Oct. 5, 2016

RESILIENCE

INFIGHTING

SUGAR GLIDERS!

Plenty of support for this year's Pride Parade

TRUSU adds another union local number

Taking the LEAP to local attractions

TRUSU's fifth annual Pride Parade brings out supporters from the community • Page 6

First it was 15, now there's a 5, too. Behind the change is a long, bitter battle • Page 4

Students hit the road with LEAP to see the sights around Kelowna • Page 7

OMEGA Ω THE

ISSUE NO. 05

THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1991

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

VOLUME 26

OCTOBER 5, 2016

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

Private Chinese high school opens on campus Maple Leaf University School leasing space from TRU for its first campus outside of China – p. 4

DRESSED TO COMMEMORATE

AN EYE FOR IT

Reconciling the pain of residential schools

Recent grad opens gallery downtown

Orange Shirt Day encourages discussion, healing and commemoration • Page 5

Kathleen Lochhead's "Relationshape" takes shape at Padlock Studios • Page 8

Inside...

Every wonder how much your prof. makes?

Page 2

NEWS

2

OCTOBER 5, 2016

Who earned $75,000 or more at TRU last year?

TOTAL EMPLOYEE SALARIES BY YEAR, TO 2015-16 $91.6m

$46.8m

Who are TRU’s top earners? What did your prof make last year?

How much does the president make? See the FAQ below for more information.

NAME (LAST, FIRST)

