October 17, 2012

VOLUME 22 ISSUE 7

OCTOBER 17, 2012

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Old Main gets more provincial funding 2

TRU law argues legal case by tweet 2

Golf season wraps up

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This is mid-October?

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TRU’s Independent Student Newspaper

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October 17, 2012

News

‘New’ Old Main project gets $7.4 million Provincial government to pay healthy percentage of the estimated $20 million project Devan C. Tasa Ω News Editor

The provincial government has committed $7.4 million to complete renovations on Old Main for the law school, but the status of funding for the school’s day-to-day costs is unclear.

Around 150 people, which included law students, provincial and student politicians, construction workers and university administrators, gathered in the construction site Oct. 9 for the announcement.

“This is part of our skills training plan to ensure that we have the educated workforce that will drive our economy into the future,” John Yap, B.C.’s advanced education minister, told the audience. “I’m delighted to come here on behalf of Premier Christy Clark to announce this funding to complete the renovation and completion of this building.”

The university estimates the total cost of the renovation project will be $20 million.

The first phase of the project, the shell on top of Old Main, will cost $10 million. The announced funding will go to the second phase, which focused on the building’s interior.

TRU expects to obtain the final $2.6

million needed through fundraising.

The project will turn Old Main from a bit of an ugly duckling to a piece of art modeled after the two mountains that tower over the city, said Alan Shaver, TRU’s president.

“Today, with the announcement from the minister, TRU and the province has formed a partnership to make this dream come true,” he said. “It’s going to, in the process, transform the Old Main building into the new Old Main building and generate a state of the art educational facility.”

The president of TRU’s Society of Law Students, Robert Fischer, expressed gratitude for the funding.

“It’ll go a long way to complete the inside of this building,” Fischer said. “I know it’s been a challenging year in terms of study space, lockers and general things for students, so it’s much appreciated.”

Law students currently study at the Brown Family House of Learning, which can make it hard to study because the building was designed to be a common area for the general student population.

The law school’s dean also told the audience he and the rest of the law faculty were excited to have

UBC faculty speak out against new intellectual property policy Laura Rodgers

The Ubyssey (UBC) VANCOUVER (CUP) — UBC wants to update its policy about who owns patents, papers and books that come out of university research. But professors think that the university is being greedy, and it might wind up losing faculty as a result.

The UBC Faculty Association argues that under the new policy, any work they do with UBC resources would automatically belong to the university.

The university plans to replace its current policy about who gets to own research-related patents with a new, broader document.

“The current policy … is almost 20 years old,” said Randy Schmidt, director of UBC Public Affairs. “I think it was drafted in 1992. This was prior to the emergence of the Internet, so a lot has changed since then. And a change to the policy is overdue.”

According to Schmidt, the current policy is too focused on patents and was expanded so that UBC can be clear on who owns other works put out by academics, like journal papers and textbooks. “[The old policy] was focused primarily on commercial means, patenting,” Schmidt said.

“So the new policy is meant to better reflect a broader range of knowledge that’s created.”

The Faculty Association sent a letter to the university criticizing the new policy, saying that it could mean UBC will automatically own all papers, books and class work put out by UBC faculty.

“Many [faculty members] do research projects, we write textbooks, we prepare class notes — a variety of materials,” said Nancy Langton, head of the Faculty Association. “The university position seems to be that they own all of these materials un-

der this newly revised, proposed policy.”

The association argues that the new policy is more restrictive than those at other universities, and may dissuade new faculty from coming to UBC if it is passed.

“Typically at universities, the faculty members own their intellectual property, not the university,” said Langton. “I’m a textbook writer. I write a major textbook that is published widely across Canada.

The way this new policy reads, all of my work that goes into the textbook would belong to the university.”

Schmidt wasn’t able to discuss the specifics of the Faculty Association’s criticisms, but he said that UBC would consider them. “I’m not a technical expert on the ownership of intellectual property,” said Schmidt. “We’ll be looking at the questions that the Faculty Association has raised, and we take them seriously as part of the process of feedback.”

UBC math professor Izabella Laba is worried that if the new policy passes, it will make teaching classes more difficult.

Laba said that, as far as she can interpret the policy, it might mean that she can’t post lecture notes or sample problems on a class webpage without obtaining UBC’s written permission. “If this kind of a policy applied to teaching materials, none of that would be available to us,” said Laba.

The proposed new policy also states that if a faculty member and UBC have a dispute over who owns something, UBC will act as a mediator. The Faculty Association doesn’t like this proposition either.

“We feel there’s a conflict of interest in having the university being the sole arbiter in that,” Langton said.

The new policy was set to go before the UBC Board of Governors in December, but according to the Board’s planning and liaison manager Reny Kahlon, it now won’t be debated until 2013.

their own space under construction.

“We are really pleased to be in this building, we are really pleased to be teaching and studying law here in Thompson Rivers University,” Chris Axworthy said. “We have every expectation of providing really, really top-notch law student graduates that’ll go on to article, go on to practice law, wherever their aspirations, wherever their dreams take them.”

This funding announcement is positive for students, the university and the community, said Michelle Mungall, the B.C. NDP’s advanced education critic.

“This is a good news announcement and I’m glad that the Liberals have decided to invest in TRU,” she said, adding the problem is the government has kept funding stagnant for day-to-day expenses since 2005, with a planned $50 million reduction over the next two budgets.

“It will be great to see the facilities there, but we also have to make sure there’s funding there for operations so we can actually make sure that there’s students in those buildings.”

Neither political party got specific as to provincial day-to-day funding TRU law students aren’t receiving.

—PHOTO BY DEVAN C. TASA

The two older law schools at the University of Victoria (UVic) and University of B.C. (UBC) receive funding while TRU does not.

“Each and every year, we provide TRU with operating grants up to $65 million,” Yap told The Omega.

“It is in the purview of the university to fund the programs from all the sources available to the university. We are supporting, through generous grants, Thompson Rivers

University.”

As for the B.C. NDP, Mungall said they would be unable to make any specific commitments until they were in government and able to examine the issue in greater detail.

TRU’s law school has the highest tuition in the province at $17,136 per year, while UVic’s costs $8,678.08 and UBC’s costs $11,003.52 for the first year and $10,315.80 for the last two.

TRU law students to participate in Twitter moot Samantha Garvey Ω Roving Editor

TRU will be represented by two students from the country’s newest law school in a national competition on an international stage.

For the second year, West Coast Environmental Law will host the Twitter Moot competition, taking the legal debate online and to 140 characters at a time.

“The strength of your moot comes from how concise [you can be],” said Chris Albinati, one of the competitors.

“The challenge is to be very concise.”

Albinati and Jay Michi, both secondyear law students, will soon receive their case and which side they will represent against four other Canadian law schools, TRU being the only B.C. school.

“Moots always reflect the calibre of students,” Albinati said, adding that a good showing from them would reflect positively on the school.

“TRU [law] is off people’s radars,” Michi said. “[This] is one more step to make us impossible to ignore.”

The venue is online, which makes this moot more light-hearted than a formal one. Michi said he plans to compete while in his pajamas.

To prepare for a moot is months of work, which usually grants course credit. In this case, it will be extracurricular participation.

“We’re going for feathers in our caps,” Michi said.

First, they will submit a factum, a written legal argument citing all the cases that will be used. After that the sentence length becomes much smaller.

“If you really want to geek out, you can go read each factum,” Michi said.

To prepare, they will need to find a

Jay Michi (left) and Chris Albinati get their thumbs ready for

the second annual West Coast Law Twitter Moot.

—PHOTO BY SAMANTHA GARVEY

coach. They said they are disadvantaged because as the competition is held by West Coast Environmental Law it will be an environmental case, likely against students planning to practice environmental law after graduation. TRU’s environmental law professor doesn’t arrive until next semester.

“We are the Jamaican bobsled team,” Michi said. “We are still looking for our John Candy.”

Both are long-time Twitter users and recognize it as an essential educational tool.

“It’s all about who you follow on Twitter,” Michi said.

