February 13, 2013

VOLUME 22 ISSUE 19

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

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Greatness overshadowed

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Canadian literary giant on campus 10

WolfPack hockey loses a squeaker 14

International Days 2013

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TRU’s Independent Student Newspaper

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February 13, 2013

Feature A story to be proud of

WolfPack basketball’s Jen Ju makes a difference...and not just on the court Adam Williams Ω Sports Editor

It bothered her that her parents weren’t there.

Jen Ju, point guard of the WolfPack women’s basketball team, was playing in her final game at the Tournament Capital Centre, wrapping up a five-year university basketball career, but at the forefront of her mind was the fact her parents hadn’t come to watch.

To be fair, Ju hadn’t expected them to. It’s a long drive from Vancouver and the game was on a Friday so they would have had to work. But it was also because they’d never seen basketball as a significant part of her life, just a game she liked to play.

That part made it difficult.

“Basketball is something that I think of as one of my life’s greatest accomplishments – being able to play university ball – but at that moment I didn’t feel proud at all,” Ju said. “I didn’t feel like it was an accomplishment,

I didn’t feel like I wanted to feel proud of playing basketball, because my parents weren’t. So it was quite a saddening moment for me.”

She chalks it up to cultural differences. Her parents emigrated from China more than 25 years ago and felt she should be focusing more on working and getting an education than sports. She calls herself the “black sheep” of her family and though it’s upsetting how her family feels about her athletic career, she’s never questioned her decision to play – her love for basketball transcends everything else.

“I’ve always done my own thing,” Ju said. “It didn’t really matter to me a whole lot because I knew I was going to do whatever I wanted to do. I was driven enough

tends to get the most attention.

“There’s just no balance [in the media coverage],” Ju said.

“They fail to show the other side of it. There’s so much hope in the community. There’s community – like a true sense of community – and there’s real life down there.

That, people just don’t realize.”

So while Ju’s focus right now is on basketball, she also has aspirations of working in some of the marginalized communities on Vancouver’s Eastside. She dreams of being able to bridge the gap between the east and the west of Vancouver, removing through education some of the animosity people have for each other.

She’s attacking the stereotypes academically. She’s currently waiting to hear if her proposal for TRU’s Undergraduate Research and I n n o v a t i o n Conference has been accepted. Her topic: The portrayal of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver in literature.

“I think it’s a huge issue in our society —Jen Ju, WolfPack athlete that people refuse to help, or see people as and much more human beings due to their status, how they with her personal or professional look, their level of income,” Ju said. goals and the way people interacted “I really am passionate about things with each other she was used like that.”

But she doesn’t restrict her efforts to – everything seemed a little to an academic approach. She’s also individualistic. doing it with basketball, coaching It was also incredibly expensive.

In the end, things worked out inner-city youth. She works with a great for the WolfPack and TRU. number of programs, most of which Ju is a model teammate and a great are aimed at those who wouldn’t player. She’s also made it a priority be able to afford the financial to do some pretty powerful things commitment of youth programs at places like SFU or UBC. She works in the communities she’s lived in.

She grew up in Vancouver’s with other grads from Britannia lower Eastside, in Strathcona, a and the Strathcona area, as well as community near Hastings Street. the Real Basketball League. Jen Ju It’s an area that’s often mentioned is paying it forward.

“We always have a philosophy in the same breath as poverty, drugs, prostitution and Robert as a women’s basketball program Pickton, but that’s just one side of that we want to not forget where it. Unfortunately it’s the side that we came from and we want to be able to give back if we are able to do so,” said Scott Reeves, head coach of the women’s basketball team at TRU. “For her to be able to do that back in her hometown where she came from, I think would mean a lot to her because someone did that for her when she was young and that’s the type of person that she is.”

Ju feels she’s able to relate to youth through humour and their shared life experiences – it’s a skill set she’s quite proud of. For her, basketball is more than just a game – it’s a sport that teaches a lot of life-skills youth don’t learn inside a classroom.

As the basketball season ends, much of the media attention has been on the end of Diane Schuetze’s career and for good reason. Schuetze is top-25 in alltime CIS scoring and has been a significant cog in the WolfPack’s —PHOTO BY ADAM WILLIAMS to accomplish whatever I needed to in order to play basketball.”

Ju says in recent years her parents, particularly her father, have grown to be more accepting of her decision to play basketball and have internalized her love for the game. It’s not a complete 180, but it’s a start.

Ju graduated from Britannia Secondary School in Vancouver and started her post-secondary career at Santa Barbara City College in California. Playing in the U.S. didn’t end up being a good fit, so she came back to Canada the next year. It was a good learning experience and she has a lot of great memories, but it didn’t align

“I think it’s a huge issue in

our society that people refuse to help...due to their status,

how they look, their level of income.”

Jen Ju, completing her final year of athletic eligibility, has grand plans to make at least her little part of the world a better place to live.

—PHOTO BY ADAM WILLIAMS

system throughout her tenure. Ju’s retirement, on the other hand, has gone relatively under the radar. For some, the lack of attention would be a source of friction, not so with Ju. “Not at all, it’s well deserved,” Ju said of the attention paid to Schuetze. “She’s a hard-working person. She’s what makes me a good player.

“I couldn’t ask for the glory to be on another person, she really deserves it.”

Schuetze and Ju go a long way back – they played together on Team B.C. in under-16 basketball provincials before they met up at TRU. Schuetze says that playing her final few regular season games with Ju has been bittersweet, they’ll likely never play together again after the conclusion of this season.

It will be a difficult transition for both of them.

“Jen’s a very explosive player and very good on both offence and defence,” Schuetze said. “She’s developed into an incredible basketball player actually, so I love playing with her.

“She’s an awesome friend...

She’s just a great person, she loves helping people.”

Now that her basketball career is coming to a close, Ju isn’t sure what the future holds for her – she calls it the golden question.

She has no shortage of options.

She’ll be on campus for at least one more semester and has talked about continuing to train with the WolfPack in order to stay in shape.

She is still toying with the idea of heading over to Europe to play – she just can’t imagine giving up the game right now. Coach Reeves has even floated the idea of her coming back to the WolfPack as an assistant coach, an idea she’s interested in but still has reservations about.

If nothing else, she’s looked at the education program at SFU, it would allow her to give back to her community in Vancouver, working with kids in the school system, where she feels she’s able to have the greatest impact.

“I think she would be great at being in a camp role or a teacher role,” Reeves said. “Kids would really gravitate towards her.”

So when Ju left the court at the Tournament Capital Centre Feb. 1 for what was likely the final time of her career, flanked by fellow seniors Diane Schuetze and Tracy Kocs, the crowd stood up and clapped for more than just three successful basketball careers. They clapped for years of hard work, sacrifice, and efforts to make the world a better place. They clapped for Tracy, they clapped for Diane and they clapped for Jen. No matter how she felt in the moment, Jen Ju has plenty to be proud of.

ON THE COVER: Ekachai Srikaeo shows his skill in Muay Thai (Thai boxing) at the International Days Showcase Friday, Feb. 8.

— PHOTO BY JESSICA KLYMCHUK

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The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 19

THE

MEGA

www.theomega.ca

February 13, 2013

Volume 22, Issue 19

Published since November 27, 1991

editorialstaff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Mike Davies

Editorial/Opinions What day was it on Monday?

editor@truomega.ca

250-828-5069

@PaperguyDavies NEWS EDITOR

Devan C. Tasa

news@truomega.ca @DCTasa ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Brendan Kergin

arts@truomega.ca @roguetowel SPORTS EDITOR

Adam Williams

sports@truomega.ca @AdamWilliams87 ROVING EDITOR

Courtney Dickson

Editor’s Note

COPY/WEB EDITOR

Mike Davies Ω Editor-in-Chief

roving@truomega.ca @dicksoncourtney

Taylor Rocca

copy@truomega.ca @manovrboard

omegacontributors Sean Brady, Karla Karcioglu, Mark Hendricks, Travis Persaud, Jessica Klymchuk, Allison DeclercqMatthas, Owen Munro, Michael Potestio, Kevin Skrepnek, Jessica Duncan, Kassandra Mitchell

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF * Mike Davies BUSINESS MGR * VACANT INDUSTRY REP * Mike Youds FACULTY REP * Charles Hays STUDENT REP* Sadie Cox

letterspolicy

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 the Letters & Opinion section 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.