POSITION

SALARY

EXPENSES

TOTAL

Airini

Dean, FoHSED

188,715

113,998

$302,713

Morse, Bradford

Dean, Faculty of Law

199,453

65,276

$264,729

Anderson, Rob

Senior Lecturer/OL Faculty

233,124

3,321

$236,445

Chadwick, Baihua

AVP, International Global Operations

152,699

81,155

$233,855

Shaver, Alan

President & Vice-Chancellor

201,478

28,201

$229,679

Lakes, Ronald

OL Faculty Member

228,128

40

$228,168

Ravi, Siva Prasad

Associate Professor

201,074

14,605

$215,679

Milovick, Matthew

VP, Admin & Finance

199,059

15,664

$214,723

Scheck, Ulrich

Full Professor

194,858

7,719

$202,577

Scherf, Kathleen

Full Professor

146,889

52,237

$199,126

Murnaghan, Donna

Dean, School of Nursing

157,653

33,404

$191,057

Whitmore, Keith

OL Faculty Member

182,982

716

$183,698

Seguin, Christopher

VP, Advancement

146,391

35,140

$181,531

Tarzwell, Gordon

Vice Provost, Open Learning

167,863

10,697

$178,560

Langill, Lindsay

Dean, School of Trades & Technology

133,853

44,026

$177,879

Sparks, John

General Counsel

140,490

34,406

$174,897

Stanley, Donald

OL Faculty Member

174,774

0

$174,774

Sutherland, Katherine

Associate Professor

153,727

16,570

$170,296

Haverila, Matti

Full Professor

165,729

2,818

$168,547

Penny Light, Tracy

Exec. Director - Centre for SE & LI

127,441

40,365

$167,806

Garrett-Petts, William

AVP, Research & Graduate Studies

149,847

14,477

$164,324

Matthews, Leslie

Associate Professor

157,497

6,692

$164,189

Gill, Avninder

Associate Professor

159,432

4,096

$163,529

Dickinson, Thomas

Dean, Faculty of Science

151,357

12,000

$163,357

Gaisford, James

Dean, Faculty of Arts

162,689

0

$162,689

Scheffel, David

Full Professor

115,140

47,401

$162,541

Jap, Warveni

Senior Lecturer

141,231

20,519

$161,749

Mathenia, Brenda

University Librarian

140,523

20,554

$161,078

Gnanasihamany, Marie

AVP, Marketing & Communication

157,810

2,509

$160,319

Sanders, Ray

Director Campus WL

142,547

17,400

$159,947

Neufeld, Patricia

Full Professor

148,674

10,317

$158,990

Feng, ZiPing

Director - International Marketing

92,252

64,832

$157,084

MacKay, Brian

Chief Information Officer

145,991

10,082

$156,074

McCormick, Roderick

Full Professor

153,056

1,265

$154,321

Bovis-Cnossen, Christine

Provost & VP Academic

113,820

40,182

$154,002

Jones, Craig

Full Professor

152,685

824

$153,509

Manhas, Jaspal

AVP, Finance

147,583

5,894

$153,477

Powers, Denis

AVP, HR and Planning

147,583

2,733

$150,315

Heshka, Jonathan

Associate Dean, Faculty of Law

138,993

11,008

$150,001

Neudorf, Lorne

Assistant Professor

136,929

12,544

$149,473

Henry, Michael

Dean, School of Business

120,564

27,828

$148,392

Peatt, Lawrence

Director, Admin/CFO TRU World

105,285

41,647

$146,932

Acreman, Dennis

Associate Dean, Faculty of Science

128,794

18,073

$146,867

Michel, Paul

Exec. Director, Aboriginal Education

125,924

19,502

$145,426

Reed, J. Norman

Associate Professor

142,462

2,497

$144,959

Fergus, Andrew

Assistant Professor

141,597

1,303

$142,900

Olson, Dennis

Full Professor

140,606

1,952

$142,558

Hood, Robert

Dean, School of Tourism

133,659

8,822

$142,481

Vermeulen, Sandra

Associate Dean, Arts

129,647

11,383

$141,031

Oppong, Richard

Assistant Professor

133,511

7,146

$140,656

Hebert, Percy

OL Faculty Member

139,679

0

$139,679

Ng, Alex

Associate Professor

137,258

2,006

$139,264

Adam, Christine

Dean of Students

126,087

12,239

$138,325

Petri, Donna

Associate Dean, Nursing - OL

127,484

10,445

$137,929

Dewan, Abul

Associate Professor

128,294

8,792

$137,085

Hemmings, Mary

Librarian III

128,977

7,914

$136,891

+409 more For a complete list of those earning $75,000 or more at TRU, visit TRUOmega.ca/salaries

$39.1m

0

$40.4m

$41.1m

$46.3m

$47.5m

$41.3m

$42.6m

$43.9m

$44.8m

$43.2m

$42.3m

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Employees earning >$75,000

Employees earning <$75,000

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS I can’t find the person I’m looking for on this list. Why is that?

This list only covers employees at TRU who earned more than $75,000 in the 2016 fiscal year, which ran from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016. If you can’t find who you’re looking for, they either earned less than $75,000 or are included in another list, such as the Suppliers of Goods and Services report.

Why are there people on this list who didn’t work at TRU last year?

According to TRU, if someone earned more than $75,000 in wages and/or severance, they would appear on this list. Those only receiving pensions do not appear on this list.

What explains some of the larger travel expenses?

According to TRU, expenses included might include travel (related to research and conferences or recruiting), other travel expenses (meals, accommodation, conference fees), entertaining business prospects and international delegates and moving expenses.

Where does this information come from?

TRU is required to report this information under the Financial Information Act for employees earning $75,000 or more.

OPINION & EDITORIAL

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

3

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Re: Food options on campus are leaving students hungry for choice According to Michael Zaitlin, Student Caucus Chair of the TRU Student Union, students made it clear during TRUSU’s annual Student Budget Consultation that food services on campus weren’t good enough.

Providing food service to our students that is varied, healthy and available is our priority, at TRU food services, and a responsibility we take very seriously. It’s why we negotiated a comprehensive arrangement with Aramark based on an understanding that they will be active partners with us in advancing the well-being of our students and the choices available to our community. It’s why we continually survey students, listen to their feedback and make changes. There has been significant investment in TRU food service over the last three years.

It is a program that is not complete and will continue to evolve to meet the needs of our community. For example: In the Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) 2015 survey, 86 percent of first year students were satisfied with food services on campus. The numbers are not so good for students in their fourth year when only 59 percent were satisfied.

So while TRU food services’ vigilant work with Aramark is generating good levels of satisfaction for the first year of a student’s experience, it’s important to know that students expect greater choice and diversity the longer they are here, despite what the value for money might be. Eventually we all get tired of eating the same thing, right?

Surveys like this are one of the reasons we have changed the hours of operation at a variety of food outlets on campus. Several are now open

after 5 p.m.; The Den, from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and Starbucks, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday and 7:30 am to 6:00pm on Fridays. Tim Hortons is open 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, Monday to Thursday and 7:30 am to 5:00 pm on Fridays. The U&M Deli is open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Thursday and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Fridays. The Den is now also open to all ages – it’s no longer just a bar, it’s a restaurant with daily specials.

The surveys are also the reason that there has been an increase in the amount of dietary options available on campus. We listened, we ensured Aramark was made aware of student needs for choice and, as a result, there are now far more gluten free, vegetarian, vegan and Halal options on campus, with plans to expand where possible.

But students are not only concerned about food choices. Students are also concerned about sustainability. TRU food services has steadily increased its commitment to the environment by offering fair trade coffee at a number of the food outlets, offering fair trade chocolate, composting coffee grounds, and making the main kitchen in the CAC a major part of the composting program at TRU with all cooking oil recycled.

We also know that students are concerned about part-time jobs that can work with their busy class schedules and help them cover their living costs while they study. Over the last three years 65 per cent of the TRU food service workforce has been students. Since 2013, the 100 students we employ each year have collectively earned almost $1.4 million in wages – and we’ve been able to make student

employment a front-and-centre commitment, simply by being the campus’s major food service provider.

We are proud to offer an Aramark-funded Annual marketing internship for a TRU student that enables the student to apply the knowledge from the class room directly to a business operation. This position has consistently led to full-time employment after graduation since it was implemented.

Currently, 17 TRU Alumni hold supervisory and managerial positions within TRU food services. Their salaries are paid for by Aramark.

TRU food services is always working with Aramark to encourage its active support of students in many different ways – and our efforts have netted measurable gains. Aramark sponsors major events that help raise money for student scholarships including the annual Gala, the Foundation Golf Tournament, and the Sports Task Force Golf Tournament. Aramark’s annual $5000 student scholarship award also advances this goal, as does its contribution of almost $3,500 to TRUSU’s food bank initiatives.

Besides gifts of cash, Aramark provides opportunities for students with cognitive challenges in the Education Skills Training Program (ESTR). Food outlets and the main kitchen are used as training labs for ESTR students. These students get a chance to develop skills that assist with future employment.

