Nov. 22, 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 12 · NOVEMBER 22, 2017

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DIVERSITY FASHION SHOW

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SAFE WATER ACCESS DISCUSSED

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NALOXONE KITS AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS

Following hate poster incidents on other campuses, TRU policy may change Wade Tomko CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ω On Remembrance Day, multiple racist and pro-Nazi posters were found plastered on the University of British Columbia’s War Memorial Gym. The posters, which glorify Nazi soldiers as the “true heroes of World War 2,” have since been called “disturbing” by the university.

Earlier this month, anti-semitic signs that contained links to alt-right websites were removed from the

University of Victoria’s campus. Similar handbills have also been found at the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto in recent months.

After The Omega brought these incidents at other universities to TRU’s attention, Lucille Gnanasihamany, associate vice-president marketing and communications, said it might be time to update TRU’s poster policy in light of these incidents.

“I think there is solid ground to ask for an agenda item. At the next president’s council, I will ask if we can

be explicit in saying that we can refer to the B.C. Human Rights Code,” Gnanasihamany said. “I think that would probably strengthen the policy.”

TRU hasn’t seen hate speech issues emerge like at some other Canadian universities. In October, neo-Nazi posters were put in Prince George at the University of Northern British Columbia and College of New Caledonia.

See TRUSU VP Page 5

Dancers dazzle guests with a hypnotizing display of lights and movement at this year's Art in the Dark event, put on by the Kamloops Arts Council. (Juan Cabrejo/The Omega)

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NEWS

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

Naloxone kits now available on campus Sean Brady EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω Thompson Rivers University’s Wellness Centre has been approved by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control to distribute naloxone kits.

The university says the effort is meant to keep students and staff safe.

The 2017 calendar year is already the deadliest yet for illicit drug overdose deaths. As of the end of September, there had been 914 fentanyl-detected overdose deaths in the province, a 147 per cent increase over same period in 2016, according to the BC Coroners Service.

Those 914 deaths this year constitute nearly 50 per cent of all fentanyl-related deaths, 1,885 in total, in the past five years.

This year, Kamloops has seen 25 fentanyl-detected overdose deaths, and 61 since 2012.

TRU isn’t the first university to offer naloxone kits on campus. Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo started offering kits in January 2016 as a proactive measure.

Naloxone is a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose (including heroin, methadone, fentanyl and morphine) and is usually

Naloxone kits and training on how to use them now available at TRU's Wellness Centre in OM 1479. (Omega file photo) injected into a muscle, according to harm reduction project Toward the Heart.

Students and employees can

Comments from Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia on Nov. 6.

OVERDOSE DEATHS AND LEGACY OF CHRISTOPHER SEGUIN "We continue to find our province in the midst of one of the worst health care emergencies in our history — an overdose crisis claiming the lives of four British Columbians every day. This is despite a coordinated health-focused approach to this medical issue, including the declaration of a provincial health emergency, numerous harm reduction and recovery measures, education, awareness and enforcement. We must continue to do more.

access the kits and training at the Wellness Centre in OM 1479.

Last week, the Wellness Centre held events in Old Main

and the trades building, including a table talk called Addiction Doesn’t Discriminate. That’s a message some in the TRU

"This is a crisis indiscriminate in its impact, affecting people of all backgrounds in communities large and small. Nine out of ten deaths occur indoors, including more than half in private residences, and 80 percent who die are males between the ages of 25 and 55 — regrettably, many using alone. In fact, many have suggested that we have an epidemic among young, high-performing males.

They may be athletes, students or professionals. They are certainly our sons, brothers, dads and friends.

"On September 22, Kamloops lost a community builder, and I lost a great friend. Christopher Seguin, 39, passed away due to an accidental overdose. Christopher was a man of compassion, a massive heart and an even larger smile. He was dedicated to giving of himself to make life better for others. Through his many contributions to the

community know too well following the death of vice-president advancement Christopher Seguin in September.

Kamloops community, he delivered on his promise to never give up and always give what you can. As a community change-maker, he was awarded the B.C. Community Achievement Award in 2015.

