March 22, 2017 by The Omega

CONTESTED POSITION

TRUSU candidates for president

TRUSU candidates for VP external

TRUSU candidates for women's rep

We spoke with Tatiana Gilbert and Mattias Eriksson about their bid to be president • Page 6

Zeru Asress and Cole Hickson catch up with us on why they want to be VP external • Pages 7

We ask Emiko Ohama and Saprina Chandi why they want to serve • Page 8

OMEGA Ω THE

ISSUE NO. 24

THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1991

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

VOLUME 26

MARCH 22, 2017

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

THESE PEOPLE WANT YOUR VOTES. LOOK INSIDE TO SEE WHAT THEY'VE BROUGHT TO THE TABLE. Pages 2, 6–7 and 8

Complete candidate listings at TRUSU.ca

WHEN:

WHERE:

WHY:

TRUSU BUILDING LECTURE HALL

WEDNESDAY

MARCH 22

TO VOTE ON CANDIDATES FOR 19 DIFFERENT POSITIONS WITH YOUR STUDENT UNION.

8 A.M. TO 8 P.M.

THURSDAY

MARCH 23

SHOW UP. ENGAGE. VOTE.

8 A.M. TO 4 P.M.

ONWARD

GETTING JUDICIAL

DIRECT QUESTIONS

Current TRUSU president moving on

Women judges oﬀer wisdom to students

Directors Festival coming soon

Brian Chiduuro isn't running again – we spoke with him about his time as TRUSU prez • Page 3

Prominent women judges meet with TRU law students to offer advice, wisdom • Page 4

We spoke with two of the six directors for the upcoming Directors Festival • Page 8

NEWS

MARCH 22, 2017

Candidates bring the heat at TRUSU all candidates forum Aidan Grether STAFF WRITER Ω Despite only three of the 19 elected positions being contested, the TRUSU all candidates forum was full of passionate candidates and heated debate. Approximately 70 students turned out to the event, a number that included all but one of the 22 students running for a union position.

Equity and advocacy “Safe spaces” was a frequently mentioned topic by the candidates for the equity committee and Caitlin Orteza (SAC), candidate for vice president equity. The consensus of Orteza, women’s representative Saprina Chandi (PA) and LGBTQ+ representative Dale Drozda (SAC) was that there is a need for an “equity center” on campus to help those represented by board advocacy positions feel comfortable and safe while at TRU. Orteza was adamant to include more disadvantaged groups such as student mothers and the disabled. Orteza and Drozda both want to have the conversation on gender neutral washrooms advanced by the union and administration, with the goal of having those washrooms implemented

as soon as possible. Chandi also expressed the need for a stronger sexual violence policy to be passed as soon as possible. Women’s representative candidate Emiko Ohama (SAC) was did not attend the forum due to flight delays returning from New York, where she was attending the United Nation’s Commision on the Status of Women youth forum, according to co-candidate Cole Hickson (SAC). Aboriginal students’ representative James-Dean Aleck (SAC) said he plans to hold Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to his word of aiding aboriginal students via the Post Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP), with funding meant to benefit aboriginal students nationwide that the Trudeau government, according to Aleck, “has failed to follow through on.”

Ongoing campaigns, old and new Candidates in all positions stressed the importance of campaigns such as the World University Service Canada student refugee program, open textbooks and fossil fuel divestment initiatives to progress the TRUSU commitment to both student life and green initiatives. Both candidates for the positions of president, Tatiana Gilbert (SAC)

and Matt Eriksson (PA) and vice president external candidates Cole Hickson (SAC) and Zeru Asress (PA), reinforced their dedication to these campaigns with examples of how they’ve worked on them, and promised their continuing support from the student union. The debate between vice president external candidates turned into a struggle of club versus union, when the candidates were asked how their experience could help them fulfill the duties of their position. Hickson, a director-at-large with the union this year, supported his experience by talking about how it made him into a “passionate and effective candidate able to serve the union the best.” Asress, who is heavily involved with clubs on campus, spoke of his experience with various clubs and how it has affected him in a similar way. Asress said he wanted to reform the union from the inside, to improve accountability and effectiveness, that being part of TRUSU doesn’t provide an “edge” over others and that an outsider’s view is valuable. Both VP external candidates expressed a desire to work more with other campus unions, CUPE and TRUFA, and hinted at

the possibility of working with other B.C. school unions to learn and share ideas. In his closing remarks, Asress referred to the incoming TRU-approved parking system as a “class-based system” and stressed the importance of creating a student-satisfying system to replace it.

The battle for the presidency The president’s position debate was fiery as well, with Gilbert saying that every system can be improved, and that she will strive to improve it in every way possible. Eriksson criticized the political culture of TRU, saying “the [TRU] administration and [TRUSU] have done very little to improve political awareness on campus, and I intend to change that.” The candidates were presented with TRUSU’s budget consultation poll results identifying food choices, student awards and bursaries, study spaces, classrooms and rising tuition costs as the five issues most important to TRU students. Both candidates stated the equal importance of all five issues, and referred to various campaigns in place to address them. On food choice, Eriksson expressed his unhappiness with the new food truck

program, saying it “isn’t enough to take down Aramark.” Summarized in his closing remarks, he said that the university “shouldn’t sacrifice its integrity in order to turn a quick buck,” referring to the divestment campaign he’s been involved in. Gilbert said she was excited about the potential to work for the students, emphasizing that it’s “your university, your life and your future.”

Are you not entertained? Students should look forward to a more exciting back-to-school barbecue at the beginning of the year, if Richard Abankwa (SAC) wins a seat as entertainment committee representative. Sporting a black fur coat and cracking jokes with fellow candidate Usra Gohar (SAC), both emphasized the importance of love, happiness, fun and de-stressing for students throughout the year. Arts students should be particularly excited, as they intend to hold exhibitions of student artwork on various occasions.

Remember to vote Voting will place in the TRUSU lecture hall from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 22 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 23. More information on the candidates can be found on TRUSU’s website.

