UBCO’S FOOD CONTRACT IS UP P12
UBCO’s Student Newspaper
UBC’S TASK FORCE ON GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE p4
April 7, 2013 | Vol. 25 Issue 16
...down to the wire since 1989
R E C E S S WHY ARE THE VOLLEYBALL SHORTS SO SHORT? P26
THE FINE ARTS GRADUATION SHOW p20
Recess ended the 2014 academic year as the largest party ever thrown by the UBCSUO. The concert sold out all 3,000 tickets - the UBCSUO plans to use the same setup and partnership with Flipside to make Frosh even stronger in September. More on p14. Cover photo by Kelsi Barkved.
NEWS
FEATURES
Aramark’s food services contract is up, what’s next? p 12-13
Gender-based violence and stereotypes must stop - UBC’s Task Force p 4-6
LIFE
ARTS
A Venezuelan student’s reflections p 10 What it’s like serving at Cheetahs p 11
The uniqueness of our very own FCCS p 18-19
OPINIONS
SPORTS
Terry Richardson is a pervert p16 Heard on campus: r*tard p17
Why are the Volleyball shorts so short? p 26
The 16th issue is our last of the year - thanks for reading and from all of us here, enjoy your summer. We’ll see you back in September with a new staff. Feel free to continue to write in over the summer - the website is still up and running, and content is being planned for the school semesters. If you’re looking for a job, make sure you send in your application to eic@thephoenixnews.com by April 14!
Editor-in-chief
Dave Nixon eic@thephoenixnews.com
Room 109 University Center 3333 University Way Kelowna, BC Canada V1Y 5N3 Phone: 250-807-9296 Fax: 250-807-8431 thephoenixnews.com Cover images by Hanss Lujan
Managing Editor
Alex Eastman ads@thephoenixnews.com
Creative Director
Cameron Welch creative@thephoenixnews.com
Interim News Editor
David Nixon news@thephoenixnews.com
Arts Editor
Laura Scarpelletti arts@thephoenixnews.com
Sports Editor
Kaeleigh Phillips sports@thephoenixnews.com
Life Editors
Maranda Wilson life@thephoenixnews.com Sasha Curry curry@thephoenixnews.com
Staff Writers
Emma Partridge Alexandra Barberis
Staff Illustrator Asher Klassen
Interim Art Director Cameron Welch artdirector@thephoenixnews.com
Opinions Editor
Kayti Barkved opinions@thephoenixnews.com
Staff Photographers
Copy Editors
Events Editor
Contributors
Lauren Wintle Lauren Klassen copy@thephoenixnews.com
Hanss Lujna events@thephoenixnews.com Photo Editor Kelsi Barkved photo@thephoenixnews.com
Ali Young
Kelly Mitton Lynnette Oon Jeff Bulmer Mirella Cullen
The Phoenix is the UBCO students’ free press. Editorial content is separate from the University of British Columbia Students’ 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. legalising marijuana). The Phoenix is published, in part, by the UBCSUO and is an active member of the Canadian University Press
NEWS
3
briefs
Exam Jam is taking a new format this year. The usual two day blitz will happen on April 8 and 9 to plan study review sessions for the following eight days. For those with exams later in the game, theatres and classrooms have been booked for each weeknight between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m. from April 14 to 24. For updates on the Exam Jam, go to ubc.ca/okanagan/students/msc/examjam.html.
Two volunteers tabling for the newly launched PSN
Students launch mental health support network David Nixon
Editor-in-Chief
The first student run mental health support network has begun at UBCO. The Peer Support Network (PSN) launched on March 10, and has been open from 7-9 p.m. in the Upper Level Collegium (UNC 335). “Ultimately I would love to see the PSN grow to have our own space on campus, where we would be able to open our doors throughout the daytime and evening hours to better support UBCO students,” said Alexa Geddes, the student who came up with the idea. Geddes came up with the idea after being involved with the
On our radar
mental health movement and a co-researcher with the VOICE study. “I realized that one of the only mental health services on our campus are the counsellors at Health and Wellness,” she said, “I started to wonder why we did not have any kind of Peer Support Centre/Network on our campus so I decided to challenge that and see if we could create a studentled and student-inspired initiative on our campus.” A support network run by students is one of the things Geddes found when she began to look at mental health on other campuses, and that helped inspire the idea to start one here. She began working towards it in the summer of 2013. She began talks with students,
faculty, staff, and administration to see what kind of interest she could foster. She also reached out to other centres at Canadian universities to learn some of the best practices she could work towards. Then came space and funding needs, and finally she established an advisory committee of health professionals from the campus community to help guide it and recruited a team of volunteers. Those volunteers have now been trained by the Canadian Mental Health Association. “The AVP of Students and Campus Life were an incredible help in allowing us to use the collegium in UNC, and the UBCSUO has provided the PSN with the funding we need for this semester,”
The Curtis Road problem has been ongoing for all of UBCO’s life - it’s a problem they inherited from OUC and never fixed. Whenever it seems a step has been taken they end up taking two steps back. The problem is not solved yet, but they are working on negotiations to get cycle access to campus. We will keep up on any dates announced to let students know if they can expect anything.
photo by Kelsi
Barkved
said Geddes. The PSN comes on the heels of the review of the AVP Student Services portfolio, which noted that more investment in the Health and Wellness counsellor services was needed due to long wait times. Geddes spoke well of the current mental health services at UBCO, but “there is always room for improvement, and from a student perspective, we need a lot more. For example, we have excellent counsellors, but the wait time to see one of them is much too long especially, for those who may be struggling.” The PSN will stay open during exam period, which is the busiest time for the Health and Wellness Centre.
The company that will be doing food services at UBCO for the foreseeable future has not yet been announced. We uncovered the candidates for that contract in this issue’s piece, but we will continue to update you on the final results, which should be released early in the summer months.
On the web
www.thephoenixnews.com
The Robert’s Lake Road route, shown above, is still being pursued. We looked into the current state of those negotiations to see how far out some sort of safe cycle access to campus is.
Sexual Assault and Rape Awareness (SARA) Week is making efforts to continue yearly and expand its scope. We spoke to an organizer to see where it’s going for next year.
12
UBC said proposals must address: Price Availability of health options Quality of food options Ethic food options Hours of operation The availability of local, sustainable and organic foods Labelling including halal, non-GMO, organic, fair trade
Competition for UBCO’s food contract is between Aramark, the current provider, and Chartwells
Aramark’s contract expires... Emma Partridge News Reporter
“There was a different set of expectations that had been set 15 years ago, that hadn’t been updated or clarified,” -Mark Murdoch, food services consultant
This June, UBCO’s food services contract with Aramark will expire. The contract was originally entered into 13 years ago, when this campus was still Okanagan University College, and then inherited by UBC in 2005. But this was back when the campus only had 3,375 students; the campus now has more than double that just in undergrad students (there are nearly 700 additional graduate students). Needs have changed, so the university went through a lengthy process to see who would best address those needs. Aramark is a service provider in almost a dozen industries in over 10 countries around the world, headquartered in Philadelphia. One of those industries is colleges
and universities; in Canada the company supplies food for over 400,000 university and high-school students. Has Aramark been the ideal food provider for UBCO? “There was a different set of expectations that had been set 15 years ago, that hadn’t been updated or clarified,” says Mark Murdoch, a professional consultant who UBCO hired to help address the criteria that a new food provider would have to meet. “It’s not that Aramark has failed the campus today… the university has set up a far clearer statement of its expectations and requirements, so that any one of the companies who responded has a much better understanding of what your needs and desires are today.” The process began in October 2013, and the university has now completed its research into the kinds of needs and priorities a
company must address. According to Paul Marck of Media Relations at UBCO, this was no simple process. “[Analyzing] student interest encompassed looking at a number of perspectives, current needs, future needs, looking at undergraduate students, graduate students, international students, commuters and residence,” said Marck “we’ve got 1,700 people who live here full time, and they’re looking for three square meals a day, if not more. So we want to make sure we’ve covered all those bases.” The first step of the whole process was a consultation to seek input from students, faculty, and staff. The consultation survey was conducted to inform the next phase of the process: a series of focus groups. The survey “told me what people were thinking about, what areas I needed to prop a bit more
on,” says Murdoch, after which a focus groups were held “across the campus, and they were held with undergrad students, grad students, faculty, staff, catering users, the senior administration and the environmental and sustainability groups on campus…two rounds of those took place” As UBCO students, we’ve all probably had a complaint or two about food services. A lot of those concerns came out in the consultation process, and were subsequently included in the request for proposals (RFP) from bidding companies. An RFP is a process where companies compete by pitching their services to the buyer in bids, based on the criteria or needs presented. The buyer, the university in this case, then discusses the bids with the candidates and chooses the best fit. “The big things that came out
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Students supported the following Flexibility Repurposing and Expansion of Current Services Environmental Sustainability Consultative, Collaborative, and Educational
Students said they need more dietary options of : Halal Vegan Vegetarian Gluten-free
Illustration by Asher Klassen
...what’s next for food at UBCO? of the research were around price, hours of operation, food quality, access to healthy food, and addressing a number of dietary concerns,” says Murdoch “For example, gluten free was a very common topic that came up through the focus groups and the surveys, and the lack of access to gluten-free today. [Then] we wrote the RFP document, which sort of had these as the criteria we were looking for in the operation of a new food service.” The resulting RFP document also identified a desire to see the availability of local, sustainable and organic foods, and more vegan, vegetarian, and halal food options. Once the research highlighted student interest on which to base criteria, companies responded with bids. The university struck a 12 member committee which “evaluated the proposal to provide
recommendations to the Okanagan executive, and this is the current stage of the process. This is still under evaluation.” That committee is made up of four students, two members of faculty, two staff, two administrators, and two executive sponsors. But don’t think that new needs will necessarily mean a new food service provider. Aramark is still very much in the running in the bidding process. “Two companies made bids,” said Murdoch, “Aramark, the current operator, and the Compass Group of Canada. And Compass operates under the name Chartwells in higher education. So, Compass is a huge company and one of their divisions is higher education, where the university falls.” Compass Group is big. Their food service work ranges from hospital culinary programs, to
K-12, college and university dining, contract catering, consumer retail outlets, to vending solutions. Specifically Chartwells, the higher education sector, serves thousands of higher education students. Beginning in March, the committee scored the proposals against the criteria. Then another series of questions were developed which the companies would then respond to, and then rescoring took place based on the new information. According to Murdoch, there was a lot of debate during the two rounds of scoring, “But I believe the group has come to a consensus now.” Unfortunately it is confidential as to which company the committee is leaning towards. This should become public knowledge in April, when the contract is awarded, and then takes affect in July. The option of running food ser-
vices in-house like UBC Vancouver came up, but UBCO has determined that contracting out is the preferable option. “It’s a matter of cost and benefits, for UBC to hire more staff to do this ourselves would be an expensive undertaking,” says Marck, “Despite having the accommodations here, the 1700 students, we don’t have someone with the expertise. That would involve hiring someone at actually a pretty high level.” This is not to say that somewhere during UBCO’s continuing maturation, running food services the way Vancouver does – without contracting – is impossible. It may happen once UBCO has the infrastructure in place, but as of now the new contract will be signed for a five year term, with the possibility of a five year additional term, if the university does not want to terminate early.
