OPTIMISTIC
IT TAKES A VILLAGE?
LOCK ‘EM UP
Looking at trends in enrolment
The plan for more campus vitality
Theft and break-in at TRUSU
As TRU starts to prepare for next year, we look at how enrolment is changing • Page 5
TRU presents its plan to create a university village here on campus • Page 4
Thieves made it through two locked doors to steal equipment • Page 4
ISSUE 24 NO.
VOLUME 25
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MARCH 16, 2016
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NOT PACKING IT IN
WolfPack men’s basketball falls in CanWest gold medal game, but continues to CIS Final Eight
T
he WolfPack were in Calgary this past weekend to take part in their first-ever Canada West final four tournament. The ‘Pack won their semifinal matchup against the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds before dropping the championship game to the host University of Calgary Dinos. The second place finish was good enough to extend TRU’s season however, as they booked themselves a ticket to the CIS final eight tournament. “The goal was to make it to the national tournament so obviously you can check that box. By the same token one of the other goals was to be a Canada West champion and we came up just a bit short in regards to that goal,” said head coach Scott Clark. TRU dropped the championship game to the Dinos by a score of 94–81. The WolfPack came out firing on all cylinders to start the game, making four straight shots from beyond the threepoint arc to take an early 12–2 lead. The number-one-seeded Dinos hung around however, and led 25–21 after the first quarter. CONTINUES page 11 The WolfPack men continue their battle on Thursday, when they begin their battle in the CIS Final 8 • Page 2
FILM FEST AND CHILL?
UP FROM UNDER
Kamloops Film Fest review round-up
TRU art gallery: Under My Skin
Our reviews from the second half of the Kamloops Film Festival • Pages 6-7
Under My Skin: A Splendour of Organs opens at the TRU art gallery • Page 9
The WolfPack is back in action on Thursday, March 17. Check TRUOmega.ca to follow along with the team as they compete in the CIS Final Eight at UBC.
WORK FOR US
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MARCH 16, 2016
NOW HIRING FOR THE 2016-17 ACADEMIC YEAR BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER
ARTS EDITOR
SPORTS EDITOR
STAFF WRITER
Tasked with filling the arts section, you’ll be connected to the arts scene on campus, including theatre, visual arts, music, film and more. You’ll also venture out into the Kamloops community and explore festivals, concerts, art galleries and beyond.
As editor of the sports section, you’ve always got a lot of options for stories, whether it’s the latest breaking news from the WolfPack, in-depth team and player profiles or the latest trends in the sports world, you’re all over it. Attend games, talk to players and watch what happens.
As a staff writer for the paper, you’ll take assignments from section editors and pitch your own stories, too. You might explore different beats like science and technology, campus life or city and community news. There are two staff writer positions available.
PHOTOGRAPHER
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As our photographer, you’ll be sent out to create visuals for some of the stories we put together every week. Your skills with a camera will shine through as you face challenges like difficult-to-photograph subjects and working on a deadline, but you’ll often find your photos all over our front page.
As the distribution manager, you’ll be in charge of delivering our weekly paper all over campus. You’ll also keep track of where it’s being taken from and work with the paper’s Editorin-Chief to come up with better distribution strategies in order to reach as many readers as possible.
As Copy and Web Editor at the paper, your attention to detail is important, since you’ll be helping us make sure everything we publish is error-free. That means your spelling and grammar skills are top notch. You also know a thing or two about the Internet and social media, so you’ll help out with our site, too.
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OPINION & EDITORIAL
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YEARS YEARS
victoria » March
Seeing the value of the Kamloops Film Festival
Celebrating ♥ 20 Years
significant here, since the festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary, Sean Brady which is quite the accomplishEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω ment, maintaining a film festival When I first moved to Kamloops in a city of this size. I learned about the Kamloops Film It’s not just quantity this year, Festival through The Omega. The either. The quality of films has paper was using the festival as an been great in the years I’ve attendopportunity to attract contributors, ed. I’m still trying to hunt down since review writing is a pretty a copy of “Camera Shy” which I good way to start contributing. saw at the 2012 festival and have I attended and wrote my first wanted to re-watch since. It was review for a wonderful film called a Canadian feature that has yet Beasts of the Southern Wild. That to surface elsewhere – a common contribution was my first step occurrence with festival flicks towards becoming more involved that are looking to be bought and with the paper, and now three distributed. years later here I am, still proud Although Kamloops is unlikely that first film review I wrote to be the purchasing grounds $5ofPint / $12 Jug of festival beer and 25% still enjoying working for the for would-be widely distributed anD off one aPPetizer paper. features, the Film Fest brings some with your film ticket. With the help of a number of great film culture into town and contributors, we managed to gets people involved, whether review all 20 of the films that the it’s through post-film Q&As or Kamloops Film Festival brought to downtown coffee shop discussion town this year. The number 20 is sessions.
march 3–12, 2016
at the Paramount theatre
ano Ma Lis a
I also get the sense that a BE lot of these films are untested. n’s at Sure, many of them are rated on ho IMDb and already reviewed by ME »M the time we see them, but they ar haven’t already been dissected ch 10 by the wider film-going audience »8 and reviewing them still feels pM worthwhile. I think our reviewers would say the same thing. You can see what they had to say by flipping to pages 6 and 7 in both last week’s paper and this one. Looking for a review that didn’t fit in the paper? Not to worry, all of our reviews are online at www. TRUOmega.ca. So, a big thank you to everyone who worked hard to give KFF another successful year, and a big thank you to all of our contributors who pitched in and took part Discount tickets only available at in the film festival once again. the trusu Desk with a valiD uPass See you next year. editor@truomega.ca
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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.
