Jan. 20, 2016

LACK OF COMMUNICATION

NEW RULES?

BIG WIN

Student union struggles to explain changes

Greek life clubs have trouble getting funds

Good weekend for ‘Pack women

Two special resolutions on the upcoming AGM agenda leave students with questions • Page 4

As CUEF control changes hands, Greek clubs on campus aren’t getting what they need • Page 4

WolfPack basketball took their chance to strike back against MacEwan • Page 11

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Logan Lake Pond Hockey Classic is a must see

Mediation begins between TRUFA and university administration

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Players battle for the puck at the annual Logan Lake Pond Hockey classic on Saturday, Jan. 16. (Tristan Davies/Ω) • Page 8

NOT-SO-PERMACULTURE

A KEN-DO ATTITUDE

House of Learning’s Living Wall is no more

Exploring the art of swordsmanship

Complaints and high maintenance costs mean the end of HOL’s Living Wall • Page 2

The story of the campus’ Kendo club and how you can get involved • Page 11

he TRU Faculty Association (TRUFA) commenced mediation with university administration on Friday, Jan. 15.

Both sides have expressed a need to try something different in order to prevent job action, but admit that they remain far apart on a number of serious issues.

When asked which issues the administration and faculty bargaining teams were the furthest from an agreement on, VP Admin and Finance Matt Milovick said that money and collegial governance issues were the most divisive.

CONTINUES page 5

NEWS

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JANUARY 20, 2016

Deal made for further exchanges with India Tourism program likely to grow as a result of exchange to bring more Indian students Jared MacArthur CONTRIBUTOR Ω

Scaffolding goes up as the “Living Wall” comes down in the House of Learning. (Sean Brady/The Omega)

Living wall now dead Sean Brady EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω The House of Learning’s living wall is coming down following complaints and problems with maintenance. The removal of the four-storey-tall six-meter-wide wall of plant material began last week.

TRU’s Director of Facilities Warren Asuchak cited a number of reasons the wall had to come down.

“With the right budget, the right amount of maintenance, a living wall can be fabulous,” Asuchak said.

But the location of HOL’s living wall was not ideal, Asuchak said.

Between two external doors, it was difficult to control temperature and humidity and plant die-off was the result.

“In the right application, there are probably some buildings on campus,

in a more controlled environment, where we could have done a great job with it,” Asuchak said.

Money was also a problem.

According to Asuchak, facilities was spending approximately $1,000 per month to maintain the wall, plus replacement plants to account for the ongoing die-off. Initially, it was thought that the wall wouldn’t be a major source of maintenance.

The wall was also the subject of a number of complaints, which included an “objectionable odor,” humidity problems and a wet floor. The complaints on humidity problems came from library staff in the building, who worried that the increased humidity wouldn’t mix well with books on hand.

The wall was somewhat of a point of pride for the university, and often a showcase of the building, which officially opened in 2011. The idea

behind the wall was to purify the air and regulate the temperature in the building, although many have blamed the wall for failing to do the latter.

“The living wall saves energy costs, improves building acoustics and ensures optimum air quality for building occupants,” is how the wall is described on TRU’s website.

Before the decision was made to take it down, staff and faculty in the House of Learning were consulted, with 71 per cent of the 45 respondents agreeing that it should be removed.

Seeking further consultation, Asuchak said he was told by an architect he consulted that the energy put into constructing and maintaining these living walls might never be offset by the amount of carbon filtering they produce.

In its place, Asuchak said a series of woodgrain panels will be installed.

New international exchange agreements between TRU and two major universities in India are set to bring more Tourism Management and Computer Science students to the Kamloops campus.

I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical University and Chandigarh University are both prominent institutions in India that offer instruction in English.

The computer sciences faculty in India has a similar goal for internationalization to TRU, which was a deciding factor in making the agreement, according to Baihua Chadwick, associate vice-president international and CEO of TRU World.

The agreement signed for a Tourism Management program exchange was in large part thanks to a partner in the tourism industry here in Kamloops, Chadwick said.

Students from India will be able to complete their tourism programs here and will potentially provide an opportunity for permanent job placement.

India in particular brings a lot to the table in terms of opportunities in these partnerships and future agreements, with its growing economy and huge “education-age population,” Chadwick said.

TRU currently receives most of its international students from China; 31 per cent of international students on campus are Chinese.

TRU may be seeing more agreements like these happening with universities in India, Mexico and Russia, Chadwick said.

The signing of these agreements will add to the diversification of the student body, which is an important part of internationalization, Chadwick said.

Revenue is a factor in pursuing these long-term agreements; the average cost of tuition for an international student is $16,936, but revenue is only one of many benefits, Chadwick said.

The agreement also creates possible cooperative research opportunities between TRU faculty and the partnering universities’ faculties.

TRU already has 2,635 international students on campus according to the facts and figures section of TRU’s website.

The new agreements will increase the opportunities for international study at TRU, which are already a point of attraction for new students, said Tatiana Gilbert, a Study Abroad ambassador.

Gilbert said she has received a lot of positive feedback and interest in studying abroad from students when giving presentations about Study Abroad opportunities.

Arabic workshop connects community with refugees Danya LeBlanc CONTRIBUTOR Ω More than 20 people interested in welcoming Syrian refugees to Kamloops attended the first of a series of Arabic language workshops at TRU on Jan 11. Community event organizer Brandon Dallamore paired with Imam Mazhar Mahmood, director of religious affairs at the Kamloops Islamic Association, to provide this public event.

The class runs on Mondays 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. in the International Building IB1020 and offers beginner lessons in Arabic and history.

It is intended to be the first step in preparing to welcome Syrian refugee families to Kamloops.

Kamloops’ first of three refugee families fleeing the conflict in Syria arrived on Dec. 31 with the assistance and sponsorship of Refugees and Friends Together (RAFT) Kamloops. The family of five is adjusting to life in Canada while a family of four and a couple expecting a baby are expected to arrive in Kamloops in the coming months.

