March 4, 2015

EYE ON INVESTMENT TRU’s investment holdings explored following oil/gas divestment push, p. 4

Volume 24 – Issue 22

FAIR CHALLENGE CFS tries to halt Fair Elections Act, saying it would limit the student vote, p. 5

WHERE THEY WENT Former WolfPack players now coaching, playing elsewhere, p. 11

www.truomega.ca Ω @TRU_Omega

Art Exposed: Bringing community art to light, p. 8

WolfPack women fall in quarter finals, p. 11

March 4, 2015

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March 4, 2015

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

www.truomega.ca /TRUOmega @TRU_Omega

ICBC as government collector: a bad idea

TUNE IN/TUNE OUT Steve Leahy

CONTRIBUTOR Ω

Sean Brady

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω

/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 Kasahra Atkins Zain Bakhtiar Steve Leahy Shelby Purcha

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 Letters for publication must include the writer’s name (for publication) and contact details (not for publication).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.

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OPINION

The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 22

ICBC may soon be acting as a sort of repo man for the government. In a proposed amendment to the Financial Administration Act, the provincial Crown corporation insurer would be able to withhold issuing a driver’s license or plates to those who have defaulted on their student loans and are not currently repaying them. The amendment means to make ICBC a sort of enforcer in the government’s debt collections, with former students as the targets.

Defaulted loans amount for no small amount of money. Roughly 15 per cent of student loan dollars in British Columbia are defaulted upon, matching the Canadian average, according to figures from Statistics Canada looking at default rates from 2006 to 2011.

To me, it seems like this number should be lower. But not long ago it was actually a lot higher. Back in 200304, the default rate was as high as 28 per cent, and it has declined almost every year since, according to the 20122013 Canada Student Loans Program Annual Report. The reasons why that might be are worth knowing if you’ve got a student loan.

Canada’s repayment assistance plan (RAP) is intended to keep students from defaulting on their loans. The idea here is that no student will ever have to pay more than 20 per cent of his or her income, that the repayment period should never last for more than 15 years and that loan payments will be based on family size and income.

Shelby Purcha/The Omega

Basically, it’s a set of rules meant to keep things fair, but more practically, it’ll allow you to reduce your payments or even stop making payments for a short period of time while you figure things out. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s much more lenient than the repayment schemes you’ll hear about from your bank.

Despite the olive branch, student loans are certainly not trouble free, nor is the system that makes them necessary a good one. There’s more than $15 billion currently owing to the government in student loans, with the average borrower carrying a debt load of $28,000, according to a student debt report by the Canadian Federation of Students. That’s a big burden to carry, even if you do manage to repay it within the mandated 15 years. Imagine how difficult it might be to save for your kids’ education while still repaying your own?

But if you’ve taken out a student loan, you need to face reality: you owe that money and your only good option is to pay it back. With programs like RAP in place, there’s really no reason

you shouldn’t be able to make some kind of payment. Even in worst case scenarios where you’re unable to work, you’ve got options and your loan may even be forgiven.

Deep inside the debate over whether or not ICBC should be able to withhold driver’s licenses is a debate over political philosophy. Because the collective taxpayer is essentially the lender of a student loan, they should have the right to collect on a debt owing. But at what cost?

In B.C. especially, the ability to drive amounts to a certain kind of freedom.

Considering the state of public transportation in some cities, the line between a car as a convenience and a car as a necessity is blurry, especially when that vehicle is required for a defaulted borrower to work. No work, no money – no money, no repayment. The government might be shooting itself in the foot with this one. Not to mention the fact that inability to repay a loan has nothing to do with someone’s ability to drive – which is all ICBC should be concerned with, no matter who lines its coffers.

We are more than our dresses Rachel Wood

COPY EDITOR Ω

The past couple months have been teeming with awards shows. The Golden Globes, Grammys, Oscars and People’s Choice Awards have all been televised so far this year. These awards shows are intended to acknowledge the outstanding work of actors, directors and musicians alike.

Over the years, there has been a shift in what the media and audience values in these events, and the original purpose has been all but forgotten. What was supposed to be an equal celebration of hard work and achievements in the workplace and life has become a chance to focus only on superficial aspects. This is especially true for women on the red carpet.

What these superstar women wear on the red carpet is both gorgeous and a good chance for designers to show off their own artistic creations to a largescale audience. There is nothing wrong with admiring a woman who has confidence in herself and what she wears, or even the article of clothing itself. Jennifer Lopez and her Versace dress at the 2000 Grammys and Lupita Nyong’o’s Prada dress at last year’s Oscars (along with countless others in between) made major waves in the entertainment industry.

The problem doesn’t arise when we talk about what these women wear, but when that is the only aspect of their lives we discuss. While men on the red carpet get asked questions such as “What are your biggest accomplishments?” and “What impact has your work had on society?” their female counterparts are typically asked “Who are you wearing?” and “Could you turn around so we can see the back of your gown?” Recently, “mani cams” have been cropping up at award shows, which encourage female stars to model their hands and manicures for the camera while the men get asked more significant questions.

Reese Witherspoon called for a change this year, bringing to light the hashtag #AskHerMore leading up to the Oscars. The hashtag – which has since been reposted all over social media – supports the idea that reporters should inquire more about women’s successful careers and less about their outfits, jewelry and manicures.

In an interview on the red carpet at the Oscars, Witherspoon made the noteworthy comment about celebrities on the red carpet, stating, “We are more than our dresses.”This movement marks the beginning of a big push for women and men’s equality at these functions.

Judgment based on women’s attire isn’t exclusive to the red carpet. Successful women, whether they are in the spotlight or not, are consistently torn

down for having the confidence to wear certain items of clothing. The amount of times Kim Kardashian has been ripped to shreds over what she wears is baffling. People describe her as a “hopeless mother,” “trashy slut” and “disgusting whore” all based on what she wears and how much skin she shows.

Newsflash: All humans have bodies.

Women have breasts, thighs, stomachs and backsides just like everyone else.

Shaming each other for showing them off or being self-confident in who we are isn’t right.

Kardashian’s confidence as a mother, businesswoman, model and face of an empire worth $65 million should be respected regardless of how she clothes herself. The same goes for many other successful women in the public eye.

Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and even Kate Middleton all have history of being slammed for attire that was seen as too revealing or inappropriate for someone with so much publicity. These comments all disregard the amazing causes these women stand for and work they do.

It is up to us as society to start a revolution in which women can be valued first and foremost for their attributions to society and accomplishments in their careers. Clothing only scratches the surface of what it means to be a woman.

It does not define every aspect of a person’s life.

Have you ever wondered why there really aren’t any good movies made recently? I know that the Academy Awards would say otherwise, but honestly they only had roughly four or five decent movies to choose from. And I’m pretty sure that more than four or five movies were made since the last awards show.

And isn’t it a little weird that the Academy Award nominees are only ever released a few months before the show? There are exceptions, of course, but they are few and far between. Unless a movie released earlier in the year really captures the attention of audiences and critics it can almost be guaranteed to be left out of the Oscars.

All the movies that are sure to be in the award discussion are released just before nominees are announced so that the audience and critics (but more so the audience) doesn’t have enough time to really compare it to earlier movies. It’s more like “yeah, that movie was really good…” and the award show is on them before they can finish that thought with ‘…but is it really better than that movie I saw seven months ago that I thought was really good?’

There’s a reason for that; it’s called politics.

I don’t really watch many new movies, but that’s more because I don’t really watch movies anymore. I’d rather watch television shows, to be honest.

With shows like True Detective, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones can you really blame me? I can’t be the only person that would rather watch Game of Thrones than go to the theatres. And half the time when I do go to the theatre and watch some overhyped movie that can’t possibly live up to the expectation I spend the entire run time thinking “Matthew McConaughey in True Detective could out act any of these movie stars any day of the week.” Am I alone?

Let’s face it people, movies aren’t the gold standard they used to be, and television shows aren’t the movie star graveyard anymore. What I attribute it to is the audience expectations.

When you go to a movie you want two hours or so of entertainment, and then you’re done. But with a TV show you need a reason to come back each week and spend another hour on this thing. You’re not done after s block of entertainment, you’ve got another few months of this show, and so you need a reason to come back. And so the writing for TV has to be much more engaging, exciting, and just all round good or people won’t come back.

And I really think that the TV revolution is just beginning. We’re going to be getting an influx of higher production shows that are going to start rivaling what movies put out. Don’t believe me? Compare Game of Thrones to Lord of the Rings. There are a lot more similarities than differences. leahys112@mytru.ca

Give us your words!

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

NEWS

March 4, 2015

TRU one step ahead of divestment, VP finance says Ryan Turcot

SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Ω

Following UBC’s faculty vote in favour of divesting from oil and gas holdings, a peek inside TRU’s own investments has revealed that the university holds only a small amount of investments related to fossil fuels.

UBC made headlines last month when 62 per cent of its faculty voted in favour of UBCC350’s proposal for the university to divest over $100 million from fossil fuel company investments within five years.

Students and faculty across 34 Canadian campuses are now lobbying their university administration to stop investing in fossil fuel companies, according to a report published by the Sustainability and Education Policy Network (SEPN).

Of the 34 universities undergoing divestment campaigns reported

by SEPN, 10 have publically disclosed how much money they are currently investing into fossil fuel companies.

In terms of overall dollars invested, UBC is the biggest spender of the 10 universities, SEPN reports.

Of its $1.1 billion dollar endowment, 10.9 per cent ($120 million) is invested into fossil fuel companies.

Trent University’s total endowment has the highest dependency on fossil fuels, with 82.93 per cent ($34 million) of its $41 million en-

dowment fund invested into fossil fuel companies.

The University of Toronto’s endowment is the least dependent on fossil fuels. Of its $1.5 billion endowment fund, 2.2 per cent ($32,400,000) is invested in fossil fuel companies.

How does TRU stack up?

TRU vice-president of finance Matt Milovick revealed to The Omega that the university currently has $56.5 million invested overall: $37 million in bonds, $12.9 in equity and high yield portfolios and $6.6 million in endowments, according to holdings summaries produced by investment dealer Raymond James Ltd. Of the $49.9 million invested into bonds and equity portfolios, Milovick said only 0.36 per cent ($179,640) of the investments are directly exposed to energy companies.

Of the $6.6 million invested in endowments, Milovick said roughly six per cent ($396,000) of the investments are directly exposed to energy producers.

“The six per cent does not include utilities, which may use nuclear, wind, and solar (in addition to gas and coal) and oil service companies (drillers, steel pipe producers),” Milovick said via email. “It gets hazy when you look at a company like General Electric, which produces oil drilling equipment, but is also one of the world’s largest water purification companies.”

Adding all the numbers together, roughly 1.2 per cent ($575,640) of TRU’s $56.5 million investment fund has direct ties to energy producers.

While divestment campaigns have popped up on other Canadian campuses, Milovick said no one has brought up the possibility of a campaign at TRU. “The administration wanted to get ahead of this issue before a divestment campaign rolled onto our campus,” he said. “We’re currently working with the investment committee of the university to define a responsible investment policy or statement – and let’s not be confused, it’s not a divestment policy, it’s a responsible investment policy.

According to Milovick, financial sustainability is a priority over environmental sustainability in TRU’s investments.

“No one at this institution has an appetite to simply say ‘We’re going to divest of oil and gas on ethical reasons,’” Milovick said. “With the Toronto Stock Exchange holding 20 to 23 per cent in energy companies, energy is difficult to avoid without sacrificing performance and diversification.

“By in large, green investments – wholly green investments – are not sustainable for our portfolio. The more concentrated [they are], the greater the risk, [and] they don’t have the same kind of returns.

Performance for solar and green ETFs, for example, has been very poor.”

Investments to go transparent More transparency will give the public a peek behind the investment curtain

Alexis Stockford NEWS EDITOR Ω

Advocates for greater transparency at TRU can look forward to more information on the university’s investments in the next few years, according to TRU administration. As part of its five-year sustainability plan, released in October 2014, TRU plans to disclose more information on the university’s stock portfolio.

While no information on TRU’s current investments is publically accessible, TRU vice-president of administration and finance, Matt Milovick, said that lack is not due to any need for secrecy.