He added that hosting the moot competition on Twitter creates unpredictability because you can’t control other users.

“Last year I was a heckler,” he said.

When the first ever Twitter Moot

took place in February 2012, it generated a lot of attention and become a top trending topic on the social networking site.

Other than winning the competition outright, Albinati and Michi have the opportunity to win the people’s choice prize, which depends on the other Twitter users that join in.

When they receive their case, the real preparation begins, but for now the pair is tweeting daily, researching the judges and trying to rally support from the student body.

There are very few people at TRU that use Twitter, Michi said, which will serve as a disadvantage in that part of the competition as well.

Despite the challenges facing them, Michi said he is confident about their results.

“We’re going to dominate either way.”

ON THE COVER: Many TRU students have yet to pull out their winter wear, despite it being the middle of October. Record-high temperatures have been reported this fall, so get out and enjoy it while you can. — PHOTO BY MARVIN BEATTY

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The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 7

THE

MEGA

www.theomega.ca

October 17, 2012

Volume 22, Issue 7

Published since November 27, 1991

editorialstaff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Mike Davies

Editorial/Opinions Eyes of the beholder, as they say

How fortunate we are to be in a place that’s not “concretey”

editor@truomega.ca

250-828-5069

@PaperguyDavies BUSINESS MANAGER VACANT 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

Samantha Garvey

Editor’s Note

COPY/WEB EDITOR

Mike Davies Ω Editor-in-Chief

ROVING EDITOR

roving@truomega.ca @Sam_Eliza

Taylor Rocca

copy@truomega.ca @manovrboard

omegacontributors Travis Persaud, Courtney Dickson, Alison Declercq, Cameron Staff, Mason Buettner

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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.

The Omega hosted a conference this past weekend.

“Good for you,” you say, “lots of people hosted conferences this past weekend.”

While that may be true, I only experienced one first hand — WPNCUP 2012: KamiCon. WPNCUP stands for Western, Prairies and Northern Canadian University Press, and KamiCon is just what we called it as an homage to a little gathering held in San Diego every year.

I’m not going to go through everything that happened at the event, or tell you about all the

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.)

self in and truly engage with it.

Check out one of Marvin’s findings on this week’s cover, by the way.

Take a walk in the hills while there are still paths you can see, find a little piece of paradise somewhere to ref lect on how lucky you are to be here.

Head down to Peterson Creek Park—just across from Denny’s on Columbia St. for those who don’t know—and head up the ravine before it gets treacherous.

Heck, if you have a car, there’s a real attractive drive starting here and heading in any direction — for any length of time — so take off even for an hour and look around.

After all, as Sam Brooks, president of Canadian University Press headquartered in Toronto, said in his closing remarks, he found himself not wanting to leave, because “Kamloops is all pretty, and Toronto is all concretey.”

When people come here they are truly amazed, so maybe we should look at it how they saw it this past weekend — with a fresh set of eyes before it gets covered in snow.

It’ll be here any day now. editor@truomega.ca

Leadership, leadership, where have you gone?

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

great speakers we had — you should have attended if you wanted to know these things — but I will comment on the feedback I received.

I’m not talking about the “Well done. You must have put a lot of work into planning this,” type comments I received for my team’s efforts, I’m talking about the one prevailing idea expressed to me by the delegates who came from all over a region that stretches from Victoria to Winnipeg.

“Wow,” they said en masse.

“This place is beautiful,” they told me as they peered out over the valley at the hills above and rivers below.

“Yes it is,” said I, acknowledging that they saw what I see every day and appreciated it as I have not done in a few years now.

I think maybe we get so accustomed to beauty when we’re around it all the time that we need reminding of just how lucky we are.

As Marvin Beatty has been doing for the past few weeks (based on his tweeting), knowing that winter is soon to be upon us, I encourage you to get out in the environment you find your-

TRUe Thoughts Taylor Rocca Ω Copy/Web Editor Leaders walk amongst each and every one of us in all aspects of our lives.

Whether it’s Dustin McIntyre leading the way as TRUSU president or Alan Shaver heading up the administration at TRU, leaders are present on campus here at TRU. The Oxford Canadian Dictionary defines leader as “a person followed by others.”

While leaders will have their followers, I’m not so sure that I agree with this stripped-down definition of the word.

Some leaders end up in power and don’t necessarily have followers, but rather strut around with a slice of lemmings.

So what makes a good leader?

How do you define a leader, or leadership itself, within your existence?

As a former hockey and football player, I would tell you that a good leader motivates his teammates.

He exemplifies the type of behaviour and play that coaching and management expects from the rest of the squad.

He demands that his teammates perform to the best of their abilities and holds them accountable when they do not meet those expectations.

This isn’t just my opinion on leadership within sport. I truly believe that leaders on campus, in the workplace and in the classroom are responsible for those same things: motivation, exemplary behaviour and accountability.

So what happens when a leader falls short of their responsibility? What happens when a leader is not worthy of being followed?

We live in a democracy for a reason. In my humble opinion, when an elected official does not meet the expectations of the electoral population, the leadership responsibilities fall to the majority.

While it is the leader’s job to hold their people accountable, it is equally important for the people to hold their leader accountable. Just look at the political uprisings in Egypt, as examined

by Samantha Garvey earlier this semester.

We see political uprisings on the international stage every single year. Yet, within the world of student politics, we rarely see any fight-back against lazy or unethical student politicians.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University in the Lower Mainland is the only example that I can readily name from my quarter century on this planet where a student body revolted against a corrupt

or irresponsible leadership.

So why the apathy elsewhere?

When a student body is unhappy with its leadership, whether that be the students union, a student club, the editor-in-chief at the student newspaper or someone else, why do students so rarely stand up for their rights?

Fortunately, I think we here at TRU are lucky to have a hardworking students union president.

We have a hard-working collection of student clubs.

We have a hard-working editor-in-chief at our student newspaper.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case across the board for other students or student organizations in the country.

I’m not trying to incite a riot.

I’m not trying to incite violence.

All I want to know is what happened to leadership? What happened to people holding their leadership to account?

Has our generation truly become so apathetic that we do nothing but shrug and say, “meh,” when our leaders shirk their responsibilities, speak ill of teammates or use their power to gain an unfair advantage or inf luence over constituents who don’t know better?

Personally, I’m sick of seeing power-hungry, egotistical and irresponsible leaders take the reins of once-respected student organizations.

I think it’s time those affected take back their leadership and demand nothing but the best from those claiming to be our leaders. copy@truomega.ca

You may say I’m a dreamer: Why “the good ol’ days” seem so appealing

Melanie Shields

The Muse (Memorial University) ST. JOHNS (CUP) — Surrounded by the sounds of rattling Crossley car mufflers, the mystery of speakeasies, the enchantment of downtown and the delight of exotic coffee, I escape to what I’ve created as the ultimate golden age in my mind –– the 1920s.

I imagine Louis Armstrong playing over the radio in every shop, Annette Hanshaw, Ella Fitzgerald, and Josephine Baker performing at every lounge; highwaisted pants hugging every man’s body, and a general atmosphere of dapper, grace, and excitement. The truth is we all have a golden age.

But history is deceptive.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “history is but a set of lies agreed upon.”

When we inevitably find something we dislike in our modern lives –– for me it’s having to settle with “grinding” versus the Charleston –– we escape through the illusion of the past. We focus on the glamour of yesteryear and leave out the hardships, quarrels, and uncertainties that lie beneath.

What’s more, most of us weren’t even alive during our preferred eras, so we really don’t know what it would have been like to live then –– it’s all an illusion.

Every reality has its issues, but it is our job as inhabitants of this age to make the most out of every second of our existence.

No matter how you slice it, every moment takes us one step closer to death.

So instead of whining about how the music industry just isn’t what it was in the 1960s –– because you’re thirteen and just learned who the Beatles are –– take the time to venture past the radio waves and find someone who is passionate about music and is actually alive today. Instead of fretting about how poorly everybody dresses nowadays, go put on your high tops and legwarmers and let everyone else live their own lives. Rather than complaining about how we are destroying the earth with our fancy cars and air conditioning, recycle that Starbucks cup in your hand and walk to work tomorrow.

