Nov. 4, 2015

NOT SELLING THEMSELVES SHORT

FAKE FLESH, REAL FLICKS

JOBS, PLEASE

MBA students place in provincial contest

Fake Flesh Film Festival hits Kamloops

Study: TRU key to local job market

In the inaugural B.C. competition, TRU’s MBA team came home with second place • Page 5

Terror on the (kind of) big screen – small festival provides a venue for short horror flicks • Page 6

Labour market study recommends local engineering school • Page 4

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NOVEMBER 4, 2015

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VOLUME 25

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THE RECOMMENDED WAY

TOUGH COMPETITION

Looking for a path to further indigenize campus

Still some positives in early playoff defeat at hands of UBC

T Justice Murray Sinclair spoke about the TRC recommendations on campus last week. • Page 2

ANIMAL RIGHTS

JUST FOR LAUGHS

How to responsibly see elephants in Thailand

Comedy show review: “Make Happy”

The classic tourist activity pays a toll on Thailand’s animals • Page 6

Comedian Bo Burnham made a big impression on our Arts editor • Page 7

he TRU women’s soccer team saw their season come to an end in Vancouver on Friday, Oct. 30, as they fell 6–1 to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

The game was always going to be a tough one for TRU to win, as they were up against a UBC team that won the West Division, was ranked fourth in the nation and had already defeated TRU 4–0 at Hillside Stadium earlier on in the season.

Coming into the contest, one of the keys to the game for TRU Head Coach Tom McManus was “to make sure we tighten up at the beginning and don’t give them an early goal.” Unfortunately this was not to be, as UBC scored in the 11th minute of the game and ultimately went into the halftime break up 3–0.

Danielle Fauteaux scored TRU’s lone goal of the game on a nice play from fellow fifth-year Jaydene Radu, but it was a case of too little too late for TRU as UBC won the game comfortably.

CONTINUES page 11

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NOVEMBER 4, 2015

Aboriginal studies an important part of reconciliation Campus educators hope that more Aboriginal content in the curriculum will improve understanding

Justice Murray Sinclair at TRU. (Wade Tomko/The Omega)

Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω TRU is looking at implementing mandatory indigenous courses and a number of new course offerings in efforts to further indigenize campus.

With around 2,500 Aboriginal students, TRU provides Aboriginal students throughout B.C. with accessible education. Between on-campus learning, the Open Learning program, and direct community interaction, the university has attracted young Aboriginals to participate in TRU programs.

Part of this success stems from its approach to Aboriginal education. The inspiration for course offerings and suggestions directed towards Aboriginal services come from voices in the Aboriginal community. In fact, students have been just as active as elders in promoting the indigenization of TRU, according to Paul Michel, Executive Director of TRU’s Aboriginal education.

“I connect with the elders, chiefs and community leaders on a regular basis, making sure they meet with TRU faculty and staff.

By doing so, we are making sure that the issues of the Aboriginal community are heard within our institution,” he said.

Despite TRU’s focus on providing its Aboriginal students with a higher education and the resources required to achieve such a goal, the university could still be doing more to provide our Aboriginal students with courses and services respective of Aboriginal culture and issues, Michel said.

“We have outlined a threepronged strategy that we have recommended for the deans.

We are looking at implementing indigenous mandatory courses, creating a slew of new courses focussed on Aboriginal studies and strengthening the current course offerings,” Michel said.

In programs such as law, education and nursing, Aboriginal students would have access to courses that directly deal with issues and developments within their communities. An

example of this, according to Michel, would be the law program expanding its course offerings to offer courses that deal with studying Aboriginal human rights cases here in Canada.

Or, there could be electives in nursing that deal with Aboriginal traditional healing. Additionally, Aboriginal history courses may become mandatory for all students pursuing a career in education.

Michel also stressed that in providing Aboriginals with the resources to better themselves, TRU must also take steps towards making Aboriginal issues and Aboriginal culture understood in the non-Aboriginal community.