“Certainly if someone wants to know what we hold in our investments, we can make that available,” he said.

While no official timeline has been announced, director of environment

and sustainability, Jim Gudjonson, said he hopes to see TRU disclosing its investments within the next two to three years.

“In terms of what other institutions are doing and best practices, we should develop a sustainable policy

cy that the administration is obligated to provide.

“I think that’s the general feeling of this administration,” he said. “There isn’t a trigger. There’s nothing that says ‘Hey, all of a sudden we need to be more transparent.’ I just feel it’s something that as an institution we need to do. Not just on investments but on everything that we do.”

Milovick added that TRU’s investments add about $2.3 million in interest revenue per year to the school’s operating budget.

“At the end of the day we have a Matt Milovick, VP finance TRU fiscal responsibility to balance our and we should disclose where we are budget and the investment returns that investing,” he said. we make off our investments have acMilovick maintains that there have tually helped to support that,” he said. been no issues that have motivated STARS the move for greater transparency, but added that the university community According to Gudjonson, investdemands a certain level of transparen- ments were included in the sus-

“Certainly if someone wants to know what we hold in our investments, we can make that available,”

$56.5 MILLION TOTAL INVESTMENT

Oil and gas holdings a pittance of total investment

$37 MILLION MAIN PORTFOLIO

$12.9 MILLION EQUITY AND HIGH YIELD

$6.6 MILLION ENDOWMENTS

tainability plan to comply with the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), a global program meant to help universities measure their own sustainability. TRU received a silver STARS rating in 2011.

Milovick, however, said that STARS does not play into TRU’s move for more transparency.

“A STARS rating simply allows us to measure our progress,” he said “The sustainability initiatives that we’re taking we’re taking because

they’re the right things to do for the institution… We can achieve that rating by doing other things.”

The university is currently discussing what the new increased transparency will look like and when it will be implemented. It is unclear when changes may come into effect.

“I think Matt and I are on the same page here because he had input into the plan, but of course it is going to take some time to get everything in order,” Gudjonson said.

NEWS

The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 22

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Student federation hopes to halt Fair Elections Act

The Canadian Federation of Students says new laws will put a chill on youth voting Alexis Stockford NEWS EDITOR Ω

The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) plans to take the federal government to court before the next federal election.

CFS, along with the Council of Canadians and three independent citizens, recently filed a constitutional challenge against the Fair Elections Act, claiming new identification requirements violate the right to vote.

As of last June, voters are no longer able to prove their residence by having another registered voter vouch for them at the polls or using their voter identification cards. Instead, voters must provide government-issued identification with a local address.

According to CFS national chairperson Jessica McCormick, the new measures make voting unattractive to students attending school away from their home riding since they often lack local identification. She said the new laws would only lower an already low

youth voter turn out.

“If youth vote in more significant numbers, we can have a significant impact on the outcome of an election for any of the parties, and that’s why it’s so important that we [make it] easier for people to vote, not more difficult,” she said.

According to Elections Canada, less than 39 per cent of Canadians aged 18-24 voted in 2011, 22 per cent lower than total voter turn out.

McCormick said she herself is one of the over 120,000 Canadians to use vouching in the last federal election.

Over 2,000 pages of evidence are now before the Ontario Superior Court, including testimonies from voters who say they were turned away from polls in the last federal election, evidence from CFS on low youth voter turnout as well as evidence from civic engagement group Apathy is Boring and former B.C. Chief Electoral Officer Harry Neufeld.

Local MP defends Act

Kamloops Conservative MP Cathy

McLeod said she cannot comment on CFS’s challenge since it is before the courts but said she fully supports the Fair Elections Act. “The Fair Elections Act will make our election laws tougher, clearer and easier to follow. It will also ensure that election lawbreakers face the consequences for their actions,” she said in an email to The Omega.

McLeod maintains that eliminating vouching and voter ID cards decreases voter fraud. And while these two options are off the table, McLeod pointed out that there are 39 other options for government identification, including library cards, Indian status cards and utility bills.

In place of vouching, voters can now sign a oath of residence at the polls, provided that another registered voter living in the same polling area signs a similar oath to back up the claim of residence.

Anyone voting outside his or her riding (such as out-of-town university students) can also apply for a special ballot through Elections Canada. The

ballot will be mailed to the applicant and must be mailed back by Election Day.

CFS says Elections Canada muzzled

According to CFS, new limits on Elections Canada will further dissuade voters.

Under new legislation, Elections Canada can no longer encourage people to vote, although later amendments allow it to run educational programs for high school students.

“If Elections Canada is just limited to telling people when and where and how they can vote, that doesn’t really provide the extra motivation that’s required to get first-time voters out to the polls,” McCormick said.

“I think if we want to encourage participation in our democratic structures here in Canada, that work needs to come from Elections Canada as well as other civil society organizations and political parties.”

According to McCormick, Elections

Canada has been working with CFS to develop educational programs as well as research possible locations for campus polling stations. Under new legislation, these programs will not be able to run.

McLeod did not address the limits placed on Elections Canada in her email.

Running out of time

With the possibility of an election being called any time from now to October, time is running out for CFS to get their day in court.

McCormick has said that if the election is called before their case is decided, CFS is ready to apply for an injunction, which would “hit pause” on disputed measures of the Fair Elections Act until the court case could be heard.

Before getting the green light the injunction would first have to convince a judge that it represents a serious issue to society and irreparable harm might occur without the injunction. The judge must also weigh any inconvenience the injunction would put on the parties involved.

Have you Googled yourself lately?

What your web presence might say to your future employer Ryan Turcot

SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Ω

Have you Googled yourself recently? You probably should, if you’re looking for a summer job or grad job.

At least, that’s the advice of career education coordinator Susan Forseille.

“We were doing focus groups with employers last spring, and I asked them about social media and recruiting,” Forseille recalled. “One of the employers in the room reached over, turned off the tape recorder and said, ‘I can’t share this publically, but we Google everybody’s name. We look at their LinkedIn, try to get onto their Facebook account and want to know what they are tweeting.’”

As the world becomes more intertwined with social media, so are employers and recruiters, she said.