As I’m sure most of you are aware — at least those who have classes scheduled on Mondays — the province of British Columbia observed its first ever Family Day on Feb. 11 this year.

Province wide, hourly workers either had the day off and got paid for it anyway — if they meet the requirements (see below) — or worked and got paid extra for doing so. Those workers on salary supposedly had the day off, as well, assuming their employers didn’t require them to work, in which case they’re supposed to get a different day off. These are mandated employee/employer criteria and are the case for every statutory holiday.

All material in this publication is copyright The Omega and may not be reproduced without the expressed consent of the publisher. All unsolicited submissions become copyright Omega 2012.

(Correspondence not intended for publication should be labelled as such.)

Follow us on Twitter: @TRU_Omega “Like” us on Facebook.

Do it.

Seriously.

schedule the fewest staff possible on the actual day itself. You probably noticed this phenomenon if you tried to go out somewhere to have dinner with your family on Family Day. But most of you probably didn’t, in fact, spend Family Day with your family. Many of you couldn’t, because you aren’t anywhere near them while you attend school and a three-day weekend just isn’t long enough for that (not to mention the financial cost of doing so).

But even for those of you who do have family here, you likely didn’t celebrate the newly-formed holiday as it was supposedly intended. There’s a reason for that.

For those of you who have jobs while you pursue your educational goals — and let’s face it, for most of us it’s the only way to survive — think about how your thoughts coalesce as you approach a statutory holiday.

You are probably either excited that you get a day off with pay or are excited to be working on a day for which you get paid more than usual. The reason for the day itself is likely inconsequential.

I got an email from a student over the weekend before Family Day expressing how important family is to people and how we should recognize that “Family is the greatest gift of nature. It pro-

Find your own therapy dog

copyright

Cariboo Student Newspaper Society (Publisher of The Omega) TRU Campus House #4 Box 3010, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 0C8 Phone: 250-372-1272 E-mail: editor@truomega.ca Ad Enquiries: managerofomega@gmail.com

Section 45(1) of the British Columbia Employment Standards Act (ESA) stipulates that employees are entitled to a day off on a statutory holiday and those employees shall be paid their average earnings (calculated by dividing the total amount paid by the number of days worked over the past 30 calendar day period) for that day off.

This equation is used as long as an employee has “worked or earned wages for 15 of the 30 calendar days preceding the statutory holiday,” according to section 44 of the act.

This is where it gets finicky.

Actually, “finicky” is maybe the wrong word there — the better word is probably “cheap” or “greedy.” Actually, let’s just call it what it is: Capitalism.

You see, many employers purposely staff the majority of their workers on a part-time basis to avoid incurring extra costs mandated by legislation such as the ESA and take full advantage of these sections.

I know I’ve personally worked in jobs where the manager in charge of staff scheduling was instructed by the owner of the business to schedule employees very carefully leading up to a statutory holiday to ensure the fewest number were eligible to receive statutory holiday pay. They then

TRUe Thoughts Taylor Rocca Ω Copy/Web Editor Way back in October 2012, I wrote a little piece on the importance of mental health and how students should always be aware of their own well-being as well as that of their peers.

After all, we’re all in this together, right?

With that being said, we are approaching the mid-semester mark as the 2012-13 academic year flies by. Maybe it is just me getting old, but it seems as though each semester passes quicker than the last.

Despite how fast time seems to pass, stress still builds and as midterms commence and projects start to loom, students need to ensure they manage their stress.

In an effort to help students cope with stress and manage anxiety, TRU Wellness will be hosting the first of weekly Therapy Dog Thursdays on Feb. 14.

If you are stressing about not having a date for Valentine’s Day, there is no need to worry. Wouldn’t you rather have a date with a fuzzy little furball that is going to love you unconditionally?

Therapy Dog Thursdays will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Thursday through April 11, with the first coming on Feb. 14 as mentioned.

These fun-loving little critters can be found on BMO Student Street where students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to play with and walk the dogs.

During my time at the University of Alberta, I was fortunate enough to organize an event similar to this within the walls of my residence building. We booked out a room and for the entire day we had dogs of all sorts running around happily.

The most rewarding part of this experience wasn’t in seeing the dogs running for joy. It was in seeing the faces of stressed university students elated, chasing these dogs around as if they were puppies themselves.

A 2001 study conducted by Sarah J. Brodie and Francis C. Biley in the Journal of Nursing cites a number of previous studies that discovered many widespread pettherapy benefits for humans. From stimulating awareness and interaction to improving life satisfaction and reducing depression, the benefits of pet therapy have been welldocumented over the years.

Relaxation is a word consistently found through some of these studies, so it goes without saying that Therapy Dog Thursdays should be welcomed with open arms to a post-secondary campus where stress is bred in classrooms and assignments.

If you have more love for dog’s evil counterpart, the cat, then maybe music therapy is more your thing. Sorry, this is an opinion column and I think cats are evil. Alas, to each their own.

According to a model published in the Arts in Psychotherapy journal by Shannon Sausser and Raymond J. Waller, therapy can be found in composing and playing music. This might sound shocking when you consider how many failed and successful rockstars have succumbed to drug or alcohol addiction, but Sausser and Waller prove its benefits. If you have always dreamed about picking up the guitar or slugging away on a drum kit, maybe now is the time to try it out?

Maybe you aren’t musically gifted but still enjoy a good tune or show. If you check out last week’s edition of The Omega, our arts and entertainment editor, Brendan Kergin, previewed a few of the live music and entertainment options for students in the month of February. Right there you have a nice little buffet of options for music and entertainment therapy.

The Harlem Globetrotters are visiting the Tournament Capital Centre tonight and there are a few musical acts performing throughout town between now and the end of the month.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to be aware of your stress levels and what you need to manage them. As much as slaving over the books is important during your time in postsecondary, it is not worth killing yourself over. And I’m not joking when I say that.

Take a breather every now and then. Getting a B-plus on that exam rather than an A-minus won’t hurt that much in the long run if you are able to salvage your mental and physical well-being in the process. copy@truomega.ca

vides an enshrinement like a nest in a tree where family members can feel protected and supported so that they may be able to gain foothold in the foundation of life, fulfilling all its aspects like self preservation, pleasure and procreation. If family is not there, living is much more difficult than we think.”

I completely agree. Unfortunately, a statutory holiday is not going to convince people of this, make people think about their family life or consider those unfortunate among us who are lonely due to family estrangement, etc. Statutory holidays are engrained into us as a financial benefit.

Maybe if the situation were such that there was enforceable (and enforced) legislation in place so that businesses were mandated to actually be closed instead of “punished” by staying open (by having to pay a bit more to those who they force to work but having loopholes they can work to avoid doing so), the first thought as a statutory holiday approaches wouldn’t be whether we want to work for bonus money or have the day off and get paid anyway.

Perhaps then we could turn our collective attention to the “why” of the holiday and not just the “how much?” editor@truomega.ca

Do you like food?

Do you like inexpensive, really good food even more?

The Omega and CFBX are hosting a steak/chicken/ salmon dinner at Fox’n Hounds Pub on Feb. 24.

Tickets are only $10 and all proceeds go to supporting independent on-campus media.

Contact Mike at editor@truomega. ca for tickets.

Why not go back to class after a good meal at the end of your break?

4

February 13, 2013

News Blind student uses iPhone to enrich education “There aren’t many accomodations that I need...

I only need to be able to use my electronics in class” - Stephen Lively VoiceOver and Siri are iPhone applications that are essential in Ω Roving Editor allowing Lovely to connect with the world.

VoiceOver is a tool that Apple Many claim they could not live without their smartphones. For developed with their sightless customers in mind. It is consome, that may be true.

Smartphones act as a primary trolled by simple gestures that communication tool, arguably let users physically interact with more so than face-to-face inter- items on screen. Users touch action. For some, the invention the screen to hear a description of the smartphone was also the of the item under their finger, double-tap that invention of a spot and drag or new kind of indef lick to control pendence. the phone.

Stephen LoveSiri is also a ly, a student at clever resource TRU, relies on created by Apple his iPhone to that Lovely uses read assignments regularly. He can to him and to ask her to do simget him where ple tasks for him, he needs to go. It as well as have a can even tell him complete converwhat colour shirt sation with her, he has on. if he really wants Lovely is blind. to. One day he He was born only told her he was able to see lights sad and she said, and shadows, but “Two iPhones no detail. walk into a bar.

