Nov. 15, 2017

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T H O M P S O N R I V E R S U N I V E R S I T Y ' S I N D E P E N D E N T S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R

VOLUME 27 · ISSUE 11 · NOVEMBER 15, 2017

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RESTORATIVE JUSTICE SYMPOSIUM

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ARTISTS FACE OFF IN COMPETITION

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PLENTY OF GRANT MONEY AVAILABLE

A season of firsts for the WolfPack men's soccer team Alvin Mutandiro SPORTS EDITOR Ω The WolfPack men have bronze medals hanging around their necks after defeating the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at the U Sports soccer national championships at Hillside Stadium here in the River City.

The win follows a season of other firsts for the WolfPack squad. It all started when the WolfPack qualified for

the Canada West playoffs, something the team had never done before. Following that was the ‘Pack’s first medal, winning the bronze on Nov. 4. A week later, the WolfPack made its first appearance in the U Sports men’s national championships as hosts and landed its first win in the opening game against the York Lions. After a tough loss to the Cape Breton Capers, the battleworn ‘Pack faced UBC for the bronze medal – a team they had never beaten.

Early on in Sunday’s match both teams defended very well. UBC dominated possession while TRU looked to play

on the counter-attack.

TRU struggled early on in transition from defense to attack, but despite this, they took the lead 23 minutes into the game, when Ryan Glanville scored on a counter-attack.

Justin Donaldson had the assist to Glanville and he made no mistake burying the ball in the bottom corner of the goal.

See BRONZE! Page 4

The 'Pack defeated UBC for the first time ever, and it came at the right time. Ryan Glanville (left) helped lead the team to a bronze medal in the U Sports men's championships. (Juan Cabrejo/ Ω)

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NEWS

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Funding still available for many TRUSU grants

300 per cent increase in grant funding means more money for student activities Wade Tomko

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ω Two years ago, TRU’s Comprehensive University Enhancement Fund (CUEF) underwent some major changes. While before the system was formerly under the control of a steering committee who answered directly to the university, all grant funding is now divided up amongst three bodies: TRUSU, the university senate budgeting committee and the undergraduate research program.

Despite the funding being split up between parties, the money available to fund student activities has actually tripled since the dissolution of CUEF.

However, TRUSU communications manager Natalie Reisle admits that making students aware of all the extra funding available has been a challenge.

“One thing we’ve noticed is that with the amount of money available to students tripling, from moving to CUEF to TRUSU grants, is that it’s been a bit of a challenge in the first few years getting students aware of these things in order to get in those applications,” Reisle said.

There is more than $200,000 in funding available to students across TRUSU Grants’ five categories (conferences, general events, educational events, guest lectures and community), and Reisle said the student union has received more grant applications

this year than the previous.

“We’re definitely closer to being on track to full build-out than we ever have been before,” she said. “I think we’ll continue to see those grant applications come in and obviously we want more and more students to be applying all the time.”

Part of what makes using all the available funding within a year difficult is TRUSU Grants’ cumulative nature. All of the money that goes unused at the end of April is rolled into the next year’s funding.

At the start of this September, $284,000 was available to students. Though the roughly $80,000 already used seems small in comparison to the amount of funding available,

TRUSU president Tatiana Gilbert said this year’s money is only for students, and not funding other TRUSU initiatives.

“Everything – all the grants that are put aside for students – that money will keep rolling back,” Gilbert said. “Under any circumstance, I can’t see the board choosing to take that money away from students.”

If the funding continues to accumulate year after year, Reisle notes that TRUSU’s board of directors may decide to spend the surplus elsewhere. But this year, TRUSU is more concerned about making sure students are aware that funding is available.

“We’ve been putting it out on Facebook and Twitter, we’ve done a number of ads in the campus

newspaper, we also hosted a couple grant information sessions,” Reisle said. “We’re constantly looking for more ways to be able to advertise these opportunities for students.”

As a student, Gilbert understands the financial stress that many students at TRU face and believes programs like TRUSU Grants can help relieve some of the burden.

“The funds are available and I understand as a student myself, there are a lot of financial stresses and academic stresses,” Gilbert said. “The TRUSU grants program is able to bring that stress down so every student has the opportunity to go out and explore something that’s a little more than their day to day life.”