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NEWS

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Brian Chiduuro on his time as TRUSU president TRUSU president, Brian Chiduuro, will be passing the torch at the end of this semester Wade Tomko CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ω After one term as TRUSU’s president, Brian Chiduuro says he is ready to move on. Looking back at his accomplishments, Chiduuro said that it’s a position he’ll miss, though now he wants to focus on his own personal development. The Omega caught up with Chiduuro last week to see what he’s learned and what’s next for him. Wade Tomko: Looking back on your position as president of the students’ union, what was the greatest accomplishment for the union under your leadership? Brian Chiduuro: I would say all of them were great accomplishments because all of them had impacts on students. For us, an accomplishment is something that benefits students. Anything that was going to benefit students or make students happy was a benefit for us. So I believe every time that we changed something, even something really small we counted that as an accomplishment. WT: Like the food trucks? BC: Yeah. All of that, all of the companies which we had were really successful and they got responses for the first time in years. This year we managed to get a lot of responses, something which is never done, for example in my brother’s year or years before I even came here. TRU used to take probably two years to reply to something, for example, parking. Parking which is a response that we got just now and I am really excited that the managers responded. This really

makes me feel there is a change which I am excited about as well. WT: A year ago when you were running for president, did you really know what you were getting into? BC: This is what I always say, even to running candidates: “How you view it from the outside is not exactly what it is on the inside.” WT: Why is that? BC: Here’s the thing: at TRU I’d say the engagement, which we were running for as well, people said we were wasting our time. I always used to ask people this question: “Have you viewed the students’ union website? Have you read the Omega newspaper? Have you gone to a Facebook post? A Twitter post? All that, and then they would probably say no. So how would you know what we’re doing and all that? We had the agenda of improving the engagement and I believe it was very successful in terms of voting, in terms of participation at events. All of that went higher this year. WT: When you became president, were you surprised by some of the responsibilities? Did you think you would have more responsibilities than you actually did in the students’ union? BC: I believe the responsibilities were exactly what I expected. How TRU is set up is that they have more people who are there every year and they are there year after year after year and they are people that I believe are doing a great job. Like the transition from Melissa to me. The assistants as well were amazing. The responsibilities I had, I was comfortable with them and

I thought I can actually handle this. They also accommodated the fact that I was an international student as well. It was great, it was really great. WT: So looking back, is there anything you think you could have done differently or would like to have done differently? BC: I wish I had more time. Some of the things that you know you’re going to accomplish, they need time, like you can’t just turn it over in one day. Like when you’re going into power you can’t change something right after. But we tried to change things the best we could and this is probably the quickest it’s been. WT: Do you think going to France last semester affected that? BC: I believe it didn’t affect anything at all because how the students' union is set up is giving equal opportunity to every student and TRU gives a great opportunity to study abroad. How the students' union is set up is even after we’re gone, everything is still going perfectly. WT: So how has your experience with TRUSU helped your own personal development? BC: It helped me a lot, I won’t lie. Like I believe I am a better person as well. Before, when I was running, it opens up your mind. You think not just in a box, like you start to think outside the box, like it gets you the experience you need in the outside world. Like the media, working with people, understanding people’s problems and how to fix something, how to handle different situations,

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the emergencies, all of that. All these things, they’re things you might just say “oh they’re nothing” but after a while when you look back it’s like, “Wow that’s actually a lot.” WT: So why aren’t you running for president with SAC again? BC: I’m not running because I am graduating. WT: Is that tentative? Are you graduating in December? BC: Yeah, like if I focus then on it, I can for sure. WT: We’ve heard from someone close to the slate that they didn’t want you to run again, they wanted a new face. BC: Not even. It wasn’t anything like that. WT: It was more like your own decision? BC: Yeah. It was great, I loved my year but I don’t want to run again. WT: So what’s your advice for the future president? BC: Take your time to understand how everything is run first before you go with your own agenda because it is a different ball game when you are on the inside. When you’re on the outside everything seems simple but then when you’re on the inside, a lot of the work is actually done on the inside. WT: So are you heading back home over the summer? BC: Probably not, I’m going to stay in Kamloops because of some of the things that I learned in France, like the dance crew stuff. So, I’m going to invest a lot of time in that and school as well. WT: I don’t know if you heard but there is a local man, Richard

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

Kanyangu, running for president of Zimbabwe. What are your thoughts on this? BC: Yes, I know him and yeah, I’ve got a lot of faith in him, I think he is a very good leader. Even before I ran as well, he was my mentor. I talk to him personally and he is the one who gives me advice, like sometimes how to make decisions, even like how to be a great leader as well. He’s just a natural born leader and I believe he will bring the change to Zimbabwe that he expects because we are the people outside of the country and we are learning all these different things, so, why shouldn’t we invest them back into Zimbabwe? I’ve got trust in him.

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NEWS

MARCH 22, 2017

Women judges discuss career paths, offer advice at law event An Evening with Women Judges allowed law students to hear from prominent B.C. judges Diana Igumnova CONTRIBUTOR Ω Last week An Evening with Women Judges gave an exclusive opportunity to 24 female TRU law students to hear from representatives of the Canadian Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges. Four experienced judges, including key organizing figure and B.C. Provincial Court Judge Shehni Dossa, were virtuously sharing their job-related experiences and were giving professional advice to young law school representatives. The dinner was held in an informal setting and allowed law students address a variety of questions to the judges. “It is a very rare opportunity where we get such esteemed judges to come, sit down and talk one-toone with our students. It is always an interesting thing to see how someone got where they are because it is not always from point A to point B as you can imagine,” said Katrina Harding, events coordinator with the faculty of law. “Instead, you have an opportunity to talk to professionals and ask them how they succeeded or went through certain challenges, which women in particular face, so students had a wonderful opportunity to get advice from professionals.” Judges rotated around through the tables every 15 minutes to meet with students. “I thoroughly enjoyed the evening with the judges. They shared a lot about what it was like for them as women in the field and how they got to where they are now. It was also great hearing about how they divided their time between family and work,” said Cemeka Douglas, a TRU law student and founder of Black Law Students’ Association. Judge Shehni Dossa, as well as