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Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief Sean Brady News Editor Jim Elliot
News Editor Wade Tomko
Arts Editor Marlys Klossner
Sports Editor Cameron Doherty Copy Editor Annie Slizak
Staff Photographer Tristan Davies Contributors Dominique Bayens, Nikki Fredrikson, Aliya Hussein, Jared Macarthur, Natalie Stewart
c fb.me/truomega d @TRU_Omega
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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:
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NEWS
4
MARCH 16, 2016
TRU University Village plan presented New development pledges more housing and 24/7 vitality on campus Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω Thompson Rivers University has presented new details about how densification and development of the TRU campus will proceed in the years to come. The new announcement focused on the development of a “university village,” a mixed residential and commercial development on campus that administration compared to SFU’s UniverCity. “I lived for six months in residence when I first came here and it became clear to me that the campus was really vital and friendly during classes, but after hours and on the weekends it’s an empty place,” said TRU President Alan Shaver. Shaver went on to say that the new project’s goal is to make the campus inviting and livable 24/7, providing access to food and other services for students as well as generating revenue. The plan focuses on the development of market housing such as apartments or condos on campus, but grocery stores, restaurants,
bars and entertainment facilities have also been approved. TRU has been directly planning the development since 2013, but it fits into a master plan that dates back to the mid-’90s Shaver said. The plan is to create a campus that includes the broader community. “The development isn’t specifically being built for students or faculty, it is being built for everyone. The financial benefits of the development will benefit the TRU community directly,” said TRU VP Finance Matt Milovick. When asked if the on-campus housing would be rent-controlled to avoid pricing out students, Milovick said “It is our expectation that developments will include all types of housing options, including student residences over time. For privately-owned accommodations that are sublet, the market drives pricing.” The plan contains cohesive design guidelines to ensure a consistent look and feel throughout campus Milovick said. According to Milovick, the transportation survey and sustainability study that went along with the development planning
concluded that both better transit service and accessibility for cyclists need to be developed but that no new parking would be added on campus for at least 20 years. Milovick said that surveying the campus in preparation for new construction is already underway and rezoning applications would begin shortly. Development is planned to begin within the next 18 months Milovick said. Property on the corner of Summit and McGill will be developed first because it is flat and already has utilities running to it said TRU Community Trust CEO Finlay Sinclair. “We’re at the point now where we’re getting tremendous support to move forward with this,” Shaver said. Other features of the Campus Master Plan discussed at the announcement include the construction of an additional 300,000 square feet of academic space to address growth over the next 15 years and the eventual demolition and replacement of the Clock Tower and the Main Library.
President Alan Shaver presents information on the upcoming “university village” development (Jim Elliot/The Omega)
International Days returns Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω TRU’s 23rd annual International Days have started and will be host to more than 70 events going on throughout the week, many of them proposed and hosted by TRU students themselves. International Days coordinator Jennifer Pallett said that one of the reasons this year’s schedule is so much bigger was because of the difficulty in turning down suggestions for events. “Usually our schedule is a lot smaller,” Pallett said. “It was very difficult to turn away anyone. We just wanted to accept everyone and everything.” About 70 to 75 per cent of the events this year have been suggestions from students, Pallett said, the highest it has ever been. In addition to more student involvement, this year’s IDays also has TRU’s faculty and staff more involved as well. “We have got quite a bit of staff involvement this year. We have things like a global competency information session and a study abroad session,” Pallett said. “A new session this year is called ‘Leave For Change,’ and it’s encouraging faculty and staff to get involved and going and working abroad.” This year, the Kamloops Multicultural Society will be back again to showcase diverse flavours in their cooking show. Pallett also promises that there
will be even more community involvement from local artists and other community members in events such as “Games People Play” and “Virtues of a Vegetarian Diet.” Yet IDays is about more than food and fun, it gives both the TRU and Kamloops communities a chance to learn about and explore the diverse cultures that can be found at TRU. “It’s an opportunity to meet everyone on campus and bond over our differences,” said Katie Kershaw, a student in Pallett’s Staging Special Events course. “To just celebrate everyone’s different cultures and learn more about the people you are seeing everyday.” Though this is her first time participating in IDays, Kershaw says that the week-long celebration of culture is the perfect way to gain experience doing what she loves, event management. During IDays, Kershaw and some of her classmates will run the “I in IDays” photo booth. “We are going to have it all set up so you can stand in the booth and be the ‘I,’ and you can post your picture online and enter what the ‘I’ means to you. So that could be anything from cultural awareness or our community, that kind of thing,” she said. “We will be picking three winners to win various prizes like gift cards and a student survival gift basket.” To TRU World Events Manager Craig Engleson, getting students like Kershaw involved is what
IDays is all about. “I don’t ever want it to be something that I organize for the students, I want them to organize it and me help facilitate in any which way,” Engleson said. “I hope that everybody sees something on the schedule that interests them and that they engage with it somehow. That’s kind of my excitement and hope with it.” With an event budget of $40,000, Engleson thinks that there will be something in this IDays for everyone. However, if there is not, he encourages students to speak up and voice their ideas so that they can get their suggestions on the table to improve even more for next year.
Jennifer Pallett, International Days Coordinator. (Wade Tomko/The Omega)
Break-in and theft at TRUSU Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω Over the weekend of March 5, TRU’s Students’ Union Building was broken into. Thieves made off with office equipment from a locked room inside the building after breaking in from the outside. TRUSU’s Executive Director Nathan Lane said that the breakin most likely occurred late on Saturday night. Though Lane wouldn’t specify what room the equipment was stolen from, he did say it was a room usually used to store office equipment and items such as TVs and projectors. In order to access the equipment, thieves would have had to break through two sets of locked doors. Although Lane wouldn’t specifically say what was stolen
or which room it was stolen from, he did say that none of the stolen items contained student information. TRU security hasn’t completed its report yet, however Lane said that security was patrolling the area at the time of the break-in. “We are reviewing all of the security protocols for the Students’ Union Building for both day and night, including our internal procedures and their external procedures,” Lane said. On Wednesday, March 9, there was an attempted break-in at The Omega’s offices in Old Main, with damage to the door lock. Nothing was stolen and security is currently investigating that attempt, as well. TRU has contracted Concord Security for its security operations since the 1990s. The company’s contract is up for renewal in July of this year.
NEWS
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TRU says enrolment to stay steady as secondary population drops Open Learning and sciences set to grow, arts and business to continue decline Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω TRU’s 2016 budget contains both retrospective data and projections for future enrolment which show that TRU will be a very different place in the years to come. The budget, released in January, predicts that the university’s overall enrolment will remain stable, despite challenges such as declining local high school enrolment for at least the next five years. Although the number of Grade 12 students in School District 73 has declined from approximately 1,400 to just over 1,115 since 2009, the number of SD73 students moving on to TRU is predicted
to remain stable. TRU’s overall enrolment is also projected to remain stable. “Our strategic enrolment planning for the last little while has been a little more ad hoc than we’d like it to be, so now we’re moving into a little more structured approach to really look at markets, look at where there are opportunities, and make the proper investments to make sure we’re getting the biggest return on our recruitment and marketing dollars that we possibly can,” said TRU’s VP Administration and Finance Matt Milovick. On-campus enrolment has declined five per cent since 2011, but Open Learning enrolment has increased 24 per cent. Despite the overall stability of enrolment, some programs are
rapidly expanding while others are in decline. According to the budget report, Faculty of Science course enrolments have increased 20 per cent since 2011. Faculty of Science Dean Tom Dickinson said that his faculty is recovering from a downturn in recent years making the greater enrolment even more impressive. “We’ve created additional pathways for people interested in engineering. We created a second year in engineering transfer studies where students can get a direct path to the University of Victoria,” Dickinson said. Dickinson also pointed out expanding Architecture and Engineering Technology and Respiratory Therapy programs as contributing to the department’s growth.