“But don’t think that the new needs will necessarily mean a new food service provider. Aramark is still very much in the running”
LIFE
Cut for the Cure raises $7,215 “I got my head shaved for my mother,” said Mathew Hoogveld, “I lost my mom to cancer 10 years ago. She had squamous carcinoma. She fought for more than three years against this cancer when she was only given three months. I held my moms hand the night before she passed, when she hugged me goodnight I knew I had to jump into a role that was way above my age.” Hoogveld helped organize the fourth annual R.A.-run Cut for the Cure this year. “Being in charge of this amazing event was a great honor and i couldn’t have raised over $7,200 without my team behind me and my sponsors.” Plan B shut down their shop to provide to UBCO with hairdressing chairs and seven of their stylists to shave heads. There was also Pie your R.A., sumo suits, music, henna and face painting, and a barbecue donated by Kal Tire. “Our goal this year was $5,000, but we got over $7000,” said Hoogveld, “we had more sponsors and had more activities. We made it more interactive...overall it was a great success.” Hoogveld is also doing The Ride To Conquer Cancer, and if you’d like to donate to his continuing fundraising efforts, visit his page here: http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/matthoogveld2014.
How I fell in love WITH my best friend By: Anonymous My boyfriend and I have decided to apply for a transfer to UBC Vancouver (no disrespect to UBCO), and we wanted to work on the process together. I was at the short answer part, and I came across a question that read, “Explain how you responded to a significant challenge that you have encountered and what you learned in the process”. I couldn’t help but smile. A lot of the people we’ve met say that we are the cutest couple they have ever met. This always amuses us because our relationship wasn’t always this cutesy, as they put it. There were rough patches in our relationship. We met during Create a couple of years ago. I remember seeing him, and immediately thinking that he had a slight resemblance to Anna Kendrick. Throughout the tour I got to talk to him, and found out that we had a lot of things in common. We both loved the same music, sports, and movies. The day ended with me giving him my number so we could get together and toss the football around. The following months consisted of us bantering about girls we hooked up with at parties. Our weekends consisted of partying on Saturdays, and watching football on Sundays. We were living the dream. We would be rudely awakened in
Illustration by
the second semester, however. It was a Saturday night, and we were in my dorm, just back from a party and still drunk. We talked about the upcoming football game, which was going to be played by my favourite team, and his favourite team. Needless to say, it was a pretty heated argument that eventually led to a fight. In the midst of the fight, my friend kissed me. I don’t remember how it led to that, but I remember how it felt. I felt disgusted, and immediately pushed him off. I told him to get out of my room. The next few weeks were filled with him trying to apologize and blaming the incident on the alcohol, and me calling him a “fucking faggot”. I had no drinking buddy during that time. After a while I wanted to apologize to him. I realized that I had just kicked my best friend out of my life. Parties weren’t as fun without him. Even drinking wasn’t as fun without him. I called him up and apologized to him. He said he was sorry too. We did this on a Saturday afternoon, so I got to have my bro back before the next football game. Things still weren’t the same though. I felt myself behaving more reserved around him. I didn’t want to tell him anything that didn’t relate to football or females. He felt
the same but I didn’t mind. At least it was peaceful again. The peace would be disturbed just before finals. I decided to get a group of our friends together for a party before we had to start studying. I went hard drinking that night, which is usually not a good sign. My friends later told me that I was an aggressive drunk that night. I was talking to a girl, and saw a figure walking up to me. It was him. He asked me where something was. I thought he was trying to cockblock me right there, but I didn’t want to lose my cool in front of this girl. I took him somewhere quiet, and accused him of being jealous of the girl. He obviously said that that wasn’t true, but I wasn’t having it. I punched him, and we tussled. It wasn’t long before the party-goers heard the noise and came into the room. They broke the fight up. I told him to get out of my face, and he did, for the rest of the semester and summer break. That summer break was a weird time for me. I enjoyed spending time with my high school buds and old flames, but I felt that there was something missing. I’d like to say that he never crossed my mind, but he did. Almost every day. I was stubborn, and didn’t want to be the
first one to text him. After a while, I realized something: I missed him. It wasn’t the same thing as being bummed about not chilling with your bro either. I missed everything about him. How he laughed, how he always asked me to open his water bottles for him, how he had a little crinkle on his nose when he smiled. Hell, I even missed how he smelled. I still refrained from texting him. We barely talked to each other during the first semester of our second year. Our communication consisted of nodding when we would see each other. At least we weren’t at each other’s throats anymore, I decided. It was at a party just before our first semester finals that we finally reconciled. I didn’t drink that night. I gave up drinking whenever he was around. I think he did too. I came to this party hoping to go home with a girl. Nope. We saw each other and started talking. We talked throughout the entire party. I remember one drunk girl falling into his lap, but he didn’t even flinch. He was hanging onto every word I was saying. I learned that he was also in the same apartment building that I lived in, so we decided to leave the party together. We got to my apartment door, and he went in for a bro-hug. I don’t
Chynna Howard
know what came over me, but I rejected his hug. I went for a kiss instead, and waited for a punch. No punch, only him reciprocating. After what seemed like forever, I told him goodbye, closed the door, and watched him leave through my peephole. I was beaming for the rest of the night. We were more social in the second semester, with late-night visits and quasi-dates (we would go out together, but made sure to go with a group of friends). We knew how we felt about each other, but we couldn’t exactly advertise it. It didn’t help that we are Human Kinetics majors - the land of the hyper-masculine. After a while, we grew tired of having to hide. This was part of our identity, and shouldn’t be covered up. We decided to tell a friend about us. It didn’t go well. She said she was supportive of us, but I could see the disgust in her face. Luckily, she changed her mind a while later. That was really the only obstacle we faced when we told our friends. They were all proud of us. Back to the present day: my boyfriend sees me smiling, and asks what’s up. I point at the screen, and he smiles too. Too bad this story is too long for the short answer.
STUDENT PROFILES: GRADUATION EDITION
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We talk to some of the most recognizable faces of campus before they leave
Photo by Cam Welch
Simon Bullock Program: Management Arguably the most involved person at UBCO, Simon Bullock has had a hand in everything from Frosh week events to Senate decisions to UBCSUO policy to Management Students’ Association decisions. He even starred as an (almost-)life-size cutout for a campus promoton campaign. Known for his signature style, which features blazers, wingtips, pocket squares, and tie clips, Bullock works as a T.A., as a Research Assistant, and as a Revenue Analyst for Vancouver-based social media company Hootsuite. This year, Simon helped create a student leadership scholarshp, an organized student Senator caucus, new UBCSUO bylaws, and the “Raid the Coop” Heat fan trip to UBC Vancouver. Where can we find you on campus most of the time? Probably tucked away in one of three places: Student Union Office, Management Student Association Office, or the Library. Where would we find you on a Friday night? Probably watching a movie or hockey game with my girlfriend at home. What’s something the average acquaintance doesn’t know about you? I was an avid skateboard, long hair and all, and travelled and won many skate competitions in the [BC] Interior. I’ve gotten five concussions from snowboarding,
hockey, skateboarding, and mountain biking. What is your biggest style tip? Keep things simple. Build up a wardrobe of good basics that fit well, and own some shoe shine. If you could make one change at UBCO, what would it be? #MORELIBRARY What are you into these days? Really into calligraphy, Kodaline, global politics, and disruptive technology Where would you like to live or travel to? Cambridge, England If you could hang out with anyone, anywhere, who and when? Elon Musk in Zurich, Switzerland picking his brain over coffee on mountain top, tomorrow? If you could be in any fictional world, what world would it be and what would you do? Game of Thrones, preferably Kings Landing in Westeros. Drinking with Tyrion Lannister. What is something you’d like to say to the student body? You are more than your resume and your grades. Make your name the most valuable title you will ever have and live so that your friends will always defend you, but never have to. Interview by Cam Welch
Photo by David Nixon
Winston Lin Program: Psychology You may have seen him bustin’ a move by the bus stop, or lounging by Starbucks. One of the founders of UBCO’s Urban Dance club, Winston Lin only began dancing five years ago but demonstrates the talent of someone who has been dancing for at least twice that long. His first year living in Kelowna, Winston encountered other more experienced independent dancers, one of whom introduced him to founder of local dance company Luki. Today, Winston dances with Luki, is affiliated with dance productions for the City of Kelowna, and helps run the Urban Dance Club. Where can we find you on campus most of the time? By the administration building in an area by the wall dancing, or in Fipke studying if I ever need to use a laptop. In the summer, I’ll probably be over by that tree [points to tree in front of Arts] napping. What do you hope to do after university? If I’m not an internationally renowned choreographer for Justin Timberlake or someone like that … I would probably go into something like PR, marketing, human resources. People fascinate me. I like manipulating people (you can put that down too). What is your dream job? A dancer, in any shape or form.