Visual impairDoes that help?” ment is defined Lovely atby the Ameritended a boardcan Optometschool for ric Association —Stephen Lively ing the blind (W. as “a functional Ross Macdonald limitation of the School) in Branteye(s) ... A visual impairment can cause ford, Ont. for grades five to 12.

He moved out of his parents’ disability(ies) by significantly interfering with one’s ability to home at 16. He attributes his function independently, to per- ability to survive to Karen Solform activities of daily living, de, who has been a strong materand/or to travel safely through nal inf luence in his life since he was just three years old. the environment.”

With only one week’s notice, Lovely can’t remember what Lovely moved to Kamloops with he did before the iPhone.

“I guess I just did what I did.” Solde and her family in August

Courtney Dickson

“There is no

point in looking towards the future.

You’ve just got to live every moment.”

2011 from Oshawa, Ont. He was happy to come to Kamloops and now has no intentions of ever leaving.

At 21, he began his first year of post-secondary in September 2012 at TRU. Though he is studying theatre, Lovely (like many students) is unsure of what he wants to do post-graduation.

“There is no point in looking towards the future. You’ve just got to live every moment.”

According to Lovely, he is by no means suffering because of his disability. At 18, he was entitled to start collecting Canadian Pension Plan Disability Benefits. Through that funding he is now collecting $906 per month, which he can comfortably live off.

Government grants pay for Lovely’s tuition, books and the $50 monthly bill for his iPhone that is essential to Lovely’s success. This academic year, Lovely received $2,800 in grants for fall semester and $1,200 for winter semester.

Professors, students and administration haven’t been required to make many accommodations for Lovely. Lovely requires no more than two simple modifications to the regular classroom in order to enable his learning experience. First, he wears headphones in class so VoiceOver can read his assignments to him. The only other variation sees Lovely write his exams in disability services.

“There aren’t many accommodations that I need. I’m kind of using more than I need to. I only need to be able to use my electronics in class.”

The TRU community has been

CALGARY, Alberta May 10 – 12, 2013

Are you between 18-28 years old and interested in sustainable transportation?

—PHOTO BY TR AVIS PERSAUD

kind to Lovely, though the dense population can cause issues for him.

“People get tripped. Not me though, because I’m the only one with a stick.”

Because sound plays an increased role in Lovely’s life, his appreciation for something as simple as television differs greatly from those who are fortunate enough to be able to see.

Though described video is an option provided by most television stations, Lovely generally chooses not to use it. He said it interrupts dialogue and listeners can actually miss what’s going on. For this reason, he enjoys television that is narrative without the help of descriptive video.

Dexter, a Showtime series about a serial killer within the Miami Metro Police Department, is his favourite. Because it is told from the killer’s perspective, a visually-impaired indi-

vidual is able to understand the setting and emotion within the story.

“It’s such a unique show,” he said. “It’s like descriptive video without being descriptive video.”

Aside from Dexter, Lovely enjoys TV shows that have enhanced, suspenseful music.

“Just by the music you can kind of tell what’s happening.

“I like shows like The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time. I am a sucker for the Vampire Diaries, I guess.”

Of course, blind people survived before the innovative applications created by Apple and enjoyed television before the sophisticated story-telling techniques employed by the producers of Dexter.

But for Stephen Lovely, these tools have made it easier for him to enjoy and understand the world around him.

Check out our program online to find out how you can...

• Discover sustainable transportation issues & opportunities.

• Get the tools you need to be a leader in your community.

• Explore career possibilities in transit and related fields.

• Network with students and professionals from across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Territories.

Apply to be a youth delegate

by Monday February 25!

leadingthewayyouthsummit.com

—IMAGE COURTESY YUTAK A TSUTANO/CREATIVE COMMONS

5

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 19

News

International Days attendance not surprising Courtney Dickson Ω Roving Editor

What appeared to be a decline in attendance levels at International Days this year, was “not unusual” according to Adrian Conradi, member of the International Days planning committee. Events that coordinators expected to be low in attendance were and events such as the showcase on Friday afternoon, that coordinators expected to fillup fast, did.

“Overall, attendance is way up,” said Conradi, who is also the associate director of international student services and study abroad through TRU World.

Many lectures were poorly attended, partially because faculty had encouraged speakers to visit their classes prior to presentations, so some of the most interested listeners had already heard them speak.

Other factors for poor attendance included venue size and location, time of events, limited audience interest and the reliance on speakers to invite the community to listen to them speak, according to Conradi.

Advertising on TRU World’s part was not an issue.

“Marketing efforts were much better this year,” Conradi said.

Lectures were also live-streamed

online, primarily for TRU’s Williams Lake campus to get involved in the festivities. Though few people tuned-in for lectures, it was no extra cost to TRU World so Conradi believes it was worth it.

“We want the campus and community to value the students we bring here,” he said.

The showcase on Friday afternoon was packed early. Conradi expected approximately 3,000 would come in and out of the TRU Gym during the five-hour show.

Delhi 2 Dublin and Shred Kelly, the two musical events added to the program this year, were also very well attended.

More than 100 people attended The Games People Play art display in the gymnasium each day, which encouraged organizers to let the exhibition run for another week.

Ankur Sud, post-baccalaureate in international tourism development, attended various events and noticed fewer students compared to the number of Kamloops community members.

Sud said the Cooking Around the World session was especially popular for students and community members, alike. Organizers even had to turn people away.

“We had to discontinue getting people in the room,” he said.

Sud also attended the Living Library session and said, “It was just okay. Not many people were there.”

International Intonation

Bionic eyes, manpower and financial issues for Russian Olympics and Tunisian assasination Mark Hendricks Ω Contributor

Bionic eyes helping the blind to see It sounds like something from science fiction, but the first ever prosthetic eye, being developed

by California firm Second Sight Medical Products, has been approved for use by European regulators. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow suit.

The eyes have two separate parts. The first is a series of electrodes and a chip that is surgically placed inside the eye and attached to the retina. Recovery time from this procedure is about a week.

After recovery, patients need to wear a pair of special glasses with a camera in them that wirelessly transmits information to the chip planted inside the eye, which stimulates the electrodes attached to the eye.

The brain then interprets that as an image.

The results have not been perfect, but all patients have seen some improvement.

“We had some patients who got just a little bit of benefit and others who could do amazing things like reading newspaper headlines,” Brian Mech, vice president of business development for Second Sight Medical Products, told Discovery News.

Where you can find out more: www.forbes.com

Will Sochi be ready in time?

The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia.

The Olympics always cause large-scale construction to accommodate the inf lux of athletes and tourists, but doubts are being raised about whether it will be ready in time.

Russia is facing a lack of manpower in its construction efforts.

— IMAGE COURTESY CHRISTIAN

FISCHER / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

According to documents from the International Olympic Committee, Russia needs an additional 22,600 workers to complete construction on time.

In addition to manpower problems, Russia is facing financial problems with the construction.

Six of the 43 planned hotels have been cancelled so far due

to problems with investors.

The Sochi Olympics are already over budget and set to be the most expensive in history.

Costs are now estimated to be 1.5 trillion rubles, or $50 billion.

Where you can find out more: www.worldcrunch.com Opposition leader assassinated in Tunisia An unknown gunman killed Chokri Belaïd, a member of Tunisia’s political opposition party, as he left for work on Feb 6.

Belaïd was a secular political figure who had been openly critical of the current Islamic ruling party, Ennahda. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the killing.

Despite Ennahda claiming no involvement, supporters of Belaïd set fire to its headquarters.

“Criminals assassinated Chokri’s body, but will not assassinate Chokri’s struggle,” Belaïd’s widow told Reuters.

Belaïd spoke openly against the ruling government that has been in power since the Arab spring of 2010, claiming a lack of social progress.

Prime minister Hamdi Jebali has put forward a motion to dissolve the government, name a non-partisan cabinet of technocrats and hold early elections as a result of this tragedy. The motion has yet to be approved by parliament.

Where you can find out more: in.reuters.com

Research shows how international students prepare for Canadian labour market Karla Karcioglu Ω Contributor

Despite poor attendance at some of the sessions, events such as the International Days showcase filled-up quickly.

—PHOTO BY K ARLA K ARCIOGLU

Puzzle of the Week Puzzle of the Week #15 – Eight Eights With eight eights and using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and brackets as needed, write an expression that evaluates to 1000.