In the Faculty of Human, Social and Educational Development, which was recently renamed the Faculty of Education and Social Work, there was a 34 per cent decrease in the same time period. Faculty of Arts enrolment has started a slight decline following its peak in 2010. Trades enrolment has returned to levels similar to 2012, following a spike in enrolment in 2013 and 2014. The document also includes projections for future enrolment through the year 2020. Science enrolment is projected to continue to rise through that year, while enrolment in the Faculty of Arts and School of Business and Economics is poised to decline steadily.
The number of international students on campus is projected to decline at the same pace of other on-campus enrolment, continuing to account for approximately 25 per cent of course enrolments. Declining enrolment may pose a challenge for the university in the years to come both in terms of revenue and maintaining low-enrolment programs. TRU’s 2016 budget cites declining enrolment as a specific budget challenge and the Digital Art and Design program folded in 2015 due to low enrolment. Lower revenue will be an issue as the university also pledged in the budget to reduce their overall operating costs by approximately $3.3 million in 2016 and 2017.
Fraternity fundraising focuses on felines for former fighters TRU’s Kappa Sigma fraternity wants to help veterans with PTSD adopt animals Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω Members from the Omicron Theta Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at TRU have started a GoFundMe page to raise money to connect veterans with PTSD with animals from the SPCA. The campaign, titled Pets for Vets, hopes to raise $1,000 by the end of April. What originally was supposed to be a fundraiser for the Military Heroes Campaign quickly developed into something much different, said Kappa Sigma member Justin Bourke. “We have to raise a certain amount for the Military Heroes Campaign. But most of it goes to Fisher House in the States, so we wanted something more Canadian,” Bourke said. “I had guys coming to me asking if we could raise money for the SPCA, so in a
meeting we thought of combining the two.” Though the Kappa Sigmas could have donated their money to military fundraisers in the United States, they ultimately decide to work with Kamloops’ Royal Canadian Legion Branch 52 in order to help local veterans. “The Legion is local and supporting local is always the favoured outcome. Especially because there is a lot of veterans in this area and we are hoping that with tabling next week some vets will look at us and say, ‘Hey, this is a great idea, I’d like to get involved with this,’” Bourke said. Any of the money that doesn’t go towards adopting an animal and the year’s worth of supplies that will go along with the adoption will be donated to the Legion. So far the Kappa Sigmas have raised $510 between their GoFundMe page and their Omicron
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Theta Founder’s Formal. Bourke says this amount is almost enough to provide a veteran with a cat. Cats in particular are the animals that Bourke and his fellow members are trying to connect veterans with. “One of the original reasons I wanted to do this is because the SPCA is overflowing with cats right now, especially senior cats,” Bourke said. “We’re looking at hooking up a senior cat with a veteran so both kind of get that life-changing experience. That would be an amazing feeling for us.” Pets for Vets help will not only those Canadian war veterans find a furry friend, but will also serve as a way to help break stereotypes surrounding fraternities, says Bourke. “Fraternities get kind of a bad rap and our chapter is nothing like what you see on the news or
Brock Morford, Shane DeJersey, Justin Bourke and Corey Cooper have been raising money to help veterans with PTSD adopt animals. (Wade Tomko/The Omega) in movies. We are not going out and doing bad stuff,” Bourke said. “We do a lot of fundraising for the community. Fraternities do a lot of good, a lot more than people give credit for.” While the extra publicity is definitely appreciated, Bourke says, the main goal for Pets for
Vets is still to help war veterans deal with PTSD through companionship. “PTSD is something that a lot of war veterans deal with and studies have shown that the companionship of a pet can help lessen a lot of the side effects of PTSD,” Bourke said.
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KFF IN REVIEW
6
MARCH 16, 2016
KAMLOOPS FILM FESTIVAL
IN REVIEW While the Kamloops Film Festival celebrates its 20th year, The Omega continues its tradition of reviewing as many KFF flicks we can attend.
No Men Beyond This Point Dir. Mark Sawers Stars Andrea Brooks, Rekha Sharma, Ali Skovbye
Reviewed by Nikki Fredrikson Set in a time where men are no longer needed, women take over as the leaders of society. No Men Beyond This Point forces the audience to confront their own opinions of women’s rights issues. Through this reversal of human rights the audience is taken on a whirlwind tour of emotions surrounding the struggle for equality in our society. Director Mark Sawers takes us through his mockumentary of a world where men are at no use to society. In this film, virgin births are on the rise, and only female babies are being born. The film follows the life of Andrew Myers (Patrick Gilmore), the youngest man on earth. At age 37, Myers was the last man to be born in this society. Working as a nanny for Terra (Tara Pratt) and Iris (Kristine Cofsky), Myers enjoys life as a working man. The film takes a turn when he is discovered having an affair with Iris, a banned union in the extreme anti-sex society. After having their love discovered, Myers is sent to a male sanctuary to live out the rest of his life, with the rest of society’s men. The film highlights the struggles of gender issues and political power struggles we face every day. However, the film just reverses all these issues so
instead of being a woman’s issue it is now a man’s issue. The mockumentary has a comedic base but with serious delivery from the actors. I honestly don’t know what to think of this film. It confused me on the basis that these are serious issues that are addressed in a comedic way. I thought Sawers’ use of historical events to build the documentary aspect into the film was genius, creating footage of real events that could have happened if we lived in a gender-equal society. The way this film reverses the political and gender issues in our society builds the interest and understanding of women’s issues for the audience. The struggle that develops between Iris, Myers and society in their fight to be together draws parallels to human rights battles in our society. I believe this film is one to watch more than once to really understand all the concepts covered. The seriousness of issues covered in the film are watered down by its comedic nature. I recommend this film for all viewers as the nature of the film fosters different interpretations from all audiences. If you’re looking for a film with a twisted view on societal issues than this is a great one to watch.
