Dec. 2, 2015

RIDE ALONG

IN A MOST DELIGHTFUL WAY

ON DECEMBER 6

Carpooling out, ridesharing in

“Poppins” is practically perfect in every way

Against violence against women

TRU gets a new website for sharing transportation to and from school, and elsewhere • Page 4

Western Canada Theatre’s latest production is getting some great feedback • Page 7

Campus action planned for National Day of Remembrance • Page 5

OMEGA THE

ISSUE 13 NO.

Ω

DECEMBER 2, 2015

THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

NEW ISSUE EVERY WEDNESDAY · WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA · @TRU_OMEGA · FB.ME/TRUOMEGA

VOLUME 25

A B Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω

AS UBC FACES COMPLAINTS

ALL SET

Sexual assault policy work continues

Bested by one of the best in the west – women’s volleyball takes a hit • Page 11 ACTION ‘PACKED

WolfPack swimming save their best for Canada West championships

Art by TRU student Jean Strong inspired by interviews with sexual assault survivors on campus. • Page 2

FOOD FIGHT

ILLUMINATING

What to eat and what to avoid in Thailand

Finding your way in the dark – with art

Following her Thailand travels, our Arts Editor has some advice for eaters abroad • Page 6

Kamloops Arts Council’s latest event puts wouldbe artists in the dark • Page 8

In any time-based sport there is a difficult balance that has to be struck.

A mixture of training and quick times in races must be found that allow athletes to qualify for the big events while still saving some gas in the tank so that they are hitting peak performance at just the right time. The TRU swimming team pulled that off successfully this past weekend as all three swimmers that qualified for the Canada West Championships achieved personal best swims.

CONTINUES page 11

NEWS

2

DECEMBER 2, 2015

Sexual assault policy News in brief task force work continues A quick recap of last week’s big stories amidst UBC controversy Jim Elliot

NEWS EDITOR Ω

Jim Elliot

NEWS EDITOR Ω The heavily publicized sexual assault complaints at UBC have pushed the debate about university response to sexual assault on campus back into the spotlight.

TRU has been developing its sexual assault policy since July, and the task force created to draft it met again on Thursday, Nov. 19. Now, the issue of sexual assault on Canadian campuses has been brought into focus by complaints made against UBC by several students who felt that the response to their allegations of sexual misconduct by a classmate were improperly dealt with by the university.

TRU had its own complaint over the handling of a sexual assault report earlier this year, when

journalism student Jean Strong published her article about TRU’s mishandling of her report of sexual assault in 2012.

The newly formed task force met before the story from UBC broke, but Dean of Students Christine Adam said that it confirmed the importance of drafting a sexual assault policy. Adam is content with the progress the task force has made. One of the main accomplishments of the meeting was defining some of the language used in the policy.

“The policy group needed some input from the task force in terms of the language we would actually use, I would say that that is consistent with questions that are being asked on other campuses as well.

I mean the extent to which we use the terms ‘sexual assault’ or ‘sexual violence’ or ‘sexual misconduct’ and also how we use terms like

Artwork by TRU student Jean Strong, inspired by interviews with sexual assault survivors on campus. (Jim Elliot/The Omega)

‘victim,’ ‘survivor,’ ‘complainant,’” Adam said.

According to Adam, the response and reporting group attended a conference in Ontario to learn how other institutions are handling the issue. She expects draft documents from all four groups within the committee to be up for discussion at the task force’s next meeting on Jan. 14.

Adam said the policy the task force is looking to develop will be “based on procedural fairness and allow the victim to have some control of the process.”

Strong said that she was invited to be involved in the task force in September, after meeting with Adam, but hasn’t heard anything from the university since the invitation.

“At the end of that meeting I was told that I would be receiving further communications, inviting me to certain events and meetings of the task force throughout the semester. I was thrilled because I really wanted to be able to speak at the task force and be a spokesperson for a number of other girls like myself,” Strong said.

Adam said that it was too early in the process of drafting a policy to bring in specific accounts, such as Strong’s.

“This initial piece of work has really been about identifying the key decision points that need to be made. The next bit of work is about starting to draft things and to get input from others beyond the task force itself,” Adam said.

More people will be involved in the process going forward, Adam said. Strong was hoping to be involved because of how many students had reached out to her with stories similar to her own.

When asked if Strong was considered for the task force, Adam said that representatives were appointed via TRUSU.

City approves smoking ban in Kamloops parks

The Kamloops City Council passed a resolution banning smoking in public parks and on city property at a meeting on Nov. 24. The vote passed 7-2, with only Mayor Peter Milobar and Coun. Pat Wallace opposed.

A temporary smoking ban was instituted this July to reduce the risk of wildfires. The ban also extends to e-cigarettes and vaporizers.

City of Burnaby loses court case against pipeline The city of Burnaby has lost a Supreme Court of B.C. decision that attempted to halt Kinder Morgan’s installation of a pipeline inside city limits. Burnaby attempted to use local traffic and parks bylaws to supersede an earlier national energy board decision, but was unsuccessful.

Burnaby Now reported that the decision also left the city responsible for Kinder Morgan’s legal costs. The Burnaby mayor and city council have promised to pursue the case in a higher court. Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan went so far as to say that he was prepared to be arrested to stop the pipeline.

Turkish air force shoots down Russian attack aircraft Two Turkish Air Force Jets pursued and shot down a Russian ground attack aircraft near the Syrian border on Nov. 24. Turkey’s UN Security Council representative claims that the Russian aircraft was in Turkish airspace and was warned 10 times in five minutes to change course. Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that the Russian plane was over Syrian airspace at the time it was shot down. Captain Konstantin

Murakhtin, the survivor from the plane’s two-man crew told RT he did not receive a warning before being shot down. “This was a stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists,” Putin said. Russia has imposed economic sanctions on Turkey in the days since the plane was downed.

Controversy over yoga at University of Ottawa Free yoga classes at the University of Ottawa have been cancelled recently over concerns of “cultural appropriation.” The instructor of the classes told CBC that the yoga classes she had been teaching for the university’s Centre for Students With Disabilities were cancelled by the university’s Student Federation citing “cultural concerns.”