"Now, while we choose to remember Christopher for who he was — a husband, father, brother, son, champion for causes, selfless volunteer and accomplished vice-president of Thompson Rivers University — we must also try to extract from our loss of Christopher some good that may be of benefit to others. I hope it’s this. Let’s end the stigma associated with drug use. Let’s shine a light on the dangers of using alone. Let’s wrap every support possible around our loved ones in supporting them to make the best choices possible. In Christopher’s death, let’s save lives."

Five senate positions remain unfilled following TRU elections Sean Brady EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω Another round of elections has wrapped up at TRU, with new members elected to the university senate, board of governors, planning council for open learning and TRU Community Corporation.

For the board of governors, Tracy Christianson and Hafiz Rahman were elected as faculty representatives and Eric Youd as non-faculty representative.

In the senate, both Lloyd Bennett and Monica Sanchez-Flores were elected by acclamation as faculty of arts representatives. For school of business representatives, Ehsan Latif was elected with 23 votes and Rob Anderson and Peter Tsigaris tied with 16 votes each,

meaning the senate itself will decide a winner between the two at its next meeting on Nov. 27.

Four were elected as open learning teaching staff representatives: John Patterson, Gordon Rudolph, Marnie Wright and Derek Knox.

Andrea Rhodes filled one support staff representative position by acclamation.

The two student representative positions available had three candidates sharing a great deal more votes than all other races.

Mwansa Kaunda was elected with 217 votes, Evan Choy was elected with 201 votes, and Cole Hickson was edged out with 154 votes.

Senate positions for two faculty of law representatives, two nursing representatives and one position for support staff representative all went unfilled

and are now vacant.

For the planning council for open learning, Marie Low was elected with 20 votes, while John Patterson and Don Stanley tied

with 20 votes, to be determined at the senate on Nov. 27.

Finally, Barneet Mundi was elected to the TRU Community Corporation with 200 votes and

will serve in the position until August 31, 2018.

Voter turnout for most races in the election was approximately two per cent.

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OPINION

NOW

HIRING FOR JANUARY START

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See full posting at www.truomega.ca/work

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

Thompson Rivers University Old Main, room OM 2691 All members of the society in good standing are welcome to attend.

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NOVEMBER 22, 2017

Highland Valley Copper gives $350,000 towards research chair at TRU Jennifer Will NEWS EDITOR Ω Highland Valley Copper has pledged $350,000 donation towards the creation of an industrial research chair position at Thompson Rivers University.

The creation of a research chair is the last step towards establishing a Centre for Ecosystem Reclamation on campus.

Greg Brouwer, the general manager for Teck Resources, which owns the Highland Valley Copper mine, said the company has a long-standing relationship with the university and saw this opportunity as a way to strengthen that relationship and meet their sustainability goals.

“Reclamation is a key part of the mining process. Mining by design does have an impact on the land and what we want to do, is through our reclamation process that we restore that land to a very productive land use once the mining is finished,” Brouwer said.

Dean of science Tom Dickinson said the project seeks to do research that will make a difference in the world.

“We try and connect ourselves and our human, intellectual and physical resources to all of the community to help solve challenges. This will be a huge part of building those resources and building that capacity to do that connection with our community,” Dickinson said.

With a goal of helping to lessen the impact that mining has on the environment, the research will also try to answer questions that aren’t very well understood.

“How do you reclaim land that

Dean of science Tom Dickinson was among those who spoke at the donation announcement last week. (Juan Cabrejo/The Omega) has been developed for the purposes of mining and has set aside some of the surface to be put back after the mine is closed? And every mine has to have a plan for the closing of the mine at the end of its time,” Dickinson said.

Dickinson said the reclamation centre would also work at understanding how to put the land back into a productive state after being mined. This is especially a challenge in Kamloops. The dry and hot climate can make land difficult to re-vegetate.

“Right from the minerals in the soil to the small micro organisms in the soil, to the plants that grow on those soils, to the insects that eat them to the birds that eat the insects, all the way up through the ecosystem – to try and understand better how we can reclaim areas that we’ve disturbed for commercial and industrial uses,” Dickinson said.