Justice Daphne Smith (B.C. Court of Appeal), Justice Hope Hyslop, a B.C. Supreme Court representative, and Judge Stella Frame (B.C. Provincial Court) were all engaging with young aspiring lawyers. “It is important to hold such events because it shows diversity in the legal field. Women are important to every aspect of society and deserve recognition for their amazing accomplishments. Also, holding such events allows us as budding female lawyers to know that even though it may be difficult to succeed in an industry that makes it difficult for you, it is still possible, ” Douglas said. RIGHT: Honourable Judge Shehni Dossa. BELOW: Honourable Judge Hope Hyslop, speaking with TRU law students. (Juan Cabrejo/The Omega)

Get to know your rights as an employee with TRU's John O'Fee Speaker talks exercising your rights and how you're protected from unlawful discrimination Nolan Chapman STAFF WRITER Ω

The TRU Human Resource Management Club and TRUSU Co-op Club co-hosted an event to inform students of their rights as an employee. Speaker John O’Fee discussed topics such as overtime hours, wage negotiations, job layoffs and the history of human rights in Canada. O’Fee, a Thompson Rivers University business faculty member, has been practicing law since 1988. On March 13 in the TRUSU Lecture Hall, O’Fee highlighted the inequalities Canadians endured during the early/mid-1900s. Delving into Canada’s Charter of Rights and

Freedoms and B.C.’s Human Rights Code, O’Fee established a foundation of knowledge for the attendees to consider when thinking about workplace discrimination and core worker safety rights. O’Fee emphasized that your rights, in law, belong to you as a person and employee. These rights cannot be taken away from you, only suspended. He also examined the difference between intra vire laws and ultra vire laws; how your rights fall inside or outside of the law. Canada, as a country, revises old laws to fit new definitions of human rights as society progresses. O’Fee explained prohibited discriminations under Section 13 of the B.C. Human Rights Code: race, religion, colour, sex/ sexual orientation, physical or

mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, family status, political belief, and conviction of a criminal or summary conviction offence that is unrelated to a person’s employment. O’Fee deliberated between personal appearance when considering workplace expectations and religious beliefs. He explained that non-religious appearance is not protected. Transitioning acceptable grounds for discrimination, O’Fee explained the Bona Fide (good faith) reasons to discriminate against protected human rights if the discrimination pertains to the job. To test the legitimacy of Bona Fide discriminations, O’Fee outline the Meiorin Test; to be regarded as a Bona Fide discrimination, the workplace policy must: be

adopted for a purpose rationally connected to the job; be adopted in an honest belief that it was necessary to satisfy a legitimate business purpose; and be reasonably necessary to accomplish that purpose – and impossible to accommodate the individual without creating undue hardship. “A lot of people are going to find themselves in job placements. They should understand their core workplace rights and that you have a right to refuse unsafe work,” O’Fee said in an interview with the Omega. “We need to treat each other as the human beings we are, show respect.” O’Fee stated, “I don’t think it is common knowledge. Most people have no idea about their rights under the employment standards act or the human rights code.”

John O'Fee, a lawyer who has been practicing law for almost 30 years, spoke to TRU students about employee rights on March 13 in the TRUSU Lecture Hall. O'Fee is a prof. in the School of Business and Economics. (Juan Cabrejo/Ω)

NEWS

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Travis Wright talks startups and social media Using social media platforms and software to improve your personal and professional brand Nolan Chapman STAFF WRITER Ω Thompson Rivers University invited Travis Wright to contribute to the TRU Business Kickstarter Speaker Series. On March 15, chief marketing technologist of CCP Global, CEO/co-founder of MediaThinkLabs, and columnist for Inc. Magazine, Travis Wright, delivered a presentation focused on utilization of social media platforms and innovative online technologies in the Mountain Room of the TRU Campus Activity Centre. Wright, a social media influencer with over 220 thousand twitter followers, narrated his success stories and business experience concerning social media and digital software. Wright talked about how social media, as a tool, can be used to reach out to new customers and improve relationships with current customers. Social media provides online value to businesses concerning customer relationship management (CRM) and digital analytics. Wright dived into all the uses for social media platforms. Social

media can be used for business team support, customer relationships, establishing professional online presence and job prospecting for both employers and potential employees. Companies and professional people can use social media platforms to solidify their brand. Wright explains that brand, personal or professional, is what people say about you when you are not in the room. Wright further explains how startups and established businesses alike can use free online software to place ads, use search engine optimization (SEO), target potential customers and specific demographics, and build marketing software management stacks. “Print media is still relevant depending on your business, but cannot be as micro targeted as digital marketing. Print has its place and it is not going away,” Wright said. Along with Wright, The Omega also spoke with Julio Viskovich, a friend of Wright’s and TRU professor of social media and marketing for the school business and economics. “A lot of folks that are in the retired age are used to the

Travis Wright at the Business Kickstart Speaker Series. (Robin Nicolette Phelan/TRU) traditional mediums and have not quite adapted to digital, and may not completely adapt.

If you can find a cool way to do something innovative and change the game, you can still

totally leverage those traditional mediums and do something different,” Viskovich said.