Forsaken Dir. Jon Cassar Stars Demi Moore, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland
Reviewed by Jared Macarthur Forsaken is a classic tale of a lone ranger returning home that does little to excite between the opening scene and him riding off into the sunset – literally. The movie is set in an era of American history that has been chewed over quite a bit in traditional Western cinema: the construction of the railroad. It gives us the exciting struggle of the greedy businessman versus the humble homesteader, and unfortunately is completely predictable. With beautiful cinematography, the film really brings it home with landscape shots and traditional cowboy/western scenes. But where the film really lacks is in the story telling. Kiefer Sutherland, playing John Henry Clayton and his father Donald Sutherland, playing Reverend Clayton had the potential to really bring an exciting performance to the screen. It was captivating to watch the father and son act side by side, and at times it brought more life to the scene. Brian Cox playing James McCurdy, the despicable businessman who is forcing families to sell to the railroad, is a good choice for an antagonist but has an awkward script at parts. He is the only character who swears repeatedly in the movie and it just doesn’t fit. Even Demi Moore was an amazing choice for female lead, but what lacked in all these characters was a good narrative to fit into.
Not far along into the film it’s obvious you’ve learned almost everything you need to know about the characters in the first few scenes. Lone ranger John Henry is a war torn man who’s just returned home after who knows how long only to find his mother dead and his hometown in a struggle against the railway. His father is disappointed and alludes to John Henry’s past as a gun-slinging murderer who doesn’t have the ability to change. Demi Moore, John Henry’s past love, is married off and creates the necessary heartbreak needed for the lone ranger story to be complete. It’s a slow buildup to the excitement but eventually the movie does pick up and there is sufficient action to keep you entertained and recoup some of the time you’ve lost. Despite his resolve, the gun-slinging past of John Henry eventually creeps back after he’s pushed to his limits and, in true western style, the antagonists are finished off in one final saloon shootout and the hero rides off into the sunset. The best of this film was the cinematography, a few decent shootouts, and the potential for a good performance from Donald and Kiefer Sutherland. All in all, I would probably suggest this movie for a Netflix and chill night, as it doesn’t matter too much if you miss a little here and there.
Youth Dir. Paolo Sorrentino Stars Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz
Reviewed by Aliya Hussein If you’re looking for an action movie, this isn’t the film for you. If you are, however, looking for something to captivate your attention that has drama, comedy and an enthralling storyline, you’re in the right place. Opening with the soft, melodic notes of Florence and the Machine, music ends up being a powerful theme for the rest of the movie. Youth has a soft buildup, with the main plot following Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel’s characters and a bunch of little side plots that tie into their struggles. Caine is the star of the show, which isn’t unusual. This time, instead of playing his usual sidekick to the action hero, he plays a retired orchestra director named Fred Ballinger staying at a classy hotel on vacation and struggling to accept his retirement and relationships with those around him. With this role, Caine truly proves that he is one of the most versatile actors around. The film has an eclectic mix of characters, from a famous Spanish football player who speaks little to no English, a levitating Dalai Lama and Miss Universe, all the way to an actor who walks around in a Hitler costume in order to find his true self. The dynamic
characters are what make the film, each character having their own quirks and bonding moments with each other. The film perhaps has a bit too much nudity at times (this isn’t Game of Thrones after all), but the implication behind it carries a sense of freedom and honesty. With quick witted humour, stunning landscape shots and cinematography similar to The Lobster, Youth portrays the visualization of getting older and captures the essence of being alive from multiple characters’ points of view. The whole movie feels like watching a dream, some parts more so than others. A little less than halfway through, the film switches to a melodramatic music video by Paloma Faith, which vaguely resembles parts of the Britney Spears Toxic music video. The film ends on a high note, with each character facing their fears and accepting that there is more out there for them than inevitable existentialism. A beautiful, satisfying movie directed by Paolo Sorrentino, this 124-minute feature is worth a watch for indie film lovers. With appearances by Jane Fonda, Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano, Youth holds a high standard for other films to live up to.
KFF IN REVIEW
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The Witch
Anomalisa
Dir. Robert Eggers Stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
Dirs. Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson Stars David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
Reviewed by Wade Tomko
Reviewed by Sean Brady
Delving into the harsh, unforsaken world of 17th-century New England, The Witch takes a unique look at the classical portrayal of satanism and witchcraft. The Witch follows the story of a family excommunicated from a Puritan plantation and forced to make a new living in the rugged wilderness. While its representation of early settler life seems spot on at times, from showing the hours of hard labour put into starting a farm to depicting the period’s emphasis on religion, the success of the film as a horror flick is less apparent. Made worse by a slow start, the film unfortunately relies too much on musical cues to provide cheap jump scares for at least the first half of the movie. Even with a well-established atmosphere, The Witch has only a few exceptionally unnerving scenes in it. The substandard plot is easy to follow and by the halfway point, you’ll likely be able to predict how the movie will end. Even before the last twenty minutes of the film, it’s easy to see The Witch’s most noticeable plot-twist coming. Despite the family’s characters being well-developed and realistic, The Witch gives little background to the monster
of the movie’s namesake. But this is to be expected and the little bit of mystery adds to the suspense; certains traits of the witch in question, such as animorphism (shapeshifting into animals), leave the audience wanting to know more about the mysterious backwoods woman. This isn’t to say that the film’s portrayal of witches is a necessarily bad one. In fact the first encounter with the witch could quite easily qualify as one of the film’s most legitimate creepy scenes, depicting something far different from the broomstick-flying old women we usually picture in our heads. Yet the few minutes the audience does spend in the presence of the witch don’t do the character the justice she deserves. Instead of making the witch herself more terrifying, the film plays off the atmosphere a bit too much and you’ll be done with being scared by the music alone by the end of the film. While definitely not the best horror movie out there, the setting and unique representation of witches and puritan life still make for an interesting, if a little slow, movie. One that, in regards to being a horror flick, had the potential to be something so much more.