The instructor offered to strip away the perceived spiritual element, by calling the classes “mindful stretching,” this was rejected by the student federation because it didn’t translate well into French. Student federation president Roméo Ahimakin said that the classes were cancelled following a review of all of the federation’s programs rather than specific complaints.

Refugee plan underway The Canadian Government’s plan to settle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada is underway.

According to the Government of Canada’s website, refugees are being screened for admission into Canada in Lebanon and Jordan with the help of the United Nations. The website goes on to say that beginning in December, privately chartered aircraft and possibly also military planes will bring refugees to Canada. Refugees who are not sponsored by private citizens will be provided assistance that the government says will align with the local provincial social assistance rates.

OPINION & EDITORIAL

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

3

It’s still not too late to be proactive With UBC mishandling its most recent sexual assault reports, TRU has to be careful and proactive in how it proceeds Sean Brady

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω My first foray into university sexual assault policies came two years ago when I read about two frosh “rape chant” incidents at St. Mary’s University and the University of British Columbia. Both involved a disgusting display of insolence towards consent that endangered many. At UBC, a number of student leaders resigned their posts, frosh events were cancelled (and subsequently changed) and promises were made to keep this from happening again.

But UBC is back in the spotlight in a bad way – a CBC Fifth Estate investigation revealed that UBC took too long to deal with a student who was the subject of sexual assault and harassment complaints from at least six women. The allegations range from inappropriate touching to sexual assault. The accused, 28-year-old PhD student Dmitry Mordvinov, was expelled mid-November, according to a Nov. 20 CBC report.

“We will begin a discussion with our students, faculty and staff on a separate sexual assault policy that will enable the university to take action in a more timely and effective manner,” said UBC President Martha Piper in reaction to the Fifth Estate report.

UBC’s reactive proposal for a

sexual assault policy is not unlike TRU’s. In this university’s case, its development of a sexual assault policy came just after Jean Strong published the story of how she was treated by the university – merely told to transfer to another school when reporting her sexual assault in 2012. The reason I say that TRU’s response was also reactive is that there was no word on the policy’s development prior to her story (and subsequent tour of local news media).

There’s a certain anxiety present whenever numbers are brought up around sexual assault.

It’s understandable; quantifying a problem is useful, but it creates a certain vulnerability. Take TRU’s number, for example: two. That’s the number of sexual assault incidents reported to the university from 2010 to November 2014. Certainly, there have been more assaults than that, however.

Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes.

At any rate, we’re headed in the right direction, but TRU and others on the sexual assault policy task force must keep something in mind moving forward: no one is asking for TRU to take responsibility for every sexual assault on campus. The goal is not to see TRU’s number of reported sexual assaults go up.

The goal is to have a university that is proactive and supportive of its students when they are at their most vulnerable.

Dean of Students Christine Adam does seem to understand this, but still hesitates when discussing the number of sexual assaults on campus.

During an interview at Radio NL last week, Adam had this to say when asked about where sexual assault occurs: “Our students live all over the city – and so things like sexual assault or other activities in their lives could happen anywhere. Students, regardless of where things happen, it still has an impact on their academic lives and we want to ensure they can pursue academic success without fear and with an opportunity to recover from harm.”

I’m sure universities are also worried about the negative publicity a high number of reported sexual assaults can bring, but really, there are positive PR opportunities available here, too.

What if we were the university that turned no one away and went the extra mile in supporting victims? I would rather be asking questions about how many students have been helped than how many students have been assaulted. I suspect those involved in the task force feel the same way – but they must confront the problem without the inhibitions brought by fear of a tarnished public image, or else they’ll relive the scandal that UBC brought upon itself. editor@truomega.ca

Ω

THE OMEGA STUDENT NEWSPAPER • PUBLISHED SINCE NOVEMBER 27,1991

Publisher and Board

Editorial Staff

Cariboo Student Newspaper Society TRU Campus, Old Main, OM2691 900 McGill Rd, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 0C8 Phone: 250-828-5069 Advertising inquiries: www.truomega.ca/advertise or email accounts@truomega.ca

Editor-in-Chief Sean Brady News Editor Jim Elliot News Editor Wade Tomko Arts Editor Marlys Klossner

Publishing Board

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF INDUSTRY REP FACULTY REP STUDENT REP STUDENT REP STUDENT REP

Sports Editor Cameron Doherty

Sean Brady Christopher Foulds Charles Hays Kim Anderson Mason Buettner Vacant

Copy Editor Annie Slizak

Production Coordinator Rachel Wood

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.

Contributors Zain Bakhtiar, Brayden Hearne, Alison Hodgins, Ryan Makar, Peter Navratil, Jennifer Will

c d

fb.me/truomega @TRU_Omega

f Õ

instagr.am/truomega www.TRUOmega.ca

All material in this publication is copyright The Omega except where otherwise noted and may not be reproduced without the expressed consent of the publisher.

A B Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω

CONTRIBUTE

WRITE FOR US! We’re always looking for contributors.

If you’re interested in writing for us, make sure you check out our contributor guidelines found at:

truomega.ca/contribute First timer? Don’t worry – no experience is necessary and we’ll give you as much help as you need.

If you’re ready to get started, just email one of our section editors and pitch your story: News: news@truomega.ca News: wtomko@truomega.ca Arts: arts@truomega.ca Sports: sports@truomega.ca Or write the editor at: editor@truomega.ca

NEWS

4

DECEMBER 2, 2015

New ridesharing program up and running TRU aims to make carpooling popular with the innovative RideShark RideMatching System Wade Tomko

NEWS EDITOR Ω Carpooling to and from TRU may have become just a little bit easier with TRU’s Rideshare program.

Developed by software company RideShark, the program will allow students, staff and faculty to find carpooling partners. Using either your home or work address, the program automatically matches you to nearby commuters with similar schedules.

Unlike TRU’s previous carpooling system that was run by the students’ union, TRU Rideshare came about as a partnered initiative between TRU Facilities and TRU Environment and Sustainability.