Seminar invites students to dive into discomfort Those attending learn to develop personal growth by using discomfort to your advantage Nolan Chapman STAFF WRITER Ω On March 14, in the TRUSU Lecture Hall, Jeff Torrans and Yasir Ali Khan hosted a seminar to help the community to break out of their regretful tendencies. Jeff Torrans, a certified coach with the John Maxwell Team, and TRU Students Yasir Ali Khan, Sam Coyle, and Aaron Madaisky spoke on the topics of addressing personal fears of the unknown, self-liberation, creating a better version of yourself, and breaking through the terror barrier. Ali Khan opened the seminar by addressing common situations that helped disarm the audience and make him more relatable. He explained his journey into discomfort by starting with the tale of him in Pakistan, his home country, laying down on the city sidewalk. This exercise demonstrates a hyperbole of stepping out of one’s comfort zone; attempting to feel comfortable with many people staring at you while practicing a strange act. Ali Khan explained that this was one of many comfort zone challenges intended to force an individual to deal with other’s opinions, feel pressure, and gain the confidence of achievement when rising to your feet. Coyle told his personal story of losing stability once he moved to Canada from the United Kingdom. Coyle explained that he turned into an introvert after being a

Participants for Diving into Discomfort. (Photo Marut Sethi) social butterfly for most of his life, turning to online gaming and YouTube. With this coping mechanism, Coyle made online friends. He started to meet up with these friends and throw himself out of his comfort zone by shouting out absurd, random phrases in the food courts of a metro Vancouver shopping mall. Coyle explained that through these seemingly weird and arbitrary activities, he felt more comfortable with who he was, and who he wanted to become as a person. Madaisky also reflected on his

time spent as a university athlete and uncomfortable practice situations. He spoke about a coach of his who made his sports team participate in the “big house run” which was a warm-up inside a giant stadium full of people. Madaisky drew on the comparisons of physical training to feeling comfortable with new and unknown experiences. He said that you must try and exercise your comfort zone every day. Personal attributes can be exercised just like your body; expanding comfort zones are 100 percent

mindset and can allow a gaining quality of life. Torrans emphasized that we cannot get back the past experiences of life. We must fight the urge of returning to our “safe zone,” debating and justifying retreat to ourselves. When we digress into our comfort zone after turning down an opportunity, we often feel regret. Torrans explains that we must challenge ourselves to fight the reflex to return to comfort, and do it afraid. “I think the ability to take risk is not common, especially with

the people I have met here. The whole purpose of this seminar was to teach people to go out of their comfort zone and do things that are outside of their day-to-day routine. Hopefully, when they do that, they invite new experiences, people, and skills into their lives,” Ali Khan told the Omega. “Trying something new every day is difficult, it is very easy to forget and be caught up in a routine. This seminar has inspired me to do just that, and try something new each day,” attendee Ayesha Uchil commented.

NEWS

MARCH 22, 2017

CANDIDATES IN FOCUS: PRESIDENT Presidential candidates talk finances, communication and more

MATTIAS ERIKSSON

by Wade Tomko Photos Juan Cabrejo

Progressive Advocates

TATIANA GILBERT Student Advocacy Coalition

Biggest issue on campus

On the focus of the students' union

Biggest issue on campus

“There a lot of issues facing students on campus, but for me the biggest one is money,” Eriksson said. “To me, this school is the ‘ski hill’ of education. Every time you come up here, everything costs a little bit more, everything nickel and dimes you, from textbooks, to food, to vending machines.” If elected, Eriksson hopes to reduce costs to students stemming directly from the students’ union. Decisions made by TRUSU should have students best interests in mind and should be cost effective, he said. “Right now, you have a student board that really can’t say they’ve done much other than waste students’ money on expanding the board, screwed over the teachers and given rich kids a spot closer to the school,” Eriksson said.

The focus of a students’ union should be to be an advocate for progressive issues, Eriksson said. In addition to this, he believes that students’ unions should be there to put pressure on the administration to make more progressive decisions. However, Eriksson believes that there needs be a balance between offering students services and pursuing identity politics. “As partisan as I am, I don’t want to alienate anyone,” Eriksson said. “At the same time identity politics needs to play a role. But if I get in there and students tell me they don’t like what I’m doing, I’m not going to fight them on it.” Eriksson is also adamantly against students’ unions wasting their members money, and as such thinks that TRUSU’s latest expansion of board positions may have to be undone. “We are going to do everything we can to examine how the board functions right now,” Eriksson said. “See how that structure works, see what we can do to reduce the size of that board or see how we can reduce the cost to students from that board.”

For Gilbert, money is by far the biggest issue facing students at TRU. She believes one way to alleviate financial stress from students is through fighting for lower textbook costs. “I’d like to stick with the open textbooks and really push for that. Having tuition lowered is not something we could really do as TRUSU,” Gilbert said. “For TRU in general, it’d be getting the open textbooks passed and seeing that come to fruition and having more teachers adopt that. It's a small step, but it's part of the long run.” When it comes to getting open textbooks adopted, Gilbert said that she will be personally talking to professors and informing them of the program’s benefits. “I think that open textbooks are a lot more flexible and creative for professors, so even if we market it that way, it might become easier for them to accept it,” Gilbert said. “I know there is a lot of work that goes along with it, but I’m willing to work hard and ensure that that comes into place.”

On parking, food services and grant funding

Campus communication

Campus communication As president, Eriksson hopes to adopt a communications strategy based on honesty and integrity. “I’m a pretty blatant guy, and I don’t want to put my foot in mouth or get myself in trouble. But at the end of the day, I want to get up there and say what's on people’s minds,” Eriksson said. Eriksson also wants to re-evaluate TRUSU’s relationship with TRUFA. He believes that TRUFA is essential to not only the university, but to the students who study here. “If you look at any kind of extracurricular activity, theres is always a prof behind it,” Eriksson said. “It’s uncommon to see a students’ union that doesn’t support its teachers.” If students see that TRUSU is cooperating with TRUFA on ensuring student success at TRU, then engagement between the union and its membership will only increase, he said.

On belonging to the Canadian Federation of Students While Eriksson doesn’t think we are getting our money’s worth from the CFS, he doesn’t expect that the BCFS will offer TRU students a better alternative. He believes that the BCFS asking CFS member unions to break from the CFS will only further divide student advocacy organizations in B.C. Eriksson said that a better use of student money would be to offer the same services the CFS offers directly through TRUSU. Yet before that happens, Eriksson would like to see a set framework in place to make sure student money is being spent efficiently.