Progress does not always mean success. There are many things from decades past that would be useful to our now perhaps over-advanced society, such as widespread farming and bicycling. But there are still things that we can and should improve upon, such as school systems and city planning, which have remained essentially stagnant since the industrial revolution.

Why do we choose to focus our innovations on specific advancements such as various categories of computer technologies? Is it simply easier to build and create new ideas rather than improving old ones?

Perhaps this picking and choosing of modernization is what leads us to crave times past. When we’re impatiently waiting for our phone signals to come back from outer space, we look around us at the beautiful heritage buildings and think “what if….”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming and idolizing the decades before us. By all means, fill your home with Shakespeare posters, Beatles records, shag rugs, and vintage Campbell’s soup cans.

But always remember that there is a beautiful, real world just outside your stained glass door.

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October 17, 2012

News New patient rights guides published as response to increased HIV testing in B.C. Tia Low

The Martlet (University of Victoria) VICTORIA (CUP) — With HIV testing on the rise, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) wants to ensure that patients know their rights before getting tested.

In two guidebooks released Sept.

27, the organization spells out these rights for the public.

Some B.C. hospitals and emergency rooms are beginning to offer HIV testing to all admitted patients as part of a pilot project — a result of new treatment options that can treat infections earlier. But this does not mean mandatory and uninformed testing, says the BCCLA. “We absolutely support the goal of increased access to testing. That said, we don’t want people to feel like they were tested against their consent — which is against the law — because they didn’t understand their rights,” said BCCLA policy director Micheal Vonn.

In 2010, the provincial Health Ministry announced a pilot project to expand HIV testing, treatment and support services, which includes routine HIV testing in hospitals for all patients. In the project’s current phase, this is happening in Vancouver and Prince George.

According to the BCCLA, the availability of patients’ rights in-

formation hasn’t caught up with the push for testing.

“You have changes in rights and a big push to get people tested. Well, then we have more and more people who aren’t going to know the lay of the land unless somebody tells them,” Vonn said.

The new guidebooks, both of which can be accessed at bccla. org, explain your right to informed consent, how to protect your medical privacy and how to limit who can view your medical information.

The guides also include information about criminal law and non-disclosure to sexual partners.

On Oct. 5, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled HIV-positive people do not have to disclose their status to sexual partners if they use a condom and have low viral loads. Otherwise, they could be charged with aggravated sexual assault if they do not disclose their status to a sexual partner. The BCCLA believes this ruling does not go far enough in protecting HIV-positive people. The organization says the ruling ignores the advances in HIV treatment that make transmission less likely, and adds that the ruling could affect people’s willingness to get tested.

According to Pam Kibsey, a medical microbiologist with the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA), the B.C. College of Physicians and

Surgeons requires all patients to provide informed consent before HIV testing can be performed. This means the conversation has to occur between the physician ordering the test and the patient. Kibsey said that, while it is wise to document this consent, it is not required.

Vonn said it is not uncommon for women who are pregnant to report they were tested for HIV without their knowledge and consent.

“It’s important info you need to know when you’re pregnant because there is effective medication to prevent transmission from mother to child ... that said, just because it’s a good idea doesn’t mean [the patient wants it done]. Many times health providers are just ordering the test and forgetting to inform the patient,” she said.

The civil liberties group also points out that electronic health records are threatening patient confidentiality because medical information is held in large databases that are accessed by many people, including health-care providers and support staff.

Vonn said a quarter of people surveyed don’t want to access sexual health services if their information is going to be shared in a database.

“That doesn’t give you good protection against your vindictive exboyfriend who just happens to be a

— PHOTO BY K AI JACOBSON (THE UBYSSEY) paramedic,” said Vonn.

Vonn said governments are focused on centralizing our personal information and that they claim it is for better efficiency and service in the long run.

“We need to be skeptical when the government says this. We need to ask ourselves, ‘Is it important for my medical services that my info be centralized so that it’s accessible through tens and thousands of portals throughout the province?’ ” Eric Berndt, communications and public relations officer at AIDS Vancouver Island, said it is important that people know how much HIV treatment and testing have changed. As an example, he men-

tions the new “point-of-care” HIV test, which provides results within minutes. It is currently offered at several Streetlink clinics and some jails on Vancouver Island as part of an HIV-testing program.

“The more people know, the more they can do to protect themselves.

The BCCLA guidelines are one part of that, to make sure people are informed about their rights and privacy,” Berndt said.

At this time, no VIHA hospitals offer routine HIV testing. On Vancouver Island, in-hospital HIV testing can only occur with a physician’s order. Free HIV testing and treatment are offered through public health clinics.

Students reap benefits as smartphone culture evolves

Banning the technology becomes less attractive option when developers create useful applications Daryl Hofmann The Sheaf (U of S)

Saskatoon (CUP) — Waiting outside the campus bookstore, Martin Miller stands with his head down, thumb-tapping his iPhone.

He’s gearing up for his second year at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and says he carries his smartphone everywhere. In the classroom, Miller uses the device to email, track assignments, fact-check and take notes.

And he’s not alone.

A survey released Aug. 9 by communications startup Mobilicity indicates more than half of Canadians agree that mobile phones are an “invaluable” tool for students. The “Mobile Student 2.0 Survey” found that 66 per cent of Canadians would use a smartphone to conduct on-the-spot research if they were a student.

While 46 per cent would download mobile apps to stay organized, 41 per cent would record lectures and tutorial sessions and 42 per cent use a smartphone to coordinate school and social activities if they were a student.

The findings point to what former chief culture and technology strategist at the University of Toronto Mark Federman calls “the emergence of contemporary education and social learning.”

“Not only are we seeing students using smartphones to record lectures, photograph instructor notes and collaborate through cloud-based applications but some instructors are starting to allow [students] to research items of interest during a lecture or use Twitter to open a back channel of conversation and enhance student

participation and engagement,” Federman tells Mobilicity.

Director of the University of Saskatchewan learning centre Jim Greer says smartphones and tablets are beginning to be used more skillfully to support learning.

Greer said students will soon be able to complete course evaluations on mobile devices and that smartphones will soon replace clickers in courses that employ a personal response system.

But as smartphones become increasingly widespread in the classroom, both students and instructors will have to adapt, Greer says.

Students need to learn to stay focused on course material during lectures and tutorials while instructors should begin integrating online tools into their course design.

“If you’re text messaging or Facebooking in class, it’s almost as distracting as when there are people sitting and visiting in the back of the classroom and ignoring what is going on. So I can understand when professors sometimes get annoyed,” Greer said.

But banning the devices would be foolish, he adds.

“More and more apps are being developed all the time. There are some very useful apps to help keep students organized, keep them on a study schedule, and to give them reminders. I think students should be using smartphones more [intelligently] to support their own learning and education.” iUsask and app development at the U of S Three years ago, after working as a software developer at Apple’s Silicon Valley headquarters,

— PHOTO COURTESY PAULMLESTER/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Chad Jones returned to the University of Saskatchewan to teach a computer science course on programming smartphone apps. The course was the first of its kind in Canada, and only the third in North America.

“During the process of creating the class, we created the iUsask application, which was also the first of it’s kind in Canada,” Jones said.

When launched in 2009, the iUsask app gave U of S students access to grades, campus news, class locations and maps on their smartphones.

The most recent update, available for free from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, includes additional features such as “the ability to find out available seats at various computer labs on campus” and personalized information such as “recommended textbooks for courses that you are enrolled in, ... announcements and

access to your electronic Bulletin Board postings.”

Now, Jones heads College Mobile, a 20-person, Saskatoonbased app development firm.

College Mobile has recently developed apps for Carleton University, Western Oregon University, the Saskatchewan Party and the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority.

Most of the upstart’s employees came from the app programming course at the U of S. The computer science department at the U of S, Jones said, is one of the best in the country, despite being outfunded by other programs.