“We had a ridesharing initiative in place before, but nobody was really using it,” said Brandon Dallamore, Facilities’ Building System Technologist. “This time, instead of trying to fix something old, we decided to scrap the original, build something completely new and take it under our own reins. We contracted an outside consultant, RideShark, to get everything set up, though it is all branded under the university.”

Demand for the new system

came shortly after this year’s TRUSU budget consultation that cited parking as the third-largest concern among students.

“Students weren’t happy. There was an outcry for an increase in parking. We had no choice, we had to improve parking capabilities,” Dallamore said.

Looking to remedy problems that the previous carpooling program had, TRU’s new ridesharing program will no longer be completely forum based. Dallamore has said that, with RideShark’s help, the new website is meant to feel much more “modern” as well.

Users will be able to log on to the site using their myTRU email account. From there they can set up a trip or join another member on their trip, provided they have room in their vehicle.

Scheduling is easy, users simply enter the date and where they are headed. The RideMatching system does the rest, linking users in need of rides to nearby members who are willing to carpool.

“You can even plan trips quite far ahead in the future,” said Dallamore. “I’m going to Vancouver Island in mid-December, so someone could easily take a look at my trip and decide if they would like to join in before then.

With winter coming up, it’ll be great for organizing trips up to

Sun Peaks too. We’re hoping to focus on that, because it is just such a big opportunity right away.”

Money will be handled by users themselves, often in person, where prices can be bartered.

However, to avoid price abuses, the program offers a trip cost calculator. It also suggests a value for reimbursement for each trip depending on how many people you are willing to take.

RideShark’s president, Sharon Lewinson, affirms it’s not solely about carpooling either. “RideShark is dedicated to the provision of software to encourage and support people in their choice to use sustainable travel modes whether it’s carpooling, transit, walking or cycling,” Lewinson said.

Looking past the carpooling aspect of the rideshare program, students and faculty will be able to use the program to set up bike trips, hikes, and other get-togethers. It can even be used to meet new people on campus.

However, some kinks in the system still need to be worked out, such as giving users the option for an alternative email address.

“Not many people remember their TRU email address or password to it, so that is a big

hole. We’ll be able to provide an option to use an alternative email address with our next update in January,” Dallamore said.

Despite this, the program is ready to go, Dallamore says. After a successful trial run, TRU has decided to launch the program sooner rather than later.

“If we slowly launch it, then there is the possibility that the same thing will happen with what happened to the last carpooling system, and it’ll flop,”

Dallamore said.

From Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, volunteers from around campus, as well as Facilities and Sustainability, will be walking around campus in Sustainability’s bright-green t-shirts handing out free coffee and signing students and staff up for the rideshare program. An iPad Mini will be among the prizes to be won for signing up, and will be drawn once 350 people have signed on to the rideshare.

Brandon Dallamore - Facilities Building System Technologist (Submitted)

App review: OmniFocus

Trading mugs for hugs in latest sustainability initiative A serious app for organized busy people Ryan Makar

CONTRIBUTOR Ω If you’re like me and have a lot to do, finding the right app to organize all your tasks can be tricky.

Thankfully, there is an app out there for busy people who need to be organized: OmniFocus.

When you first look at OmniFocus, it looks like a very robust piece of software. However, once you pay the $45.99 and download it, like I did, you may soon get overwhelmed with the maze of features that OmniFocus has to offer. The great thing about OmniFocus is that they really do have world-class customer service and support.

OmniFocus allows you to put all of your school work, homework, work tasks and other things you have to take care of in one easy-to-navigate location. OmniFocus breaks these out into Perspectives. Each Perspective allows you to see your tasks in a different view. My favourite Perspective is Forecast, which allows you to easily plan your day and week all at once.

Finding the best Perspective for you may take some time, but once you find what works for you, you will see your productivity increase ten-fold.

OmniFocus also allows you sync

your tasks between your Mac, iPhone and even iPad if you choose.

Although the syncing feature is handy, it can lag at times creating some confusion. With that being said, I have all three of the apps, and I find myself primarily working on the Mac version. Consider which platform you are going to use most before paying an additional $45.99 to get it on multiple devices.

Although there is an OmniFocus Pro, it seems to be a bit more than what a student or professor might need in their everyday life. Granted, the pro version does have some excellent features, but I wouldn’t necessarily suggest that students

run out and buy it right away.

Overall, OmniFocus is a robust solution to get your life organized, and in my opinion, it is worth the $45.99. If you have been trying to organize your busy life through an app, OmniFocus is probably the best app for you. But I would suggest that if you are serious about getting OmniFocus that you head over to their website and watch some of the videos they have on getting started before you actually make the big purchase.

OmniFocus OSX, iOS and Apple WatchOS OSX/iOS: $45.99 Offers in-app purchases

Brayden Hearne

CONTRIBUTOR Ω According to estimates from Canadian reusable drink container company Cupanion, here at TRU we use an estimated 8,000 disposable paper cups every day. Our latest preventive initiative was the Hugs for Mugs event, which took place in Old Main on Thursday, Nov. 26.

The event was a collaborative effort to promote the use of reusable travel mugs when purchasing a hot beverage on campus. In a joint effort by the TRU Sustainability Office, Enactus, TRUSU, TRU Eco, Aramark and the TRU Environment and Natural Resources Law Club, the Hugs for Mugs event aimed to reward students who participated in this environmentally-friendly event.

Along with the free coffee, tea and snacks for students to enjoy, the event consisted of five stations: Wolfie Hugs, Mug Shots, Coolest Cup Contest, Coffee Talks and Travel Mugs. Wolfie Hugs was an interactive event in which participants with travel mugs could receive a hug from the TRU mascot, Wolfie.

Mug Shots was a creative approach, where students had a chance to write a sustainability pledge and have their picture taken to share with the TRU community. A $20 gift card to Nature’s Fare was the prize

for the Coolest Cup Contest, where the individual with the most unique mug was acknowledged. Coffee talk was a chance for facilitated mini focus groups, which featured groups of four discussing the topic of sustainability and innovation. Finally, Travel Mugs was the opportunity for students to receive reusable travel mugs on a first-come, first-served basis, with a small time investment of 3 minutes to partake in the TRU Zero Waste quiz.