For Eriksson, parking is one of the greatest expenses facing students. While he believes parking should be free for all students coming to TRU, Eriksson notes that free parking across campus may not be feasible. “If I was to fix the parking situation, I would do something really moderate,” Eriksson said. “N lot should be free – simple as that. N Lot is never close to being full. Give the teachers back their lots.” When it comes to improving food services at TRU, Eriksson would like to see a partnership between TRUSU’s Common Grounds coffee shop and the Culinary Arts department. He suggests that food made by culinary arts students could be sold at Common Grounds at a reduced price. “I think it would be awesome to use Common Grounds as a venue to alleviate student money troubles, give them a place to go eat something nutritious and good for them,” Eriksson said. “I think it’s ridiculous to have Aramark running all these services and giving students limited choices.” On government funding, Eriksson thinks that TRUSU needs to fully follow through with campaigns like Fund the Future. He said that TRUSU hasn’t done enough to push the Fund the Future campaign, which he thinks could have gone further in government.

Gilbert believes that TRUSU should be strengthening its online presence more than anything else. “I think TRUSU could do better in getting online more,” Gilbert said. “I think they should have Snapchat, I think they should be a little bit more prominent on some other social media platforms. If they are doing events, they should be doing Facebook Live events.” When it comes to on-campus engagement, Gilbert suggested that TRUSU should possibly have a more central presence, like a booth in Old Main, where students can come to talk to their representatives and ask questions. She also said that more regular meetings with other campus bodies would be a benefit. “I would like to establish a better relationship with different communities on campus, whether that be TRU World or TRUFA or CUPE,” she said. “I would like to establish at least once-per-semester meetings. We should be having that contact and we should be building that relationship.”

On belonging to the Canadian Federation of Students

While Gilbert stated that she did not know enough about the CFS/BCFS split in order to answer the question, she did outline the strategy she would use to make decisions on the issue if she were to be elected. “I would probably have to sit down, weigh the pros and the cons, ask if it’s really worth it, how much are we really getting out of this and just kind of go from there,” Gilbert said. “I’d want to see what the professional approach to take is and obviously what is in the best interest of students.” Gilbert said that if the CFS isn’t currently benefitting students at TRU, then TRUSU has to ask itself why is it sticking with them.

On the focus of the students' union To Gilbert, a functioning students' union should know what issues its membership faces. This makes having a booth where students can voice their concerns all the more important, Gilbert said. On top of hearing out students, TRUSU also has the responsibility to advocate on behalf of students, she said. “I think that ultimately serving, and like TRUSU does, fighting for students is what I really want to see through this year and ensure that this is actually going to happen,” Gilbert said.

On parking, food services and grant funding When it comes to the three issues that come up around election time every year, Gilbert said she wants to see more club and community involvement on the issues. For parking specifically, Gilbert would like to see more students using TRU’s Rideshare program. As far as food services goes, she wants to focus on getting food trucks up on campus on a regular basis. When it comes to fighting for government funding, Gilbert said she would like to work closer with on-campus organizations like TRUFA. “Ultimately, I think we really just need to work together, put that pressure on and ask the government why we aren’t getting the same funding as everyone else,” she said.

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CANDIDATES IN FOCUS: VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL VP external candidates talk engaging with students, Canadian Federation of Students and more

COLE HICKSON

by Wade Tomko Photos Juan Cabrejo

Student Advocacy Coalition

On student engagement Focusing on club engagement is key to fostering engagement with TRUSU’s membership, Hickson believes. As the president of the Eco Club, Hickson thinks that engaging with clubs brings out the people who already want to get involved. “Club engagement is really important in reaching out to a lot of students, and continuing one-on-one interactions is where I really want to try to make as many meaningful connections with as many people as possible,” he said..

Keeping students at TRU Hickson believes that student retention is directly tied to the amount of funding a university gets. “What it comes down to for me, is that the funding TRU gets has not been sufficient for us to be a world-class university,” Hickson said. “We are relying on a lot of things to keep our budgets up, be competitive and unfortunately that is a reality we have to work with.” When it comes to lowering tuition and getting government funding, Hickson believes that the Fund the Future campaign can do both. “Fund the Future can lower tuition. Because it ultimately comes down to giving universities more money, which will allow universities to not be so hard on students when it comes to ancillary fees and tuition costs,” Hickson said. “It's a big issue, and something we have to work on, but I think we can do a holistic approach with a campaign such as Fund the Future.”

On leaving the Canadian Federation of Students While he has his own opinions on the situation, Hickson said he is still trying to unravel the CFS/BCFS situation. However, Hickson did admit that he doesn’t think that the CFS is providing adequate services to TRU students. “To be honest, we aren’t getting our money’s worth, and that’s for a number of reasons,” Hickson said. “We have a number of concerns that need to be addressed by the CFS that aren’t being addressed by the CFS. The details of that aren’t truly clear. I will be looking into it as much as possible.” While Hickson fundamentally agrees that a national coalition to advocate on behalf of students is a good thing

to have, he said that he is adamantly opposed to wasting student money. While he’s not quite sure what path to take, he did say belonging to the BCFS would encourage more deliberation and cooperation with B.C. universities. “I am deferring this to people with a lot more experience than I, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to go out and engage and find out what is the best way forward regarding students,” Hickson said.

On the focus of a students’ union “There needs to be a balance. I don’t want us to go full speed ahead on identity politics or throwing our weight behind every campaign that sounds good to students,” Hickson said. “We can’t just come out and support the next Standing Rock because that’s what they think Kinder Morgan will turn into.” Hickson said he is much more concerned with how student money is spent at TRU, noting that TRUSU’s purpose first and foremost is to advocate on behalf of its members. “Largely it is something that comes down to campaigns regarding student finances, whether we can make this a more equitable place of education,” Hickson said. “So yes, there is some balance to be found there and that is something I want to work towards.”

On divestment from fossil fuels Hickson admitted that when it comes to divestment, it shouldn’t be TRUSU’s initiative. While Hickson supports the divestment campaign, has been involved with it and wants to help out where he can, he doesn’t believe it’s TRUSU’s responsibility to throw their all of their weight behind it. “If there is a lot of support for it, I might incorporate it into TRUSU,” he said. He also said that he’s been working with TRUSU executive director Nathan Lane to formulate an environmental policy for TRUSU, and that he believes TRUSU should take a stand on the privatization of universities. “There should be something, especially regarding corporate influence at universities,” Hickson said. “You look at TRU’s donor list, it is consistently banks. Why are they donating here? It reflects a defective tax system.”