Eadweard Dir. Kyle Rideout Stars Michael Eklund, Sara Canning, Christopher Heyerdahl
Anomalisa is a visually stunning stop-motion animated film that tells the story of a man becoming unhinged in a world where he thinks everyone is just one person. He seems exhausted just living in his own life as characters like taxi drivers and hotel clerks, who all look and speak the same aside from their hair and clothes, appear in his life and do nothing to make things better. The film, which is largely without cuts in time except when characters are asleep, follows middle-aged motivational speaker and customer service veteran Michael Stone as he arrives in Cincinnati for a conference. Clearly lonely and bored, Michael tolerates his own existence at his hotel until he hears the voice of another – the anomalous Lisa, who sounds and appears strikingly distinct. After a series of missteps to establish Michael’s tired existence, we get to watch him pursue Lisa, who is overflowing with character and real humanity. The talent behind this film’s creation is apparent. Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman co-direct the film masterfully. Charlie Kaufman lends his wonderful madness to the film as its screenwriter and a number of colourful executive producers pepper the film’s credits as well, including Dan Harmon and Dino Stamatopoulos, who you might know from the TV show Community. Co-director Kaufman is the master writer behind films like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. If you’ve seen
any of those, you’ll know why I’m bringing them up – they all revolve around the idea of becoming unhinged from reality. Anomalisa is right in line with this trait of Kaufman’s, but it’s also compelling for a number of other reasons. The film’s dialogue feels very natural and real. It also deals with some awkward characters, which play perfectly against the audience to make them feel awkward too. In a film where everyone is made of plastic, it’s easy to see some very human activity – including the first stop-motion animated sex scene I’ve ever seen, complete with what I can only describe as very complete animated models. On the voice acting side of things, a fantastic trio makes up the film’s entire cast, with David Thewlis playing the older business-minded Michael, Jennifer Jason Leigh playing the anomalous Lisa and Tom Noonan as every other character in the film. Yes. Every other character. And while Noonan is no doubt a talent, he’s not doing voices here – well, not more than one voice, anyway. He delivers a wide range of characters, from haughty hoteliers to flirtatious women, all with the same tone and inflection, just as he’s meant to. Anomalisa delivers a delightful dose of weird along with a heaping spoonful of humanity. As one of the first major adult-oriented stop-motion animated films, it’ll be interesting to see what it’s contribution to the film world will really be.
Reviewed by Annie Slizak Eadweard follows the life of Eadweard Muybridge, an 1860s photographer famous for his work in human and animal motion, which preceded modern motion pictures. If nothing more, Eadweard is a fascinating glance into the history of photography and film. Muybridge is a man who sees the world in photographs, and is overwhelmingly interested in capturing the moments, the raw motion, between portraits. At one point he says “we are never truly still… Even at rest we’re constantly moving, until we die.” Muybridge is played by Michael Eklund and his wife, Flora, by Sara Canning. In the beginning of the film, these two characters meet and begin a playful yet intense relationship. As the plot progresses, Muybridge succumbs more and more to his jealousy of his wife’s interactions with other men. We are never quite sure of the legitimacy of this jealousy, as Muybridge’s eyes frequently play tricks on him. His confusion and emotional behaviour is probably due to a stagecoach accident that happened several years before the film takes place, an accident the character Muybridge also claims as the reason behind his hair turning white. Both stars of this film are stunning, and to be honest, I had a hard time seeing Eklund with white hair and a bushy white beard. I thought for sure this was an old character played by a much younger man, but sure enough, Eklund was born in 1962, making him
the same age Muybridge admits to being at one point in the film. The second most beautiful thing in this film, besides the actors, is the spectacular use of natural lighting. The film was shot in Vancouver and set in Pennsylvania, where Muybridge has set up an outdoor photography studio in a pasture. Every scene shot in this location is breathtaking, and there are frequent sunset scenes, not to mention the various dusk, late afternoon and early morning scenes that are easily deciphered by the natural light. The characters onscreen are constantly aware of their light source (this is a film about photography after all) and this awareness is also reflected in how cinematographer Tony Mirza captured these beautiful scenes. Eventually, Muybridge’s jealousy gets the best of him, and he murders his wife’s lover, when he discovers the man, a theatre critic named Harry Larkyns, may have fathered his wife’s son. Eadweard Muybridge is credited as being the last man in America to be acquitted on the grounds of justifiable homicide. Eadweard is a moving film that delves into the life and emotions of a talented and revolutionary artist. It leaves an audience member intrigued and wanting to learn more. Out of Sight, an exhibit by the Vancouver Art Gallery featuring the photography of Eadweard Muybridge will be at the Kamloops Art Gallery until March 19.
Macbeth Dir. Justin Kurzel Stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan
Reviewed by Jim Elliot
The latest iteration of the classic Shakespearean tale of betrayal and revenge was visually stunning, but changes to the original play will not impress Shakespeare purists. The film, directed by Justin Kurzel and starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, presents a much darker and grittier version of the story than other film and stage productions have in the past. Kurzel’s Macbeth is incredibly violent and not for the faint of heart, but the extreme violence is necessary to convey the savagery of the film’s characters. Macbeth tells the story of the rise and fall of a medieval Scottish warlord falling victim to his own ambition and guilt. Fassbender shines as Macbeth, portraying the character’s descent from dutiful stoicism to guilt-stricken madness with a crackling intensity that the rest of the cast fails to match. Although the script did her no favours, omitting or altering Lady Macbeth’s most memorable scenes from the play, Cotillard’s portrayal fell flat. The interaction between the leads fails to convey the power dynamic
which drives the plot in Shakespeare’s original and the narrative suffers as a result. The worst deviation from Shakespeare’s original play is the omission of several scenes prominently featuring Banquo, played by Paddy Considine, relegating him to a much smaller role than in the original. The film has a relatively lean runtime, clocking in at only 113 minutes, making the cuts that much more unnecessary. The real strength of the film is its visuals. From the slow motion battle scenes and misty highland vistas of the first act to the hellscape of a burning forest at the film’s climax each frame oozes dread better than the last. The use of natural light, soft focus and jump cuts are particularly impressive. Macbeth is certainly worth a watch for those who are not too hung up on a film being faithful to the Shakespeare play it is based on. Overall, the film treads the line between lyrical art film and gritty drama doing neither perfectly but both well enough to ensure an enjoyable viewing experience.