However, the university is still waiting for approval from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council (NSERC) before moving

forward. If the application is approved, Highland Valley Copper’s donation will be matched by NSERC. Once approved, TRU will be the first in the country to create such a centre. Dickinson said it’s important for TRU to be a leader in this area because we live in a community that is surrounded by mines.

“It’s one of those big resources that the world needs. It needs minerals. It needs the kinds of things that mining produces for

our livelihood. In all honesty, I’d rather have it developed here where we have laws and regulations that protect the environment than in parts of the world where it wouldn’t be under the scrutiny of those laws,” Dickinson said.

NSERC’s decision on the research chair application may be made by the end of the year.

“We’ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope to have a Christmas present,” Dickinson said.

Store owner on the North Shore looks at giving back to the community this winter Jennifer Will NEWS EDITOR Ω Kamloops has had its first official reminder of winter. With the first snowfall of the season arriving at the beginning of November, it’s time for many of us to pull out winter coats and boots in preparation. However, some people in Kamloops may not have a coat to put on during these cold and snowy days.

Jennifer Cottell, the owner of Amazing Inspirations on the North Shore, says that she was scrolling through Facebook one day when she got the inspiration for setting a coat rack outside of her shop.

The idea is simple, if you have an extra coat, leave one and if you need a coat, go ahead and take one.

“I saw it and I just stopped for a minute. I thought why not, why not do something like that? I know that there are a lot of programs in Kamloops, but I know a lot of people that are struggling. There’s a lot of shame and stigma,” Cottell said.

The clothing rack, filled with

coats and other essential winter gear, helps to take away some of the pressure on people who need a coat but don’t want to ask or have to sign up for a program.

“Often a lot of [people who are struggling] aren’t involved in programs. They don’t want to be involved in programs, where something as simple as signing your name onto a sheet once a week to get a free jacket from say, the Salvation Army is too much for them,” Cottell said.

Cottell says that she made a post on Facebook about the clothing rack, and could not have predicted the outcome.

“I posted it and within a day I had people asking where they could drop off and people were dropping off before I could even get set up,” Cottell said.

The rack has not only had a great response with people dropping off winter gear that they no longer need, but also with people looking to receive some gear to bundle up.

“From the week that I have implemented this program here, it’s countless how many people have come and used the

Amazing Inspirations, at 148 Tranquille Road on the North Shore, is giving back this winter. (Juan Cabrejo/Ω) resources here,” Cottell said.

“I had a fellow go ‘how much are these shoes?’ and I looked down and he didn’t have any on, he was barefoot. And I was like, ‘they’re free, no questions

asked.’”

Cottell adds that putting out a coat rack is a really simple way for her to give back to the community. She encourages everyone to find a small way to

give back and lend a helping hand to someone in need.

Amazing Inspirations is located at 148 Tranquille Road, if you wish to drop off or pick up a coat.

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TRUSU VP says hate speech could show up here CONTINUED (COVER) The university’s current posting procedure is taken seriously by both TRU facilities and marketing and communications, but it doesn’t explicitly state that students can’t post hate speech.

Instead, the policy states that “all users must comply with TRU policies and all applicable provincial and federal laws,” which Gnanasihamany said prevents the publishing and distribution of discriminatory content with that clause.

While TRU hasn’t seen hate speech issues emerge like at some other Canadian universities, Gnanasihamany said the university constantly monitors their poster boards for infractions.

“With our current posting policy we do monitor it quite frequently through facilities, who looks through the entire premises on campus,” Gnanasihamany said. “Our team goes by as well and takes a look and makes sure that the posters are keeping with the policy.”

Though posters are rarely taken down, sometimes the university is forced to take down the posters of commercial vendors.

“Most often, when we have taken down posters, it’s commercial vendors that are using the boards and it’s not meant for commercial purposes,” Gnanasihamany said. “It’s meant for university purposes, for buy and sell, for student clubs and if there is room, for non-profits.”

Though she couldn’t say what

TRUSU’s vice-president equity Caitlin Orteza stands in front of one of the many poster boards that can be found in Old Main. (Wade Tomko/The Omega)

would happen if a student was caught posting hate speech around campus, Gnanasihamany believes that disciplinary action would be taken by the student development office.

