Vol XXIX Issue XI - February 29 2016

UBCO’s Student Newspaper

February 29th 2016 | Vol 29, Issue 11

Thanks IT since 1989

Elections: New Rules and Regulations “Rules 6 and 9 make it so that no candidate can receive sponsorship or services from a body outside of UBC.” p.4

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thephoenixnews.com |

Campus

News

Life

Arts

UBCO Scraps Ombudsperson Office p.3

UBCO Street Style p.7-8

Rawle James: Humanity’s Epiphany p.10

UBCO Student Elections: What You Need to Know About the New Rules and Regulations p.4

6 Morning Hacks for Looking and Feeling Great p.9 Where is All My Money? p.9

Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God p.11 Listen Up! p.12

Preventing Unnecessary Suffering: The Syrian Medical Relief Drive p.5

Opinions

Sports

Microsoft Word is the Worst p.14

Heat Basketball Seasons Done p.17

Hello Ma’am p.15

Heat Women’s Volleyball Best in Canada West p.18

The Joke of the American Caucuses p.16

I love all things life!

Especially food. Food is life.

Heat Men’s Volleyball Season Ends p.19

I have a lot of feelings and write too much.

I’m the enthusiastic one. #WeAllTiffany

I’m also basically like a can of Sprite.

Tiffany Goodwein

Amithisste Multerer-Zarda

University Centre 3333 University Way Kelowna, BC, Canada V1Y 5N3 Office: UNC 132B Phone: 250-807-9296 thephoenixnews.com Cover by Maggie Wilson and Sarah James

Maria Otto

Life Reporter

Life Editor

Life Reporter

Coordinating Editor Alex Barberis coordinating@thephoenixnews.com

Sports Editor Grayson B. Leahy sports@thephoenixnews.com

Visual Editor Varenka Kim visual@thephoenixnews.com

Production Manager Sarah James artdirector@thephoenixnews.com

Current Affairs Editor Mark Dreger current.affairs@thephoenixnews.com

Production Assistant Kelsi Brown production@thephoenixnews.com

Project Manager Maranda Wilson project@thephoenixnews.com

Life Editor Amithisste Multerer-Zarda life@thephoenixnews.com

Copy Editor Francesca Gimson copy@thephoenixnews.com

Web Editor Justin Kroeker web@thephoenixnews.com

Life Reporter Tiffany Goodwein lifereporter@thephoenixnews.com

Video Editor Riley Petillion video@thephoenixnews.com

Opinions Editor Brittni MacKenzie-Dale opinions@thephoenixnews.com

Life Reporter Maria Otto lifereporter@thephoenixnews.com

News Editor Laurence Watt news@thephoenixnews.com

Staff Writer Kathryn Helmore helmore@thephoenixnews.com

Contributors Kyra Macpherson, Trystan Carter, Charlie Crittenden, Stephen Dass, Paula Tran, and Guillermo Angel

Arts Editor Jacky Deng arts@thephoenixnews.com

Photo Editor Maggie Wilson photo@thephoenixnews.com

The Phoenix is the UBCO students’ free press. Editorial content is separate from the University of British Columbia Student’s Union Okanagan (UBCSUO) and from the UBC institution at large.

The editorial staff encourages everyone to submit material to The Phoenix but reserves the right to withdraw submissions from publication for any reason. “Any reason” could be material deemed to be sexist, racist, homophobic, or of poor taste or quality. The Phoenix will not publish materials which condone, promote, or express actions which are illegal under current laws. This does not include articles which provide an in-depth examination of both sides of a controversial subject (e.g. legalizing marijuana).

The Phoenix is published, in part, by the UBCSUO and is an active member of the Canadian University Press.

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News | thephoenixnews.com | Laurence Watt - News Editor

News

HARMONY HOSTS UBCO’S FIRST LANGUAGE DAY Students given the opportunity to learn about different cultures, win an array of prizes, and devour free food

PLACE HOLDER PLACE HOLDER PLACE HOLDER

Laurence Watt News Editor

UBCO SCRAPS OMBUDSPERSON OFFICE

Photo by Sarah James/ The Phoenix News

UBCSUO in the process of creating a more cost-effective and efficient system to help students navigate UBC’s administration Laurence Watt News Editor

taken on by usually a professor or longtime faculty person who knows and is familiar with all University channels,” said Macauley.

However, “the Students’ Union at that time wanted to pursue the

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“UBCSUO executives and UBC admin are working hard to establish a system which is both cost-effective and more efficient in addressing students’ needs.”

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Just 3 years after its establishment, the Ombudsperson office has been cut from the UBCSUO budget and the search for the position’s replacement has been suspended.

The purpose of the Ombudsperson office at UBCO has historically been to offer confidential and impartial aid to students needing assistance in navigating the vast array of processes, services and systems in place at UBC. After all, as many students are aware, just the thought of navigating through UBCO’s administration can be horrifying, let alone actually doing it.

Over the last 2 years, the Ombuds office has been used roughly 147 times and, according to surveys, students have been largely content with their experience. So why is the Ombudsperson office being cut in its current form?

According to UBCSUO President Tom Macauley, the Ombuds position is valuable but in its current form, the cost has outweighed its usefulness.

“At the outset, the UBC admin wasn’t sure that the [Ombudsperson] position required a full time staff person. At other campuses similar to our needs and size, the ombudsperson role is some-thing

hiring of the full time person anyway and offered to pay the cost of it.

Now, after reviewing the reports of the last 2 years, it is the opinion of the UBCSUO that the role of the ombudsperson in its current form is not necessary.”

Consequentially, the search for a new ombudsperson has been suspended momentarily so that the UBCSUO and the UBC admin can re-evaluate their options and find another avenue through which to administer the Ombuds position.

Although this decision has alarmed a number of students, Macauley is positive that re-evaluating the position provides an opportunity for UBC that was previously not available.

“The office in its current form was not being used to the extent it was thought it might have, but right now, it’s a very good thing that we have cancelled the existing agreement so that we can find a more cost-effective solution and more suitable solution for both UBC and for the Students’ Union,” said Macauley.

Essentially, although the Ombudsperson office in its current form has been scrapped from the budget, the UBCSUO and UBC admin are dedicated to finding another avenue by which to administer a similar—if not the same— position so that students are still able to receive help in regards to navigating the UBC administration.

According to Macauley, discussions

are ongoing between the UBCSUO executive and UBC admin in regards to what a new position will look like and who will step in to fulfil the role.

“In my opinion, it should really be someone who is a longtime professor or dean that takes on the role in a part-time capacity and has existing connections in the university and can act more as an academic advocate, rather than just a referral office.”

Overall, although students may be without an Ombudsperson for the next little while, they should be assured that the UBCSUO executives and UBC admin are working hard to establish a system which is both cost-effective and more efficient in addressing students’ needs.

Last Wednesday, students gathered in the bottom floor of EME for UBCO’s first Language Day, hosted and organized by Harmony. From 12-3P.M., students were treated to a variety of informative activities and foreign foods as well as given the opportunity to win a brand new 32inch television.

Upon arrival, students were presented with 9 tables each representing a particular culture and unique activity. By completing an activity, students not only gained information about a particular culture but also won a personalized stamp. 4 stamps afforded a student 1 ticket for a raffle, whereas 8 stamps won a student 2 tickets. In the raffle, students had the chance to win a printer, a set of wireless bluetooth speakers, or a 32inch television.

The activities ranged from participants having to speak or spell their name in a foreign language to locating particular places on a globe.

Among other things, students were also treated to a free barbecue and an educational experience not often obtainable in the classroom.

“The point of the event was to have fun whilst educating people on different cultures,” said Ryan Kaila, President of Harmony and one of the event organizers, “we thought by setting up an event like this, students could learn something that might stick in their heads and that they might recognize in the future.”

According to Kaila, and Language Day participants, the event could not have been more of a success. “The best part is to see the unforeseen, we had staff and professors show up to participate as well as students,” said Ryan, “I didn’t see anyone with less than 8 stamps, everyone got 2 tickets.”

Harmony is comprised of 11 cultural associations: Muslim Student Association, Asian Student Association, African Caribbean Student Club, Nepalese Scholars Association, Sikh Student Association, Russian Speakers Association, Indigenous Student Association, Arab Student Association, European Student Association, South Asian Alliance, and Association for Bangladeshi Students.

With such immense diversity on UBC’s Okanagan campus, events like Language Day are essential in both aiding and engaging students interested in learning more about different cultures and countries.

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Laurence Watt - News Editor | thephoenixnews.com |

News

TRUMP DOMINATES TWO MORE STATES AS CLINTON TAKES NEVADA Donald Trump takes advantage of the split vote between Cruz and Rubio as his delegate numbers increase Mark Dreger Current Affairs Editor

Photo by Maggie Wilson/ The Phoenix News

UBCO STUDENT ELECTIONS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW RULES AND REGULATIONS New election regulations make it more difficult for candidates to slate or receive help from organizations outside of UBCO Laurence Watt News Editor

6. Candidates may not receive or encourage sponsorship from an outside body, including corporations and organizations.

8. Candidates may not have campaign managers or campaign volunteers that are not members of the UBCSUO 9. Candidates may not solicit offcampus businesses or organizations to provide services that might be

deemed to exceed the spending limit.

11. Candidates may not solicit endorsements from professors or administrator from either UBC or the UBCSUO. 21. Candidates may not pool campaign finances.

Further, candidates must individually report campaign spending. This must be done by 8:00 am on March the 13th (72 Hours before voting begins).

22. Candidates may not have another candidates name or likeness displayed in any other candidates’ materials (graphic, poster, video, etc.).

23. Candidates may not slate with any candidate outside of executive candidates (five person maximum for executive positions).

24. Candidates may not manipulate their preferred name in any way that suggests that candidates are affiliated on the ballot.

Some of the new rules imply that students should expect a much different election this year as compared to last year. For instance, last year United for a Better Campus ran a slate with candidates running for both Executive and Senate positions, something that candidates would be unable to do this year under rule 23.