To prepare to assist in integrating the refugees into the community, a wide range of community members including parents with kids, students, retirees and RAFT members filled up the first Arabic class. The first class was buzzing with energy, Dallamore said. Participation numbers initially exceeded organizers’ expectations and the organizers expect class sizes to continue growing thanks to their availability.

To encourage community involvement and participation, the classes are extremely flexible and accessible. Registration is not necessary and the classes are dropin. The classes operate by donation, where individuals pay what they can afford. The recommended minimum donation is $10.

For over a year, Dallamore, a building systems technologist at TRU, has been an event organizer and host on the online social event network “MeetUp,” through which these classes were formed.

After bringing together community members for board games, recreational activities and other social events, Dallamore recognized

the need for the refugee families coming to Kamloops to have that same sense of community.

“I thought it might be easier for the refugees, instead of being isolated into their basement suites, if we invite them into our community. And to do that, if there is a language barrier, that’s a major obstacle, as only a few people here speak Arabic,” Dallamore said.

The workshop series is the first step in integrating refugee families into the Kamloops community. The second step, inviting families to social events, will be made possible

by Mahmood, who is currently teaching the Arabic language workshop and is the Muslim religious leader for this area. He has connections that would allow the group to extend invitations to the families coming to Kamloops.

“For those who are interested, it will be key to gaining insight into the Arabic language and it would be a great tool for students. They can become assets for the many Syrian refugees who are expected to come to Kamloops and enroll in the program,” Mahmood said.

Brandon Dallamore (left) and Imam Mazhar (right) partner together to offer Arabic language classes to the Kamloops community.

(Danya LeBlanc/The Omega)

OPINION & EDITORIAL

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When they call, you answer – or else they’ll stop calling Why it’s important to vote in upcoming student governance issues of the day

Sean Brady EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω With the student union’s annual general meeting coming up soon and a referendum coming in early February, there’s plenty for students to vote on – but engagement is vital to ensure that the right decisions are made.

On Jan. 28, TRUSU is putting two questions to its membership.

The special resolutions on the table will have a serious effect on how student governance and services works. The first is to dissolve the services committee, which is chaired by the union’s

vice-president of finance. That committee delivers services like the Upass, the student health and dental plan, and others. For one of our stories this week, we asked TRUSU what it would mean if this committee no longer existed, and the answer we got doesn’t explain all that much.

The second special resolution on the table is the removal of the vice-president finance position itself and its replacement with a new position called the vice-president equity. The VP finance is currently responsible for the books, records and accounts of the union and reports on the union’s finances to the board. The person in that

position also prepares the union’s annual budget and oversees its business operations, among other things. This prompted even more questions from us to TRUSU and I’m still not sure where the responsibilities of the VP finance would go, or why we need a new vice president equity.

Finally, TRUSU is also holding a referendum from Feb. 9 to 11 on whether or not international students should be added to the health and dental plan at a cost of $248 each, a cost incurred by those new payees. Technically, TRUSU has to hold a referendum in order to do this, since it is adding a new fee, even though

that fee would be paid by those receiving the new services.

To reach quorum, or the minimum amount of members required for all votes to be valid, 20 per cent of the union’s voting members must turn out to vote.

This means approximately 1,800 students must show up to vote over the three days of the referendum.

Considering the turnout of the last student election (just nine per cent) and that this referendum will affect, at most, 10 per cent of all students, TRUSU sure has its work cut out for it.

Whatever you think of the issues, we’ve tried to give you

a better idea of what is at stake in the coming votes. If you’ve read any of our stories on the issues of the day and you feel more inclined to make your voice heard – good, but make sure you follow through. Join TRUSU for its annual general meeting on Jan. 28 and fulfill your obligation as a student by voting in the Feb. 9 to 11 referendum on adding international students to the health and dental plan. It’s your responsibility as a student to ensure that your student leaders and peers hear your voice when they call for it – otherwise one day they may not even ask. editor@truomega.ca

Don’t forget to

VOTE January 28, 2016 TRUSU Annual General Meeting

February 9 to 11

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NEWS

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JANUARY 20, 2016

Student union struggles to explain major changes Questions go unanswered as union plans to eliminate position and committee Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω Two special resolutions on the agenda of TRUSU’s annual general meeting (AGM) have the power to radically change the way that the union provides services to its members and oversees its finances. Both resolutions will be put to a vote at the AGM, which will take place on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m.

The first special resolution seeks to remove the Services Committee from TRUSU’s standing committees. That committee oversees the services that TRUSU provides to its members, including the student health and dental plan and the UPASS. When asked what the benefit of removing a committee that is so integral to fulfilling TRUSU’s mandate is, union president Melissa Gordon would only say that the removal of the Services Committee would “allow the union to more effectively provide services to its membership,” but refused to elaborate further.

Gordon went on to say that decisions about how exactly the services would be administered would be left up to the union’s next board of governors.

The second special resolution seeks to remove the Vice President Finance position and create the Vice President Equity position.

According to the AGM agenda, the new position’s responsibilities will include overseeing the equity work of the union and chairing the Equity Committee. The duties of the proposed equity position bear no resemblance to those of the position that it is replacing.

According to the TRUSU bylaws, the VP Finance is responsible for all books, records and accounts of the union, rendering a monthly statement of accounts to the Board of Directors, overseeing the preparation of the annual budget of the union and overseeing the business operations and services of the union.

Gordon said that without a VP Finance, the union’s board of directors would retain control of its finances and that most of the

details would be left to the next board of directors to figure out.

She would not elaborate further.

Ryan Makar, TRUSU’s current VP Finance, said that the board of directors would share responsibility for finances if the position he currently holds was eliminated.

“In terms of what it would look like, right now it’s hard to say because that motion hasn’t passed yet. Once we see that motion pass we can work on some of those logistic things,” Makar said.