“Teachers going into public education, whether they’re Aboriginal or not, need to be well aware of the issues in Aboriginal communities,” Michel said. “I’ve met social work students wanting to work in Aboriginal communities who can’t even name the seven biggest First Nations language groups here in B.C. Yet they know all the customs, cultures and economies of many European countries. They will probably never even travel to Europe, but most will likely travel throughout B.C.” Michel also said that part of the process of indigenizing our campus comes from educating non-Aboriginals in the customs, history and issues of Aboriginal peoples throughout the nation.

Making sure the Aboriginal community interacts with the non-Aboriginal community

through events such as powwows, National Aboriginal Day and the Storytellers Gala does much to foster respect between the two communities.

“We must move beyond a lack of understanding and unawareness, move beyond Canada’s historic past of racism. People need to see that the Aboriginal way is one of sustainability and community, one that puts its people first,” he said.

This sentiment was echoed

by Justice Murray Sinclair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission when he was here last Monday.

“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission should be looked at as part of a public education process,” he said.

Sinclair stressed that just as important as hearing the stories of survivors of the residential schools, is making the Canadian public aware of Aboriginal issues and history. He believes that, if this process of reconciliation through education is going to start anywhere, it will be in both public and post-secondary education systems.

“We have had some really good feedback from universities across the country, who have indicated they would like to educate students as per the recommendations of the Commission. Many presidents of universities have promised to provide first-year students and new faculty with knowledge on residential schools and Aboriginal history,” Sinclair said.

OPINION & EDITORIAL

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The times, they’re still a-changin’

Should we keep daylight saving time? Drop it? Do something else entirely?

Sean Brady EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω With Daylight Saving Time (DST), there’s science on both sides – those who want to keep it and those who want to toss it out. There are arguments of every stripe: health, productivity, traffic accidents, energy use and even the economy all feature in arguments on both sides. They all have something in common, however: proportionally speaking, most aren’t effects that are so significant that it’s worth keeping it around.

A U.S. study found that there was a 0.7 per cent reduction in traffic fatalities with DST. Opposite that, there are also studies that show an increase in traffic fatalities when people lose an hour of sleep (and consequently, fewer fatalities later when they get an additional hour).

While DST might increase daylight hours for leisure and recreation activities, it also affects

our health in negative ways, like an increase in the number of heart attacks and a jump in the suicide rate. One study by a University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher showed a 10 per cent jump in the number of heart attacks on the Monday and Tuesday after an hour’s sleep is lost in the spring. That same researcher found that the opposite effect is true in the fall. (I think the important point there is that we should all be getting more sleep.)

The biggest associated factors in the 2012 study were sleep deprivation, changes to the body’s circadian rhythm and a similar “body clock” change associated with the body’s immune system.

Kamloops resident Bob Dieno is behind the latest attempt to get rid of DST. His petition is showing that there’s some appetite to drop the practice, too. His change.org petition to “Stop the time change in British Columbia” has garnered approximately 20,000 signatures as of midnight Monday, Nov. 2.

The petition uses arguments not unlike those above, mostly focusing on sleep deprivation and other health effects.

Something that seems to be absent from the time change debate is a “ground up” model of what might replace DST. The focus now seems to be on scrapping it, but no one is looking at other models of how we might better live within our daylight hours with minimal disruption. Dropping DST now and re-evaluating after some years without seems like a smart thing to do. If we later conclude that there’s a problem, we can work on a solution then – but it doesn’t have to be DST. Evert spring and fall when we’re forced to confront the tiny buttons on all of our clocks, this conversation re-emerges. It seems like it’s the same thing every year; I bet this very article has been written before, in fact. So let’s just get rid of it and see if the conversation continues. I bet it doesn’t. editor@truomega.ca

Seek your long neglected lamps: It is later than you think. (Alan Cleaver/Flickr Commons)

Notice: Performing Arts Centre referendum voting on Nov. 7 Voting will be available in the Performing Arts Centre referendum on November 7. The question will ask if the city should borrow up to $49 million to build a new Performing Arts Centre downtown. Voting can be done on Nov. 7 at the locations listed below. Residents can vote at these locations between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. More information can be found at www.kamloops.ca/imagine.