“The larger the organization, the more likely they are to look at your social media presence. Kamloops isn’t as progressive as, say, Vancouver or Calgary.”

According to Forseille, your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts are the three spots employers and recruiters are most likely to look at to find out more about you.

“When employers look at someone’s Facebook and Twitter profiles, they’re trying to get a sense of that person and who they are, what their hobbies are and what their personality is like,” she said. “A lot of people take careful attention with their LinkedIn to make sure that they look professional, but with Face-

book, despite security settings being raised to the highest, employers are finding ways to get into them.

Some admit it, some don’t.”

How worried should you be about your online presence? Forseille said it depends on two things: your name, and what kind of work you are looking for.

“If you have a common name, they’re not going to find much about you specifically,” she said. “If you have a more uncommon name, they’re going to be able to see quite a bit about you.”

“What’s going to compromise your reputations is really subjective. If a creative marketing agency is looking through people’s social media, they’re going to be looking for someone who’s really edgy and creative,” she said. “But a more traditional employer, like an account-

ing firm or the RCMP, will be more conservative in what they look for.”

Forseille said a good general rule of thumb is to avoid posting anything you wouldn’t want your grandma to see. Depending on who your grandma is, this may or may not be an effective guideline.

“You still want to use the sites for what they’re intended for, you just want to keep in mind who else is seeing it and how they’re going to be forming impressions about you,” she said.

Forseille said there are a few things students can do to improve their online presence: “Absolutely set up a LinkedIn account. It’s one of the main places employers stop to find out more about you. Some of the information you’ll want to put in your LinkedIn account includes a really good sum-

mary of what your career goals are, where you go to school, what courses you’re taking, your co-curricular and your extracurricular activities.”

She also recommended doing some quick damage control on your social media accounts, if you have not already.

“I had one student Google his name,” she recalled. “He said, ‘I have a Twitter account?’ He forgot that he had set one up, and it was from when he was younger and not being very thoughtful of what he was posting.”

“Google yourself, put brackets around your name and see what comes up. Don’t just look at the first few hits, either. Go through a couple of pages of results. Try different variations of your name, put your middle name in, and put ‘TRU’ in.”

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March 4, 2015

THIS IS MY BODY empowerment insecurities, confidence and

by Ashley Wadhwani

TRU women strip down and tell their stories ahead of body image workshop

It

was the summer of 2010 and I was with a group of close friends at Gold Creek Falls in Maple Ridge, B.C. We had been lying on our beach towels, lined up side by side for a few hours and I finally worked up the courage to take off my shirt – exposing my green and black striped two-piece. One of the boys asked if anyone wanted to swim across the opening of the creek to jump off this ledge known as “the running man.” I got up and left my shirt behind, following them into the water.

Up at the top of the ledge, the runway had been tracked by wet footsteps of previous jumpers. I was nervous to jump. I needed a running start to clear the cliff. It was my turn and I began to run. The next thing I knew I was under water, relieved that I cleared the jump.

I pulled myself out of the water and climbed back to the top of the ledge. The group of boys were all laughing at

me as I made my way back up to the top.

They were laughing about how fat I look when I run, and “how much the ground shook.”

A new fear grew within me, taking up more room inside than the one I felt moments earlier before jumping. For the rest of my senior year, these boys, who were within my social circle and at one point good friends, referred to me as “Waddles.” Now, in my fourth year of university and four summers later, unless I’m in the backyard tanning with a close girlfriend, I don’t take my shirt off.

That is, until last week when I posed with four other women who stripped down to their underwear with me in a TRU classroom in the name of body empowermenwt.

I was trying to trade my longstanding insecurity for a new body-positive outlook. Those who posed with me shared their stories.

JAMIE’S STORY Jamie had her first of two daughters when she was quite young and experienced significant changes to her body post-pregnancy.

“I had stretch marks, I have saggy boobs – my boobs look great in a bra but then I take the bra off and I lay on my back and get deodorant on my nipples,” Jamie said.

These changes are what, for Jamie, are the most positive body changes a woman can go through.

“When I look at my stretch marks I see them for what other people see them for,” Jamie said. “But then I look at them and if it wasn’t for all of these changes I wouldn’t have my two little girls. To me it’s a mark of honour.”

Although Jamie notes that many women postpregnancy see themselves as “kind of broken,” her job

as a mother is to be a positive role model to her two daughters. Her message for them is simple: Be good to all people.

“I am the girl who’s always holding the door for somebody, who’s going out of her way to help the old lady carrying her groceries and to smile at people and be nice to people,” Jamie said. “I think that it’s really important to show that kindness comes in all shapes and sizes. Kindness is really the thing that people notice first.”

Jamie loves her legs.

“I think I have great legs – I’ve always felt good about them,” Jamie said. “They’ve always been a constant and they make me feel sexy.”

RAE’S STORY Rae made the choice to stop shaving two years ago. Her friends are accepting but she’s aware that it’s not a typical aesthetic practice.

“When I talk to people about it you can always tell that it’s a taboo,” Rae said. “I try to give off the idea that I don’t care that [other people] shave, that it’s a choice.”

Deciding to no longer shave took some getting used to and although she is comfortable with her decision, it’s still an insecurity Rae battles with amongst her peers.

“If I’m going to wear a sleeveless shirt, I think about where I’m going when I wear that sleeveless shirt and who’s going to be there. In certain places I know it’s not going to be a big deal, but there are places I know I

shouldn’t do it, like if I’m going to a club,” Rae said.

Rae also doesn’t wear makeup day-to-day, often leading to comments from friends and others when she does decide to wear makeup.

“I’ve had people say ‘why don’t you wear it more?

Because you look really nice,’” Rae said. “Do I not look nice when I don’t wear it?”

For Rae, she expresses herself through how she dresses and her hair color.

“I take a lot of time in what I’m going to wear but I try and have fun with it more than worrying about what everyone will think about it,” Rae said. “It’s just something fun for me.”

Rae also loves her collarbones. “They stick our a lot, which I think is really beautiful,” Rae said. “I get a lot of compliments on them but it’s funny because I also get people asking me if there is something wrong with them.”