Although these are issues that only exist elsewhere, TRUSU’s vice-president equity Caitlin Orteza isn’t so sure that TRU will

be free of this type of discrimination in the future.

“I’m not even really surprised anymore that this happened at UBC,” Orteza said. “I can kind of see it happening at TRU now, which is really concerning. One of the main reasons why this is happening more is that people are starting to think that this

is okay and that there won’t be repercussions from doing it.”

Fighting against this kind of discrimination isn’t easy, Orteza admitted, since anyone with a printer can distribute discriminatory content. Instead, she believes the first step in combating this issue is education.

“I don’t think we should be

waiting until something happens and then responding to it,” Orteza said.

“I definitely think we should take a more forward approach in dealing with the issue before it happens. We can host events, get a dialogue going and change policies before these things happen.”

Safe drinking water an issue for many Aboriginal communities Wade Tomko CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ω Clean and safe drinking water for Aboriginal communities across Canada was the topic of discussion at the Nov. 16 Storytellers Gala.

The event, run by TRUSU’s Equity Committee, marks the eighth year of the Storytellers Gala.

TRUSU’s Aboriginal representative, James-Dean Aleck, hosted the event and directed questions at the panelists. Aleck noted at the start of the event that, since July 31 of this year, 109 long-term and 46 shortterm drinking water advisories had been issued to 107 Aboriginal communities across Canada. This number doesn’t include communities in the territories or the Saskatoon Tribal Council.

TRUSU invited a number of experts in the field of water safety, health and Aboriginal issues to come speak at the event. Silvia Struck spoke on behalf of the First Nations Health Authority and Lisa Clark represented Urban Systems.

Chief Francis Alec of the Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation brought his own experiences in dealing with the issue to the table, while Jeffrey McNeil-Seymour, a TRU social work sessional instructor, provided

comment on both societal damage caused by not having fresh drinking water as well as solutions to the problem. Ruth Madsen, a staunch environmentalist here in Kamloops, attended to give her thoughts on the issue.

While some panelists had conflicting opinions on the accuracy of the some of the statistics presented, all agreed that unsafe drinking water is a problem that disproportionately affects First Nations communities here in Canada.

Policy Alternatives Canada has stated that 73 per cent of First Nations water systems in the country are at high or medium risk of contamination. When water is this contaminated, it threatens more than just personal health and the environment, according to Aleck.

“This issue is crippling our culture,” he said. “The people that always suffer from this are the children. Where I grew up, the water made me itchy. I’ve still got scars from all the itching.”

Clark echoed a similar sentiment, stating that unsafe drinking water can take a “psychological toll” on communities.

“These people don’t feel confident in their water systems,” she said.

“Part of having pride in your community is knowing that your water is

The panel discussed safe water issues and more on Nov. 16. (Wade Tomko/The Omega) safe for your children.”

Currently there are three types of different drinking water advisories in Canada: boil water advisories, do not consume advisories and do not use advisories. Some of these communities aren’t even able to use the water for firefighting, said Chief Alec.

“You hear all the disasters that come from having no running water or water protection,” Alec said.

“People wonder why children on reserves die in fires. Well, there is no water to fight the fires. There is no

structure there for water protection.”

When it came to solutions to the crisis, the panelists universally agreed that the federal government isn’t doing enough. In fact, McNeil-Seymour doesn’t think that First Nations communities should even be looking to the government for a solution.

“We don’t have a word for ‘please’ in Secwepemctsin language. That’s considered begging,” McNeil-Seymour said. “Asking for help is begging in my perspective.

We need to stop with the colonial

government. This is unceded territory. We have enough young minds here to figure it out.”

Though panelists differed on opinions in asking for government funding, all noted that solutions coming from within First Nations communities are likely to be the best options.

“First Nations must be at the table when these discussions on unsafe water with government happen,” Struck said. “We need to support innovative solutions coming out of First Nations communities.”