Anyone who participated in any station at the event was also entered into the grand prize draw: a free coffee every day for the entire winter semester, with a reusable cup of course.

If you missed your chance to hug this guy, find him at a home game instead. (Stacey Krolow/TRU Athletics)

NEWS

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

5

Activism elsewhere: women occupy San Diego during 16 days of activism against gender violence on Dec. 4, 2014. (Chris West/Flickr CC)

Campus events mark day of Remembrance Dec. 6 marks the 24th National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Wade Tomko

NEWS EDITOR Ω The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, also known as White Ribbon Day, marks the anniversary of the Dec. 6, 1989, École Polytechnique massacre, in which armed student Marc Lépine murdered fourteen women and injured ten others.

The massacre has since gone down as the worst case of gender-based violence in Canadian history.

Two years after the horrific events that happened at École Polytechnique, the Canadian government passed legislation making Dec. 6 a national day to reflect on the violence committed against women and encourage discussion around the issue.

Since then, memorial services have been held across Canada in

honour of the innocent women who have lost their lives due to hatred and violence. TRU has been no different and in the past has regularly held a service on the day.

This year however, will be a little different. In line with Aboriginal artist Jaime Black’s Redress project, the TRUFA Equity and Status of Women committees will combine efforts with Jeffrey McNeil and his Aboriginal Decolonizing Social Work Practice class to collect and hang dresses and pantsuits across campus.

Meant to symbolize missing and murdered women in Canada, McNeil’s project strays slightly from Black’s initiative in that not only red dresses will be displayed.

“On Dec. 3 we will be installing yellow, black, white and red garments to keep in line with medicine wheel teachings that

the colours represent the four nations, or races of women,” McNeil said.

Though the day of remembrance is held on the 6th, the dresses will stay up until Dec. 7, when the TRUFA Status of Women Committee will be hosting their lunch memorial in Old Main’s art gallery. Sociology professor Monica Sanchez and McNeil will be the event’s guest speakers.

The day is also meant to highlight issues of violence in minority communities as well.

“It’s a day of action against violence against people in general,” said Gail Morong, co-chair of the TRUFA Equity Committee.

“This year the focus is broader though, it’s not just about violence against students in educational institutions, and it’s not just about violence against women in general,” Morong said. “Though we really wanted

to focus on violence against Aboriginal women, because it’s a subset that is even more problematic in this province.”

Morong hopes that the day encourages discussion on what is a very complex issue. “We need to have intimate talks and discussions, especially within the curriculum,” she said. “The Status of Women Committee have been lobbying for years for a minor in gender studies. We don’t want courses in gender studies to be a once a year kind of thing.”

She said that it is also a time to take a look at how fairly women are represented in the university’s faculty.

“We as women in faculty are represented very well at the lowest level. We might have 70 per cent sessionals who are women, but when you get to the top and ask, ‘What per cent of the highest-paid people at this

university are women?’ It is reversed, and about 70 per cent are men,” Morong said.

She attributes this problem to TRU’s lack of data on employment diversity. Despite TRU’s employment equity policy, which requires the university to hire minorities, the university doesn’t keep data on the number of women or other visible minorities it hires.

“For example, if the number of Aboriginal students is increasing, but the number of Aboriginal faculty is not, there is a problem,” she said.

“Unfortunately if the data isn’t there, then you can’t see that problem.”

Though Morong has said there is still much work to be done, simply recognizing the problem is key to resolving the issue. “From there, we can start making spaces for the voices of minorities,” she said.

Exploring the future of home technology Telus Future Home demonstrates new technology, raises questions about affordability

Zain Bakhtiar

CONTRIBUTOR Ω A glimpse into the future of home electronics was offered to Kamloops residents when the Telus Future Home made a stop in town.

The Future Home was displayed in the parking lot of Aberdeen Mall from Nov. 24 to 29 and viewing was free for everyone.

The futuristic nature of the mobile home-sized exhibit was apparent from the face-scanning front door with an automated voice acknowledging visitors’ presence.

Inside, the 560 square foot exhibit was designed to look like a small condo, and there was more state of the art technology on display.

The exhibit featured thermostats

operated by cell phone, remote-operated drapery and a house plant with sensors monitoring its status and sending notifications to home owners on their smartphones or tablets.

An intelligent kitchen with a nutrition-scanning countertop designed to calculate the nutritional information of food as it is being prepared was also featured. “The stove would give a person step by step instructions on the recipe they have selected,” said Telus salesperson Nader El. The home office display had an interactive touch table for a desk and a flat panel screen for a monitor with high-definition video conference capability.

“The home is very enabling in terms of allowing people to work from home, remote work or study from home as well, and also really

drives investment into the community,” said Clare Adams, regional market manager for Telus.

When asked if the level of technology and automation present in the Future Home is affordable in terms of energy consumption, El said “While we do have more things connected, they probably take less power than a washer and dryer built in the 1960s for example, but consumers should definitely stay conscious in terms of what their energy usage is.”

El also warned that the connected appliances would come with greater need and greater expenses in terms of data and bandwidth in order to work as advertised.

“In terms of pets, it’s tough to clean after them, but aside from that, nothing that they could really get their paws on,” said El when asked if such a connected home

would be safe for pets.

Telus is using the travelling Future Home exhibit to showcase the improved bandwidth of their new fibre-optic network. “The Telus fibre-optic network is the most advanced communications

infrastructure available in the world today and is laying the groundwork for the smart homes, businesses and cities of tomorrow,” said Tony Geheran, EVP & President of Telus’ Broadband Networks division in a press release.

The exterior of the Telus Future Home exhibit.

(Zain Bakhtiar/The Omega)

ARTS

6

DECEMBER 2, 2015

Getting the dish on Thai food

What to eat and what to avoid during your travels in Thailand

Marlys Klossner NEWS EDITOR Ω

One of the best things about travelling in Thailand is the food. In city centres, you can find street food at any hour of the day or night.

