UBCO’s Student Newspaper
November 21st 2016 | Vol 30, Issue 6
No lock zone since 1989
FENTANYL MYTHBUSTINGp.14
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thephoenixnews.com |
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Harmony Hosts Second Annual Banquet p.3 The Okanagan Charter p.4
Campus
News
Arts
Terry Zhang Elected to BoG p.7
K-Pop Meets UBCO: Well Wednesday’s New Spin p.9
Leonard Cohen Passes Away at 82 p.8
#BuildUBC Becoming a Reality p.6
Bye Bye By-Laws p.5
Life
Opinions
Thinking About Going Global? p.12-13
The Benefits of Having Two Sets of Parents p.19
Heat Women’s Volleyball Still Undefeated p.22
The US Election is Comedy Gold p.20
Heat Women Earn National Cross Country Gold p.23
Mythbusting: Fentanyl p.14 UBCO: An Aboriginal Perspective p.16 Vegan Myths and Misconceptions p.18
Sports
Racism Knows No Colour p.21
Heat Basketball off to a Rocky Start p.23
Health and Wellness will be offering a series of half-hour Naloxone administration training sessions on the following dates: November 16 at 3:30PM in ARTS 104, November 24 at 3:30PM in UNC 334, and November 30 at 3:30PM in UNC 334.
News Editor Laurence Watt
Web Editor Justin Kroeker
Coordinating Editor Jacky Deng
Arts Editor Paula Tran
Photo Editor David Vassiliev
Art Director Sarah James
Sports Editor Grayson B. Leahy
Video Editor Riley Petillion
Production Editor Kelsi Brown
Phoenix Columnist Mark Dreger
Visuals Editor Sarah Dowler
Senior Copy Editor Francesca Gimson
Life Editor Brie Welton
Contributors Sarah Maryschuk
Junior Copy Editor Nick Huertas
Staff Writer Frances Carruthers
The editorial staff encourages everyone to submit material to The Phoenix but reserves the right to withdraw submissions from publication for any reason. “Any reason” could be material deemed to be sexist, racist, homophobic, or of poor taste or quality. The Phoenix will not publish materials which condone, promote, or express actions which are illegal under current laws. This does not include articles which provide an in-depth examination of both sides of a controversial subject (e.g. legalizing marijuana).
Opinions Editor Trophy Ewila
Staff Writer Riley Schlosser
The Phoenix is published, in part, by the UBCSUO and is an active member of the Canadian University Press.
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The Phoenix is the UBCO students’ free press. Editorial content is separate from the University of British Columbia Student’s Union Okanagan (UBCSUO) and from the UBC institution at large.
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News | thephoenixnews.com | Laurence Watt - News Editor
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Photo by David Vassiliev/ The Phoenix News
HARMONY HOSTS SECOND ANNUAL BANQUET Harmony returned last week with food and performances to celebrate diversity and unity Laurence Watt - News Editor
Okanagan song and performing two traditional dances. Following that, the Asian Student Association, African Caribbean Student Club and the Urban Dance Club performed their latest dance routines; the UBCO Beats showcased their rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”; and the German Club President performed some poetry. Additionally, there were a number of other memorable performances by the South
CFS SET TO PASS REFORMS Canadian Federation of Students poised to pass transparency measures and make it easier for Student Unions to leave federation Laurence Watt - News Editor
On October 6, the Canadian Federation of Students’ National Executive approved motions to make it easier for member associations to leave the federation and make their audited financial statements public. The National Executive approved these motions
following an open letter sent to the CFS in September, which outlined six major criticisms of the federation. In particular, these criticisms concerned the federation’s structure, defederation process, and a lack of of transparency. The letter was signed by the University of British Columbia Okanagan Students’ Union along with 10 other university
“ According to Harmony’s President Tahmid, the purpose of Harmony and the Banquet is to celebrate diversity, and to celebrate unity.
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On November 4, Harmony UBCO hosted its second annual banquet, offering an array of foods and presenting performances from student associations on campus. At the banquet, students had the opportunity to try food from Momo Sushi, House of Carribean, the Taj Cafe and El Taquero. As well, students were treated to a number of different performances. The event began with the Indigenous Student Association performing the
student associations, including the Carleton University Students’ Association, the Cape Breton University Students’ Association, the Ryerson Students’ Union, the Laurentian University Students’ General Association, the University of Regina Students’ Union, the Kwantlen Student Association, the Lakehead Students’ Union, the University of Toronto’s Students’ Union, and the OCAD Students’ Union. During its October meeting, the National Executive approved a motion proposing to lower the threshold of signatures required to trigger a referendum on continued
Asian Alliance, the Russian Speakers Association and Basementheads. According to Harmony’s President Tahmid, the purpose of Harmony and the Banquet is to celebrate diversity, and to celebrate unity. “We’re dedicated to bringing together student clubs, course unions, local businesses and the Kelowna community to showcase their diverse cultures, talents and provide a platform to foster intercultural connections in a setting with
membership with the CFS. As it currently stands, members must gather a petition with 20% of local student signatories to trigger a referendum on CFS membership. If the proposed motion were to pass, it would lower the threshold to 15%. Despite being approved by the National Executive, this motion still needs to be passed at the CFS’ general meeting in November. The National Executive also approved a motion to make the CFS’ audited financial statements public. Previously unavailable to the general public, the financial documents will now be posted
dinner and performances,” said Tahmid. “we’re a student initiative where we celebrate the hard work put in by our student leaders, faculty, staff and everyone who works to foster the intercultural environment of our campus. It’s goal is to expand intercultural relations and to celebrate unity.” This was Harmony’s second annual banquet following a year where the organization was part of the Students Union, with Ryan Kaila as its president. Last year, Harmony hosted a number of events, including UBCO’s first Language Day and a ceremony to remember the lives lost during the Paris ter-ror attacks. Despite making a notable impact, Harmony has since had to restructure itself following a number of financial issues that occurred last year under Kaila. This year, Harmony had to be re-established as a new student association, separate from the Students Union, but still existing as an amalgamation of UBCO’s cultural associations. Consequentially, the association had to work harder than last year re-garding the attainment of funding, planning, promoting and setting up this year’s events. According to Tahmid, the banquet was just a small sign of much bigger things to come. “There is much more in store for Harmony in the near future,” said Tahmid. “There will be more events in the coming months, and our aim is to establish Harmony as a platform for the community and help build more connections.”
to the CFS website. After passing, the motion became effective immediately, without requiring approval at the November general meeting. Ultimately, there is no guarantee that the motion to make it easier for members to leave the CFS will pass. However, the fact that the National Executive has approved motions aimed at addressing the criticisms addressed in the open letter proves that the concerns of member associations are being considered. In the mean time, students will have to wait for the results of the NGM.
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Laurence Watt - News Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
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UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA STRIKE CANCELS CLASSES U of M students enter third week of no classes Mark Dreger – Phoenix Columnist
THE OKANAGAN CHARTER
Photos by David Vassiliev /The Phoenix News
A call to action and change at UBCO and around the world Sarah Maryschuk – News Writer
On November 7, Deputy Vice Chancellor Deborah Buszard and UBCSUO President Blake Edwards signed the Okanagan Charter on behalf of the UBC Okanagan community. The charter, a document in the making for the past year, is part of a larger global health and wellness movement. The initial construction of the charter began at the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges, which occurred here at UBC Okanagan. The conference brought together individuals from all over the world, including students, professionals, researchers, and practitioners, who engaged with material pertaining to the promotion of health and wellness on campuses and in work places, as well as the connections between health and sustainability. Now, as an outcome, they have produced the Okanagan Charter. Officially, it’s an international document, which aims to “guide and
inspire action by providing a framework that reflects the latest concepts, processes and principles relevant to the Health Promoting Universities and Colleges movement” and to “generate
“ All in, they are striving to promote health and wellness in all aspects of campus life, not just on the campus itself.
” dialogue and research that expands local, regional, national and international networks, and accelerates action on, off and between campuses” as well as “mobilize international, cross-sector action for the integration of health in all policies and
practices, thus advancing the continued development of health promoting universities and colleges.” All in, they are striving to promote health and wellness in all aspects of campus life, not just on the campus itself, but also in the everyday lives of everyone who interacts with the institution. What does this mean for the students of UBC Okanagan? We belong to a university that takes pride in engaging on an international level with health and wellness matters pertaining to not only you, the student, but also to your faculty members and the staff and community members that make this campus function. It also means that we have been given the opportunity to take part in the creation of health and wellness expectations for post-secondary institutions around the world. Pieces of the charter came from research that occurred right here, on our campus. The VOICE research project was also integral to creating the charter. The charter is a push
for better policy and programming on our campus. From top to bottom, UBCO is committed to creating a healthy campus that encourages integrated learning opportunities and promotion of wellness for student, staff, and faculty. It strives to create a community and culture of well-being, where everyone has access to and an ability to get involved with health services and opportunities. The charter also means that research at UBC Okanagan will be used on a wider basis, and put to work on an international level through collaboration with other institutions who also strive to create a healthy campus culture. The Okanagan Charter provides not only UBCO with a mandate to be healthy and promote wellness on our campus, but also a chance to share their ideas globally. For more information, or to read the Okanagan Charter in entirety, go to: http://campushealth. ok.ubc.ca/
The University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA), which represents over 1,200 faculty members, did not accept the agreement by the November 16 deadline, leading to uncertainty for the fall and winter semesters. The university recently had an $11 million funding cut, which has increased class sizes, increased professor workload by 30%, and even forced the science faculty to teach one more course per year, all with no extra compensation. Professors argue this reduces the quality of education to students. Professors who are not UMFA members will continue teaching, but most of the 30,000 students take classes run by UMFA professors who are on strike. “I’ve missed three midterm exams and finals are in less than a month right now,” U of M student Tania Wiebe told CBC, who has had 4 of her 5 classes cancelled. “I just really wanted to have the University experience, the whole thing. And all of a sudden there’s no classes,” said a first-year student to the Global News. Exams will likely be moved to January and will delay graduating students wanting to use their degrees early in the New Year. While some student unions support the faculty, other students are annoyed that they spent thousands of dollars for school just to be left in limbo with their classes canceled. There have not yet been discussions on reimbursing students. The U of M Senate said that if classes resume before November 22, then the winter term will begin on Jan 18; but if classes do not resume before then, then students will lose their winter break. The UMFA went on strike on November 1 due to not reaching an agreement on a new contract with the university. UMFA rejected an offer on November 7, saying it did offer workload protections and “insults students.” The last time U of M faculty went on strike was in 2001. They also went on strike in 1995 and threatened a strike in 2013.