Williams Lake elder receives Indspire award

Cecilia DeRose one of 13 Indigenous Canadians receiving the award this year Wade Tomko

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ω Cecilia DeRose, a Shuswap elder who works at TRU’s Williams Lake campus, received early recognition for winning one of this year’s Indspire awards. The announcement was made last Wednesday in Ottawa during question period in the House of Commons.

On March 23, 2018, DeRose, who was nominated for the Culture, Heritage and Spirituality category of the awards, will join 13 other Indigenous Canadians

to officially receive their Indspire awards in Winnipeg.

DeRose is being recognized for her expertise in teaching the Secwepemctsin language, as well as her handiwork with hides, beads and quills and her knowledge of traditional/medicinal plants.

A member of the Esk’etemc First Nation, DeRose works with the Elders College in Williams Lake and an Aboriginal Head Start program in the area. She is also an elder advisor to the Culturally Safe Dementia Care research project.

DeRose was nominated earlier

this year by Marianne Ignace, the director of SFU’s First Nations Language Centre. In her nomination letter, Ignace described DeRose as a “dedicated community linguist.”

“Cecilia has tirelessly given her wisdom and knowledge to the important task of maintaining and preserving our Secwepemc language and culture through volunteerism, teaching and her contribution to research projects,” Ignace wrote.

Ignace said she first met DeRose over thirty years ago while teaching a Secwepemc language course at SFU. DeRose was

one of several elders that came to the class to teach the grammatical structures of the language and how Secwepemc connects to land and stories.

In addition to this, Ignace said that DeRose is an experienced ethnobotanist who never hesitates to share her knowledge of Secwepemc plants and the environment with younger generations. DeRose has also worked hard to maintain the skills of tanning and sewing buckskin, an important women’s skill among Secwepemc people.

It’s because of this experience with the Secwepemc language

and her involvement within the Secwepemc community, that Ignace believes DeRose deserved recognition.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Indspire awards, an annually broadcasted ceremony that recognizes the achievements of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals within our country.

Indspire itself is an Indigenous-led national charity that focuses on the education of Indigenous Canadians. In 2016-17, Indspire awarded 3,764 bursaries and scholarships worth $11.6 million, to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students across Canada.

Daughter will speak alongside her father’s killer at Restorative Justice Symposium Jennifer Will

NEWS EDITOR Ω TRU’s fourth annual Restorative Justice Symposium will host Margot Van Sluytman and the man who murdered her father, Glen Flett.

Alana Abramson, the event’s organizer, said the symposium will highlight Van Sluytman and Flett’s experience with restorative justice.

“It’s a very unusual story, one that you don’t hear every day. To have the daughter of a murder victim be embracing the person who took her father's life is very compelling.

I think that it will tell students a lot about forgiveness and healing,” Abramson said.

Flett committed the crime during a robbery in Toronto and served 23 years in prison as a result. Paroled in 1992, he began to turn his life around and is now the founder and

co-facilitator of Long-term Inmates Now in the Community (L.I.N.C.).

The symposium will showcase how Flett and Van Sluytman used restorative justice to heal and come together.

“There’s a lack of information about restorative justice in Kamloops and in other cities, and the people who do know about it, I think they believe restorative justice is only for minor crimes,” Abramson said.

Restorative justice, she said, can be applied to deal with harm in a variety of situations in our daily lives as well as with minor and major crimes.

“Restorative justice can be applied to very serious and violent crimes like murder, as in the case of Margot and Glen. We want people to understand that the justice system is limited in its ability to provide answers and information and support to victims.

So, restorative justice can be used in addition to the formal system to create more opportunities for healing for victims and offenders,” Abramson said.

Restorative justice is a philosophical view of justice that promotes

healing in victims and accountability of offenders while creating safe and healthy communities. The goal of restorative justice is to reach fair outcomes using inclusion, open communication and truth.

This event is free and open to the

public. It will take place on Nov. 23 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Irving K. Barber Centre in the House of Learning. To RSVP for the event or to find out more information you can email trurestorativejustice@ gmail.com.

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OPINION

It’s never too early to get Christmas can wait: started with decorating sometimes it's too soon Jennifer Will

NEWS EDITOR Ω With Halloween long gone and Remembrance Day officially over, the world can finally embrace the holiday season with open arms! This is the benchmark for most people, the time when it’s socially acceptable to slowly start packing away the fall stuff and bringing forth some Christmas cheer. Yet, it seems like Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year, with retailers trickling in bits of festive décor before Halloween is over. So, it begs the questions, how early is too early to get in the holiday spirit?