“If you take some of the best graduates from computer science at the U of S and take them down to Silicon Valley — like myself — and plomp them into high-level jobs, they’ll be fine,” Jones said.

“The best here can compete with the best from pretty much anywhere.”

Still in development, College Mobile is working on a second smartphone app for the U of S — set to be released early 2013 — that will “help students find classrooms and bathrooms,” Jones said.

In ways that even Jones did not foresee, smartphones have risen from obscurity to the mainstream.

Now, he says, universities have dozens of app developers helping to drive the industry.

“At the start, a lot of people even at the university thought smartphones were just a fad,” Jones said. “Nowadays everybody has a smartphone, knows what an app is and knows why you would want one.”

The Mobilicity survey, conducted online July 9 and 10 by Angus Reid, is weighted to be nationally representative. It is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 7

News

Landlords and tenants make for a turbulent relationship

Justin Smirlies

The Cord (Wilfred Laurier) WATERLOO (CUP) — Dealing with a landlord is a process that is new to most students — and it’s not always easy.

“I think from time-to-time over the years you could say there has been issues associated with more absentee landlords,” explained David McMurray, the vice-president of student affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University, who has been heavily involved in the new developments in the student-dominated Northdale neighbourhood. “[There are the] landlords who may not respond — as a good landlord should — to issues associated with your accommodations.”

While it may not be the worst form of accommodations, student living has been a topic of discussion for many developers, the surrounding universities, the city and the students themselves.

Some students, however, many feel issues arise from their relationship with their landlord.

For fourth-year Laurier business student, Mike Megraw, that was exactly the case. While only subletting an apartment for the semester, Megraw rarely sees an active presence of his landlord — especially when help is needed.

“I don’t know the landlord as much but I do know he is very delayed in doing activities that should be done frequently,” explained Megraw.

“Like, we have a big issue with garbage in the apartments, it took him like a month to take out the garbage that accumulated over a long period of time.”

He added that at one point it had gotten so bad that the garbage room in his building was overflowing and that the stench of unbearable. As well, a semi-glass door in his apartment was broken, but wasn’t fixed for an extended period.

“It’s a safety concern because you’re getting glass everywhere and if you’re touching the wrong part you can accidently cut your hand,” he said.

This difficult experience with his landlord wasn’t particularly new to Megraw.

When he was in second year, he and his roommates — where they had an agreement with their previous landlord that their rent would be monthly payments after the yearlong lease was done — were essentially forced out of his apartment and left to find a new place.

His new landlord wanted to bump up the rent $100 more. Once Megraw and his roommates refused, the landlord told them that his immediate family was moving in instead.

“But his immediate family didn’t move in because I ended up knowing the people who moved in after. Obviously, they weren’t his immediate family,” Megraw explained.

“It makes you feel like you’re taken advantage of, basically. We’re students, we’re on our own for the first time, we don’t know all the legalities.”

In a more extreme case, a recent Laurier graduate, who asked to remain anonymous, rented an apartment last year. She believes that her landlord, who lived in the side unit of the building, was a drug dealer.

“He was a drug dealer. I know this for sure, because when I moved in there were sketchy things going on,” the graduate explained. “I was only living there because it was cheap rent and I can’t afford to live in those expensive apartments.”

According to the graduate, the landlord was unresponsive, reluctant to do repairs, had people come to the building at inconvenient times of the day and even told the tenants to not call the cops to the property.

“When we first started off we did have a few issues with the landlords where they wouldn’t do things that we would recommend and they wouldn’t spend the money where it needed to be spent.

We have gotten rid of many landlords because of this,” said Ho Tek, part-owner at Domus Student Housing Inc, which manages properties for landlords that do not live in the city.

“We’ve had our own fair share of problems. We just let go of our property manager because we didn’t feel like he was getting to repairs in a timely fashion,” Tek added.

Many issues do arise with landlords if they are “absentee,” meaning that they do not live in the area where they rent a house or building. As a result, it makes it more difficult for them to do repairs or to aid their tenants unless they have the infrastructure to do so.

“I don’t think it’s a big a deal, but the landlords come all the way from Vancouver to all the way from Australia,” Tek continued, noting that Domus has their own maintenance person to address those specific repair issues. “In that case, it is very important to have someone here. If there’s an issue it can be dealt with right away.”

But McMurray — who feels the situation is getting slightly better — urges students to do their research and go over the lease with their parents to ensure they are more proactive if an issue arises.

“Spend a little bit of time to understand what your obligations are and what your alternatives and options are,” McMurray said.

Megraw, however, wished there was a bit more resources in the community and at the universities to prepare him.

“It would be nice if there were a lot more readily available resources to help out with certain issues. What can we do in the instance where the landlord is threatening to kick us out?” he said.

International Intonations

Dude falls from space and caffiene helping people with Alzheimer’s Mark Hendricks Ω Contributor

Supersonic space jump creates new record An Austrian daredevil plunged from the edge of space into the record books.

Felix Baumgar tner broke two world records on Sunday, Oct. 14; one for the highest ever recorded freefall and one by being the f irst skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound.

Baumgartner ascended 38 kilometers above the earth on a balloon capsule before entering into just over a fourminute freefall. His speed reached 1,342.8 km/h according to Brian Utley, an air sports official for the jump.

That’s considerably faster than the speed of sound, which stands at 1,236 km/h.

Baumgartner’s record breaking freefall was part of the Red Bull Stratos mission, a campaign by the energy drink company that aims to advance scientific discoveries in aerospace for the benefit of mankind, according to their website.

Perhaps the most significant implications of this jump are for future astronauts. This jump is a “step toward creating near-space bailout procedures that currently don’t exist,” Baumgartner said in a statement before his freefall.

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

We’re still looking for a

Doctors prescribing pills to help struggling students There is an increasing trend in the United States where doctors are diagnosing ADHD in children who do not have it in order to give access to education-enhancing drugs.

In 2007, 9.5 per cent of all children aged four to 17 in the United States were diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s scary to think that this is what we’ve come to; how not funding public education to meet the needs of all kids has led to this,” a Californian superintendent told the New York Times on the condition of anonymity.

Where you can find out more: www.nytimes.com Fighting Alzheimer through caffeine

A recent discovery has linked caffeine consumption with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists from the University of Illinois recently discovered the exorbitant amount of caffeine that we students consume on a regular basis not only help us make it through the day, but also helps to fend — PHOTO COURTESY TOM VARCO/ off Alzheimer’s disease.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Caffeine does this by preventing inflammation in the brain. The experiment was conFor a lot of low-income families ducted on mice that were split into that can’t afford to put their chil- two groups. One was administered dren in better schools education is caffeine, while the other was left a real problem. A growing number as a control. The mice then underof doctors have started diagnosing went oxygen deprivation to simuchildren with ADHD as a cheap late cognitive impairment.

The mice that were adminisway of improving a child’s grades.

“We’ve decided as a society tered caffeine recovered their that it’s too expensive to modi- ability to form new memories 33 fy the kid’s environment. So we per cent faster.

The study can be found at the have to modify the kid,” Dr. Anderson, a pediatrician and vocal Journal of Neuroscience.

Where you can find out more: advocate of this practice, told the www.jneurosci.org New York Times.

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6

October 17, 2012

Costumes,Music, Dancing , Prizes, Pumpkin Carving Free Food, Mocktails, Canday, a Haunted House and More!

Thurs. Oct. 25th 6pm - 10pm Held in the Grand Hall of the CAC at TRU

7

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 7

Arts & Entertainment

Matt Mays excited to get back out west

Brendan Kergin

Ω Arts & Entertainment Editor A decade as a solo artist with five albums to his name, Matt Mays is heading across Canada again, playing his blend of modern indie-country. The Cole Harbour resident will be stopping by the Blue Grotto Oct. 22 for a show with openers the Meds from P.E.I. On this trip Mays has a new band, from his home province, and another Maritime group called the Meds to keep him company on the long trek across Canada. Apparently they’ll be sharing a sort of van/bus vehicle.