Rules 6 and 9 make it so that no candidate can receive sponsorship or services from a body outside of UBC. This is in contrast to last year’s election, where Class Magazine played a large role in helping United

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“Another point which may raise confusion among candidates is rule 11, which forbids UBC or UBCSU0 administrators from endorsing a specific candidate.”

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With UBCO elections right around the corner, students are gearing up for what is expected to be two contentious weeks of campaigning.

Nominations for the Students’ Union, Senate, and Board of Governors close on March 1 and the campaign period ranges from March 7-17. Students are highly encouraged to go out and cast their ballots during the voting period, which begins on March 16 and ends on March 17.

In contrast to the 2015 elections, candidates running this year will have to pay much closer attention to the new 2016 Election Guide.

Certified by Chief Returning Officer Shaman McLean, and prepared in accordance with the UBCUO Elections and Referenda Regulations, the 2016 Candidate’s Election Guide adds new campaigning rules.

The new notable campaign rules are listed below:

for a Better Campus.

Another point which may raise confusion among candidates is rule 11, which forbids UBC or UBCSUO administrators from endorsing a specific candidate. As UBCSUO executives could be considered to

be administrators of the Students’ Union, the question arises whether this will cause a problem for current executives hoping to endorse a candidate.

CRO Shaman Maclean’s priority is to make sure the election is clean and runs smoothly.

“My role is administration, to make sure we have a clean election, that the rules are followed and that the election runs smoothly,” said Maclean.

Maclean stressed rule 4 of the complaints section, which states that any person accused of committing an elections offence shall be presumed not to have committed that offence until he or she is found guilty through the CRO’s investigation.

“If it’s discovered and proved that anyone broke the rules, I will remove them.”

Overall, before the 2016 student elections have even begun, there are notable differences between last year’s election cycle and this one: an array of new rules mean candidates will not be able to slate as easily or receive sponsorship from an outside organization and, just incase rules are not adhered to, the CRO has confirmed he will remove them.

On February 20, the Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidential nomination were on separate ends of the country, with the Republicans in South Carolina and the Democrats in Nevada.

In South Carolina, Donald Trump dominated the polls with 32.5% of the vote, winning all 50 delegates and a 10% lead over second-place Marco Rubio.

Rubio finished with 22.5% of the vote with Ted Cruz in a close third with 22.3%, as neither candidate can gain full support as the alternative to Trump. The 3 remaining candidates—Jeb Bush, John Kaslch, and Ben Carson—finished between 7% and 8%.

“When you win it’s beautiful and we’re going to start winning for our country,” Trump said in his victory speech. Trump also addressed his love for China, and assured his supporters that he will build the wall between the US and Mexico, a project he plans to have Mexico finance.

Despite having millions of dollars, and the support of his brother and former president George W. Bush, establishment candidate Jeb Bush suspended his campaign after a bitter defeat and losing much of his support since June of last year.

“The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken and I really respect their decision, so tonight I am suspending my campaign,” Bush said to his supporters after the defeat.

Pundits claim that Bush’s lack of charisma, inability to respond to Trump’s attacks, and familiar surname lost touch with voters and forced him out of the race.

In Nevada, Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders in another close race between the only two candidates. Clinton won with 52.6% over Sanders’ 47.3%. This is the first victory for Clinton that was not decided by coin flips.

“We need more than a plan for the big banks. The middle class needs a raise,” Clinton said in her victory speech, a stance also strongly advocated by Sanders.

Not to be discouraged, Sanders still called his strong second-place finish a victory.

“Five weeks ago, we were 25 points behind in the polls. We have made some real progress,” Sanders told his supporters after finishing only 5.3% behind Clinton.

“We have come a very long way in nine months. It is clear to me, and most observers, that the wind is at our backs.

We have the momentum. And I believe that when Democrats assemble in Philadelphia in July at that convention, we are going to see the results of one of the great political upsets in the history of the United States.”

On February 23, Republicans arrived for their caucus in Nevada and again Trump dominated the electorate with 46% of the vote, with Rubio and Cruz receiving 24% and 21% respectively.

If the Republican establishment wants one of their own to take the nomination, they will have to find one candidate to support quickly before Trump takes the nomination first.

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News | thephoenixnews.com | Laurence Watt - News Editor

US AND RUSSIA AGREE TO CEASEFIRE IN SYRIA The two opposing superpowers have agreed to a ceasefire that critics believe will not last Mark Dreger Current Affairs Editor

PREVENTING UNNECESSARY SUFFERING: THE SYRIAN MEDICAL RELIEF DRIVE UBCSUO raises over $25,000 worth of medical supplies from the Kelowna community to send to field hospitals in Syria Laurence Watt News Editor Three weeks ago, the UBCSUO launched the Syrian Medical Relief Drive in an attempt to collect medical supplies to aid families in Syria. To this day, the UBCSUO has collected over $25,000 worth of medical supplies including nursing scrubs, needles, walkers, wheelchairs and much more.

All the supplies collected have come from the Kelowna community, with the largest donations coming from the Red Cross and Cooper Medical Supplies.

The GreenText Used Bookstore has also donated $6000 worth of nursing supplies. Eventually, the supplies will be sent to field hospitals in Syria and— according to the Student Union’s VP Internal, Romey Jaswal—will help put an end to unnecessary suffering.

“It is estimated that 25% of casualties in Syria are due to non-fatal injuries,” said Jaswal, “out of 300,000 deaths, 70,000 are due to a lack of medical

supplies and equipment. By sending these supplies to field hospitals in Syria, we know we will be helping save thousands of lives.”

According to Jaswal, the idea for the Medical Relief Drive emerged following a simple question and inspiration from a group of volunteers in British Columbia.

“It started off by us asking the question: how can we help these Syrian families? Then we noticed a group of volunteers who’d launched an operation to collect medical relief supplies.

The group has managed to ship 9 full containers of supplies from BC to Syria and is in the process of filling up and sending off the 10th container.”

After gaining information on the volunteer group, the Students’ Union got into contact with them and began collaborating on their project known as “Not Just Tourists (NJT).” The ultimate

goal of collaborating with the group is to help fill the 10th container.

In Jaswal’s opinion, the month-long event has been a major success. “You often hear negativity in the community, so when we posted on Facebook and asked around for supplies it was amazing to see how many people liked the idea and how much outreach we got,” said Jaswal, “then one morning I walked into our office and there was a whole bunch of stuff.”

Although the Medical Drive is coming to an end, the UBCSUO has stressed they will still be spearheading initiatives in the near future to further help address the crisis in Syria. In particular, the Students’ Union is in the process of organizing a Charity Gala before the end of second semester to help raise awareness and fundraise for Syrian families who need it the most.

CLAIMS OF RIGGED ELECTION IN UGANDA The main opposition leader in Uganda’s election is arrested, as the 30-year president holds to power Mark Dreger Current Affairs Editor Yoweri Museveni, who has been Uganda’s president since 1986, won national elections in Uganda with 60.8% of the vote, allowing him to rule for another 5-year term.

The result is of little surprise to pundits, as Uganda’s main opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his supporters have rejected the election result as being rigged in favour of Museveni, despite the electoral commission’s

claims that the election was free and fair.

On Election Day, there were delays at polling stations when ballot boxes did not arrive when the stations opened, which an election spokesman said was due to “logistical problems.”

These delays took place primarily in opposition strongholds, preventing thousands from voting.

Besigye, and his supporters, also

found what they believed to be a voterigging operation in a suburban house, but when Besigye wanted to enter the house to check, he was arrested. It was the third time he was arrested that day until he was detained and put under house arrest shortly after the election results were declared.

Before the election, Museveni held a rally for thousands of his supporters, but it was reported that attendees were paid $1 for participating, which the party denied. Besigye tried to campaign in the city’s centre, but he was once again arrested.

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“But should you ratify the results of these sham elections, at least have the courage to admit that you [Museveni] do not care about democracy or human rights in Africa.” Kizza Besigye, leader of the Forum for Democratic Change Party

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Photo provided by Romey Jaswal/ VP Internal UBCSUO

bombs a group that the US claims were part of the agreement. Turkey may also use the loophole to continue their attacks on Kurdish fighters in the country’s southeast.

With the variety of parties involved, each attacking under different agendas, it will be difficult to reach a unanimous agreement. Bashar al-Zoubi, head of the political office of the Yarmouk Army of the Free Syrian Army, was not optimistic, saying the agreement allows Assad and Russian forces to keep attacking areas held by opposition forces.

“Russia and the regime will target the areas of the revolutionaries on the pretext of the Nusra Front’s presence,” al-Zoubi said, “and you know how mixed those areas are, and if this happens, the truce will collapse.”

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“Russia and the regime will target the areas of the revolutionaries on the pretext of the Nusra Front’s presence.” –Bashar al-Zoubi, head of the political office of the Yarmouk Army

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PLACE HOLDER PLACE HOLDER PLACE HOLDER

By noon—Syrian time—on February 26, all sides fighting in Syria will have to join the US and Russia in a ceasefire in the region, said Russian President Vladimir Putin in a video statement on February 22.

The ceasefire is led by both the US and Russia, and they will work in a joint effort to resolve conflicts and monitor the agreement. The ceasefire comes only a week after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev highlighted the tensions between the West and Russia, stating that the world was slipping into a “new Cold War”.

All groups signing the agreement cannot use weapons or gain more territory, and any party that violates the ceasefire will be reported to the US and Russia who will then decide if the party can be excluded from the agreement. The agreement will include all parties involved in Syria, excepting the Islamic State, al-Nusra Front, and other terrorist groups. Opposition groups and the Syrian Government have the same deadline for agreement to the ceasefire.