Makar is also the chair of the Services Committee.

When asked what he thought of the possibility that the removal of the committee he chairs would make the delivery of student services more effective Makar said, “If we examine and we see that a better service delivery model is to have a single person looking after it instead of a committee, if that’s going to be more efficient, more effective and it’s going to benefit students in a better way, then we should take that avenue to better the experience for students.”

TRUSU president Melissa Gordon, seen here when she was campaigning to become president last year. (Jim Elliot/The Omega) There is no specific plan to replace the Services Committee with one individual in the motion on the AGM agenda.

All students who have paid fees

to the union and are registered students are eligible to vote at the annual general meeting on 6 p.m on Jan. 28 in the students’ union building.

TRUSU slow to adjust to CUEF changes

Campus Greek organizations seeing less funding after TRUSU takes control of fund Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω Nearly one year after changes were made to the Comprehensive University Enhancement Fund (CUEF), some groups on campus say they are no longer receiving the funding they need and received previously, when TRU was in charge of the system.

Last April, CUEF underwent some major changes. Where the previous plan was the responsibility of a steering committee who answered directly to TRU, the current plan divides funding across three different bodies within the university: TRUSU, the university senate budgeting committee and the undergraduate research program.

Around the same time that TRUSU took over funding student initiatives and events with the CUEF, the Kappa Sigma fraternity

applied to use the funding to send delegates to attend an annual fraternity leadership conference.

“We have got funding six years in a row, and as of last year we have not, and that’s a pretty big deal,” said Trevor Schafthuizen, president of TRU’s Kappa Sigma Fraternity. “TRUSU might have different deadlines and requirements now, but it is something they haven’t told us.”

TRUSU’s reason for the Kappa Sigma’s rejection was that the conference the fraternity delegates wanted to attend was held in the summer when they weren’t students of the university.

“When TRU ran it, they said to us, ‘Well you are students for the rest of the year, so we see no problem in funding you.’ They almost preferred it that way because then we weren’t

missing classes,” Schafthuizen said. “When we applied under TRUSU, they told us we weren’t students during the summer and therefore we couldn’t have it.”

TRU’s only fraternity isn’t the only group on campus to have been recently denied funding. The Kappa Beta sorority applied for a winter conference last April and was rejected for similar reasons.

“When we tried to apply last year there was a million things we had to get around just to apply,” said Kassie Atkins, sorority president.

“One of the first things they told us was that we couldn’t apply in the summertime for a conference in the winter because we weren’t students in the summertime, even though we are all members of the students’ union.”

Changing deadlines aren’t the only problem TRU’s Greek organizations are facing, either.

Since the fund’s responsibility changed hands earlier this year, the TRU Students’ Union is still trying to work out the kinks in the system. As it currently stands, only campus groups recognized by TRUSU are eligible for funding.

“There are specific deadlines that have to be reached in order for the application to be presented to the board, but other than that all campus groups recognized by the students’ union are eligible to apply for grants for funding conferences or events,” said TRUSU president Melissa Gordon.

However, TRUSU’s website currently states that conference attendance grants, which Schafthuizen and Atkins applied for, are available to any students taking a course at TRU. Though the application validator has to be a faculty member of a related faculty, there are no stipulations saying that the Greek organizations can’t use the CUEF to attend their conferences.

Currently, TRUSU re-

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ceives about $350,000 for the CUEF for a fiscal year. How the money is allocated and what trends there may be in spending are both still unknown to the union.

“We are still in the first year of overseeing the grant funding process as part of the CUEF. We only took it over last year,” said TRUSU VP Finance Ryan Makar.

“So when it comes to financial figures, we unfortunately don’t really know where we stand yet.”

Next month, Schafthuizen will apply to receive funding for the Kappa Sigma’s annual leadership conference. Though he is hoping to have his application accepted, he is unsure of how to improve his application from last year.

“When we first started applying for grants, when it was run by TRU, if they rejected us they would specifically tell us what our application was missing and gave us the chance to resubmit,” Schafthuizen said. “TRUSU, when they rejected our applications, never bounced back and said ‘Here is what’s wrong, here’s how to fix it.’”

Though both organizations want to remain in good standing with TRUSU, both Atkins and Schafthuizen believe TRUSU has little grounds for rejecting their applications.

“It’s not like we are fighting with them. We are all still members of the union. We are not taking funding away from them that isn’t already there for students,” Atkins said. “There is nothing about our organizations that should be considered threatening to them.”

NEWS

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TRUFA President Tom Friedman addresses supporters at Friday’s rally of TRUFA supporters outside the Clock Tower. (Sean Brady/The Omega)

Admin and faculty still far apart Back at the table, now in mediation, but there’s still plenty of work to be done Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω CONTINUED (COVER) According to Milovick, TRUFA is pushing for a change in the way administrative decisions are made, which would give a

committee made up of mostly TRUFA members the ability to veto decisions made by faculty deans.

“That’s not collegial governance. That’s union governance.

It’s not even close to collegial, and we’re not going there. I can tell you definitively it will never happen,” Milovick said.

“We feel faculty and admin have to be equal partners in making those decisions. Faculty are the ones who know the programs, know the students, know the classroom conditions. What we’re seeing is a reluctance on their part to hand over any authority. They want the deans to have the final say. What we say is that they have to be accountable,” said TRUFA president Tom Friedman.

According to the bargaining update posted on TRU’s website, the university is offering the faculty a total increase of 5.5 per cent to salaries to take place over a five-year period, and TRUFA has demanded a total of 49.5 per cent in wage increases.

“That 49.5 per cent translates to about $28.8 million.

That puts us about $23 million apart. It’s untenable.

We don’t have the means or ability to pay that, nor could we pay it given the public sector mandate,” Milovick said.