TRU Culinary Arts has also benefited from the food services on campus by being able to purchase food at Aramark-negotiated purchasing rates, saving the program potentially thousands of dollars per year and lowering their operating expense.

Ω

These savings may also be passed along directly to students by keeping the prices lower in the Culinary Arts cafeteria, a cafeteria that all staff, students and faculty can enjoy.

All in all, well over a million dollars has been given back to TRU. These are savings that offset costs in other areas and provide direct benefits to students.

In the quest for food choice the chair of the student caucus calls for an immediate action to introduce competition to food services on campus.

TRU only has one commercial kitchen serving the entire campus. Private providers would have to risk significant capital investment to increase our commercial kitchen facilities.

TRU and its students will pay dearly for the price of TRUSU’s proposed “choice” which identifies no guaranteed return or identifiable benefit to the community. Is “competition” as TRUSU has defined it, worth the price?

We believe our approach to university food services is innovative, as it goes far beyond tray and plate to extend into the very lives and livelihoods of our students. That’s because it’s based on years of systematic and diligent work by TRU food services to develop Aramark into a contributing supplier. We also know that improvements can always be made. Be assured that we have been listening and will continue to do so. Now’s the time for a constructive conversation about what we can do better… challenge us and measure our response. Email us your comments to foodservicesfeedback@tru.ca.

Glenn Read

Director, TRU Ancillary Services

You can read TRUSU's initial letter to the editor on this issue by visiting our website TRUOmega.ca.

THE OMEGA STUDENT NEWSPAPER • PUBLISHED SINCE NOVEMBER 27,1991

Publisher and Board

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

Publishing Board

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

Sean Brady Christopher Foulds Charles Hays Wade Tomko Vacant Vacant

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.

Editorial Staff

Editor-in-Chief Sean Brady Arts Editor Jennifer Will

Staff Writers Jared MacArthur Martin McFarlane Sarah Kirschmann

Staff Photographer Marcela Arévalo Copy Editor Zain Bakhtiar

Contributors Wade Tomko Jonathan Malloy

c fb.me/truomega d @TRU_Omega

f instagr.am/truomega Õ www.TRUOmega.ca

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

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

CONTRIBUTE

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

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

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

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

NEWS

4

OCTOBER 5, 2016

Private Chinese high school opens on campus Maple Leaf University School leasing space from TRU for its first campus outside of China Martin McFarlane STAFF WRITER Ω Teachers, administrators and media from both sides of the Pacific gathered in Old Main on Thursday, Sept. 29, to celebrate the grand opening of a private high school.

Named Maple Leaf University School, the institution teaches students between Grade 10 and 12 and is to be included on campus as part of the “university village” TRU is creating through its master plan.

The school is run by a private Chinese school system called Maple Leaf Educational Systems (MLES). It is the country’s largest private international school and graduates earn both their Chinese and B.C. high school diplomas.

According to Chairman and founder Sherman Jen, the school enrols more than 18,000 students in China.

“Twenty years ago, B.C. brought

its curriculum to China. Twenty years later, Maple Leaf has returned to B.C.” Jen said at the grand opening.

The school will one day be based in its own building on campus in the future, but in the meantime, the school is located on the second floor of the south wing of Old Main.

MLES started delivering the B.C. curriculum to Chinese students in 1995. The TRU campus is the first to be opened outside of China.

The introduction of the private high school on campus has left many with unanswered questions, including Tom Friedman, president of the TRU Faculty Association.

Friedman sent a letter on Monday stating his concerns to TRU’s senior administrators but as of Friday morning had not received a response.

"Even though this private school is paying a fee, we still don't think that the public buildings that were paid for by our B.C. taxes should

Maple Leaf University School students at the school's grand opening. (Marcela Arévalo/The Omega) be used to promote private profit," Friedman told The Omega.

In an interview before the event, Friedman claims that the communication of the details on the project from administration had left areas of concern, including if the high-school students will have access to any university facilities, such as the library or gym.

“We don’t have any details of what [the lease] involves. We’re not interested in the monetary side, we’re more interested in what access these students and their instructors have to our resources,” Friedman said.

“I understand that there is a financial pressure because the government funding has been reduced over the years, but at the same time I don’t think that this is the right way to go.”

According to Friedman, it also had not been made clear to him if graduates will follow the same processes for admissions by the university, fearing the possibility that students may receive pref-

CEO of TRU World, said in an interview after the opening that the facilities students have access to includes the classrooms in its section, a designated gym period and a cafeteria meal plan, and all are covered in the costs MLES has paid to lease the space.

Chadwick added that Maple “Twenty years ago, B.C. Leaf also covered the cost of brought its curriculum to renovations in its space and that students will follow the China. Twenty years later, same admission process as any Maple Leaf has returned student at TRU if they apply to to B.C.,” any of its programs.

Some other universities in Sherman Jen, MLES Chairman Canada host private highschools on their campuses, including the University of Vancouver Island in Nanaimo. erential treatment in regards to Its high school offers access to admissions into programs. university facilities and resources Baihua Chadwick, associate and, according to their brochure, vice-president international and guarantees admission into VIU.

“

Maple Leaf University School students at the school's grand opening.

