success can be attributed to its reliance on the well-intentioned and on those who are always eager to publicly broadcast their commitment to ending whatever it is we’re trying to end this week. For 24 hours on Jan. 28, Bell offers a donation of 5 cents per text from Bell customers, per long distance or local call, and per tweet including #BellLetsTalk in a purported effort “to break the silence around mental illness and to support mental health all across Canada.” It’s been wildly successful at attracting participants, with 112 million “overall interactions” by 12 p.m.

Its success should not be a surprise.

It not only latches on to an issue that has preoccupied university campuses and high schools of late, but then places the onus on Bell customers

and Twitter users to do the emotional and physical labour of promoting Bell’s initiative and raising funds for mental health care and stigma reduction.

If a tweeter or a texter decides to not promote Bell’s advertising campaign, then they are heartless and become responsible for not taking advantage of Bell’s generosity. All of a sudden, the chronic underfunding of mental health care in Canada is not a disgraceful political problem that can only be resolved by a concerted and grassroots effort, but is a problem of not enough retweets.

Not only is Bell legitimized by their display of altruism, but so is the economic system that makes Bell’s participation in a communications oligopoly possible. Driven not by altruism but by the pursuit of profits, Bell regularly lays off workers across the country, undoubtedly to the detriment of their individual and family mental health.

Corporations tend to maximize profits no matter its effect on the health – mental or otherwise – of their workers. Workers, who labour for long hours at menial tasks, are constantly under threat of layoff in order to turn a profit for shareholders and their bosses. The companies then mount public relations campaigns using some of the surplus value extracted from their workers.

Bell has donated $67.5 million to mental health related charities since 2010. While admirable, it’s a tiny

fraction of their yearly profits ($2.6 billion in 2012), and is a negligible amount compared to will be necessary to solve the problem.

Facing stigma is certainly a problem for those with mental health issues, but the larger issue remains access to mental health professionals who can treat their conditions. The solution to a lack of mental health care is not a corporate ad campaign, a few million dollars doled out in a way that has been meticulously calculated to create the biggest PR buzz, or “raised awareness,” but a governmental effort to properly allocate mental health resources where they are actually needed, such as small towns in rural New Brunswick underserved by mental health professionals.

Tweet if you want. The money won’t hurt, to be sure, but it is certainly the wrong way to go about helping. “Awareness” and “the removal of stigma” surrounding mental illness are admirable goals, but if that awareness is not turned into political mobilization then it is all but useless.

But, more importantly than that, redeeming a corporation – and an economic system built on harm – is a step in the wrong direction if you’re concerned about mental health.

If we let the logic of the market structure all aspects of human interaction we won’t be able to provide adequate mental health care to those who need it, and we certainly won’t encourage any other kind of human flourishing.

3

TUNE IN/TUNE OUT Steve Leahy

CONTRIBUTOR Ω

I’m sure every one of you has heard of the expression ‘we think in language.’ It’s a little obvious; it just means the words we use to describe things explains how we think of those things.

Basically, if you use demeaning language toward something, it means you don’t value it much, and vice versa.

Forget how obvious it is, that’s just common sense. But considering just how uncommon common sense is, maybe it’s time we take a closer look at this idea.

First of all, this is the basis of politically correct thought. That’s why ‘retards’ are now ‘disabled’ and why racist terms carry such a stigma. Those are fair changes to make. Considering how the term ‘retard’ is thrown around nowadays, it’s so easy to simply dismiss anything that carries that title, whether it be some useless object, or a person whose brain don’t work right. And there should be no need to explain why the racist terminology is out.

However, this can always be taken too far, and quite easily. Apparently the term ‘disabled’ is now being replaced with ‘differently abled’ which is a change that makes no sense, and makes me rather angry. You see, ‘differently abled’ would apply to things that are just as capable as your average person, but in a slightly different way. For example, if you had no legs, but could fly, then you would be differently abled.

If you are only missing legs, you are not ‘differently abled,’ you are disabled.

Now, why is this an issue? Shouldn’t it be praiseworthy that we’re trying to raise the spirits of these people who need it? No, no it’s not. You see the problem is that we’re not doing anything but changing our mindset. We think in language, the disabled lack in ability compared to the average person and could probably use some assistance every once in a while. But the ‘differently abled’ are just as capable as the average person, just in a different way.

So don’t worry about them, they’ll be fine.

You see how that works? It’s just like when you were in grade school and every child that participated in some event or other received a prize for it. Even if you came in last place you would get a ‘participation’ award. Great, now all these children have learned that winning isn’t important, all you have to do is participate. Not a terrible idea, but what if those kids never lose that mindset? Never competing for something, just participating? Good luck in the real world where results are only given based on merit.

Of course, if you can master thinking in language, then you can twist your barely participating into strong merit. It all depends on how you can phrase it, and how gullible your boss is.

Have fun thinking up new phrases for the same old boring things. leahys112@mytru.ca

Want to have your voice heard?

We’ve got room for you. If you’ve got an opinion on a weekly basis, why not pitch it to us and put it on paper?

Politics? Social issues? Student life?

Tell us all about it and you might find yourself on this very page. If you’re interested in hearing more, write to editor@truomega.ca.

4

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

February 4, 2015

Notice-and-notice: new rules for copyright and downloading

Universities across Canada unsure of the rules with new Copyright Modernization Act Ryan Turcot

SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Ω

TRU might have to alter how it monitors and addresses illegal downloading on campus, depending on the opinion it expects to receive from its legal office next month.

As of Jan. 2 this year, Canada’s Copyright Modernization Act (Bill C-11) is granting copyright holders (like Sony Pictures) the legal right to submit copyright infringement notices to Internet service providers (like Shaw or Telus) that, in turn, are obligated forward the claims to subscribers of those services.