How would you describe your dance style? My style is a fusion between popping, hip-hop and contemporary. What are you into these days? “Montreal has become a recent obsession for me – the reason behind me trying to learn French. I felt very comfortable in that city when I recently visited - I really enjoyed my time there.” What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday night? Drink by the lake with my friends. If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be? The dead person would be alive during the dinner, right? Okay, Dumbledore, because I need answers on why I never received the letter inviting me to Hogwarts. What’s something your average acquaintance doesn’t know about you? I’m very oblivious, so if you don’t make physical contact in greeting me, chances are I won’t see you because I’m actively avoiding all eye contact with other human beings. What is something you’d like to say to the student body? “Stay classy.”
Interview by Sasha Curry
Photo by Sasha Curry
Luke Austin Program: Cognitive and Social Psychology If you’ve gone to UBCO at some time in the past six years, you’ve probably encountered Luke Austin. You might have heard him yelling your name at The Well, or seen him building rock sculptures behind the UNC, or ordered a drink from him at Rose’s on a weekend night. Luke—a sych student, cook, and bartender—has been a mainstay at UBCO since 2008, and he rivals even Alex Gula himself for the title of Friendliest Guy Around. How have you seen the campus change since you started? The UNC wasn’t even here, Fipke had just gone up [...] Even just like the landscaping, how that changes. how they plant a whole field of grass where there used to be a pile of dirt... and now it’s a beautiful field for.. children to run and play. What would you change about UBCO? I don’t know if I’d want to change anything about this place. I mean, it has only been changing, since I got here. Where would you want to live or travel to? I want to travel all over the place. I’ve been to Thailand and Singapore and Philippines already, that was last year, that’s why I took 6 yrs to finish my degree.
If you could hang out with anyone, anywhere, who and when? Where I’m not sure—I always like new palces. but I feel like I’d really want to hang out with Dave Grohl. That guy’s a maniac. What is something you’d like to say to the student body? I would hope that I have had a positive impact on a lot of people and I would hope that at least one other person maybe took that to heart and wants to make an effort to be nicer to people [...] I dunno, I’d just tell people to give each other high fives. And to smile at each other. Maybe that sounds too idealized. How did you get into making rock sculptures? When I was 11 yesrs old or something I was at a fair in London Ontario and I saw this guy balancing rocks. I tried it when I was like 16 yrs old just playin by myself by the lake [...] and then I realized how to do it and I got reasonably good at it. I just had this bright idea to see if I could busk and do that, and see if anyone would enjoy it. Does sculpting rocks inform your approach to other things? I think the only thing that I would say about how that relates to my life is probably the way that I think in terms of what I want to convey to people. [I make sure] I’m taking my time and just being careful with my words. Interview by Cam Welch
Photo by Sasha Curry
Shiv Bakhshi Program: Environmental Sci Shiv Bakhshi is a dread-headed Rastafarian from Calgary; here is what he had to say about Harry Potter land, saving the world, and his hair. Where can we find you on campus most of the time? The EME, or the Well. What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday night? Sit back and smoke a couple blunts. What do you hope to do after university?
Australia in July and claims that he doesn’t have time to say goodbye to all of his friends.] What are you into these days? Into the jazz. What kind of jazz? All the jazz. …ask me more questions If you could be in any fictional world, what world would it be and what would you do? Obviously Harry Potter land, because I would be the greatest sorcerer in the world, and I could do so much crazy shit—like fly a broomstick, for instance.
Save the world. If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be? Well, if they were dead that would be kinda creepy. So... you. [winks] What are you involved in on campus (or in the city)? Socializing. What’s something your average acquaintance doesn’t know about you? This is my real hair. What is your dream job? To open a bar shack on the beach, in the Caribbean: Shakabar. What is something you’d like to say to the student body? Goodbye guys. [Shiv is leaving for
What is your academic focus? That’s a stupid question, cuz like, what does that even mean? Now you’re just being redundant. [I stared blankly for a moment] Saving the world. With mind power. [Then I began asking him questions about his hair…] How long have you been growing your dreads? I shaved my head 4.5 years ago.
STUDENT PROFILES: GRADUATION EDITION
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How do you wash your hair? With water and tea-tree oil. Do you plan to cut it? How long is it? No. I’d say a little over a foot long. [Shiv’s hair reaches halfway to his waist—he would like me to specify it goes down to his “nips”] Interview by Sasha Curry
We talk to some of the most recognizable faces of campus before they leave
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The Phoenix |
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August 29th, 2013
2014 Venezuela Protest Timeline
04 February
Students protest the border city of San Cristobal in Tachira State after the sexual assault of a student at a local university. 500 were arrested and jailed, sparking solidarity protests.
12 February
Large, nationwide protests take place in 38 cities across Venezuela simultaneous with the celebrations for National Youth Day and the Battle of Victoria.
13 February
Adrian Perez, A UBCO student speaks to his concern for his home country Venezuela
Image by Hanss Lujan
A Venezuelan student’s perspective on his native country’s turmoil Hanss Lujan
14 February
Bloomberg News reports that the Venezuela government is blocking protest images posted on twitter.
18 February
Events Editor
While most students worry about exams and final projects, some worry for the state of their country. Adrian Perez, a third year international student, has been keeping up with the events taking place in his native Venezuela. Unable to do much from abroad, he hopes to bring awareness to the recent turmoil troubling his family and friends. Venezuela faces an escalation of crime and violence. According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), every 21 minutes someone is murdered in Venezuela, and 90% of these crimes go unpunished. Having lived in Caracas until the age of 17, Adrian knows the severity of these problems all too well. “My sister got kidnapped in November,” he said, “my brother’s been shot. It’s a ridiculous situation.” Life in Venezuela isn’t easy. The country is facing 56% inflation, one of the highest in the world. Its citizens have limited access to commercial products, with a shortage on breads, meats and toiler paper; the country is in a state of impoverishment. “I don’t go out anymore, because it’s too dangerous, “Adrian explains, “I don’t really buy too many things. Prices have become ridiculous; everything is so expensive now.” Venezuela has been this way for over 10 years. The situation, however, has escalated dramatically during the past two months. Peaceful protests organized by students began early in 2014 as a response to a series of high-profile
President Maduro bans unauthorized protests, but demonstrations continue.
crimes, including the sexual assault of a student on campus and the murder of former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear and her husband during an off-road robbery. Formal opposition protests began on February 12, with student marches in 38 cities across Venezuela, con-
“[Protestors] were met with violent responses from government forces, resulting in abuse of the public and imprisonment of students.” current with the celebration of Youth Day. They were met with violent responses from government forces, resulting in abuse of the public and imprisonment of students. Adrian explains that after the protests started, “those protesters got arrested, and then people started protesting against those arrests, snowballing.” Venezuelans are upset with the one-year government of president Nicolas Maduro. Maduro, the successor of left-wing socialist leader Hugo Chavez, criticized for his brutal repression of peaceful protests. The violent clashes between the gov-
ernment and its opposition, largely composed of students, have resulted in countless injuries, over 500 arrests, and a steadily increasing death toll. Although he’s seen his fair share of protests, the recent turmoil is bigger than anything he’s experienced before. The country has turned into a battleground. Anti-government demonstrators are shot at by National Guardsmen and vigilante groups known as ‘Collectivos’, paramilitary treat students like criminals, and policemen go after anyone who may look like a protester. In San Cristobal, day-to-day life is scheduled around the conflict. Adrian explains, “Nothing is open past noon; everyone will go out and do chores up until then.” Those half days are all civilians have, because afterwards protesters begin creating makeshift barricades of trash and tires, known as guarimbas, to block the streets to claim the streets and shut down the city. “Then the cops start coming in around 2-3 p.m. and the National Guardsmen will stay until the early morning to guard the streets, and then it starts again.” Communication is scarce. The government has control of most forms of media and has shut down those critical of its governance. “It’s complete censorship,” said Adrian, “that’s oppression.” Politics have become a second language to Venezuelans. Ever since former President Hugo Chavez came to power, Venezuelans have been forced
to deal with politics. His political regime known as “Chavismo,” caused a division in the country that still remains, even after his death. Perez states, “The first thing you want to know from someone is if they are with Chavez or against him.” When comparing life in Venezuela with life in Canada, Adrian finds a major difference in political awareness. While North Americans have the luxury to refrain from government affairs, Venezuelans don’t. In Venezuela, “Everyone is forced to talk about it, to know about it. Everyone is aware of their government.” As the school year wraps up and students head home for the summer, Adrian finds himself searching for flights back to Venezuela and meeting with little success. Last month, Air Canada suspended flights to Caracas until further notice. On March 19, the airline released a statement on their website explaining that due to the ongoing situation, “Air Canada can no longer ensure the safety of its operation.” Adrian will instead meet up with his parents in the United States later in May, and hopes to return, to Venezuela this August to see his entire family. While he is aware of the situation, he does not know what to expect upon his return, but he is still hopeful that things will change. “It’s a great country,” he says, “It’s really hard. I always try to promote it, I always tell everyone to come visit me... I really wish I could share it. It’s such a great country.”
Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez surrenders to authorities while surrounded by thousands of supporters.
19 March
Air Canada discontinues all flights to Venezuela due to ongoing civil unrest and issues with currency control.
29 March
Interior Mininister Miguel Rodriguez says the death toll has risen to 39.
01 April
The New York Times publishes an opinions editorial by President Maduro discussing the current protests.
02 April
The Venezuelan Penal Forum says that 2,118 people have been arrested since the protests began.
04 April
Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez formally charged for several crimes including criminal incitement. If found guilty, he could serve nearly 14 years in prison.