“I am gratified to see the final arrangements concluded today for a cessation of hostilities in Syria and call on all parties to accept and fully comply with its terms,” said US Secretary of State, John Kerry, “if implemented and adhered to, this cessation will not only lead to a decline in violence, but also continue to expand the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian supplies to besieged areas and support a political transition to a government that is responsive to the desires of the Syrian people.”

Russia and the US must convince their allies to comply with the agreement.

Oppositional forces are supposed to halt their attacks, but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he will only agree to the ceasefire if the forces he calls terrorists, and those that support them, do not take advantage of the ceasefire against him.

Russia must also get Hezbollah to agree to cease hostilities, and the US must get their Kurdish allies and Turkey to join the agreement, despite the two being in active conflict.

The main issue now involves where exactly the ceasefire takes effect and where fighting can continue. The agreement leaves a large loophole that allows further attacks in the region against terrorist groups; however, with the US and Russia disagreeing on what groups are terrorists, the agreement may collapse if Russia

“I hope there will be no ceasefire, because if there is a ceasefire, Turks will increase their support for criminals and traitors,” said Ahmad al-Omar from Aleppo, referring to alleged Turkish support for extremist fighters in Syria.

After the agreement was announced, fighting continued in the country. Russia and the Syrian army are on the verge of taking back Aleppo, but with a deadline now in place they have only five days to complete their objective and take back the region.

The ceasefire announcement came only weeks after Saudi Arabia announced their 20-nation North Thunder coalition that threatened to send up to 50,000 troops, 20,000 tanks, 2,500 warplanes, and 450 helicopters into Syria to “stand united in confronting all challenges and preserving peace and stability in the region.”

Websites such as Facebook and Twitter were inaccessible on Election Day, but the government said the shutdown was for “security reasons.”

“But should you ratify the results of these sham elections, at least have the courage to admit that you [Museveni] do not care about democracy or human rights in Africa,” said Besigye in a letter after the election.

The European Union Election Observation Mission praised voters for their involvement, but said the election lacked transparency and was “short of being free and fair.”

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Life | thephoenixnews.com | Amithisste Multerer-Zarda - Life Editor

Life

UBCO STREET STYLE Check Out UBCO’s students’ day to day fashion

Jessica Fortier, 4th Year Management Stephen Koo, 1st year Human Kinetics “I get a lot of my style inspiration from this site “My girlfriend dresses me.” called Lookbook... where people from around the world post [trend related] things.”

Milan Paul, 1st Year Art’s “I get a lot of style inspiration from Instagram blogs.”

Kieran Lange, 1st year Arts

UBCO STUDENTS MARSHMELLOW OUT Event enables students to mellow with ‘mallows Tiffany Godwein Life Reporter “We just wanted to have something free with literally zero pressure. Zero pressure to buy anything, zero pressure to read any information or fight for a cause or anything like that,” stated Soin.

The event took place on February 23, in the courtyard, and ran from 10A.M. -3P.M. Attendees had the luxury of sitting in swanky, white, leather chairs under a dimly lit canopy while de-stressing.

Students also had the option of free coffee or hot chocolate as their drink of choice— enthusiastically served by organizers Abhi Sharma and Matthew Hoogveld in conjunction with their team of volunteers, including David Moon and Paige Wilson.

“I was really intrigued; it is very esthetically pleasing. I think it will make students more happy and excited about

“ “A lot of times, these events are held with a purpose. So students are being advertised to, or feel like something is being pushed on them, but there is never anything that just kind of happens for the sake of happening,” said organizer Aman Soin

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For many students, February can be easily described as a month that brews a cloud of stress and insurmountable exhaustion. Aman Soin, along with friends, sought to take a unique approach towards alleviating the apparent exhaustion and stress looming over students through organizing the Marshmellow Lounge.

Soin, who is not currently affiliated with any campus leadership positions, simply wanted to host the event for the sake of putting on an event.

He explains, “a lot of times these events are held with a purpose. So students are being advertised to, or feel like something is being pushed on them, but there is never anything that just kind of happens for the sake of happening.”

spring. There is certainly a very social aspect to it. I heard someone walk by and ask if it was a mixer,” said second-year arts student Emma Mcleod.

There were plenty of marshmallows and drinks to go around during the Marshmellow Lounge. The event was funded through the Tuum Est Student Initiative Fund and the UBCSUO. The event also received donations from Third Space Coffee, The Green Bean and Aramark to aid in its success. For an event that was put on for the sake of putting on the event, it certainly drew quite the crowd as many attendees heard about the event through social media, and were lured in by a contest that promised to award a $50.00 gift card to any coffee shop of the winner’s choice if they included

the tag #marshmellowlounge in a social media post.

“We saw pictures on Instagram of The Marshmellow Lounge. We love how random it is,” said attendee Rebecca Wyllie.

As crowds of stressed out college students came through the courtyard, the event demonstrated the beauty of UBCO through sunshine, the gathering of friends, and the ability to reach out to one another during a time filled with high-stress emotions.

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Amithisste Multerer-Zarda - Life Editor | thephoenixnews.com |

Leah Townsend, 1st Year Science “University allows you to dress how you want. I just wear what I like and I feel like I don’t have to worry about being judged or anything.”

Maddy Pasenko, 3rd Year Anthropology

Nathen Malcomson, 2nd Year English

Life

Tiffany Goodwein , 4th Year Psychology “As a Life Reporter and Blogger, I am constantly reading fashion magazines, blogs and social media to gain inspiration. My favorite way is through personal style blogs. There is something really raw about personal fashion blogs that I love, it just shows that style is unique to everyone.”

WHEN STUDENTS GET SICK: CULTURAL CURES UBCO Students from different countries explain how they conquer the cold and flu season Amithisste Multerer-Zarda Life Editor Getting sick is no one’s cup of tea.

Although you may get to stay at home instead of going to school, you will have to stay in bed, soil all your toilet paper rolls, and suffer from the pain and discomfort that the winter season brings to your body’s health. The fluseason usually ranges from November to March, and because of the colder weather people are inside more often, facilitating the spread of germs. The influenza virus is also most stable in colder temperatures. In the winter people also tend to drink less water, weakening the immune system.

People all over the world have their own unique cultural cures that get passed down through generations. I set out to discover what UBCO students from different countries do to recover from colds and viruses.

“My mom would make me mint tea with

honey. She also gave me yogurt which is good for the stomach. I eat lots of soup and toast.

For stomach problems my family would eat a spoon full of honey for a sore throat. If I got food poisoning my mom would give me water with distilled orange blossom. It would make me throw up. We would also eat Carroway seeds for energy.” – Ramsey Katul 2nd year engineering. Ethnicity: Lebanese.

“I put warm onions in a sock to take the toxins out of my body, and put a baked onion by my ear whenever I have ear aches.”

– Stella Mozin. Ethnicity: German.

“I never started taking Tylenol until I moved here. Whenever I got sick, I would eat turmeric powder. We use Turmeric powder for pretty much everything. It is said to improve your immune system. My mom would give me grinded turmeric powder and milk, or aruyvedic powder.

Indian medication has no chemicals, it is herbal based. We would also visit gurus and priests who were educated in healing herbs and spices. I would also drink honey with green tea. We would steam for sinus infections, which involves boiling water, adding turmeric powder, and putting your face over the boiling hot water and breath in the steam with a towel of your head. We also don’t eat spicy food.” – Aman Goswani, 4th year management. Ethnicity: Indian.

“My grandpa would combine honey and squeezed lime for throat problems. He would eat raw garlic clove, and inject himself with bees which apparently improves your immune system! My mom would make me manzanilla tea, or chamomile tea, or ginger tea. He would also combine marijuana and alcohol in a bottle, let it sit, and rub it on his arm. His rituals must work because he is 98

years old!” – Melissa Perea, 2nd year biochem. Ethnicity: Mexican.

“In China, I go to the doctor. I never go to Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine is good for long term health, but it does not cure cold or flu symptoms immediately. That is what I use anti-biotics for.” – Anonymous.

Ethnicity: Chinese.

“I drink hot water with tea leaves and pray.” – Pam, 2nd year arts. Ethnicity: Nigerian.

“I increase my Vitamin C intake. My mom would put sliced onion in my socks to pull the toxins of your system. It helps reduce fever and pain of sinuses. We eat dried bread called zwieback and dip it in tea. I wasn’t aloud to go swimming when I was sick or watch TV. I eat lots of soup to hydrate and it is easy to digest.” – Shane Bender, 2nd year sciences. Ethnicity: Swiss.

“I drink pure ginger tea with lemon. For stomach aches we mix corn starch and cut up red chili peppers. My mom makes her home made chicken soup.” – Anonymous.

Ethnicity: Bangladesh.

“I eat Lugaw, which is a rice porridge.”

– Maria Otto, 4th year bio-chemistry.

Ethnicity: Phillippines.

“My dad would make me chai. Specifically Masala chai. For stomach problems he would make hot water with cocoa leaves.

My Dadima [Grandma] would make this special paste called Ajwain, made of charam seed mixed with oil. She would cool it in the fridge over night and then rub it on my skin.” – Sierra Bahrmel, 2nd year arts.

Ethnicity: Pakistani.

“I drink Vodka. Sometimes it cures, and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a risk.” – Anonymous. Ethnicity: Asian.

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Life | thephoenixnews.com | Amithisste Multerer-Zarda - Life Editor

6 MORNING HACKS FOR LOOKING AND FEELING GREAT Morning routines can be a pain, but they do not have to be.

Tiffany Goodwein Life Reporter

It is the morning, and thousands of alarms across the city ring in high-pitched screams, alerting their makers to the start of a new day. The sun comes out of hiding and your eyelids fight to stay open as they stare at the face of the clock.

You still have two hours before your class starts, so you hit the snooze button on your alarm. I have lots of time, you think to yourself. As you lay in bed, immobile and wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, time ticks by. Sure enough, two hours becomes an hour and a half, an hour and a

half becomes an hour, and before you know it you are left with only 30 minutes.