The Internet service providers (ISPs) are also legally required to confirm to the copyright holders when the end user receives the claim, so they essentially become the middlemen in dialogs between the copyright owners and end users.

Under this “notice-and-notice” system, identities of copyright infringers are kept safe from the copyright holders by using the ISPs as a buffer.

These new downloading rules matter to TRU because there is a nationwide debate on whether universities are considered ISPs, according to information security officer Hugh Burley.

“Universities are now just starting to get their legal responses

back,” he said. “Some universities have looked at this and said ‘we don’t believe we are an ISP under this legislation. We are not going to respond to this.’ Other universities who have received legal council said ‘Yes, under this law you are an ISP, so you’re required to follow the notice-on-notice guidelines.’”

“I have asked Scott Blackford and our legal office to give us an opinion on exactly what we’re required to do,” he said.

Burley expects to hear from the legal office sometime next month.

“It’s really a risk issue,” he said.

“Can this significantly affect the university in some way, through cost or reputational damage if we don’t comply? We are a public institution, so we are required to comply with law, but ... really, academic freedom is paramount here, so we want to make sure we know exactly what we’re required to do.”

Complying with the notice-to-notice system could become a costly and time-consuming endeavor, he said.

“For very large universities, like UBC and McGill, there’s just no way they can deal with [notice-to-notice] manually,” Burley said. “Their response is that if they’re not able to parse your message automatically [using a computer program], notify you and deliver it back, then it’s not their problem.”

“I think we would take a similar stance.”

According to Burley, as of now it would be tough, if even possible, for TRU to hone in on a specific end user on campus. This is because its wireless network is distributed through a router that uses a network address translation (NAT) system. Multiple end users within this network can share common IP addresses, so it would not be possible for TRU to identify a specific user based on an IP address alone.

“In terms of RIAA notifications and things like that, we basically are not doing anything with them at this point,” Burley said. “We are getting about one notification a day, mostly pointed at our wireless router.”

In the case of TRU Residence, Burley said it has a separate network that does not use a NAT system and thus TRU has the capability of identifying the specific room of an end user.

However, TRU Residence is an independently run organization, despite the fact it receives Internet service from the university, so Burley says the occupants of any given room would not be known

by TRU. Chief information officer Brian Mackay said that in recent years he has observed a decrease in peerto-peer downloads (like free mov-

(Ryan Turcot/The Omega)

ies from The Pirate Bay) on campus as low-cost digital streaming services like Netflix are becoming more popular.

“There’s been a huge growth in Netflix, so much so that many universities like Brock University have had to [limit and regulate] their Netflix traffic,” he said.

“We’re just getting up to speed on what our overall [notice-to-notice] requirements are, but it would be costly [to implement them],” he explained. “With the advent of more streaming technologies, we hope the industry is

getting smarter to the way people are consuming media.”

“We’re not here to cater to an industry that’s been slow to adapt to a new environment,” Burley said.

“Without sticking my foot in too far and saying we wouldn’t comply, we would comply but we’re not going to run around in circles trying to fix a complainant’s problems.

“We’re far more interested in our research and innovation agenda. We hope our systems can be more open and accessible than locked down and controlled,” Mackay said.

Apps of the week – reviewed for you

On-the-fly fitness, photography, and gaming (plus one of the worst apps I’ve ever seen) Ryan Turcot

SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Ω

FitSpark

Android and iOS $2.99 When it seems like you’re already juggling too many things at once, finding the time to stay fit can seem impossible. When I heard that a physiotherapist here in Kamloops developed an app for seven-minute workout plans, I had to check it out.

FitSpark surveys your age, gender and skill level on a scale of beginner to expert, then generates workout routines for you that can last from seven to 20 minutes, depending on how much time you have. The exercises can all be done in the comfort of your own home, typically without any equipment, and you’re given a sidebar with animated tutorials on each one.

Once you start a workout, the app essentially just becomes a timer that rings at the start and finish of each exercise.

The app also lets you schedule workouts for later, and over time it will show you the progress you’re making on each muscle group.

Is it worth the three dollars I paid? I don’t regret buying it – the app is still cheaper than a gym membership and it gives you on-

the-fly workout routines planned out by a professional physiotherapist.

Camu

Android and iOS Free The selling point of Camu is that you can view its Instagram-style photo filters in real-time, before you take the photo. You can adjust the contrast of photos by swiping up or down before you shoot and you get a basic array of other photo effects like a collage-making mode, a tilt-shift blur effect, and the ability to crop your photo to the 1:1 aspect ratio used to share photos on Instagram. The filters and effects all work in its video mode, too.

It’s an app geared towards the social sharer, and not the genuine photography enthusiast. If you find you’re always fiddling with different Instagram filters after you shoot your photos, Camu could be a time saver.

Dumb Ways to Die 2 Android and iOS Free

For those who didn’t play the original Dumb Ways to Die, I’ll bring you up to speed: the franchise is based around some cheerful characters that die doing dumb things. It is technically a gamified train safety PSA, but also a pret-

ty entertaining game. It consists of minigames that take about ten seconds each to complete and get harder as you go along – great for when you have five minutes to kill.

Dumb Ways to Die 2 is pretty much the same app but with more games, more characters, and the introduction of different worlds.

Freezerville, Drown Town and the Dumb Dome each have their own set of games, including a curling game where you rub your screen so an explosive curling stone doesn’t blow you up and a running game where you tap your screen to clear electrified hurdles. Just like with the original, these are all stupid simple games that help that ten minute break in between classes.

Hand Warmer Free

Android and iOS Free (but possibly a few hundred bucks to replace your phone) There are various apps in both the Android and Apple app stores that stress your phone’s CPU to turn it into a makeshift hand warmer. I downloaded one called “Hand Warmer Free” and, upon opening it, I got the following disclaimer: “Use at own risk. In the extremely unlikely chance that your device is damaged due to the use of this application, we will not be held responsible.”