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THE PHOENIX IS HIRING Illustration by Kayti Barkved
E K I L T I HAT’S
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SERVING AT CHEETAH’s
Sasha Curry
Life Editor
It’s one o’clock in the morning and the shot glasses balancing on Lynette’s tray vibrate as she squeezes her way through a familiar crowd in sky-high heels and a tight corset. The club is lit by neon lights and is full of booths for discrete seating. Chairs encircle a large stage that showcases two poles, one of which is being danced on by a woman - naked. “Can I take you home with me tonight?” An older man in a leather jacket that reads “Hells Angels” slaps her ass and jeers at her from his seat at the base of the stage as she maintains composure and continues working. For Lynette, this is just another night of work at Cheetah’s, a strip club in downtown Kelowna. In October, Lynette was struggling to pay her bills with a part-time job in the mall as her only income, when a co-worker who used to work at Cheetah’s offered her a referral. The interview was brief, said Lynette, and in less than ten minutes she had a position serving. When she tells people where she works, Lynette says the common reaction is an exaggerated “oohh”, to which she says “I’m JUST a server. I don’t take off my clothes.” “Oh, well that’s good,” she usually hears in return. Lynette shared her favourite and least favourite aspects of her job with me. The worst is the never-ending degrading comments from male customers. “Customers frequently ask for my number, if I ever get up on stage, and if they could take me home after my shift.” Even worse, says Lynette, is “getting my ass slapped”. She’s indifferent to the weekend dress code though, which is set by the club’s management. It includes corsets, short bottoms, bare legs, and high heels, in other words, “as much skin as possible without being butt naked”. Lynette also works at Starbucks, a job with an inconvenient work schedule compared to the club’s, resulting in
a serious lack of sleep some weeks. The long nights don’t bother her though, instead of passing out after shifts that end at 2:30 a.m., Lynette says that it’s actually her favorite aspect of her job—the upbeat, fastpaced atmosphere and good music —and it often causes her to continue buzzing even after she’s left the club. A common rumour in the serving industry is that serving at a strip club pays substantially better in tips than serving at a regular bar or club. Lynette disagreed: she has actually made better tips at past serving jobs. She says that people tend to go to the bar to grab a drink first before sitting down at Cheetah’s. Her job entails circling the club to check up on customers who have already served themselves, sometimes an unrewarding task. The bartender, she says, “makes SO many more tips—a crap ton more tips” than the servers. Lynette says that her co-workers at Cheetah’s are upbeat, professional, and keep the place running. The stars of the place—the strippers—are the only co-workers with whom she doesn’t have a relationship. “There are only two who I actually know by name,” she says, explaining that strippers often get scouted, causing them to relocate clubs a lot. When asked if she would ever consider stepping under the spotlight (or club lights) to strip, Lynette said no. “Firstly, I definitely don’t have the confidence to take my clothes off in front of people, and secondly, I don’t think that I have the personality that it takes”. Lynette clarified that she doesn’t think any less of Cheetah’s employees who do take their clothes off on stage though. So, what’s it like to be a strip club server? “Excitement, bumpin’ beats, and beautiful ladies on and off the stage.”
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Above: Recess coorganizer Layne Richardson Right: One of many crowd surfers
Down With Webster hypeman Martin Seja pumps up the crowd
Recess was a roaring success. Hosted by the UBCSUO and Flipside Events, UBCO’s Common field hosted some pretty big names for their all-ages afternoon/evening concert, Friday March 4. Performers Wake & Blu, DJ One Way, Botnek, Joey Badda$$ and Down with Webster, among others, pumped up a fairly rowdy crowd under neon lights. By 3:30pm, there was already vomit outside the UNC, scandalously clad girls crying, and a large crowd of under-age partyers held up in the UNC waiting for the concert to begin. At approximately six o’clock, Botnek performed to a handful of people bopping up and down on the grass in front of the stage – the venue didn’t fill up until around 7:30pm for Joey Bada$$’s show, which seemed to be the main attraction for the event. When asked who Joey Bada$$ was, a group of guys shot back in offence, “What do you mean, who is Joey Bada$$? He’s a rapper from Brooklyn!” Down with Webster’s performance was given a generally good review by most audience members we asked, but the band didn’t seem to stir up too much excitement. The Well tapped out around 9:30pm before kicking partyers out shortly after, and then letting them back in an hour later when anticipated beer shipments finally arrived. During the concert, metal fencing containing audience members from spilling out onto the base of the stage bulged as security guards braced themselves against it for reinforcement. One security guard exclaimed, “Holy shit, these kids are out of control.” Clearly, UBCO knows how to throw a wild party.
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Down With Webster lead singer Patrick Gillett controls the crowd
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Brooklyn’s Joey Bada$$
Sound at Recess was provided by PK Sound, known for their sound work at Shambala
Over 3,000 people attended the sold-out concert on the Commons behind UNC Students partyihard all through the night
Recap by Sasha Curry
Photos by Kelsi Barkved and Dave Nixon
FEATURES Kelowna’s 3rd Annual Memorial Vigil, held in front of the downtown courthouse on February 14th. Photo provided by Kelly Mitton
Photo by yaokcool (flickr)
19th annual Missing Women’s Memorial March in Vancouver.
Beyond UBC’s frosh chant Task Force Rape chants and racial stereotypes are a form of violence they harm women. Last September, Frosh chants at UBC Vancouver’s campus perpetuated a culture of rape and colonialism, and reproduced stereotypes of Indigenous women. Daniel Heath Justice, a professor of First Nations Studies at UBC Vancouver, points out the chants are interconnected. Stereotypes of Indigenous women “exoticize and eroticize colonialism through debasing women’s bodies,” said Justice. In light of these chants, a UBC President’s Task Force on GenderBased Violence and Aboriginal Stereotypes was commissioned and subsequently released 14 recommendations on February 18. The Task Force lists four goals: increased awareness, shared responsibility, multi-level accountability, and collaborative education. Their aim: to end a culture of violence against women, and in particular, Indigenous women. They asked for our community input. How we respond is vital. We are part of the broader culture in which violence against Indigenous women in Canada has reached an
epidemic. Many people are unaware that in Canada during the past 20 years, 800 Indigenous women have been murdered or are missing. Furthermore, Indigenous women— regardless of their socioeconomic status—are five times more likely to experience violence than nonIndigenous women. Alli Matchett is an Indigenous student at UBCO. “For too long, Indigenous people in Canada have been treated as second-class citizens,” Matchett said. “This view has had a grave impact on Indigenous women, who are extremely vulnerable due to the racist and sexist stereotypes placed on them. This is evident when you look at the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada … These cases do not receive the same attention as cases of non-Indigenous women, and this needs to end. Indigenous women are equal. They are mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. They love, laugh, cry and feel, and they deserve justice and respect, just as any other Canadian citizen would receive.” Matchett says stereotypes are never innocent. Stereotypes of Indigenous women, such as
“Princess Pocahontas” harm women. Last October, Criminologist Dr. Lisa Monchalin of Kwantlen University, presented on misrepresentations of Indigenous women during a symposium at Kelowna’s Alternator Gallery that Dr. Greg Younging and I facilitated. Monchalin’s research shows a connection between genderbased violence and stereotypes of Indigenous women depicted through Halloween costumes. Her presentation showed dozens of costumes that produce a sexualized “Pocahontas” theme. For her, this form of violence is deeply personal. She shared a traumatic event in which a man physically beat her one night while she was out with her boyfriend. Monchalin was targeted simply because she is an Indigenous woman. Monchalin’s life experiences and research are powerful reasons why we have to take the recommendations of UBC’s Task Force seriously. Stereotypes are linked to genderbased racial violence. UBC’s Task Force seeks to address issues of gender-based violence by creating awareness for students to understand why stereotypes about Indigenous women are dangerous. Recommendation 9.1 strives to “[d]evelop a culture of equality
Task Force Recommendations -Policy overhaul -Delegate a central body to enhance the Culture of Equality and Accountability Goals -Develop an Equity Action Plan, require faculties/units to develop goals linking back to it. -Establish an Intersectional Transgender and Gender Diversity Task Force to implement a strategic plan. -Develop orientation for new students and staff/faculty. Full recommendations online at vpstudents.ubc.ca
Photo by yaokcool (flickr)
Kelly Mitton Contributor
course requirement to be met as part of all undergraduate and professional degree completion. The requirement will include a coherent cross-list of all existing courses that deal substantively with intersectional genderbased violence and Aboriginal peoples.” Personally, I hope this recommendation is implemented. If we are to transform our culture, education, and awareness for our UBC community are significant steps towards equality. Achieving a culture of equality requires us to not be apathetic about violence and the many forms it comes in. Some people think violence against Indigenous women is not their concern. “People tend to think that Aboriginal problems are just Aboriginal problems,” UBCO Indigenous student Lois Fraser says, “They think it’s a social problem that is unique to Aboriginal communities. They don’t think it’s a societal problem. By ignoring the problem we’re allowing it to continue. They think that violence against Aboriginal women is an issue that is centered around problems that stem from the Aboriginal community, and as
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How do you feel about the Task Force proposal to make a class on equality a requiquired Interviews by Matt Lauzon
Brenley “I heard some stuff [about the chants] in the news, but I didn’t hear about our school specifically. Maybe incorporate it into something a little more broad, something along the lines of general equality. Not a whole course dedicated to [gender issues], but a course devoted to religion, race. Something like an ethics course ... I’m not really sure on a “requirement” though.”
Kelowna’s 3rd Annual Memorial Vigil, held on February 14th.