888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 is one solution. Now, get your own! There are at least two others.

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 the Math Centre (HL210A). Come visit: we are friendly.

Nancy Bepple, TRU career education coordinator and Kamloops city councillor, presented preliminary findings from her research on “how international students are preparing for career-related work in the Canadian labour market after graduation,” as part of TRU’s International Days.

More than 50 per cent of international students surveyed want to stay in Canada after their education, according to Bepple’s research.

Bepple focused her research, conducted through surveys and focus

groups, on two questions. First, what are international students’ strategies to gain “capital?” Second, what is the role of TRU and its career education programs and services?

According to Bepple, capital can be divided into four categories. Human capital is knowledge and abilities such as language skills and work experience.

Social capital is the relationships formed through university participation, workplace connections and academic connections. Cultural capital is ways of doing and communicating. Symbolic capital is what is valued, for example a Harvard degree may hold more symbolic capital in North America than a degree from King Saud University.

Bepple said while international students have several types of capital, it might not be valued in Canada.

English skills were most important and social relationships outside of Canada were least important for gaining employment in Canada, according to a survey of international students.

They felt it was important to talk to people and get involved in the community in order to get practice with language and cultural skills.

TRU international students expressed desire for more work experience, more volunteer experience, more access to the career education department and more program-specific job fairs.

Latin American political left rising: scholar Devan C. Tasa Ω News Editor

Since 2008’s financial crisis, Latin American’s political left has been rising, but that comes with ideological contradictions, said International Days guest scholar Jeffrey Webber.

Webber, political science lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, spoke to approximately 40 people on Feb. 5 in the International Building.

“In 1990, it would have been difficult to foresee Latin American on the forefront of challenging [rightwing] neo-liberalism,” Webber said.

That’s because most of Latin America had just gotten out of dictatorships that actively oppressed left-wing movements like political parties, unions and human rights activists.

Around the time of the 1998 Argentine financial crisis, the left became an active political force. As regular citizens became worse off and social safety nets eroded, more joined forces with workers’ and indigenous rights movements.

As the movements became more powerful, they started contesting elections and winning them. Examples are Venezula’s Hugo Chávez in 1999 and Bolivia’s Evo Morales in 2006.

These left-wing governments consolidated their power as a result of the 2008 financial crisis, helped

by China’s demand for natural resources. Those revenues funded stimulus packages targeting the poor.

The left-wing governments have also moderated their ideological stance towards the centre to appeal to more voters. This has caused the more radical groups that had supported the government to form their own parties.

Webber is no stranger to TRU. He spent two years here as a student when it was known as the University College of the Cariboo.

6

February 13, 2013

Job Fair Start Your Career Today!

2013

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Thursday March 7 • 10–3pm Grand Hall, TRU Campus Activity Centre

Attend one of these free workshops to learn tips and strategies for maximizing your time at the Job Fair…

February 28

March 5

March 6

2–3pm • OM2791

4:30–5:30pm • OM1732

4:30–5:30pm • OM1732

www.tru.ca/careereducation

7

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 19

Life & Community

University Village public consultations set to commence Taylor Rocca

Ω Copy/Web Editor TRU and the TRU Community Trust (TRUTC) will be hosting a University Village information and consultation session Thursday, Feb. 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. This is the first of three public consultations.

The consultations are open to all TRU students, staff and faculty, as well as members of the greater Kamloops community.

University Village is a part of TRU’s long-term campus master plan.

According to presentations and releases from TRU, the goal of the development is to create greater population density on campus through the construction of additional housing and accompanying outlets such as grocery stores, entertainment, restaurants and other basic services.

“Having more housing and services right on campus will help with student engagement,” said Peter Hilton, former vice-provost students, in a release from the TRU newsroom Jan. 9, 2012. “The village concept

will make the campus more alive, especially when classes aren’t on.

Students will stay on campus more during weekdays before, between and after their classes and will come to campus more on the weekends.”

Not only is this viewed as a way to build a more engaged campus, it is also intended to improve the overall sustainability of TRU by decreasing the commuter population.

“TRU and the City of Kamloops are working together to make alternatives to car transit attractive to people and increase the walkability of campus,” Tom Owen, director of environment and sustainability, told the TRU newsroom on Jan. 9, 2012.

TRUTC was announced on Nov. 14, 2011 and is a corporate trustee that will oversee and manage the University Village development.

TRUTC is a separate legal entity from the greater university, though it is owned entirely by TRU. This allows TRU to engage in commercial activity it would otherwise be unable to do as a non-profit entity.

As the owner of the TRUTC, TRU will collect all revenue generated by the trust.

TRUTC is being managed by a

board of directors, consisting of 11 members, five of which come from the TRU community and six of which come from outside TRU. In order to achieve the development goals laid out, the TRUTC board of directors will include TRU’s president, vice president administration and finance, a faculty representative, a student and one member of the TRU board of governors.

It has also been stipulated that the six external members of the TRUTC board of directors must collectively bring expertise and skill sets that will help focus and further the development of the project. The specific expertise highlighted include property development, venture capital, business and marketing.

The project is being based off a similar concept seen at Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) UniverCity.

According to UniverCity.ca, SFU’s community is home to more than 3,000 people, 40 per cent of which are SFU students, faculty or staff.

TRUTC is also based off the SFU Community Trust, the separate corporate entity in control of SFU’s UniverCity community.

Workshop teaches students about own prejudices Karla Karcioglu Ω Contributor

Monica Sanchez-Flores, professor of sociology at TRU, hoped those who attended her Diversity and Difference workshop, at TRU International Days on Feb. 5, recognized that “nobody is without prejudice.”

Sanchez-Flores explained to those in attendance, the complexities of individual identity and how we are conditioned over time through a number of primary and secondary factors.

Primary factors include race, sex, socioeconomic status, gender, religion, age, disability and sexual orientation. These factors can be divided further into specific secondary factors, but neither primary nor secondary factors stay static through your lifetime.

Sanchez-Flores said identity is formed by how we build our sense of who we are, how others perceive us, societal constructs of hierarchy and status and the interlocking and intersecting of oppression.

According to Sanchez-Flores, identity is constantly revised, negotiated and updated.

“In principle none of us are prejudice,” she said, “but those structures are deep in us.”

Sanchez-Flores also talked about the importance of social structure versus individual agency.

“There are social situations which inf luence our lives,” she said. “They inf luence our behaviour, but they don’t determine our lives.”

“There is a little oppressor in all of us,” Sanchez-Flores said.

“It’s about being aware of the prejudice.”

Lone Latvian lyrically inspired Michael Potestio Ω Contributor

It can be a lonely experience when you’re one-of-a-kind and that has been true at times for Vita Andersone, 26, who is the only Latvian international student at TRU. “It is tough because I can’t really associate with anyone,” Andersone said.

“I’m not Canadian, I’m not anything else. I’m just on my own.”

Andersone pointed out she still has many people in her life such as her wonderful Canadian landlords and a fairly active social life so she isn’t always too lonely.

“Sometimes I wish to be alone,” she said. “So my alone time is when I go to the bus and I listen to music, that’s my alone time. And when I see someone who wants to talk to me I feel bad because I really don’t want to,” she said, laughing.

The second-year bachelor of arts student from Jelgava, Latvia, displayed her country’s culture through song on Friday at the International Showcase. The song she sang is dear to her heart and in English means “flag of mother.” It was composed by Zigmars Liepins with lyrics by poet Mara Zalite. The song itself is charged with symbolism.

“For example a flag is being compared to the baby’s blanket in which [a] mother wraps her child in,” Andersone said. “It’s [an] extremely important symbol for any nation so any person can understand what that means.”

Monica Sanchez-Flores discusses diversity and difference at TRU International Days.

—PHOTO BY K ARLA K ARCIOGLU

Global Village connects students with international opportunities Vita Andersone, the only Latvian student at TRU, sings at the International Showcase during International Days.

—PHOTO BY KEVIN SKREPNEK

Andersone described herself as a very musical person and has been singing in choirs since she was a little girl in Latvia.

She also plays the cello and even attended music school while in high school.

Singing choir music is also something she’s managed to continue to do while in Kamloops.

“Music has been quite a huge part in my life, although my family isn’t that musical, I’m the only one,” Andersone said.

As a singer she’s a first soprano, which is the style she sang in for International Days.

The urge to travel brought Andersone to Canada in 2009, but she first came to

Jelgava, Latvia, as seen from hot-air balloon, 2007.