“We’ve got kinda both, it’s this hybrid thingy, we got it from the States. It’s actually pretty cool, we just got it today,” Mays said in an interview with The Omega Oct .11.

The tour will bring Mays out to B.C. for the first time since he played in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back, I really have some fond memories of B.C., from Kamloops all the way out to Victoria. I love it out there,” he said. “A lot of the guys in the band, and the opening band, the Meds, haven’t been past Toronto before, so I’m excited to look vicariously through them.

They’re still pretty bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”’

Despite a career starting in the ‘90s, Mays still has a bit of a bushy tail himself, with his new album Coyote, which hit shelves in September. His first album in four years, the time he spent between recordings wasn’t slow.

“I don’t like being in one place for too long. I saw myself getting cabin fever ‘cause I don’t get enough input,” he said. “I’m sorta

The Aquinian (St. Thomas) FREDERICTON (CUP) — During an interview with Jay-Z for the New York Times’ Magazine, writer Zadie Smith didn’t have to pick her meal.

“He likes to order for people. Apparently I look like the fish-sandwich type,” Smith wrote in her profile of the acclaimed rapper and producer.

Smith’s comment sparked an interest on the Internet from a few writers, questioning whether or not Jay-Z’s choice to order for his interviewer was acceptable. Pop culture aficionados are asking if there is a place for chivalry in today’s world, now long past medieval days and knighthood? And, if there is a place for it, can a gentleman take it too far?

The dictionary.com definition for chivalry reads “the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight,including courtesy, generosity, valor and dexterity in arms.”

From that definition alone, chivalry sounds outdated, especially considering the lack of knights and dueling on the streets.

Andrew Titus, an English professor at St. Thomas University (STU), offers a more modern definition.

“If you take the essence of chivalry out, then chivalry and common courtesy are the same thing. But I’d like to leave that part of romanticism on top of it. I’d like to leave that part in without it being insulting.”

The Casual Vacancy

It’s not Harry Potter, but it’s still pretty good Ariana Trigueros-Corb

grief, the citizens of Pagford quickly move to replace him on council and a controversial election ensues.

Montreal (CUP) — Being J.K. Meanwhile, the previous ally of the Rowling is a trap. The hype that has deceased finds herself more aliensurrounded her most recent publica- ated than ever. And so, as we flip the tion, an adult fiction novel entitled pages, tensions and secrets arise, in The Casual Vacancy, is proof of how a way that readers will find covertly much weight lies on this author’s echoes a combination of Desperate Housewives and Shameless. shoulders.

Rowling does a marvelous job of Clearly, should Rowling want to write about anything other than showing us, yet again, that she has Hogwarts, broomsticks and He- a profound understanding of human existence.

W ho -Mu st-NotHumor is Be-Named, the doused with literary world will crudeness, and undoubtedly go the combination wild, with critics is a satire of our bracing themselves time that leaves in anticipation. the reader wantSo, understanding more. I found ably, it’s with a myself blitzing bit of reserve and through chapters, much trepidation anticipating the that I, like millions slew of revelations of others across to come, the same the world, picked way I had dashed up a copy of The through the last Casual Vacancy at Harry Potter book, my local bookstore wanting to know on Sept. 27. if Voldemort had Three days latprevailed. er, my previously It’s suspense, pristine copy of but not in the clasRowling’s book — IMAGE COURTESY sic sense; there’s was torn, crumpled simply a more reand decorated by LITTLE, BROWN AND fined sense of excoffee stains, havCOMPANY citement to be had. ing been lugged H a v i n g around virtually everywhere with me for 72 hours; skimmed the media on the topic, it coffee shops, metro rides and dinners goes without saying that I’ve read my share of reviews on The Casual Vaincluded.

The book was extremely good, in cancy. Needless to say, not many of a dark, sarcastic and incredibly real- them are flattering. Negative reviews mainly criticize the book’s overall istic way.

Rowling had me engrossed in a grittiness and the fact it reveals a story that I would never have be- relatively ugly side of social reality.

For anyone that has read the Harry lieved to be that captivating. Let’s be honest – the idea of a book revolving Potter series, this is an unexpected around the sudden death of a council (and maybe even unpleasant) wakemember in a tiny, unknown village up call.

The charm that surrounded Hogin England isn’t exactly everyone’s dream premise. But the citizens of warts and its inhabitants, easy-going, Pagford, the tiny village in ques- comical characters that we would tion, are fascinating as we glimpse have loved to meet, was addictively their everyday lives unraveling in the pleasant.

You’ve been warned: there will be throes of tragedy.

The novel starts out with council- drugs, depression and all-out despair. man Barry Fairbrother passing away Does that make the book any less of suddenly on the eve of his wedding a page-turner?

Not a bit. anniversary. Initially shocked with

The Concordian (Concordia)

—PHOTO COURTESY

almost half way through my life and I don’t want to not see the world because we’re only here for a short time, so I just found myself wanting to explore while I’m still here.”

Mays described the album as representing the different places and situations he saw and was a part of.

“I feel there’s continuity in the album but at the same time it kinda jumps around,” he said. “That’s kinda how my life is so that’s kinda how the album ended up.”

During the tour Mays has been playing a variety of his solo material, so fans can look forward to songs going back to his first single “City of Lakes.” For those less familiar with his work, 2005’s “Cocaine Cowgirl” will probably ring some bells.

For Mays, the career up to this point is ten years, but some points seem closer than others.

“Some of it feels like yesterday and some of it feels like a long time ago. Ultimately it does feel like ten years though.”

When does chivarly cross the line?

Amanda Jess

Book review:

Titus says he practices his own version of chivalry with his wife of 16 years. He says they share chores as a way to show respect toward one another.

However, the courtesy doesn’t end outside his marriage.

“If you’ve ever seen me open a door on campus, the first thing I do is look over my shoulder to see if anyone is behind me. It doesn’t make a difference if that person is a man or a woman.”

His opinion of the concept depends on the context in which it’s used. He uses examples of placing a handkerchief over a mud puddle or making a point of opening a door for a woman as outdated.

“When you take all that stuff out and replace it with the central idea behind chivalry, which is that men should respect women in a loving and caring kind of way that supports our physicality or whatever, then I think it does have a place.”

Titus suggests an upgrade to the concept could be for it to go both ways.

“I think there’s something to be said about women being chivalrous. Like I said, I like flowers. I certainly never turn it down when a woman opens the door for me. I think a lot can be said for that kind of thing if relationships become more equal and awesome as a result.”

Leah St John, a fourth year female STU student, has a similar view.

“I feel like you show it back as well, just be polite.”

St John has been dating since she was about 15 years old. In this time, she’s established what kind of behaviour she expects from a partner.

“I know in respect to myself, I like to be dated. If they show up, they open the car door, at least in the beginning. If I don’t see that, then I’m not sure if I’m wasting my time or not. It’s just a respect thing.”

St John says her values come from her family, her father in particular.

“I’m definitely a daddy’s girl. He just did so much for my mom, and so much for us.”

For St John, chivalry has a lot to do with how a date treats her family.

“If you can’t respect my dad, you’re gone.”

She says it’s too far once it becomes controlling, but believes it depends on the woman’s preferences.

She says communication is necessary to establish this.

St John says chivalry reveals aspects of a man’s personality.

“I like that it shows they have manners and they’re courteous. It also shows that they were brought up well because they know to do such things.

And I like that they put in the extra effort because it makes you feel cared for.”

St. John says some aspects of chivalry, such as giving flowers, don’t always need to be there, but when a man takes that extra step, she appreciates it — just like her male counterparts do.

Contact editor@truomega.ca for ways to get involved with writing or photography.

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8

October 17, 2012

Arts & Entertainment Dan Mangan to release new EP

Travis Persaud Ω Contributor

After dropping some teaser art on Sept. 28, Dan Mangan announced a new EP entitled Radicals on Oct. 1.

A year ago Mangan released Oh Fortune, his heavily anticipated third LP. Between then and now Mangan has sold out shows, trekking his way across North America, Europe and even Australia. Along the way he picked up two Juno Awards, one for New Artist of the Year, another for Alternative Album of the Year and a Long List nomination for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize. He also picked up three Western Canadian Music Awards for Independent Album of the Year, Rock Recording of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year.