Around the beginning to mid-October, after I’ve exhausted Halloweentown, Twitches and Hocus Pocus, I begin to get fall-fatigue. That’s usually when the festive allure of Christmas starts to settle in. I’ve had one too many Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and I’m ready for candy cane flavoured everything.

In reality, I know that it’s (sort of) wrong to start decorating before Dec. 1 or at the very least Remembrance Day. However, there is just so much effort put

into decorating for Christmas. Putting up the lights, the wreaths and the tree can be an exhausting experience – one that I personally prefer to have done before Dec. 1. Think I’m crazy? How long does it take your dad/husband/boyfriend/significant other/you to take down the Christmas lights wrapped around the outside of your house?

Usually until spring.

Christmas is my favourite time of the year, I love the beautiful lights, the bustle of people scrabbling across the mall trying to find that perfect gift, the songs and the general happiness in the air. That’s why my personal philosophy is that it’s never too early to celebrate. Who cares if it’s only August and I’m sitting at home watching Elf on Netflix.

In my opinion, you should start celebrating as soon as the Christmas spirit starts trickling in. So, go ahead, leave those lights up all year round and put your tree up in June.

Laurie Mackie

COPY EDITOR Ω I’m no “Scrooge.” Not entirely. As with everything else, there’s a time and a place.

I’m beginning to liken the ramp-up for the Christmas season to that of a wedding day – a year (or more) of preparation for a one day, full-blown extravaganza.

Which begs the question: How soon is too soon to break out the lights, the decorations, to plant a tree in the centre of the living room, to scrounge the stores for wrapping paper and, worst of all, to tick off the last item on the gift list?

To borrow from Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Might Be A Redneck If…,” I’ve compiled a list of “You Know It’s Too Soon When…”

• The leaves have yet to turn colour – let alone flutter to the ground.

• Said “fluttering” is a reminder of snowflakes, prompting an all-out anxiety attack and a marshalling of the troops to root the Christmas riot gear from

vs

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the attic/basement/closet/crawl space/ garage.

• You’re still wearing your bathing suit.

Outside.

• On a related topic, you’ve Christmas shopped in shorts and a tank top.

• The budget has yet to recover from purchasing Back to School supplies.

• The grass needs to be cut, the lawnmower broke and Home Depot has snow-blowers on sale.

• You’ve created a neighbourhood incident by draping Santa lights over the scraggly, Charlie Brown pine tree in your front yard and turning them on – in August.

• You have a crisis in deciding whether to dress up as Freddy Krueger or an elf for Halloween, then cover both bases by combining the two.

• It’s two weeks until Christmas and the tree is dead.

• You miss the bustle and excitement of the season because you got it all done in July.

So, there it is. I’d wish to all a joyous holiday season, but it’s still too soon.

Catch me on December 1.

Cariboo Student Newspaper Society Notice of Annual General Meeting Thursday, November 30, 5:00 p.m.

Thompson Rivers University Old Main, room OM 2691

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All members of the society in good standing are welcome to attend.

Write editor@truomega.ca for more information.

THE OMEGA STUDENT NEWSPAPER • PUBLISHED SINCE NOVEMBER 27,1991

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Sean Brady Christopher Foulds Charles Hays Jennifer Will Siddhesh Rajam 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

News Editor Jennifer Will

Arts Editor Cailyn Mocci

Sports Editor Alvin Mutandiro Staff Writers Wade Tomko

Photographer Juan Cabrejo

Copy Editor Laurie Mackie Distribution Jonathan Malloy

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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:

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

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SPORTS

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

BRONZE! WOLFPACK MEN EARN MEDAL IN SEASON OF FIRSTS

U Sports men's soccer championships held at Hillside Stadium this past weekend

'Pack goalie Allan Connor after a save during penalties. Photo Juan Cabrejo

'Pack squad defeats UBC Thunderbirds for the first time ever Alvin Mutandiro

SPORTS EDITOR Ω CONTINUED (COVER) UBC failed to create any significant chances in the remaining 22 minutes of the half, opting for long-range shots that didn’t cause the ‘Pack defense much trouble.

The second half started similar to the first, with both teams taking a cautious approach.