Photo provided by Kelly Mitton
Can we transform a culture of violence against Indigenous women? such, it is not an issue that they need to be concerned with.” As Fraser points out, we must not suffer from a “not in my backyard” mentality. The Frosh events at UBC last September show us that a culture of violence is in our backyard. How can we expect an entire nation to change if we don’t lead the way? However, UBCO does have community members committed to initiating change. Among them, Allison Hargreaves and David Jefferess recently facilitated a Reconciliation as Gender Justice discussion I attended on February 14 at Kelowna’s Alternator Gallery. Their goal is to create awareness and end violence against Indigenous women. Hargreaves showed a brief clip from Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh’s documentary Finding Dawn. Her film highlights the crisis of missing and murdered women from Vancouver’s Eastside and points to the daily threat of violence faced by women who live there, particularly sex-trade workers. Welsh’s film also sheds light onto the complex issues that bring Indigenous women to live in Vancouver’s Eastside. These women don’t choose to live there. Many live in poverty, with
addiction, and are homeless. They are exceptionally vulnerable to violence. The clip from Finding Dawn triggered a memory for one audience member who recalled the sorrow she experienced many years earlier while working at a morgue in Vancouver when a woman’s body remained unclaimed. One wonders what efforts the police took to find her family, or next of kin. For decades, Indigenous women from Vancouver’s Eastside were going missing. Yet a patriarchal police culture and the broader community repeatedly ignored their disappearances. Another audience member described how, after attending Kelowna’s third Annual Memorial Vigil for Murdered and Missing Women held earlier that day, his 14 year-old daughter asked him, How do we stop the violence? His response was compelling. For him, the answer is clear. Men. It’s up to men to stop committing the violence. As he points out, violence against women is gender-based. One Indigenous woman in the audience expressed her personal view to stop the violence. She said women and men must
speak out against perpetrators of violence within Indigenous communities. While the participant acknowledged the historical legacy of colonialism and residential school abuses responsible for some survivors of abuse to become perpetrators, she puts the safety and wellbeing of Indigenous women first. Feminist scholar Andrea Smith supports this view. “Communities of colour … often pressure women to remain silent about sexual and domestic violence in order to maintain a united front against racism.” Smith goes on to state that anti-violence strategies “must be informed by approaches that also combat violence directed against communities, including state violence—police brutality, prisons, militarism, racism, colonialism, and economic exploitation.” As Smith points out, to end the brutal violence against Indigenous women, ongoing issues of colonial injustice must be addressed; the two are connected. In fact, the Task Force’s very first recommendation is aimed at creating a respectful environment through educating the UBC community about the land and culture on which UBC is
“By ignoring the problem we’re allowing it to continue. They think that violence against Aboriginal women is an issue that is centered around problems that stem from the Aboriginal community, and as such, it is not an issue that they need to be concerned with.” -Aboriginal student Lois Fraser
Jamie “I’d like to think that we already live in a world where that already exists, but I’m not naive, and I know that we don’t. It would be worth having a campus-wide campaign, you know, like we see chalk written across the walls for different events, or big poster signs and Facebook and Twitter notifications ... Something more in-your-face in social media would be the best way.”
Pam - English I definitely think having a course is the right direction, but the thing about ethical issues is that you can’t shove them down somebody’s throat. People get really defensive about that. Nobody likes cruelty, nobody likes violence, but it is an issue and it does need to be approached so it needs to be reappropriated so that people will take it and critically engage with it, rather than just “here’ a course I have to take because some kids were chanting about rape” but I definitely think it’s a good call to recognize the issue. It’s a hard question, people will only engage if they want to, if it’s not a mandatory thing.
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A candlelight vigil during the memorial march.
located. The First Nations Protocol states: “UBC Vancouver is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam and Coast Salish people, and UBC Okanagan is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Okanagan Nation.”. The Task Force feels there is inconsistent and insufficient practice and understanding with regards to our institutional and individual responsibility to acknowledge local First Nations and Indigenous protocols, the histories of First Nations and Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia and Canada more broadly, and the histories of the land on which UBC is situated. Respecting and understanding the peoples, customs, cultures, and communities of our Indigenous hosts is a crucial step towards creating a culture of equality and safety. Being safe is a key concern for one Indigenous student at UBCO. She asks, How can I trust? How can I feel safe? She knows that as an Indigenous woman she is at greater risk for violence. She believes communities need to be support systems for women. She raises an important point. We need to care about the safety of the women in our community, like a family would. We can’t ignore the violence against Indigenous women any longer, as though it’s not our problem. As the Frosh events remind us: It is our problem. And we need to
create change. Daniel Heath Justice declares that the rape and anti-Indigenous chants and racist stereotypes that occurred at UBC Vancouver last fall are “a chance for us to reaffirm our institutional, programmatic, and personal commitments to truthful and transformative education and to make them a genuine foundation for our practice, not just occasional tokens to add a bit of multicultural colour.” He points out that our university is not immune to gendered or colonial violence. These forms of violence should never happen in a healthy community. But change cannot come in token form. We can begin, however, by supporting and implementing the recommendations made by the Task Force. The Frosh events are a reflection of attitudes circulating throughout our national community. We should be outraged Indigenous women are at greater risk for violence than non-Indigenous women. We should be further outraged that 800 Indigenous women have gone missing in 20 years. It is incumbent upon each of us to transform a culture of violence, and create a culture of equality. To support a National Public Inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women, go to the online petition: www.nwac.ca
Photo by Honeymae (flickr)
Missing women inquiry protest
Photo by mallwander (flickr)
Attention Social Work Students The BC College of Social Workers, the regulatory body for social work in the province of BC, is changing the requirements for registration. This change may affect students in the school of social work and your ability to become a social worker in BC. Effective September 1, 2015 all applicants for registration will be required to successfully complete a licensure examination to become registered. Details about the exam may be found at www.aswb.org/exam-candidates. We encourage students, who wish to become registered, to speak with advisors and faculty so as to ensure appropriate preparation for the examination. For more information visit www.bccsw.ca or contact the College office. BC College of Social Workers In Vancouver 604-737-4916 Toll free 1-877-576-6740
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ARTS
Something different
UBCO’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies is one of its kind in Western Canada Jeff Bulmer
Contributor
Prior to the acquisition of Okanagan University College by the University of British Columbia, former Dean of Arts Robert Belton was informed of the plan to collapse the Faculties of Arts and Sciences into a single unit, and was asked if he would be interested in creating a Faculty of Fine Arts. “I actually had the nerve to say ‘no’,” said Belton, “I’m interested in doing something different. People who teach English or French, for the most part, are students of literature. They are people who essentially study creative writing – like art historians to artists – so they should be in a faculty that is somehow dedicated to the idea of critical approaches to creative acts.” Such a faculty would incorporate “anything … that would cease to recognize itself if creativity vanished from the universe,” encompassing far more than a Faculty of Fine Arts could. While Belton admits that others were skeptical at first, the idea was both intriguing, and “different from Vancouver,” an important factor at the time. From that idea would grow UBCO’s very own Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies “A big part of the new UBC Okanagan is the fact that we have this unusual faculty that nobody else has,” remarked Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies Nancy Holmes when asked about the role of the FCCS. “We’re a really interesting UBC campus that’s developing its own character. And a big part of that character is the FCCS.”
“I WANT TO SET UP SOMETHING THAT WILL SURPRISE US ALL.” - Robert Belton Hybrid Teaching
FCCS Superhero Robert Belton. Illustration by Asher Klassen
“A lot of attention is paid to linkages [between the Creative and Critical]” said Holmes, on the subject of the faculty’s curricula. That attention can be seen especially in the programs introduced following the faculty’s foundation. One example is the Cultural Studies Program—the only one of its kind in western Canada—which did not exist before the inception of the FCCS. The program contains several courses which are cross-listed, such as “Pop Music and Visual Culture”, a class taught last semester by Belton, which was either an Art History course (ARTH 115) or a Music course (MUSC115), depending on which labeling was more beneficial to the individual student. Additionally, Holmes made reference to the Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing—the first degree created for the FCCS—as a degree with a “hybrid” nature, as well as the Visual Arts and Interdisciplinary Performance programs. These “hybrid” programs combine creative and critical ways of thinking in a way that Dean Wisdom Tettey feels is a closer representation of the world at large than traditional academic structures. “A university is supposed to come up with ideas and solutions for a complex world,” said Tettey. “If we want [people] to contribute meaningfully to that world, we have to start building those connections.” The connections Tettey speaks of extend past simply the faculty itself. He specifically mentioned an upcoming program in Digital Media Arts— currently in its fledgling stages—as a program designed to break barriers. The proposed program will incorporate Computer Science professors from within the Barber school as well as FCCS faculty members, including one newly-hired professor, who will be a member of both faculties. “This [program will] allow us to [create] highly qualified personnel with solid grounding in the technical aspects of these new media, but also a very solid grounding in the creative arts,” says Tettey, “as well as the critical aspects that come with that.” The Digital Media Arts program is only the first of several programs
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campus UPCOMING
Research within the faculty
“We’ve already tried to identify what some of the things will be [for which] I hope [our] research profile will become known … internationally and nationally,” said Holmes, speaking to another strength of the faculty, to which Belton added: “We’ve got at least national-level champions in each of our main research areas”. Among the research areas identified as being of particular scholarly strength by Tettey, Holmes and Belton are the Postcolonial Imaginary and Ecoculture clusters. Among the “champions” identified by Belton in each of these fields? Tettey and Holmes, respectively. “Postcolonial Studies looks at issues around globalization, [as well as] difference and relative power dynamics around groups,” explained Tettey. Tettey—whose background lies in cultural studies—has published numerous books and articles on globalized interactions in a digital age, including a book on media and information literacy in Africa published last year by the African Capacity Building Foundation. “Ecocultures [includes] eco-art, eco-criticism, eco-poetics … we have all these … creative and critical [people] thinking about the environment and ecological issues,” said Holmes. In addition to her books of poetry, which include The Flicker Tree (a book of poems about the Okanagan) and Open Wide A Wilderness (a book of nature poems), Holmes has published several papers dealing heavily with environmental and community-based issues. In addition to the above-mentioned clusters and individuals, many faculty members have been published in prestigious publishing hous-
How do you feel about the FCCS? Interviews by Jeff Bulmer Photos by Brad Bennett
Asher - Visual Arts “I’ve really appreciated the interplay between the creative and the critical. Even if you’re doing a creative major, there’s a huge critical component to that, and it’s helped me come to a pretty intricate understanding of both sides
“A BIG PART OF THE NEW UBCO IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THIS UNUSUAL FACULTY THAT NOBODY ELSE HAS.” -Nancy Holmes
Dr. Robert Belton with the FCCS sign designed by Visual Arts Professor Briar Craig. Photo by Laura Sciarpelletti which Tettey hopes will build bridges between the individual schools on campus, while adhering to the faculty’s existing strengths.