One of these might destroy your phone. (Hint: It’s the one with fire as its icon.)

In the name of science, I disregarded this warning and tried out the app anyways. All it consists of is an on/off button and a thermometer. While I was worried it would melt my phone or something, I instead found out that the phone simply didn’t get warm enough to warm my hands. It took a full minute just to get my phone

from 24 degrees Celsius to 26 degrees, and I was indoors.

Who thought this was a good idea anyways? You can buy 10-packs of hand warmers for $10 at Canadian Tire, and they last seven hours a piece. Good luck getting seven hours out of an app literally designed to drain your phone’s battery for heat!

NEWS

The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 19

5

Self-harm stats put campuses in the red

Over six per cent of post-secondary students self-harm, says a new report Alexis Stockford NEWS EDITOR Ω

Mental health professionals are alarmed over self-harm on campus after a recent report revealed that 6.6 per cent of post-secondary students had intentionally hurt themselves in the last year and up to 20 per cent had done so at some point in their lives.

“The statistic is unsettling,” said Cliff Robinson, head of counselling at TRU. “But the thing that’s most sad for me is that for some people it’s easier to cut than it is to talk about their own mental health condition, and that speaks to stigma about mental health and mental illness.”

Released by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) last week, the report measured 13 indicators of Canadian mental health, including self-harm among college students. Other indicators include suicide rates, anxiety among school-aged youth, anxiety or mood disorders in seniors and hospital re-admissions within 30 days due to mental illness.

Self-harm among post-secondary students was one of four indicators marked red for “significant concerns.” Another eight came in yellow for “some concerns” or uncertain results. Only one indicator measured in the green.

The report is part one of what the MHCC calls the “most comprehensive set of indicators for mental

health illness in Canada,” measuring 63 different indicators of mental illness. Results on the other 50 indicators will be released in April.

Self-harm and TRU

In many cases, Robinson said, students who self-harm began in high school and the behaviour carried over when they entered university.

The Canadian Mental Health Association has estimated one to four per cent of all people in B.C. self-harm and 14 to 39 per cent of those are adolescents.

“It’s generally a period of life where emotions are high,” said Kerri McLean, manager for Mental Health and Substance Use Services.

“They’re intense … I think as a result of that individuals aren’t quite sure or don’t have the healthy coping strategies that older adults may have if they’re in a more secure, stable environment.”

Robinson said TRU counselling does see a number of self-harm cases but not enough to be consistent with the MHCC report. For him, that raises concern that there may be TRU students that are self-harming but have not reached out to counselling.

About 10 per cent of students use TRU’s counselling service and about two-thirds of that workload is due to student mental health conditions.

Dealing with stigma

According to Robinson, only a small percentage of self-harm cases are actually suicidal. People may

also self-harm as a way to deal with personal upheaval, anxiety, depression or as a coping mechanism for emotional distress. He also said not everyone who admits to self-harm is hospitalized.

“We’re not going to overreact on your behalf,” Robinson said. “Our job is to figure out what it’s going to take for you to deal with whatever mental health thing you’ve got going on, and in a vast majority of cases, you’re going to come in and talk to us and [the rest of the time] it’s business as usual.”

Other options available from TRU counselling include: assessment by the campus doctor, counselling sessions or day-to-day interventions such as interactions with professors or extra-curricular clubs.

If intervention is necessary, students may be referred to Interior Health. According to McLean, each patient is assessed by symptoms, mental health history and history of abuse (substance or otherwise) or trauma. Depending on that assessment, patients are streamed to outpatient services, single and group therapy, crisis intervention, connection to a life-skills manager or longterm care.

“They may have self-harming behaviours, but you need to have a much fuller understanding of what might be driving those behaviours and then refer them properly,” McLean said.

She added that Mental Health and Substance Use Services has a unique partnership with the univer-

sity. TRU is one of the few campuses to have a regional health worker attached to the counselling department. McLean said in cases where intervention might be needed, the worker can then streamline the referral to Interior Health.

Long road ahead

Robinson said he is excited to read the full report come April, but knows it will highlight how much

work is ahead for mental health professionals like him.

“We will no longer have the excuse of ‘we didn’t know,’ or that excuse that I often use, which is ‘I can only speak to my own clients,’” he said. “Now I kind of know what my clients are saying in the context of people in general, and we’ve got to put some money and resources and strategic planning into where the problems are.”

THERE’S ALWAYS HELP KAMLOOPS MENTAL HEALTH INTAKE 250-377-6500 AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY LINE 250-377-0088 TRU COUNSELLING SERVICES 250-828-5023 TRU HEALTH SERVICES 250-828-5126 You know your friend is engaging in self-harm. You might not want to confront them, but you know they need help. So what do you do?

The most important thing, according to Cliff Robinson, head of TRU Counselling Services, is that you shouldn’t ignore the issue just because it’s uncomfortable.

“You’ve got to engage with your friends,” he said. “Currently, we don’t talk about our own mental health, we don’t ask questions about other people’s mental health. It seems really scary to ask, but once you do it once, it becomes easier.”

Robinson added that anyone concerned about a friend should come into the counselling department in Old

Main for advice on how to help.

For those who are unsure how they should even broach the subject, the counselling department’s “WolfPack-orange folder” (a resource meant to help staff deal with students in mental distress) advises positive wording.

Mental distress can cause antisocial behaviour such as bursts of anger or hostile remarks. Instead of pointing out the behaviour as a problem with that person, counselling suggests something along the lines of “I’ve noticed ‘x.’ Are you OK?” And while signs of distress should not be ignored,TRU counselling stresses that it is the person’s choice whether to talk about their personal struggles or not.