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News | thephoenixnews.com | Laurence Watt - News Editor
BYE BYE BY-LAWS
Photo by Maggie Wilson/ The Phoenix News
Might sound crazy, but it ain’t no lie, baby bye bye by-laws changes
Alex Barberis - Staff Writer
The UBCSUO Annual General Meeting on October 26, 2016 was definitely not *NSYNC. The meeting began after it’s scheduled start time, and failed to meet quorum of 50 students. As a result, a number of by-law amendments and additions were not voted on. Most of the changes in question are a result of last year’s tumultuous election period, and aim to rectify some of the gaps in the election process. The proposed changes read as follows: 1.1 Any student who is an Executive, Associate Vice-President, or Director cannot endorse a candidate, nor participate as a campaign volunteer, during the campaigning period of the election. 1.2 Candidates shall be declared ineligible if they fail to attend the All-Candidates Meeting or if the candidate fails to send a proxy to All-Candidates Meeting. The candidate, whether present in person or not, is entirely responsible for all information provided at the AllCandidates Meeting. 1.3 University 1.3.1 For the purposes of this section, “University Elections” refers to the UBCadministered elections for Senate and Board of Governors. 1.3.2 The criteria for voter eligibility in University Elections shall be determined by the Secretary of the University. 1.4 Fair Play: Candidates shall campaign in accordance with the rules of fair play. Breaking the rules of fair play include, but are not limited to, libel, slander, general sabotage of the campaigns of other candidates, misrepresentation of fact, and malicious or intentional breach of this Bylaw or applicable regulations.
1.5 Responsibility of Candidates: Candidates shall be responsible for the actions, violations stemming from such actions, of any volunteer(s) party unless the Candidate satisfies the CRO that they did not direct the action, and could not have reasonably foreseen that the action would occur.
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volunteers. The list shall be forwarded to the CRO within six (6) hours of the CRO’s request.
Bylaw Amendments 1.1 BIRT Bylaw X, 4.e. be moved under the portfolio of the Vice-President Internal
1.6 It is the responsibility of the Candidate to ensure that all campaign plans, materials, and/or advertisements, conform to all policies and regulations of the UBCSUO and the University. Campaign displays and the distribution of literature on campus are also subject to the requirements of Facilities Management, unless otherwise stated by CRO.
1.2 BIRT Vice-President Services be renamed to Vice-President Student Life
1.7 No Solicitation of the Executive and UBCSUO: Candidates shall not solicit the aid or endorsement of any UBCSUO Staff or Executive member for the purposes of campaigning. In addition, see addition 1.1 of this Bylaw. 1.7.1 No UBCSUO recognized services and resources shall endorse a candidate in any election. Student Associations are separate entities from UBCSUO services and resources.
All in, they are striving to promote health and wellness in all aspects of campus life, not just on the campus itself.
” 1.5.1 Candidates may dissociate themselves from any person or organization who otherwise be considered a volunteer, provided that they give immediate notice to the CRO, in writing, and provided that the Committee is satisfied that the dissociation is genuine. 1.5.2 A candidate shall not be held responsible for the actions of any person or organization if the candidate has previously and adequately dissociated herself from that person or organization . 1.5.3 Candidates shall compile and maintain an up-to-date list of the names and email addresses of all campaign
1.7.2 Any unsolicited aid or endorsement received by a candidate from a Staff or Executive member is prohibited, and the candidate shall not be subject to penalty. 1.8 Cross-Campaigning Campaigning as a slate in any election is prohibited. Each candidate must maintain separate finances, produce unique campaign materials, present campaign platforms distinct from other candidates, and refrain from endorsing another candidate in the election. 1.9 Campaign Materials and Branding: Candidates in all elections, shall refrain from using the UBCSUO or University logo and any other UBCSUO or University copyrighted material or image when producing materials, printed, written, or otherwise produced, for the purposes of campaigning.
1.3 BIRT Bylaw XIV – Auditors be amended to include: 1.3.1 6. The Board of Directors shall approve the annual report prepared by the auditors prior to the Annual General Meeting. 1.4 BIRT Bylaw VII, 2.c.vi. be removed and viii. Be amended to read “Faculty Representative from the College of Graduate Studies and Faculty of Education”. What now? All of these proposed changes are still slated to occur. The question is when. Normally, when Student’s Unions aim to make changes to by-laws outside of the scope of an AGM, they require a SGM (Special General Meeting) where quorum must be reached to vote on the changes. If there is no SGM, then by-law changes can be made on a ballot the UBCSUO hosts their elections for new executives and board members this coming March. At this time, there is no scheduled SGM to enact these by-laws, and it is unclear as to whether these changes will appear on the ballot. But, if we had to guess, be prepared to vote on these proposed changes in March. Either way, we’re heading down the back road to have these by-laws enacted. “It would have been nice to enact the bylaw in an SGM,” said Executive General Manager Bob Drunkemolle, “but with the current transit strike, and the impending end to the semester, there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the term to fit in an SGM. It’s likely that they’ll be added to the ballot in March.” So I guess it doesn’t really matter if you’re *NSYNC because the backstreet’s back, alright!
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Laurence Watt - News Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
Photo by David Vassiliev/ The Phoenix News
#BUILDUBC IS BECOMING A REALITY The results of #morelibrary and #buildUBC are coming to fruition Sarah Maryschuk – News Writer
rooms, and more computer accessibility. With ground breaking set to occur in early 2017, it looks like many of the items on the #morelibrary wish list might be on the way! With a capped budget of $35 million, UBCO students will be contributing $10 million through the library levy fee. UBC and external donors will be covering the remaining $20-25 million. “Once all of our funding is confirmed we will have the go ahead to break ground, but we’re
CANADA OPEN TO NAFTA RENEGOTIATION The Liberal Government opens dialogue on NAFTA after US election
Laurence Watt - News Editor
Canada’s ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have stated that the Liberal government would be happy to renegotiate NAFTA
with the new United States president-elect Donald Trump. “Obviously, any trade deal can be improved, and to the degree that the presidentelect of the United States wants to see improvements to NAFTA, we’d be happy
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‘Once all of our funding is confirmed we will have the go ahead to break ground, but we’re aiming for January 2017,’ — UBCSUO President Blake Edwards
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In the fall of 2014, UBCSUO President Rocky Kim began the campaign #buildUBC with the hope of creating awareness surrounding the library referendum. Now, two years later, after a vote to add $70 to every student’s annual fees, the results of #morelibrary and #buildUBC are coming to fruition. Results of the campaign saw students asking for not only more study space, but informal areas with couches, whiteboards or sliding walls to adjust study
to sit down and talk,” MacNaughton told CBC. “I think it’s important that we be open to talking about trade deals, like NAFTA or any other trade deal,” Trudeau said in Sydney, Nova Scotia. “As our ambassador said, if the Americans want to talk about NAFTA, I’m more than happy to talk about it.” Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump has been highly critical of NAFTA, going so far as calling it “the worst trade deal in the history of the world,” which may explain his electoral victories in the Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.
aiming for January 2017”, explains UBCSUO President Blake Edwards, “While many of our current students won’t have the chance to experience the new addition to the library, it will be an exciting new addition to the UBC Okanagan campus for future students to use, and a legacy of those who are helping pay for the building.” The library extension, officially titled the Teaching and Learning Centre, will see many UBCO students’ needs
“I am going to tell our NAFTA partners that I intend to negotiate the terms of that agreement to get a better deal—by a lot, not just a little, by a lot—for our workers,” Trump said in a campaign speech. “We’re going to keep working with people right around the world,” Trudeau said in Ottawa. “We’re going to work with our neighbours, and I’m going to work with president-elect Trump’s administration, as we move forward in a positive way for, not just Canadians and Americans, but the whole world.” Ironically, Interim
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met. Features of the new building include a larger lecture hall with the capacity to host up to 400 people (currently, UBCO’s largest lecture hall seats 300), as well as both formal and informal study spaces. These study spaces will relieve the stress on the current demand for study spaces (or lack thereof ) on campus by adding many more seats to both silent and casual spaces. Informal spaces will be included in the building layout as well, to accommodate study groups or social gatherings, amongst other programming. The building will also host a stateof-the-art digital media centre, although there are few details on what that will entail. While many students will not get to use the space due to graduation prior to the completion of the building, as Blake Edwards mentioned, the Teaching and Learning Centre is a definite win for this campus. Study space is constantly an issue up for discussion by both students and administration; you can forget about finding anywhere completely silent to focus and get any work done. The Teaching and Learning Centre will fill in a gap in UBCO’s infrastructure, and provide a space for further learning and social interaction on campus. Newer and incoming undergrads will get to experience the building from its construction through to completion, and get to utilize the space. For those of you leaving UBC Okanagan before then, it’s now your legacy, and you can be proud of the changes you’ve made on this campus.
Conservative leader Rona Ambrose wants to pursue a free trade agenda to protect NAFTA and ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), both of which the Republican Trump has campaigned against. If there is no negotiation, and NAFTA is repealed, then the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement of 1987 could come back into effect to replace it. Trump would need to give 6 months notice to repeal the deal.