Lloyd George Elementary School – 830 Pine Street Heritage House – 100 Lorne Street Aberdeen Elementary School – 2191 Van Horne Drive South Sahali Elementary School – 1585 Summit Drive Dufferin Elementary School – 1880 Hillside Drive

Beattie School of the Arts – 492 McGill Road Valleyview Secondary School – 1950 Valleyview Dr. Dallas Elementary School – 296 Harper Road RL Clemitson Elementary School – 5990 Todd Road Rayleigh Elementary School – 306 Puett Ranch Rd.

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Arthur Hatton Elementary School – 315 Chestnut Ave NorKam Secondary School – 730 12th Street Parkcrest Elementary School – 2170 Parkcrest Ave. Westmount Elementary School – 745 Walkem Rd. Arthur Stevenson Elementary School – 2890 Bank Rd

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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.

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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

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NOVEMBER 4, 2015

Engineering school recommended in local market study Study predicts more than 6,000 vacant jobs requiring a university degree in the Kamloops area Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω The Venture Kamloops 2015 labour market study, which presented its findings on Oct. 30, has projected both encouraging employment prospects and areas in need of improvement for both TRU and Kamloops. The study provided a 10-year projection that used data specific to Kamloops and surrounding rural communities to predict future employment trends in the region.

Many of the study’s findings are directly related to TRU. The study predicts that by 2025, there will be 6,110 vacant jobs requiring a university degree in the Kamloops area

and an additional 1,344 requiring trades training. According to the study, these trends toward vacant positions are the result of an aging workforce, the region’s issues with retaining skilled workers. The Kamloops area is predicted to add more than 30,000 jobs by 2025.

The study’s findings specifically noted that the Kamloops area lacked an engineering post-secondary program. The study says that an engineering school in the region would “help serve as a sustained source of trained engineers entering the regional workforce.”

According to the study, TRU’s capacity as an open or online learning institution, as well as its mobile training programs, are consistent with employer demands: 53.7 per

By Levin C. Handy (per http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpbh.04326) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

You don’t have to sit in school to stand among greatness.

cent of employers in the area said that online courses would greatly benefit their employees, and an additional 46.9 per cent said the same about “mobile education.”

TRU uses mobile training trailers to bring trades courses to rural communities.

Venture Kamloops commissioned R.A. Malatest, a Victoria-based market research firm, to conduct the study. Along with data from BC Stats and other existing sources, Malatest surveyed Kamloops-area employers.

“We had to go out and get data that is not available elsewhere. For example, there is no data on vacancies [in Kamloops],” said company president Rob Malatest.

A total of 565 employers responded to the survey, which contained questions about projected business growth, employee retention, satisfaction with job training opportunities in the area and other topics. Malatest estimates that 15 per cent of operating businesses in the area answered the survey. Businesses were asked if they expected to expand their workforce in the near future; more than half expected to grow. The survey area encompassed all of Kamloops but also Barriere, Cache Creek, 100 Mile House and other rural communities in the area.

Although the Kamloops job market could be radically changed by major proposed projects such

R.A. Malatest President Rob Malatest and Venture Kamloops’ Colin O’leary. (Jim Elliot/The Omega) as the Ajax mine or the Trans Mountain pipeline, the study did not account for them. “This forecast does not include the impact of major capital projects… for the purpose of our forecast we took a very conservative approach,” Malatest said.

The study cost over $200,000 and was paid for with a $117,000 grant from the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation along with contributions from other partners, which included BCLC, KGHM Ajax, Domtar and TRU. The study was well-received by local politicians who attended the

presentation, including Terry Lake, B.C. Health Minister and MLA for the Kamloops–North Thompson electoral district.

“This study that Venture Kamloops commissioned will set the path for us going forward…we’re going to need a lot of new people in healthcare going forward, and TRU can help with that,” Lake said.

“We need to know not only where we’ve been, but where we’re headed…we need to have reports like this to know what we’re looking for, what our youth are looking for and what our employers need,” said Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar.

TRU host to Restorative Justice Symposium Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω

› Thomas Edison: The world’s most extraordinary failure never gave up.

Thank goodness.

open. online. everywhere. go.athabascau.ca/online-courses

TRU will play host to a symposium about an emerging issue of the modern justice system later this month. TRU’s second annual Restorative Justice Symposium will take place on Nov. 13.