ZERU ASRESS Progressive Advocates

On student engagement Asress said that when it comes to fostering engagement between the students' union and its members, TRUSU isn’t doing what it should be. “I’m in a few clubs, and I’ve seen that from working with TRUSU, it isn’t the most transparent relationship. I feel like that turns a lot of people away from the union,” he said. Engagement between the union and their membership should start at the beginning of a student's university life, believes Asress. “One thing I have noticed, is that on Orientation Day we hear a lot about other clubs, but as far as the union goes, it is very neglected during orientation,” he said. “Orientation should be everyone’s introduction to everything at the university.”

Keeping students at TRU When it comes to better retention at TRU, Asress said that the university needs to work on its recognition. Specifically, he thinks that diversity is the key to success. “We are really good at scoping out international students in a lot of ways. I think it is something we can still work on,” he said. Speaking about issues with program choices, Asress believes that some programs need to be reworked to be more compatible with student needs. “I know a lot of people who were looking to do a political science major, but they are not too fond of economics, but right now they can only do them together,” Asress said. “So they opt to do a different major, with a minor in poli sci. So as far as programs go, we need to grow in the aspect for sure.”

On leaving the Canadian Federation of Students Asress admitted that while he doesn’t know much about the CFS and BCFS split, he is aware that there are issues with the CFS that need to be addressed. As far as services offered by the CFS, Asress said he doesn’t feel TRU students are getting their money’s worth. “I feel these services are not well used. I feel that with the international student cards, I have been looking to get one for a long time, I feel like the union doesn’t push students to get those,” Asress said. “I want students to go to the union and know what they are going there for and understand their purpose.” If there is an appetite at TRU to leave the CFS, Asress said that he will work with students’ best interests in mind. “I think it is important to look at what other schools have done, what has worked

and what hurdles they have overcome,” he said. “But also look at the hurdles we have to overcome, and I think that will all have to come together for us to make a formal decision.”

On the focus of a students’ union On whether TRUSU should focus on providing its membership with services or invest more in campaigns, Asress said the union needs to strike a balance. “I feel like you can’t just focus on one specific side,” Asress said. “You can’t just focus on individuality, we aren’t all snowflakes, obviously, right?” Despite this, Asress realizes that many students have issues with finances and that TRUSU should be addressing these issues first. “I hear a lot of people complaining about transit and parking too. The way that they are going about these things, with pushing people to use transit by having expensive parking. That doesn’t really make sense to me, instead of trying to raise the bar they are trying to lower it,” Asress said. “I think just as far as that goes, we need to address both individual needs as well as the overall need together.” If elected, Asress wants to work more closely with TRU’s many clubs, including the TRU chapter of World University Service Canada (WUSC). This fall, Asress is hoping to have TRUSU hold a referendum to see if students will support a new $2/semester levy to make WUSC’s Student Refugee program more sustainable.

On divestment from fossil fuels The divestment campaign is something Asress believes TRUSU isn’t taking seriously enough and only further alienating them from their membership. “Divestment is one of the main concerns and focuses,” Asress said. “A year ago, I remember SAC saying they would put pressure on the school to divest from fossil fuels and then a year later I haven’t really seen anything on divestment since then.” To Asress, divestment isn’t about money, noting that it’s not necessarily a big part of TRU’s investment portfolio. Instead, he said divestment is about the environmental ethics and the overall integrity of the university. While Asress noted that TRU is underfunded and the university must do whatever it can to obtain money, he says TRU’s lack of funding can be attributed to issues within the BC provincial government.

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MARCH 22, 2017

CANDIDATES IN FOCUS: WOMEN'S REPRESENTATIVE Women's representative candidates talk women's issues, TRU's sexual assault policy and more

EMIKO OHAMA

by Teshu Agarwal Photos Diana Igumnova and Juan Cabrejo

SAPRINA CHANDI

Student Advocacy Coalition

Progressive Advocates

Biggest issues faced by women today

“We need to work together to change the world’s biased perceptions, treatment and acceptance of our strength to truly liberate us all,” Ohama said. For Ohama, the biggest issue facing women today is the lack of women in leadership roles. “Women today are strong. Our biggest challenge is changing social constructs and the way the world perceives our strength,” Ohama said.

Chandi thinks that the biggest issues faced by women today are systemic issues that result in structural oppression. “Women face gaps in society because of their gender. For example the wage gap, women’s experiences in the workplace and social expectations of women,” Chandi said. She commented on U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, calling it discriminatory towards women and sexist. She went on to say that his actions have “unified women and men all around the world” and gave Women’s Day a positive energy to it.

Representing women at TRU

Ohama said she’d like to strengthen community ties within TRU. She wants to do this by reaching out to local female leaders, professionals and NGOs in Kamloops to provide both mentorship and sponsorship to TRU students on a one-on-one basis. She plans to administer a survey to WolfPack athletes, indigenous women, students with disabilities and single mothers on campus to receive feedback to better support them. In addition, she wants to continue to support the provision of female products free of charge by the Wellness Centre.

Chandi emphasized working on TRU’s sexual violence policy and creating a safe space for women and sexual assault victims. “There are several resources on campus – wellness centre, counseling services to help victims of assault, but I feel it is still not enough.” Chandi would like to create a women’s centre on campus to offer resources and support sessions or to simply hang out at. She would like to interact with all the affected people and have a holistic approach.

Sexual assault policy Ohama has been a part of TRU’s Student Wellness Ambassador team where she received hands-on training by the manager in charge of the policy. She would like to continue her support for the policy and amplify it.