(Marcela Arévalo/The Omega)

TRUSU adds a union number as parent organizations clash A separate local number further shows provincial disassociation with national CFS organization Martin McFarlane STAFF WRITER Ω TRUSU will sport two different local numbers, creating another visible rift between the province’s student unions and national leadership at the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).

The B.C. section of CFS, now referring to itself as the British Columbian Federation of Students (BCFS), has made several motions since the summer of 2015 to become independent from the national CFS organization.

Over the summer a motion was passed by BCFS to change member unions’ local numbers “from a designation of the order of joining the national organization to a designation of the order of joining the provincial organization.” BCFS wants unions to adopt the BCFS local number rather than the CFS local number, and ultimately leave CFS altogether. TRUSU Director-at-Large

Gunveet Singh was present at the provincial meeting and reported the motion back to TRUSU. The change of local numbers appears to show TRUSU’s solidarity with other student unions in B.C., at least in part. Motions were passed last year, by what was then CFS-BC, to not only condemn members of the national CFS executive and call for several members’ dismissals, but also to look into “eliminating congruent membership with the Canadian Federation of Students.”

Bilan Arte, national chairperson with CFS, described the actions of BCFS as “disheartening.”

“To me, the overall tone of choosing to abandon our federation and to fracture our national unity is quite disheartening, and the B.C. provincial representatives and others in the provincial component are working quite hard to fracture that national unity that stretches from coast to coast,” Arte said, adding that national representatives have tried to reach out to BCFS but

have been blocked.

“We believe in the importance and the strength of a national unity.”

Meanwhile Simka Marshall, chairperson for the BCFS, claims that the CFS national executive has not tried to reach out, and also that CFS refuses to acknowledge the issues brought by B.C. representatives. She thinks B.C. has been failed by the national arm.

"A student union should provide advocacy and services, and [CFS National] just hasn't done that," Marshall said.

The CFS currently lists 78 unions in every province except Quebec on its website, with almost half of its members being institutions in Ontario.

According to Amber Storvold, TRUSU’s VP external, TRUSU has not discussed whether or not it wants to leave the national CFS, saying that such a change would require consultation and a referendum.

Student unions have run into

Not just Local 15 anymore. After adopting a BCFS local number, TRUSU also takes on #5. (File Photo/Ω)

serious issues when they have tried to separate from the CFS in the past. Cape Breton University, the University of Victoria and the McGill Post Graduate Student Society all had to fight court cases during their process to leave the CFS. Cape Breton University lost its court case, and had to pay the CFS $300,000 in

damages and was ruled to still be a member of the national union.

Currently, BCFS is hosting a campaign to protest cutbacks to free Adult Basic Education made by the B.C. government. CFS is campaigning for a day of action in November to bring awareness to rising tuition fees and access to post-secondary.

NEWS

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

5

Reconciling the pain of residential schools Last week’s Orange Shirt Day encouraged discussion, healing and commemoration Wade Tomko CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ω While the pain and grief caused by residential schools still remains, last Friday gave TRU a chance to celebrate the resilience of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples and how far they have come in championing the issues of their communities.

An event celebrated in schools, universities and communities across the nation, Orange Shirt Day started as the legacy of the St. Joseph’s Mission residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake in the Spring of 2013. Gaining its name from the story of Phyllis Webstad, Orange Shirt Day has become an annual opportunity to discuss the effects that residential schools had

and still have on First Nations communities.

Paul Michel, TRU’s executive director of Aboriginal education, explained how Webstad had her bright new orange shirt taken away on her first day of residential school.

“Unfortunately the historic trauma of residential schools is that the students were stripped of all their clothing and issued uniforms,” Michel said. “Phyllis never did see that orange t-shirt again. So her first memory of her most exciting first day of school was of humiliation, devastation and shame.”

Michel would go on to talk about how Phyllis’s treatment was representative of the pain and trauma many Aboriginal students felt upon entering the residential school system. Yet the day is about more than just

looking back at damage caused by residential schools, Michel said.

“This day also celebrates reconciliation, balance and harmony,” he said. “This day is bringing every Canadian citizen, every visitor to this land and showing them that Aboriginal peoples are both resistant and resilient.”

A similar sentiment is carried

by Aboriginal Elder Estella Patrick Moller of the Nak’azdli First Nation.

“I equivalate the residential school system to the murder of our spirit, and they made a valiant effort to do that,” she said. “But as resilient people, we survived, though at a cost. So the orange shirt for me is a declaration that we are here, that we do know our languages, our culture, our spirit and our souls.”

Participants in the Orange Shirt Day event pose for a photo in front of the CAC. (Wade Tomko/The Omega)

Mentor and community coordinator Vernie Clement drumming with others at TRU's Orange Shirt Day event. (Wade Tomko/The Omega) Further healing must be accomplished through education, Moller believes. She hopes that institutions like TRU will one day be able to fully incorporate courses on Aboriginal culture into their curriculum.

For Jeffrey McNeil-Seymour, social work faculty member and Tk'emlups te Secwepemc member, this change in education must come from the top and work its way down, as well.

“I think that in terms of making courses on Aboriginal education for students mandatory, that there must also be mandatory training and education opportunities for the faculty who will be teaching it,” McNeil-Seymour said.