More reviews online at truomega.ca
ARTS
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MARCH 16, 2016
Interview with Saskatoon band Bombargo Singer Nathan Thoen talks about the band’s influences, process and giving back to their hometown Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω Bombargo, consisting of Nathan Thoen on vocals, Spencer Chilliak on guitar, Phil Kashap on drums and Graham Tilsley on bass will perform in Kamloops on March 19 at The Art We Are. Marlys Klossner: How would you describe your sound? Nathan Thoen: I think our sound is kind of a combination of a lot of different influences, from rock and roll to funk to soul, some of that indie Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe, and everything in between it. It really takes you on a ride when you listen to our new album especially, and even our first EP. We just write songs that feel good. We don’t want to limit ourselves to “Oh, we can only write hard rock,” or “we can only write chill indie.” Now more than ever people are looking for a broader sound. They don’t want the show to sound like just one long song. MK: What’s your writing process like? NT: It takes different waves every time we go through it. Sometimes I’ll just be walking down the street and be hit with groove and I’ll note the vibe of what I’m freestyling and send that to the band, and we’ll work
it out musically. Lots of times Spencer [Chilliak], our guitarist, will bring a lick to the table and we’ll just jam and freestyle lyrics over it. From there we’ll hone in on a vibe and decide what this song is really feeling like. Sometimes we’ll come at it like “I have this story I’d like to tell, what kind of music can we come at it with?” It changes each time, but it’s always a really fun creative experience, especially since this is me and Spencer’s [Chilliak] first band. It’s a really fun process to be a part of. MK: Has growing up in Saskatoon influenced your sound? NT: It has for sure. For the size of our city there’s a ton of local venues that promote open mic nights and lots of young up-andcoming bands. We’ve got guys like The Sheepdogs and Jordan Cook [of Reignwolf]. Seeing people like that makes us really want to go for it and inspires us. I actually grew up an hour and half north of Saskatoon and there wasn’t much of a music scene, and when I moved to Saskatoon I was like “this is music city.” There are non-stop festivals, bars and venues. It was one of the driving forces making us think “hey, maybe we should start a band.” That actually came about when Spencer [Chilliak] and I went to a music festival together. We
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Spencer Chilliak, Nathan Thoen, Phil Kashop and Graem Tilsley – Bombargo. (Submitted) barely knew each other and kind of got to know each other at the [Sasquatch!] Music Festival. We had guitars and campfire jams. The tunes were flowing and took in the best lineup ever. We decided there that we wanted to start a band. Spencer said “I’m going to get really good at guitar.” He’s actually the craziest dude ever because he started eight hours a day just non-stop guitaring. He got really really good. With Phil [Kashap, drummer] it was pretty magical because Spencer said “Oh, if only my good buddy Phil was here he’d be the perfect drummer for this.” The next day, I kid you not, we get a knock on the door and Phil had decided to move back spontaneously and play music. MK: You decided to donate all the proceeds from your first EP to help people affected by the wildfires that ravaged northern Saskatchewan. How did that come about? NT: That came out of necessity. When it happened and the fires started roaring it was a huge bummer for Saskatchewan because we were not used to natural disasters and it was really aggressive. I forget the actual number but I think it was over 8,000 people were displaced from their homes. It was a massive problem. When it was happening we had just gotten our final masters back from our first ever EP. I pitched it to the band like “guys we just got our digital copies and I think we can do some good.” Everyone wanted to do something so we decided let’s put it out there and donate 100 per cent of our sales
to helping out. A lot of people and we played the songs fast wanted to help but there wasn’t so we could slow-mo it. We’re that many venues to donate on playing this song extremely a smaller scale so when we set fast. We probably played it it up online to donate through about 15, 20 times with loading our music, we were giving them up the whole truckload of gear a venue to donate and sort of each time and driving to the rewarding them with our music. next location, dropping it off, We were setting blown up and away by playing. the posAt the end itivity of of it it felt Saskatchlike we’d ewan and just played people three live from shows in a all over few hours. Canada MK: who Is there bought a second our music, release in in turn the works? helping What can out the fans look Nathan Thoen, on donating after the victims forward northern Saskatchewan wildfires of this to? natural NT: disaster We’ve we were got a few having things on at home. the go, It was a there’s really humbling experience. always too many prongs in the MK: You released your first fire with Bombargo. The biggest music video for Precious Time thing for us is “let’s work our at the end of last year. What was butts off, but let’s have a really that experience like? good time doing it.” We’ve got NT: It was aggressive. I’ve an 11 track album that we just always been a fan of filmmaking finished recording in January. since I was a kid and with music I’m very excited for it. This tour and videos it’s a symbiotic will be focussed on our EP and relationship. We decided to singles we’ve released, but we shoot a multiple location thing will be playing some of the stuff but timewise it got so tight, it from the new album. We’ve also was like this is the day, we have got a new music video coming two and half hours to shoot this out for a song of ours called Let thing. We loaded everything up It Grow.
“
“Everyone wanted to do something, so we decided let’s put it out there and donate 100 per cent of our sales to helping out.”
More Q&As, reviews and previews online at www.TRUOmega.ca
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Under My Skin: A Splendour of Organs opens at the TRU art gallery Natalie Stewart CONTRIBUTOR Ω Kristina Fiedrich’s exhibition Under My Skin: A Splendour of Organs is a unique display of pencil and watercolour artwork that opened as part of The Body Eclectic, a colloquium orchestrated by Fiedrich and TRU’s own Terryl Atkins, a faculty member of the visuals arts department who has avidly followed Fiedrich’s work since her graduation from TRU’s BFA program in 2005. Atkins said that the inclusion of an art display is crucial to the colloquium’s effectiveness. “Because it’s inter-disciplinary, what it allows is for a different kind of question to be asked,” she said, noting that when a discussion takes
place within only one discipline “people skip over things.” Fiedrich’s work is over five years in the making, and comes from a variety of inspirations, such as the idea of differently-abled bodies, and in particular the realm of prosthetics. In 2011, Fiedrich was given a grant to further investigate this display and create an artistic exhibition around it. In her formal address, Fiedrich said “The intention was to investigate the literal and figurative image of the prosthesis” which includes the replacement of any body part, from lost limbs to skin grafts. Robert Romanyshyn, a keynote speaker for the colloquium and emeritus professor of Pacifica Graduate Institute, was also attending and assessed Fiedrich’s work.
“She is examining at the point in culture where the promise of technology really raises the question of what does it mean to be human,” he said. Romanyshyn was particularly taken with a prosthetics-inspired watercolour entitled Passions of the Mechanical Heart, which displayed a heart that appears half-flesh and half-machine. “This is what she puts together. She sees where the tension is between mechanization and human passion,” he said. Prosthetics are only some of many things which influence the way we think about our bodies, and Fiedrich tries to encourage a positive, contemplative tone in her work, especially in regards to self-perception and different bodies.