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News | thephoenixnews.com | Laurence Watt - News Editor
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES RESEARCH FUNDING FOR UBC Provincial grant offers $813,000 to fund UBCO research projects Laurence Watt - News Editor
Photos by David Vassiliev /The Phoenix News
TERRY ZHANG ELECTED TO BOARD OF GOVERNORS After months without student representation, the BoG position is finally filled Laurence Watt - News Editor
On Friday, Terry Zhang was unofficially announced to UBCO’s Board of Governors position by UBC’s Christopher Eaton. The official results will be certified by UBC on Monday morning once the returning officer has fulfilled his due diligences. The re-election for BoG commenced on Monday and students had until Friday to cast their votes online through their UBC SSC. According to Christopher Eaton, Terry Zhang won with 202 votes, followed by Nishat Tasnim in second place with 86 votes and Amarat Sandhu in third place with 41. Although UBCO has finally concluded its re-election for the Board of Governors position, the university is still awaiting to find out whether a re-election for the Okanagan Senate will be necessary. Two weeks ago, it appeared that months without student representation on the senate was finally coming to an end. UBC had attempted to contact the 13 candidates who had run in the initial Senate election to inquire into whether they were interested in running the reelection. In total, it has been reported by the UBCSUO’s VP Internal Amy Park that 4
of these students stated their interest in re-running, 5 stated they wanted to drop, and four had failed to respond. Those who did not reply were dropped from the race for lack of interest. Consequentially, because a reelection would only be necessary if more than six students were intent on running for the position, UBC emailed the four students who had declared their
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‘I am extremely happy to see that the ball has finally gotten rolling on this process and that at the very least BoG has started their re-election,’ — Amy Park
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interest and informed them that they were to be appointed to the Senate. However, according to Park, it quickly emerged that a couple of the candidates who failed to respond reported that they hadn’t been receiving UBC’s emails. In light of this, UBC retracted its decision to appoint
the 4 candidates and informed them they had to wait to hear back from the candidates who hadn’t been receiving emails. According to Park, “If a total of 6 or less choose to stand, these candidates will be appointed their positions, and if more than 7 choose to run, there will be a re-election which will be carried out via an online voting process. As of now, candidate interest is leaning towards an appointment process, but only time will tell,” For everyone involved, this process of attempting to get student representation on the BoG and Senate has been long and grueling. And consequentially, it is no surprise that candidates are pleased to see the process coming to an end. “I am extremely happy to see that the ball has finally gotten rolling on this process and that at the very least BoG has started their re-election,” said Park. When the Senate appointments or re-elections have finally concluded, it will mark the end of a long and messy process which dates back to the 2016 UBCSUO elections.
British Columbia’s provincial government has announced $3.4 million in funding that will go to-wards research at the University of British Columbia. $813,000 will go towards several research projects at UBCO. The funding comes from the Knowledge Development Fund (KDF) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. These agencies give professors the opportunity to apply for support and, if selected, each offer to pay 40% of total project costs. According to UBCO’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal Deborah Buszard, the funds are go-ing towards an array of different projects. “The 7 projects are very diverse, there are some that are in engineering, some in health, some related to the environment, one on a data visualization lab for the management of wildfires,” said Buszard. In particular, the funds will towards the following projects: - Centre for plant glycosciences and biotechnology - Laboratory for single molecule mechanobiology - Advanced research computing facility for the simulation of turbulent multiphase flows in the natural gas industry - High-performances computing (HPC) infrastructure for molecular, protein and materials modelling - Flexible power transmission laboratory for renewable energy integration - Integrative Cerebrovascular Physiology Laboratory - Data Visualization Laboratory with Application to Wildfire Science UBC is expecting the funds will help professors access the essential facilities and equipment necessary to begin
long-term work and research. “We are a university which very much believes that research informed teaching makes for the best educational experience for our students” said Buaszard. “Many of our professors are ac-tively engaged in their own scholarly work, whether it’s in the arts, in creative work, humanities research, medical health, engineering, or applied research. So for us its really important professors have the facilities and the equipment they need to be able to do the cutting edge work they want to be doing. And this kind of support is essential to professors having the state of the art equipment that will allow them to do very much forward looking work.” “What it means in the long term is that this is an investment. Many of these are some younger professors getting funding through this program and it’s allowing them to set up their labs so that they can then begin the long-term work of building effectively their life’s work in research. So the-se kinds of contributions are a foundation for that.” According to Buszard, this funding is a necessary step in pushing UBC closer to becoming the best university in Canada. “In terms of our campus overall for the long term, our ambition is to be the best university in Canada. And to be the best university in Canada means having both the best professors here and the best facilities we can provide and the best students. And so this is an important piece of us being able to attract and keep great professors and attract great students who will come to be taught here or to do graduate studies with our professors. So its really part of the long term plan for excellence across both students and professors here.”
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Paula Tran – Arts Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
Arts
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LEONARD COHEN PASSES AWAY AT AGE 82 The legend died on November 7 at his Los Angeles home
Paula Tran – Arts Editor
Sony Music Canada confirms that Legendary poet, singer, and songwriter Leonard Cohen passed away on Monday, November 7. In a public statement published the following Thursday, the company stated, “we have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries,” and that a memorial will be set in Los Angeles at a later date. According to a report published by Rolling Stone, Leonard Cohen passed away peacefully, “with the knowledge that he had completed what he felt was one of his greatest records.” Cohen’s son Adam says his father, with his unique sense of humour and powerful work ethic, was writing up until his last moments. Cohen was born in 1934 to a Jewish family in Montréal. From a young age he studied music and poetry, and as a young adult in 1951, he attended McGill to study English. By this time, Cohen was already
“ One of his most famous songs, “Hallelujah”, was covered in over 200 languages and by various artists around the world.
” performing his poems in various clubs around Little Portugal. In 1954, Cohen had his poems published in CIV/n magazine. In 1956, he published his first book of poetry: Let us Compare Mythologies. He moved back to Montreal after he graduated from Columbia University in New York, and worked as a manual labourer to support his writing. Cohen’s second book, The Spice Box of Earth, which was published in 1961, was well-received by critics and further expanded his audience. In 1967, Cohen moved back to New York, signed on with Columbia Records,
and released his first album in 1968. His songs and work have received critical acclaim. One of his most famous songs, “Hallelujah”, was covered in over 200 languages and by various artists around the world. Leonard Cohen was buried in Montréal before his death was publicly known. Before his death, his wish was to be laid to rest in a “traditional Jewish rite” beside his family, according to Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, the synagogue where Cohen had been a highly respected member. Mayor Denis Coderre pledged that the city of Montreal would give an appropriate honour to “one of our greatest Montréalers.”
Photo by Sterrennieuws Vlaanderen/ Flickr
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BREAKTHROUGH, AN ART PARTY ON CAMPUS Annual FCCS Art Party
Paula Tran – Arts Editor
The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and the Theatre Course Union are hosting an Art Party on Friday, December 2, and are looking for students and artists interested in submitting their artwork, which can range from paintings to dance, music, etc. Artists residing in Kelowna, Lake Country,
and Vernon are encouraged to submit work to the event, and the community is invited to the large end-of-the-semester art show. All interested persons should email their submission to ubcoperformance@gmail. com by November 25 with a succinct, detailed idea and outline of what their piece is about. Art Party is an annual event
that takes over the entire Creative and Critical Studies Building to showcase as much curated art that the university, and the Okanagan, has to offer. Traditionally, it has been a way to not only bring different artists together and to encourage participation, but also a way to showcase different forms of art to the Okanagan community. In the
past, there has been spoken word poetry and live rock music, along with numerous visual art pieces. The event organizers not only want to create an immersive art show for the public, but also a space where students can come and relax after a semester’s worth of classes. Ticket sales are opening soon and are $5 for students and $7
for general admission. For more information, visit the Theatre Course Union Facebook page or the Breakthrough Facebook Event page.
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Arts | thephoenixnews.com | Paula Tran – Arts Editor
Photo by David Vassiliev/ The Phoenix News
K-POP MEETS UBCO: WELL WEDNESDAY’S NEW SPIN Music from artists Twice, Girl’s Generation, Got7, Red Velvet and more! Paula Tran – Arts Editor
On Wednesday, November 3, the Korean Student’s Association and the Chinese Scholar Student’s Association hosted a K-pop Night at the Well. There was a mixed range of students in the crowd: some were experts at the genre, some were just there to hang around with friends, and some were newbies who wanted further exploration into musically foreign terrain. While music from well known artists such as Twice, Girl’s Generation, Got7, Red Velvet, etc. was playing, students
could be seen socializing and re-enacting dances from their favourite music videos. K-pop is a relatively new but rising phenomenon in the West, and Korean artists and entertainment companies are certainly taking note of the steady rise in popularity and seeing North America as a strong market. K-pop idols are scheduling more and more tours in the USA and Canada, and many artists even have citizenship or permanent residency in North America. There are whole
sites in English dedicated to entertainment news in Korea, and many fandoms have their own forums to discuss their idols. Competition is also pivotal in the K-pop industry: fans are constantly fighting online, and idols are working longer hours and harder than ever in order to please the high demands from their fans. It is not just Korean pop music that is skyrocketing in popularity here in North America; Korean beauty products and dramas are also gaining traction. Sites
such as YesAsia and YesStyle are popular go-to places for Korean or Asian products in general, even if there are high import and shipping fees that go along with it. The atmosphere was cheery and lighthearted. Although the event was held in the middle of a busy exam season, there was a surprisingly large crowd present at the well that night. Students were socializing over drinks and discussing whatever song and artist was playing at the moment. A
group of students started a dance battle to see how many iconic dance moves they knew by heart. Occasionally, there would be squeals of delight whenever someone’s favourite artist blasted from the speakers up front. Some of those who were new to the whole K-pop phenomenon were a bit confused at first, but got the hang of it pretty soon. In the end, everybody genuinely had a good time, and that is what counts.