Getting up late can put a real damper on your morning, but it does not have to. There are plenty of quick and simple hacks to get yourself looking and feeling good in preparation for your day.

The first hack, albeit a bit of a nobrainer, is multitasking. Multitasking can allow you to complete almost everything that you normally do of a regular morning in less time. For example, if you are like me and you

absolutely have to have a cup of coffee in the morning, make the coffee and get yourself physically prepped and gussied up while it is brewing.

Secondly, if your hair is having less-than-fabulous moment and you have no time to take a shower, spray dry shampoo at the roots of your hair. Dry shampoo will soak up any oil and grease plaguing your hair. If you do not have any dry shampoo in your bathroom cabinet, sprinkle some baby powder onto the roots of your hair and rub it in with your fingers. Baby powder works the same

wearing clothes that were considered work attire or business-like increased aspects related to energy and motivation as opposed to wearing casual, lazy attire. So when in the middle of your morning scramble, skip the sweats and opt for something more appropriate for school such as black pants and a cardigan. If you find that you are constantly pressed for time in the morning, it can be beneficial to pre-plan your outfits the night before. This way, you can reduce the morning scramble and wear clothes that will make you feel ready to take on the day.

Each morning is the opening act to your day and sets the scene as to what your day may look like, but no

towards savings because everything has a purpose, or a bill that must be paid. But what often happens is that people forget to pay one of their most important bills every month—money owing to themselves. Let’s explore two hypothetical situations with $2000 a month in earnings and expenses to see how people may have hidden cash available for saving.

At first glance, the option of having $300 left in your account at the end of the month always seems like the most attractive option, especially when compared to only having $100 left.

However, take a moment to ask yourself how many times at the end of the month you can honestly say you have looked at your bank account and had $300 left over rather of $100. Most people will say hardly ever. The reason for this is comes from unexpected expenses above the miscellaneous you have budgeted for. When you are spending $2 at Tim Horton’s, $5 at Starbucks and $10 at the Green Bean, despite having food at home, these small additions add up to large expenses at the end of the month.

The reason we spend more is because we trick ourselves into thinking we

have a bigger buffer available for extra expenses.

Looking closer at the first option, though it seems like you have less left in your account, you are actually guaranteeing yourself a minimum of $200 every month to better yourself in the long run. You may end up spending some of your $100 on unexpected expenses, but this will not deplete the $200 that you have put towards selfpayment for savings.

The above concepts are only a couple of the ways you can make small changes to your daily or monthly routine that will help you build savings and start benefiting your financial health in the long run.

“ “Multitasking can allow you to complete almost everything that you normally do of a regular morning in less time.”

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Photo by Maggie WIlson /The Phoenix News

way as a dry shampoo in that it works to absorb the oil from your tresses, giving them the appearance of a fresh wash.

When waking up late, applying makeup for the day easily can easily be placed on the back burner, but there are ways that you can still pull off a great look with minimal product and time. For instance, if you only have a tube of red or pink lipstick in your vicinity, apply it lightly to your cheeks to act as a cream blush, and then apply as normal to your lips.

If you are spending your morning wasting time digging while trying to find your favorite dark black eyeliner, stop digging. Your mascara tube can also perform double duty as liquid eyeliner. All you need is a thin tip brush, such as a cream eyeliner brush to dip in the mascara tube and then apply to your eyelids. If you do not have an eyeliner brush, a Q-tip or toothpick will work to create a great thin line for your eyelid.

In a perfect world we would all wake up, and head to the gym to workout before we begin our day. But let’s be honest, the world is far from perfect, and squeezing in a morning workout can be difficult even on days when you have the time. To get your blood flowing, try doing some basic yoga poses, such as downward dog or child’s pose. It is by no means a gym workout, but it will stretch out your muscles to prepare them for the day.

To wake up your insides, and get your body ready for the day, drink a cold glass of water. It sounds like an obvious part of a morning routine, but drinking cold water in the morning will detoxify your body by getting rid of impurities. Moreover, water in the morning also works to keep you regular and purifies the colon.

When waking up late for school, it is tempting to slip into sweatpants attire and head out the door. While you may be comfortable sitting in the lecture hall or working on homework, you may also be damaging your productivity level. In an experiment conducted by the blog A Life of Productivity, they discovered that

morning is created equal. Sometimes you wake up late, and your peaceful morning scene is more like a marathon that consists of trying to complete all of your morning tasks in order to get ready for the day. Whether you have 2 hours or 30 minutes, with some quick multitasking strategies you can head out each morning looking, and feeling, ready to take on whatever the day has in store.

WHERE IS ALL MY MONEY? Guillermo Angel, Consultant-Investors Group Financial Services Inc., Contributor

This is a question I see far too often, and not in the context of losing your wallet or having a larger than average tab at the Well on Wednesdays.

University students across the country are realising that with all the expenses they face in their day-to-day lives, keeping track of their financial health seems like a class of its own, and unfortunately this one does not count for credits.

It would be easy to throw out a list of the “top 10 money saving tips” such as never going grocery shopping when you are hungry, not making impulse purchases or buying an H lot parking pass. Although these will help you keep a positive bank balance in the short term, the best way to improve your overall financial health is through planning. Most students today are already balancing a full course load, clubs, athletics and a social life. They do not have time to plan their daily, weekly or monthly savings and expenditures, so this is where a financial planner can be valuable for increasing student quality of life.

Financial planners work to make your finances run smoother, and easier,

through a personalized approach to help achieve any short or long-term financial goals. Furthermore, working with a financial planner opens up many opportunities to make your money work better for you. Regardless of what stage of your academic career you are in, you can reap the benefits of the most valuable thing that a Financial Planner has to offer: information. This is how we can save you money, and show you how the value of saving today for a better tomorrow.

Let’s say you started this year as a new, domestic student pursuing a degree in Psychology and you are living on campus with a meal plan. That sentence will cost you $17,062.50 . These are your fixed costs, which for many students in Canada would generally be covered by loans. But what if we were able to use those loans and the income you were obtaining during your studies to start creating a “Graduation Fund” for you to enjoy when you cross the stage with your diploma? A fund you could use to take a trip, buy a car, pay back to your loans or put towards future savings such as a down payment on a house.

Let’s look at 3 theoretical situations

to show you the savings you can acquire throughout 4 years of university: 1) $50 a month into an investment with an average return of 4% per year. After 4 years, you could have $2,718 saved up.

2) $100 a month into an investment with an average return of 4% per year. After 4 years, you could have $5,437 saved up.

3) One time $1000 starting deposit and $100 a month into an investment with an average return of 4% per year. After 4 years, you could have $6,606 saved up.

There are a lot of opportunities and options available for students to help them make the right decisions when it comes to their finances.

However, the most important thing is to take advantage of them, which, as mentioned before, comes down to planning. Taking the time to create a budget is the best first step towards creating a solid savings, but the value comes when you know what to do with your savings to make your money work for you.

Most people always say that they do not really have extra income to put

Guillermo Angel Consultant, Investors Group Financial Services Inc. UBC Okanagan Allumni - 2013 Landmark 4, 100, 1628 Dickson Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 9X1 (250) 762-3329 ext 5275

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Jack Deng - Arts Editor | thephoenixnews.com |

Arts

Arts

Photo provided by Rawle James

RAWLE JAMES: HUMANITY’S EPIPHANY A profile of Kelowna’s poet, teacher, and cultural activist

Jacky Deng Arts Editor

The Inspired Word Café James’ Inspired Word Café, his poetic passion project, has provided timid artists and performers with a comfortable

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“We’ve built a community for people come to share their poetry, their stories, their music. They know we’re there for them, and we know they’re there for us.” – Rawle James

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“December 17, 2001 at 1:45PM. I was 40, and I had this moment. I was on the phone with my ex-wife having a really nasty conversation. I said a few things in a state of anger and rage, and then I got off the phone. Then the next thing I know, this thought came into my head: “Why do you have do that? You know what you’re going to get.” I heard it like bells, and it stopped me in my tracks… I was trying to figure out how to take this new spiritual perspective on life and make it work in this world.”

Since what he calls a “spiritual epiphany”, Rawle James has gone on to become one of the most recognizable and beloved treasures of Kelowna’s artistic family. You would be hard-pressed to find James absent at a local artistic event, as his popularity within the city has allowed him to act as one of the most prominent emcees and event organizers in Kelowna. His self-published book, Truth Experienced, is a collection of poems regarding his spiritual awareness, and boasts a successful, albeit brief, run on the shelves of Mosaic Books. But remarkably, James’ local fame is not one founded upon his personal accolades or ventures.

platform to cultivate their own passions and forms, ultimately allowing the inspired to aspire to local connection and exposure. Since Inspired Word Café’s inception in 2009, the platform has grown to forum status as partnerships with the Association of Artists for Creative

Alliance and Shaw TV have allowed for weekly television broadcasts of local talent. James has also recruited help to form what is called The IWC Collective, with the inclusion of Adam Flockemann, Jessica Laplante, David Agnew, and UBC Okanagan alumnus Erin Scott.

“We’ve built a community for people come to share their poetry, their stories,

their music. They know we’re there for them, and we know they’re there for us.

We’re not there to ridicule, to judge, or to critique—we’re just there to support.

So many people have so much to say, and it’s not that they don’t have the avenues— anyone can make a video and put it up on YouTube—but I think people are truly missing that human connection, that ability to still stand in close proximity to each other and share a meaningful conversation.”

Being a former football coach, it is easy to recognize this affinity for teaching and support within James’ persona, and it should be noted that the Inspired Word Café started as an unplanned poetry assignment for a class he was teaching at the Centre of Arts and Technology.

“I taught a programme called Professional Development to help students understand themselves and really understand how to master the job market, as well as the professional industries they wanted to pursue. So one day at class, I went off-script and I gave them an assignment on poetry—I was trying to get my students to step out of linear thinking. Fortunately, it snowballed from there; I asked them if we could put on some sort of recital before the staff, and that’s how Inspired Word Café started.”