The goal of the event is to educate people about why restorative justice is important and why it should be used more often, according to Kayla Morrison, a fourth-year psychology student and one of the symposium’s organizers.

“I was one of those people who thought restorative justice is soft on crime. I realized that I was ignorant about it and it can be pretty beneficial,” Morrison said.

Restorative justice brings together the offender, the victim and the community allowing everyone involved to learn and grow as a result, according to Morrison.

The event at TRU is part of the

larger Restorative Justice Week that is held worldwide from Nov. 15–22. According to Correctional Services Canada, the goal of the week is to promote a “non-adversarial, non-retributive approach to justice that emphasizes healing in victims, accountability of offenders and the involvement of citizens in creating healthier, safer communities.”

The symposium at TRU will feature keynote addresses from TRU faculty members Alana Abramson and Dona Lemieux, both of whom are trained restorative justice practitioners. There will also be a guest address from Marlyn and Ian Ferguson, who experienced restorative justice firsthand after their son was murdered. After the formal speeches, there will be smaller group “circle discussions” moderated by the organizers and guest speakers.

According to Morrison, the circle discussions are an aspect of restorative justice that comes from aboriginal practices, and

their inclusion in the symposium is important to staying true to restorative justice’s roots. Morrison described the circle discussion she experienced during her restorative justice class as “spiritual.”

The symposium is open to everyone. The ticket price is $50, or $15 for students, elders, the unemployed and retired people.

Tickets are on sale in Old Main on Nov. 3, 4, 9 and 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Last year’s symposium attracted 75 attendees, and Morrison said they are hoping for at least 100 this year.

According to Morrison, the benefit of attending the symposium is acquiring knowledge directly from people who have experienced restorative justice firsthand.

“If you are someone who has been affected by crime it may also give you more tools and different outlooks that might help you heal and move forward,” Morrison said.

NEWS

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Kenny Glass/Submitted

MBA students place second in inaugural B.C. competition

Team brought home much more than just a silver medal in MBA games Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω Last month, Vancouver Island University’s MBA Society hosted B.C.’s very first MBA games in Nanaimo. Inspired by the annual national event, the Canadian MBA games, VIU took the opportunity to give B.C. universities a similar experience.

TRU was one of five universities to compete in Nanaimo. Upon arriving at the event, which was held from Oct. 16–18, TRU’s MBA team discovered they were vastly outnumbered. All the teams from the other four universities, VIU, UBC, SFU and UVIC, had teams of 25 students. TRU, however, only brought a team of 12.

“Other teams had so many students on them that they had tryouts for specific roles. With 25 people, you could have substitutes for your more exhausted teammates. We had no such opportunity, everyone on TRU’s team had a distinct role to play,” said Thomas Lowe, one member of the TRU MBA team.

Despite the odds being against them, team captain Natasha Kurien delivered a speech that showed the other universities at the competition that TRU would take no prisoners. TRU’s team wanted everyone there to know they had come to compete, represent their university and most of all, have fun.

The MBA games themselves were divided into three categories: case, sport and spirit. TRU placed second in both the case and spirit components of the games, and consistently placed third in the sporting events (dodgeball and the dragon boat tug of war).

The case competition was broken down further into the “Pecha Kucha” (“chit-chat” in Japanese) competition, the overnight case competition and the finance case competition.

In the “Pecha Kucha,” teams had to design a presentation

supplemented by a slideshow of 20 images, each slide being shown for 20 seconds each. Being a case competition, a company had paid to have the case based around them. That company was Tilt, a crowdfunding company. Teams had to devise presentations that would show the audiences how Tilt could change the world.

“Every other team went morose and made presentations on how they would fix the education system or end world hunger.

While great messages, we wanted something more reasonable,” said Kenny Glass, another member of TRU’s MBA team. “We decided to get some humour in there and connect with people on a personal level.”

TRU’s team decided to change the world by crowdfunding Lowe’s brother’s bachelor party. In the end it wouldn’t net them a win, and they marginally lost to VIU. However, they might as well have won by popular vote, because they were the only team to receive funds from the audience for their cause via Tilt.