In the 63rd minute, UBC turned over the ball and Glanville capitalized, passing to Mitch Popadynetz who was free on the left side of the goal. Popadynetz chipped the ball over the onrushing keeper to make it 2-0 to TRU. UBC made some changes to their line-up to try get back into the game, bringing on some of their regular starters.

The T-birds managed to get one back in the 68th minute, after Anatoli Leveille fouled a UBC forward inside TRU’s 18-yard box. UBC converted to make it 2-1.

At this point in the contest, TRU decided to keep doing what they were doing – sitting deep in the field and looking to play on the counter-attack.

The gameplan worked well until 86 minutes, when UBC got awarded a corner kick, where one of the UBC forwards was left unchecked and put the ball into the back of TRU’s net to tie it up.

The game was tied at 2-2 after 90 minutes of regulation and went straight to penalty kicks.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man – fifth-year keeper Allan Connor was the hero of the day after he saved two UBC penalties, one of which came after TRU had missed.

“I’m pretty confident with penalty kicks,” Connor told The Omega after the game. “I really don’t have an approach to them. I watch the players as they come to the ball and I make my decision.”

Having endured 90 minutes of play against a team that beat the ‘Pack a week earlier in the Canada West final four semifinal to knock them out of contention for gold, that confidence from Connor was a key part of leading the ‘Pack to victory.

“It means the world to us to come home with medals on a national stage,” he said.

This has been somewhat of a banner year for the WolfPack squad and coaches. As hosts, they were guaranteed entry into the nationals, but with a bronze medal win in the Canada West playoffs, they showed that they can nearly earn it on their own, and next year, that’s what

they’ll have to do if they want to best this year’s bronze medal performances.

“We have a great group going

forward, pretty much all are coming back except for six guys.

We need to maintain this,” said head coach John Antulov.

The WolfPack had a '12th man' at Hillside Stadium, with a large crowd on hand for its three games, including this one vs. UBC. (Juan Cabrejo/Ω)

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SPORTS

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ORANGE AND BRONZE TRU WolfPack veteran Ryan Glanville after Sunday's bronze medal game against UBC. This was Glanville's last game with the 'Pack.

Photo Juan Cabrejo

GLANVILLE GOES OUT ON A HIGH NOTE

TRU's Mitch Popadynetz' crosses were vital to the WolfPack's success.

Photo Juan Cabrejo

Veteran forward played a strong championship Juan Cabrejo

PHOTOGRAPHER Ω Ryan Glanville is saying farewell to the men’s soccer team and leaving on a positive note, following a fierce match against the UBC Thunderbirds and a trying championship series that resulted in the WolfPack men’s soccer team winning their first-ever national medal.

“It’s just been an absolutely incredible experience. There’s been so much pressure coming into nationals that we just wanted to put on a good performance,” he said. “Before this year, not even making playoffs, it was something a lot of people questioned how we would do – if we would be competitive, or if we would even win a game.”

Glanville scored early on in the match during the 22nd minute followed by assisting on a goal

by Mitchell Popadynetz in the second half. After the game, he recalled how much he has grown and improved as a player over the past five years.

“The first few years were a bit of a grind. When I first started out I was one dimensional, I used to just go at defenders,” said ‘Pack forward. “As I got older, I had to evolve. You must be able to slow the game down.”

Glanville said the week had been a rollercoaster of emotions for him. From beating the OUA West-dominating York Lions to losing to Cape Breton to winning a bronze medal. For Glanville, this victory against UBC was his most memorable moment in all of his WolfPack career.

“UBC is one of those teams we’ve had such a tough time with.

We had never beaten them.”

He went on to thank everyone who came out to support the team, and spoke of how he enjoys playing with players like Popadynetz and Joshua Banton, who he believes have helped improve the program.

John Antulov, head coach of the men’s soccer team, added a few words on Glanville’s positive contribution to the athletic program.

“I love him to death. Ryan helped put this program on the map. He’s done so much for TRU just as a role model. The guys love him and we love him,” he said.

“He’s set the bar in the standard on what this program is expecting.”

In his first season with the 'Pack, Glanville was tied for 10th overall in the league in points and shots and had eight goals.

The next year, he was seventh in goals with 10, and 10th in shots with 42. This past season, Glanville had three goals, three assists with 25 shots, in addition to his stellar playoff contributions.