TRUSU AGM marks another year, raises issues

If you missed it last week, here are the highlights of TRUSU’s AGM Alexis Stockford NEWS EDITOR Ω

It was a small crowd for the TRUSU annual general meeting last week. Forty-seven students (including TRUSU directors and student caucus members) gathered

by Common Grounds on Jan. 28 to hear TRUSU’s account of 2013-14.

Student engagement centre stage Students are going to have more say in how TRU is run if the student caucus gets its way, members heard.

This will be the first year TRU students get a chance to weigh in on the university’s budget before it is passed. A survey measuring student priorities will go out in the next few weeks, with a town hall to follow. The information will then be presented to TRU administration and taken into account in the final budget.

TRUSU president Dylan Robinson called the policy an “unparalleled opportunity for students to get involved in institutional budgeting.”

“At no other institution that I’m aware of do students have such a direct relationship with budgeting, and it’s been really great to work with administrators who are taking this process very seriously,” he said.

It is not yet clear what will be asked on the survey or how it will be distributed.

Other highlights from the caucus included the new parking rates in 2014 ($4 for the day in Lot N and a half-day rate in Lot E) and the reallocation of the Comprehensive University Enhancement Fund (CUEF).

Starting this spring, one-third of the fund (which is fed through student fees) will merge with current TRUSU grants. Another third will fund undergraduate research, while the last will remain with administration for capital investment.

TRUSU reported a budget surplus of $55,528 for 2013-14, down from $79,642 the year before. The extra money was rolled into the current budget.

Coffee shop woes

One of the few questions posed by members at the Jan. 28 meet-

ing was in regards to high prices at Common Grounds.

The budget for Common Grounds has taken a hit for the second year in a row, a fact that is partly due to a drop in revenues as the student-run coffee shop vies with more food services on campus, members heard. In particular, increased competition from Starbucks has been identified in previous TRUSU board meetings.

“We always want to make sure that we’re running Common Grounds effectively, sustainably,” said Ryan Makar, TRUSU vice-president of finance. “So we’re definitely going to be looking at that data and saying ‘How can we improve? How can we make the service better for student and provide students the most variety?’”

When asked about the union’s plans for Common Grounds, Makar stated there are no specific changes in the works, but the services committee will be evaluating the coffee shop.

When asked if TRUSU will be speaking to Aramark, the company that supplies food services across campus, Makar said it was a possibility, but stressed that TRUSU and Aramark are not in competi-

TRUSU held its annual general meeting on Jan. 28. (FILE PHOTO)

tion with each other “Some days students want to have a pizza. Common Grounds doesn’t offer pizza for a number of reasons. Some days they want a wrap or quinoa salad or something, and Common Grounds does offer those things,” Makar said.

Student savers

Over 60 business are now offering discounts to TRU students and they are about to get more visible.

TRUSU has begun distributing window stickers to Studentsaver businesses to better identify them from the street.

Six businesses have joined on since November, while the Blazers decided not to participate in the program after their agreement ended in August.

A complete list of Studentsaver discounts, as well as meeting minutes and budget information, can be found on trusu.ca.

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FEATURE

February 4, 2015

WINTER EX TRAINING WITH THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGERS

by Ashley Wadhwani

2nd Lt. Jessica Young. (Ashley Wadhwani/The Omega)

T

he drive to Likely, B.C. had taken longer than this was not only his first winter ex, but also his first time They would also do one hour of stove watch, making sure expected, but the four guys I travelled with, on snowshoes. our sources of heat, a lantern and a gas stove, wouldn’t Pte. Justin Mahlum, Cpl. Thomas Peters, Cpl. TyTo create a path to patrol on, we circled the perimeter die out or light the tent on fire. Despite multiple layers ler Bonderud and Cpl. Dale McDonald, made of our camp twice. Three section pulled the toboggan off and a military-grade sleeping bag, the night was cold. In the most of it with small talk and the odd nap. the path we had created and began mapping out exactly the morning, we all joked about waking up to not feeling On Jan. 31 at 2 a.m., we where we would be sleeping. I our toes. stepped out of the warm truck felt useless having no idea how “I got two hours of sleep the first night, which wasn’t into the cold night’s air. I was to help. They tamped down the bad,” Peters said. surprised by how much snow snow with their snowshoes, He’s been in the infantry for almost five years, and this there was – much more than the pulled the tent out and start- is his eighth winter ex. six inches we had been briefed ed digging holes where the tent eveille was set for a late 9:30 a.m. call, which came to expect. There was more like pegs would be staked. as a surprise to the soldiers who didn’t get more three feet.

It was 4:30 a.m. by the time than three hours of sleep anyway. Breakfast was I had joined the Rocky Mounwe started getting into our different for each of us, depending on which ration we tain Rangers for the weekend, sleeping bags. Each soldier was grabbed out of our rucksacks and put to boil on the stove. reservists from Kamloops and expected to do one hour of pa- Each ration had peanut butter, jam, some bread, a sugary Prince George, for their latwhere they would walk the snack, two powdered sports drinks, gum and a main meal Cpl. Thomas Peters trol est winter training exercise, or path around the tents, keeping a like sweet and sour pork or a salmon fillet and would “winter ex” as they call it. watchful eye out for the enemy. provide about 2,000 calories, meant to match the levels of I was handed my rucksack and snowshoes and immediately embarrassed when I could barely lift my rucksack. It topped 35 pounds. Instructions were given by Warrant Officer Daryl Mellquist that we’d be snowshoeing roughly two klicks (kilometres) to our destination or patrol base where we’d be spending the rest of the night.