The selection of toppings offered for most Thai dishes is indicative of the variety of

flavour combinations in a Thai meal. To top off your dishes, there will usually be a tray of toppings including sugar, fish sauce, dried chilies, and vinegar with chilies in it. At first I wondered why they didn’t just put all these spices in the food to begin with, but by the end my trip I was rationing out portions of all of the above at every meal. The medley of flavours is different

with every dish, which means you could have pad thai every day for a month without having it the exact same way twice.

Like most other things, food in Thailand is very cheap, as long as you shop for things that Thailand doesn’t have to import, like milk and cheese.

Avoid any food that is not traditionally Thai. Western food will not be nearly as good

A Thai girl unloads a bag of liver at her butcher stand in a massive market in northern Bangkok.

(Marlys Klossner/ The Omega)

as back home, no matter how comforting it might be to see on the menu. While still very affordable, non-Thai food can cost up to four times as much as a similarly-sized Thai meal.

Considering the constant presence of seafood, I expected more from the sushi I had in Thailand. Maybe I was going to the wrong places, but it wasn’t nearly as good as in the West, despite the proximity to Japan.

Bangkok’s Chinatown, however, is one of the best places to eat.

There is a large population of Chinese immigrants in Thailand, and their food has fused with traditional Thai fare to yield delicious results.

Something to be wary of when it comes to street vendors is cleanliness and health. A good way to judge food quality is simply by seeing how many other people are eating there.

Keep an eye on your food to make sure your meat isn’t undercooked. My favourite street food is Thai sour sausages. I once bought some from a vendor and realized too late that the woman was handling both raw meat and money at the same time. It’s a good idea to slowly introduce street food into your diet rather than relying on it immediately to give your body a chance to get accustomed to it.

I ate more dessert in Bangkok

than I ever did in Canada. The appeal of ice cream grows exponentially when the temperature never dips below 25 degrees.

Although we rarely adhered to this, a lot of the desserts on offer are meant to be shared. Where here dessert is more of a treat, in Bangkok it became a social regularity.

In an unexpected twist, Thais most often eat bread as a dessert, not for breakfast or as a side dish. A thick slice of warm white bread topped with a mountain of Milo chocolate powder or some green custard is cut into pieces and eaten with toothpicks.

If you’re lucky enough to find a translated version of a menu, the descriptions are often vague.

I ordered a dish with rice and fried catfish, and instead of getting a whole fish as I expected, I ended up getting what would happen if you broke the fish down into itty bitty pieces and deep fried them. This resulted in what looked like a bird’s nest or a deep fried savoury version of cotton candy.

If you have any dietary restrictions or don’t do well with spicy food, picking a random item off the menu without knowing what it is is probably a bad idea, but otherwise it can lead you to trying things you never expected.

Lumière Lantern Festival brightens the night

The sky is illuminated with beautiful handcrafted artwork in this festive night of lights Jennifer WIll

CONTRIBUTOR Ω Although the nights are getting darker now that the days grow colder, that was not the case on Nov. 26 when the sky was lit with beautifully handcrafted works of art. Downtown sparkled as all the wonderful lights were brought to life in preparation for the holidays.

Many owners of downtown businesses used their windows as displays for lights and lanterns. “Lights in the Night,” also known as the Lumière Lantern Festival, was sponsored by the downtown business association, in relation with and organized by the Kamloops Art Council.

Kamloops Heritage Society opened their doors for participants and other patrons to get out of the cold and to join in on some festivities. They had a lot of activities for the children such as a variety of crafts, including making decorations for their own Christmas trees, and colouring. For the adults they had carolers singing some jolly tunes and Christmas classics. They provided all of the guests with a warm greeting,

hot chocolate and popcorn. The room was packed with people having lots of fun and showing off their artwork.

Kamloops resident and artist Kirsten Atkins created an interesting owl costume that doubled as a lantern, modelled by her daughter Rain. Atkins says she got the idea for it at “an art festival up north in Wells.”

Atkins made the costume two years ago, for the first Lumière Lantern Festival and has brought it back every year since.

Although, she says “we were almost going to not come, but I thought one more year, because it’s getting time for a new one.”

Various workshops at the Makerspace, the Crossing Bridges Outreach Centre at Kamloops Immigrant Services and Lansdowne Village were held all throughout November and the days leading up to the event. Atkins recommends the workshops for anyone who wishes to participate next year in the parade with a piece of their own.

“The workshops are awesome.

So much has been made from it,” Atkins said.

Many students and professors from TRU attended the festival,

some creating lanterns of their own. Local business owners also attended with their own creations, such as the Kamloops Cat Hospital who made illuminated cat silhouettes to showcase for the evening, coming in third place for the lantern competition. Three representatives from Kamloops Princess

Parties and Events attended as well with their handcrafted lanterns for the parade.

Patrons created their own lanterns and marched from Lansdowne Village to St. Andrews on the Square on Thursday night.

The streets and dark sky were lit with their lanterns, making for a truly beautiful event. Once

the group got to St. Andrews on the Square they lit the big Christmas tree in the fountain which “symbolizes the start of downtown Christmas,” said Kyle Jack, one of the event’s organizers. The evening was wrapped up nicely by a countdown and the much anticipated lighting of the tree.

Two TRU students and one high school student from Kamloops Princess Parties and Events participating in the festival with their lanterns. (Jennifer Will/ Submitted)

ARTS

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

7

“Poppins” practically perfect in every way WCT brings the magic of Cherry Tree Lane to the Sagebrush Theatre

Annie Slizak

COPY EDITOR Ω At this point in the year, I think we can all use a little magic in our lives, and Western Canada Theatre’s Mary Poppins is just the play to provide it.

On opening night, audience members excitedly shuffled into the theatre and took their seats across from a modestly-set stage which contained a single, albeit large, dollhouse-like set piece. The entire stage was surrounded by an arabesque frame that remained through the entirety of the play, giving the production a very storybook feel. Characters frequently moved back and forth through this frame which only further helped bring the story to life and bring the

magic right into our laps.