The new EP’s title, Mangan explained in an email to fans, comes from his frustrations with the superfluous use of the word “radical” in contemporary politics. Mangan continued, saying people of extreme political policies often call “moderately opposite people ‘radical’ to justify their own opinions or make themselves appear more ‘moderate.’”

The two-track EP starts with “We Want to be Pleasantly Surprised, Not Expectedly Let Down.” This track was recorded during the creation of Oh Fortune, but didn’t make the final cut as it “would have stuck out like a sore thumb,” Mangan mentioned in the email. The track starts with a hardhitting, almost grungy, introduction delivering forceful percussion laced

sporadically throughout Oh Fortune.

The political nature of the song picks up where “Post-War Blues,” on Oh Fortune, left off. From the quiet, introspective verses to its powerful, slow building, belting of the track’s title, Mangan captures the spirit of a discontent public.

The next track, a cover of Yukon Blonde’s single “Stairway,” reveals an oddly experimental sound with layers of ambient soundscapes projecting throughout the track. Although Yukon Blonde’s original version relies on infectious indie-rock hooks and upbeat vocals, Mangan’s interpretation is de-

livered in a much more low-key fashion. In the email, Mangan attributes his inspiration to cover the track to a “late night insomnia-inspired notion.” After one listen this is clearly evident. While the cover isn’t likely to win over any Yukon Blonde fans on the fence about Mangan’s music, it does add a new dimension of diversity to Mangan’s catalogue.

The EP will be available on seveninch vinyl and digital download on Oct. 16. However, “We Want to be Pleasantly Surprised, Not Expectedly Let Down,” is available for online streaming and the “Stairway” cover is on YouTube.

—IMAGE COURTESY ARTS AND CRAFTS

Album review: Cabin Fever

heard in an old Western film and Lund’s reference to the Rocky Ω Contributor Mountains creates a sense of connection for Canadian fans.

“Mein Deutches Motorrad” Fans had been waiting almost three years to hear the latest al- translates to “My German Motorbum, Cabin Fever, from Corb cycle,” which is exactly what the Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans. song is about. With a swing-like sound, this song is The Canadian almore upbeat than ternative country the featured sinmusic star and his gle. The introducband released their tion sounds simiseventh studio allar to the classic bum in August.

1980’s rock song, The 12-track al“I Love a Rainy bum relies heavily Night” by Eddie on the musical stylRabbitt. ings of the Hurtin’ Lund and the Albertans (Kurt Hurtin’ Albertans Ciesla, Grant Sieeffectively use the mens and Brady Valgardson). They —IMAGE COURTESY lyrics and instrufocus largely on the NEW WEST RECORDSments to tell the story of life on prairie use of guitar and other string instruments to create ranchland, though at times stereotheir old-time Western feel. The typical of a group of Albertans. sound of the Hurtin’ Albertans The sixth song is actually titled mixed with Corb Lund’s diverse “Cows Around.”

The style of the album is a vocals creates the perfect alternamixed bag. From yodeling to elective country album.

“September,” the first single off tric guitar, there is something for Cabin Fever, tells the story of a every listener. Fans of a traditionlover leaving the quiet prairies for al country sound will not be disa fast-paced life in New York City. appointed.

Lund will be going on tour proHis sarcasm towards the situation in the chorus is actually quite hu- moting Cabin Fever starting Nov. morous, intentional or not. The 16. He will hit Vancouver on Dec. guitar is reminiscent of something 12 and 13.

Courtney Dickson

Financial documentaries bring small crowd to explore big issues

Canadian Music Corner Taylor Rocca

Ω Copy/Web Editor Tickling listeners’ ears via Victoria on illustrious Vancouver Island, Maurice is an alternative singer-songwriter with a bit of pop flare.

Since his first studio release in 2010, Maurice has dropped an EP and two subsequent albums.

Jean-Paul Maurice has undergone a number of transitions and phases throughout his recording and performing career.

Young People With Faces, Maurice’s 2010 debut studio release carried a notable rock sound. Particular tracks that hit this sound home include “Kerosene,” “Scorpions” and “Rockstar.”

November 2010 saw the Big

Brendan Kergin

Ω Arts & Entertainment Editor Hannah Georgas has bounced around Canada a bit and through those trips created a sound unto herself, combining the sunny pop sounds often heard on the West Coast with some of the electronic inf luences more common to Toronto.

With a rock base and shouty voice, Georgas’s music is melodic, using punchy percussive vocals and guitar with big electronic-based melodic soundscapes for danceable indie-pop.

While not a huge success on charts, she has had a Long List Polaris Nomination and a couple Juno nods as well, though she’s

Country EP hit shelves, showcasing a much more folk-inspired, country side to Maurice’s repertoire. The title track to the EP helps bridge Maurice’s previous pop-rock efforts with the country and folk influences.

September 2011 brought the release of a seven-song album entitled Noverdubs, a precursor to Maurice’s October 2011 release of Songs in Sea, yet another fulllength effort.

After three albums and one EP in the span of less than two years, common sense would suggest that Maurice was due for a breather.

Common sense would suggest wrong. While there is no set release date just yet, Maurice is preparing to drop his latest album, The Arborist, in early 2013. been just shy of the wins.

However, touring with Kathleen Edwards recently has probably not hurt her songwriting ability.

Not all of her work is upbeat and dancey though, with some work more mellow and exploring more creative styles with banjos and other less generic sounds.

With a self-titled release this month, she’ll probably be hitting some airwaves over the winter, but her older work is still very worthy of a listen.

While many people may know her song “You’ve Got a Place Called Home,” recorded for a Wal-Mart campaign, a more representative track to check out would be the upbeat “Dancef loor” from 2010’s This is Good.

Allison Declercq Ω Contributor

The recent global financial crisis was the theme for the International Students’ Collective movie night and discussion Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the TRUSU Common Grounds.

Featuring the 2010 film Inside Job and the short Europe on the Brink, the mood was somber as students learned more about the 2000s financial crises in the United States and shaking the foundations of the European Union.

Inside Job, directed and produced

by Charles H. Ferguson, explored the series of policy changes and banking practices that led to the financial crisis of 2008 through a series of interviews of politicians, reporters, critics and academics.

The film compared the small, highly regulated banks of the financial industry between 1940 to 1980 and the large, unregulated global firms of today.

It also criticized the addition of derivatives in the ‘90s, describing efforts to regulate them being crushed by the Commodities Future Modernization Act of 2000.

The film went on to describe how people were being misinformed about risk and receiving loans they couldn’t pay back.

It exposes the fact that financial firms were making millions betting against poor investments.

From there the tone of the film went downhill as the market for collateral debt obligation (CDOs) collapsed and the financial giants began to fall.

The government absorbed some companies, bailed others and allowed some to go bankrupt. The world began to feel the American financial crisis.

The film ends leaving viewers with the feeling of witnessing the largest financial crime in history.

—IMAGE COURTESY SONY PICTURES CLASSICS Top executives of the collapsed com- Greece’s plight, raising issues of loyalty to fellow members. panies left with fortunes.

Once the crisis began to overcome Major banks grew larger, along with anti-reform efforts. The promise of re- Italy, the third largest economy in the form and regulation from the Obama EU, panic began to spread.

Parth Mokesh Patel, the TRUSU administration has not been fulfilled.

Europe on the Brink, by Wall Street International Students RepresentaJournal editors and reporters, dis- tive and organizer of the event, said he cussed the current financial crisis chose the films because their topics afravaging the indebted countries of the fect everyone around the world and reEuropean Union: Greece, Spain, Por- lated to students of many nationalities.

He said a country’s ability to avoid tugal, Ireland and Italy.

It described the EU as an effort to en- crisis like the ones experienced in the sure no future conflict between invest- United States and EU are up to culture.