—PHOTO COURTESY IGOR JEFIMOVS/FLICKR COMMONS

Kamloops, not from Latvia but Vancouver. While living there she came across an opportunity to work as a security guard for the 2010 Winter Games, which was an exciting and new experience for her.

“I’ve never been a part of such an important event especially a sports event.

I’m not much of a sports woman, myself,” Andersone said.

Knowing she wanted to continue her post-secondary education, which she started back in Latvia, Andersone said she was attracted to TRU because of its low tuition fees and the dry weather of Kamloops, but pointed out she doesn’t like the mountains.

“I figured out after living here almost two years that I don’t particularly care for mountains,” Andersone said, adding she doesn’t partake in mountain sports or wish to continue residing in Kamloops.

She hopes to extend her stay in Canada to the point where she might become a permanent resident or possibly a citizen. The latter would be a tough decision as it would mean she’d be required to give-up her Latvian citizenship, she said, noting her country doesn’t recognize dual-citizenship.

Andersone said she doesn’t plan to continue her university education at TRU. She plans to transfer to a new university for the fall 2013 semester.

With that, TRU’s Latvian student population will go from one to none for the time being.

Brendan Kergin

Ω Arts & Entertainment Editor TRU International Days created a little village Tuesday morning (Feb. 5) in an effort to send students away.

That is, a series of booths were set up in the CAC’s Mountain Room, collecting all the different programs from across TRU which offer opportunities abroad, from volunteering, to field schools, to study abroad.

“We get all the international opportunities on campus to come to one event, so it’s centralized, so students can come here, learn about the opportunities that they can go on when they’re in school

or at TRU,” said Rebecca Purdy, a Study Abroad student ambassador who learnt in France last year and is currently a member of the TRU Intercultural Council.

The event included booths by department field schools with locations in places like Cuba, tables about teaching English abroad and an area for Career Education.

Career Education helps with international internship and co-op placements.

The village also included a bookstore to raise money for those going to Cuba with the field school and a photo booth for people wanting dress up funny and have their photo taken.

Students check out thier options for field schools abroad at the Global Village in the Mountain Room of the CAC Feb. 5 as another part of International Days, the week-long event celebrating multiculturalism held each year at TRU.

—PHOTO BY BRENDAN KERGIN

8

February 13, 2013

Students help organize showcase for first time Allison Declercq-Matthäs Ω Contributor

Smiling merrily and calling over passing people above the roar of Student Street were three women amongst a crowd, handing out candy and promoting the newly formed Intercultural Council.

Their participation in International Days has gone far beyond promoting the council. Tiffany Rivette, Mary-Grace Maung and Tatyana Dikareva and Celo Pádua, were the first students in the history of International Days to contribute to the organization and operation of the showcase.

“I think the only thing we didn’t have a hand in was the food booths,” Rivette said.

Intercultural Council faculty advisor Craig Engleson recruited the students to assist four faculty members assigned to segments of the showcase -- the fashion show, the performances, volunteers and scheduling.

Invited to their first meeting in October, the girls were shocked to find only four students and two faculty members in attendance.

They initially obliged when they were asked to focus on one segment each, but in the end worked together.

“We were under the impression we were going to take on a bigger role,” Rivette said.

They approached the International Student Advisors about a more active position and recruited performers and volunteers.

Not only was communication an issue, but a f lood of late entries into the showcase created problems.

“By the time we closed the application deadlines everybody else wanted to join,” Dikareva said. ”It was really hard to say, ‘Sorry, we have no room for you.’”

Rivette acknowledged that the organization and execution was a challenge but said, “The thing with an event this size is, we get to watch it all pay off.”

(Right) A group of TRU students perform a Bhangra dance from the Punjab region at the International Days Showcase.

—PHOTO BY BRENDAN KERGIN

(Middle)Takudzwa Chibaya, a first-year computer science student, sings a traditional song from his home country of Zimbabwe.

—PHOTO BY KEVIN SKREPNEK

(Far right) Sarah Fitzpatrick (right) and Tarun Nayar (middle) of Dehli 2 Dublin take a turn on the drums while Sanjay Seran (left) plays a whistle.

—PHOTO BY TR AVIS PERSAUD

Internationa

TRU invites you to

Tell us your ideas on how to create a vibrant University Village on campus — it’s all part of TRU’s comprehensive Campus Master Plan.

Thursday, Feb. 14 4:00pm to 6:00pm

Come anytime — brief information presentations will be repeated at 4:00pm and 5:00pm

Mountain Room, Campus Activity Centre … and enjoy a Valentine’s Day Hershey’s chocolate K (or two) on us!

iss

www.tru.ca/village

@TRUnewsroom

(Top left) A band of Filipino students play Simpleng Tao for the crowd at the International Days Showcase.

—PHOTO BY K ARLA K ARCIOGLU

(Above) Sushma Sree performed a classical Indian song at the International Days Showcase.

—PHOTO BY JESSICA KLYMCHUK

9

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 19

al Days 2013

Delhi 2 Dublin drums up a party Brendan Kergin

Ω Arts & Entertainment Editor Delhi 2 Dublin (left) proved to be an auditor y force Wednesday, Feb. 6, in TRU’s Culinar y Ar ts Training Centre.

Five people can make a lot of noise when ar med with the right instr uments hooked up to the right electronics. The Vancouver group chose an eclectic mix of musical means.

An electric sitar, a dhol (a double-sided Indian dr um commonly used in Bhangra music) and a f iddle were just a few of the choices, while a DJ mixed a variety of rhythms together to weave a world music electronica mash-up.

“I know it’s Wednesday, but this is Kamloops, baby,” shouted lead vocalist Sanjay Seran about halfway through the set. The crowd didn’t need much convincing though, as the rhythmic music made it nearly impossible for the audience to stand still.

The energy wasn’t just from the music on stage. As a group, Delhi 2 Dublin was incredibly active.

DJ and drummer Tarun Nayar made it into the crowd at least twice, encouraging the crowd to make party buddies and calling for the crowd to keep up. Fiddle player Sara Fitzpatrick made a foray out as well.

The music also often held a message, with most of the group’s lyrics calling for peace and understanding between peoples. For a group mixing two very different cultural styles with electronica, the message seemed fitting and the crowd was receptive.

TRU student Matthew Pf lugfelder, aka Era Core, opened up the evening with a mix of electronic dance music including some original work.

The event, sponsored by the TRU Tourism Student Association and TRU faculty of adventure, culinary arts and tourism, drew around 200 people to the temporarily converted cafeteria.

Colin Angus prepares listeners for hurricanes

bad off as him, having just lost his tent in the Siberian winter, Ω Contributor he came across a gulag concentration camp marker and was re“The good thing about being turned to a sombre reality.

He also spoke about the subtle in a hurricane is you learn from that hurricane and are better changes in landscapes as you travel across the globe and he prepared for the next one.”

On Feb. 4, Colin Angus realized how, “[countries] aren’t (above), author, adventurer and that far apart but they are facing keynote speaker at this year’s very different challenges.”

One of the main messages International Days, told stories from his voyage as the first per- in Angus’ story was to believe son to travel across the globe us- in your dreams. When he was young boy, child of a single ing only human power. mother and not During the a lot of money, trip back to he read a book North Amerititled Dove and ca, Angus and was immediatethen-f iancée ly certain that, (now wife), like the boy in were travelling the book, he some of the would one day calmest waters sail around the in the North world.

Atlantic Ocean “I was so inwhen they spired by this found thembook,” Angus selves caught said. “This guy in the centre of didn’t have a not one, but two lot of money, he hurricanes. A

—Colin Angus, didn’t know the phenomenon as right people, he likely as being International Days just had a dream struck by lightand he made it ning twice, Ankeynote speaker happen, against gus said. all odds.

He detailed “When you have a dream, you his journey with a mixture of get people saying you can’t do it. sincerity and humour.

The logistical and financial You start questioning yourself.”

He said it is important to be planning for the trip took two years, but even the best planning able to differentiate between can’t prepare you for everything. good and bad advice and to not Angus emphasized the impor- get caught up in warnings and tance of maintaining perspec- false perceptions.

Angus’ wife travelled part of tive, describing a particular day in Russia when he was feeling the way with him, becoming the sorry for himself. As he walked first Canadian woman to row along thinking nobody was as across an ocean.