How has previous experience prepared you for this position? Ohama said she networked with non-governmental agencies at the recent Commission on Status of Women Youth Forum on Gender Equality and Sustainable Development, held at the United Nations headquarters, where she said she was selected to be a representative of Canadian youth. Over her academic career, Ohama has participated with the WolfPack, the TRU World social media ambassador team, and the TRU Health and Wellness Centre. “My involvement creates relatability to the experience of different student groups,” she said. In addition, she said she feels that her experience in marketing will help her connect her initiatives better with the students of TRU.

Sexual assault policy Chandi said she believes in and trusts the coming policy because it’s being drafted in collaboration with a variety of people. She said that a lot of important people at TRU were involved in the drafting of the policy, like experts in sexual violence, professors, TRUSU and many more.

How has previous experience prepared you for this position? Chandi shared varied experiences of her community involvement and how it has helped her gain tangible skills to work with people. “The different settings that I have been exposed to, and the different populations, has given me a unique perspective, and understanding that a woman’s experience is shaped by her gender.” Chandi has worked for four years as a restorative justice facilitator, which focuses on dispute resolution in a holistic and non-punitive manner. She said this experience has helped her be more open and genuinely listen to other people’s experiences and understand them. Chandi took several courses at TRU in social work that focused on working with oppressed communities and persons. She also took social policy and women’s rights classes. This has helped her gain a broad understanding of what it would mean to be a women’s representative for TRUSU.

Directors Festival features: Martina Doucet and Stephanie Morrison Directors Festival gives graduating students a chance to try their hand at theatre directing Jennifer Will ARTS EDITOR Ω The annual Directors Festival from TRU’s Actors Workshop Theatre will give six senior students a chance to try their hand at directing. The festival will be comprised of a variety of original scripts and adaptations with a twist. Martina Doucet is one of the six student directors in the festival. She’ll showcase her play during Night B of the festival. “I’m directing Dead Boy by Craig Wright, and it’s a play that hasn’t really been done at TRU for a Directors Festival before. It’s a little on the scary side. It takes place when three teenagers decide to go into a storage room in Ben’s old house and play with a Ouija board,” Doucet said. Doucet says that having the opportunity to direct this play has been a lot of fun, but it not without its challenges. “The main challenge is getting my actors up to the emotional

point of where the actors have to be. Generally, in the theatre program, you’re not doing something where you’re scared, where you’re in utter terror, or where you just want to get out of there and have no escape,” Doucet said. She adds that this horror-filled play will be completely uncharted territory for a lot of audience members. “It’s different. You’ve never seen anything done like this in Kamloops,” Doucet said. Doucet is a triple major in sociology, psychology and theatre, and says her goal after graduating is to find a career in forensic sociology. She adds that although theatre isn’t a career for her, it will always be in her life. “I’ve always done theatre since I was four years old. It’s always been in me. It’s something I’ll always do. Even though I’ll be doing forensic sociology, I’ll still come back to the theatre in some aspect,” Doucet said. Stephanie Morrison is another of the six student directors in the festival. She’ll showcase her work

on Night A of the festival. “My play is called A Bench at the Edge by Luigi Jannuzzi, and it’s about two people on the edge of the abyss between life and death, discussing suicide,” Morrison said. The morbid comedy explores aspects of everyday life, mixing humour and terror. The short play deals with serious issues that remain relevant in society. “I picked it because it’s really surreal and it doesn’t take suicide in an overly dramatic manner. It talks about it in a normal way that most people can understand,” Morrison said. Morrison says one of her main challenges while directing this play was getting her actors in the right mindset for the role. However, she adds that this was an easily surpassed obstacle because of her two amazing actors. “I think one of the best things is just to work with the actors and to experience different acting styles and different ways of teaching acting. It’s been really rewarding to direct the two actors that I have. It’s a really great give-and-take

Stephanie Morrison (left) and Martina Doucet (right) are two of six directors who will try their hand at directing a play at the festival. (Juan Cabrejo/Ω)

learning experience,” said Morrison. After graduation, Morrison plans to pursue theatre and do auditions whenever she can. “It’s rewarding to come see the shows even if you’re not too into theatre. It’s never too late to start, and come watch some shows because you’re always going to

leave thinking something new,” Morrison said. Night A of the festival will take place on April 10, 12 and 14. Night B will take place on April 11, 13 and 15 at the Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $14 each for one night, $20 each for both nights, and there will be three shows per evening.

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Short ﬁlm festival looks to educate and inspire Movies for Mental Health aims to get rid of stigma and educate students on resources Jennifer Will ARTS EDITOR Ω Movies for Mental Health will show three short films that facilitate a helpful conversation around mental health. Natalie Daley, the program director at Art with Impact Canada, said that this short film festival uses the medium of film to help students and members of the community have a better understanding of mental health. “It’s basically a way to start conversations with students on college and university campuses. It uses creativity and short film to lead the discussion, uses art to create awareness and directs students to resources through resource panels,” Daley said. The event will be hosted on campus at Thompson Rivers University and will be held in collaboration with the TRU Wellness Centre. The event will not only showcase the films but will have professionally guided group discussion and a panel after each film.

“I think college-aged students are really facing a lot of those difficulties, and statistically 75 per cent of mental illnesses present during the ages of 17 to 25. So, our goal is really to go into a student’s place of learning and provide a program that is proven to direct students to resources that already exist for them,” Daley said. One of the main goals of this event is to help create a safe space for discussion while giving information about mental health. “To help students navigate the resources that already exist for them, that they might not take the step to learn about. In doing so, if they connect earlier on it’s a preventative measure. So, in the event that they may be facing a crisis at some point in their university career, they know exactly how to get support for that,” Daley said. Daley adds that film is a powerful medium, one that can be used to help people look and understand this important topic from a different point of view. “[Using] film as a way to explore topics, increase understanding