Friedman said that the proposals were put forward expecting that negotiations would follow and that there would be a back and forth between TRUFA and the university, but he said there hadn’t been. Friedman describes many of the figures publicized by TRU as opening offers, expecting them to be pared down during the negotiating process.

Friedman provided UNBC and UVIC as examples of universities where faculty are better paid than TRU.

“I believe at UNBC they got 10 per cent over five years, so that differential is the result of the union giving up specific management rights, giving rights back to the management. Management was able to convince PSEC (Public Sector Employers’ Council) that those management rights returning to us had a value equivalent to 4.5 per cent.

So far, TRUFA hasn’t given us anything,” Milovick said.

Growth of the university’s administration, both in budget and number of positions is a major point of criticism that TRUFA has levied against the university.

is increasing because co-op is extremely valuable,” Friedman said.

The increase in administrative positions was required to staff new university initiatives such as the research office and to expand the Marketing and Communications Department to combat declining domestic enrollment, Milovick said.

“We spend the most on the academic enterprise of any teaching and research institution in the province,” Milovick said.

Whether or not mediation will bring an end to the months-long negotiation deadlock remains to be seen, but both sides agree that they need to try something new.

“I think something different has to occur between the parties, Matt Milovick because we have been barTRU VP Admin & Finance gaining with them, and I use the term ‘bargaining’ loosely. We’ve been in discussion with them since Feb. 2015 and we “The administrative bloat haven’t seen a lot of movement, has taken resources away from so we hope that if we can put an student support services,” Friedobjective third party mediator man said. in to speak and work with both A leaflet circulated by TRUFA sides, then we might be able to claimed that the number of gain some ground,” Milovick administrative positions has said. increased by 97 per cent between When asked if he was opti2006 and 2013, and that fullmistic about resolving the issue, time faculty only increased by 10 Friedman said: “I tend to be opper cent in the same period. timistic when we’re dealing with “We lost two very valuable people of good will and desire, co-op education coordinators and we haven’t seen significant over the last couple years. The evidence of that on the employnumber of co-op placements er’s side.”

“

University spokesperson Matt Milovick addresses media on Friday.

(Jim Elliot/The Omega)

“That puts us about $23 million apart.

It’s untenable.”

ARTS

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JANUARY 20, 2016

Battle of the sexes waged through theatre games Chimera Theatre’s Freudian Slips Improv Troupe lets you in on the joke Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω In the battle of the sexes, the men have come out on top. At least, that was the result of the showdown between the members of the Freudian Slips Improv Troupe at the Stage House Theatre on Jan. 16. Both sides consistently delivered laughs, leading to a tie-breaking final round.

The Stage House was the perfect venue for the show. The small size meant the show felt more intimate, putting the audience at ease and giving a feeling of familiarity, even if it was your first time seeing the troupe. The Stage House is a little grungier than Kamloops’ other theatres, but the basement-feel fit the informal fun vibe of an improv show.

While the actors were not afraid to push buttons, it didn’t feel like they were using raunchy or controversial material to get cheap laughs. There were equal

parts smart humour and good old-fashioned poop jokes.

The show drew an unexpectedly large crowd of around 60 and the audience had to reposition so they could add more chairs.

“Luckily the audience has always been really nice to us and really forgiving. Even if we do mess up, they kind of laugh, so I think we’re very supported by people in the community,” said co-director Jessica Buchanan.

Throughout the show, you quickly got to know the different styles of the actors and could really appreciate how well they worked off of each other. Even between games they took every opportunity to joke around.

“You have to think on your feet and for whatever reason I love that. I love working with other people and I love making people laugh,” said Brittany McCarthy, the other co-director.

After each round, the winning team chose a member of the losing team to take a mystery shot of some of the drinks sold

Review: Kamloops Symphony: The Magic of Vienna Jennifer Will CONTRIBUTOR Ω The Kamloops Symphony Orchestra hosted its annual concert to ring in the new year. The audience was taken on a beautifully-conducted ride through the evolution of the waltz and its many counterparts, such as the polka, the can-can, the minuet and the gallop.

The performance was well-produced with excellent acoustics to complement the ability of the musicians.

The concert had an enormous amount of talent on stage, featuring Cvetozar Vutev as first violinist and concertmaster and TRU professor Annette Dominik as second violinist, who added her own beautifully-crafted harmonies and inspiring talent. The selection of pieces for the show construct a 19th-century Viennese atmosphere that is perfectly complemented by the decor and fabulous attire of the musicians, who were all dressed in tuxedos and beautiful ball gowns.

“Invitation to the Dance,” composed by Weber (arranged by Berlioz), was the fourth number of the show in the first half of the concert. This piece was one of the most riveting of all and the most telling in the show. Cellist Martin Kratky had a repartee with the orchestra telling the story of a man, played by the cello, asking a woman to dance, played by the rest of the orchestra. Narrator Rod Michell described the setting of a

dimly lit romantic Vienna, asking the audience to bask in the intimacy felt by the two young lovers.

“Invitation to the Dance” stands as a highlight of the technical prowess the orchestra has along with the impeccable ability to evoke a strong mood and compelling narrative.

The concert was hosted by Rod Michell, marking his fourth performance with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra. Although Michell’s narration gave the show a quality of uniqueness and was presented with thoroughness, the narration did sometimes seem to interrupt the rhythm of the music and left little to the imagination while introducing the audience to interesting but unnecessary knowledge. However, it could prove to be quite useful to those who are new to the symphony and classical tunes.

The final piece performed by the KSO brought the audience to life, with its enthralling rendition of the can-can, although the evening was officially concluded with a traditional bonus piece conducted by newtimer, Daphne Nelson. She had never conducted an orchestra before, nor does she read music. As she filled the theatre with music, it bought the audience to their feet.

The KSO uses light and traditional classical music to draw in seasoned symphony-goers and those who are new to the trade but still have an interest in classical music.