Karla Karcioglu

“When you

have dream, you get people saying you can’t do it.”

(Above middle) A trio representing China, Hong Kong and Taiwan perform using the dance style “popping” at the International Days Showcase.

—PHOTO BY ALLISON DECLERCQ-MATTHÄS (Left) Aliya Murtazina, from Russia, performs a belly dance for the multinational crowd at the International Days Showcase.

—PHOTO BY BRENDAN KERGIN (Above right) Vaitiare Carossi performs the Rapa Nui dance from her home of Easter Island at the International Days Showcase.

—PHOTO BY KARLA KARCIOGLU

10

February 13, 2013

Arts & Entertainment Album review: Saltwater

—IMAGE COURTESY GHOST LIGHTS

Sean Brady Ω Contributor

The terms “indie” and “folk” are quickly losing all meaning with more and more artists laying claim to these genre tags. Everyone wants in on the scene, but what happens when they get there?

Ghost Lights’s new EP Saltwater tries to set itself above the crowd with distinct lyrical themes appealing to a moody Pacific Northwest traveler.

Ghost Lights is a project from Noah Cebuliak, a 23-year-old multi-talented musician based in Montréal. Saltwater is the first release and although just a taste, it’s more than promising.

The album’s opening track, “Fog Chief,” is a romantic 4.5 minutes that evokes images of natural beauty set in overcast and drenched with rain. It sets the tone of the album’s imagery and gives a well-rounded introduction to Cebuliak’s style.

There’s no hard stance on tone throughout the album. Nothing is particularly upbeat. Nothing is particularly

downbeat. But that doesn’t mean the album falls into a monotonous trap, either.

It remains compelling by mixing tones in almost every track. When the melodies turn remorseful, Cebuliak’s voice is hopeful.

Saltwater’s lyrics are a tribute to the wilderness. But they’re more than that – there are hints of history here. The old west frontier shines through more than a few times. Mining, logging, and long, harsh winters – it’s all there.

It’s not just what those on the frontier would have experienced, though. It’s the letters they wrote home, the poetry to lovers they never met and the stories they told their grandchildren long after they cleared their land and built a home.

The album’s standout track is “The Flask,” where Cebuliak is able to project so much more and the guitar and bass are so full of character that if they were on any other track, they would drown the lyrics.

Wherever this EP has taken you, “Heart of Wind,” the album’s last track, will bring you home in comfort. Cebuliak plays piano and returns to his more subdued lyrical style, but the track doesn’t suffer for it. In fact, none of them do.

At first, Saltwater feels like it blurs together. Every track has a similar pace and most of them share common musical elements. If one of your favourite parts of an album is the juxtaposition, the “party song” amidst the ambience, you might be disappointed. Don’t wait for the crescendo – it never comes.

But if your approach to the album is the right one, expecting something you can relax to and be introspective by, you’ll find comfort in the wide open spaces and woody back roads Ghost Lights sends you to.

Canadian Music Corner Travis Persaud

Ω Resident Music Guy When an artist makes the decision to tour, tough choices are made regarding who and what to travel with. Setting himself apart from the rest, Afie Jurvanen, better known as Bahamas, has most recently toured solely with two vocalists and The Weakerthan’s drummer, Jason Tait. Jurvanen, with a Silvertone electric guitar in his seasoned hands, fills out any obvious potential for a flat live show playing with a mastered patience and respect for a crafted minimalist sound.

Before forming Bahamas, Jurvanen had his roots firmly planted in the Toronto scene, especially within the Broken Social Scene and Arts & Crafts crowd.

He has toured and recorded with Ja-

Brendan Kergin

Ω Arts & Entertainment Editor A regularly underappreciated genre, ska still thrives in Canada with hubs in Montreal, Winnipeg and Victoria. Central to the Montreal scene is the Planet Smashers.

These vets have been skanking (a traditional ska dance) and singing since 1994. Despite the long career, the music they make is as goofy, fun and carefree as ever. The band’s latest release invites the crowd or listener to dance like a hippopotamus. For those really listening though, the simple fun lyrics often have double meanings,

son Collett and Leslie Feist, bringing his high school friends along for the ride.

These friends went on to play as Collett’s backing band while developing a band of their own, Zeus. Jurvanen’s career is a testament to the adage that it pays to have good friends.

Bahamas’ second release, Barchords, propelled Jurvanen to fame in 2012. Riding the success of the album, Jurvanen earned a spot on the Polaris Prize’s Long List, the closing spot on Spin’s top 10 shows at South by Southwest and a reversal in roles with Jason Collett, seeing Bahamas securing the headlining spot on shows together.

From the grizzly beard and breezy acoustics seen on Pink Strat (Bahamas’ first release) to Barchords’ clean-shaven class of times gone by, Jurvanen is a smooth listen all around.

As a diving point, check out “I Got You Babe” off of Barchords. though not usually too serious either.

Apart from the bouncy, brass-filled tunes, the band is heavily involved in the ska scene – in Montreal and the nation. Frontman Matt Collyer started up ska label Stomp Records (now part of the Union Label Group) that produced albums and compilations specializing in third-wave ska (a subgenre which includes Reel Big Fish and Sublime).

While not known as prolific songwriters, if one is travelling in Quebec or Ontario, Planet Surfers play a bunch of shows close to home which are always a crazy, fun time. If not, try the track “Surfin’ in Tofino.”

Literary legend Margaret Atwood to speak at TRU Brendan Kergin

Ω Arts & Entertainment Editor Margaret Atwood’s Twitter profile is simple; one word sits alone on the line reserved for the biography. “author” All lower case, no grammar, a simple term to describe one of the most famous, celebrated, discussed and dissected personalities in Canadian culture and the written word.

For what many see as the icon for Canadian literature it may seem simple, but it is likely as to be as exact as anyone will get to describing Atwood.

As part of the Common Voices Lecture Series, TRUSU is bringing the lady of letters to the Campus Activity Centre’s Grand Hall Friday, Feb. 15.

“It’s very exciting, I think it’s wonderful that’s she’s coming to Kamloops. Her schedule is so busy that I think that the student union was very fortunate to entice her here,” said Thomas Friedman, a TRU literature professor and member of the Margaret Atwood Society.

While Atwood made her first big impact in 1969 with the novel The Edible Woman. Before that she had poetry published, but her first novel, started while she was teaching at UBC in Vancouver, is what introduced her to greater acclaim.

Since then she has been a pro-

—PHOTO COURTESY MAR K HILL/FLICK R

lific writer, with many works held in high regard by the literary world, including The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), which is often a part of Canadian high school English curriculums, and The Blind Assassin (2000), a winner of the prestigious Booker Prize.

However, she is not only a celebrated author, but also a noted commentator on society.

“I think her reputation, and this is another dimension of her, is as a social critic. She has been one of the most insightful critics of society, politics, religion, science; I find that role is

something she has grown into,” Friedman said. “She’s become an advocate for a number of very important social issues.”

Those issues include promoting the use of libraries, bird conservation and working with the organization PEN International, a global community of writers.

“She’s been a really strong advocate for freedom of speech, particularly for people who she feels whose voices have to be heard, like poets and creative writers,” Friedman said.

As of Feb. 6 there were still a small number of tickets left according to TRUSU.

Volunteers The Games People Play could be seen throughout the show. The serve up Allison Declercq-Matthäs games were not only on display; visitors were encouraged to play with them.

“To see people play the games, even global buffet Ω OnContributor Monday, Feb. 4, people were mill- hopscotch, makes my heart sing,” Karla Karcioglu Ω Contributor

Those that wandered over to TRU Residence on Feb. 7 were able to feast for free on an assortment of recipes from around the world.

At the event, called Cooking around the World, volunteers prepared cultural dishes and served them to those who attended.

Attendees watched via livestreaming video as the cooks explained and demonstrated how to make each recipe. Including traditional Canadian butter tarts, Japanese sushi, Chinese fried rice, Mexican tostadas and Indian tandoori chicken, 11 different international recipes were prepared.

The event was organized with the help of the Kamloops Multicultural Society.

Amit Goel, international student advisor at TRU World and one of the International Days organizers, said this year was different.

In previous years, students did all the cooking. This year, explained Goel, they wanted to bring a sense of community to International Days.

“We felt like this was the perfect event for community involvement,” Goel said.