The Humanity of Diversity As the Inspired Word Café continues to become a landmark organization

within Kelowna, its reach has allowed for interaction with UBC Okanagan. Most recently, the collective joined forces with the UBC Okanagan Students’ Union to organize the inaugural “Battle On The Hill”, a poetry slam aimed to wed campus with community, art with social

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“I think we should respect and honour our ethnicity. All of us.

Our humanity has been brushstroked with many different colours and we should be proud of that.” – Rawle James

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An Epiphany

justice, and creativity with wisdom. The weekly open mics and taped events have even attracted a small group of students, including UBC Okanagan’s Jada Larkin, Lolu Oyedele, and Ahmed Dirar, to strive for greater cultural acceptance within the Kelowna constituency through artistic expression. In a downtown core comprised mainly of lanky, beady-eyed

Caucasians, Rawle James’ migration from Toronto in 2005 marked a quiet scratch of diversity within a deeply uniform populous. Sporting untameable dreadlocks, soft brown skin, and a beard akin to that of a wizard, the Trinidadian James left a well-paid corporate position at Toronto’s National Trust to act as a pioneer for a broad assortment of local artists. His eleven-year-old scratch has since evolved into a fissure, allowing for the expression of a rainbow of ethnicities, cultures, sexualities, beliefs, and lifestyles to take shape within Kelowna.

“Coming from an international city like Toronto and not seeing many faces like myself—that never really concerned or bothered me. It’s not that I don’t see colour. I don’t want us to ever be colour blind; I want us to be human-sighted. I think we should respect and honour our ethnicity. All of us. Our humanity has been brush-stroked with many different colours and we should be proud of that.”

Despite this idealistic vision, the reality of the world has shown itself to be one in need of reconstruction. In particular, with the Black Lives Matter movement erupting in the United States, the fight for a deconstruction of America’s systemic racism has become increasingly volatile and unpredictable. It might seem easy for Canadians to distance themselves from such complicated issues, but James is quick to burst that bubble.

“I do believe we need to stand up. Some people reply to Black Lives Matter with

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Arts | thephoenixnews.com | Jacky Deng - Arts Editor

Make sure to check out www. inspiredwordcafe.com to keep track of Rawle James and his team as they organize future poetry events in Kelowna.

Composite image by Maggie Wilson/ The Phoenix News

BOOK REVIEW: THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD Zora Neale Hurston explores the African American community in this 1937 classic Paula Tran Contributor

Tradition, love, and self: which would you rank and value first? For some of us, the choice is easy. For others, the decision is confusing.

Are we still children that need guidance from our parents and elders? Or are we adults capable of making our own decisions?

Zora Neale Hurston explores these questions in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. In this coming-of-age story, Janie finds herself in a bind when she is caught kissing a boy by her caretaker Nanny Crawford. While Janie wants to find someone compatible and kind to be her true love, Nanny Crawford values financial security as the most important means to achieve happiness. Through Janie’s multiple marriages and travels across the southern United States, Hurston describes Janie’s constant struggle in a highly emotional narrative while analyzing culture’s role in a human being’s identity as a whole, ultimately warning readers to never blindly follow tradition because it is “right” and “proper”.

It is very easy to see why Their Eyes Were Watching God has received such critical acclaim. We get to see the story unfold entirely

through Janie’s eyes, in addition to seeing the entirety of the world through her perspective as well.

The tone is colloquial and the style fairly casual, providing a personal yet unique account of the African American community during the early twentieth century. Janie, the

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It is very easy to see why Their Eyes Were Watching God has received such critical acclaim.

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All Lives Matter. Yes, all lives do matter, but if all lives matter, why aren’t you up in arms in response to all the killings and injustices against an entire race of people.

Even in Canada—look at what we’ve done to our Native brothers and sisters, look at what we did to our Chinese neighbours, to our Japanese neighbours. All lives do matter, but when a people are oppressed and then ‘freed’, yet they aren’t given a level playing field and held accountable within corrupt system, what do you think is going to happen?”

“I even tell my Caucasian friends, ‘These systems are holding down people of colour—don’t you think it’s holding you down as well?’ Injustice is injustice. It really doesn’t matter what colour. Colour is man-made. It’s not for us to be colourblind, it’s for us to be human-sighted.”

To James, the plight of selected peoples is not to be overcome by those peoples alone; rather, it must be a collective effort—an effort from humanity as a whole.

“My belief is that we’re in a place in our history, in a place with science, innovation, and technology, that we can provide everyone with their basic needs.

We choose not to. We can’t truly call ourselves a true civilization or a true civilized people when so many of us still suffer, and when so many of us don’t have the basic needs of life. The seven billion should never have to want.”

“The problem is that we’ve become attached to these systems. When you do not value life, this is what happens. It’s not the system. If we truly valued our youth in education, and we truly valued life, we would create economic systems which say ‘let’s educate them’ without burdening students with debt, and food systems to feed people without cost.”

“I see a world where what we want to do, and how we want to do it, is limitless.

I see a world without boundaries, without borders. This is home, and the only border is the atmosphere that keeps us on this planet.”

Though James has gradually distanced himself from personal artistry in an effort to support his colleagues, his appreciation for the significance of art in humanity is unmatched. Indeed, being a man as humble, gentle, and profound as he is, James has never chosen to shy away from greater collectives and concepts; unsurprisingly, when asked to describe his ultimate goal before death, James described an “uplifting of the human consciousness.” But as sweeping as these concepts may be, and as ethereally as they are described, James’ greatest impacts have always returned to what has forever been his greatest love: humanity.

“Art is everything. It’s all around us.

It’s in us. We’re the art. We’re the greatest masterpiece ever created. The way I feel when I listen to Erin, Jada, or Ahmed recite one their poems—it’s not the words, it’s them. It lives in us, it breathes, and it’s everything that we take in. Art is us.”

protagonist, is dynamic throughout, and we see her grow and transform personally across the several years that span the book. Janie resembles a butterfly—she begins as an innocent preteen, but grows to become a beautiful woman. Despite

the jumps in time and space during the novel, Hurston gracefully transitions between points in time throughout the plot, resulting in a narrative structure that is a lot more cohesive than expected. The setting is also deserving of praise; set in rural Florida, Hurston mainly focuses on the African American community and culture. Since Hurston is African American, she is capable of conveying a setting that depicts a perspective noticeably absent within mainstream media.

In a modern society where racial issues have become a significant topic of controversy and conversation, Hurston shows that African Americans are capable of compassion and benevolence, contrary to what many media sources have chosen to portray.

Unfortunately, Their Eyes Were Watching God is not without its flaws. Intriguing side characters are often left undiscovered, as characters like Jody Starks and Logan Killicks are often stereotypical, flat, and mundane. While we get to hear Janie’s experiences and feelings first hand, her views and opinions on certain people and events are subject to bias, as we are offered

no other perspectives to justify her own. There are always two sides to a story, and sometimes it can be difficult to give Janie the credibility that she demands.

Their Eyes Were Watching God is gripping from start to finish, and has afforded me an education on a peculiar perspective of the African American community. I found myself rooting for Janie, and though I don’t necessarily agree with everything she does, she still holds a dear place in my heart. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a leisurely read.

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Jack Deng - Arts Editor | thephoenixnews.com |

LISTEN UP!

Arts

Composite image by Maggie Wilson/ The Phoenix News

Highlighting some of the best up-and-comers you should be listening to Stephen Dass Contributor

Catfish and the Bottlemen Catfish and the Bottlemen recently won the British Breakthrough Act at the 2016 Brit awards, beating out some big up-and-comers in British contemporary music, and their album, The Balcony, reached the Top 10 of the UK charts. Nine years may be a long time for a band to finally breakthrough, but Catfish has seen a steady upward trajectory since their 2012 debut project marked by bigger and better festival placements and live venues gigs across Europe and North America.

Their riffs and choruses harken back to early records

by Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, The Neighbourhood, and The Kooks. Though their lyrics lack the depth and polish of their influences, they more than make up for this however with the energy they inject into both their instrumentation and their live show. If you are a fan of

any of the aforementioned bands or alt-rock in general, The Balcony is a super catchy album and full of songs that will get stick in your head long after you have listened to the album.

Your first listen: Catfish and the Bottlemen - “Cocoon” Royal Headache A Sydney garage rock/punk band mixing Motown flair with hard hitting punk rock, Royal Headache’s latest project, High, is a refreshing mix of punk rock chord progressions from the 70’s with meticulous vocals, emotionally selfaware lyrics, and nuanced pacing. Royal Headache poises itself with a mixture of punk rock credibility (with police having to shut down a recent Sydney Opera House gig due to rowdy fans) and critical praise, even touring Australia with alternative titans, The Black Keys. High is a short

project, only around 29 minutes, and upon the first couple of listens it seems to sprint to its own conclusion. However, further listening is where the details begin to show - the raw emotional vocals and fast paced riffs, frantic lyricism, and personal turmoil hidden under the guise of upbeat punk rock energy. Royal Headache has done a couple of small tours in major cities across North America, and if you see them at an upcoming festival, you’ll be in for a showcase of some great punk music.

Your first listen: Royal Headache - “Another World” July Talk If you are thinking of heading to a Canadian music festival this summer you will undoubtedly see July Talk on the lineup sheet. The Toronto blues-rock band has toured relentlessly since the release of their self-titled

debut album in 2012. The band’s biggest draw is the chemistry between its two lead singers, Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fey. Through the provocative opener, Garden, the band establishes a perfect balance of Dreimanis’ low aggressive vocals and Fey’s poppy tone. However, throughout the project it is Leah who seems to have command over the songs. The album slows down at certain places, but Dreimanis always injects the right amount of energy to balance the lyrical and emotive depth exuded by Fey. While great on an early day festival stage, July Talk provides a captivating performance even on a smaller venue show and despite only being a band for four years, their onstage chemistry and carefree musicianship is impressive and will no doubt entertain a variety of audiences.