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Paula Tran – Arts Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
Arts
FILM REVIEW: DOCTOR STRANGE A non-spoilers analysis of Marvel’s latest instalment Riley Schlosser – Staff Writer
Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange is a new move for Marvel in terms of visual storytelling, and it delivers on many, if not most, of the expectations fans had for this movie. For those of you who have not seen the movie yet, this article is a non-spoilers review, so I will only be addressing some of the more general successes and failures of the movie. Doctor Strange is an origin story, and comes with many of the necessary tropes of this subcategory; however, the training montages and seasoned mentors are all masterfully executed, and blend both humour and character development. The visual effects in Doctor Strange are nothing short of stunning, it’s as if Inception and Interstellar had a magic-wielding baby. Marvel has built a visually compelling universe with this movie that is beyond anything they have accomplished before, which is saying something, considering the optical achievements of movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: The Dark World. They also managed to keep their cinematic universe consistent, both with other Marvel movies and within the film itself,
which is an increasingly difficult task considering the plethora of movies they are putting out every year. The film’s humour is wellplaced, well-delivered, and frankly, just hilarious. Whether you are a fan of action, comedy, characters, actors, visual effects, or just Marvel movies in general, you should thoroughly enjoy this film. One of the points where Doctor Strange let me down slightly was in the character development department. Almost every single one of the movie’s wonderful and complex characters is sidelined in order to favour the development of Stephen Strange. Normally, that would be fine, except that Strange’s character arc seems a bit dull, and as an audience member, it was difficult to connect. None of this is due to Benedict Cumberbatch’s excellent performance, but is instead due to the movie’s focus on visuals and plot.On the other hand, all the characters seem set-up just enough for a potential sequel that will build them into great characters. However, this movie did fall into the recurring Marvel movie pitfall: a weak villain. I
“ The Visual Effects in Doctor Strange are stunning, as if Inception and Interstellar had a magic-wielding baby.
”
mean, really, the only great villain we have had thus far is Loki (though a case could be made for characters like Red Skull or Thanos.) Kaecilius, the main antagonist in Doctor Strange, is a great, morally flawed man, who is tremendously underused in the film. This is worsened by the fact that they had Mads Mikkelson, one of the foremost villainous actors of the past decade (see Casino Royale or NBC’s Hannibal) playing his character. Overall, this film was outstanding, and I would recommend seeing it for the visual effects alone. While Doctor Strange was not my favourite Marvel movie, not even my favourite of the year, it was still splendid, and fit well into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while simultaneously pushing boundaries and preparing for future movies.
JACKY CHAN FINALLY GETS AN HONORARY OSCAR The wait is finally worth it Paula Tran – Arts Editor
Jackie Chan finally received his Oscar statuette at the 8th annual Governors Awards on November 12, 2016. Best known for his action films and stunt choreography in films such as Karate Kid and Rush Hour, Chan received an honorary award along with casting director Lynn Stalmaster, film editor Anne Coates, and documentarian Fredrick Wiseman which recognized lifetime achievements and contributions to the film industry. In a short and sweet statement, Chan said he never dreamed that he would get such an esteemed award, and the honorary award “raised [his] feelings to another level.” Academy president Cheryl Boone commented that the honorees are pioneers
and legends in their crafts. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Chan reflects his career from Hong Kong, where he is currently based. When asked about the differences between filmmaking in Hollywood and Hong Kong, Chan commented that Hollywood is more systematic and organized, while filmmaking in Hong Kong is more dynamic. Chan said that he often felt limited and restrained at Hollywood because of set rules, while rules can be changed while filming in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong film industry, he says, is more flexible and encourages creativity: “If we think something might work, then we try it straight away.” Chan also finds that the rapid improvement of film
technology is fascinating, even if the change surprises him at times. With the change from 35mm film to
“
Chan said he never dreamed that he would get such an esteemed award, and the honorary award raised [his] feelings to another level.
”
digital technology and 3D filming, Chan has always been interested at about postproduction work, especially in CG effects. The Governors Awards was
established in 2009 by the Academy Board of Governors to recognize incredible people in the film industry, and to avoid the limitations of the Oscar telecast. On the official website, it states that the Board of Governors is “insuring that each honoree will be given his or her full due, without compromise.” The Board holds a special meeting in September to select the year’s nominees. Enlisting the help of Academy Award members, nominees are notified in September and awarded at a celebratory dinner in November. There are four award categories, including the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to celebrate a creative producer that consistently produces high quality work, the Jean
Hersholt Humanitarian Award to celebrate an individual whose humanitarian efforts brings positive light to the film industry, and the Honorary Award to celebrate individuals with amazing lifetime achievements. The Governors Awards cannot be award posthumously and no current Academy governor can receive the award. The highlights of the awards will be included in the year’s Academy Awards in February.
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Arts | thephoenixnews.com | Paula Tran – Arts Editor
ALT-POP GROUP HIGHS TO TOUR CANADA
Photo provided by Amanda McCauley
The Toronto-based group will be performing in Kelowna on November 24 Paula Tran – Arts Editor
Toronto-based alternative pop group HIGHS released their new album, Dazzle Camouflage, in April and are now doing a cross-Canada tour throughout November. Starting in Hamilton on the November 10, the tour will take the group to the West Coast and back, with performances in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba. This is the band’s fourth time doing a TransCanada tour and it has been a good experience for them every time. In a press release, the band commented that “every tour we get to know, and start to recognize, more and more people along the way. It’s these connections that we thrive on...”
Following their cross-Canada tour, the band will head over to Europe for the first time, accompanied with an European release of Dazzle Camouflage in November. HIGHS is a four-man band made up of Doug Haynes, Karrie Douglas, Joel Harrower, and Paul Vroom. Since the 2013 release of their self-titled EP, the group had ventured into different musical styles from their initial pop pieces. Dazzle Camouflage was released to be a heavier, moodier album filled with vibrant vocals and instrumentals. The 11-track LP explores the idea of perception versus reality, that the way we portray individuals and how we
portray ourselves to the public are oftentimes an identity that we are not. Their first single off the new album, “Handsome Man,” has received praise and good reviews on SoundCloud. The alternative rock piece talks about a man who is afraid to express his real personality and self to the people around him, and the narrator is trying to comfort the man into doing so. As an intro to the album, the song was a bit of the heavier side, but features the exceptional vocals and instrumentals that the band is known for. Users on SoundCloud posted comments such as “this rocks my socks” and how the song is “great”,
looking forward to future releases and garnering positive attention for the band. Dazzle Camouflage is overall a wonderful LP that is worth buying and collecting. As a band who is exploring new genres and ways to express their love and passion for music, this album is definitely a good reflection of that. The pieces ranged from traditional pop to indie to classic rock. Some pieces were definitely lighter than others in terms of subject matter, but I liked how all of them stuck to a coherent theme. It really ties the album together and makes it easier to listen to all the songs consecutively and in one sitting. While it
was hard to understand the lyrics sometimes, the vocalists showcase extremely good vocal technique and prove that they really can sing a variety of styles. “Handsome Man” pales in comparison when juxtaposed with other incredible songs in the LP, such as “Portugal” and “So Sad, Never Mad.” This band, and their LP, are definitely hidden gems amongst the higher profile music releases of the year. HIGHS will be preforming in Kelowna at Habitat on November 24. Tickets are available on Habitat’s website and there are limited seats available, so get them while you can.
Marvel does a good job in terms of character development and portrayal, and every character that the producers have shown so far has made a lasting impression on my mind. Luke Cage’s character was portrayed incredibly well, and the actor really made the character his own. The antagonists were psychotic and creepy, but some were done better than others. Cottonmouth’s character was a roller coaster ride, and was a force to be reckoned with. Mahershala Ali really used exaggerated facial expressions, and dragged out
dialogue to highlight the fact that Cottonmouth is not only dangerous, but also incredibly scary. Overall, I really liked how the show turned out, and I can see why it got so much attention. Luke Cage is an amazing addition to the Defenders series and franchise, along with Jessica Jones and Daredevil, and I’m excited to see what Marvel has in store for the future.
LUKE CAGE: A REVIEW With his stoic, yet caring personality, Luke doesn’t fail to capture the spotlight Paula Tran – Arts Editor Released on September 30, 2016, Luke Cage is the third instalment in Marvel’s Defenders series. After a failed relationship with Jessica Jones, Luke tries to rebuild his life in Harlem, New York. He lives a peaceful, quiet life sweeping hair and washing dishes, struggling to pay the rent and bills. Luke is forced into a life of heroism when a series of murders, and the deaths of his coworkers and community
members, pulls him out of his bubble. The show, while having an interesting plotline, and above and beyond cinematography, is painfully slow to start. There is a lot of action, and (slightly gory) violence going on in the first few episodes, and the show’s creators and producers decided to dump all the worldbuilding into a single one-hour episode. The first episode is mostly Luke being a stubborn man, and not listening to his colleagues’ suggestions to give back to the community by fighting
crime. It’s also mostly Luke having bland conversations with other characters, and while it does help me get an insight to his character, it doesn’t help me much in terms of story, and I find myself just skipping parts entirely. Otherwise, the rest of the show rolled out nicely, and the pace got faster as more episodes played out. The fight scenes were nicely done, and served to advance the plot. The camera angles can be painfully awkward in certain scenes, but it’s such a minor detail that I just shrug it off.