This show is perfect for anyone who loves to indulge in the arts.

at the concession. At the end of the show, the final shot was a mix of all the different drinks, and instead of choosing one of the women to take it, the men turned on the host, Derek Rein.

A comedy show host can make or break the mood of the room, and Derek did a great job, reluctantly downing the shot after the audience began chanting his name.

Although only two of the dozen games required audience volunteers, the audience still felt very much a part of the show.

There was a natural camaraderie between the actors and spectators. Unlike some stand-up comedy, you felt like you were in on the joke. “[The audience] knows what they’re getting themselves into and they’re in it. They’re invested right from the get-go. If you’re really committed to everything you say and you don’t cringe when you say it, the audience is going to dive right in with you,” McCarthy said.

The Freudian Slips’ next

Jessica Buchanan and Montana VanVelzen of the Freudian Slips Improve Troupe. (Marlys Klossner/The Omega) show on Feb. 20 will be Mission Improv-able, a free agent battle royale with only one winner. In March, they will face off against

competitors from the TRU Drama and Theatre club, which McCarthy co-founded while she was in university.

Perfect trio on at the Kamloops Art Gallery Jennifer Will CONTRIBUTOR Ω On Jan. 16, the Kamloops Art Gallery launched its Midnight Sun Camera Obscura, Out of Sight and Live Stream: Optical Rendering exhibits. The evening began with a curator’s tour lead by Charo Neville, giving gallery-goers an in-depth look at the artwork and the meaning behind it.

Neville initiated the tour with the Out of Sight exhibition. This featured a series of photographs

by Eadweard Muybridge, who was famous for his work in human and animal locomotion photographs between 1830 and 1904.

The exhibit also featured the works of Harold Edgerton. This scientist made a major contribution to art with the invention of stop-action, stroboscopic and ultra-high-speed photography, allowing him to take photos that occurred either too slow or too fast for the human eye to really see. This allowed his work to literally freeze time. Edgerton lived from 1903 to 1990. Both he and Muybridge brought the works of art and science together. Their artwork really put a focus on various concepts such as innovation, time and movement.

The second exhibit, Midnight Sun Camera Obscura, was lead by Donald Lawrence. Lawrence is a

Artists Holly Ward and Kevin Schmidt in front of Ward’s piece at the curator’s tour in the Kamloops Art Gallery. (Jennifer Will/The Omega).

professor of visual arts at TRU, and was also the artist who created the Pavilion Camera Obscura that is displayed in this exhibition. He conducted the narration for this portion of the tour, giving patrons insight into pinhole photography and camera obscuras. This exhibition featured a few pieces from a festival that took place in Dawson City, Yukon during the summer solstice. There, an international group of artists gathered and created their own camera obscuras. This festival was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council through TRU. Lawrence was the mind behind this project and the one who organized it. The pieces displayed at the gallery are all from artists that are based in Kamloops, with a contemporary approach to understanding the value and history in camera obscuras.

Live Stream: Optical Rendering was the final exhibit of the tour, which explored self-illuminated sculpture in relation to camera obscuras. These projects also emerged from a Kamloops artist, who participated in the Yukon festival over the summer of 2015.

It takes a unique and stunning approach to exploring the early days of the camera obscura.

The Midnight Sun Camera Obscura and the Out of Sight exhibits will run until March 19 and the Live Stream: Optical Rendering exhibit will run until March 12. Admission to the gallery is $3 for students and free on Thursdays, thanks to the support from BCLC.

ARTS

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TOP 10 FILMS OF 2015 Jonathan Malloy CONTRIBUTOR Ω It was an odd year in film for me. From the massive hysteria

#10 SLOW WEST

of actually having a new Star Wars film drop (after several viewings, the surreality of it all still lingers) to the equally brilliant small films that have garnered not even close to as

#9 CREED

Coming from first-time director John Maclean, Slow West is a fairytale western inspired by the pantheon of Coen brothers’ films while infusing his own brand of surreal, devilishly dark irony that constantly presents his characters in increasingly dangerous situations.

Michael Fassbender steals the film as he commands his screen presence as the outlaw Silas. Also noteworthy is the cinematography and great performance from Kodi-Smit McPhee as the hopeless romantic Jay Cavendish.

No one really expected how great the seventh film in the Rocky franchise was going to be. Teaming up for the second time in their careers, director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan bring an intensity and grit to the film that has been lacking since the inaugural first Rocky film. Between the amazing feat of art that is the “one-take” fight to the emotionally complex direction given to the cast (Stallone is exceptional and heartbreaking), simply put, I cannot wait to see Creed grow in his own films to come.

#5 STEVE JOBS

#4 STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

much attention but stick in my thoughts for so many inspiring reasons.

While there are too many films to mention, when it comes to those that just barely missed

out on this list I will entertain the several that left a lasting impression: the year’s first great release, Kingsman: the Secret Service; the insightful and infuriatingly real Spotlight; the

thrilling resurgence of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and the heartfelt, nostalgic Peanuts: The Movie. Without further digression, here are my picks for the best films of 2015.

#8 EX MACHINA

#7 ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

#6 THE REVENANT

Before going into this film I was expecting a feeling similar to that which accompanied The Fault in Our Stars. After all, they both seemed to be about the awkward experiences cancer brings to adolescence and the quirky characters that are teenagers. While the characters in Me and Earl do have quirks, they offer a burst of emotion that is all the while more realistic and heartbreaking than the former could offer. Based off Jesse Andrew’s novel of the same name, this Sundance favourite revels in Greg Gaines’ (Thomas Mann) love for film and understands the tropes that these films usually accompany.

#2 SICARIO

Taking a sci-fi high concept and rigorously refining it into a pure cinematic achievement, writer-director Alex Garland crafts a future just around the corner and traps the audience inside. Cinematography

by Rob Hardy is clean and cooly dissonant as the three main characters interact and discuss what it means to be human. This heady concept is what drives the story as Domhnall Gleeson’s character is chosen by billionaire philanthropist Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac) to test the recently created A.I. ‘Ava’ for human characteristics. With what may be the greatest dance scene of all year and a dissonant soundtrack that only adds to the calculated manner of the film, it works as the best original sci-fi in years.