Workshop on campus On March 6, 2015, Sonya Renee steps on campus for a body image workshop. In 2011, the poet activist founded “The Body is Not an Apology,” an international movement of self-love and body empowerment.

According to its website, “The Body Is Not An Apology was created to remind us that we do not need to wait to feel beautiful, powerful, or worthy tomorrow,” and that “your body needs you to love it today, just as it is, however it is, unapologetically.”

The workshop, being brought to students by the TRUSU Equity Committee begins at 7 p.m. in the Clock Tower Theatre.

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The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 22

HEATHER’S STORY Heather’s always grown up on the beach and grew up in a “really supportive body-friendly family” with her three older sisters and parents.

“I’ve never felt the pressure [from them] to be skinny or be this way or that way,” Heather said.

For Heather, any negative influences when it comes to her body image have come from her friends with what they called “boyfriend weight.”

“What does that mean? [Am I] supposed to look a certain way? Is it okay since I’m dating someone I’m going to relax and eat a bit more? Maybe I’m happier, maybe he accepts [me] a bit more than my friends might,” Heather said. “And that’s when I felt the worst about it.”

Heather is a lifeguard and teaches aquafitness courses usually attended by older women where she notes that insecurities still exist.

“I tried to be their positive reinforcement. Even at an age of 30 or 60 or whoever was in this class it’s a continuing thing. It doesn’t stop once you have a husband or have a ‘perfect’ life,” Heather said.

For Heather, she notices that with lots of women it’s the little insecurities adding up over time.

“I’ve seen friends go through anorexia, and you notice the signs and they never say anything. You can’t force someone to go for help until it gets to a point. It’s tough and I’ve never wanted that.”

“I try not to focus on the weight, ever. Because honestly I think I watched Oprah when I was young and she said you might as well enjoy the skin you’re in because it’s what you got to work with and you can’t fix it or change it, it’ll always go back to what it is,” Heather said.

Heather loves her cheeks and smile. “I think it’s a family trait,” Heather said. “I’ve never had to buy blush in my life ‘cause they’ve always been pink and pretty. Everyone notices me for my smile.”

CAITLIN’S STORY Caitlin is 5-foot-11 and “not a size zero.” In elementary school she was always the tallest and always in the back of class photos. She also started developing much earlier than most of the girls in her class. “I remember being in elementary school, kind of having problems with different girls. Bullying, I guess you could classify it as,” Caitlin said.

She turned to self-help books to help navigate through her insecurity.

“In some ways, it made it worse,” Caitlin said. “It was like, ‘is this what I have to fucking look forward to? Is this life?’

You get bullied and then you kind of read a self-help book to make yourself feel better?”

The turning point for Caitlin was breaking “the loop in her head.” Calling women today “a product of their generation,” Caitlin knows how tough it is to deal with imagery in the media leading to self-concsiousness.

“Obviously there are days where you feel self-conscious and everyone does and you beat yourself up for no reason, but in the grand scheme of things I am healthy and I’m happy the way that I am,” Caitlin said.

In her first year of university, Caitlin actively lost weight.

“It was starting to be like ‘well men don’t find me attractive because I’m too heavy so I’m going to start losing weight,’ and then it became less of that and more of ‘well I feel better,’” Caitlin said. “Confidence is everything.”

Promoting weight loss in the realm of body image isn’t typical, but for Caitlin it completely changed how she felt about herself.

“It’s kind of funny when I tell that story,” Caitlin said. “I found it through something that might be considered shallow in a sense…but it helped, I feel better.”

Caitlin loves her lower arms and accessorizes them with bracelets and tattoos.

“It’s something about my elbows to the end of my hands,” Caitlin said, laughing.

(Standing) Ashley Wadhwani, Rae Imeson and Caitlin Morrison, (Sitting) Heather Pratt-Johnson and Jamie Anderson.

Photos by Kim Anderson

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ARTS

March 4, 2015

EXPOSING COMMUNITY ART “ART EXPOSED” AT THE OLD COURTHOUSE

Kim Anderson ARTS EDITOR Ω

“I don’t just see art on the walls, I see windows into the community,” said Vaughn Warren, one of three judges in the “Art Exposed” community exhibition.

Throngs of viewers, artists and one sweaty arts reporter stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the Old Kamloops Courthouse, anxiously awaiting the results of the judging.

Artwork in various mediums, 2D and 3D, covered any and all spare space on the walls, constructed room dividers, hallways, and platforms.

The unique aspect of this gallery opening is that it features local artists, all with varying skill levels.

“It’s nice to see this facility packed with art and full of people. It was an open exhibition, meaning it wasn’t juried to enter the competition. The idea was inclusivity,” Warren said.

“The ages and talent levels in this show couldn’t have been more diverse. In the juried selection, I think, the youngest artist was 15 and the woman who won was 77. As far as skill levels go, you’re seeing compe-

tent to expert,” he said.

The Kamloops Art Council’s “Art Exposed” exhibition opened on Friday, Feb. 27. It features paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, clothing and many other media.

Local artist Wendy Patrick took first place in 2D with a close-up drawing of a section of the Great Wall of China. Patrick describes her process as intricate and deliberate.

“It takes an hour per square inch to do my drawings. I’ve drawn all my life, it’s always been my medium and I love it,” she said.

Many artists have their work available for sale or rent, but Patrick opted against selling hers.

“When I brought them in, I said, ‘I feel like I’m delivering my babies!’ I couldn’t bring myself to sell this one,” Patrick said.

Patrick remains active with her practice and spends time teaching seniors the craft. Her medium of choice is coloured pencil and encourages others to try it, because she is confident that “anybody can do this.”

Shows like “Art Exposed” function as a networking and support tool for artists. Kirsten Atkins has been a working artist since 1988 and was

Artwork in all forms took over the Old Kamloops Courthouse in the opening of “Art Exposed.” (Kim Anderson/The Omega)

awarded a honourable mention for one of her works.

“The Arts Council here has got to be the most supportive. I come from a town that is all art, the Klondike in the Yukon. Coming from there, where it’s really hard to break into a scene, they are very noses up. If you fit in, you fit in,” Atkins said.

“Here it’s not like that at all, it’s amazing. There’s no animosity, all artists are very supportive of one another.”