TRU also did exceptionally well in the overnight case competition, where they analyzed a B.C. business and made recommendations for what they could be doing better. Though the case wasn’t held “overnight,” all of the preparation for the competition was done in the early hours of the morning.

“Our solution to the company’s problem was something they had already developed. So we had to completely reverse direction at 2 a.m.,” Lowe said. “I was up for 41 hours.”

Despite preparing all night, TRU would end up losing to UBC by a split decision.

Though the financial case competition held little results for TRU, the team placed second in the spirit competition, where TRU raised $2,169 for the Canucks Autism Network using Tilt. With a $1,500 contribution from New Gold, $150 from Ooh! KABSA and $250 from Squamish Mills, TRU

was able to double the amount raised by the team in third place.

In total, all the MBA teams raised $10,000 for autism.

After all was said and done, at the end of the competition, TRU was one ranking away from winning the entire BC MBA games.

“VIU’s president came up to us afterwards and complimented us on how the smallest university came the furthest,” Lowe said.

All the members of the team

attributed their victory to TRU’s great MBA professors, who connect with their students on an unparalleled level. “The great friendships we had formed within the program, and the tight-knit structure of it really helped us prosper as a team too,” Kurien said.

Although they will be graduating this year and won’t be able to attend next year’s games, Lowe, Glass, Kurien and the rest of the team regard the experience as the

highlight of their MBA. Above all, they went to the games with the sole idea of representing TRU and building a culture of competition and teamwork within TRU’s MBA program for years to come.

Their advice for next year’s team: experience.

“Take on as many case competitions and similar events as you can and show the rest of Canada what TRU is made of. Your degree is only what you make of it,” Lowe said.

THE CARIBOO STUDENT NEWSPAPER SOCIETY

NOTICE OF AGM NOVEMBER 19, 2015 The registered society that operates The Omega will hold its annual general meeting on November 19, 2015. All TRU students in good standing are welcome to attend.

Location: Old Main, OM2691 Time: 5:30 p.m.

ARTS

6

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

Exploring animal tourism in Thailand

How to have the elephant experience without feeling like a bad person Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω The one thing everyone wants to do when they go to Thailand is see elephants. Elephants are the mascots of Thailand. They’re on every souvenir, and few tourists return home without buying a pair of “elephant pants,” those harem pants with generic southeast Asian patterns that may or may not actually have elephants on them.

In a country where elephants are part of the national identity, you’d think they’d be better taken care of. Unfortunately, what this really means is that they are exploited.

During my six-month stay in Thailand, the news was peppered with stories of foreigners using animals for entertainment and getting flack for it. Kellan Lutz, an actor you probably know from the Twilight series, celebrated his 29th birthday in Thailand in March with a pool party that included a bikini-clad woman riding a young elephant.

As a non-famous person, I didn’t rent a two-ton creature to serve as the sideshow for my birthday, but I did go to three places where you can ride elephants.

All of the places I went used

saddles with benches for the tourists to sit on, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The whole point is to interact with these amazing creatures that can only be found in that part of the world, and riding them bareback is both better for the elephants, and a better experience.

At one of the places I went, they did take off the saddles and had us wade into the river with them, scrubbing the elephants clean with soap and brushes. This was by far the highlight of the day, possibly my whole trip.

Along with riding, every elephant farm also puts on a show, where the elephants perform trained tricks. At the same place that we went in the river, the show was less entertaining, but more natural. The elephants played with hula hoops, and danced to music.

In Pattaya, at Nong Nooch Gardens, the elephant show was by far the most entertaining, but also the most morally troubling.

By the time I went to this one, I had already become disenchanted, so watching an elephant ride a custom-made tricycle only made me think “their muscles are definitely not supposed to move like that.” There was also construction going on very nearby, and I wondered how all the noise and crowds affected the

An elephant pedals a custom tricycle at Nong Nooch Gardens in Pattaya. (Marlys Klossner/The Omega) elephants. There were several other animals on display here as well, in zoo-like spaces. A drowsy tiger lay on a short chain, while people took photos with it.

I have to wonder, since I already saw concerning things on the outside, what could be happening behind the scenes.

Another news item that caught my attention while I was in Thailand was a story about a temple

that housed several sun bears.