The last recipe of the night was Chinese New Year cake, made from a mixture of eggs, red beans, sticky rice powder, brown sugar, flour and oil. All the evening’s recipes were available on leaflets to attendees at the end of the night.

ing around the exhibits in Old Main’s art gallery like they were the latest high-tech product. However, with the exception of an area tucked away in a cozy corner, all the displays were actually products of ancient civilizations.

So what had the visitors, ranging in age from youth to the elderly, so excited?

Games.

Familiar toys like kites, jump ropes and chess sets lined the walls with a variety of exotic games mixed in. Juxtaposed beside Congklak, humanity’s oldest game was an opening, which led to a small niche called Geek-eDen. The space featured a stereotypical geek paradise. Ben Eastabrook shaped the exhibit based on the house he shares with his roommates.

“Well, I was a little more carefree ¬– just throwing laundry around,” said Eastabrook. He led the installing of the show, titled The Games People Play.

Described as a multi-layered artist, curator Tricia Sellmer’s influence

Sellmer said at the opening. Each game featured a write-up documenting its origin and history.

The original idea for the show was to contact various international artists and host their work, but Sellmer discovered a cheaper, better alternative. She integrated several pieces by local artists, creating a hometown game-store backdrop for the show. The organizers estimated the opening drew about 100 people.

“We didn’t know quite what to expect,” said Sellmer. “This crowd [size] is quite unusual.”

Morgan Benedict and Kit Langfield certainly enjoyed their game of crokinole. Neither realized the game originated from Ontario.

“It’s fun and frustrating,” Benedict said.

“You have to be really gentle,” Langfield said.

This exhibition will remain open next week during the evenings.

—PHOTO BY ALLISON DECLERCQ-MATTHÄS

11

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 19

More International Days Midday matinees make crowd mindful of world around them

Film Review: Waste Land

Jessica Duncan Ω Contributor

This year International Days organizers took the opportunity to show a small but respectable selection of foreign films. Feb. 4 through Feb. 6, TRU World set up three Foreign Movie Matinees located in the Clock Tower’s Alumni Theatre. Each film varied culturally and stylistically.

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2004), directed by Zimou Zhang (House of Flying Daggers) and produced by William Kong (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), was shown Monday, Feb. 4. Ken Takakura stars as Gouichi Takata, an aging Japanese man desperate to reconnect with his terminally sick son, Kenichi.

Takata learns of his son’s love for Nuo opera, which is a popular folk opera in southwest China. In hopes of repairing their relationship he travels to China to film this opera for Kenichi.

Throughout his journey, Takata is at a linguistic disadvantage, his inability to communicate in China mirrors his inability to communicate properly in his native land, especially with his son.

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles is a heartfelt voyage and captivated the audience.

With close to one billion users, YouTube has become a tool in everyday life across the globe.

On July 24, 2010, thousands of YouTube users worldwide were asked to upload videos of their day to partake in the making of

—IMAGE COURTESY ALMEGA PROJECTS

Jessica Duncan —PHOTO COURTESY DHAR MA PRODUCTIONS

the 2011 crowd-sourced documentary, Life in a Day (shown Tuesday, Feb. 5).

Acclaimed director Ridley Scott teamed up with documentary filmmaker Kevin Macdonald for what turns out to be a lengthy YouTube video.

Scott and Macdonald claim to have edited 4,500 hours of footage into a 90-minute feature. Although the worldly aspect of Life in a Day is admirable, it proves to be nothing but a shallow experiment treading in deep water.

Featured Wednesday, Feb. 6, My Name is Khan (2010) is a pleasant Indian drama, directed

by Karan Johar.

Rizwan Khan, portrayed by Shahrukh Khan, is a 30-something Muslim man with Asperger’s syndrome. Rizwan grew up in Mumbai, India before immigrating to San Francisco, Calif., to join his brother, Zakir (Jimmy

Shergil).

Despite having Asperger’s, Rizwan makes a comfortable life for himself. He marries Mandira (Kajol Devgn), a beautiful Indian woman and dives into domestic life with her and her son.

The film highlights Rizwan’s struggle, not only with Asperger’s but also as a practicing Muslim in a country growing increasingly fearful of anyone who “looks” like a terrorist. Shahrukh’s performance is comparable to Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Overall My Name is Khan is long but it manages to deliver a strong message while creating a love story along the way.

With attendance at an average of 20 people per showing, the range of films during this year’s Foreign Movie Matinee had the potential to leave the audience with a well-rounded image of the world.

Workshop summarizes Confucianism Kassandra Mitchell Ω Contributor

The Root of Chinese Values: Confucianism, a workshop held Feb. 7 in the midst of the five-day long International Days festival, briefly outlined the tradition of Confucianism as well as how the philosophy can be practiced in today’s modern society.

“We are grateful for this opportunity to share about Confucianism and what it means for all our lives today,” said Warveni Jap, a TRU marketing professor.

The Panorama Room, located on the International Building’s third floor, was filled with chairs and bamboo mats for people to sit. There was traditional Chinese music for the attendees to listen to and tea to drink.

A basic breakdown of the teachings of Confucius, an ancient Chinese teacher and philosopher, were read, which outlined the golden rule of the philosophy and a principle we’ve all heard before: Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.

This was followed by a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and a brief display of several historical Chinese artifacts. The items featured included art and tapestry, and the history behind each one were described in detail.

Jap ended the two-hour workshop with a brief lecture, in which she left room at the end for comments and questions from the audience of approximately 50.

Ω Contributor

On the night of Wednesday, Feb. 6, TRU Residence & Conference Centre screened the documentary Waste Land (2010) as part of International Days. Lucy Walker, a British documentary filmmaker, directed this film.

In Waste Land, Vik Muniz, a well-known New York artist, travels to Brazil to work among the people of Jardim Gramacho, one of the world’s largest landfills. The facility is 1.3 million

square meters (about 247 football fields), employs 3,000 people while housing 30,000 people on and around it. The workers of Jardim are a close-knit community. Many have been there for 20-plus years.

Over a two-year span, Muniz, born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, works closely with the garbage-picking community to create large-scale portraits using materials from the landfill. Muniz started this project as a way of paying homage to his homeland.

The finished results are astounding, with a few original prints auctioned off in London, while the rest are exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo. All proceeds from the art went directly back to the workers of Jardim Gramacho.

Waste Land has been featured at film festivals across the globe.

At the 2010 Sundance Film Festival it was awarded the World Cinema Audience Award for Best International Documentary. In 2011, it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Feature Documentary.

Waste Land will mesmerize audiences with its honesty while they fall in love with the hard working people of Jardim Gramacho.

Kamloops Global Film Fest debuts at International Days Jessica Duncan Ω Contributor

During International Days, TRU had the honour of hosting the first Kamloops Global Film Festival Thursday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 9. The event was presented by the Kamloops Global Awareness Network (KGAN). The festival featured films from the Travelling World Community Film Festival.

“The Travelling World Community Film Festival has travelled across Canada over the past 10 years and this is the first time it’s coming to Kamloops, so we’re very excited to share it with our community,” said Sarah Johnstone, KGAN regional coordinator.

Nine films were shown at this year’s film festival. Feature documentary United States of Africa follows Didier Awadi, an African hip-hop artist, as he creates an album highlighting black revolutionary leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Shorter films such as Ref lections: Art for an Oil-Free Coast were shown as well. Ref lections is a British Columbian documentary showing the journey of 50 artists as they travel B.C.’s northern coast, an area central to the controversial Enbridge Northern

—IMAGE COURTESY NATIONAL FILM BOAR D OF CANADA

Gateway pipeline project.

Formed in late 2011, KGAN is primarily involved with global development issues such as poverty, gender, human rights, environment, social justice, health and fair trade. KGAN is affiliated with the B.C. Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC).

The Kamloops Global Film Festival is hoping to return again next year as an annual event, but in a bigger venue with a bigger audience.

Do you like food?

The Omega and CFBX are hosting a steak/chicken/salmon dinner at Fox’n Hounds Pub on Feb. 24.

Tickets are only $10 and all proceeds go to supporting independent on-campus media.

Contact Mike at editor@truomega.ca for tickets.

12

February 13, 2013

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13

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 19

More International Days Universities need to do more with less: scholar Devan C. Tasa Ω News Editor

Universities around the world need to provide a better education at a lower cost per student, said a guest lecturer from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.

Approximately 30 people gathered in the Campus Activities Centre on Feb. 8 to listen to Markus Freiburghaus, the director of studies of the university’s school of business, give his eight suggestions on how to achieve that based on his experiences.