For those of you familiar with Disney’s 1964 version of P.L. Travers’ classic tale, you will not be disappointed. I recognized all of the songs I remember from watching the movie over and over as a kid, and they were very sing-along-able.

Even the costumes were familiar, especially Mary Poppins’ (played

by Cailin Stadnyk), right down to her flowered hat and parrot head umbrella. To say it was all a very nostalgic experience is an understatement.

All of the music for the play was provided by only three musicians: Marek Norman, Andrew St. Hilaire and Nick Apivor, who played piano, keyboard and percussion respectively. They were down in the orchestra pit, Norman’s head just barely visible through the square

cut into the stage. Aside from a near-accident with the chimney brush of an over-zealous tap dancer, the actors did a good job of maneuvering around the orchestra pit and it was easy to forget it was even there. When I did remember to pay attention to the musicians however, I was continuously amazed by the fact that there were only three of them! They played all of our favourite tunes impeccably without a single wind instrument in sight.

The music was accompanied by rousing dance numbers that included the entire nearly-20-person cast.

They are all very talented dancers, and the choreographer, Julie Tomaino, did an amazing job. All of the dance numbers were elaborate and exciting, but my favourite were the two lively tap pieces.

As for the magic, very few

productions can accomplish such tricks on their set without having it look extremely cheesy, and even if they do manage to pull it off it’s almost always easy to see how it is done. Not only am I a seasoned theatregoer, I have also worked in the theatre myself, so there is nothing much that surprises me in the business anymore. But I cannot for the life of me figure out how they managed to pull off a couple of the

tricks that were performed in Mary Poppins. It seems that the only reasonable conclusion I can come to is that real magic is happening on that stage every night, and all of us Kamloopsians are lucky enough to get to see it.

Mary Poppins runs until Dec. 8 at the Sagebrush Theatre. Student tickets cost $19 and can be purchased at the Kamloops Live! Box Office or online at kamloopslive.ca.

Q&A with the actors of “The Mail Order Bride” Annie Slizak

COPY EDITOR Ω Taran Waterous and Krystine Lucas talk about what it’s like to be an actor on the set of TRU Actors Workshop Theatre’s production of “The Mail Order Bride,” written

by Robert Clinton and directed by Heidi Verwey.

Annie Slizak: What can you tell me about the play itself?

Taran Waterous: “The Mail Order Bride” is an examination of a Canadian multi-generational, multicultural family in the early half of the 20th century. It explores themes of love and loss, but also redemption. The text is already very self aware, but this production features an added layer of theatricality: an “assistant stage manager” character who reads the beautifully poetic stage directions and functions as a guide for both the audience and the actors.

Krystine Lucas: “The Mail Order Bride” by Robert Clinton is a beautiful play that will make you laugh and cry all at the same time.

It takes you on a journey through time and tells a story of a family in the prairies and the hardships and struggles that people are faced with in life. This play shows you three generations of family and proves that cause and effect has a huge significance; certain decisions one person makes affect the people around them including those that aren’t even born yet. This play teaches us that we are all flowers that haven’t budded yet, and we need our family and friends by our sides to support us and help us in order to be able to fully bloom.

AS: What is Heidi Verwey like as a director?

TW: Heidi is amazing to work with. Her rehearsal process is one that allows constant growth for her actors and her production. We are literally always learning something

from her and I personally wouldn’t be where I am today as an artist if it wasn’t for her mentorship.

KL: Heidi Verwey is a unique and creative director who has her own style and flare. Nothing seems to scare her, and she is always open minded to ideas that are out of the norm. Heidi is very open to everyone’s individual creative process and loves to learn with everyone as each cast member creates their own individual characters and relationships. Heidi is also extremely positive and supportive. Even if you begin to have concerns about certain things, she is quick to reassure you that everything is going to be okay. Heidi is fun-loving, and feels passionately about theatre; she is a pleasure to work with.

AS: What is the most challenging part about playing your character?

TW: My character, Russell, is the farthest removed person from myself I’ve ever had the pleasure to put onstage. He’s a seasoned air force pilot who saw combat in WWII and the Korean War, so his actions and his objectives are tempered by years of fighting. It’s difficult to inhabit a mindset like his because of the terrible things he’s witnessed and been a part of.

He may seem like a strong person on the outside but Russell is always second guessing himself.

KL: I was cast as the character of the assistant stage manager, not to be mistaken with the actual stage manager backstage. I am onstage 98 per cent of the time and in a way I control what is happening onstage, from season changes, to when the characters enter and exit, to when the characters fight with each other, or when they smooch each other. This role has been particularly challenging for me as I am used to being very physical and expressive onstage, where now I have to contain myself, and control my face, and not take away from the action happening onstage, but

still remain an interesting presence onstage. To find that middle ground was quite challenging and I had to play around a lot with what options I had to help find that happy, middle place.

AS: How did you go about developing your character?

TW: I watched a lot of interviews with air force pilots who saw combat in both wars, especially Canadian pilots. I did a lot of research into the things Russell would have experienced during and after his service and spent a lot of time developing mannerisms and physicality that would express his experiences.

KL: I had lots of freedom when it came to the development of my character, and I was able to play around a lot with different ideas and different personas. There was no specific way that this character had to be played and I was able to essentially create my own character. Of course it couldn’t be too wild of a character, and it had to be believable that I was an assistant stage manager. Through trial and error I managed to find an appropriate persona for my character. I

also created a relationship with the family and the characters onstage.

Yes, none of these characters can see me with the exception of one, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t know the family personally. I created relationships and opinions about each of the other characters and this helped with how I feel about the action and conflicts happening onstage.

AS: What should the audience come prepared for before the show?

TW: Audiences should be prepared for a nuanced piece of art. There are moments that will make you laugh and moments that may cause you to shed a tear. Don’t expect everyone to get a happy ending.

KL: The audience should come prepared to see something different. This play breaks rules and has creative aspects that don’t occur often in theatre, yet they are helpful and entertaining in the telling of this family’s story. They should also be prepared to go on a rollercoaster of emotions as this play has the ability of making you laugh and cry at the same time.