Atkins, and others, find support through their fellow artists and the arts community that time and time again echoes sentiments of inclusivity and collaboration.

“You’re always seeing new and upcoming artists. Young, or even older and just entering the art scene. Generally their art is well received, to-

night’s show is proof of that,” gallery viewer Bonnie Bylsma said.

“We are known to be the tournament capital of Canada, [with] the whole sports scene and that’s wonderful. But I love this other piece that we have. We have the symphony, theatre productions of such high quality, and local visual artists,” she said.

If viewers are interested in checking out the work in a more laidback setting, away from the droves of viewers that were the hallmark of opening night, “Art Exposed” is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until March 8.

As with any other community, non-profit organization, the Kamloops Art Council is always in need of help, be it in the form of donations or volunteers.

The most pressing issue for local artists, according to Warren, is the lack of space to display work. “[They need] venue space, to just show art. It’s tight in town. It crosses over to live music, too. It’s tough to find a venue space in town that works. There’s a selection, but it isn’t robust,” Warren said.

Getting exposure as an artist, be it a musician or otherwise, continues to be one of the biggest obstacles. With a community as large and supportive as Kamloops, local artists need business owners to come forward with venue space.

With a continued mindset and practice of collaboration and support, the future looks bright for the Kamloops art community.

“Leather jacket,” leather pants and Diana Ross: Arkells & Dear Rouge play Cactus Jacks Kim Anderson ARTS EDITOR Ω

Amidst flashing lights and the haze of a smoke machine, Arkells and Dear Rouge reassured the crowd at Cactus Jacks that they made the right choice to “turn up” on a Monday.

The electric, attention-commanding sound of music industry veterans and opening band, Dear Rouge, kicked off the show with a bang.

The Vancouver-based husband and wife duo are the epitome of a power couple. Drew and Danielle McTaggart got bodies to the dance floor in no time with their intoxicating brand of synth blended with rock.

Fans at Cactus Jacks could not have asked for a more powerful and talented frontwoman than Danielle. Her vocal range, reminiscent of Metric, and stage presence was nothing short of incredible. Dear Rouge blew away the crowd and set the bar high for Arkells.

Keep a close eye and ear on this band, because they are gaining steam. Looking ahead, you will hear much more from them.

Arkells, the alternative rockers hailing from Hamilton, Ont. have grown immensely and amassed a dedicated following since their formation in 2006.

For the most part, the band has

held a steady lineup since 2006, with Max Kerman (vocals/guitar), Mike DeAngelis (vocals/guitar), Nick Dika (bass), Tim Oxford (drums/percussion) and the most recent addition, Anthony Carone (vocals/keys/guitar) who joined in 2011.

Arkells have played in Kamloops several times over the last few years and the audience showed their appreciation. From singing along to each song, jumping to the beat and practically blowing the roof off for the encore, Kamloopsians love Arkells’ unique brand of upbeat, fastpaced alternative rock.

This was avid fan Quinn Foreman’s fourth Arkells show and they didn’t disappoint.

“They absolutely killed it, as they always do. Max has the perfect stage presence between crowd interaction, sticking to original music and improvising to give it that live personality,” Foreman said.

Foreman regularly commutes from his home in Salmon Arm, to Kamloops, Vernon and sometimes Vancouver for live shows.

“I’d rather drive a while to go see them and experience them live, than to look back in a couple years and regret not going,” Foreman said.

Live music will always differ from studio recordings and this group is no exception. That is not a shot at the group – the shift is attrac-

tive and desirable. When performing live, Kerman injects an unreal amount of feeling and emotion into the lyrics.

Between dancing in any free space on the stage, holding the mic out for fans and strutting across the front of the pit, the band knows how to get their fans invested from the first song.

Foreman knew how high-energy Arkells shows can be and came prepared for the performance, in what he called his “party shirt” and homemade jorts (jean shorts).

Kerman has an impressive stage presence and was constantly interacting with the crowd. He improvised in between songs, told snappy anecdotes and kept the club in a joyous and rowdy mood for their hour and a half long set.

To be fair, it was obvious that Kerman’s declaration of the band’s choice to play in Kamloops over Kelowna would be met with raucous applause. But he did get the reaction he was looking for, so it was a clever strategy, nonetheless.

With their catchy beats and infectious lyrics, Arkells plays music that stirs up feelings of nostalgia, romantic love and the optimism of youth. I’d be willing to bet there were some fuzzy heads that trekked into work on Tuesday morning, but not one of them with an ounce of regret.

Danielle McTaggart of Dear Rouge stole the attention of everyone in Cactus Jacks from their first song. More photos online at www.truomega.ca. (Kim Anderson/The Omega)

NEWS

The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 22

2015

TRUSU ELECTION TIMELINE

NOMINATIONS OPEN

March 13

NOMINATIONS CLOSE

March 14

ALL CANDIDATES MEETING

March 16

CANDIDATE POSTINGS RELEASED CAMPAIGNING BEGINS

March 18

ELECTION COVERAGE IN THE OMEGA

March 23

ALL CANDIDATES FORUM, 7 P.M. TRUSU

March 25

POLLING OPENS, 8 A.M. TRUSU

March 26

POLLING CLOSES – 4 P.M.

March 27

ELECTION RESULTS RELEASED

Tampon tax petition takes hold Ashley Wadhwani ISSUES EDITOR Ω

Jill Piebiak, an activist out of Toronto and leader of the “No Tax on Tampons” campaign, has gained over 50,000 supporters in her petition to end the GST on menstruation products. Her petition, on the online petition platform Change. org, is asking citizens to “let our elected officials know that you won’t stand for this unfair tax any longer.”

“No Tax on Tampons” is in support of MP Irene Mathyssen’s Bill C-282, which was introduced on Oct. 16, 2013.

In 2004, MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis attempted to pass a bill that would get rid of the GST on menstruation products by deeming them a human necessity through the Excise Tax Act. If what you buy includes tampons, pads, panty liners or menstrual cups you’ll find through looking at the bottom of your grocery bill that the bill was shot down and the GST remains.

Similar bills have been attempted by other female politicians, including Ontario MPP Marilyn Churley’s attempt in 2002 with a private members bill.