Reaching out into the community
In addition to the faculty’s unique approach to teaching, Tettey points to another particular strength of the FCCS. “We’ve been very active in the community historically, and that engagement has continued to grow,” he explained, noting the faculty’s connections to the Rotary Centre for the Arts, the Alternator Gallery and Woodhaven. Tettey also spoke of the faculty’s engagement with aboriginal communities. “The nature of our work extends to building bridges into those communities as well,” he explained, mentioning the AlterKnowledge Discussion Series as a specific example of the faculty extending into First Nations communities. The series, organized by Allison Hargreaves and David Jefferess, brings Cultural Studies faculty and students together with members of the Kelowna community for cultural discussions. In 2013, the series focused heavily on First Nations communities. Belton added that the FCCS also engages heavily with the campus community, estimating the faculty to have the highest number of events per capita of any faculty on campus. Some of these events include Art on the Line; Theatre 26 performances and other on- and off-campus performances; the Emerging Visions Lectures, which in 2013 focused on Digital Media; and several art exhibitions involving student art both on- and offcampus. Additionally, the FCCS is currently hosting several events under the banner of the faculty’s Spring Festival. The Festival will include several student art exhibitions and theatre performances, both public and private, over the following weeks.
es, such as Greg Gerrard, whose book Ecocriticism was published by Routledge first in 2004, then in 2011 and has been translated into five languages, and is the most widely used introduction into the field. Others have been recipients of notable prizes, including Anne Fleming, whose recent collection of short stories, Gay Dwarves of America, was nominated for three National Magazine Awards, winning one. Still others have been recognized in other notable ways, such as Briar Craig, who was invited to include his work at the invitation-only showcase Global Print 2013.
Tomorrow’s FCCS
When asked about the state of the faculty, Holmes said that the FCCS has finally solidified itself administratively, and is ready for growth. “I think that the faculty has come out of a stage of transition … and I think we’re really poised to take our place on this campus,” said Holmes. However, with budget cuts prompting UBCO as a whole to temper aspirations in favor of efficiency, is the growth of the FCCS possible? “The reality is that budget constraints are there,” said Tettey. “Our commitment is to make sure that we don’t undermine the integrity of our programs, [which] calls for a rethinking of how we deliver programs.” Belton not only echoed this sentiment, but also saw budget cuts as largely beneficial to the faculty and its mission. “There is a Chinese proverb that states ‘in every crisis, there is an opportunity’, I thrive on that thought” said Belton. “The question is: do we want to continue doing the same thing with fewer people, less room and fewer materials, or do we reformat our resources and do things differently and better?” In my interviews, I asked the question “Where do you see the FCCS in ten years?” Every response offered was optimistic, with faculty members expecting and encouraging growth despite challenges. Belton’s response was especially enthusiastic: “I used a phrase fairly frequently at the time [at the inception of the FCCS]: ‘I want to set up something that will surprise us all’. The idea of the Faculty developing into something that we cannot predict was very appealing to me and still is.”
Jeff - Psychology “I’ve only had good experiences. I’ve learned a lot, and that’s why I continue to return to take classes from the FCCS.”
Cole - Creative Writing “My personal experience with the faculty has been awesome. I’ve gotten a lot of one on one time with the teachers, and I’ve become a better writer and student in general as a result of that.”
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ELLIPSIS The Fine Arts graduation show The month of April is always jam-packed with arts events, as many fourth year students wrap up their time in the BFA program at UBCO. As the final exhibition for graduating Visual Arts students approaches, the artists are bustling around their studios, putting the final touches on the projects that each of them have spent the past year focusing on. The Phoenix spoke to fourth-year VA students about their experiences in the program; their plans for the future; and themes, experience, and aesthetics behind their respective final projects. “Ellipsis” The fourth-year Visual Arts exhibition “Ellipsis” will be held in the Creative and Critical Studies building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Tuesday, April 15, to Saturday, April 26. The highly anticipated opening gala will be held on April 19th from 7 to 9:30 p.m., and donations will be accepted
Taylor Crain
Crain—who focuses mainly on photography—will be presenting a double exposure selfportrait series at the exhibition. Stemming from his experience with the Go Global program last year in Australia, along with his travels in South East Asia, Crain has focused his fourth year work on themes of place and the effects of travel on the shape of a person. “It’s definitely got a nostalgic feel to it,” said Crain. “It’s about how the places I’ve been to have shaped me and made me who I am.” The photos were taken over three years, mostly in Australia, South East Asia, Kelowna, and Vancouver. His aesthetics are simple, as he does not prefer his photography to be too busy or hectic, and tends to focus on portraits and landscape. The show will feature five pieces with different angles to allow rotating views, and will be displayed along one wall. “I [shot] the self portraits in a studio, then overlaid them with the landscape photos so they kind of converge,” said Crain. Originally interested in game design, Crain has since begun to take photography a lot more seriously. He hopes to study graphic design at Emily Carr next year. Crain is primarily interested in the sense of place in relation to the person, and the themes of his work have always been in the same realm. “[The] close proximity of arts students creates an amped up artistic scene,” said Crain when asked about his connection with his peers. “Showing each other what we’re doing and getting critiqued gives you ideas you would never think of on your own. We’re all pretty positive about elevating each other’s work to the next level.”
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Lana Laroche
Crowley and a few of his paintings.
Fraser Crowley
Malcolm McCormick
Ali Young
Crowley will be showing an installation of paintings, all of which intermingle with animal themes in some way. His strengths lie with street art, and the stencils he finds and creates on the computer get transferred to the canvas. “Some are abstract, and I usually take about two days for paintings,” said Crowley. “The longest time [I spend] is finding images I like and making them my own. I’m constantly looking for things, and it tends to be random.” So far Crowley has twenty paintings to choose from, and will select five for the final show, most of which are eight and a half feet tall. “This year I really got into painting,” said Crowley. “Before I did mostly graffiti with spray paint and home stencils. Nothing academic. Now there’s a reason and a meaning [behind my] art. [It’s] more sophisticated.” Crowley is interested in industrial design, and hopes to pursue that in the future. “I once cut an 8 by 4 foot plywood sheet into five pieces, and the result was like snap shots,” said Crowley. “Cut up was more interesting than whole. So I like experimenting with shapes and sizes of things, and the [art] tends to be more abstract because of that.” Like Crain and Popovich, Crowley has been happy with his time at UBCO, with professors like Katherine Pickering and Brian Johnston. However, he does see room for improvement. “More space and a bigger budget would be nice,” said Crowley. “Students have to fork over a lot of money.”
Popovich in her studio.
Alison Popovich
Popovich will present an installation of plastered fists in an interactive space. The space will reflect the feelings of victims of cyber bullying, and is meant to give the viewer a feeling of confined boundaries and a sensation of being targeted and not in control. “[I’ve been in a] long process since September, and totally switched my original idea,” said Popovich. “And [now] I’m at this place where I’m more passionate about what I’m doing.” The graduating artist has always been interested in the every-day, social situations and things that surround you, and prefers to incorporate that in her artwork. Her fourth year project is meant to make the viewer feel surrounded by chaos. “Cyber bullying [has been] a personal part of family these last couple years,” said Popovich. “I can get more into it as I have more passion about it. I remember my family was dealing with it back in the fall, and that inspired [my work]; all those feelings went into it.” Popovich studied abroad last year for a term in Edinburgh, and focused largely on painting. Coming back, Popovich found that she has returned to her interest in sculpting. “It’s been a lot of experimenting and changing,” said Popovich. Popovich is minoring in Psychology, and hopes to pursue a career in Art Therapy in the future.
Profiles by Laura Sciarpelletti
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Yonce only rolls with the good girls
“I know I can be a good, good girl / but I’ve been bad before” - Alexis Jordan
Cobra Starship tells us Leighton Meester is a “good girl”.
‘Cause you’re a good girl and you... What does “good girl” mean in popular music? Maranda Wilson
Life Editor
Sitting in the passenger seat of my boyfriend’s car, there was no doubt I turned the volume up decibels too loud when I heard Drake’s “Hold on We’re Going Home” start playing on the radio. My limited vocal range prevented me from singing along to the whole song, but the one line I could sing along to (relatively in tune, I thought) is when Drake croons “cause you’re a good girl and you know it..” Annoyed because he claims to only like Drake’s “real stuff,” my boyfriend cranked down the volume dial and asked me casually without taking his eyes off the road, “so what is a good girl?” Hm. I first thought of Taylor Swift, but I highly doubt Drake was talking about T-Swizzle… So yeah, I did start to care. I began to hear “good girl” references in other songs. I pondered the question over tortellini and overanalyzing Drake’s mafia wannabe, damsel-in-distress music video for “Hold On”. From the music video, all I really got was that Drake looks beyond hilarious in a ski mask. Aside from a good laugh, I didn’t find the answer I was searching for. So I began to conduct my own research using all the songs I can think of that mention the term “good girl”. I compared descriptions of “good girls” in all the songs in an attempt to come up with a simple definition for a “good girl”. I figured if artists can dedicate whole songs to this concept, they have to know what it means… right?
Songs used and screencaps from: Hold On We’re Going Home by Drake (2013) Mine by Beyonce ft. Drake (2013) Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke ft. Pharell & T.I. (2013) Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester (2009) Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna (2007) Good Girl by Carrie Underwood (2012) Good Girl by IYAZ ft. Lil Mo (2011) Good Girls by Wale (2008) I Am a Good Girl (Burlesque) by Christina Aguilera (2010) Good Girl by Alexis Jordan (2011) Good Girl by Nicki Minaj ft. Chris Brown (2013) Good Girl by Yelawolf ft. Poo Bear (2011)
1. They just know it
Just as Drake sings in the chorus of Hold On, “you’re a good girl, and you know it”. However, he isn’t the only one who knows that good girls just know it. Good girls themselves know they’re good. They are often so good, they are in fact too good for those who chase after them.