#3 IT FOLLOWS A film that was unjustly skipped for awards this season, besides the beastly performance of Michael Fassbender as Jobs himself, the film presents a unique interpretation and rumination of the behind the scenes Jobs. Superbly written by wunderkind Aaron Sorkin turning in another fantastic script, the film’s three distinct set pieces provide ample scene chewing from all of the actors but possibly the most competently-made film to come out all year.

Without any shame I have to say that I absolutely loved the experience of The Force Awakens: the shot of adrenaline that accompanies the entire film from the opening words of the crawl to the film’s last shot. While not the most put-together or best-plotted film of the year, from the acting, directing and energy of the film it is by far the biggest event of the year, thus securing a position on this list.

This surprising, “wow, that actually kind of terrified me,” movie genuinely kick started the year for me by offering a well-made, curious genre film. Focusing on the unfortunate consequences of a teenage sexual encounter, director David Robert Mitchell shows the plight of teenager Jay as she tries to escape her death at the hands of an STD (Sexually Transmitted Demon). If that concept doesn’t draw you in, the uneasy long takes and excellent score definitely should.

Brutal, harrowing and uncompromising. Given the struggle that the production of the film faced, these words should describe both the end product and the hell the crew went through to make it.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and his cinematographer, two-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki, create such an immersive and treacherous world for the likes of Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hardy to inhabit that the simple revenge story engulfs the viewer until the unsatisfying and uncompromising ending ushers you out of the theatre wondering what the hell you have just witnessed.

#1 MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

The only movie that genuinely made me feel bad as I left the theatre this year, Canadian director Denis Villenueve’s tense cartel drama drips depression and beauty from the masterful cinematography of Roger Deakins.

Following the exploits of Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) as she is drafted onto a squad tasked with taking down the Mexican Cartel, we experience the confusion and murky grey area that those not directly involved in the conflict must face as the audience is shown the extent of the violence caused on both sides of the conflict and powerfully shows the darker side of America’s war on drugs.

A burst of pure cinematic excitement and passion, Mad Max: Fury Road is the movie of the year by being the best example of genre filmmaking ascending by the numbers approach so often seen with reboots, remakes and the scores of action films released nowadays. We owe 70-year-old George Miller a fiery, guitar-strumming thanks for delivering the most enjoyable and purely authentic film delivered all year. From every standpoint this is the new watermark for action cinema and possibly choreography as a whole and deserves the Oscar attention and accolades it will receive.

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Pond Hockey Classic is one for the bucket list Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω I woke up excited this past Saturday, as I was about to make a pilgrimage to something that a hockey fan growing up in the lower mainland of B.C. can only dream of: a hockey tournament played on natural ice, right out in the open air.

Looking outside my front window just ratcheted up the excitement even more as I saw that Kamloops had been covered with another dump of snow overnight.

One that didn’t look like it was going to let up any time soon.

After a mandatory Timmies stop and a 45-minute drive from Kamloops to the small community of Logan Lake, what I found out there on the frozen pond exceeded my already sky-high expectations.

Seven different 135-by-65-foot patches of cleared ice sparkled without a single rut on them: the most perfect skating surfaces I had ever seen.

Snow mounded up all around the cleared off “rinks” and after every game the teams grabbed shovels and got to work clearing any snow that had fallen during their 30-minute games so that each game began with that same perfect sheet of ice.

Players had plenty of space to chase the puck on one of the six rinks on the lake. (Tristan Davies/The Omega)

The teams themselves also lived up to what I expected from teams in a pond hockey tournament.

The names of seven of the 22 teams included a reference to how inebriated they were. In terms of dress, two different teams opted to dawn jean jackets and denim in favour of traditional jerseys. It was an interesting lineup, to say the least.

The hockey itself was clearly secondary for most of the teams, although there were some moments when the four-on-four contests opened up, with both teams skating hard end-to-end.

These moments were often punctuated on either side by lots

of yelling about how six players on a team was far too few, and that each team needed at least four more substitutes.

There was an “A” division and a “B” division, with some teams clearly caring more about the score than others, but for the most part all of the teams seemed to remember that they were out there for fun, a rarity in my experience with adult recreational sports.

With scores reaching the high thirties in some games, certain teams (that will remain nameless) employed the interesting tactic of lying down and completely blocking the eight-inch-tall by sixfoot-wide pond hockey nets.

The only accurate way to describe the action on the ice is “youthful.” You could see the transformation happen in front of your eyes as every player out there was transported back to the long days spent playing the unorganized shinny hockey of their childhoods. With no coaches yelling and no pressure to succeed, it was truly hockey being played in its purest form.

Standing on the middle of a frozen lake, surrounded on all sides by snow, trees and hockey, I didn’t think that moment could ever possibly get more stereotypically Canadian. And then I saw the beer garden.

Snow flies as two players battle for the puck during the Logan Lake Pond Hockey Classic.

(Tristan Davies/The Omega)

The puck balances on edge as a scramble for it ensues at the Logan Lake Pond Hockey Classic.

(Tristan Davies/The Omega)

NEWS

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Getting the birds eye on British Columbia Former Adventure Studies students showcase their program and the province in new video Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω From seeing the waves gently lap the shores around Tofino to looking down on Squamish from the top of the Chief, B.C. has a great number of sights to be seen.

Not everyone gets to see the views they offer, but even fewer get to see them from above.

One TRU alum had the idea to do just that, though. Raphaël Boudreault-Simard graduated from TRU’s Adventure Studies program in 2013. Since then, the self-described whitewater kayaking enthusiast has focused on building

a different set of skills.