McDonald helped me strap into my snowshoes and told me to get in line behind him. He was pushing the toboggan filled with necessities for the night. Two others were pulling with ropes from the front. It was “a human dog sled team,” as he put it.

The five of us were designated “three section,” and lined up behind two section. We began making our way, moving slowly but with few stops. My snowshoes wouldn’t stay on and I could feel Mahlum getting frustrated behind me, having to constantly stop and help me strap them back on. The terrain was tough to see in the dark. Luckily, the moon was close to full and my eyes began to adjust. “[The moon] is a huge tactical advantage. It makes it a lot easier to maneuver in the dark ‘cause sometimes there isn’t that much light and then you’re hooped and kind of butt up against each other,” Bonderud said. Bonderud has been in the Rocky Mountain Rangers for three years.

“It’s kind of hard to walk in three feet of snow with a rucksack on, let alone [also] pull toboggans,” Mahlum said. He’s been in the infantry for a year and a half and Cpl. Donovan Anderson breaks with the group as they wait for further instruction before moving towards Horsefly River. (Ashley Wadhwani/The Omega)

“I got two hours of sleep the first night, which wasn’t bad,”

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The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 19

FEATURE

7

exertion soldiers endure. change and I didn’t want to take Later that morning, we were something down at four in the packed up and headed out on morning,” he said. snowshoe to the first exercise Bonderud dug a “snow grave” location. With the sun out, I reroughly his height in length and gained some of the warmth I’d slept inside his sleeping bag. lost from the night before. Most Bonderud’s shelter wasn’t as sucof the soldiers had stripped cessful as McDonald’s, but he knew down to sweatshirts or longhe had to keep a positive attitude. sleeved shirts. They were bro“Morale is actually a pretty imken up into three groups and portant thing, because once one were given 25 minutes to put guy starts getting pretty negative, up a tent with the lantern lit it kind of spreads. What we tend and the stove boiling water. to do is sort of embrace ‘the suck’ Later, at another location, the essentially,” Bonderud said. “When soldiers had to put the tents up things get really bad you have to in 15 minutes with the lantern almost laugh about it. You’ve got lit and stove running. These are to keep the morale up and keep fundamental skills that haven’t it positive.” been focused on as much since “There’s two sides to it: the 2000. negativity that is legitimate and “[The military] was so fo- Cpl. Brian Hunko lies prone with his C9 keeping watch as others set up the tents during the second exercise. (Ashley Wadhwani/The Omega) there’s the negativity that’s just hicused on Afghanistan for so larious, and in the infantry, we usulong that most of the exercises were focused around that. His jacket and two layers of pants were sopping wet and ally stick to the negativity that’s funny,” McDonald said, But now that that is sort of over, they’re getting back into were starting to freeze. Said to have a cold weather injury chuckling. the traditional training we usually do,” McDonald said. by his superiors, he was put under the shelter, given an Our final morning began at 5 a.m. with the group splitWe snowshoed towards Horsefly River and waited for extra pair of fleece pants and hot food and water. ting up and patrolling the surrounding location. further instruction. The sun was starting to hide behind Young stepped into the role of caring for Brettell.

Sunday morning was spent doing reconnaissance pathe mountains and with the sky still clear, the tempera“The military as a whole operates on a fire team part- trols, which McDonald told me were important for findture dropped to -10 C. ner setup where you have your buddy and you watch ing an alternate base location could be scouted ahead of “That’s the problem. When it’s warm during the day and out for each other. If you notice somebody who’s having time. colder at night, you sweat and feel the change more than issues you make sure you get them whatever they need,” After that, the rest of the morning was spent creating if the whole day was cold,” Bonderud said.

Young said. snow walls up on a hill using shovels and snowshoes. The With weather as the wild card, the three rules consisYoung spent the next three hours monitoring Brettell walls had to look like other mounds along the hill line tently mentioned throughout the trip were to: not sweat, until he fell asleep. while being six feet across for the two groups of soldiers drink plenty of water and make smart decisions that don’t On the other side of the river, the soldiers would be to fit behind them and sight enemies. expel unnecessary energy. spending the night in improvised shelters and their sleepBefore leaving on Sunday, all the soldiers had to declare “In the winter, everything is about conserving heat,” ing bags. Each approached the task in a different way with that they had given back any ammunition before leaving Capt. Seth Hunter said. Hunter had planned to lead the varying results. the site. After that, everyone huddled in a circle and got group through a river crossing exercise, but it was canMcDonald didn’t build a shelter and instead covered his to say the parts they liked and didn’t like about the weekcelled when it was discovered that Horsefly River was rucksack and area with fir branches. end. The intention was for Capt. Hunter to use feedback much higher than expected.

He’s done roughly a dozen winter exercises and has for future exercises. Overall everyone agreed it was a At 5 p.m., commanding officer for the Rocky Mountain been in the infantry for five years. “great ex.”

Rangers Normand Dionne, 2nd Lt. Jessica Young and Pte. Mahlum built his shelter between two trees and used The ride home was long. The energy and excitement Lucas Brettell were in the emergency shelter tent getting his ground sheet to keep the wind out. felt on the night we left was gone now. The cold weather warm.

“It could have been a lot better, but it could have been had sucked the energy out of us. Peters drove and the This was Brettell’s first winter ex and he made a mistake a lot worse,” Mahlum said. rest of us fell asleep, but I kept waking up when I felt the others said you only make once – he got too cold. He McDonald was impressed with Mahlum’s work and phantom snowshoes still attached to my feet. I had acgot that way from falling in the snow and sweating too slightly jealous. complished staying dry for the entire weekend, something much. He couldn’t feel his feet and his legs were cramping.

“From my army experience, I know that anything can I’m proud of for my first winter ex.