Your first listen: July Talk - “Guns and Ammunition”

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Brittni MacKenzie-Dale - Opinions Editor | thephoenixnews.com |

Opinions

Opinions

THE LIFECHANGING MAGIC OF THE CAT FORTRESS Amidst midterm hell, Crittenden offers a cat haven refuge

Charlie Crittenden Contributor

MICROSOFT WORD IS THE WORST

Image by Maggie Wilson /The Phoenix News

Microsoft Word is not a student’s best friend after all Trystan Carter Contributor

Do you have Microsoft Word on your computer right now? If you are a student, you probably do. It is the most ubiquitous word processor in the history of modern computing.

And it is a total piece of shit.

Despite recent iterations slimming things down quite a bit, Microsoft Word is a bloated monster of an application. Microsoft Word does almost everything wrong in terms of creating a comfortable writing environment, from its ugly toolbar to its labyrinth of menus and slow launch time. And yet it is the first application almost every student and writer I know goes to in order to hammer out their first draft. Why? Simply put, Microsoft Word was first.

Microsoft Word has been wheezing along since it was invented in the early 80’s as the first WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) word processor, making it the first writing program that displayed your writing on screen as it would appear once it was printed.

Windows’ dominance of personal computing cemented its place as the go-to document writing application, for better or worse, and we have been stuck with it and its .DOC or .DOCX file format being the standard in our offices and our schools ever since.

This would not be so bad if there were not some truly fantastic

alternatives to Word, but there are. If you have a Mac, which I will wager half of you do, Pages is a lean and quick application that does everything Word does for a lifetime cost of around twenty dollars, much cheaper than even Microsoft’s cheapest option: $79 for a 4-year student subscription, more if you are not a student. Don’t have a Mac? Too cheap to even pay $20 for a program you will use almost every day for your entire degree? Google Docs is completely free and, despite Word’s admirable but clumsy integration of Dropbox, makes document collaboration painless and simple.

Google Docs also works perfectly on your phone and the app takes up less space than both Word and Pages, leaving plenty of space for more photos and music—which, let’s be real, are the important things.

Despite all these superior alternatives, Word’s reign rages on and it is that reign that says so much about being first to the party. Spotify, the first music streaming service that anyone actually cared about, also a cluttered mess of a service, has been propelled forward by ubiquity and a user-base content to fumble through its dark gauntlet of menus instead of seeking out simpler music streaming pastures elsewhere. iTunes, which essentially pioneered the purchasing

and management of digital music, svelte and efficient in its initial iterations, is a clunky Frankenstein of a program now that it has had Apple Music spliced into it. While competing services have sought to dethrone these software titans, few have the resources, or the ingenuity,

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Despite all these superior alternatives, Word’s reign rages on and it is that reign that says so much about being first to the party.

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One does not enter the world of cat fortress construction lightly. While cats deserve a fortress capable of framing their power, glory, and need for small enclosed spaces, a fortress must also be temporary. You may require the jean jacket you artfully draped over the box’s frame, or your cat may emotionlessly reject everything you have done. Fortress construction boasts a cycle of renewal in your household, as boxes you are too lazy to recycle, and clothes you probably should wash, clutter your house in different ways.

For myself, putting together a small but perfect place for my cats makes me put aside my daily concerns for a time to consider their ideal world—and it feels pretty great.

Whether it be a stack of camping mattresses, a tower of textbooks, or the suitcase from a recent trip, anything you do not feel like dealing with can become a cat fortress. The camping mattresses could become the sweeping battlements protecting a perfect snoozing spot against the wall, while textbooks are just asking for a pillow to create the ideal vantage point. The luggage, of course, creates a cavern full of lost socks and intriguing smells.

Do you have a blanket you are not using but you do not really know where to put? Drape it carefully to create an intriguing cave, and observe your cats validate your laziness by thoroughly investigating. Costco trips may leave you with the kind of hefty cardboard boxes that you really do not feel like breaking down. Instead of ignoring the box for another week, I encourage you to transform it into a castle atop a nearby chair, lined with out-of-season coats and covered with a cardigan you picked up off the bathroom floor.

Maximizing your storage space whas never been so easy.

In the end, it is not just about the felines. I am not good at slowing my thoughts after a day on the go.

Meditation, exercise, and hours of video games are all valid options, but it feels good to create something that will either be destroyed or ignored in the near future. Perhaps it is about looking outside my own head and settling into my best approximation of a cat’s brain.

I turn to considering the stability of a given pillow, and I enter a world ruled by new directives regarding the visibility of the birds in the garden and the pursuit of the ideal cave. Okay, so it may not be life-changing, or particularly magical, but it is not a bad way to spend 10 minutes.

to do so.

There are exceptions to this, of course. Netflix was the first big player in streaming video and they only cement that position further every time they release another one of their original series to acclaim of TV critics and to the dismay of

students everywhere trying to study and finish their anthropology papers.

Facebook is a prime example of a service, in this case a social network, coming after other services have already established themselves (RIP MySpace) and decimating the competition. Sure, Facebook is also a mess, and one that is actively mining everything you do to sell things to you, but try to track down that one person from high school whose name you cannot quite remember but they did that really funny thing somewhere other than Facebook and tell me how much luck you have.

Which brings me back to Microsoft, the Facebook of computing, the operating system most people use because they have to. Windows is on almost every computer in the world that does not have an apple on its lid, and its going to stay that way until Apple starts selling their computers for less than a semester’s tuition.

And because of that we will keep writing our documents in Word, or at least sending them around in Word format, not because Word is great (it is not) or because there are not better options (there are) but because it is there. Right there. At the top of your programs list. First in line.

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Opinions | thephoenixnews.com | Brittni MacKenzie-Dale - Opinions Editor

HELLO MA’AM

In a world of mounting pressures for women to be young, pretty, and wrinkle-free, hearing the dreaded “ma’am” can send a person into a tailspin of anxiety Kyra Macpherson Contributor

An exploration of real vs. fake

Brittni MacKenzie-Dale Opinions Editor Vocativ recently published an article touting the environmental consequences of vegan leather.

That is right—with all the environmental, violent, and exploitative issues around the globe, they chose to focus their efforts on a ridiculous ignoratio elenchi. My trouble with an article like this is not necessarily the fact that it is a blatant misdirection of other, more important problems, but that many meat-eaters will see simply Scott Christian and EJ Fox’s title (“Vegan Leather Isn’t as Ethical as You Think”) and reaffirm, instead of critique, the use of nonhumans in both our diets and in our closets. This might also deter us from considering a vegan diet, which is one of the best ways to save the planet.

In this article, two writers examine the immorality of opting for faux leather instead of its cow-skin counterpart. They claim that the planet is hurting not because of the billions of animals raised every year for food and clothing, but largely because of vegan leathers.

What we are seeing in this article is something called the nirvana fallacy.

Sometimes it is called the perfect solution fallacy, because it is a fallacy of assumption: if an action is not a perfect solution to a problem, it is not worth taking. Although this type of illogical thinking seems obvious and easy to avoid, it is a ubiquitous problem across many fields of thought. We all fall prey to it.

An apt example is vaccines: antivaccinators often rely on this fallacy by contending that vaccines are not 100%

effective or 100% safe. They are not wrong—although, of course, vaccines are statistically safer than contracting a deadly flu virus. In any case, it is not valid to infer from the fact that vaccines are not 100% safe that nobody should get vaccinated until every vaccination everywhere prevents everyone from the disease without harming a single person. We see this, too, in politics, wherein we dismiss too quickly a politician’s campaign because it does not seem the faultless compendium to an otherwise-flawed-but-it-will-do-fornow system we are currently enjoying.

Christian and Fox’s article is lazy at best. First of all, why target faux leather only? Vegans are not the only ones to rely on it, and it is in fact made out of several materials: cork, barkcloth, glazed cotton, waxed cotton, and yes, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane. It is only the latter two that the authors deem important enough to dissect. I am not arguing that PVC breaks down and is easier to recycle—we know this to be untrue. But when Christian and Fox feel confident enough to write a sentence like “the bulk of hides used in leather production come from cattle that are raised for beef and milk, so not using their hides could be deemed wasteful,” I grow worried. Are they so short-sighted as to not see the problem inherent in their statement? If cattle was not raised at all, there would not be a carcass to waste.

Another common critique of veganism (and, by extension, no-animal products like faux leather) comes in the form of the

question “what is it?” This creates a false dichotomy of real vs. fake, wherein the real is always some sort of animal (by)product and the fake comes from somewhere else—yet this somewhere else is almost exclusively considered to be chemical, toxic, or unnatural, as though the gross exploitation of nonhumans is not just innate but ethical.

Beyond these issues and fallacies, much of this article, and others like it, is just plain false. Writer Eva Lampert points this out, stating, “with stats like 29% of the world’s fresh water being used for animal production, animal agriculture being the number one cause of rainforest destruction, and animal agriculture being responsible for 65% of the human-caused nitrous oxide emissions, I once again come back to the point that all the vegan leather in the world still does not touch the industries that continue to coerce people into using animals for food, clothing, and entertainment.”

When it comes to an issue like environmentalism, we have to stop deluding ourselves on the more trivial issues and focus on the big picture. I am not saying there is not an argument to be made in favor of ethical animal agriculture (although I cannot say I have found it yet).

What I want to point out is that when we continue to rely on logical fallacies such as the nirvana fallacy and the diversion fallacy, we begin to lose a critical eye for calling out bullshit arguments such as this one.

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I still clearly remember the day when my mum was first called ma’am. It ruined her for a good two days and she still cringes at the memory.

“

FAUX LEATHER, ENVIRONMENTALISM, AND THE NIRVANA FALLACY

line of objectified women dolls, it is no wonder that women struggle with aging. The rest of the day passes in a slum of disappointment and selfhatred—since everyone in the world knows that you are old now and not as good looking as you were before.