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ARTS

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

ART

Photos Juan Cabrejo/The Omega

Kamloops Arts Council hosts an insane interactive art experience Cailyn Mocci ARTS EDITOR Ω The Kamloops Art Council brought neon and clubbing to the art scene at Art in the Dark with a creative explosion for professionals and amateurs alike. Saturday evening’s festivities raised funds to allow the KAC to continue providing an outlet for artists in the community.

The event started at 7 p.m. and was in full swing until midnight.

Those in attendance were treated to an array of art vendors using the glowing theme to their full advantage. With neon glow sticks, black lights and UV body paint as far as the eye could see, the KAC created a night to remember.

This year’s theme took on a more naturalistic nightclub vibe, using Art Knapp’s heated greenhouse to host a “back to nature” event.

The long, narrow greenhouse was set up to encourage the creativity in the community with many different interactive activity booths and art

demos, with everything from glowin-the-dark beadwork and neon painting to UV crowns to keep with the rave vibe coursing through the greenhouse.

The evening included booths from 4Cats Art Studio and Arnica Artist-Run Centre, to name a few, bringing local art into the spotlight of the black lights.

Guests were encouraged to participate in as many or as little as they wanted and attendees took advantage of every opportunity they had. Every booth was full at all times with lines of people waiting for their turn or simply observing the creativity at work.

If creating yourself wasn’t up your alley, guests were invited to become the canvas for local artists to create upon. Many people walked around with neon face paint adorning their features or the UV airbrush work of local artist Kelly Wright along their arms, legs and chest.

To keep the creativity going, the evening was full of energetic beats radiating for the DJ booth, vibrating the tent and beating in your

chest from the parking lot. Guests were hypnotized by those dancing with glowing hula hoops swirling through the air and lighting the dance floor.

Crowds grew as three dancers from Mosaic Fusion Belly Dancing took to the dance floor to perform a mesmerizing number. The women dressed to looked like forest fairies keeping to the theme of the evening.

As the night carried on, the dance floor began to fill with attendees enjoying the steady flow of electronic beats and rhythms and possibly an array of cocktails.

What would an event be without food? The evening included food vendor Waffle Laundry serving up warm, made-to-order waffles in multiple flavours.

The evening was electric and glowing with the creativity that flowed from person to person.

Guest wandered in neon costumes and rave-esque attire. There was something interesting and exciting to look at every way you turned with no dull moment in sight.

Kathy Sinclair, an organizer for the event, and her team keep with the magic of the event and let the events fall into place how they were meant to be.

“Every year we do all this planning for months leading up to the event and when it comes together it’s always a little bit of an unknown for all of us, so that’s what makes it exciting, too,” she said.

With their third year under their belt and the great success that has come from each event it is safe to say that Kamloops will be seeing many more Art in the Dark events in their future.

in the DARK

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ARTS

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Club's show highlights potential of diversity through the art of fashion Cailyn Mocci ARTS EDITOR Ω The TRU Fashion Club opened Friday night with “Diversity,” their first fashion show at TRU. The team aimed to bring out the potential for diversity in TRU’s campus community. The show featured designers and models from all around the world.

Brian Chiduuro, one of the organizers of the show, said he believes that TRU has so much

untapped power when it comes to diversity that he wanted the show to capture that potential.

Chiduuro said the goal was to “educate students about the power of diversity.”

TRU has such a broad cultural demographic that the Fashion Club wanted to bring together the different cultural values and people to form one cohesive, creative and energetic evening to demonstrate the “different ideas of different nations.”

Five of the six organizers

belong to the 560 dance crew.

The crew itself is diverse, with members from Russia, Sweden, Canada and Zimbabwe.

One of the inspirations for the show was Chiduuro’s own observations of the campus community since moving to Kamloops from his home country of Zimbabwe.

He said students have a tendency to stick to people familiar to their cultures, and he saw students staying in groups and rarely mixing. It was this lack of cultural mixing that prompted the theme

of diversity for the fashion show.

“The most powerful thing we have, but we’re not using, is diversity,” Chiduuro said.

Chiduuro said they want to bring the feel of what the big cities are doing with fashion but also harness the potential that TRU has with its diversity.