“This discussion shouldn’t just

stop at the end of Orange Shirt Day,” he added.

While Orange Shirt Day presents an opportunity to discuss the lasting effects of the cultural genocide caused by the residential school system, for many, like Vernie Clement, an Aboriginal mentor and community coordinator at TRU, the day is a chance to celebrate how far Canada’s First Nations peoples have come.

“For me, I take on honouring all their sacrifices. I’ve lost a lot of relatives, my dad included, to the effects of residential schools,” Clement said. “To be a part of that change up here at university, to see students pursuing their educations and their dreams, I think that is just the best part for me personally.”

NEWS

6

OCTOBER 5, 2016

LGBTQ community on campus sees strong support TRUSU’s fifth annual Pride Parade brought campus and community together around the issue of equality Jared MacArthur STAFF WRITER Ω An estimated 270 people marched in solidarity through the TRU campus grounds in the fifth annual TRUSU Pride Parade hosted by the TRUSU equity committee last Wednesday, Sept. 28.

By 11 a.m. the crowd had grown to its full size and was buzzing with excitement. Banners stretched between friends and rainbow-coloured picket signs and flags bobbed and waved throughout the group outside the main doors of Old Main.

Before the parade started, President Alan Shaver, TRUFA President Tom Friedman, TRUSU’s LGBTQ Representative Caitlin Orteza and Equity Coordinator Dylan Robinson addressed the group. They recognized the significance of the event, the incredible support that was shown this year, and the work that still needs to be done.

“We have a vested interest in this kind of diversity,” Shaver said.

He added that there is a real strength in unity around the LGBTQ movement. “You’re celebrating a lot of things [today] – freedom, diversity and the university movement to help make the

The fifth annual TRU Pride Parade starts off in front of Old Main on Wednesday, Sept. 28. (Marcela Arévalo/The Omega) world a better place,” Shaver said.

Recognizing the work that TRUSU has done over the last five years to build a safe and inclusive

Marchers show their support for LGBTQ communities. (Marcela Arévalo/Ω)

environment for the LGBTQ community, Friedman said “this is such a positive development in the history of our university.”

Orteza addressed the crowd as well, saying the university should be “a safe place to study, work or socialize, regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity.”

She also went on to say there is still a lot of work to be done.

As the parade got under way, starting from the courtyard outside of Old Main, all of the support from the community was shown. About a dozen organizations came and set up booths, with information about the LGBTQ movement, health tips, support outlets, information about getting

involved and more.

Lino Caputo, president of TRUSU Pride Club, said a pride parade is a great way to get people out to celebrate the diversity that the TRU campus has and improve the visibility of the LGBTQ community. But, complementing Orteza he said there needs to be more done to support the community on campus.

“One of my big goals in the future, I would really love to have a permanent Pride Center here on campus,” Caputo said.

“There are also issues outside of the queer community itself, so for people who aren’t able to question those things about themselves, how you encourage [them] to

explore their identity is really important,” Caputo said.

The LGBTQ community in the greater Kamloops community is also very well established, however it is facing its own issues.

Attempts to get support from the City of Kamloops have not been successful, according to Kamloops Pride secretary Eddy O’Toole, who thinks the city isn’t nearly as inclusive as the university.

City councillor Tina Lange, however, said that in her 12 years as a councillor, she has not heard of a group being denied an event.

She said that if the request was that the City of Kamloops pay for the event, that may be why it was denied.

Striving for more sustainable systems on campus Recognition for sustainability achievements push university to aim high and keep emissions low Jared MacArthur STAFF WRITER Ω The Environment and Sustainability Office here at TRU is currently working on the second draft of a new renewable energy concept that could reduce the university’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by as much as 50 per cent.

Jim Gudjonson, TRU's director of environment and sustainability, said that the Williams Lake campus is already using a biomass boiler to heat the campus, which is anticipated to reduce GHG emissions by 90 per cent.

The boiler on the Williams Lake campus will be monitored very closely this year and is being used as a pilot project to further develop the concept for a biomass boiler on TRU’s

Kamloops campus.

Energy consumption here on campus and the use of clean, renewable energy have been on the forefront of the department’s planning for years now.

The push to become more sustainable lead to the development of the Strategic Sustainability Plan, which is currently guiding TRU’s Environment and Sustainability office through 2019. It helped the university in receiving the Rising STARS distinction from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which recognizes TRU as a leading institution in sustainability.

In 2009, TRU conducted an internal audit to generate a baseline of all the energy consumption on campus. From that, they recognized about $1 million worth of energy saving projects

that would see a quick return in savings, Gudjonson said.

Since then, new software has been upgraded around campus, faculty and staff offices have been issued energy efficient power bars and solar panels have been installed to help heat water for buildings on campus, according to the AASHE report.

“In the last year we have completely changed every lamp in the institution to go from fluorescent to LED, [which] added another $100,000 per year in cost savings,” Gudjonson said.

Gudjonson said the university has reduced energy consumption below the baseline taken in 2009 by 20 to 30 per cent, as well saving close to $400,000 in utility costs per year.

“Now that we’ve ratcheted down the use in all these buildings and squeezed all the energy savings out that we realistically

can, we are now looking at cleaning up the supply of the energy… starting to concentrate on adding renewables to our portfolio,” Gudjonson said.