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Brie Welton - Life Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
Life
Life
THINKING ABOUT GOING GLOBAL? Four UBCO students shed light on their experiences on exchange Fran Carruthers – Staff Writer
Name: Shan Rajapakshe Major: Computer Science Age: 23 University Attended: National University of Singapore, Singapore I was fortunate enough to attend the National University of Singapore (NUS) for my year abroad. NUS is a worldclass institution with an emphasis on international collaboration. Singapore itself is a beyond-first world country at the heart of Southeast Asia. On top of that, English is one of the four national languages, so getting things done is a piece of cake (once you get used to Singlish, the local dialect!). Every week was different. Some days I would be working on group projects with locals, studying alongside some of the smartest people on Earth. Other days, I would be playing cards with my new friends as we journeyed into the countryside of yet another country on our travel list. It is so difficult to pick one thing, but the greatest thing I got from the
Name: Melea Pueschner Major: Psychology Age: 22 University Attended: Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany experience would be learning from other people. Being on exchange puts you in contact with people from vastly different lives, whether they are other exchange students or locals. But as time goes on, it becomes apparent that you have far more in common than you realize. Gaining lifelong friends, opportunities to travel to incredible locales, studying at one of the world’s leading universities, and getting paid to do it? Honestly, it does not get much better. So, I encourage anyone who is even considering to go on exchange to give it a shot. It will change you.
I had the incredible opportunity to study at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin in Germany last semester, home to notable alumni such as Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, and Erwin Schrödinger to name a few. I have been to Berlin twice before my exchange, but it was a completely different experience living there for nearly 6 months, and being further immersed in the German language (which seems intimidating for many, but is a fun language to learn) and the alternative urban culture Berlin has to offer. What quickly became one of my favourite things in Berlin was the abundance of local markets. Every Sunday there is a popular “Flohmarkt” in Berlin’s former communist east side, which is filled with tasty street foods, handmade jewelry, art prints, records,
furniture and more. Better yet, a local Berliner would host live karaoke in a massive amphitheater adjacent from the market where hundreds were eager to sing for the crowds. The academic scene differed; lectures are rare in upper level classes. Most of my coursework was seminar-based, focusing on learning, presenting and discussing material related to the latest primary research in Psychology and Linguistics. Studying in Europe, you can easily access different countries and cultures, which are friendly for a student budget as well. For example, you can fly from Berlin to Poland or Belgium for about $5 Canadian one way. The hardest part of the exchange was actually coming home! I absolutely loved living in Berlin, and look back at this experience as one of the best times of my life.
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Life | thephoenixnews.com | Brie Welton - Life Editor
Name: Brooklyn Kuzyk Major: English Age: 21 University Attended: University of Edinburgh, Scotland I loved the f reedom and adventure of b eing on an exchange. It was hard to b e alone in a new countr y but emp owering at the same time. I felt so far f rom ever ything I had ever known, and was excited to star t a new life in a completely dif ferent place. I thought it was hard to leave home, but in reality, coming home was a worse culture sho ck than going. It to ok me months to adjust to life at home again. I was sur prised at how much I learned ab out myself on exchange. B eing away f rom my f riends and family forced me to rely on myself much more, and to b ecome more indep endent. I was able to understand my strengths and weaknesses by encountering new
Name: Fran Carruthers Major: English Age: 20 University Attended: UBCO (exchange from York, England) challenges and situations, and I gained greater self-conf idence and direction. I met so many amazing p eople who taught me so much and b ecame my close f riends. B eing on exchange fur thered my love of travel. I sp ent hours lo oking at Roman architecture, was blown away by the b eauty of the Highlands, and exp erienced a traditional Christmas in England. Taking random trips to dif ferent countries over the weekends was one of the craziest, most exciting things I did. O verall, my exchange was the b est time of my life thus far.
Being an exchange student at UBCO has so far been an awesome, exciting, and at times challenging experience for me. I have met amazing people and engaged in many different things, some highlights of which include going to Vancouver for my first ever thanksgiving, learning to rock climb, exploring the local area (and its questionable nightlife) and, of course, writing for The Phoenix. Adapting to a different culture has been more fun than I thought, and it is always nice to amuse Canadians with some weird quirky British words. Culture shock is definitely a thing, but I think it has only added to my experience and made me more open-minded as a person. Academically, I have engaged with a variety of different courses which
I was not offered in England, and have refined my own interests and passions within my major. Adjusting to a different mode of teaching and assessment has been hard—we have far fewer exams in English universities! Yet, this has also made me better at adapting to new situations which will benefit me in the world of work. Living abroad is not as big and scary as I originally thought. My exchange will mark the longest time I have been away from home, which, whilst hard at times, has furthered my independence in ways I could never have foreseen. I hope to explore much more, meet many more new people and become involved in different areas of university life as I continue my exchange in the coming months.
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Brie Welton - Life Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
MYTHBUSTING: FENTANYL
Life
Photo by David Vassiliev /The Phoenix News
Eight myths of fentanyl debunked Brie Welton – Life Editor
As the overdosing crisis escalates, unanswered questions about Fentanyl have bred numerous myths, which this article attempts to dispel. With the help of two qualified experts, Sheila Kerr and Jean Bryans, the Phoenix addresses these misconceptions. The following bolded statements are NOT TRUE: Fentanyl is found in weed Many students fear that weed can be laced with fentanyl. Sheila Kerr, Harm Reduction Coordinator at Living Positive Resource Centre, states that “there haven’t been any confirmed cases of that… there have been certainly no deaths linked to fentanyl in marijuana.” The story in Kamloops in 2015 was based purely on speculation, as there was no concrete confirmation of the marijuana actually containing fentanyl. Drug dealers are professionals “These guys aren’t chemists, they aren’t rocket scientists,” states Health and Wellness primary health nurse Jean Bryans, referring to the varying degrees of competence in people cutting and dealing drugs. Sheila explains that the cocaine powder that comes from China is easily accessible. “Once it gets here it’s being cut up in homes and labs… like in someone’s kitchen, in a fast food restaurant bathroom,” she says, “it can be done anywhere.” This can lead to cross-
contamination of substances, one of the leading causes of the fentanyl crisis. “A lot of the places where the drugs are being cut up, they’re not strictly dealing with one substance,” explains Sheila, “if somebody is, say, cutting up some heroin and they’re using the fentanyl to mix in with the heroin and then they’re wiping off the surface and then they’re cutting up coke… without having done a very, very thorough cleaning of that surface, trace amounts of fentanyl can get into that cocaine.” You need a lot of fentanyl to
“ 'In a lot of the places where the drugs are being cut up, they’re not strictly dealing with one substance.' – Sheila Kerr
” overdose “Fentanyl is 50-100 times stronger than the strongest narcotic,” explains Jean, “a few grains of fentanyl for some people can be way too much and cause
even symptoms of overdose.” Due to the potency of this drug, it doesn’t take much to cause serious harm. “It’s really potent in small amounts,” adds Sheila, “It’s also transdermal… If it gets on your skin it can be absorbed… people can experience opiate effects or potentially overdose.” Where someone has left traces of substances, on the back of a toilet in a club for example, it is important avoid even the slightest skin contact. I know my dealer so I know there’s no fentanyl in the drugs I do “Unless you personally create that substance yourself you have no way of knowing what’s going into it,” says Sheila. Knowing your dealer is fine, but the question remains, do you know their dealer, and the dealer before that? “These substances pass hands multiple, multiple times,” Sheila explains, “everybody whose hands it passes through is trying to make a profit and so everybody is going to add a little bit of something… you have no idea who handled that substance… and what they were putting into it.” You’re only at risk if you’re a regular drug user “I think a lot of people are under the impression that this is something that really only impacts individuals who are more regular users of substances,” states Sheila, who
insists this is not the case. “It doesn’t matter how often you use drugs, and in fact the people who use substances less frequently are going to be at higher risk,” she explains, “there’s a lot less potential for them to have any sort of tolerance to opiates. If you have no tolerance, that’s what’s going to make it more likely to have a fatal overdose.” Fentanyl is only found in cocaine Fentanyl is not just found in cocaine. “We’ve known it’s been in crystal meth for a long time,” says Sheila, adding that it’s possible for fentanyl to also be in heroin and ecstasy. “It’s just in everything.” You have to be a drug user to get a Naloxone kit In order to be eligible for a free kit from Health and Wellness, one must be a drug user. However, there are other means to acquire a kit for concerned, non-users. “Alternatively, anybody can buy a kit,” says Jean, “Safeway sells them for $45.” If this seems to expensive, naloxone can also be purchase in individual ampules without a prescription at any pharmacy. “The cheapest I’ve seen is that they will sell it for 15$ per ampule,” Jean states, “that’s at Revolution pharmacy in Rutland.” Naloxone works for all drug
overdoses “It’s only going to work on opiates,” explains Jean. This does not include cocaine, alcohol, sedatives (like Valium or Xanax) and amphetamines (such as Adderall or Ritalin). Naloxone instantly stops the overdose There’s more to saving someone’s life than to simply give them Naloxone during an opiate overdose. “Continuing to breath for the person is even more important than giving them the naloxone,” insists Sheila, “So if you’ve got somebody who’s continuously breathing for that person, you can keep them alive a lot longer,” ensuring there is enough time for the Naloxone to take effect. Health and Wellness will be offering a series of halfhour Naloxone administration training sessions on the following dates: November 16 at 3:30PM in ARTS 104, November 24 at 3:30PM in UNC334, and November 30 at 3:30PM in UNC334. Everyone is welcome, and after each session, those who are eligible for free naloxone kits can make appointments at Health & Wellness in UNC337.