So why are certain things taxed while others aren’t?

“Low-income people spend twothirds of their income on basic necessities. Wealthier people spend one-third of their income [on the same],” said Hasnat Dewan, chair of

VOTE

March 2

POSITIONS AVAILABLE Executive 4 positions

Advocacy 5 positions

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10

HOURS/WEEK

Directors-at-large 4 positions

HOURS/WEEK

10

HOURS/WEEK

Visit trusu.ca for more information

“My Health is Sexy” campaign brings HIV testing to campus Zain Bakhtiar

CONTRIBUTOR Ω

The Wellness Centre has partnered with Interior Health to bring free and confidential HIV testing to the TRU campus.

Chelsea Corsi, who runs the Wellness Centre, said that testing is quick and easy.

“If you are sexually active it is a really good idea to get tested, there can be some fear and anxiety if you are in a higher risk group in terms of men having sex with men or if you are an IV drug user, it is highly recommended you get tested frequently.

“There are two different types of testing. There is a new test described as the one-minute ‘poke test’ where the individual is poked with a small contraption, and the test result is revealed in a minute,” Corsi said.

Based on recent surveys by Health Canada, it is estimated that every three hours a person is infected with HIV in Canada. In B.C., it’s estimated that approximately 3,500 people are living with HIV and unaware of

their status. There has been an eight per cent increase in HIV cases since 2011 and HIV is most easily transmitted during the first few months after infection.

“If you come for an HIV test and are at risk for other STIs (sexually transmitted infections), the clinic will test you for that,” Corsi said.

Testing is available on the last Thursday of every month, with the next session on March 26 in the TRU Health Clinic in OM 1463.

Appointments are recommended, but drop-ins are also accepted if there is space.

TRU students and employees who aren’t able to make it to the clinic can access the Kamloops Public Health Office at 519 Columbia St. The Public Health Office can also meet individuals at a mobile location anywhere at anytime.

“This team is all about reducing barriers. They will meet you at music festivals or under a bridge,” Corsi said.

Chelsea Corsi can be contacted at the Wellness Centre at 250-8285010 or by email at ccorsi@tru.ca.

9

TRU’s economics department, said.

“Taxing on those basic necessities would be regressive. It would put more burden on the low-income people who spend more of their income on those goods,” Dewan said.

According to the petition, the government collected some $36 million in tax revenue on these products in 2014.

“From an individual woman’s perspective it’s probably not a large cost—a dollar, $2, $3 every month,” Dewan said. “But in aggregate it’s roughly $36 million, which is not a big amount for the government, when you look at the government’s total GST tax revenue which is around $30 billion.”

In other words, this $36 million collected annually, is 1/1000th of one per cent of federal tax revenue.

For Kathie Ross, an open learning faculty member and teaches accounting and tax at TRU, the tax currently attached on menstruation products makes no sense.

“Putting a tax on an item that effects a specific section of the population is in effect discriminatory,” Ross said.

Ross is a member of the TRU diversity committee and is currently completing her PhD. exploring gender issues in the accounting profession. She has watched many bills throughout the last two decades get rejected.

“It’s been tried in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009,” she said. “By the way, we are not the only ones

fighting it, the U.K. still hasn’t got it through. They got it reduced, but it’s still not zero.”

The petition examines the fact that women have no alternatives to the products offered in grocery stores and pharmacies.

“Could you imagine showing up to work with a bag of rags?” Ross said, laughing. “It would not be acceptable in modern society. You have to have the products that are there.”

“I suspect it has more political implications than anything else. If one country does it, it might pressure another country to do it,” Dewan said.

“If you’re asking me if I think it will pass, the answer is no. I am pessimistic… because the U.K. still hasn’t been able to pass theirs,” Ross said. “The fact that B.C. doesn’t have PST on [these products] and a number of other provinces don’t, should be showing the federal government that citizens are paying attention that there shouldn’t be a tax on this.”

When someone signs the petition online, a letter is sent to six ministry representatives including the Minister of National Revenue, Minister responsible for the status of women and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“We can’t give up. If it doesn’t go forward this time we need to keep pushing it forward again,” Ross said.

“It needs to continue to keep going forward as often as it takes.”

Connecting through communication Storyteller discusses the power of building a community, collectivity and sharing experiences Kasahra Atkins

CONTRIBUTOR Ω

“Tell me a story.”

This was the challenge given by speaker Richard Wagamese during the sixth annual Storyteller’s Gala on Feb. 25 put on by the TRUSU Equity Committee.

Following the presentation, every person in the room must have connected with Wagamese, as he said to talk to someone is to ask them to “tell me a story” and to hear a story is to learn and to connect with another person.

After speaking of his life dealing with illiteracy as well as verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse and the realization that learning is made through connections with people and the stories they tell, Wagamese was able to talk about the effects of storytelling in Canada. According to Wagamese, with a nation so vast, storytelling is a major way to bring about change.

On the topic of Canada’s missing Aboriginal women, Wagamese said that we need to get people talking about it and relay to the government about how we feel on the matter.

Wagamese spoke about how personal experiences connect us better than lectures can and will group people together to achieve more. To begin, however, we must start with our immediate circles, explaining how, like ripples, the smallest one will grow.

“Storytelling creates community. If students were to sit together and tell

stories, a community is built. This will be a lasting community,” Wagamese said when the topic of learning outcomes at TRU was brought up.

After capturing the audience, Wagamese shifted his talk into literacy. Not the typical literacy that is simply translation, but emotional literacy. He claimed, “We need to teach ‘emotional literacy’ and say ‘This makes me feel.’”

Wagamese said that this is how we can focus on our students and the dropout

rate that has been getting to an alarming high. He expressed that by talking with the students and asking them not “What are you learning?” but “Do you feel this is being learnt?” a student can connect and tell a story about their schooling and stay involved.

With a number of people asking oneon-one questions in the book signing portion, Wagamese left the audience with an open mind and a new story to share.