“I’ve always loved adventure filming. Most of my filmmaking experience has been done with Quebec Connection, a group of whitewater athletes my good friend Emrick and I founded in early 2011,” Boudreault-Simard said. “This last fall, I simply wanted to expand my horizons and explore different scenes, each with their different challenges.”

The different challenges that Boudreault-Simard went looking for would lead him right back to TRU. After helping instruct a whitewater kayaking course last year, the Adventure Studies program gave Boudreault-Simard

the opportunity to expand his portfolio a little further.

“Raphaël and I had built a close relationship while he was here and that was one of the reasons I hired him to teach whitewater kayaking,” said Sharman Learie, an Adventure Studies program coordinator and whitewater instructor. “At the time he was looking for the opportunity to do some drone cinematography and fill his portfolio with dramatic landscapes and interesting people. The more we talked, the more we got excited about the potential for the idea.”

Though Learie described getting Boudreault-Simard to the right place at the right time as a

One of many field trips spent trekking mountains in the Cariboo. (Submitted)

“logistical challenge,” they would ultimately be successful in ensuring that they captured the very essence of the Adventure Studies program.

Boudreault-Simard started his foray into aerial cinematography last spring as a way to cope with an injured shoulder. Now he has an entire fleet of drones. In order to capture the video that would eventually make up the “Adventure Studies From Above” short film, Boudreault-Simard had to specially modify a drone.

“I built a hexacopter so that it could be dual-operated. The pilot flies the bird while the camera operator, helped by live video feed on a screen, films the action. That way we can create much better aerial imagery while having a safer pilot,” Boudreault-Simard said.

After a few weeks of training his camera operators, Cody Bartel, another TRU alum, and Claire Lang, a friend and fellow photographer, Boudreault-Simard was ready to showcase some of hte activities in the Adventure Studies program.

Spending approximately twelve days in the field, the group of cinematographers traversed multiple B.C. locales, from the Cariboo Mountains to Tofino and Squamish and even some of the rivers north of Kamloops.

Though his work gave him an excellent opportunity to build a portfolio, the highlight of the experience to Boudreault-Simard was something much more personal.

“Traveling, cooking, learning and exploring with such a rad group of like-minded people is extremely rare and experiencing that again, after completing the program, has got to be the hidden purpose behind it all,” he said.

After one of Boudreault-Simard’s friends contacted him and said that she had applied to the Adventure Studies program at TRU because of his video, he realized the marketing potential behind the film and gave all of its usage rights to the university.

“We love the footage and we hope it draws attention to what we do here, because it gives it a unique perspective,” Learie said.

“I think we are always looking for interesting ways to showcase what we do here and the drone has a popular momentum in social spheres as far as footage goes.”

Learie added that Boudreault-Simard hasn’t been the only one to shoot stunning video in the Adventure Studies program. In fact, most of the videos posted to the program’s social media feeds are created

by Adventure Studies students themselves.

“Not only do we get some great footage, but from a career perspective, this is also helping these students by giving them the chance to delve in cinematography,” Learie said.

If you’re not afraid of heights, you can find “Adventure Studies From Above” in the online version of this article.

Always: a tribute to Alan Rickman The beloved British actor succumbed of cancer at 69 on Jan. 14 Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω Alan Rickman has been a part of my Christmas celebrations for as long as I can remember, either as Hans Gruber in Die Hard (yes, it is a Christmas movie) or as Harry in Love Actually, which my mom and I watch religiously every year. Perhaps the biggest presence Rickman has had in my life, however, was as the surprise antihero Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series.

You’re not supposed to like the characters that Alan Rickman is best known for, but it is impossible not to. Rickman brought a deliciously charismatic evil to his villainous roles.

Though known for his intimidating drawl and sneer, Rickman’s 40 years of acting has seen him play everything from romantic suitor (Colonel Brandon in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility) to Ronald Reagan (in The Butler) to a comically

depressed robot (Marvin in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).

After running a graphic design business for several years, Rickman auditioned for The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and discovered his love for the stage at 26. He got a bit of a late start, but after receiving great praise in his first theatrically-released film, Die Hard, he was catapulted onto the public’s radar.

Nevertheless, Rickman regularly turned down film roles to return to his first love, the theatre.

Rickman also directed numerous plays, including The Winter Guest in 1995, followed by the film adaptation in 1997, which won several awards on the film festival circuit.

Rickman has won a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Screen Actors’ Guild Award, amongst many other wins and nominations.

Since his death, Rickman has received an outpouring of support from fans and

colleagues. The cart embedded in the wall at Platform 9¾ in King’s Cross Station has become a shrine to the actor.

Rickman was well-respected and described as a genuinely nice person by fellow actors like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Thompson.

Rickman’s supportive nature extended beyond his personal relationships as he was also the honorary president of the International Performers Aid Trust, a charity that provides financial aid for struggling performers.

Before we bid farewell for good, we can see Rickman one last time as Lieutenant General Frank Benson in Eye in the Sky, a film about drone warfare that comes out in April. In May we can also appreciate his voice acting as the caterpillar in Tim Burton’s Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Rickman is survived by his wife and college sweetheart Rima Horton, over 60 films and legions of fans.

(jastrow75/Flickr Commons)

COMICS & PUZZLES

10 Puzzle of the Week #12—Ice, Slush, and Mud Rally The weather is somewhat sloppy, but some people decided to have a rally in the ice, slush, and mud.

There were:

1) four types of vehicles: four- three-, two-, and onewheeled vehicles,

2) 400 wheels where the rubber meets the road (or whatever it was),

3) three times as many three-wheeled vehicles as one-wheeled vehicles,

4) four times as many four-wheeled vehicles as twowheeled vehicles, and

5) a single-digit number of one-wheeled vehicles.

How vehicles were there of each type?