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Life | thephoenixnews.com | Brie Welton - Life Editor
OVERQUALIFIED AND UNDERPAID
Photo by David Vassiliev /The Phoenix News
An increase in overqualified university graduates Riley Schlosser – Staff Writer
By now, almost everyone has heard talk of the increasing amount of overqualified individuals in the job market getting lower wages than their education would ideally provide. The idea of the university educated barista is an image that either terrifies or amuses current students, depending on how confident one is in their career path. A report published by the Federal Parliamentary Budget Office on November 12, 2015 found that the rate of overqualification in graduate students aged 25-34 increased
to 40% in 2014, and is steadily rising. The report also found that in most cases of over-qualification, the graduates also missed out on years of valuable experience that would have been more beneficial in their climb of the corporate ladder. The study suggests that three areas of study that are most prone to over-qualification include management, social sciences, and humanities. These areas have a broad range of possible occupations, many of which do not require a graduate level degree, and in some cases, do
OVERDOSE: OPIOIDS OR STIMULANTS? Signs of each type of overdose and what you can do Brie Welton – Life Editor
Different drugs cause different symptoms of overdosing – this is important to recognize because the course of action for an opioid overdose is markedly different than the procedure for a stimulant overdose. Opioids commonly
include fentanyl, heroin and morphine. These drugs illicit a specific set of symptoms when a user overdoses, and can be treated using naloxone. The symptoms of overdose are: inability to stay conscious, talk or walk, slow or no pulse, slow or no breathing, gurgling, cold pale skin, eyes rolled back, vomiting, limp body and
not require a university level education at all. It is not difficult to take some prudent steps that will brighten your future after university life is over. Go talk to an Academic Advisor, they can help tremendously with creating feasible paths to reach the best possible outcomes of your education. If you are working while going to school, get a job in a field related to your area of study, so as to gain invaluable workplace experience and make connections that can seriously benefit your job search. Budget
no response to noise or rubbing of knuckles on their breastbone. The procedure for this overdose is as follows: stay with the person and phone 911, inject naloxone if it is available. Ensure the person’s airway is clear, and if necessary give them mouth-to-mouth ventilation. Stimulants include drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy. In the case of a stimulant overdose, naloxone will have no effect. Symptoms of overdose include: fast pulse or no pulse, shortness of breath, high body temperature, confusion, hallucinations, person is unconscious, clenched jaw, shaking, chest pain, vomiting and cannot walk or talk. There are no
your finances well into the future, so that you can deal with any surprises that may come your way. Consider what credentials are needed to get into your desired profession, and then consider what may end up leaving you overqualified. These things may seem simple, but they are often glossed over, and can lead to more hassle later on in life. Obviously, this article is not meant to scare you out of your studies, but instead to urge you as a student and future professional to think
medications to safety reverse a stimulant overdose. So, assess the person to determine whether they are experiencing mental distress/ over amp OR physical distress/ acute stimulant toxicity. The person requires medical treatment for the latter, which can be determined by: jerking or rigid limbs, rapidly increasing temperature or pulse, in and out of consciousness, severe: headaches sweating or agitation, and chest pains. If the person is not experiencing these, it is possible that they are suffering from mental distress associated with: sleep deprivation, crashing, anxiety, or paranoia. If you are certain it is not medical in nature, it is not necessary to call 911, unless you are uncomfortable with the
about what the labour market will look like in your chosen field by the time you graduate. Take the necessary steps to get the accreditation you need, but be wary of education for the sake of education, as it may potentially end up costing you down the line. Nevertheless, the economic state of a country is dynamic, and changes occur constantly depending on the year and the field of interest, so all is not lost.
situation. However, you could still call Campus Security if you feel like you need assistance. Treatment for mental distress involves giving the person water and using cold compresses under their arm, back of their neck, and head. If they are suffering from physical distress, call 911 immediately. It is important to be able to determine the symptoms of an overdose and the correct response: if armed with the correct information, you have the ability to save a life. All information in this article was taken directly from the “Overdose Survival guide” pamphlet found in the naloxone kits available from Health and Wellness.
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Brie Welton - Life Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
UBCO: AN ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
Life
Photo by David Vassiliev /The Phoenix News
Phoenix reporter explores the Aboriginal Centre Brie Welton – Life Editor
By the time I reached my second year at UBCO, I had heard the Aboriginal Centre mentioned a few times. However, I didn’t know anything about it or the people for whom it was created. As a journalist, I was curious, so I paid the center a visit to find out what it was all about. After navigating my way to UNC 212, I hesitated outside the door of the center, wondering if I was allowed in or if I needed an appointment. Suddenly, a woman came up from behind and asked if I needed any help, and kindly welcomed me into the center before I even had a chance to tell her my name. I told her that I was writing an article for the Phoenix about the centre, and she promptly introduced me to Dan Odenbach, Aboriginal Programs Administrator. After explaining my intent to shed some light on the workings of the center, Dan led me into the back room of the center, which was designed specifically for aboriginal students. The room is completely round and provides venting directly to the
outdoors for smudging, which is the burning of medicinal plants to create a cleansing smoke. I was then introduced to campus elders Eric Mitchell and his wife
“ 'Creating that sense of belonging for our students is really the focus of the aboriginal center,' – Dan Odenbach
” Chris Marchand. They invited me to sit with them and what they told me next opened my eyes completely. The elders explained to me that their role on campus is primarily to provide support for aboriginal students.
“Sometimes, all we need in this confusion of being in first year is a little taste of Indian humour,” says Eric, laughing, “And that’s what I can give you, and stories… When aboriginal students talk about their life, I can relate to most of it.” Eric and Chris have both traveled extensively across Canada, so they have visited many of the places where the students are from. “Because a lot of them come from all parts of Canada […] Some of them are missing home,” explains Chris, “They’re missing their family, so we try to create a place where they can make their family here.” The elders, who visit once a week throughout the term, are only one of the many support systems the Aboriginal Centre has to offer students. “We have aboriginal student advisers… [and] aboriginal peer mentors [who] work with first year aboriginal students,” states Dan, “Overall, we’re kind of like the one-stop shop for aboriginal students.” As a first-year student, I had a difficult time adjusting to the fast paced university lifestyle
which high school had failed to prepare me for. I asked Dan if aboriginal students felt the same way. “High school doesn’t really prepare our Aboriginal students in this province for university,” explains Dan, “So it really is almost like a culture shock, in what’s expected of them academically... It’s a big jump for many students, especially from rural communities.” For students who are struggling, the center offers free tutoring and additional financial support by helping students navigate their way through student aid, or connecting them with other services on campus. “Creating that sense of belonging for our students is really the focus of the aboriginal center,” says Dan. What I was most interested to know, however, was the Aboriginal experience at UBCO from a student’s perspective. So, I sat down with Kelly CoryEthan Paul and asked him a few questions about his personal experience as an aboriginal student at UBCO. When asked about the switch from high school to post-
secondary, Kelly agreed it was pretty hard. However, he feels that he was more prepared than most, due to teachings from elders and his grandmother and great-grandmother who raised him. “They did tell me things are changing,” explains Kelly, “they prepared me, let me make my own choices… I learned the hard way, it prepared me to come to school.” Kelly is involved with many events through the center, most recently hosting the bannock making for Thrive week. I asked him if there was anything he wanted to tell people who were not familiar with aboriginal culture or the center in general. “Tell them not to be afraid to ask questions,” Kelly replied, “If you want to ask me something just ask me… start the conversation.” What I learned from talking to the amazing people at the centre was that even though we all come from different backgrounds, in the ways that count, we are all very similar. In Kelly’s own words: “We’re all the same people, we’re all one.”
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Life | thephoenixnews.com | Brie Welton - Life Editor
WINTER FASHION ON CAMPUS The Phoenix seeks out this week’s best-dressed
Frances Carruthers - Staff Writer
Haylee Sonnenberg – Engineering
Connor McKay – Sciences
Where are your clothes from? Jumper and jeans – Gap, Shoes – Old Navy
Where are your clothes from? Jumper –Topshop, Shirt – Tommy Hilfiger, Pants – American Eagle, Glasses – Urban Outfitters
Where are your clothes from? Jeans and shirt – Value Village, Shoes – Zumies, Hoddie – Man and Woman
Where are your clothes from? Jeans – customized with rips, Jumper – from Value Village, Cap – borrowed from a friend
Style Inspiration? “The street and high fashion, things like that. I watch all the Calvin Klein runway shows, so they usually inspire me”
Fashion faux pas? “Shorts. I almost never wear shorts. I always wear jeans”
Style Inspiration? “Probably more people on the street. I feel like there’s a lot of stylish students here, too, so I can take inspiration from them.”
Style inspiration? “mostly Pinterest, a lot of fashion blogs and on Instagram, I follow a lot of different fashion bloggers.” Signature winter piece? “My J Crew coat… I wear that every day!” Describe your style? “Sort of a mix between... sometimes preppy and sometimes boho.”
Winter staple piece? “I usually always wear these sunglasses… people recognise me with these sunglasses, the shoes, too. And I always roll my jeans.”
Logan Nimmo – Engineering
Signature winter piece? “I like my jean jackets a lot. And… kind of like hiking clothes. I really rely on hiking clothes.