“Chinese and Japanese tend to save ed European countries – an assurance against a possible Third World War. for a rainy day,” Patel said. “Americans Criticism of the EU sparked, as the use credit, use money they don’t have.”

Despite the hope that the film viewslow reaction to Greece’s overspending and growing debt was equated to ings were going to lead to talk and the inability of the different countries the promising crowd of 20 students – which rose to around 40 when the to reach a consensus.

Another point the film raised was pizza arrived – by the end of the film the distant stance better-off countries only five students remained, resulting like Germany and France took to in very little discussion.

9

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 7

Film review: Sunny

Snow riders get excited, because the season is almost upon you Travis Persaud Ω Contributor

If the cool Kamloops nights haven’t been enough to get winter enthusiasts stoked for the upcoming ski season, then the showing of Level 1 Production’s newest effort, Sunny, on Oct. 11 at the TRU Alumni Theatre, was sure to get excitement levels high.

According to event organizer Luc Levert, 65 people attended the premiere. When asked for his impression of the movie, Levert, a longtime fan of Level 1 Productions, admitted a bias but nonetheless “loved it.”

“We make a movie about how much we like to slam into walls, and then put it out every year, and kids buy it,” said film athlete Tom Wallisch sarcastically in the movie trailer, ultimately foreshadowing the urban adventures the Level 1 crew took on throughout the winter of 2011-2012.

In step with the current trend of tranny-finding in urban free skiing, Sunny showcased many urban feats inspired by skateboarding roots of sending it to tight landings. Adding a new spin on urban skiing, Logan Imlach’s segment saw the conversion of an abandoned building in Alaska into a narrow, windy “pump” track ending with bombdrop takeoffs through literal window frames. Sunny certainly affirmed the Level 1 crew’s creativity in taking skiing to an urban environment.

Innovation and style ruled over a spin-to-win agenda among the Level 1 crew this year, providing viewers with a much needed break from double and triple

f lip craze that has taken over the competition scene. Producer Josh Berman managed to effectively contrast the f lawless technical wizardry of Tom Wallisch with the simple f luidity of Eric Pollard and similar skiers.

Sunny cleaned house at the International Freeski Film Festival this year, picking up Best North American Film and Best Editing, while Best North American Male went to Level 1 athlete Parker White for his destruction of everything placed in front of him.

At one point in the film White kick-f lipped a skateboard while in his ski boots, as if viewers needed an additional testament to his skills.

As standard, the spring park

shoots saw the creation of bestial features at Sun Valley Ski Resort in Idaho and Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. Nonetheless, the making of Sunny was an international crusade that landed the crew in non-typical ski locations like Turkey and Japan. Runins with police officers abroad while shooting urban scenes added comic relief as the athletes and film crew attempted to negotiate language barriers.

While Sunny definitely isn’t the movie for someone who thrives solely off back-country charging, Berman achieved a balance of urban, park and backcountry skiing that aptly showcased the talent of the athletes he worked with.

—IMAGE COURTESY LEVEL 1 PRODUCTIONS

Gallery show: Welcome to my world Cameron Staff Ω Contributor

Welcome to my world is the name of Dale Redfern’s art exhibit, showing at the Kamloops Courthouse Gallery until Oct. 27.

Speaking to Redfern about what inspires him, his answer was simple — “it’s about emotion.”

At first glance, Redfern’s black and white works seem very simple, but when looked at closer one can see the detail that goes into his sketches of the old buildings in and around the Kamloops region.

He speaks very highly of the people who created the buildings and how they built them by hand and under the most brutal of conditions.

“Without that work ethic and integrity we wouldn’t be here today,” Redfern said.

“I get very emotional about this and try to put myself in their place.”

His exhibit includes several sketches all done in graphite pencil, a technique that he explained as “very clean, sharp, crisp and intense.”

Redfern’s art is very unique in its simplicity, but after explaining his reasoning for using the sketching technique this simplicity is understandable. “[Sketching] goes all the way back to the cave-age,” Redfern said. “It crosses all cultures and all boundaries.”

He has an enthusiasm that attracts people to him and his art.

One can really see his personality within the art itself and even in things like the signs outside

Contact arts@truomega.ca to review films, albums, books or theatre productions for us!

Puzzle of the Week #6 – Play Ball!

In one inning, the home team had all nine players at bat. The team got two singles, two doubles, one triple, one home run, and three outs at bat.

Assume that for each hit, all players already on base advance the same number of bases as the hit was for (until they reach home plate). What is the maximum number of runs that the team could have scored? Why? Give an arrangement of the batting above that shows the maximum.

Now, do the same assuming that for each hit, all players already on base advance the minimum amount they can (while still advancing).

Is there a difference in the maximums? Why or why not?

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@ocis.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.

the exhibit.

One quote written by Redfern on a poster just outside the exhibit doors sums up his inspiration: “The more we get away from nature, our past, and history the more lonely our future will become.”

Redfern began drawing at the age of 14. It was around this time when he was told lawyers make money and artists starve.

This clearly didn’t stick with him, as Redfern is now a member of the Kamloops Art Council and the Federation of Canadian Artists.

Being a University College of the Cariboo (UCC) alumnus (the former name of TRU), Redfern knows all about campus life. He attended UCC from 1992 to 1995 and graduated with a business degree.

“I had an absolute hoot in college,” he said. “At the end of my program I had a lot of my fellow students tell me they were glad they went to school with me.”

His personality is still a notable attribute, in addition to his artistic ability.

“An artist told me in 1991 that ‘a famous artist is 50 per cent talent and 50 per cent personality,’” he said.

Being an artist can sometimes be discouraging, though, especially for young people. Redfern is glad to give some advice to students who dream of being artists.

“Play with it, get in with artists,” Redfern said. “Be willing to pay your dues and take criticism. If you’re not willing to take criticism you aren’t going anywhere.”

theomega.ca

Arts & Entertainment

10

October 17, 2012

Sports

Blazers take Western Canadian Conference lead Olympians return to student life

Adam Williams Ω Sports Editor

The Kamloops Blazers defeated the Victoria Royals 5-2 on Oct. 10, taking over first place in both the B.C. Division and the Western Conference of the Western Hockey League.

The Blazers led the game from start to finish and surrendered only nine shots on goal after two periods - a stat made all the more glaring by the fact that the Blazers outshot the Royals 17-0 in the second frame. Victoria directed 18 shots on goal in the third in an effort to even the game but Blazers goaltender Cole Cheveldave kept the Royals at bay.

“Obviously he didn’t have any saves to make in the second period so I guess he was well rested to make those saves in the third period,” said Blazers head coach Guy Charron.

“The best goaltender’s going to have to make those saves and he did when he had to. But the second period, like you said he came in and said ‘Jeez I like those kind of periods, I didn’t have to work.’”

The Blazers took a 1-0 lead as the first period wound down, on JC Lipon’s fourth goal of the year. Colin Smith and Brendan Ranford notched second period markers to put Kamloops up 3-0 headed into the third.

The Royals pushed to make a game of it in the third, with goals from Jamie Crooks and Taylor Crunk. Cole Ully and the Blazers’s leading goal-scorer Tim

Bozon matched the Royals goal-for-goal.

Though the Blazers sit atop the Western Conference, Charron emphasized there are still areas where the team needs to improve.

When playing for the hometown crowd the Blazers focus too much on scoring goals and while it hasn’t cost the team yet, the season is still young.

“The games I thought we played really outstanding are the ones on the road,” Charron said. “It seems like maybe at home we want to put on a show. We get a lot of support from our fans and want to score as many goals as we can, but for me as I coach I will continue to be demanding as far as defense has to come first.”

The Blazers remained home, defeating the Spokane Chiefs by a score of 5-1 on Oct. 12 before heading to Calgary to face the Hitmen on Sunday. Sam Grist, who was acquired in a trade with the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 11, made his first appearance in a Blazer uniform against Spokane, posting one assist and a plus-2 rating.

“To complement our young players, who have a lot of skill,” Charron said about his expectations for Grist.

“Getting size and a stay-at-home type of defencemen are rare in our business, there’s not too many of them. The game has changed where it’s all offensive hockey. We feel that he can bring a dimension that will be very important for the success of our team.”