And instead of trying to pretend to yourself that you are actually not old, you dwell on it and make everyone else around you pay.

I still clearly remember the day when my mum was first called ma’am.

It ruined her for a good two days

and she still cringes at the memory.

She felt like her foothold in society had been shaken, if not completely removed. Her body language filled in the subtext of the story: she felt like she had transformed from someone worthy to something worthless.

No one really thinks about using that word except on older women.

And I know that you would think using it would mean the woman is distinguished or important, just like when you call a man ‘sir’; however,

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This sends you into a whirlwind of disturbing thoughts: Am I really that old? Oh my god, do I look tired and overworked? Are these anti-aging creams even doing anything or are they just sitting in the vast crevasses of my forehead wrinkles?

“

Photo from Google Images

You pick up the items you need as you go shopping in preparation for the week ahead. The usuals are in your cart: food (nothing too carb-y), Vitamin water (it is supposed to have a lot of electrolytes), and a slew of anti-aging creams (you read in Cosmo that you should start in your early 20s).

You approach the counter and the young clerk at the counter asks, “did you find everything alright today, ma’am?”

You stop dead where you are standing and look at this young baby in front of you, bewildered. Ma’am.

You were called ma’am. That’s all that runs through your head because you are not apparently old and in ma’am territory. What gives this young buck the right to call you ma’am?

This sends you into a whirlwind of disturbing thoughts: Am I really that old? Oh my god, do I look tired and overworked? Are all the wrinkles very apparent on my tired, overworked face? Is it all really over for me? Are these anti-aging creams even doing anything or are they just sitting in the vast crevasses of my forehead wrinkles?

These are the questions we ask. In a world where it takes Barbie almost six decades to incorporate a few, but still limited, new body types to its

this is not the case. “Sir” does not imply someone is old and wrinkled and not a young, attractive woman anymore. The connotation is much, much worse.

Maybe men do not realize that ma’am is a forbidden word not to be used under any circumstance (unless she’s about 80), but other women do know. It is like a weapon. When you, as a woman, call someone ma’am, it is usually an indication that you do not like this person for whatever reason. Most people I know use “ma’am” for grumpy ladies who are really too much to handle—we know we use it just to light the fire.

Granted, if you are the type of person to call everyone “ma’am” and do not differentiate by age, then that is just a personal preference of yours. Or you are really just that oblivious to how you are treated by said woman right after the word has been uttered. So next time you call someone “ma’am”, make sure you really mean to call them that. You never know which woman will go home to their family to cry and freak out that their life is over, lamenting that no one will look at them ever again because they are not as young as they used to be.

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Brittni MacKenzie-Dale - Opinions Editor | thephoenixnews.com |

Opinions

THE DEEPER AGENDA OF THE SYRIAN CONFLICT With Russia and Assad nearing victory, nations critical of Assad are threatening war to overthrow him The war in Syria has less to do with ISIS and more to do with Assad Mark Dreger Current Affairs Editor

THE JOKE OF THE AMERICAN CAUCUSES The American electoral system needs fixing Mark Dreger Current Affairs Editor

Every 4 years in the United States, citizens of the world are forced to watch the unique and incredibly ridiculous electoral process the country has used since independence.

Although the Electoral College is a ludicrous, stupid, and arguably undemocratic system, what are even worse are the processes before the November election: the caucuses.

The caucuses are the most disorganized messes that the democratic world has seen.

In primaries, citizens vote on a private ballet, but a caucus is a public vote that is executed through standing in groups and being counted by hand. If that alone does not show the potential of a jumbled disaster, there are already examples from this year. After only 2 caucuses in the US election (Iowa and Nevada), each has already reported disorganization and supposed fraud.

In Des Moines, Iowa, there have been accusations of lying from the Hillary Clinton campaign about their number of votes. In the first round of voting, Bernie Sanders got 215 votes, Clinton 210, Martin O’Malley 26, and 8 undecided, totalling 459 votes. In the second round, Sanders got 224 votes, and Clinton got 232, now totalling 456 votes. The total number went down 3 people, but

Clinton’s numbers went up 14 votes.

It was initially suggested that the 3 people simply left between rounds, but Liz Buck, the Clinton precinct chair, admitted during a CSPAN recording that she only counted the newly acquired supporters and did not do a full recount to account for the ones that left. When a Sanders representative asked her again, she said she counted everyone and that it was 232. The Sanders side noticed this and stressed the inaccuracy to the caucus chair, but he brushed it off and had them call for a recount, which the electorate voted down.

In Nevada, there is a video of voters (allegedly Clinton supporters) being allowed into the Caucus room without registering. Nevada is a closed caucus state, meaning that voters can only vote in the caucus if they are members of the Democratic Party. Without registering, no one could confirm if the people were Democratic Party members, lived in Nevada, or were even American citizens. This also allows voters to jump between locations and vote more than once. One man working at the caucus claimed the people would register after the vote, but caucuses can take over two exhausting hours to finish and there is no way to keep tired individuals from leaving after

the vote is over.

The same problem happened at another caucus in Nevada that night covered by The Young Turks. The disorganization was clear, with the caucus chair writing the number of votes on his hand and misreading the number of delegates awarded to each candidate before correcting himself. However, after Clinton was announced as the winner, everyone started leaving in mass before they registered, which the caucus chair did not notice until it was too late. He also forgot to tell voters to nominate the delegates that were just awarded, leaving only a handful of people to decide due to his mistake.

While primaries allow voters to vote on ballots in structured manner, these two examples show why many have called the caucuses a joke. Not only is the system highly disorganized, it is inefficient, inaccurate, and when voters do not register it allows an extremely high probability of voter fraud, whether or not the precinct chairs lie about their results. It has also become clear that there is the greater conspiracy of the 2016 election being rigged in Clinton’s favour, and although it has been hinted at here, I will leave that topic for next issue.

are serious and continue their invasion, Russia has threatened to return with tactical nuclear weapons, and Hezbollah has threatened to slaughter Saudi troops if they invade. If this carries forward and the US does not call off support for the invasion, a major war involving Russia, NATO, Iran, and Saudi Arabia would not be far behind.

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“Mr. Assad and his allies have momentum, and the United States-backed rebels are on the run.” –David Sanger, New York Times writer

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Composite image by Maggie Wilson /The Phoenix News

Russia and the US recently announced a ceasefire agreement between all parties involved in the conflict save the Islamic State, al-Nusra Front, and other terrorist groups. Days prior, Saudi Arabia announced a 20-nation coalition threatening to send thousands of troops, tanks, warplanes, and helicopters into Syria against ISIS. At this point, it looks like the world is finally uniting against the Islamic State, but the unfortunate reality is that the Syrian conflict is not an ISIS focus, but instead a deeper proxy war that surrounds Bashar al-Assad’s position as President of Syria.

The announced ceasefire and Saudi Arabia’s North Thunder alliance comes at a crucial time in the civil war. Russia and the Syrian Army have made significant progress fighting the US-backed Syrian opposition in the northwest city of Aleppo and if Assad can take back the city, the civil war will be essentially over.

To clarify, the city of Aleppo is a central point for the opposition against Assad’s army. It is the country’s largest city and commercial hub, close to the Turkish border for supplies, and was hoped to become an alternative capital to weaken Assad in Damascus. If Russia, Hezbollah, and the Syrian Army take Aleppo back, they will control most of the crucial backbone of Syria, have a position of strength for negotiations, and essentially have the rebels defeated before moving east to fight ISIS. This result is what the US wants to avoid, but Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other Sunni nations are committed to preventing it.

In an attempt to halt Russia and Assad’s progress, Saudi Arabia announced a 20-nation coalition of 50,000 troops, 20,000 tanks, 2,500 warplanes, and 450 helicopters to Syria. The Saudi Press Agency says the move is to “stand united in confronting all challenges and preserving peace and stability in the region,” but the statement does not specifically address tackling ISIS. In the eyes of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Assad has been their main enemy since the start. Establishment groups in Saudi Arabia have funded Wahhabi extremism in the region to topple Assad, and NATO nations have turned a blind eye to Turkey aiding Syrian jihadists and buying ISIS oil in Syria to directly and indirectly fund terrorist organizations.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s threat of invasion has grabbed Russia’s attention, but Russia is scarily calling their bluff.

Arab powers are getting impatient with Assad still in power, which has led Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Adel alJubeir, to go as far as telling CNN that Assad needs to be removed “by force” if a diplomatic agreement cannot be reached. President Obama has called for diplomatic negotiations, and Assad has called for parliamentary elections in April; but if Turkey and Saudi Arabia

Realizing the extent of tensions and possibility of a major war, Russia and the US agreed to a ceasefire in the country.

The ceasefire is intended to halt fighting in the region that is not focused on ISIS or other terrorist groups, but the agreement’s language contains loopholes that allow Russia to continue airstrikes on regions under terrorist control, which in their eyes includes the US-backed Syrian rebels. The new ceasefire is not expected to last or stop Russia’s progress, which may lead Saudi Arabia and Turkey to again threaten their invasion.

The United States led regime change in Iraq in 2003 and in Libya in 2011.

Since then, ISIS and other terrorist groups have formed in the vacuum that was left after their leaders were ousted.

Syria will be no different. If Assad falls, the whole country will fall with him, leaving an open vacuum for extremist groups to grow and expand. All countries involved have their differing agendas for Assad, but no side will rest until their specific agenda is fulfilled. It is now up to President Obama to decide what happens in Syria. Does he support the Saudi-Turkish alliance to invade the country and possibly start a world war, or does he let the Russians win and keep Assad in power? Based on history and what Syria’s reckless neighbours are willing to do, let’s hope it is the latter.

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Sports | thephoenixnews.com | Grayson B. Leahy - Sports Editor

Sports

HEAT BASKETBALL SEASONS DONE PLACE HOLDER PLACE HOLDER PLACE HOLDER

Both the men’s and women’s UBC Okanagan basketball teams missed the playoffs after disappointing second halves to their seasons.