The bears were being abused, so the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, with support from the Thai government, went to remove them, and only managed to get the bears out after distracting the monks by raising a fuss in another area of the temple.

While this was indeed a success story, the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand had been

issuing complaints to the Thai government for two years before being given permission to remove the animals. It isn’t hard to see why, considering tourism is a huge contributor to Thailand’s economy.

My advice to travellers is to do research before you go, and try to find places that will let you see the animals, while also allowing you to sleep at night.

Film fest an outlet for those looking to disturb Kamloops’ very own short horror film festival provides an outlet for filmmakers Peter Navratil CONTRIBUTOR Ω The fourth-annual Fake Flesh Film Festival took place this past Thursday at Cactus Jack’s Nightclub. More than 28 short horror films were shown to a costumed audience happy to be getting a head start on Halloween celebrations.

Daryl John, event organizer, said he started the festival after attending something similar in Whistler.

“I quickly realized we don’t have anything here, so I just did it myself,” John said.

He wanted to create a venue where people can show their own horror movies, no matter how bad they might be.

“This is a showcase of films.

This is just kind of a prebuilding of a showcase that I will always have for my shitty movies. Worst case scenario: play it at my film fest.”

The event drew a large crowd and even more short film interest online. John received 1,611 film submissions from all over the world. The festival accepted

submissions almost all year long, but near the beginning of summer after word got out and it really took off.

“It built momentum on its own,” John said. “I got some really good movies.”

The evening started with a stand-up comedy performance by Dan Jakes. Jakes tailored most of his material to the event and the connection the festival has with John. It showed how inclusive this film community is and how much this event means to people.

Shortly after, the films started.

Some stand-outs include “No Pets Allowed,” whose creators drove all the way up from Vancouver to be at the festival, and Kamloops’ very own “Live Scream,” which featured TRU student Joel Feenstra.

Although admitting horror is not his particular niche of a genre, Feenstra said “not everyone likes to make short films that are nice, not everyone likes making pretty art. Some people like to disturb other people, some people like to get reactions from other people. And Daryl has given an outlet for all those others who want to do that.”

After the last film rolled across

Daryl John on stage with best costume competitors below at CJs on Oct. 29. (Peter Navratil/The Omega) the giant screen set up in CJ’s, the evening was concluded with a costume contest. People came with some particularly complex costumes, and for good reason: the winner of the contest walked away with $500 in cash. The costumes were crowd-judged and the winner received the prize

right from the hand of a smiling Daryl John.

“It’s easy to do, it’s fun, I like doing it, that’s pretty much all it really comes down to. I make fuck-all money off it. That’s not really the point. People are dressing up, they are having fun,” John said.

The event continued on Saturday with more film showings that were a little more kid-friendly, taking place at Pizza Pie. Daryl John is happy to continue this event and it will be exciting to see what he continues to come up with in the coming years.

ARTS

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Bo Burnham delivers in overflow Calgary show Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω “You ain’t never seen a comedy show like this in your life,” rapped comedian Bo Burnham at the University of Calgary on Oct. 25.

It’s an overflow show, after the one the night before sold out almost immediately.

We have seen a comedy show like this, but only by Burnham himself in his last comedy tour called “what.” available on YouTube.

Burnham is a 25-year-old white kid with long, lanky limbs and a stereotypical teenage boy haircut.

He’s also hilarious. Burnham’s breed of comedy crosses several mediums. He doesn’t hold back and is self-deprecating. Burnham’s stage persona is either hyper self-aware, or narcissistic and self-absorbed. Both personas make the audience reflect on themselves.

You’d think that Burnham’s audience would be kids like him, but the audience on Oct. 25 also included people old enough to be his parents.

One thing Burnham never does is waste a comedic opportunity.

He roasted the fact that we were the overflow crowd, he roasted his own set and made several jokes about his fog cannons.

A theme that came up several times was “first world problems.”

Burnham is very aware that he is a young, prosperous, white kid who make jokes and complains a bit for a living. He spoke about how quality comedy comes from when you draw from your

own experience, but as a young, white-privileged man, that can be difficult. He then launched into a song about Pringles cans being too small for his hands.