Finally, they should be prepared to be wowed by the talent that has come out of AWT’s theatre department.

AS: How do you hope audience members will feel on the drive home from the show?

TW: I hope everybody takes something different away from “Bride.” From some people, like my character, I expect they will learn a lesson about acceptance, forgiveness and absolution.

KL: I hope that audience members will go home with a smile on their face after watching the beautiful story of this family from the prairies being told in front of them. I hope that they maybe think of their own family and feel a sense of appreciation for them, and understand that times do get tough and to appreciate the loved ones they have in their life, and support each other, and to be there for one another, and together, they can help each other grow.

“The Mail Order Bride” runs Dec. 3–5. Tickets are $14 and can be purchased online at kamloopslive.ca or from the box office next to Starbucks in Old Main.

Taran Waterous and Krystine Lucas on the set of AWT’s “The Mail Order Bride” (Annie Slizak/ The Omega)

THE OMEGA

8

DECEMBER 2, 2015

FINDING YOUR WAY IN THE DARK WITH

ART

Alison Hodgins

CONTRIBUTOR Ω Whoever says Kamloops doesn’t have a vibrant culture and modern arts scene clearly hasn’t looked hard enough.

Black lights, neon glow sticks,

The Rex, packed with artists in the dark on Nov. 28. (Alison Hodgins/The Omega) energetic performers and electronic music filled the Rex last Saturday night at Kamloops Arts Council’s latest event, Art in the Dark.

The event began at 7 p.m. and was bumping by 9 o’clock. DJs D3vils RejX spun Open Format beats to the shifting crowd until 11 p.m.

The Rex was set up to encourage

creativity. Twelve different booths hosted activities from button building and clay making to glowin-the-dark Twister and puppet shows. The most popular stations were 4 Cats Art Studio’s Sugar Skull painting and Krystal William’s glow-in-the-dark body paint.

A large, blank, black mural served as a communal canvas for

Under black light, an illuminated dancer moves across the stage. (Alison Hodgins/The Omega)

neon expression throughout the night. Orange, red and yellow pipe cleaners were bent and molded to create a giant Lite Brite collage.

There was a live performance on stage every 15 minutes. Dancers dressed in white, and lit-up hula hoopers and powerful singers commanded the stage. Performances repeated throughout the evening. This meant that those who were busy engaging in activities or grabbing a pint didn’t have to worry about missing anything.

Red Collar beer, Jackson-Triggs wine and rye, gin and vodka mixed drinks were available for $5 each outside the theatre. The Eats Amore food truck was stationed outside and sold mac ‘n cheese and ravioli to hungry, shivering event-goers.

By mid-event, the Rex was absolutely packed. The event was 19+, with art enthusiasts and curious hipsters ranging in age from 19 to 90. The majority of participants that arrived later in the night were 20-30 years old. I was ID’d at the entrance by one of two security guards. There was a slight tinge of

nudity in one of the performances and I saw at least one participant take her top off for some spray paint body art.

The scene was electric, with guests wandering around in handcrafted fox masks and intricate glowing paint. There were a few high black tables around the edges of the room, though wallflowers had no seats to rest on. Some participants broke out in dancing (perhaps after a couple of cocktails).

I felt as though I had stepped into a utopian space world of neon art.

Kathy Sinclair, organizer of the event, said that the KAC had been throwing around ideas about a fundraiser for awhile. “We had heard of art events in other cities that incorporated a ‘dark’ or nighttime theme (Art After Dark, Nuit Blanche, etc.). At a brainstorming session, we came up with ‘Art in the Dark’ – a nice reference to our biggest event of the year, Art in the Park. It took off from there!”

Sinclair said that KAC would like to host another Art in the Dark event in the future.

Films for Change: “Unnatural Selection” looks at usage of genetic engineering Peter Navratil

CONTRIBUTOR Ω The last film in the TRU Films for Change film series before Christmas was shown last Wednesday at the TRU Clock Tower. The film this month was hosted by GE Free Kamloops, a group focused on raising awareness of the negative effects of genetic engineering in Kamloops.

Over 40 people came to the event and were treated to organic snacks, a few short films and a feature film directed by Bertram Verhaag called “Unnatural Selection.” The film gave a look into the use of Genetically Engineered food products and their effect on farmers. Steven Hurst of the GE Free Society says the group holds a number of events and meetings throughout the year. He explained “We want to show these films so

the general public has a better understanding of genetic engineering in food and how they can avoid it if they feel it is too risky for their family.”

Genetically Engineered (GE) crops are genetically altered to be resistant to herbicide. This means herbicide can be sprayed all over a crop and kill the weeds in the field, but not the crops themselves. The concept of changing genes has grown to include other life forms and other benefits.

Some genetically modified crops and animals have been developed further to grow faster and not be able to reproduce. Although seemingly helpful, genetic engineering has some vocal opponents. “They’re engineering life like you would a machine… animals are not machines, and that is what is fundamentally wrong with genetic engineering, ” Hurst says.

Companies patent seeds that

they have genetically engineered and sell these seeds to farmers.

The film documented how these companies then sue farmers that are not authorized to use the patented seed when seeds from a neighboring crop blow across property lines and begin to germinate. These lawsuits were shown to destroy a farmer’s livelihood, family and life.

After the film a discussion was held to see what people thought of it. Some people were very moved by what was shown and expressed they wanted to do something to avoid GE foods. A knowledgeable attendee of the event named Kevin Tyler suggested “the only way to counter it is by supporting organics.”

James Gordon of the TRU Sustainability Office which hosts the Films for Change Series said he thought “the event went well.”

The next film will be shown on the last Wednesday in January.

James Gordon of the TRU Sustainability Office welcomes Steven Hurst and Anne Grube of the GE Free Kamloops Society. (Peter Navratil/The Omega)

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

NEWS

9

10

COMICS & PUZZLES

DECEMBER 2, 2015

SPORTS

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

11

WolfPack swimmers save their best for championships Personal best times across the board for the TRU swim team in championship meet Cameron Doherty

SPORTS EDITOR Ω CONTINUED (COVER) Greg Petersen, Jagdeesh Uppal and Taylor Carmichael represented TRU extremely well throughout the meet that took place all weekend long in Vancouver.