Tyler Bonderud pushes a sled while snowshoeing on the way to the first exercise of the day on Saturday, Jan. 31. (Ashley Wadhwani/The Omega)

8

NEWS

February 4, 2015

Kim Anderson/The Omega

Cornel West talks to TRU on the value of education

Socrates, Wu Tang Clan & Dr. King: Cornel West draws from iconic inspirations for TRUSU Lecture Series Kim Anderson ARTS EDITOR Ω

“How are you going to live, from womb to tomb?” Cornel West asked the packed Grand Hall on Thursday, Jan. 28.

West’s talk focused on the value of education, but not necessarily as it is traditionally discussed. He explained the importance of personal growth and awareness of the human condition as one of the most valuable outcomes of higher education.

During his impassioned speech, West drove home the act of expanding one’s mind during post-second-

ary and study of the arts as the “real value of being human.” He explained the purpose of education as a means to prepare oneself for the battle against the endless social imbalances in the world.

In a world where “everything is for sale and everyone is for sale,” West explained the necessity of critical thinking and thoughtful action as the most logical weapon against social injustices.

West is a self-proclaimed advocate for the working class and spoke out against the imbalances and racism embedded in the criminal justice system. Most of his expertise is in the policies and laws of the United

States and he wasn’t afraid to criticize actions and inactions of President Obama.

West wove together strong themes of patriarchy, colonialism, love, compassion, social injustice and capitalism using vivid analogies and metaphors.

The audience hung on his every word and a few times people shouted out in agreement. West’s vibrant speech was matched with wild gestures and a level of unbelievable intensity.

During the Q&A session, an audience member said that West’s speech would remain etched in his mind as one of the most influential and im-

portant moments of his life. West, touched by the kind sentiment, left the podium, ran over and embraced the young man.

Education providing a path to self-awareness, examination and actualization as an avenue leading to growth was a memorable point for many. “[I thought about] the importance of compassion and loving yourself.

We think that prejudice is something that we can just remove from ourselves. Each of us has prejudices inside us. He talked a lot about recognizing and confronting it using that to change yourself,” said fourthyear sociology student Kenna Sim.

West didn’t shy away from tough contemporary issues. Confronting the Muslim discrimination that follows the actions of radicals, he said “Every religion has gangsters.”

He ended his talk by asking Canada to “address the vicious cycle of white supremacy vis-a-vis indigenous people,” and that all lives matter regardless of skin colour.

Whether or not everyone agreed with the polarizing and political issues West addressed with his passionate speaking style, he succeeded in getting the audience to consider how they are living their lives and what, if anything, they are doing to help their fellow man.

Cuba gets the spotlight as TRU welcomes international conference Hamza Hasan

CONTRIBUTOR Ω

The values of the Cuban revolution were a hot discussion topic last week as Aleida Guevara, Cuban physician and daughter of Cuban revolutionary, Ernesto Che Gue-vara, spoke at the sixth international Che Guevara conference.

The event was held Jan. 23 to 26, beginning in Vancouver and ending in Kamloops.

Roughly 200 people came out to the free event hosted by the TRUSU Socialist Club. Event organiser Aaron Mercredi said the event was to engage the community on current social issues.

“No matter what your political belief is, it’s a chance to come and discuss,” he said.

The conference opened with an indigenous welcoming ceremony followed by the former Cuban

Minster of Economy, Jose Rodriguez Garcia. Garcia spoke on the negative economic impacts in Cuba in the early 1990s due to socialism’s fall in Eu-rope and the USSR, which he links to a decline in the GDP, consumption, agriculture and a rise of huge inflationary prices.

Garcia also spoke about the recovery period and how the cumulative growth of GDP in recent years is now higher than the Latin American average rate of growth.

Aleida Guevara, who has become an advocate for human rights and debt relief for developing nations, tackled the Cuban healthcare system for her speech. Ever since the U.S. blockade, which left the country with very few doctors, Guevara said, Cuba has invested a substantial infrastructure and funding to support quality healthcare professionals.

Cuba today has more than

500,000 medical workers in the profession, mostly women, all of whom are required to help other countries during times of need.

At 256, Cuba has sent the most doctors of any country to fight the recent Ebola out-break in Africa.

“Health is a human right and we don’t have the right to negotiate that,” Guevara said.

Guevara was joined at TRU by Alberto Prieto, co-ordinator of North and Central America for the Central Committee of the Communist party of Cuba. Prieto touched on the Dec. 17 announcement by Cuban President Raul Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama on the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two coun-tries.

For Paula Diaz, a Columbian student studying sciences at TRU, the conference was a chance to share what her country has to offer.

“The influence of Che Guevara

The audience in the Irving K. Barber Centre gets a taste of Cuba with Aledia Guevara, the guest of honour at this year’s Che Guevara conference. (Anton Dixon/The Omega)

in my country has been seen in a very wrong way,” she said. “People have interpreted things in the wrong way just because he was a guerrilla fighter, even though his ideologies were inspiring and about helping peo-ple.”

The day after the conference, famous Cuban musician Gerardo Alfonso played a free concert at the Smorgasbord Deli in downtown Kamloops. Alfonso is well known for his songs about Che and the Cuban reality.

ARTS

The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 19

9

Live at TRU! concert series continues with Maxim Bernard Zain Bakhtiar

CONTRIBUTOR Ω

The Alumni Theatre in the Clock Tower was packed with fans to hear Maxim Bernard, for the hour-long, third installment of the Live at TRU! concert series. Approximately 150 guests including TRU students and outsiders were in attendance.

With the spotlight on Bernard, he stepped on stage and proceeded towards the piano. Pin-drop silence followed as he intimately introduced himself. Bernard was going to perform the historic legend Tchaikovsky’s overture fantasy of Romeo and Juliet. The intensity of his appearance made the crowd anxious to hear Romeo and Juliet give their life for love.