Shelby Price – Nursing
Winter Staple Piece? “Big knit scarves” Fashion faux pas? “I’ve never got into overalls”
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Brie Welton - Life Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
Photo by David Vassiliev /The Phoenix News
VEGAN MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS Why Veganism might have (unfairly) got a bad name Fran Carruthers – Staff Writer
Increasingly, what we see on social media seems to tell us that veganism is a new, trendy lifestyle: a fad adopted by the wealthy, young, sexy and skinny in order to be cool or different. There has been a skewing of public perception, with the false notion that associates the rising popularity of veganism with something of a “trend”, failing to see the real ethical and health-related reasons why people opt for the lifestyle. Yet, with stereotypes misrepresenting what it really means to be vegan in today’s society, what are the responses
from the vegan community? As a non-vegan myself, I endeavoured to look into them from a purely objective perspective. I spoke with Emma GoffLeggett, aged 19, who lives in England and has been fully vegan for 8 months. One of the things that has surprised her is an overwhelmingly positive response from peers, friends and family – yet she admits that a minority have condemned her beliefs. “I have been confronted with a few scornful comments, and people also seem to
KARMA BOWL: SOUP, SMILES AND SUSTAINABILITY ESS promotes health one soup at a time Brie Welton – Life Editor
Hungry, broke, sick, and stressed: if you’re a university student, then you’re probably experiencing at least one of these things, if
not all of them at once. For those in need of some free nourishment on campus, your soup salvation is closer than you think. Every Thursday from 11:30AM
love to attack vegans as being uneducated, saying things like ‘where do you get your protein’ or ‘you must be deficient in B12’”, she said. “But I’ve realised that it’s important to take the time to explain and share my own knowledge with people, as opposed to getting defensive.” How about the claim that vegan diet will somehow make you “weak”? If anything, the vegan fitness movement has been so huge that it seems impossible to see how people can still believe this. The fact that there are vegan world-
champion power lifters, NFL players, and parkour athletes competing at the highest level clearly shows that the diet has no negative bearing on the body’s ability to build muscle or perform strenuous exercise. Then, there is the money thing. One of my qualms about veganism was that it seems to have become tied in with a luxury healthy lifestyle, with organic and highly nutritious foods being sold to an extremely exclusive market, shutting out certain groups of people. Some of the celebrities and fitness fanatics who promote veganism
until about 2:00PM, the UBCO Environment and Sustainability Society sets up a table in front of the sciences building and serve students free organic soup. Made fresh by the club members that morning, the soup is full of local ingredients provided by Urban Harvest, an organic produce delivery company that sources as much as it can from local farmers. “What they do for us is [they donate] all the leftover vegetables,” explains club member Louis Harris, which
are then used to make the soup. Although it seems like a simple gesture, this soup serves a purpose. “It’s to promote a few different things,” says club member Eclipse Galloway. “Our biggest thing is, we’re trying to promote sustainability,” Louis explains, “as well as awareness of different food options…All our foods try to be vegan, gluten free, allergen free, things like that.” “To provide more options for what [people who are gluten free or vegan] can eat
Life
seem to do so with the blind assumption that everyone can afford to stock up on expensive speciality vegan foods on a regular basis. As a cost-conscious student, Emma insists that her vegan lifestyle has actually been cheaper for her. “I only have to shop for essentials twice a week, so it’s easy to stock up on things like beans, lentils, grains, pastas, bread, potatoes— which last for ages!” However, not everyone agrees. Mat Frazier, vegan marathoner and writer for Huffington Post, has found himself spending one and a half times as much on food than before. “I shop at farmer’s markets and co-ops and Whole Foods, and I pay extra for organic. Going vegan led me to learn more about food, to the point that I’m scared not to be hyperselective,” he wrote. The final stereotype that irritates me is the perceived “preachiness” of vegans. With the ethical backbone that underlines many peoples’ choice to go vegan, it makes sense that they are passionate about sharing their beliefs. However, when does a wellintentioned attempt to explain a lifestyle pass over into forcing one’s beliefs on others? For me, it has to be when people use shock tactics to force feelings of guilt – for example, by posting pictures of animals in slaughterhouses on Facebook. Acceptance should work both ways: if meat eaters stop declaring the superiority of their diets, vegans should not be any different. In a world of constantly changing diets and eating habits, it is all too important that we accept and embrace the lifestyle choices of others. Stereotypes about veganism are exactly the kind of false, misguided and antiquated notions we need to shake off, if we are to progress to a more open-minded conversation about food and ethics.
on campus,” adds Eclipse. The ESS encourages those interested in the Karma Bowl to bring their own sturdy, reusable container and come taste the soup for themselves! For more information on other sustainability projects, programs and initiatives taken by the club, check their Facebook page: UBCO Environment and Sustainability Society.
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Opinions | thephoenixnews.com | Trophy Ewila - Opinions Editor
Opinions
Illustration by Sarah Dowler/ The Phoenix News
THE BENEFITS OF HAVING TWO SETS OF PARENTS We need to change our narratives surrounding step-families and divorce
Frances Carruthers - Staff Writer
The concept of marrying one person, and staying with them for your entire life has been cemented into our minds by countless books, plays, and romcoms—yet when the dominant “happy ever after” narrative fails to translate to our own experiences, perhaps it is time to consider re-writing that script. Indeed, with 4 in 10 marriages ending in divorce in Canada, this ideal fits less and less with modern reality. Marriages and relationships change, and the traditional “nuclear family” is no longer the dominant family unit. With many modern families formed from a diverse web of step-relatives and half-relatives, there can be unforeseen benefits to this situation, which has become the reality for much of younger generations. The widespread public perception of “broken homes” tells us that divorce is lethal; that it will leave us with lasting psychological scars, that children will perform poorly at school, and socially. Whilst these things can sometimes be true, too often the negative impacts of divorce on children are exaggerated, and the profound benefits that can arise from it are ignored. A 2011 Pew
Research report found that 70% of the children of divorced parents felt satisfied with family life—compared with 78% of those from traditional families—it seems that there’s little conducive evidence to suggest that a blended family should
“ Too often, the negative impacts of divorce on children are exaggerated, and the profound benefits that can arise are ignored.
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be less happy than a traditional one by default. A so-called broken home gives children two spaces, two worlds with two different values, giving them access to a broader outlook and making
them more open-minded. Children of blended families get used to adapting and moving around frequently, which can better prepare them for moving away from home and gaining independence. Personally, having two sets of parents has given me more role models, and a greater support network than I might have had with a more “traditional” family—I see it as having two mothers, and two fathers that I can consult when in need of help. Janice Van Dyck, a novelist known for her books exploring transitions and family change, has spoken openly about the benefits of having a step family. “Stepfamilies can stretch a kid’s thinking and give him or her a stronger sense of self in the world”, she argues. In the case of myself, and friends of mine who have experienced divorce, it seems this statement rings true. Many of them are better at adjusting to change, tougher, and more independent than friends whose upbringing has been tightly welded to a traditional family experience. Have a step-family, just like a regular family, is never going to be perfect. “When things go wrong I don’t chalk
it up to being a stepfamily. I chalk it up to being a family”, says Van Dyck. Every family will have its ripples of disagreement, moments of madness and chaos in which no one can seem to get along. However, if remarriages seem to make our parents genuinely happier, then embracing new step parents and learning to interact with them is the only way forwards. Growing up within a blended family, I have been gifted with the most wonderful and diverse step-relatives; have learnt from multiple role models, and never felt a loss of people to ask for advice. When asked if I am upset about my parents’ divorce, I respond by saying that I could not conceive of a world without my stepfather or stepmother, who have strongly influenced who I am today. Going through divorce is never going to be a walk in the park, yet when we can foster new and nurturing family structures out of so-called “broken homes”, there seems to be concrete evidence that the traditional family unit is not the only way forward.
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Trophy Ewila - Opinions Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
THE US ELECTION IS COMEDY GOLD
Opinions
Original Photo by journalforeignrelations/ Creative Commons
Admit it, the US election is absolutely hilarious
Mark Dreger – Phoenix Columnist
Well, the mad man did it. While many celebrate Trump’s victory, others grieve that this is the end of America. I want to tell all the doomsayers to get a sense of humour and see how hilarious this is. By far, the funniest thing about all of this is that Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump. Just think about it: Hillary Clinton, a career politician with years of experience as Senator and First Lady, the woman who felt destined for the position with support from politicians, companies, foreign leaders, and the media, loses to a reality TV host. It would be like if Christy Clark ran for federal office with mass support just to get defeated by Don Cherry. If Clinton can lose an election and 3 major states that have been Democrat since 1992 to a blabbermouth, you
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Hillary Clinton, a career politician with years of experience as Senator and First Lady, the woman who felt destined for the position with support from politicians, companies, foreign leaders, and the media, loses to a reality TV host.
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know people do not like you. In fact, Clinton lost because she got roughly 4.5 million fewer votes than Obama did in 2012, while Trump won with 400,000 fewer votes than Romney’s loss. Maybe it was not a good idea to rig the primary against Bernie Sanders, eh? Can you image how hilariously degrading this must be? But the humour continues. The media messed up. Portraying Clinton as a wonderful Godsend that could not possibly lose was one thing, but collectively labeling those that liked Trump as being racist, sexist homophobes, and then getting celebrities to join, is a major reason why Trump won. People are sick of the ad hominem attacks and having famous people tell them how to vote, and many voted Trump just to say, “screw you, we are voting for the person
who does not unjustly call us bad people.” Well they did, and it is hilarious. It is too funny watching Rachel Maddow, Miley Cyrus, CNN, and Twitter all meltdown at the sight they said again and again would never happen. To everyone who attacked and insulted Trump and his supporters, you are largely to blame for him winning. Seeing arrogance humiliated is an entertaining karma. And now there are protests against Trump’s victory. Is it not hysterical that the same people that accused Trump of not accepting the election result if he lost are now protesting the election result because they lost? They are free to protest (most are in blue states anyway), but hearing these people complain like children against America’s democratic process because it did not go their way
just makes me smile. Hypocrisy to the max. Under this logic, I am surprised fans of the Cleveland Indians did not protest the World Series that the Chicago Cubs were #NotMyChampion. Eventually, I will have to accept with a straight face that Trump is president of the United States. But let me remind the doomsayers: there will be an election in 2020. America will not become a totalitarian state and lose its voting rights. There were once theories that Obama would be president for a third term and become dictator. It did not happen and America did not end. A Trump presidency could be good or it could be bad. Let us give him a chance to lead and at the same time relax and enjoy the comedy gold.