On the first day, Petersen placed 20th in the 50 metre event, posting a time that was 1.2 seconds better than his previous personal best.

Uppal, a returning member from the team last year, came 24th in the 50 metre backstroke, touching the wall just under half a second quicker than he ever has before.

Carmichael, the lone female competing for the WolfPack, finished the best of all of the ‘Pack swimmers, finishing 14th in the 800 metre freestyle event with a time that was an astonishing 4.2 seconds better than her previous best effort.

Those positive results gave the ‘Pack even more confidence heading into the second day of the competition, which again saw some great results for TRU. Petersen managed to knock five whole seconds off his personal best

time in the 100 metre breaststroke, and just missed posting a time that was good enough to qualify him for CIS nationals.

Uppal also had a strong Saturday in the water, finishing 25th in the 100 metre breaststroke.

Despite missing out on qualifying for the finals, Carmichael recovered quickly to place fifth in the consolation final of the 200 metre freestyle.

The three TRU swimmers qualified for the Canada West championships by posting quick enough times in their in-season meets during 2015.

“It’s all about time standards.

Basically you have a 12-month time period to qualify, so these kids have accomplished these times to go to this competition anywhere from a year ago at this time in Lethbridge,” said Brad Dalke, swimming team head coach.

As Dalke mentioned, last year’s Canada West championships were held in Lethbridge, Alta., a competition that only one TRU swimmer was able to qualify for. In just their second year of existence the TRU swim team has improved greatly to have three swimmers qualify, which Dalke is happy with, but he still

Greg Petersen in action during day one of the Canada West championships. (Wilson Wong/Submitted) thinks there is room to improve.

“Absolutely, obviously we would want to have a few more. We have six kids swimming with us this year, and a couple of the girls just came up short, but that’s fine, their season is not over with. We will continue to work with them in the second semester.”

The calibre of competition was extremely high at the

championships, with TRU competing against athletes “that are attending Olympic trials, shooting for Olympic teams for sure,” Dalke said.

The meet not only crowned the best of the West but also served as a qualifier for the CIS nationals meet that will take place in Quebec City Feb. 25 to 27. Despite the WolfPack athletes setting all those personal

best times, none managed to qualify for nationals – though Dalke feels they could have been even faster in their home pool.

“The UBC pool is not near as good as our facility. Our facility has all of the latest technologies of which just the starting blocks can give the kids a five tenth advantage over fifty metres, which at a senior level that’s pretty significant.”

WolfPack swept by one of the best in the west Cameron Doherty

SPORTS EDITOR Ω A tough weekend has come to an end for the TRU women’s volleyball team, after they dropped both games they played against the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) Heat.

The first game took place Thursday, Nov. 26 at the Tournament Capital Centre and UBCO came out swinging big, taking the first set 25–17. That first set was as close as TRU could get on the night, as UBCO kept the momentum going throughout the match, winning the next two sets by a combined score of 50–19.

UBCO dominated almost every aspect of the game, including out blocking TRU 12–2 by the end of the night.

Krista Hogewoning was named the leader of the ‘Pack player of the game for TRU: she recorded five kills and four digs in the contest.

After that Thursday game. TRU head coach Chad Grimm said that his team would not be changing too much of their game plan heading into Kelowna for the return match.

“Hopefully we can bounce back, recover and come out with a better effort than we did today. I don’t think it’s so much a change in the x’s and o’s, we just have to come out ready to play. Obviously serve reception was the story of the match. We couldn’t pass the ball and it’s tough to compete when you can’t pass the ball,” Grimm said.

All signs seemed to be pointing to a similar result in the Saturday contest after UBCO took the first two sets handily. TRU was then able to

Katie Woo of the WolfPack sets the ball into the air during Thursday night’s game. (Cameron Doherty/The Omega) show a little of the bounceback that their coach wanted however, as they won a tight third set 25–23.

Unfortunately an incredible comeback was not in the cards as UBCO took the fourth set and the match 3 sets to 1.

Iulia Pakhomenko led the way for the ‘Pack, racking up 13 kills, three assists and nine digs.

TRU came into this weekend’s games with a little bit of extra rest, as they had their scheduled bye the previous weekend. That bye came at a difficult time for the WolfPack as they had just swept the Brandon

Bobcats and appeared to be gathering momentum heading into the Christmas break.

Looking back, Grimm would have rather kept things moving forward for the ‘Pack than to take the break that the bye weekend offers.

“In retrospect, keep it going. Obviously this wasn’t what we had hoped for after the bye weekend. At the end of the day every team has a bye weekend and it’s good for the body, a chance to get some schoolwork done and things like that, but I think we took the bye weekend as Christmas holidays.”

Although losing a pair of games to a rival school is a bitter pill to swallow for the ‘Pack, it was always going to be tough to get a positive result against a strong UBCO team.

The Heat ranked first in a pre-season poll of Canada West head coaches and currently sits tied for second in the conference with just one loss on the season.

Speaking before the Thursday game, fourth-year outside hitter Krista Hogewoning said that there isn’t any extra preparation that goes into facing a top team like UBCO.

“Not really, we know every team is going to be a battle, we’ve just been game prepping a lot and looking at some of their big hitters and what their tendencies are.

We’re just treating it like any other game.”

After this weekend’s games TRU is now in a tie for sixth place of Canada West, clinging to the last playoff spot with a record of five wins and seven losses. The ‘Pack is back in action after the winter break on Friday, Jan. 8, with a pair of games in Calgary against the Mount Royal University Cougars.

NEWS

12

DECEMBER 2, 2015

Membership Advisory Skip the lines in January!

Activate your winter semester UPASS at the TRUSU Desk now!

Get updates and information about potential job action at trusu.ca/news

$5 TICKETS STUDENT

more info at trusu.ca trusu.ca

/TRUStudentsUnion

@TRUSU15

@TRUSU15