“You don’t have to give in and say ‘my body is not what I want it to be’ or ‘I experienced this trauma and therefore my body has failed me,’” she said. Using the medium of the human body – especially the body’s insides – makes for some disconcerting displays, but Fiedrich said she likes the uncomfortable element of her medium. “I feel that way pretty much all the time,” she said. “I feel a little bit uncomfortable, a little bit awkward, a little bit uncertain, just about where I am in relationship to everything else and everyone else around me. “I think that constant negotiation that happens there comes through in the work, where it’s a negotiation between ‘is this
something that’s really grotesque or abject?’ or ‘is it something that’s actually quite beautiful and amazing?’” Fiedrich said students, especially those who may struggle to resolve their embodied identities with their places in the world, can find a special connection with this kind of work. Even though the displays may be a bit off-putting, she hopes it makes people stop and think about their bodies. “If that happens with my work, I’m happy, and if people are grossed out, that’s fine. I’m okay with that too, because that’s an effect and the artwork is interacting with their body in some way.” Under My Skin, a Splendour of Organs runs until April 1 in TRU’s art gallery.
Getting noticed with Art Exposed
Old Courthouse host to ongoing exhibit featuring artists from Kamloops Dominique Bayens CONTRIBUTOR Ω The Kamloops Old Courthouse was a hive of activity last Friday night for the opening reception of the 2016 Art Exposed Regional Exhibition. It is the sixth year running of the exhibition, which gives all residents of the TNRD the opportunity to submit artwork. The artists, jurors and Kamloops locals mingled over food and wine amongst the 250 pieces of artwork, in anticipation of the announcement of the juror’s awards and honourable mentions. There was an eclectic range of
work on display, with everything from paintings and drawings to jewellery and pottery. The jurors included esteemed artists Tracey Kutschker, Vaughn Warren and Wendy Weseen. $600 in cash prizes was given out with eight major awards for both established and emerging artists. Kamloops local Nicole Joss took first place for the 2D Emerging Artist category with her drawing of American tattoo artist Kat Von D holding a sphinx. “Opening night was amazing,” she said. “It was really diverse this year in styles…I love to draw colourful pictures full of expression and the picture of Kat I drew
The Old Courthouse, packed with viewers at the opening reception for Art Exposed. (Tristan Davies/Ω) from captured all of that.” First place came as a surprise for Joss. “This award was very unexpected, it was such a boost in confidence. I received so much feedback, kind words and positive vibes from people,” she said. Laura Balogh also placed first in the Emerging Artist 3D category for her piece Moving Pictures, the Stills of Life, while in the
Established Artist category Janice Jarvis took the top prize in the 2D section for her pastel painting of a horse titled Sienna. In the 3D section, Leslie Bolin was awarded first place for her “atmospheric fired teapot” made from clay, bamboo and leather. Joss said the exhibition was a reminder of the strong artistic community within Kamloops.
“The Arts Council really is the greatest support of the little guy… When a city has more platforms for artists the possibilities are endless. The number of paintings that sold this year is proof that Kamloops adores the arts,” she said. The exhibition runs until March 19 with admission by donation.
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MARCH 16, 2016
Pakhomenko named CIS player of the year WolfPack takes home multiple honours in volleyball awards season Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω The honours and awards have been piling up for ‘Pack member Iulia Pakhomenko since the end of the season but the latest award is the most important one yet, Pakhomenko has been named the best university female volleyball player in all of Canada as CIS player of the year. The fourth-year outside hitter was undoubtedly the focus of TRU’s offence all season long and her outstanding play went a long way in helping TRU achieve just the second postseason berth in the program’s history. “A lot of it comes from her work ethic. She works hard, puts the time in at the gym and I think that breeds a lot of confidence. She’s just all-around – she can pass the ball, her blocking’s improving and she can hit any shot,” said head coach Chad Grimm on what makes Pakhomenko so successful. Pakhomenko attacks the ball with a power that is unmatched in Canadian university volleyball and every time she elevated above the net to power through a ball
good things would happen for the ‘Pack. She led the country in kills, with a whopping 425 which is 63 more than any other player in the nation. Pakhomenko also topped the nation in kills per set, service aces, points per set and points. “I have never had an award of this magnitude before. I just want to thank my teammates, without them I wouldn’t have got this award,” Pakhomenko said. Perhaps the most frightening thing for the rest of the country is that Pakhomenko has one year of eligibility left, and Grimm doesn’t think she’s reached her full potential yet. “I think she’s proved that she’s a dominant player her first three years here. She’s comfortable here now with school and her surroundings, I think it’s only natural that she continues to improve as the comfort level gets there.” Pakhomenko was also named the Canada West player of the year as well as a first team Canada West all-star. Members of the men’s volleyball team also received recognition for their play throughout the year, with Brad Gunter, Sam Taylor-Parks and Kyle Behiels all
receiving awards. In what was Gunter’s last year with the ‘Pack, the 2013-14 CIS player of the year went out with a bang. Gunter was named both a Canada West and CIS first team all-star. “He’s got an arm on him so the velocity that comes off his shoulder is exceptional. He’s worked hard over his career, he’s put 5 or 6 inches on his vertical,” said head coach Pat Hennelly about Gunter. Earlier this season Gunter became the country’s all-time leader in kills and points. In a year that saw a lot of younger players getting playing time for the ‘Pack it was Taylor-Parks and Behiels, both middles, that made the biggest impact. They were both recognized for their efforts with a spot on the Canada West all-rookie team. “It’s very nice for me as a coach to know that at the hardest position to recruit we have two solid guys. I’m really looking forward to having a front row view of watching these guys develop over the next few years,” Hennelly said.