The biomass boiler, which is classified as a renewable energy source, will be fueled by wood pellets made from trees that have been killed by pine beetles throughout B.C., Gudjonson said.

If the boiler project goes forward it will be implemented during the construction of the new trades and technology building that was just approved last month.

Gudjonson says the building will hopefully be built in such a way that it will help to bring down GHG emissions on campus overall, noting that there will hopefully be a solar farm on the roof of the building in addition to the biomass boiler.

“Beyond designing a building

to be net zero, which means it won’t take any energy from the grid, we are hoping to design this building to have a positive impact – what we refer to as ‘regenerative sustainability,’” Gudjonson said.

TRU is currently offsetting the use of non-renewable energy with the use of solar cells, set up on the Old Main building, Campus Activities Center and Culinary Arts building to heat water for the buildings. As well as purchasing 10 per cent of the universities gas supply through a FortisBC renewable energy program.

Although energy consumption is the main focus right now for the Environment and Sustainability Office at TRU, there are plans to set up meters and a record a baseline of the water consumption similar to the one done for energy in 2009, Gudjonson said.

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

NEWS

7

International students take a LEAP to Kelowna Marcela Arévalo STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ω Divanshu Gupta came all the way from India to Canada to have a sugar glider from Australia climb all over him.

The second-year MBA student's experience was part of a Kelowna excursion organized by TRU’s Leisure Explore Activity Program (LEAP) on Saturday, Oct. 1.

“He loved me and I loved him. He jumped on me like 50 or 60 times,” Gupta said.

Kangaroo Creek Farm was the first of three stops in the Kelowna excursion. The students had the opportunity to pet and interact with a variety of animals, including kangaroos, capybaras, emus, ducks and more.

The students also toured downtown Kelowna, where every student had the opportunity to eat some poutine and wander around town. After this the group headed

down to Orchard Park to do some shopping.

Anna Dokshina, a fourth-year arts student from Russia, said that she liked being able to travel and share experiences with people she had not met before and get a different point of view on what she wants to buy.

Both, Dokshina and Gupta have traveled

with LEAP before and agree that it is one of the best and yet cheapest ways to get around B.C. They both say the program allows students to know more people and would recommend others to engage in these type of activities.

Program co-ordinator Jillian Folk has been working with LEAP for four years, but says the program has been running for more than 20 years. LEAP is mainly aimed at international students – approximately 70 per cent of the tickets are sold to them in order to help them to get to know the areas around B.C., learn about Canadian culture and find out what Canadians do for fun. The program is also designed to have the students interact with each other, as the person sitting next to you can be from a country halfway across the world from yours, Folk said.

Folk has worked in tourism and parks all over the Okanagan and uses her past experiences to choose future LEAP trips.

“If I like it and I think you guys will like it then I’ll put together something,” Folk said.

She believes students should do more than just studying at university, and should

actually get to know the area they are living in.

Alejandra Lizondro, a second-year student in computer science from Panama, experienced LEAP for the first time on this trip. She liked the fact that Orchard Park is bigger than Aberdeen Mall and she had more variety to choose from, but noticed that the malls in her country had shops from various countries, while the Canadian malls stick with local and U.S. shops.

She enjoyed sharing the experience but had some advice for those wanting to participate: “The only thing is that if you want to get tickets you need to be up at 7 a.m. to make sure,” Lizondro said, since they sell out quite fast.

Top: A group shot of students using LEAP to travel to Kelowna on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Left: Students pet a three-year-old sugar glider at Kangaroo Creek Farm just north of Kelowna.

(Marcela Arévalo/The Omega)

NEWS

8

OCTOBER 5, 2016

Recent fine arts grad opens a new gallery downtown Kathleen Lochhead opens her new gallery “Relationshape” at Padlock Studios Jennifer Will ARTS EDITOR Ω Relationshape is a new exhibit at Padlock Studios, composed by TRU grad Kathleen Lochhead. The exhibit features paintings and other small installations, all made up of bright vibrant colors and experimenting with basic shapes.

“This show is an exploration of color and light in how it relates to different shapes and materials,” Lochhead said.

Lochhead hopes this exhibit will evoke a sense intrigue and curiosity in spectators. The pieces within the exhibit work to test your eyes with the neon fluorescents, and some attendees may find it hard to look at.

“Sometimes things that you see might repel you at first, but they are actually fairly interesting,” she said.

The inspiration for Lochhead’s works go back to her roots within fine art, thanks tow an early start

from her parents and family.

“It stemmed from a topic that I’ve been exploring that relates to my childhood and the things that I was exposed to as when I was younger.

My mother is an artist, so I had quite an early introduction to the arts. My father works in construction, and he’s worked in construction for a long time. I’ve been exposed to the craftsmanship of architecture and the appreciation of fine art. So I’ve constantly been exploring the two and trying to integrate them into my work,” Lochhead said.

Lochhead added that she was approached to do this exhibit during her final showcase at TRU, and that graduation still hasn’t hit her just yet.

“After graduation kind of feels like it hasn’t happened yet, and that’s partially due to me having this show. I was approached by Padlock Studios immediately after graduating, which is quite an honour and a rare thing to happen.

I’m very happy with it but it’s

almost surreal in a way because I’m still doing what I was doing in my graduating year, which is making art,” Lochhead said.