2. Good girls fall for “bad boys” (a.k.a. complete assholes)
Even though they make it appear as if they are too good for the guy, good girls still want the douchebag—well, according to the douchebags. The guys acknowledge they won’t treat good girls as they deserve, and winning the good girl is the ultimate prize. T.I. in Blurred Lines sings “not many women can refuse this pimpin’”. Yelawolf, who claims to be “so bad”, uses the mall as his hunting ground for women, who he warns of his excessive drinking and time spent in jail. But hey, at least the assholes in each song are kind enough to warn the good girls out there of having no intentions of treating them as they should be treated?
3. They are naive
Carrie Underwood asks, “Why you gotta be so blind”? Good girls do not realize what, or with whom, they are getting themselves into. Or maybe they do, but they aren’t supposed to act like it.
4. They are hot and bootylicious
Good girls are at least a solid eight. As IYAZ eloquently explains, good girls are “booty popping… and surely looks fine”! Ten out of the fourteen songs I looked at mention that the good girl is either attractive, dressed suggestively, has nice ass-sets, or all three. Emphasis on the ass-sets.
5. They are sexually ravenous
Good girls “want it” (Blurred Lines). This “want” varies from wanting him to want sex, to the good girl herself explicitly wanting sex. Some songs mention that the good girls are actually the ones to come onto the guys. As bad boy Yelawolf says, the “more you ignore [them], the more [they] wanna ride”.
6. They don’t put out too early
Good girls are only to appear to want sex, but they “never give it up on the first night” as Wale emphasizes. Others have expectations for a date or some sort of exchange of respect before guys are to receive anything. The girls must play hard to get, but to cop a feel is completely okay because the rappers really seem to dig it.
Sad Beautiful Tragic by Taylor Swift (2012)
“Girl, I’m coming okay.”
Drake and his ski mask
“Help me”
“Baby, I’m on my way”
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Carrie Underwood twirling her hair.
Rihanna sings of her good girl past
know it? 7. They are submissive and are owned
With the excessive use of possessive pronouns such as “my” and “mine”, good girls are commodities to be owned and controlled. This still applies even if the good girl was recently spotted at a club and has yet to meet the guy. It’s like yelling “shotgun” for the front seat; same rule applies to good girls.
8. They are assertive and independent
Good girls are self-sufficient and have the power to decide for themselves what they want and when they want it. If they aren’t happy with how they’re being treated, they will pack up and leave with your best friend. You go, good girl Rihanna.
9. A “good girl” identity is fluid
If a “bad boy” successfully wins the “good girl”, his next challenge is to “make them good girls go bad”, as Cobra Starship puts it. Good girls always begin as good girls, until they meet the asshole. The asshole then credits himself for turning the good girl into a bad girl, or uncovering her bad girl persona. Good girls can decide to go bad, or be forced out of being a good girl at any time.
10. They wait
Based off of my findings, here is my attempt at combining everything into one neat definition:
“A good girl is a hot girl with a hot body who puts out, but doesn’t put out too early; is independent, but listens to what she is told; oblivious to what is going on around her, yet ultimately knows she’s a good girl, but only if she wants or needs to be.”
If this crappy definition confuses you as much as it confuses me, I have a better definition based off of what I think after reading pages and pages of song lyrics… The idea of a “good girl” is one big contradiction. Now you’re probably expecting a point. I could easily go on a feminist tangent in regards to the double standards that exist for women in this patriarchal society we live in, but I won’t because I know we have all heard it before. Instead, I’m going to just say it as it is. Good girls simply don’t exist. Although I started this article hoping to come up with a solid definition that would apply to most songs, I am more confused now than before I started. I still don’t know what this “good girl” the music industry talks about is, and I’m starting to believe that they don’t either. The phrase “good girl” is used so loosely, it reflects the vague paradox of society’s expectations. How is one expected to be both Miss Independent and a submissive wifey at the same time? So whether you agree or disagree, or have your own definition of a “good girl”, one thing is for sure: if you ever see me out at Level Thursday, call me a “good girl”, and “just hold on, I’m going home,” alone.
Whether it’s for their guy to come home or for marriage, good girls do a lot of waiting around.
“But I’m a good girl!”
Drake’s good girl
SPORTS
COACHING
THE
JUNI R HEAT
UBCO’s VARSITY ATHLETES TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF LOCAL BALLERS This past weekend, the men’s and women’s basketball teams held a high school invitational tournament for the best youth players from the Okanagan, as well as tryouts for the upcoming Junior Heat season. Divided into junior(U17) and senior(U18) level games for the high school athletes, four all-star games were played on Saturday with over 70 participants. Heat Basketball athletes were on hand to assist with the tournament in terms of officiating and general duties. One game even saw UBCO’s own men’s Basketball players Landry Ndayitwayeko and Mitch Goodwin square off and take charge as coaches, with Ndayitwayeko’s team taking the win. Many of the all-stars were back on Sunday to take part in a preliminary tryout for the Junior Heat teams this season. Designed to develop and promote youth basketball in the Okanagan, the Jr. Heat is an organization that runs throughout the summer. Making this team does not guarantee any of the athletes a spot on the Heat team come time for graduation, but most have gone on to play for UBCO and other university teams. Lending a hand in running drills on the court, the Heat players attended primarily as role models
Junior Heat players practicing their way to glory in the UBCO gym. Sick kicks, boys. Photo by Lynette Oon.
for those trying out. The student athletes at UBCO regularly commit their time to community causes, even throughout their hectic school years. There was a huge Heat athlete turnout at the annual Wendy’s fundraiser in January that sends children with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses to Disneyland. Taking part in the Junior Heat tryouts on the weekend was women’s basketball starting guard, Sarah Allison. Not just simply showing up because she has been asked to, Allison has worked to build connections with the girls trying out through various skill camps held this year. “So many of these girls are at our games during the season so they know who I am, they know my number—it’s crazy, but at the same time humbling.” Allison had a good idea of what the girls were going through in the try-out, remembering herself at that age and the competitive atmosphere it breeds. Many of the boys and girls competing against each other for a spot on the team have been teammates for years, and now, they fight against one another for a spot on the team. Being a role model for these girls is not an easy task with how demanding a student athlete’s sched-
Sarah showing a Junior Heat member the hoops. Sarah exemplfies her love of the sport and her expertise to the younger Junior Heat girls. Photo by Kelsi Barkved
Mirella Cullen Sports Writer
“It adds to who I am as a player, because you remember there are many elements to the game that are important.” - SARAH ALLISON HEAT GUARD ule can be, but there are no challenges for Allison who takes advantage of the benefits it provides her: “It’s a really cool experience. I think it adds to who I am as a player, because you remember there are many elements to the game that are important.” Player, student, coach, volunteer, employee— these are all roles a student athlete plays as a member of the Heat. The amount of commitments don’t slow these players down though as events with community youth remind them why they love the game.
Junior Heat boys team learning to screen from Coach Pete Guarsci , getting an opportunity to learn from this university coach is a great opportunity for these young lads.
CHAMPIONS OF THE ATHLETE BANQUET The Athlete’s Banquet is the yearly award dinner for all Heat athletes. This year marked the first year they held the event off campus. Photos by
Lynnette Oon
The Men’s Volleyball team poses for a group photo at the banquet, looking very distinguished. Most members of this team will be playing next season, except the graduating Nate Speijer.
Heat male and female Athletes of the Year, Will Deck and Katy Klomps. Klomps helped carry her Women’s Volleyball team to Canada West finals, while Deck was on the Heat golf team and came in first place in PACWEST, giving UBCO a much-needed win for Heat athletics.
The Women’s Rugby team achieved a silver medal in their conference in the 2014 season.
The Women’s Soccer team and Coach Claire Patterson make cute goalpost signs with their hands.
The Men’s Basketball team with Coach Pete Guarasci, assistant Coach Matt Heyworth, and Cary Mellon. This will be Yassine Ghomari and Brad Quevillon’s final banquet.
Broken arm lovebirds: Rugby players and off-field couple Jed Anderson and Aniko Hawthorn both won rugby awards at the Athletic Awards Banquet and both broke the same arm.
Above: The Cross Country Team came in first place in CCAA National Championships. The Cross Country team claimed a plethora of awards at the banquet, from scholarly awards to the women’s team achieving all three of the coach’s Cross Country Team awards.
The truth beneath women’s volleyball shorts
Sexualizing women’s athletics or improving performance?