Grayson B. Leahy Sports Editor

With a final Canada West record of 8-12, the Heat men’s basketball team finished in fifth place of six in the Explorer Division. The women’s team finished their season with an even record at 10-10, earning the fourth place of six. Both teams missed the playoffs, as only the top 3 teams from the division move on to play in the Canada West championships. Both the men and women closed out their seasons playing against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in Kamloops on Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20.

As neither team has any graduating student athletes, both men’s and women’s programs will not lose any of their senior talent prior to next season.

While neither UBCO basketball team made the Canada West postseason, both teams set new highs for games won in a season since joining CIS competition. The men bested their previous high water mark, a 5-17 record through the 2012/13 season (their first in CIS) by three games. The women’s team improved their best record by four wins; their previous best was six wins, which they achieved twice in the 2012/13 and 2014/15 seasons.

The Heat men finished the season with an even record at home (5-5) and a less than stellar record on the road (3-7). Their final match, against TRU, was also the only match all season in which they scored 70 or more points and did not win. They finished their season on a four game losing streak. The men’s team averaged 67.2 points per game, shot 39.7% from the field, 32.5% from behind the three-point line, and 74.7% from the free throw line throughout their 20 Canada West games. They also averaged 35 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game.

Second-year guard Aldrich Berrios was the Heat men’s leading scorer this season, averaging 14.4 points per game. He also led the Heat in assists per game, averaging 2.5. Sophomore forward Dean Johnston led the team in rebounding, averaging 4.8 per game. Johnston also led Canada West in field goal percentage,

finishing the season shooting 57%.

Freshman guard Spencer Thomas led in steals per game with 1.1, and second-year guard Cameron Servatius had the highest average blocks per game with 0.4 While the Heat women had an impressive 10-3 record prior to January 30, they ended their season on a 7 game losing streak, to fall to fourth place and out of the playoffs at season’s end. The young team, under first year head coach Claire Meadows, finished with a winning record at home (5-4), but a losing record on the road (5-6), while averaging 56.9 points, 36.2 rebounds, and 9.9 assists per game for the season. The UBCO women shot 30.8% from the field, 24.9% from three-point range, and 65.1% from the free throw line.

Following the final game of her first season with the team, Head Coach Claire Meadows was quoted, saying, “I thought we were really resilient tonight . . . It really symbolized how our team played this season.” With a .500 record in their first season under a new head coach, and for many on the team their first year together, there is reason for UBCO to be optimistic about next season.

Fourth-year guard Emily Kanester was the leading scorer for the Heat women this season, averaging 11.9 points per game.

Following their final game of the season, in which the veteran guard scored 20 points, coach Meadows said of Kanester, “she has been that spark for us all season so it was good to see her end the season with a good shooting game.”

First-year forward Jordan Korol was the team’s best rebounder, averaging 4.9 per game, and thirdyear guard Claire Elliott led the team in assists per game and steals per game, averaging 2.9 and 2.4 in those categories, respectively.

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Grayson B. Leahy - Sports Editor | thephoenixnews.com |

HEAT WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL BEST IN CANADA WEST With a 22-2 conference record, UBC Okanagan earned first place in their Canada West season Grayson B. Leahy Sports Editor

On March 4 & 5, UBC Okanagan will host the Canada West Final Four. As they finished the regular season at the top of the standings, with a record of 22 wins and 2 losses, the Heat earned a bye through the quarter finals, and will host the semi-finals and finals for the conference championships.

In their final weekend matchup of the regular season, the Heat women had a chance to clinch the top spot with a win in straight sets against Mount Royal on Friday. Not only did they achieve that, but they ended up winning both matches in straight

sets, adding a strong win on Senior’s Night on Saturday.

Mount Royal was also playing for a playoff spot, and as Calgary lost their Saturday night match, the Cougars locked up the seventh and final berth in the postseason.

After the women’s win on Saturday, February 20, UBCO had their annual Senior’s Night ceremony, recognizing the graduating student-athletes on their final night of regular season competition with the Heat. This year’s honourees for the women’s volleyball team were Brianna Beamish, Katy Klomps, Katie Wuttunee, Kailin Jones, Chandler Proch,

and Katelyn DeJong.

After the ceremony, the girls conveyed their appreciation for being recognized, but also made it clear that they are not going to let anything pull any of their focus away from the postseason ahead.

“Yeah, it’s huge . . . it means so much . . . we love playing here,” said the girls collectively after the ceremony. “We were so emotional,” added Jones, “but it would’ve been ten times worse if we knew we weren’t playing here again.”

“We’ve gone to Final Four twice now,” said graduating setter Chandler Proch, “but it’s a different feel, hosting.”

Sports

Photos by Greystoke Photography

When asked whether being at the top of the Canadian rankings changes anything for them, the answer was unanimously subdued. “I think it’s cool, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say that’s not, the CIS rankings especially, that’s not really what we care about,” said Beamish. She continued, “we want to be number one on March 10, so, it’s a cool thing, and it’s great for the program and for publicity and for recruiting, but for us we want to be number one then.

It’s a great feeling, but we’re not done.” Katy Klomps added at the end of the interview, “Yeah, it really doesn’t mean a whole lot right now. It just means that we’ve set ourselves up the best we can, but we’ve got a long ways to go still.”

As it stands, after the final weekend of the Canada West regular season, the playoff teams will be UBC Okanagan, Alberta, Trinity Western, UBC, Brandon, Thompson Rivers, and Mount Royal.

The quarter final matchups are Mount Royal at Alberta,

Thompson Rivers at Trinity Western, and Brandon at UBC. The winners of each of those contests will travel to UBC Okanagan to play in the Final Four to decide which teams will represent Canada West at the CIS Championships.

The CIS Championships will be played in Brandon, Manitoba on March 11-13.

Normally, the top 3 teams from the Canada West tournament would move on to the CIS tournament. As Brandon is the host school this year, though, if they finish in fourth place at UBCO, then all four teams will go—as the host tournament gets an automatic berth in the tournament.

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Sports | thephoenixnews.com | Grayson B. Leahy - Sports Editor

HEAT MEN’S VOLLEYBALL SEASON ENDS Heat men’s volleyball end their season with the program’s annual Senior’s Night

Grayson B. Leahy Sports Editor

The Heat men’s volleyball team closed out their 2015/16 season with back-to-back losses (3-1, 3-0) against Mount Royal on February 19 & 20. With that final weekend, the Heat end the season with a record of 4-20, and finish in eleventh place out of thirteen teams in Canada West.

Before their Saturday night match, the graduating players were honoured during UBCO’s annual Senior’s Night. Fifthyear libero Jeremy Fostvelt, fifthyear right side Kyle Pankratz, and fourth-year middle Leo Schober were recognized for their careers with the Heat.

After the ceremony, and their final match, the 3 Heat men spoke about the experience, and their careers with the team. “It’s quite a bit of mixed emotions, I think,” said Fostvelt, continuing, “it’s been some great memories with the boys, and I’m looking forward to seeing these guys around for the next few months.”

“It’s a great group of guys to play with, and it’s been an awesome team environment,” said Pankratz. The graduating hitter added, “I think we’ve definitely grown as individuals, and gotten better as people going through this program.”

Leo Schober punctuated the

importance of the evening by explaining what volleyball, and the Heat program, have meant to him. “I never really would’ve come to school if it wasn’t for volleyball, so that was huge,” said the soon-to-be graduate.

As a team, the Heat finished the season with a respectable stat line. They finished in the top 10 in a number of categories: 10th in kills with 1050, 5th in digs with 863, and 9th in block assists and total blocks, with 282 and 192 respectively.

UBCO also finished in 9th in home attendance, recording 2992 total and averaging 272 throughout the season in The Furnace.

In terms of individual statistics, Lars Bornemann had an outstanding season, finishing with team bests of 289 kills, 3.25 kills per set, and 16 service aces. Fourth-year setter Kristof Schlagintweit led the Heat with assists with 659 this season, freshman libero Eli Risso led the team in digs with 219, and Leo Schober was a force at the net in his final season with the team, leading in blocks with 13, block assists with 56, and total blocks with 69.

conversation that has developed around the Bautista contract, the Blue Jays are also working to figure out a deal with first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion.

Much like Bautista, Encarnacion has not stated a dollar figure that he is seeking in contract talks. He has said in interviews at the team’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, that he wants to stay with Toronto for the rest of his career. In those interviews, one reporter asked, referring to the potential contract, if Encarnacion had a number in mind. The amiable slugger replied, laughing, “yeah, I want to hit 40 homers.”

After the last season the Blue Jays had, Canadian

baseball fans feel as though they have a lot to look forward to. Despite contract talks and palpable tension between established stars on the roster and a new cast in a restructure front office, Jays fans will be ecstatic to have baseball to talk about once again. And, within the next few days, there will be some kind of baseball to watch.

Photo provided by the UBCO Athletics

BASEBALL IS BACK . . . SORT OF “ Spring Training has started, and we can finally talk about baseball again

Grayson B. Leahy Sports Editor

of attention to the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues this spring, the news that comes out of them will garner far more attention.

The biggest news, especially for Canada, to come out of spring training so far has been Jose Bautista’s upcoming contract. While the Toronto Blue Jays outfielder and power hitter has avoided stating the dollar figure and duration that he is looking for, it has been circulating that the estimated acceptable terms will be around $150 million over five or six years.

On top of the significant

While the regular season does not officially get underway until April 3, baseball fans have a vast amount of information and coverage to dig through

“

With all pitchers and catchers having reported to spring training on Sunday, February 21, we can make the qualified statement that baseball is back. While the regular season does not officially get underway until Sunday, April 3, baseball fans have a vast amount of information and coverage to dig through already.

By February 27, every team had held their first workout of the MLB spring training schedule. The next day, the 2016 spring training season was underway. While few fans will pay a significant amount