She says that her best advice to other students in the fine arts program who want to be working artists is to not care about what other people think and to just go for it.

“If you want to do something, then you do it. If you don’t want to do something, then you don’t do it.

Often that means saying no when the people around you want you to say yes, and sometimes it means saying yes to things that might seem odd or strange or unpopular at the time. But if you want to do them, then do them and have fun with it. Don’t be obsessed with having the perfect execution,” Lochhead said.

“Relationshape” will run until Oct. 14 at Padlock Studios. The gallery is open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday or by appointment.

(Both) Kathleen Lochhead with works from her new exhibit “Relationshape” at Padlock Studio. (Jennifer Will/The Omega)

UPPER COLLEGE HEIGHTS Located at 704 McGill Road, Kamloops, B.C. (Across the street from TRU & Superstore) Our office is open Monday to Friday from 9am-1pm & 3pm-5pm. Come in & view our Show Suite on site! *Discounted Summer Student Rooms available for immediate rental May 2 –Aug 5/16 only $1075 *Fall/16 & Winter/17 semester (Sept 1/16 to April 21/17) $3800 (*plus $250 security deposit).

For payment due dates and more information please visit our website www.uppercollege.com Email: uch@uppercollege.com. Phone: (250) 372-0207 during office hours

HOUSING STUDENTS AND FAMILIES FOR 25 YEARS!

NEWS

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

9

Undergraduate Research Experience Award (UREAP) Receive a $4,500 scholarship to complete your own research project.

Deadline: Oct. 19, 2016 by 4 p.m. tru.ca/myresearch Film review: Deepwater Horizon Jonathan Malloy CONTRIBUTOR Ω Commendable for taking its time with character development and setup before the destruction takes centre stage, Peter Berg’s film about 2013’s BP oil spill disaster is riveting in its depiction.

Following the events on the oil drilling ship Deepwater Horizon before and after the catastrophic events that left 11 dead, others injured and dumped more than 700 million litres into the Gulf of Mexico, the film excels in its examination of several lives while admittedly bypassing many of the implications on the environment created by the spill.

Mark Wahlberg stars as Mike Williams, a repairman on the ship when it exploded in flames.

He is reliable in his portrayal while adding a strong centre for the story, focusing the ensuing destruction on his attempt to survive and get back to his family. While his actions have been exaggerated for the movie,

it is a welcome sight to have Wahlberg play a character who isn’t a completely unstoppable badass.

The supporting cast all do a great job in their roles, especially Kurt Russell’s Captain Jimmy. His renaissance as of late continues, giving him ample time to flex his acting chops and the character’s mispronunciation of words.

Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O’Brien and John Malkovich all work within the story even if they are underused for the most of the running time.

Berg’s pairing with Wahlberg has been quite fruitful as of late, with Lone Survivor being another hard hitting testosterone-tinged film, as well as their upcoming Boston Marathon Bombing film (also coming this year) looks to continue their recent winning streak. Berg works well in these real life recreations as he balances the spectacle of an exploding oil rig with the plights of his characters.

At times resembling a horror film more closely than the drama

it sets out to be, the filmmakers expertly blend destructive CGI fire with practical sets to an astounding degree. A tip of the hat going out for the actual explosions in the film, which were very well realized.

A large fault of the movie does come in its treatment of the actual events surrounding the film. Screenwriters Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand outright vilifies members of BP without providing the moral greyness that came from both sides. Also while stated by the filmmakers that they wished to create the film to tell the story of those affected by the disaster, the extreme environmental effects still being dealt with today were relegated to a mere blip at the end of the film.

Overall Deepwater Horizon is a surprising and enthralling film that, while treading some missteps heavier than others, provides a genuine rush of adrenaline and empathy for its characters, doing justice to the people lost in the tragedy.

Book review: The Girl on the Train Jennifer Will ARTS EDITOR Ω Comparable to a Hitchcockian thriller, “Girl on the Train” is full of twists and turns that will make it nearly impossible to put down. From first-time thriller writer and 15-year journalist Paula Hawkins, this novel has questionable characters, all with their own enigmatic motives.

Narrated by three unreliable sources, Rachel, Megan and Anna, the book leaves the reader wondering who they can really trust.

Rachel is an unemployed drunk consumed by her recent divorce, torn by her husband Tom's infidelity that resulted in the pregnancy of another woman. Anna (the other woman) is now married to Tom, living in the house that once belonged to Rachel.

The novel takes us along on

Rachel’s daily commute as she rides the train from Ashbury to Euston. We witness most of her world through the train window or via flashback. Listening carefully to her inner monologue of routinely riding the train, to and from a job she was fired from, as she passes by the house she used to live in and the life she used to have. From the train window she not only sees her old residence, but becomes obsessed with a couple who lives just a few doors down. Naming the strangers Jess (whose name is actually Megan) and Jason (whose name is actually Scott), she imagines their lives. Idealising them to be a doctor and a fashion designer with the perfect relationship.

She watches them from a distance as the train passes by their home, seeing how she wishes her life to be through them.

When Megan goes missing, after a domestic dispute, Scott finds himself on the suspect list.