The CBC’s Young Artist prizewinner and internationally recognized French-Canadian pianist Bernard regulated his posture and cracked his knuckles as he prepared to awe the audience. Bernard showcased the orchestral composition with a high-pitched note like a mouse’s squeak, his right foot on

the right pedal to sustain a series of notes whose sounds continues even after each key has been released.

He also gently placed his left foot on the left pedal, producing a softer tone.

His body language changed as the notes started to recite the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. It was as if his piano was telling a story. The notes matched the tempo as his facial expressions went along with the overture. He seemed lost in the moment, his eyes squinting at times, his bottom lip quivering with sounds of thunder rumbling low pitch notes.

All eyes were on Bernard and his playing appeared to be hypnotizing.

The audience appeared to be hypnotized and a sense of sympathy was pouring out as a reaction for Romeo and Juliet’s tragic love.

“In a nutshell, it moved me and made me cry,” said TRU concertgoer Christina Alexiou.

Kamloops Symphony Music Director and Orchestral Conductor Bruce Dunn was also present, sitting in the last row.

Bernard has done shows all over the world.

Maxim Bernard played Tchaikovsky’s romantic and tragic overture of Romeo and Juliet in the latest Live! at TRU concert series. (Zain Bakhtiar/The Omega)

“I will be touring across Canada.

This stop was a part of my concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War,” Bernard said. “I think doing a solo recital for Tchaikovsky’s overture

of Romeo and Juliet is perfect for a small setting, it gives the audience a high and a low and gets them excited for love.”

I am not a huge fan of classical music but after watching Max-

im Bernard strut his stuff I felt I lacked romance in my life. It made me like myself a little less. It is moments like these, moments so real, so compelling, we are revealed in their truth.

One city, two theatres: Comparing the Paramount and Odeon Courtney Ranger CONTRIBUTOR Ω

Even in the age of Netflix, cinemas entice the eager moviegoer.

Movies are still a common topic for review and discussion, despite the variety of media at our fingertips.

But what of the film-going experience itself ? In Kamloops, we have two options for cinema. The Paramount Theatre on Victoria St. is a familiar part of the downtown landscape for any local. In contrast, we have the much newer Cineplex Odeon in Aberdeen.

Is a theatre enough to sway a viewer?

The Paramount and the Cineplex are from different centuries.

The Cineplex was born of the modern age and continues to update its technology to suit it. Customers can pay for admission online or using a smartphone application. Tickets can be scanned directly from a phone,

reducing paper waste and the likelihood of loss simultaneously.

Meanwhile, when opening the doors of the Paramount, moviegoers encounter an old-timey ticket window. It inspires a feeling of nostalgia for a time to which few of us have ever belonged. The technology is old, but lineups are rare enough that a digital ticket would be redundant.

The lobby is small and the snack area is smaller. The candy selection is surprisingly similar to its competition. Of course, popcorn’s enticing aroma fills the air.

Logistically, the Cineplex needs to offer applications for tickets.

During prime show times, the lobby is filled with criss-crossing lineups. People wind through ropes for tickets, crowd around self-serve machines, bunch before the glowing menu of snack combos and shuffle up a small set of stairs to have their tickets ripped. So long as there are seats to be saved, people will avoid queues.

Then there are the dollar signs.

The cost differences between the two are noticeable, but not too drastic. Admission at the Cineplex costs $10.75 for adults, $7.50 for children and $7.99 for seniors.

If the film is in 3D, each ticket will cost $3 more. The Paramount charges $8.50 for general admission and $6.50 for both children and seniors. Both theatres offer discounted ticket prices every Tuesday.

Once through the lines with popcorn in hand, it’s important for viewers to consider where they will be seated for the next two hours.

The Paramount offers two screens with an average of two show times per movie, per night.

Inside, the seating is expansive and flat. If someone with a penchant for top hats goes to the movies, he is easily avoided. Seating options abound on the average night. The short seats are in tight rows the entire width of the theatre.

To suit its demands, the Cineplex Odeon boasts eight screens and back-to-back viewings for new releases. Its seating is on a comparatively steeper pitch, increasing both the visibility of the screens and the chance that patrons will

o5com/Flickr Commons

trip up the stairs in the dark.

Ultimately after emerging from a theatre, it is the film that dictated the experience. We may comment on a front-row seat or the loud person next to us, but the question remains: how was the movie?

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COMICS & PUZZLES

February 4, 2015

C R O S S W O R D Ω

Puzzle of the Week #14 – Reading Binge Over a recent, lazy weekend, Susan discovered a wonderful Web comic.

After reading through the latest month’s worth, she decided to start from the beginning to pick up the whole story. The strip has been around for quite a while. There is one strip each day, and at the end of the weekend, there were 1593 strips. Over the weekend, Susan read up to strip 247. She has decided to continue reading at the rate of one week’s worth of strips every day until she catches up.

"On TV"

How many days will it be before Susan catches up?

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@telus.net>. Submissions by others are also welcome. The solution will be posted the Wednesday after that in my blog (http://genew.ca/) and in the Math Centre (HL304). Come visit: we are friendly.

SUDOKU

Because you’re probably not doing enough math

5 3 5

7

4 1

1

7

5

9 6

1 2

7

6 8

6 3

8

2

1 9

4

7 8 4 6

xkcd.com

xkcd.com

5

5 1

3

8 7

1

5

SPORTS

The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 19

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International student wants to go from ‘Pack to pro

Saudi student almost went pro already, now playing in Kamloops men’s league Tayla Scott

SPORTS EDITOR Ω

Abdullah Almasar had just been offered a starting position as a striker with Al-Hilal Saudi, a professional soccer team back in his home country Saudi Arabia, but he turned it down to come to TRU to study English and business in 2009. This year Almasar is getting closer to what he has wanted since starting at TRU, a spot on the WolfPack soccer team.