Moving on after Glanville’s departure, coach Antulov has already made preparations for the upcoming season.

“We have brought in James Fraser specifically for this. James is a natural striker and has been playing outside of position all year,” he said. “We knew the transition when Ryan announced he was leaving that James was going to be stepping into that role.”

As for Glanville’s future plans, he said he’s going to focus on his family and possibly take up golf.

The WolfPack's first upset victory in the championship against the York Lions was an important win for the team.

Photo Juan Cabrejo

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COMICS & PUZZLES

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

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Puzzle of the Week 10 – Different Birthdays Two people have different birthdays. With each expressed as MM-DD, all eight digits are different. If this is possible, what are the two birthdays? If not, prove that it is not possible.

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.

harkavagrant.com

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7

ARTS

Artists compete in a fury of paint Cailyn Mocci

ARTS EDITOR Ω Last week, the TRUSU Art and Culture Club opened their doors to welcome students and community members to a fast-paced demonstration of creativity and artistry.

Art Faceoff was a battle of paintbrushes and quick thinking.

Friday evening’s events featured 18 artists battling it out in 25-minute speedpainting rounds. Each artist was given a blank canvas, easel and variety of paints to create a masterpiece from the ground up.

Artists battled for first prize and the honour of being crowned Art Faceoff champion. Winners received $200 for first place, $100 for second and $50 for third.

Artists advanced based on audience votes. The first and second

rounds consisted of nine artists who battled to place in the top three of their individual rounds to continue into to the final round.

The top six competed for the first place prize.

All 18 artists showed extreme talent as they blocked out the crowd and honed their work, creating interesting and beautiful pieces.

Artists were positioned in a circle in the centre of the Grand Hall in the Campus Activity Centre. The crowd was encouraged to swirl around the circle and take in the creative process in real time.

Each lap showed greater progress and surprises in the development of the paintings.

The evening was home to all styles from sunset-soaked landscapes to crazy portraits and beautiful figure rendering.

TRUSU Storytellers Gala Nov. 16 IB 1020, 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Join a discussion called Safe Water for Aboriginal Communities during this Storytellers Gala presentation by the TRUSU Equity Committee.

Cassidy Paul creating a psychedelic masterpiece in the third and final round during last week's Art Faceoff. (Cailyn Mocci/The Omega) The final round wrapped up with Zack Abney, Jess Motionless, Rayneil McKinney, Laura Langley, Cassidy Paul and Kelly Wright.

After the final 25 minute round of the night, Langley was awarded

third place, McKinney earned second place with his huge group of supporters, and Abney’s haunting portrait walked away with first place and the title of Art Faceoff champion.

TRU’s Actors Workshop brings comedy and gossip with two one-act productions Cailyn Mocci

ARTS EDITOR Ω

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TRU’s Actors Workshop Theatre is set to welcome its second production of the 2017-18 season with two one-act plays sure to make the audience laugh.

Laundry and Bourbon and its accompanying act Lone Star are written

by James MacLure and directed by theatre faculty member Robin Nichol. Both are relatable comedies with great gossip and nostalgia.

Set in Texas in 1973, Laundry and Bourbon focuses on two best friends.

Hattie, played by Ashley Hiibner and Elizabeth, played by Brittney Martens, are spending an afternoon together on the porch when their ‘friend’ Amy-Lee, played by Shannon Cooper, shows up. Amy-Lee is considered an outsider. In this Texan community, the people are simpler whereas she holds herself above the others. Her husband owns the local appliance shop and Amy-Lee’s wealth makes her known and hated in the community.

“Amy-Lee is self-righteous and God fearing and loves to gossip but pretends that she hates it,” Cooper said.

That penchant for gossip often gets her in trouble, but her ego makes her believe that she can get out of any unsavoury situation.

Laundry and Bourbon also features

Hattie, the only mother of the group.

Hiibner’s character is tougher than her female counterparts due to her parenting experience. Hiibner also felt that Hattie was the “crazier of the two” when she described her relationship with Elizabeth.

“The most unfiltered with language and the way she responds to a lot of things,” Hiibner said. “Big personality, big feelings.”

Elizabeth is a far more stoic character according to Martens.

“She doesn’t let things bother her on the surface,” Martens said.