This contest is sponsored by the Mathematics and Statistics department. The full-time student with the best score at the end of the year will win a prize. Please submit your solution (not just the answer but also why) by noon next Wednesday to Gene Wirchenko (<genew@telus.net>). Submissions by others are also welcome. The solution will be posted the Wednesday after that in my blog (http://genew. ca/). Come visit the Math Centre (HL304): we are friendly.

YOUR COMIC HERE WE’RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR STUDENT CARTOONISTS. WHY NOT GIVE IT A SHOT? EMAIL EDITOR@TRUOMEGA.CA

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WolfPack basketball gets two big wins WolfPack women return the favour and sweep title rival MacEwan Griffins Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω The battle to be crowned the top women’s basketball team in the Explorer Division proved to have yet another twist in its long and winding road this past weekend, as the WolfPack stormed into Edmonton and took both games against the current number one team, the Grant MacEwan Griffins.

These games were extremely important to the WolfPack for multiple reasons. Not only do the wins bring them to within one game of the division-leading Griffins, but these positive results also go a long way in helping the WolfPack forget what has been the most difficult weekend of their season so far. On Nov. 20 and 21, these very same Griffins came to Kamloops just one game back of TRU in the standings and staked their claim on first place with a pair of dominating wins, 85–56 and 75–50.

“We learned quite a bit from the games that we played them

in last. They are an experienced team and run their systems very well. There is definitely some motivation coming from those losses; we’d like to get those games back. The games this weekend are very important,” said TRU’s leading point scorer Emma Piggin before this weekend’s action.

The ‘Pack used that motivation to great effect in the first game of the weekend double header, taking down MacEwan by a score of 69–55.

A well-rounded offensive effort saw four TRU players finish the game with double-digit point totals, with all nine players that saw over a minute of action in the game recording at least a basket.

It was a battle of defence in the Saturday night game, with TRU holding MacEwan to just 33 per cent shooting from the floor.

Despite the fact that they were trailing for most of the game, TRU was able to keep it close and a three point shot from Michelle Bos with under 30 seconds left to go in the game gave TRU a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish,

finishing the game with a 63–60 win.

One of the keys to victory for TRU was keeping in check one of the leading scorers in the conference, MacEwan’s Megan Wood.

“In our drill work and things like that, we are trying to make her take shots that she’s not used to making. Obviously she’s very a talented player and it’s easier said than done to have a game plan and go out against one of the better players and execute it,” said head coach of the ‘Pack Scott Reeves.

TRU was able to execute that game plan excellently, only allowing Wood, who is averaging 18 points a game, to score a total of 22 in the weekend games.

Unfortunately for TRU, if these two teams end up tied in the standings at the end of the year, it will be MacEwan that holds the tiebreaker of total points scored in the four games that they played each other by a score of 275–248.

TRU is next in action Jan. 22 and 23, when they take on the Mount Royal Cougars at the Tournament Capital Centre.

Taiysa Worsfold drives the ball past Kelly O’Hallahan during TRU’s victory on Jan. 16. (Eduardo Perez/Submitted)

The art of swordsmanship

TRU Kendo club revives the ancient sword fighting martial art through skill, discipline and fun Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω Coming back from winter break to the stress of assignments and exams can really make some students want to hit things. Luckily, there’s an outlet to do just that.

The TRUSU Ancient Martial Arts Club offers students of the university, as well as any member of the community who is interested, a way to learn about and practise fighting styles and techniques that are centuries old.

“Previously there was a kung fu club that I joined when I was a freshman. The friend who brought me into the club, even though he liked fighting with his hands, got me into swords and combat with weapons,” said student Jacky Zhou, who created the club. “After he graduated, there was a vacancy of a martial arts club, so that is why I decided to start something on my own.”

Though the club is technically a martial arts club and Zhou is open to others coming to instruct different styles of fighting, most people

Richmond Yu and Gabor Ohm practice overhead swings.

(Wade Tomko/The Omega)

at the club practise kendo.

Kendo differs from many of the other martial arts people are used to, such as karate, judo and taekwondo in that it purely involves combat with weapons. In Japanese, the art of kendo literally means “sword way.”

In TRU’s dance studio, where the Ancient Martial Arts Club practices kendo, the atmosphere isn’t nearly as competitive. Here, aspiring kendōka, students of kendo, can practise in an environment of like-minded people.

“In the eastern-style martial arts, the attitude is very different.

You have to be very careful when talking to your sensei, so they pretty well never have a conversation outside of kendo practice,” Zhou said. “When I came over here and started this club, and became its sensei, I changed the method that my sensei taught me into something more approachable.”

This doesn’t mean that the two-hour classes that Zhou teaches are completely out of step with the eastern styles of the martial art.

There is still very much an aura of discipline in the air when the kendōkas enter the gym basement.

As their sensei, all kendōkas bow to Zhou as well as any other senior kendōkas in the room.

Practice for these sword fighters usually starts off like many martial arts warm ups, with stretches and endurance training. After that the kendōkas get straight to work,

Jacky Zhou and Richmond Yu gauge each other’s moves mid sparring match. (Wade Tomko/The Omega) practising a multitude of footwork, postures and sword strikes until they are allowed to enter the ring with each other and spar.

However, the sport isn’t for everyone.

“Unfortunately many people come in once and lots of them find it too aggressive and don’t want to get hurt,” Zhou said.

Yet to those who have a genuine interest in kendo, joining the club is an easy choice.

“I’ve never really done anything like this, as in martial arts, but I love sword fighting. I came to one practice last semester and

it’s grown on me ever since,” said student James-Dean Aleck.

Even for more experienced martial artists, the appeal of having a martial arts club on campus is something that can’t be beat. Especially when the only costs involved come from owning your own equipment.

“Kendo isn’t my first martial art.

I’ve been practising judo for years as well. I still love judo, but it can get expensive, especially if you are getting into it,” said TRU World staffer Gabor Ohm. “Here it is all free and it’s a great atmosphere to learn and practise in.”

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