actual length of shorts
Kaeleigh Phillips
Sports Editor
When viewing the UBCO Heat Women’s Volleyball teams, one cannot help but notice the surreal amount of talent within this group of young women. Many “other” fans tend to ignore the logistics of the game itself because they are busy watching something else…the ladies’ behinds. Looking into the issue, it seems that volleyball bums have been a consistent and well-loved representation of the sport since the 1960’s in Le Federation de Volleyball (FIVB), ironically coinciding with the time period when many feminist groups began advocating for women’s rights and equality. As Steve Manuel, head coach of the Women’s Volleyball team stated, “the current style of volleyball short has been around for over 25 years now. 99% of volleyball players wear this style of short and in many places, they are much shorter than what our team wears”. So these volleyball shorts are a distinct part of the volleyball uniform for women, and have been for a long time. Unresolved questions remain though: Why are these “booty shorts” a distinct part of the volleyball uniform for women, are men wearing a similar style, and does FIVB and UBCO mandate that these ladies wear this attire? According to players of the Women’s Volleyball team, there are reasons for wearing the shorts more than just showing off a nice fanny. “I can’t imagine wearing baggy shorts,” said Kate DeJong, a player with two seasons of experience, “I would get my hands tangled in them. It’s different for soccer and basketball, [but] we are required to sprawl on the floor, and we don’t want the shorts to come off.” Players also described the spandex as more comfortable since it doesn’t ride-up (or down) as easily which is distracting in a match. “People who say it’s for attention are just not educated in what we do,” said Brianna Beamish, another player with two years experience on the team. Both of these players agree that the shorts are appropriate due to their technical attributes. Even the men agree. “It’s part of the mobility and ease of sliding on the shorts. Also, I think it makes the game more interesting,” said Kristof Schlagintweit, Heat player from Men’s Volleyball. But if it’s about performance, then why aren’t the men wearing the same style of shorts? According to Coach Manuel, the girls are able to wear whatever shorts they want. “The players chose their shorts. They are asked to provide feedback on various styles and they select the ones they want.” The ladies must still abide by FIVB standards, though, which are different for men and women. Sports Material Team Equipment and Advertising Guidelines (SMEAG) of FIVB decree, for men: “Waist and length must not be loose or baggy. The inseam must not exceed 10 cm.” Alternatively, the guidelines for the women’s shorts demand that they must “fit the body line, tight in waist and length. [They must have an] inseam of maximum 5 cm or
cut in an upward angle towards the top of the leg”. The men’s shorts are appropriate as long as they aren’t “baggy” while the women’s regulations uses the words, “fit” and “tight”. This representation of the female uniform in volleyball standards could be considered a subversive representation of female sexuality. In her article, “Power and Play: Gender and Sexuality Issues in Sport and Physical Activity”, Helen Lenskyj says that: “The maintenance of male power and privilege depends in part on ensuring that sex differences are carefully constructed and institutionalized in social structures, beliefs and practices. Sport, by prevailing definitions concerned with physical ability and body comportment, provides an appropriate site for instruction in masculinity and femininity.” Female and male shorts pay heed to the social constructions of gender in our society and demonstrate that sexuality is still an inherent part of women’s sports in the modern day. Because of the popularity of watching sport, it is a useful place to demonstrate how women and men should look. It seems that men’s sport is completely dependent upon the play and the uniform matters not where as women’s sport needs extra perks in order to maintain a popular fan base. It seems that the truth beneath the volleyball shorts has been revealed yet my conversations with the female volleyball players and their adamant support of their uniform standards leaves me feeling as if this conclusion is one of over-analytical feminism, rather than the truth of the matter. Yes, the women’s shorts are much shorter than the men’s and it has been shown that there is no way to completely avoid the fact that the shorts are gendered. This does not necessarily indicate though, that the shorts are sexist and subversive. Women have chosen a shorter short to enhance their level of play (as indicated in reasons above) and on a deeper level, desire to dress differently than men to make the sport their own. Therefore, why should women have to wear the same shorts as men in order to be taken seriously in their sport? In “Geographies of Gender, Sexuality and Race: Reframing the Focus on Space in Sports Sociology” by Cathy van Ingen, she states, “while the masculine style of sport is the ‘norm’, it is considered ‘normal’ for women to emulate it”. The norms in sports culture are consistently centered around masculinized definitions of the sport. Women’s volleyball reverses this cultural construction by choosing to wear a short that enables them to play more effectively and gives them an independent place in sports culture, separate from their male counterparts. Regardless of how you look at it, DeJong took a strong stance on the issue. “We just want to wear our fucking shorts,” she said.
Soccer grads: tHE LAST GRADUATING PLAYERS OF PACWEST
Graduating defender Kennedy Hindley is the last Men’s Heat Soccer player to end his career in the PACWEST. Here he poses with his trainer—and twin—Sean Causier. Photos by Lynnette Oon
Lana Finley Forward
“Looking around at my teammates with disbelief that this may be the last time we’re all together, at the banquet, but I leave with lifelong friendships. It is saddening to be leaving the Heat community.”
Jennifer Kidd
Hayley Uyeyama
Taylor Sarchet
Ashley Albores
“I’m so happy that finally all the hard work has paid off because it is such an amazing accomplishment to make it to CIS. What is really great about next year is that there is less pressure to dominate the league.”
“It’s hard to believe how fast it went by but I’m thankful for all the memories, amazing coaches, and talented girls that I had the privilege of playing beside. I’m so grateful for being a part of the Heat.”
“I have been to three schools in five years for soccer and playing with the Heat has by far been my favourite experience. Thanks for capping it off with a great night. I will miss you guys.”
“Being at my last Heat banquet was very bittersweet. It definitely felt like an accomplishment to have made it this far in academics and athletics and to be a part of such an amazing crew of athletes graduating this year.”
Defense
Defense
Midfield
Fullback
THE “GOON SQUAD” DEPARTS FOR ITALY: TWO HEAT SOCCER PLAYERS LEAVE TO STUDY ABROAD Kaeleigh Phillips Sports Editor Nicholas Gonzalez and Tanner Brydges will be leaving the Heat Men’s Soccer team next year to study abroad through Go Global in the Management program. Though teammates and friends will be sad to see these two young men leave, it is exciting to see them embark on such a fun adventure together. The friendship of Nick (or Gonzo, was friends call him) and Tanner represents how being a part of a Heat team is
a great opportunity to make close friendships that can last a lifetime. “We never had a great winning season,” Brydges told me, “but our team had a great bond and it made for a really amazing experience”. “Tanner and I met when we made the soccer team,” Gonzalez recalled, ”we discovered we were both in sciences and started studying together.” Together with teammate Nick
Photos by
Lynnette Oon
Kmet, they formed a trio of best friends known by many as the “Goon Squad” or “Three Stooges.” Gonzo is excited to adventure to Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Italy, for his final year of university with Tanner, but he will greatly miss being at UBCO. “Mostly, I’m just gunna miss the boys because they are great guys. Soccer was a good time but wouldn’t have been as amazing without the
friends I’ve made”. Tanner and Nick aren’t ready to give soccer up quite yet, and plan to try out for the soccer team in Milan..“The level of soccer is better in Italy,” they said, “but it’s definitely worth a try.” In addition to (literally) bringing the heat to Italy, the pair plan on traveling all over Europe while living in Milan. “We love to have fun and are looking forward to a good experience.”
The third Stooge, Kmet, will be staying at UBCO and playing on the Heat soccer team for his final year, and his fellow Goons are sad to leave him in Canada. “He’s like a brother to me,” Tanner said, “he will be missed.” And those on campus will miss Nick and Tanner too—their positive support and funny stories made this university much better. Goon Squad, do us proud in Milan. We will miss you.
OPINIONS
Photo by Kelsi Barkved
Terry Richardson is a misogynistic pervert Kelsi Barkved Photo Editor
#NoMoreTerry- it’s a Tumblr movement, a twitter campaign, a social media call to arms to stop all publication of Terry Richardson’s work. Perhaps you’ve seen the hashtag, maybe you’ve even seen his work. If you haven’t, Richardson is a photographer who has become famous for his unique celebrity portraits. His style is recognizable: a single large flash or bright constant stream on a singular model. I tried out this style and managed to obtain all of his stereotypical shots within five minutes, about the length of one Beyoncé song from my three hour long photo shoot playlist. However, while his style is bland, boring, and easy to replicate, it isn’t why I am critical of Richardson. He shoots women in highly eroticized situations and positions, and though he does shoot men, it’s never from the same overly-sexualized
angle (though he does seem to have an odd fetish with men’s armpits). Going through his Tumblr, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was going through a very public stash of pornography. Recently, allegations of sexual assault from multiple models have surfaced on how
“Models...say he has demanded hand jobs from them, ejaculated in their faces and then taken photos of it.” Richardson acts in the studio. Models invited to his studio (which happens to be his home), most of whom have just hit the legal age of 18, must sign consent forms before the shooting begins. Now I don’t know about the rest
of you fine folk, but when I was 18 I made decisions based on the idea that people in the world were decent and wouldn’t take advantage of me, so I probably would have signed that consent form too, with no questions asked. Once they’re in his studio and they’ve signed away their consent, he asks them to call him “Uncle Terry”, which is just creepy, borderline incestuous, behaviour. If the models are uncomfortable with getting nude right away, Richardson strips down for them and hands them the camera. He has been reported as saying that this makes the model feel in control, but I fail to see how being indecently exposed to Richardson puts the model back in ‘control’ of the shoot. The most heinous of the allegations against Richardson come from models who have said that he has demanded hand jobs from them, ejaculated in their faces, and then taken photos of it. Richardson came out in defense of his work against these allegations of sexual harassment and assault by first denying everything, then asserting in an
open letter on the Huffington Post that while some of the claims were true, they lessened the credibility of actual victims of sexual assault. He has further defended his work by maintaining that his ‘art’ is supposed to push the limit and be provocative, just like the other great artists before him. He has even published a photo online of his mother with him holding a copy of his book, quipping that if his own mom approved of his work, how bad could the prints be? Well, I’ll be quite frank here, maybe if he put his penis back into his pants he would get enough blood flow going back to his brain to realize that he’s a misogynistic pedantic pervert. Richardson is taking advantage of his position as an ‘expert’ in the field and exploiting young women trying to break into modeling. #NoMoreTerry is an attempt to oust this ‘expert’ from the field of photography and bring attention to his disgusting actions.
Overheard on campus: “r*tard” Kayti Barkved Opinions Editor
The word ‘r*rtard’ has a historical context in medicine where it was once used as a diagnostic term to describe people with living with ‘mental r*tardation.’ The DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) has since updated the clinical term to ‘intellectual disability’ due to the harmful stigma that the general populous has attached to the word r*tard. For generations, this word has become synonymous with stupid or dumb, it has become a common slur thrown around with sickening consistency. We consume it and we use it everyday: in the lyrics of songs, in movie dialogue, in online forums and youtube videos, and especially in conversations with one another.
Illustration by Lindsay Smith
What you need to understand though is that ascribed to this word is a systematic dehumanization of people living ordinary lives as disabled individuals. It erases the lives of a community of unique and diverse people, alienating them from the neurotypical population as well as creating harmful and misconstrued identities of ‘Otherness’ that no human should have to live with. So instead of dropping the rword when your best bud does something you find to be stupid, why not grab a thesaurus and look up a less toxic insult? And if you simply can’t bring yourself not to degrade a group of people by your choice of diction, then simply don’t open your mouth. Ever again.
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The Phoenix |
August 29th, 2013