The audience was treated to fashion collections tailored for all events, from weekend clubbing clothes to formal meeting and business attire. Brands included Basement Heads, Tanny Shoes,

STYLE ON DISPLAY LEFT/RIGHT: Brian Chiduuro, one of the organizers of the show, believes that TRU has "untapped power" when it comes to diversity and that he wanted the show to capture that potential.

MIDDLE: Five of the six organizers of the event belong to the 560 dance crew. The crew itself is diverse, with members from Russia, Sweden, Canada and Zimbabwe.

BOTTOM: The crowd on-hand at the Diversity fashion show held on Nov. 17 in the Campus Activity Centre.

Photos Juan Cabrejo/The Omega

Berny Dresses and a house line Diversity launched during the show. A spokesperson from Moore’s Clothing for Men spoke about the importance of dressing for success and how a properly constructed outfit can make or break your chances in many career settings.

As well as fashion from lines ranging from Vancouver to India, the Diversity Fashion Show was home to local TRU artwork, dance from the 560 crew and music from TRU student Jonas Loza.

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ARTS

Upcoming Events ESTR Market Grand Opening Celebration Nov. 22 to 23 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., OM 2425 The Education & Skills Training Program will be celebrating the grand opening of the ESTR Market. Join in for special draws, giveaways and buy handmade and local products.

Clean and Green – campus trash pickup Nov. 24, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., The Den Afterwards, enjoy free appies at 4:15 p.m. and a draw for two prizes of $400 towards your tuition. RSVP jgordon@ tru.ca.

Laundry and Bourbon and Lone Star Nov. 23 to 25, 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., TRU Black Box Theatre Join the TRU Actors Workshop for a night of laughs and troubles from the married couple Elizabeth and Roy and their lives in small-town Texas after the Vietnam War. Art Battle Kamloops Nov. 24, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., CJ’s Nightclub Don’t miss a wonderful evening of creativity and community during a live painting tournament showcasing local artists.

Kamloops BC SPCA Christmas Craft Fair Nov. 26, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Grand Hall Find the perfect homemade gift for your friends and family. With over 100 vendors there’s no doubt you’ll be able to check loved ones off your list.

Sean Kingston: Made in Jamaica Nov. 27, 8 to 11 p.m.

CJ’s Nightclub Sean Kingston is set to perform with special guest Peter Jackson for a one night only performance at CJ’s.

Beer Yoga Nov. 28, 6 p.m., Iron Road Brewing Sip and stretch is coming to Kamloops.

Join Mollie Sommer Wellness for a one-hour Yoga session with beer!

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

Justice League's mix of styles doesn't work Jonathan Malloy FILM CRITIC Ω Justice League is a weird conglomeration of a movie.

Assembled from two very different directors’ styles, it features actors who attempt hefty dramatic work within a cobbled and repeatedly shredded script. It is dumbfounding how much fun the film conjures up in its 120-minute runtime. From Aquaman surfing a baddie into an apartment building, to Wonder Woman saving hostages from a desperate situation, the film has no shortage of jaw-dropping character moments. They almost redeem the rest of the film’s lost ambition, but make its failures all the more difficult to take.

Co-directed by DC bad boy Zack Snyder and with help from Marvel’s Avengers director Joss Whedon, Justice League attempts to replicate the same grandeur of other team-up films without the long line of set-up films other franchises offered their viewers. While the lexicon of DC’s biggest characters have become more mainstream in the past few years, the reintroduction of these characters seems rushed.

Justice League presents a world seemingly removed from the gothic dread of Batman v Superman’s landscape and attempts to match the vibrancy of Wonder Woman’s greatest moments, but

instead creates an amalgamation of ideas without a central core that brings everything together.

The limbo this film’s tone exists in is seemingly born from the addition of Whedon’s penchant for humour being added to the bones of what could have been another heavy handed Snyder interpretation of the kid-friendly animated series Batman and Friends.

The mix of styles doesn’t really work, yet the humour is no doubt one of the greatest qualities the film presents. Ezra Miller in his portrayal of the Flash is hilarious in his childlike, fumbling approach to battle. Jason Momoa as Aquaman is sure to win over those audience members apprehensive about this Atlantean’s fish-talking past.