Burnham’s onstage persona is either aggressively arrogant or so self-aware it’s pathetic, both exaggerations of aspects of his own personality. He also likes to play with audience expectation. In one bit, he walks from the stand-up mic to the piano and then loops back telling the audience not to try to anticipate what he’s about to do.

Burnham’s trademark style is to start with some light hilarious material, and then bring it back to deeper themes and his own more personal struggle. My one critique of “Make Happy” was that it had less heavy-hitting, introspective material than “what.”

By the one hour and 20 minute mark, I was getting impatient.

The deep stuff had to be coming soon. It manifested most in the last song of his set. Where in “what.” the introspective moments focussed on why Burnham does comedy, “Make Happy’s” final song is devoted to his relationship with the audience. He talks about the struggle to stay true to himself and also give the fans what they want. This was emphasized by a few other moments from earlier in the show, including Burnham turning on the house lights and lowering the barrier between audience and performer.

Uncommon for most comedy shows, Burnham got a standing ovation after his set, which only stopped when he came back out,

The young Bo Burnham. (jeneli_/Flickr Commons) riffed a little, and performed one of his old hits, “Oh Bo.” Burnham’s audience was incredibly supportive, helped by how much he interacted with them during the show. He played a song from his last show, “From the Perspective of God,” and the diehard fans in the audience attempted to sing along, even though the song doesn’t lend well to karaoke.

JOIN OUR PUBLISHING BOARD The Cariboo Student Newspaper Society is looking for three student representatives to join its publishing board.

Monthly meetings are held to discuss operations, finances, editorial direction and design. As a student representative, you’ll see how the organization works and contribute your ideas and opinions on the matters of the day. Your responsibilities will include reviewing reports, finances and contributing ideas and strategies you think the organization should be considering. Also, there’s pizza.

As one of three student representatives, you will also be joined by the following board members: - Charles Hays, TRU journalism faculty and internship coordinator - Christopher Foulds, Editor at Kamloops This Week - Sean Brady, Editor-in-Chief of The Omega Those interested in joining the publishing board should express their interest to the editor at editor@truomega.ca.

Please let us know why you’d like to serve on the board and what perspective you hope to bring to the table, as well as any relevant qualifications and interests. Applicants must be registered students at Thompson Rivers University.

Apply by November 14.

Burnham’s success came young, and grew quickly over a short time. “Make Happy” showed that he hasn’t fallen victim to the shooting star phenomenon.

Although he has a signature format, the material still feels fresh, and he can still surprise the fans who’ve followed him ever since he first posted the song “My Whole Family” in 2006.

Burnham was only 16, and just two years later would release his first musical comedy album on Comedy Central’s record label.

After also injecting his comedy into a book of poetry (Egghead) and creating a short-lived TV show playing a fictionalized version of himself (Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous), I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

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THE CARIBOO STUDENT NEWSPAPER SOCIETY

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LIFE TAKERS AND LIFE SAVERS TOP LEFT/RIGHT: The dead walk the streets for the annual Kamloops Zombie Walk on Oct. 31.

BOTTOM/RIGHT: Respiratory Therapy students celebrate, gather and compete during Respiratory Therapy Week.

(Tristan Davies/The Omega)

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

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COMICS & PUZZLES

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

by Andrew Robertson

ExtraFabulousComics.com

Puzzle of the Week #8–Ages Six friends are all of different ages. Alice is older than Bob. Catherine is younger than Don. Edgar is younger than Frida.

Bob is younger than Frida. From youngest to oldest, the sexes alternate. The oldest person is male. What is the order of the friends from youngest to oldest?

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

SPORTS

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Women’s soccer bows out in playoffs

The season has come to an end, but there are a lot of positives despite the defeat Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω CONTINUED (COVER) TRU came into the season with the cards already stacked against them. Due to some scheduling changes they were forced to play their first six games of the season on the road. After achieving some

positive results through the first two weekends of play, the strain of travel began to show, as TRU would then go on a four game losing streak.

It would have been easy to hang their heads and put it in cruise control for their remaining games, but that defeatism just wasn’t in the team’s DNA this year. As McManus explains, “they have the belief this year that they could do

it and the chemistry this year was phenomenal.”