“I hope one day I will be joining the WolfPack. Their players have been asking me since 2011, but I had an ACL surgery, so that’s why I couldn’t join them back then. I’m still having trouble with my knee a little bit,” Almasar said.

Once his knee allowed for it, Almasar started to play soccer in the Kamloops men’s soccer league.

WolfPack players, who played in the same league over the winter, started noticing Almasar’s skills on the field.

They encouraged him to contact head coach John Antulov but Almasar was still waiting for his injury to heal.

This year, Almasar has been playing as a striker for the Caracals, a team founded by international student Abdullah Abalkhail and made up entirely of TRU international students.

While playing for the Caracals, Almasar impressed ‘Pack players once again during a drop-in soccer

game against them in January. This time when they told him to contact the coach, he did.

“A couple of the players in my program had told me about him. We said we’d give him a look,” Antulov said.

With the approval of Antulov, Almasar began practising with the ‘Pack.

“His speed looks good and his feet look good and he looks like he has got a bit of skill but at the same time we’ve got to see it on a full field and see how he competes with speed and quickness,” Antulov said.

“It’s a process. Sometimes it takes a little longer than a couple sessions to identify players to see what they can do,” Antulov said. “The good part of it is we’ve got six or seven months to have a look at these players. So hopefully in that time he’s able to impress and get an opportunity.”

Antulov is busy recruiting and scouting new players for next season. He hopes to have 30 to 40 players attend the ID soccer camp on Feb. 21 and 22. Antulov will be seeing more Caracals players at the ID camp like Oskar Gafarov, a striker from Russia and Emmanuel Frimpong a right-wing player from Ghana, who both hope to get a spot on the WolfPack.

The Caracals coach, Anas Aljawaldeh, is happy that Almasar is getting closer to his goal of joining the ‘Pack.

Abdullah Almasar at a Caracals practice. He hopes to get a chance to show off his skills on the WolfPack. (Tayla Scott/The Omega)

“It’s going to be good for him, and for the WolfPack as well,” Aljawaldeh said. “We have really good players. They can try the WolfPack.

[Antulov] can find some good players so he can call them for the WolfPack in the future.”

If Almasar gains a spot on the ‘Pack, he will be looking to win trophies to add to his athletic resumé, in hopes of once again pursuing a professional soccer career.

“My wish is to play and get a prize with them so they can re-

member me as an international player, playing with the WolfPack,” Almasar said.

Almasar worries that his injury might hold him back from playing professionally, but won’t give up on his dreams just yet.

One last must-win weekend

After winning the last six “do or die” games, the ‘Pack is prairie-bound for its final fight Tayla Scott

SPORTS EDITOR Ω

Stuart Richey has his spike blocked during a WolfPack practice ahead of the weekend’s must-win games. (Tayla Scott/The Omega)

Men’s volleyball has been in a “do or die” situation for every game since the start of the New Year, a challenge they have risen to meet, but the squad is still without a secured playoff spot.

The University of Alberta, Brandon University and Trinity Western University have clinched spots in the playoffs, which leaves the rest of the Canada West league to fight it out for the remaining four spots.

Head coach Pat Hennelly said he’s never before seen it be so “touch and go” this late in the season, with fourth to ninth place teams very close together in their standings.

Especially close in standings are Mount Royal University, TRU and UBC, which have the seventh, eight and ninth spots and will all enter their last weekends at .500.

“Ever since I’ve been coaching, if you’re .500 or better you’ve been in the playoffs. It’s pretty wild the way it’s going to finish up,” Hennelly said.

The ‘Pack will fight for a playoff spot against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Feb. 6 and 7 in one final must-win round.

“Our best chance is to beat Saskatchewan twice to take the seventh spot. I think if we win both we are in. Lose one and we’re out for sure,” Hennelly said.

But the Huskies will doubtfully be going down without a fight.

According to Hennelly, a WolfPack sweep will drop the Huskies from the sixth to eighth spot and take them out of the playoffs.

In anticipation for this weekend’s games, the ‘Pack players raised the intensity level at practice and focused on drills that don’t involve an opposing team.

“It’s a little exciting because we’ve put the hard work in to get to this point, but it’s a little nerve racking, too, because your whole season could fall apart in one game,” said team captain Matt Krueger.

“They’re a good team. They’re in the same position as we are, so they have the same mentality of ‘it’s do or die,’” Krueger said. “I think it’s going to be a pretty intense game.

They’ve got a couple fourth- and fifth-year players on their squad as well and they want to keep going for their last season just like we do.”

The Huskies will have one more reason to beat the ‘Pack: revenge.

“They want payback because they thought that they were going to move on to playoffs and we kind

of stole it from them [last season],” Krueger said.

“They’re motivated to beat us regardless of what it’s for,” Hennelly said.

It was the bumpy start to the season that brought the WolfPack to this must-win situation.

“It’s frustrating because we should never have lost to Regina.

We should have beat UBC one of those nights that kind of fell apart.

Those are the things that are disappointing, because that’s mental,” Hennelly said. “It’s not that we couldn’t play better volleyball. We just started thinking about the outcomes and worrying. You could just see the guys’ energy and body language fall apart.”

Outside hitter Casey Knight described the beginning of the season as “riddled with injuries.”

“I think if we were full strength from the beginning of the season, it would have turned out in the opposite direction,” Knight said. “We probably would have been hosting, if not definitely in playoffs already, but it goes the way it goes and now we’re just fighting to get back.”

If the WolfPack defeats the Huskies there won’t be much time for rest or celebration, they will be back on the court for their first playoff game the following weekend.

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February 4, 2015