First on the list is making sure universities grow in a controlled

manner so as to take advantage of the cost savings of being big while ensuring it doesn’t increase other costs too much.

“Finding that right size is one of the challenges of the future,” he said.

Freiburghaus suggested the use of more interdisciplinary programs to reduce duplication of program resources and establishing partnerships with industry to help provide funding and instructors. He also suggested shorter, more flexible courses for busy students and less exams, saying students and professors alike hate them and they aren’t used in the working world.

He added it’s important to make

sure all parts of the university are governed in an autonomous and accountable manner and professors are paid for results – by credits awarded rather than hours teaching.

The final suggestion was to make sure the university has a consistent strategy, making sure everybody’s all going in the same direction.

Freiburghaus told the audience the public, like corporate shareholders, expect universities to do more with less.

“The public has the impression that there are more resources expended than are needed to be spent,” he said.

TRU professor explains currency exchange rates Karla Karcioglu Ω Contributor

Foreign exchange rates generally f luctuate based on the number of people demanding a currency, Belayet Hossain, a TRU assistant professor of economics, told students.

Hossain spoke in the Alpine Room in the Campus Activity Centre on Feb. 6 as part of International Days. He explained to students the complexities of foreign exchange rates, why they f luctuate and what it means for Canada.

The f lexible exchange rate, used by Canada, f luctuates

based on market forces.

“There are people who demand foreign currency,” Hossain said, “and there are people who supply it.”

Suppliers of Canadian currency include people who buy foreign goods, people who visit other countries and Canadians who invest in other countries.

With more demand, the price of the Canadian dollar goes up, Hossain said. When the Canadian dollar’s value goes up, or appreciates, Canadian imports become cheaper and more will be imported. However, export prices will increase and demand will decline.

This affects Canadians in two ways, Hossain explained. If import prices fall then most products found on store shelves will become cheaper. The negative result is people in trade industries are at risk as export demand falls.

“Canada is one of the countries that depends heavily on trade,” Hossain said, adding trade is heavily affected by f luctuations in the exchange rate.

Other factors that can inf luence f luctuation include trade policies, inf lation, political factors, market psychology and interest rates, which for Canada has remained notoriously low.

Sarajevo, May 2007.

—PHOTO COURTESY DAVID DUFRESNE/FLICK R

Tourism helps heal scars of war Kevin Skrepnek Ω Contributor

Before the armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, hospitality was a staple of everyday life.

Now with tourists coming back to the region, it has become vital once again.

Senija Causevic, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of London, spoke to a room of approximately 30 in the Campus Activity Centre on Feb. 7 as part of International Days.

A first-hand witness of the Balkan wars, Causevic delved in to the repercussion of this new-found tourism industry. When North American and Western European backpackers began appearing on the streets and in the hostels of Sarajevo, a city that had been under siege for almost four years, the local residents knew the war was truly

over, she said.

While some view travel to this region as “dark tourism,” an exploitative field trip to troubled areas by privileged foreigners, Causevic sees it differently. In her view, by opening their country to outside visitors and lying bare the atrocities that have occurred there, Bosnian-Herzegovians have begun to normalize and reconcile with the violence of their past. For many, the uncomfortable discussions that arise when guiding visitors through the former battlegrounds that form their neighbourhoods have become, in Causevic’s words, a “mechanism of catharsis.”

It’s her hope that the hospitality so ingrained in the region’s culture will ensure that outsiders are continued to be welcomed and continue to be made part of the healing process in this wartorn part of the world.

Have a voice in the operations of TRU

Student Elections TRU Board and Senate positions Student positions on the governing bodies need to be filled through the election process and the process is as follows: board of governors (One) Student nominated from students who are members of the TRU Student Union but elected by all TRU & TRU-OL students (1 year term) September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014. senate (Two) Students nominated and elected by all TRU & TRU-OL students (1 year term) September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014 nominations All candidates for election must be nominated in writing by three individuals eligible to vote in the election. For detailed eligibility information and Nomination Forms, please visit the web at www.tru.ca/about_tru/elections.html

nomination period

February 7, 2013 to February 27, 2013 (Nominations close at 4:00 pm, February 27, 2013)

14

February 13, 2013

Sports

WolfPack lose shootout thriller to rival SFU Owen Munro Ω Contributor

There is an old adage that says, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Well the WolfPack worked hard Feb.8 at Memorial Arena but it still wasn’t enough. TRU lost an entertaining game, including a thrilling nine-round shootout, to the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Clan by a score of 7-6.

The WolfPack found themselves down 3-0 in the opening 10 minutes thanks to a couple of wacky bounces in their own end.

As the period wore on the men seemed to

find their legs and the intensity continued to increase until Duncan Schulz caused a turnover in the neutral zone and deked out SFU goaltender Graeme Gordon.

The goal came on the penalty kill. It gave the WolfPack some much needed confidence and was the first of three shorthanded goals for TRU, a dominant display of energy, hustle and pressure playing with a man down.

“Credit to the guys, we had three shorthanded goals tonight, our penalty kill was outstanding,” WolfPack head coach Don Schulz said post-game.

“We’ve worked hard at the penalty kill

a glove-side rocket to give SFU the win. It was a disappointing way to end the game for the WolfPack, but Bokla believes the shootout loss isn’t indicative of the way the WolfPack played.

“You know, last weekend we took Selkirk to overtime and they’ve only lost one game all season,” Bokla said.

“Taking SFU to overtime tonight, it’s a big mental push. It’s great to see them come back and build adversity and some character.”

Coach Schulz was also focused on the positives rather than the negatives.

“Credit to our guys, they didn’t stop. That kind of perseverance will pay off.”

As the playoff stretch begins, every game will —Don Schulz, WolfPack head coach be of the utmost importance for the WolfPack, something Schulz has been preaching for game.

“The guys really came together as a a few weeks.

“We’ve been looking at the schedule team in the third period, worked together, worked hard and cheered each other after the Selkirk game and we’ve been on,” said assistant coach John Bokla. preaching proper rest, food and hydra“Going into overtime, we battled hard tion,” Schulz said. “Based on what I but just couldn’t find a bounce to go our saw in practice I think the guys have properly prepared for the tough stretch way.”

Overtime was a stagnant period of hockey still to come.”

The WolfPack has six games left on where both teams seemed content with heading to a shootout, but both struggled the schedule, including a home game with no goals in the first eight rounds. It against the league-leading Selkirk wasn’t until SFU’s ninth shooter, Kale Saints on Feb. 22. TRU sits firmly in Wild, walked in with speed and roofed third place with a 7-8-0-3 record. because we struggled with it at the start of the year and we’ve really turned it around”.

It was evident throughout the final 40 minutes that TRU was outworking SFU and it finally paid off when they scored three of the four goals in the final frame to force overtime. Three of the goals came in a strange 51-second sequence that saw the two teams trade goals before TRU’s Tyler Jackson scored on an SFU defensive breakdown to tie the

“Credit to our guys, they didn’t stop.”

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Shane Mainprize makes a pad save on a shot by the SFU Clan, Feb. 8. The WolfPack lost the game in the shootout, by a score of 7-6..

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The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 19

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MYLES MELLOR AND SALLY YORK

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1. Expert 5. Catch, in a way 10. Center of authority 14. Cuckoos 15. Impede 16. Bridge toll unit 17. Easy to pick up 20. Baffled 21. One of the Simpsons 22. Supply with ammo 23. Marriage, for one?

26. Raw liquors 28. “China Beach” setting 31. Capture 33. Lagerlöf’s “The Wonderful Adventures of___” 34. “Right away!”

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57. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.

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February 13, 2013

TRUSU Membership Advisory Get your

FREE ISIC 8AM-10PM Monday-Friday at the Members’ Services Desk in the Students’ Union Building A service for members of the Canadian Federations of Students

Feb 15th

7:00 PM Grand Hall

Margaret Atwood Free Admission Tickets available at the Members’ Services Desk in the Students’ Union Building starting Feb 1st (Limit: 2/person)

Did you know?

Students can file their taxes online for FREE! Check out trusu.ca for more info.

Post-Secondary Education Fact: Youth unemployment will cost Canada $23 billion over the next 18 years due to lost wages and wage scarring This Week: • International Days • Access to Justice Conference • Council Meeting Check out the Events Calendar at trusu.ca for details!

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