Iulia Pakhomenko was named the women’s volleyball CIS player of the year. (TRU Athletics)
COMICS & PUZZLES Puzzle of the Week #19 – Age Problem Six friends (Kathy, Lee, Mike, Nellie, Owen, and Pete) are all different ages. All of the females are younger than all of the males with one-syllable names. Owen is either younger or older than exactly two others. Pete is older than exactly two more people than Kathy is older than. Lee is the youngest. Mike is the oldest. 1) Arrange their names in order from youngest to oldest. 2) What sex is Lee? 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.
by Andrew Robertson
by Andrew Robertson
SPORTS
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WolfPack falls in gold medal game
Second place in Canada West and CIS championship berth for men’s basketball Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω CONTINUED (COVER) In the second quarter some fatigue started to show for TRU. With the ‘Pack coming off a very close win the night before in which Reese Pribilsky, Josh Wolfram and Volodymyr Iegorov hardly left the floor, TRU was just a little bit off. The Dinos capitalized on every mistake TRU made to stretch their lead to 53–40 at the halftime buzzer. A great third quarter from TRU allowed them to close the gap to just four points heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately that would be as close as TRU could get as they ended up losing the game by seven points, 94–81. Leading the way for the ‘Pack was fifth-year forward Gerard Gore, who scored 22 points and added 10 rebounds. The ‘Pack came into the game with a whole lot of momentum behind them. On Friday night in the Canada West semi-finals, TRU defeated the UBC Thunderbirds in a down-to-the-wire game by a score of 72–69. Despite falling behind by ten points early TRU was able to stick with UBC thanks in large part to point guard Reese Pribilsky, who had seven of TRU’s 12 first quarter points. In the second quarter it was a combination of experience and
youth that led the way for the ‘Pack as Wolfram and Luke Morris combined for 14 of the 19 points that TRU put up in the quarter. The resilience of TRU saw them enter the third quarter down just four points to a UBC team that looked unbeatable early on in the game. With six players scoring in the quarter, TRU poured in 23 points, taking their first lead of the game 54–52 with just seconds left to go in the third. In the fourth quarter of what was at the time the most important game in the program’s history, TRU turned to one of the most talented players to ever wear the ‘Pack jersey, fifth-year forward Josh Wolfram. Wolfram scored nine of his gamehigh 23 points in the fourth quarter, including a huge three-pointer that put TRU up by four points with only 36 seconds left in the game. From there a combination of tough defence and clutch free-throw shooting saw TRU through to the victory. Pribilsky and Wolfram combined for 40 of TRU’s 72 points on the night. “They’re fifth-year players and I think at every level your best players need to play their best for you to have a chance to perform well down the stretch. Both of them obviously did that. I was happy for both of them and am proud of them,” Clark said. With a second place finish in the conference and a berth to nationals secured, this was undoubtedly
Reese Pribilsky in action against the Regina Cougars. Pribilsky scored 31 points in the CanWest Final 4. (Tristan Davies/The Omega) one of the biggest weekends in the history of the TRU men’s basketball program. This is TRU’s first-ever appearance at nationals and the tournament will get underway Thursday March 17. The ‘Pack will face a tough first-round matchup in the form of
the Carleton Ravens, a team that has won 11 of the past 13 national championships and has taken home the title the last five years in a row. Clark is relishing the opportunity to test his team against the very best that Canadian university basketball has to offer.
“They’ve been the standard-bearer for university basketball over the last ten years. Everybody is trying to catch them and everybody measures themselves up against them, so to get to play them in the first game is exactly what you would want.”
Coaching change for men’s volleyball Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω The TRU men’s volleyball team will have a new head coach at the helm when they begin the 2016-17 season. After 11 years in charge of the program Pat Hennelly has announced that he will be taking a leave of absence from the team
effective immediately. Stepping into the role of head coach will be former WolfPack player and assistant coach Mike Hawkins. “I started talking to Ken [Olynyk, Director of Athletics] sometime in October about the possibility. I’d asked the year before whether coaches could get leaves. The answer started out as ‘no.’ I guess this year turned out to be a good year because it was
Pat Hennelly, seen here in 2013, will take a leave of absence from his role as head coach of the men’s volleyball team. (TRU Athletics)
approved,” Hennelly said. Hennelly is taking the year off for a mixture of personal and professional reasons. With a young family at home the veteran coach wants to spend more time with them while simultaneously working to complete a master’s degree. Hennelly has been in charge of the ‘Pack since TRU volleyball entered the CIS in the 2005-06 season. After a rough first two years in the league in which the ‘Pack only won seven games, Hennelly and the team quickly turned things around, winning a CIS bronze medal and going to three straight national championships from 2007 to 2010. Hennelly currently holds a record of 92 wins and 130 losses during his time with TRU and has guided the ‘Pack to the Canada West playoffs in six of his 11 seasons. The coaching change is something that Hennelly thinks will prove to be of long-term benefit to the ‘Pack. “We’re bringing in someone that will hopefully enhance the program. This allows me to sit back, evaluate and formulate some ideas about the direction of our program. We’re really looking on how to move from good-to-great into excellence,” Hennelly said.
After playing out his CIS eligibility with the WolfPack, Hawkins was an assistant coach on Hennelly’s staff for two seasons. Since then, Hawkins has been an assistant and head coach of the Lethbridge College Kodiaks, a team that plays in the Alberta College Athletic Conference. “The fact that I was so comfortable with the city and the school just made the decision easy. It’s a pretty big jump for me to leave what I had going for me in Lethbridge, but I think if it was any other school this decision would be much more difficult. Kamloops and TRU is home to me,” Hawkins said. At just 26 Hawkins becomes the youngest head coach in Canada West, something that he says can be a positive. “Being able to relate to the guys. I just finished playing in this league so some of the things that they’re going through, the battles of managing their time and being a student athlete. I’m able to relate to them very easily. Being closer to their age might help give that instruction.” With Hawkins being the head coach for just a single season one of the keys to long-term success for the ‘Pack will be a balance of Hawkins bringing in his own coaching style while
still maintaining the cores of the program that Hennelly has put in place over the last 11 seasons. “I’m not here to change the wheel, Pat’s been one of my biggest mentors. We think similarly enough on kind of base things in volleyball. We both like a very aggressive high tempo style. Because we’re similar enough it shouldn’t be a harsh difference from the way they did things this year to next year and then to when Pat takes over afterwards,” Hawkins said. Hennelly will still be around the team, helping Hawkins with recruiting and in other areas. “I’m just going to tweak a few things that are my own personal preference and Pat and I are going to be collaborating quite a bit this year, it’s not just going to be me out on an island. We’ve already had conversations about the changes that I want to bring. It’s going to be more of a collaboration and I’m just going to build on the things that they’ve done,” Hawkins said. While steps are being taken to ensure the smoothest transition possible, only one thing is certain. For the first time since the ‘Pack started competing at the highest level of university volleyball in Canada there will be a different face patrolling the sidelines for TRU.
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