The ‘Pack bounced back, winning three more games in the season and finishing the year with a record of five wins, seven losses and two draws, good enough for sixth place in the West division of the CIS and the final playoff spot.

Despite the loss, the 2015 season will be looked on as one full of positives. This is a team that improved

greatly after only winning one game all of last season. The team looked better in all aspects of the game, and McManus was pleased with the high level of play that he saw on the field.

“We set the goal of making the playoffs and I guess from that point of view it went well. I thought that we played better than what our points were this year. There were a few games we gave away unfortunately right at the death, so it

Jodi Hutton battles for the ball during TRU’s playoff loss to UBC on Oct. 30. (TRU Athletics)

would’ve been nice to have hung on at that point. The girls, in my mind, did a good job.”

This game saw the end of the university soccer careers for six members of the WolfPack. Jaydene Radu, Katie Sparrow and Emily Oliver are all long-time members of the ‘Pack who were integral in TRU finishing third at the CCAA National Championships in 2013, as well as helping the team through the tough transition into CIS play.

Brianna Powrie and Taylor Shantz are two players that transferred to TRU for their final season of CIS eligibility after playing fours years at Quest University, and as the starting midfielder and goalkeeper respectively, they played a big part in TRU’s improvement this year.

Danielle Fauteaux is a player that made the team as a walk-on after seven years away from the game of soccer and was the leading scorer for the WolfPack this season.

“I am just very fortunate to have those six players this year,” McManus said about his departing players.

Looking ahead to next season, this team has many young players that have already played important roles for the team and with the departures of those six graduating players it will now be their turn to step up and lead the ‘Pack. If the team is able to continue improving at the rate that they did this season then it won’t be long before the rest of the CIS takes notice of what McManus tries to instill in his players.

“We just want everyone to know that TRU WolfPack is a team to be reckoned with.”

WolfPack women ready to defend division title Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω The WolfPack women’s basketball team comes into the season hoping to repeat the success of what was a historic season last year. Two benchmarks were set in 2014: the women won their first CIS division title, and also hosted the first playoff series in school history.

The roster heading into this season looks much the same as that historic team. Jori Duxbury was the only graduating player and although her offensive spark will be missed, Head Coach Scott Reeves knows that other players are capable of stepping up to replace her.

“I think Kas (Kassie Colonna) is going to be a huge piece for us, her skillsets improved, I would look for her to have a number of big nights. I think Taiysa Worsfold is going to evolve as a scorer for us and I think Emma Piggin’s experience overseas playing with the national team is going to be counted on,” Reeves said.

Piggin was just one of the rookies on the team last year

that were a part of what Reeves described as “a very special recruiting class, there’s no doubt.

You don’t get one of those every single year.”

Emily Vilac, Michelle Bos and Kanesha Reeves were the other members of that class and as second-years they are all poised to contribute even more this season than in their terrific rookie campaigns. Bos stood out in particular: she was one of the top five first-years in the nation last year, being named to the CIS all-rookie team, and finishing tied for second in the country with 11.3 rebounds per game.

A statement that is sure to strike fear into the hearts of other teams in the Explorer division is that Reeves feels that this team has the ability to be even stronger offensively than last year’s edition, which finished fourth overall in the country in points per game with 73.7.

The team enters the season with their coach laying out the goal of “win our division and host another playoff series.”

A repeat of that division win is not something that the team is taking for granted however,

Taiysa Worsfold moves the ball up the court in a game against UVIC Saturday Oct. 31 as Reeves is aware that all of the teams in the division are going to come back improved and ready to knock off the reigning champions.

Preseason hasn’t exactly gotten off to a blazing start for TRU as they currently have a record of three wins and four losses,

including dropping all three games they played in an exhibition tournament in Ontario.

Those results must be taken with a grain of salt however, as they have played “probably one of the toughest preseason schedules we have ever had,” according to Reeves.

The regular season schedule gets underway Nov. 6 in Prince George with back-to-back games against the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves. The WolfPack’s home opener will be Nov. 20 when they take on the Grant MacEwan Griffins.

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NOVEMBER 4, 2015

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