There is no doubt that Gal Gadot is the greatest DC Snyder could have added to its fledgling franchise. Wonder Woman anchors the film with a strong and hopeful emotional arc so that it truly becomes a joy to watch her as “hard hitting and strong” in a way other characters could only wish for.

The heftiest criticism of the film comes from its overall undercooked feeling. From a script that makes less sense with more thought once again provides a Bruce Wayne that is both a nerd and an intense jerk.

The storyline screams of needing more work, and with the addition of major scenes later in production, the CGI of the film goes from

decent to unacceptable in single scenes that unfortunately would have been better if the entire production and release had been

Super fatigued? A look at the current state of cinema’s superheroes Jonathan Malloy FILM CRITIC Ω The hot summer days of waiting in line to see spandex–clad heroes are long gone, as are the packed theatres where leatherbound screen characters suplex fools accompanied by the hardest of nu-metal audio. The current cinematic age is no longer speckled by these films but dominated by them. Where viewers once had a sometimes years-long gaps between movies, it’s now odd to have a wait before the newest release draws the droves to the nearest multiplex. It’s begun to feel like this age of giants may never end.

The overabundance of superhero films is not to say that the quality or creativity is a diminishing return. This year we have seen a sequel to a space-hopping fantasy featuring a talking racoon and David Hasselhoff, the first Wonder Woman film, and a John Hughes high school Spiderman movie.

This type of genre packing is lucrative and a vehicle to test different angles to present these

well-trodden stories. While the box office return on these films is still staggering, despite Justice League’s soft opening weekend, the fiveyear-plus plan for these continuing series brings forth a serious sense of ennui and a need for change in the industry.

With DC and Fox struggling to manage their franchises, the majority of their focus for the last decade has been on Disney and Marvel. This attention has brought a bevy of success their way, financially and critically. Yet the formula keeping the money ship together is beginning to wear and show its cracks.

If this genre is to continue to advance with audiences, it seems necessary for companies to take a step back and reevaluate. As with the horror flicks of the seventies and eighties, the superhero film has is over saturated with the repetitive nature of its current output. With new Avengers, Aquaman and Black Panther premieres due in the first half of 2018, the film industry must look to what will keep and gain traction with the masses.

Last year’s Deadpool, a raunchy

action movie that happened to be about a potential superhero, seemed like a potential starting off point for the genre, but it’s still too early to judge how its impact will affect the trajectory of films to come. It seems that all they attempt to do is blend new styles into interesting concepts or follow the current raunchy template and not bother with the broad strokes.

While one would hope otherwise, it seems as if the craze is still far from burning out. Audience members are still willing to dole out the cash for the newest spectacle.

Inflated box office returns do make it hard to judge worth. Wellmade films are fun to watch and hard to ignore, but the constant onslaught of similar stories leads this writer to want a focus on deeper and more fulfilling material. Actions with consequences that reach beyond candy coated sagas and present moral quandaries beyond Thor crunching bad guys with his hammer. These heroes are well written enough to invite more creative implementations of their characters and I believe the genre may just be big enough to begin telling those stories.

pushed a ways into next year.

As it was released, however, there’s no justice for these characters.

AND THERE'S MORE COMING IN 2018 Black Panther February

The New Mutants April

Avengers Infinity War May

Deadpool 2 June Incredibles 2 June

Ant Man and the Wasp July

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies July

Venom October

Aquaman October

X-Men: The Dark Phoenix November

Animated Spider-Man Film December

Hellboy TBD 2018

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11

SPORTS

Men double their losses against visiting Pronghorns Alvin Mutandiro SPORTS EDITOR Ω The men‘s WolfPack basketball team fell short against the unbeaten University of Lethbridge Pronghorns in two tough encounters over the weekend.

The WolfPack men’s basketball team lost to the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 104-90 on Nov 17 at Warner Rentals Court.

The game was tightly contested early on, with the game tied 19-19 in the first quarter. Going into halftime, Lethbridge led the game 45-36 after they outscored TRU 26-17 in the second quarter.

TRU struggled in taking care of the ball and had more turnovers than Lethbridge, 24 to 8.