Audiences can expect to laugh and relate to the characters. While you may not be a Texan housewife from the 1970s, the themes are still relevant to this day-jealousy between friends, gossip and that one friend you don’t want to show up on your front porch.

The second act, Lone Star, features the men from the same community.

Elizabeth’s husband and his friends try to live through the same world, but with more “boy humor”.

Originally written as a contemporary piece, Laundry and Bourbon and Lone Star have aged into the category of a period piece. Director Robin Nichol expressed the interest in looking at these dated realities through a 2017 lens.

Laundry and Bourbon and Lone Star will run Nov. 23 to 25 and Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. Tickets can be purchased at the TRU Black Box Theatre.

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Upcoming Events

Hiibner demonstrates Hattie’s explosive personality. (Cailyn Mocci/ Ω)

Ready, Set, Recharge: Managing Stress Nov. 16 OM 2674, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

This workshop will present ways to help you become aware of the different kinds of stresses and how to take control of them so they do not interfere with your daily life and academics.

Trivia Night Nov. 16 Red Collar Brewing, 7 to 9 p.m.

The trivia is general knowledge with a few beer nerdy questions here and there. This is FOR FUN! Free to play, teams of 6 or less.

Canada 150+ Art Exhibit Nov. 15 to 17 TRU Art Gallery, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In this juried exhibition of works by students, faculty and staff, artists answer the question: “What Does Canada Mean to Me?” Evening with a Brewmaster Nov. 18 Grand Hall, 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.

During the event, you’ll pair not one, not two, but three exclusive dishes with Iron Road Brewing’s hand-crafted beer. $80 per person, $150 for two, $750 for a table Arts Colloquium Series: Preparing New Graduates for the Real World Nov. 21 TRUSU Lecture Hall, 4:20 to 5:20 p.m.

Judy Boychuk Duchscher of the School of Nursing presents a talk called Maximizing Entry to Practice: Preparing New Graduates for the Real World

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THE OMEGA

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Expiry of food service contract an opportunity – if we act now Dear Members, This year, the campus community has a rare opportunity to have a say in how and what we eat on campus – the food service contract is expiring. But this is also an opportunity that TRU administration will keep behind closed doors if we don’t demand a voice.

For the past two years, students have clearly identified food on campus as a priority area for improvement. In the February 2016 Student Budget Consultation survey, 51% of respondents were dissatisfied with food service. In the February 2017 survey, dissatisfaction was 59%.

Consistently, students have called for variety and options to satisfy appetites, nutritional needs, and dietary restrictions. For better value and food quality for the prices paid. For extended hours of operation to support and expand campus activity. For shorter lines and faster service. Most importantly, students have lost a fundamental trust that our food services can or will respond to their needs.

That’s why the Students’ Union launched the Hungry for Choice campaign.

The vast majority of food services at TRU are provided by one contracted company. Last year, the Hungry for Choice campaign called on TRU to hold that company to a higher standard by giving the campus community choice and consumer power through competition. Resulting improvements such as the addition of food trucks have been important.

However, this campaign is about much more than any one concern, one company, or one change. It is about respecting the role of food in community – and the role community deserves in our food. Food shapes our health. It fuels our success in class and at work. It is part of who we are and our diverse cultures. It supports the vibrant campus life TRU has committed to build. That’s why we deserve a voice in shaping our campus food services!

This is our chance to claim that voice. The current food service contract is set to expire in the summer of 2018.

The Students’ Union has been working since June to make sure that chance doesn’t slip through our fingers, or simply be hidden from us until it is too late. We asked the Director of Ancillary Services to provide the current food services contract and an explanation of how and when the contract might be renewed or replaced so that we might all participate. For two months we were delayed and denied. When we pressed a final time at the beginning of August, responses from TRU stopped altogether.

As a last resort, the Students’ Union filed an application under the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, to have the food service contract made public. Our application was received July 19, but TRU has taken the longest possible time within the law to respond. The contract will not be released until December 04 at the earliest, if at all, and may still be heavily redacted.

We need your help. If we don’t act now, the food services contract could be renewed for another five years or a new contract could be signed for years more without input from the campus community.

This our food, our choice, and our contract. Join the call for a campus consultation to shape any new or renewed food service contract(s). Sign the petition and find out more at trusu.ca/hungry-for-choice.

In solidarity,

Tatiana Gilbert President of the TRU Students’ Union