However, Rachel finds herself entangled into the investigation after being spotted stocking the neighbourhood on night of Megan’s disappearance. Rachel is left to wonder what she has done after coming home with wounds, covered in blood and unable to remember due to being blackout drunk.

This story is bleak, told by characters that you neither like or dislike, but rather understand how innately human they are.

It is told with timelines that intersect and are quite haunting at times. It is a realistic story in the sense that characters are driven by impulse and face consequences for their bad decisions. “Girl on the Train,” is a fantastic thriller that works towards reinventing the genre.

It is a must-read for anyone who is a fan of mystery or suspense. I give “Girl on the Train” 4.5 out of 5. Hopefully, the upcoming film does this book justice.

COMICS & PUZZLES

10 Puzzle of the Week #4 — Race to the ice cream truck Not long ago, the last ice cream truck of the season showed up. Each kid was determined to get there first to be sure to get his or her favourite treat this one last time.

Allison beat Bert there. Cindy beat Denise. Eric beat Frieda.

Cindy was one or two places ahead of Frieda. Eric was three or four places ahead of Allison. There were no ties.

This is not enough to determine the exact order. There are still a number of possible orders. How many orders are possible given the above clues?

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.

SUDOKUBREAK 5 3 4

6

1

9

8

5

2

2

8

3

1 1

7

5

5

1

1

2 5

7

4

5

8

7

2

9 4

5

9

2

6

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

8

OCTOBER 5, 2016

SPORTS

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

11

WolfPack women's soccer facing "perfect storm" of a season A young Wolfpack women’s soccer team adjusts to the loss of experienced players and strong opponents Jared MacArthur STAFF WRITER Ω With a current record of one win and seven losses, the WolfPack women’s soccer team has gone through what is possibly, and hopefully, the hardest part of their season.

Head coach Kelly Shantz referred to it as “going through murderer’s row.” The WolfPack women have faced teams like the University of Calgary Dinos (who currently sit at the top of the CIS standings in their division) and other top-tier teams to start off the season.

However, it is the “revamp” of the team that has, by and large, been the main factor in how the team is performing so far this season.

Coming off a summer break with an almost entirely different team and coaching staff has forced the team to approach this season with a focus on relationship building and skills development, Shantz said.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t be trying to put points on the board.

Players in the CIS are eligible to play for five years. At the end of the

2015-16 season, that stipulation took six starting players out of the lineup.

Three more key players left for other institutions, despite being eligible to play, which left the team with only one fourth-year player with the kind of experience that can propel a team.

With so many freshmen starting on the team at once, the team is in a tough place when facing more experienced squads who have the advantage of having played together for a number of seasons.

Another aspect of the team’s revamp is the change of coaching staff. Previous coach Tom McManus had developed the team and led the women’s soccer team through the transition from PACWEST to CIS. They pushed through a tough first season in the CIS division then brought it back to qualify for the playoffs the next year.

Shantz, who came in to coach the team after McManus was fired last year, explained that coming into his new role this season was “the perfect storm” for a lot of reasons.

“We lost nine starters to grad, losing their eligibility or transferring to UBC or UBCO. Factor in three or four more players who were burnt

Players from the TRU women’s soccer team go head to head with Trinity Western in September. (TRU Athletics) out and ready to move on, three or four more who didn’t think they could live up to commitments... it doesn’t take long to get to losing 17 or 18 of last year’s 25 players,” Shantz said.

That kind of loss of roster completely changed the way the new coaching staff had to approach the season, Shantz said.

“We now have a whole new coaching crew putting in their systems, and a bunch of kids trying to learn it on the fly. We’ve had to start from a base level that most teams and us, hopefully, never again will have to start from,” Shantz said.

Coaching staff has developed a three-year plan, considering the extreme changes to the team’s

dynamic to get back on track. With so many freshmen coming into the program in the next two years, Shantz believes the team will start to bear fruit in the third year.

Although the CIS is a more difficult league to play in, coaching staff thinks it was the right move to move up, and despite their losses in their division, they plan on sticking to it.

MEN’S SOCCER 3–6–1

WOMEN’S SOCCER 1–7–0

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL* 1–2–0

Next game: Oct. 6, Hillside Stadium

Next game: Oct. 6, Hillside Stadium

Next game: Oct. 15, TCC

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL* 0–5–0

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL* 2–1–0 WINS, LOSSES, TIES

BASEBALL 3 – 12 – 1

WINS, LOSSES, TIES

Next game: Oct. 14, Langley, B.C.

Next game: Oct. 14, Calgary, Alta.

Next game: Oct. 5, Norbrock Stadium

WINS, LOSSES, TIES

WINS, LOSSES, TIES

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Starts Oct. 6

WINS, LOSSES, TIES

WINS, LOSSES, TIES

* DENOTES EXHIBITION REORD

THE OMEGA

12

OCTOBER 5, 2016

GAMES NIGHT & OPEN HOUSE th Oct 20 at 5PM in the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union Building

Register to compete in FIFA, Ping-Pong, Chess, Foosball, or Smash Bros. Drop in to play a variety of board games.

Register online at trusu.ca/events

more information at trusu.ca/grants

October 17th at 6PM in the TRUSU Lecture Hall visit trusu.ca/events for more info

trusu.ca

/TRUStudentsUnion

@TRUSU15

@TRUSU15