Local retro rockers set to release ﬁrst EP Jennifer Will ARTS EDITOR Ω Elsewhere formed just over a year and a half ago. Born and raised in Kamloops, the group's three members are Jared Doherty, Anthony Splane and Jared Wilman. Each of the band's members is inspired by different genres and they all have a wide range of influences in their music. “Jared is a very jazz-influenced drummer, he loves jazz. I come from a bit of a folky background and Anthony is inspired by more progressive bands,” Doherty said. The group melds genres together to create a retro sound. “It’s kind of psychedelic pop, with some references to some ‘60s and ‘70s sensibilities. I’m very inspired vocally by people like James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles... just very focused on the melody,” Doherty said. The five-song EP represents the grind that many adults face

in their journey growing up. Doherty said that the songs are all very personal and represent a lot of his own struggles. “[There are] themes of that early to mid-twenties sense of confusion and not really knowing what direction to go in. And just being kind of listless, watching the days go by and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your life,” Doherty said. The EP is not only infused with retro vibes but will be available in a unique way: on cassette tape. “It’s kind of a throwback thing, people are really into vinyl these days and think in some cases it’s just interesting,” Doherty said. “Since cassettes are cheaper, you can sell them for cheaper, and make it more appealing to the person who is going to buy it in that way.” Elsewhere will being playing alongside Echo Beach and Chatterbox at 8 p.m. on March 31 at Padlock Studios. Their self-titled EP will be released on cassette at the event, and digitally on Bandcamp.

around mental illness which is so heavily stigmatized,” Daley said. The short films that are premiering at this event are picked from a special collection of winners that showcase over 15 different mental illnesses. The films each take a unique approach in helping to further the understanding of

mental illness and the stigmas that surround it. “The films are curated through a film competition that we host as an organization. So, through our website every month, we have a film deadline where any filmmaker, of any age, anywhere in the world can actually submit films

about mental health to this competition. We jury them, and the first of every month we announce winners,” Daley said. Movies for Mental Health will take place in the Irving K. Barber Centre from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on March 23. This event is free and open to students and the public.

CFBX TOP 30 CFBX 92.5 FM Campus & Community Radio Kamloops, B.C. Music Director: Steve Marlow Charts to March 16, 2017 * indicates Canadian Content ** indicates a local artist 1) Bill and Joel Plaskett* - Solidarity (Pheromone) 2) The Luyas* - Human Voicing (Paper Bag) 3) Carly Reirson* - Fantasy (Independent) 4) Rose Cousins* - Natural Conclusion (Outside) 5) Austra* - Future Politics (Domino) 6) Dany Laj and the Looks* - Alive and Kicking (Some Call it Pop) 7) Joe Grass* - The Rest Will Disappear (Second Best) 8) Heat* - Overnight (The Hand) 9) Dan Misha Goldman* - Champion of the Afterworld (Forward) 10) Lion Bear Fox* - Lion Bear Fox (Elbowroom) 11) Fleece* - Voyager (Independent) 12) Louise Burns* - Young Mopes (Light Organ) 13) Tasseomancy* - Do Easy (Hand Drawn Dracula) 14) Abandoned by Bears - The Years Ahead (Victory) 15) Cawama* - Sea Sick (Independent) 16) Beautiful Nothing* - Sleep Walk (Independent) 17) Century Palm* - Meet You (Deranged) 18) The xx - I See You (Young Turks) 19) Maya Rae* - Sapphire Birds (Cellar Live) 20) The Blue Mules* - Move On (Independent) 21) Alejandra Ribera* - This Island (Pheromone) 22) Japandroids* - Near to the Wild Heart of Life (Arts and Crafts) 23) Knautic* - Asaka EP (East Van Digital) 24) Sarah Scriver* - Mind Over Matter (Independent) 25) Elvin Bishop - Big Fun Trio (Alligator) 26) Auresia* - Raices (Moonsplash) 27) Shirley Eikhard* - I am the Hero (Independent) 28) The Westerlies - The Westerlies (Songlines) 29) The Evaporators* - Ogopogo Punk (Mint) 30) Dream Whip* - Dream Whip (Independent)

COMICS & PUZZLES

10 Puzzle of the Week #19 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Siblings This is the last problem for the year. Four suspects were questioned by police about a recent crime. It is known that one of them must have done it. Each suspect made two statements. One person told the truth both times, one person lied both times, and the other two told the truth once and lied once. Given the following statements, whodunnit? Al:

(A1) I did not do it. (A2) Di did it.

Bo:

(B1) Al or Ci did it. (B2) Di is being totally truthful.

Ci:

(C1) Bob is totally lying. (C2) Di did not do it.

Di:

(D1) I did not do it. (D2) Al did it.

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 7

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THE OMEGA

MARCH 22, 2017

ELECTION POLLING: Wednesday, March 22nd, 8:00AM-8:00PM Thursday, March 23rd, 8:00AM-4:00PM in the TRUSU Lecture Hall The following members were nominated for election: President

LGBTQ Representative

• Mattias Eriksson | PA • Tatiana Gilbert | SAC

• Dale Drozda | SAC

Vice President Equity

• Inayat Ur-Rehman | SAC

• Caitlin Orteza | SAC

Women’s Representative

Vice President External

• Saprina Chandi | PA • Emiko Ohama | SAC

Visible Minorities’ Representative

• Zerubbabel Asress | PA • Cole Hickson | SAC

Campaigns Committee Representatives (2)

Vice President Internal • Janelle Lapointe | SAC

• Brandon Hayashi | SAC • Aanchal Mogla | SAC

Vice President Services

Entertainment Committee Representatives (2)

• Gagandeep Singh | SAC

• Richard Abankwa | SAC • Usra Gohar | SAC

Aboriginal Representative • James-Dean Aleck | SAC

Services Committee Representatives (2)

Graduate Students’ Representative

• Inderpreet Bains | SAC • Arjun Gill | SAC

• Emmanuel Daramola | SAC

International Students’ Representative • Simranjit Aulakh | SAC

Student Caucus Steering Committee Reps (2) • Mwansa Kaunda | SAC • Mico Miege-Moffat | SAC

Biographies and video statements available at trusu.ca The All Candidates Forum will take place on March 15, 2017 at 6:00 PM in the Students’ Union Building. Dinner will be provided. If you have questions please contact the Electoral Committee at elections@trusu.ca

trusu.ca

/TRUStudentsUnion

@TRUSU15