Lethbridge shot 57 percent from 3-point range whilst TRU shot 40 percent.

TRU came out strong in the third quarter and outscored Lethbridge 34-31.

Despite the strong performance in the third quarter, Lethbridge held on to win the game 104-90 after outscoring TRU 28-20 in the last period.

Derek Rhodes (fourth-year forward, Antioch, Calif.) was top scorer for TRU with 18 points.

TRU lost in a much closer contest the following night. Lethbridge won the contest 82-74.

Like the previous night, the game was close early on but unlike in the previous game, TRU

TRU's Derek Rhodes led scoring in the team's first game, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Pronghorns. (TRU Athletics)

was able to keep it close.

Lethbridge outscored TRU in the first quarter, 21-15. Going into halftime Lethbridge led the contest 25-20.

The second half was just as close as the first, with TRU

outscoring Lethbridge 27-21 in the fourth quarter, despite that Lethbridge were still able to hold onto the lead to close out a tight game 82-74.

First-year guard Tyus De Vries led scoring with 20 points.

After the game, TRU head coach Scott Clark said he felt his team did well in certain areas and struggled in others.

Clark also emphasized that it is about a process more than an outcome at the current moment.

“I thought our mental effort defensively in the first half is what let us down. We have to be a lot more mentally tough than that,” Clark told The Omega.

“We gave away a lot of easy baskets,” he said.

Women also doubly downed by Pronghorns Alvin Mutandiro SPORTS EDITOR Ω The TRU women’s basketball team went 0-2 against the University of Lethbridge over the weekend, two losses by 20 points that will leave the team with some work to do.

The WolfPack women’s basketball team lost to the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 73-53 on Nov. 17 at the Warner Rentals Court.

Early on it was a close contest between the teams, Lethbridge led the game 24-17 after the first quarter.

Lethbridge began taking control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring TRU 19-10.

Going into halftime the score was 43-27 Lethbridge.

TRU struggled with shooting all game, shot 20 percent from threepoint range and 19 percent from the floor, even though Lethbridge had more turnovers than TRU, the ’Pack was unable to turn turnovers into points.

Fourth-year guard Michelle Bos was the top scorer for TRU with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Emily Vilac, (fourthyear forward, Kamloops) had 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists.

Leilani Carney, (third-year guard, Burnaby) had 8 points, 4 rebounds and Emily Piggin (fourth-year

guard, Kamloops) had 6 points, 2 rebounds.

After the game The Omega caught up with assistant coach Chuck Ferguson, who admitted that TRU‘s shooting has to improve if they are going to have any success against good teams.

Ferguson said the team had more than enough shots to win the game and that he didn’t believe there was a lack of effort, just poor execution.

TRU lost another the next day, dropping a 79-59 decision on Nov. 18 in the second game against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

TRU struggled with its shooting once again, going 26 per cent from the floor in comparison to Lethbridge’s 46 per cent shooting.

Unlike the previous night, TRU had more turnovers than Lethbridge, 22 to 21.

Lethbridge was in control early in the game, leading 21-12 after the first quarter. Things got a lot closer after TRU outscored Lethbridge 18-13 in the second quarter to go into halftime with the score at 34-30.

The second half was like the first, with TRU chasing the game and Lethbridge trying to stay ahead, in the third quarter TRU was able to cut the lead to nine points before a strong fourth quarter helped seal the victory for Lethbridge.

Michelle Bos had 21 points in the two weekend games against the Pronghorns. (TRU Athletics)

Fifth-year forward Shenise Sigsworth was top scorer for TRU with 12 points and 4 rebounds, Michelle Bos (fourth-year guard, Surrey) had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and Kanesha Reeves (fourth-year, guard, Kamloops) came off the bench to score 9 points and 2 rebounds.

Coach Ferguson reiterated what

he said the night before, that TRU needs to improve their execution in offense.

“We struggled with that press to begin with and then once we made some adjustments we were dealing with it a little better.”

The undefeated Pronghorns are now 8-0 for the season while TRU is now 4-4.

NEXT WEEKEND NOV. 24, 25 TRU WOMEN vs.

Mount Royal Cougars Calgary, Alta.

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