Richard Wagamese was on campus for the annual Storyteller’s Gala on Feb. 25. (Kasahra Atkins/The Omega)

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COMICS & PUZZLES

March 4, 2015

C R O S S W O R D Ω TV’s “Friends”

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SPORTS

The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 22

HARD FOUGHT After three close games and their first-

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ever playoff win, the WolfPack women drop their final game to the UVic Vikes Tayla Scott

SPORTS EDITOR Ω

Two evenly matched teams, the WolfPack and the UVic Vikes, left it all on the court on the weekend of Feb. 28 in their fight to move on to Canada West’s final four, but in the end the ‘Pack fell short of advancing.

“It sucks being that close, but it’s nice to know you left everything on the court, and Jorri had a great last night... but it definitely hurts,” said team captain Taiysa Worsfold.

Sole fifth-year player Jorri Duxbury played her last game as a WolfPack athlete on Saturday. She went out with a bang, scoring 22 points, grabbing eight rebounds, throwing three assists and stealing once.

“I felt really confident going in.

We knew we had to give it everything we had and that was my main

focus,” Duxbury said.

The entire weekend was a battle between the teams. The ‘Pack lost by three points on Thursday night but made a comeback on Friday.

Worsfold scored a three-point basket with less than five seconds left, pushing the game into overtime and allowing the WolfPack women to pull ahead and win their first-ever playoff game. They hoped for a repeat of their success on Saturday night, but it didn’t work out that way.

“It came down to making shots and getting stops. There were crucial points where we weren’t able to execute on offence, and in that tight of a game every possession is so important,” Duxbury said.

The ‘Pack was up by one point on Saturday when Vikes player Shay Crisp, a fourth-year point guard, made a three point shot with two seconds left on the clock. The Vikes

won the game 77 – 75 and move onto the Canada West final four.

“TRU’s a great team and all three games were super close, but I never stopped believing in my team,” Crisp said.

Despite their fall out of the playoffs, the ‘Pack played a season they can be proud of. They finished the season with a 19-4 record and put their first-ever playoff win under their belt. They also made history when they scored over 100 points two nights in a row against UBC Okanagan in January.

The team’s focus now turns to next year.

“I’m excited for what’s next. We’ve got a huge spot to fill with Jorri and I don’t think any other player can fill her role,” Worsfold said. “Every year we’ve been building on our success from the previous year. We just got to keep moving forward and next year hopefully make final four.”

Team captain Taiysa Worsfold shoots for three during Game 2. (Sean Brady/The Omega)

WolfPack players past: Where are they now?

WolfPack alum have found success playing professionally and coaching their sports Tayla Scott

SPORTS EDITOR Ω

Chas Kok (right) spent time playing and coaching for the WolfPack. (TRU Athletics)

Jen Ju was a strong player for the ‘Pack, now playing pro in Germany. (TRU Athletics)

Kevin Pribilsky wasn’t ready to say goodbye to his team, so he became an assistant coach and helped coach the team to playoffs. (TRU Athletics)

Whether they’ve been hired by professional teams, have a shot at the Olympics or have stayed in Kamloops to coach their sports, there’s one thing they all have in common: they started out as WolfPack players.

Gord Perrin played men’s volleyball with the ‘Pack and had a taste of national success when the team won bronze at the national championships in 2008. Two years later, after leaving his period of eligibility, Perrin played as a left side hitter on Volleyball Canada’s senior men’s national team.

Now, Perrin plays for Arkas Izmir, a professional volleyball team based in Izmir, Turkey.

“We compete in European competitions called Champions League, which is composed of the top two or three clubs from every country throughout Europe,” Perrin said.

Perrin will have the summer off from Arkas Izmir and will once again play for Volleyball Canada on the senior men’s team. The squad will play in the FIVB World Volleyball League and in the Pan American Games. Perrin and his team will also have a few chances to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Perrin is grateful for the way the WolfPack shaped his career.

“Pat Hennelly put a lot of faith in me as a young player, which gave me a bit of a confidence boost and I was able to excel into what I am today,” Perrin said.

Another ‘Pack player who found success playing professionally in Europe is Jen Ju, who spent four years at TRU as a point guard on the women’s basketball team. Ju was a strong basketball player from the very beginning.

In her first year with the team, her average points-per-game was 14.5. She credits head coach Scott Reeves with some of her success.

“Scott’s program really taught me to have faith in myself, to be patient with myself and others, as well as the game itself. I’m also more resilient to life’s curve balls because of my time at TRU,” she said.

Ju finished her eligibility in 2013 and signed a contract with Rhein-Main Baskets, a professional team in Germany.

“Canadian basketball is very different than European basketball. Some of the major coaching philosophies and concepts I’ve been taught are not valued here, though that’s not to say either is right or wrong, merely different,” Ju said. “It’s always going to be difficult to adjust in a foreign country.

However, I’m learning and I am enjoying myself and much of the European culture.”

While Perrin and Ju moved to Europe to pursue their sports, other ‘Pack players stayed closer to home and made the switch from playing to coaching.

Kevin Pribilsky transferred to TRU in 2010 and became a point guard on the struggling men’s basketball team.

“My first year here we were 4 and 20 and then we just improved each year.

I take a little pride in that,” Pribilsky said.

Pribilsky finished his eligibility with the ‘Pack but wasn’t ready to leave, especially since his brother, Reese Pribilsky, and best friend, Tallon Milne, had committed to play with the ‘Pack.

Pribilsky became an assistant coach for the team and helped coach them to their first-ever playoff win this season.

“It still kind of eats at me a little bit that we never did make the playoffs when I was a player. So to stick around and see that goal fulfilled was one thing that I wanted to be a part of,” Pribilsky said.

Pribilsky will graduate this April with his second degree: a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He will be seeking a job in human resources and plans to keep coaching the ‘Pack if he stays in the area.

Chas Kok is another basketball player who came to TRU in 2010. He played two years with the ‘Pack and was an assistant coach for two years after that.

For the last three summers Kok has played for The Bellingham Slam, a semi-professional basketball team in Washington. The team placed first in the International Basketball League each year Kok played.

Today Kok teaches math at a middle school in Burlington, Washington and is an assistant coach for the high school basketball team. He hopes to be a head coach one day.

“When I got there, TRU was kind of struggling a bit and now they’re enjoying having a lot of success. I’m really excited for the fifth years especially, because I played with those guys,” Kok said.

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March 4, 2015