Golf team finishes season in disappointment

“We had three practices a week and spent every weekend Ω Contributor together,” Broadfoot said. “We Last weekend marked the end of were a really close-knit group.”

Despite the success the team the PACWEST golf season for the WolfPack as the team mustered a had in developing camaraderie seventh place finish at the Chilliwack and a strong team dynamic over the season, it did not translate Golf and Country Club.

The team placed seventh in the into success on the course.

“We didn’t perform at the three previous tournaments as well, finishing its fifth season sitting in level we wanted to all year. We seventh place in the overall stand- didn’t get together and achieve ings. The University of Fraser Valley the scores we wanted to. There beat out Camosun College in a tie- wasn’t much consistency.”

Now that the season is over, breaker to become the league chamthe members pions of 2012. of the WolfChase BroadPack golf team foot was the can only look only returning ahead to next member of the September WolfPack team when they will for the 2012 seacome together son. again.

“It was fun “Looking being the only forward to returning player

—Chase Broadfoot next season, this year, I got we would like to share some a bit more repwisdom and had some leadership [on the team],” said etition and spend some time on Broadfoot, who placed 21st overall in the mental side of the game,” individual scoring, the highest of all Broadfoot said. “I have higher expectations for next year.”

WolfPack players.

As for training in the offseaEven though nine out of the 10 players on the roster were rookies, son, there are not many options the WolfPack still had a great team for the golfers.

The Wolf Pack members can dynamic.

“It was a lot of fun playing to- choose to train at an indoor simgether,” said rookie Nic Corno who ulator, travel to warmer destinaplaced 24th in the overall individual tions for an expensive round of golf, or simply stick to a workout standings.

Corno had a great start in the routine.

The Wolf Pack golf team holds Chilliwack tournament, shooting a one-under score of 70 in the first qualifiers at the end of the sumround. He did not score as well on mer each year to pick who will the second day, recording a 10-over be representing TRU in the coming season. That being said, it is score of 81. “[The tournament] went well possible that we could see an enon the first day and horrible on tirely different golf team in the the second… I wanted to put in 2013.

According to Broadfoot, it some good scores before next will be a difficult team to make. season,” Corno said.

Mason Buettner

“I have higher expectations for next year.”

Zafira Rajan

—PHOTO BY KAI JACOBSON (THE UBYSSEY)

The Ubyssey (UBC) VANCOUVER (CUP) — For three UBC swimmers, the best part about the 2012 Summer Olympics in London was being able to live out their dreams on the international stage. But what do they do now that it’s over?

Reflect, swim and maybe feel just a little deflated.

Current UBC student-athletes Savannah King, Heather McLean and Tera Van Beilen all qualified for the Olympics, and they unanimously agree that their experience cannot be put into words. Now, they seem to be suffering from an Olympics hangover.

King admitted that it’s a bit of a fall from the pedestal they were perched on during the summer. “It’s a little bit weird. It’s gone from being treated like a god — everything in the Olympic Village was free, everything was at your fingertips — and then getting back into real life is kind of a slap in the face. But we love being at school and we are all enjoying our classes.

“It’s funny, though, because Heather and Tera have been on the slides for our sports class! We have to think about the fact that we are the ones people are talking about now.”

Their success hasn’t come easy.

They have all been swimming for as long as they can remember, and training for the Olympics required gruelling mental and physical preparation. Each swimmer has their own methods for coping with the pressure.

Van Beilen said that her closeness with her family during the Olympics helped her performance. “I think it’s good to talk it out with them,” she said.

“It was my first international meet at the highest level, so I went in blindfolded. There are so many emotions that are going through your head, so much to overcome … but I think time off from swimming is really what you need for your mental state. “There is so much pressure … you can’t get away from it and you can’t get around it.”

According to McLean, mental preparedness is important. “The biggest pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves,” she said.

“I personally spend a lot of time working with a sports psychologist on how to make sure that the pressure doesn’t get too much to handle and that you’ll be able to swim with the pressure on.”

King, who had already competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, kept the stress levels down by thinking of

the London Olympics as just another place.

“Going into an international event, it’s easy to think about how important it is, how big it is to be at the Olympics, and how very few people get to do it,” she said.

“But at the same time, I just think to myself that it’s just another swim meet and I’ve done hundreds and hundreds of them in the past … it’s just something much bigger. You just have to get into your routines and know that you have done this before.

“It’s funny, the difference between the beginning of this year and the beginning of last year. This time last year, we were in heavy training, we worked so hard — and now we’re kind of just getting back to being used to a regular schedule of regular intensity.”

“It’ll come soon,” McLean added.

“There are things that need to be done.”

“And there are places we need to go, and times we need to swim!” Van Beilen said, laughing.

The coaches may have worked them hard, but the girls sung high praises of the people who have molded their endurance and fitness levels.

“Our coaches are rocks in some ways,” said McLean. “We all live away from our families, so my coach has become my surrogate dad. He’s someone that I can talk to and he pushes me hard — but he also knows when I’m being pushed too hard and just need some time to just relax for a minute, or it’s going to be ugly. You need to have a good relationship with your coach, or you’re not going to get very far.”

“Our coaches are world-class,” Van Beilen agreed. “They have had so much success as athletes, and so we really just have to put a lot of trust in them and know that they know what they’re doing.”

“Mine and Heather’s coach have to been to nine Olympics,” King added.

“So you need to trust that they know what you need.”

Aside from practices and events, the three loved being able to experience the Olympics as a whole. After the first week of races, they were able to spend the rest of their time watching other events, many of which they didn’t even know existed.

“I mean, who knew what the modern pentathlon was about? Not I!” said McLean.

The three athletes all named special moments of the Games that

stood out for them.

“I got to do a swim-off, which was pretty special, because not a lot of people get to do a swim-off at the Olympics,” said Van Beilen.

“It really tested me and how I could handle three tough swimming situations in one day, and actually doing a relatively good time, three times … I didn’t break under the pressure. Even though I didn’t get to the final, it was a fun time. And now, I’m the ‘swim-off girl!’”

King said she felt overwhelming relief when she achieved one of her longtime goals. “It was just looking at the clock after my second race and realizing that I had done a best time … I’ve been on the national team since I was 14, and it’s taken me since then to really perform well at the international level.”

For McLean, it was seeing her sister Brittany succeed. “She had a pretty fantastic swim for the final for the 400-metre freestyle. Just being able to be there and watch that.

“The photographer managed to capture me at that moment too, so now we both have photos of our highlights, which is pretty special.”

So what’s next for the Olympic trio?

“We have to take it one day at a time,” McLean said. “It’s overwhelming to think that we’ll have to do it all over again.”

King is focused on the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Swimming Championships in Barcelona. “There’s always something every year,” she said. “The Olympics are the light at the end of the tunnel, but we can’t be too focused on it right now,” King said. “I’m just going to focus on the varsity season, to build back into it and focus on [the CIS championships].

I think focusing on that is helping me stay grounded, and it’s easier for me to focus on that than another international event.”

It’s back to the grind of classes and training, but the lingering excitement of the Olympics will take some time to wear off. “I think that still I don’t fully understand what happened,” McLean said. “It hasn’t really sunk in that, wow, I went to the Olympics and this is what I did. It might take years and months that I’ll be able to reflect on what happened and being there.

“But we had a lot of fun. It was amazing to be there with each other and see it — and it is always an honour to represent Canada.”

WolfPack Scoreboard Women’s Soccer

Hockey 5-2 Win over University of Victoria

Volleyball

Basketball

Men’s exhibition:

Men’s Soccer

Men’s exhibition:

3-0 Win over Quest 2-1 Win over Quest

86-82 loss to the Seattle Mountaineers (Semi-Pro)

3-0 Win over Lethbridge Community College Kodiacs

1-0 Loss to Quest 4-1 Win over Langara

11

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 7

Coffee Break 8

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MYLES MELLOR AND SALLY YORK

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October 17, 2012

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