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Opinions | thephoenixnews.com | Trophy Ewila - Opinions Editor
RACISM KNOWS NO COLOUR Racism’s double standard only divides us further
Mark Dreger – Phoenix Columnist
On October 21, students at the University of California Berkeley protested for safe spaces on campus for students of color and LGBT students, because their main resource space was moved from a building’s fifth floor to the less visible basement. Rather than protesting in a courtyard, or getting students to sign a petition for their cause, the students decided to block a major bridged pathway to certain ethic groups, because nothing helps your cause like using racism to delay students from getting to class. From what I have described, this sounds like racism, but where the story takes a twist is that students of colour were allowed to cross while white and Asian students were forced to go around, and under, the bridge. Although this story differs from the common narrative of racial discrimination, it is still a disgusting example
of individuals being racist against certain people because of their skin colour. Even though Asian and white students comprise nearly twothirds of Berkeley’s student demographic, that does not give the minority the right to discriminate against them because of their skin colour. That is, by definition, racism. Now, some argue that an oppressed group cannot be racist against an oppressor group, but unless the word’s definition has changed, racism does not apply to specific racial identities. Dictionary. com, Oxford, and Webster all define racism generally as discrimination and prejudice against a different race based on the belief that one race is superior and/or inferior to others. These definitions are not limited to any particular group of people (which would ironically make the definitions racist themselves), but apply to everyone.
“ I do not want division, but want all people to unite against irrational ideologies that only further divide us.
Based on dictionary definition, this Berkeley case is racism, just the same as other repulsive forms of racism towards other groups and individuals. Racists are scum of the Earth, and if people— no matter their colour—hold racist ideas against a group— no matter their colour—then they should be labeled as such. Creating the double standard of only labeling certain races of people words that should apply to everyone just further divides us. This is what racism is, and if someone disagrees because the arguer is black, white, Asian, etc., then they fit the definition. People are more than skin colour and judging people
based on that is racism. If racism is an unacceptable behavior, as I believe it is, then it must apply to everyone and not be limited to certain racial identities. If there is racism against black people, I want all to unite against it; if there is racism against white people, I want all to unite against it, and so on. I do not want division, but want all people to unite against irrational ideologies that only further divide us. What I wish for is far from reality, but let us strive for equal respect towards all races instead of fighting for who gets the top podium in the Oppression Olympics.
the environment. Even so what about actually looking into creating a new planet instead of looking for a life on another. I feel like a compromise between the environmentalist and the industrialist is easily possible if this approach can actually exist. Why I resort to this approach is simply because its hard to imagine industrialists caring about the environment more than profit. More countries especially Less economically developed countries are strongly looking to industrialize to improve their economies due to internal social pressures
and the environmentally safe approach is not attractive due to the high cost of implementation. Why does one have to loose when both can win. To be honest, I don’t know much about environmental and sustainability issues to offer a deeper opinion, however, I do think there needs to be a serious conversation between the industrialists and the environmentalists.
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TO AN ARTIFICIAL ENVIRONMENT Creating a new planet instead of saving one
Trophy Ewila - Opinions Editor
Under the influence of a sativa-infested mind, I was presented with a couple of questions: are we really interested in saving this planet? or is it just saving the conditions necessary for us (humans) to survive in it? If the latter question can be answered with a yes, I think we can approach saving the planet by doing just what we are good at i.e. using technological innovations to make our lives better. The common solution to saving the world is centered around stopping actions that cause damage to the environment. These include reducing emissions from
industries, planting more trees, use solar energy etc. This solution is rather difficult for various reasons. Most common is dependence by governments on tax revenues from industries. Industries need profits to function and environmentally friendly solutions are not very profitable yet. How then can we solve the environmental issue without affecting the economy? What about investment in artificially manufactured environmental conditions that support human life? An artificial ozone layer, artificial plants or machinery that can absorb Carbon dioxide from
“ What about investment in artificially manufactured environmental conditions that support human life?
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Grayson B. Leahy – Sports Editor | thephoenixnews.com |
Sports
Sports
Photo provided by UBCO Heat Athletics
HEAT WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL STILL UNDEFEATED After dominating Manitoba, the UBC Okanagan women hit the road for the first time this season Grayson B. Leahy – Sports Editor
The UBC Okanagan Heat women’s volleyball team continued to make their case as a potential favourite for this season’s Canada West championship, extending their undefeated streak this year with a weekend sweep of the University of Manitoba Bisons on November 11 & 12. After two wins over the Bisons, 3-1 on Friday night and 3-0 on Saturday, the Heat women sit at 4-0 and are tied with UBC Vancouver and the University of Alberta for first place in the conference. With 6 matches left before the winter break, there is a good chance that they will go into 2017 undefeated. The next two weekends for the Heat will come on the road, against two different Cougars teams. For the first two road matches of the season, on November 18
and 19, the Heat will play in Calgar y against a Mount Royal team (3-1) coming off their first loss of the season against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack (3-3) on November 12. Statistically, the Heat are ahead in nearly ever y major categor y and look to have the advantage against MRU. The Heat have the secondbest hitting percentage in the conference this season (.220), but will put that attack to the test against Mount Royal, who are averaging 13.37 digs per set this season. Aidan Lea leads the Heat so far with a personal hitting percentage of .362, second-best in the conference at the moment, but will be hitting to Maddi Quinn, the MRU libero who has the most digs so far this season, with 69. The numbers most worth keeping an eye on in the next
“ After two wins over the Bisons, 3-1 on Friday night and 3-0 on Saturday, the Heat women sit at 4-0 and are tied with UBC Vancouver and the University of Alberta for first place in the conference.
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few matches for the Heat are the ser vices aces of Megan Festival and Emily Oxland. The all-time Canada West record for ser vice aces was set last year, by Brandon’s Shanlee McLennan, who finished her career with 138. Prior to the matches against Mount Royal, Oxland sits at 137 and Festival has 131. The second pair of games in the road trip will be against the University of Regina (0-4). Regina has had a disappointing start to their season, and have only won one set through their first four matches. They started off against perennial contender Trinity Western, and only won their first set of the season in their last match against Manitoba on November 5. The last time the Heat played Regina, the UBC Okanagan women swept both matches 3-0 to kick off their 2015/16
Canada West season. The Heat women will close out the 2016 part of this season at home, against the Calgar y Dinos. At the moment, Calgar y own a record of 3-1. Between now and their visit to the Furnace on December 2 and 3, the Dinos will play a winless Brandon Bobcats team and will have a home-and-home against Mount Royal. With the schedule putting the Heat against Mount Royal (3-1), Regina (04), and Calgar y (3-1) the roll the reigning national bronze medalists are on doesn’t seem imminently threatened, and we could see them return to the court in 2017 with a perfect 7-0 record and well on their way to another Canada West postseason.
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Sports | thephoenixnews.com | Grayson B. Leahy – Sports Editor
HEAT WOMEN EARN NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY GOLD For the second time in four years, the Heat women are the best runners in the CCAA Grayson B. Leahy – Sports Editor
At the 2016 CCAA National said Fagan after the championships. Championships in cross country “Originally I thought top 10 is what I running, which took place on Saturday, would aim for, and I was prepared to November 12, the UBC Okanagan women’s team earned the gold medal. It is the team’s second time atop the national podium, as the Heat women were previously gold medalists in 2013. The 5km competition saw second ‘Each and every workout was year Heat runner Veronika Fagan lead her team with a time of 18:49, which designed with the course profile put her as the fourth place individual finisher. In the scoring system used in mind. Our race strategy involved by the CCAA at the championship, playing on the strengths of each which is similar to golf in that lower scores are better, she earned her team runner, and they went out there three points. Camille Galloway was and executed perfectly. I’m thrilled the second best for the Heat finishing fifteenth with a time 19:43 (13 points). with the result from this year.’ Josie Storey (20:11, 20th, 16 points), — Head coach Colin Wallace Anna Merino (20:22, 23rd, 21 points), Alex Beswick (20:31, 28th, 22 points), and Alea Stockton (21:06, 43rd) rounded out the gold medalist Heat women’s team on Saturday. Collectively, the Heat earned 50 points at the championship, putting them 15 points better than the silver- work for that spot . . . About 200m from medalist Red Deer College Queens. the finish line, realizing that I was in “For my own race, Colin told me I’d fourth was a huge surprise for me, and be up there competing for a good spot,” I really couldn’t believe it. It felt surreal.
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This was a huge accomplishment for me.” The West Kelowna native and second year nursing student also added, “Coming back next season, my goal is to try to come home with gold or silver.” Head coach Colin Wallace, in his second year as the Heat coach, was understandably proud after Saturday’s competition. “Each and every workout was designed with the course profile in mind. Our race strategy involved playing on the strengths of each runner, and they went out there and executed perfectly. I’m thrilled with the result from this year.” Wallace continued, explaining his team’s performance, “The ladies positioned themselves well off the start and settled right into their pace over the fast, mostly flat course with rolling hills spread out . . . They showed incredible strength and battled over the entire 5km.” Fagan, who was named an AllCanadian at the awards banquet after the national championships, described the team’s reaction after the win. “When we saw the results that we were coming home with gold, lots of happy emotions showed through. Anna fell to the ground in tears, Camille and I hugged while tearing up and Alea, Alex and
Josie were in disbelief !” The Heat men also competed at the national championships on Saturday, in what coach Wallace described as one of the most competitive 8km races he’s ever seen. They finished in 12th place, with former National tournament AllStar Cael Warner scoring the best time on the team at 28:08. Mike Mitchell (28:38), Sam Goodrich (29:02), Cailan Libby (30:39), along with first year runners Austin White (30:50) and Kyle Foster (31:37) were the rest of the Heat team on Saturday. “The men showed grit and hear this season, battling through injury to race at Nationals,” said Wallace. “Two of our athletes, Austin White and Kyle Foster, were completely new to the sport of cross country running, and experienced a very steep learning curve. However, their athletic background allowed them to embrace the challenge, and it showed as they ran their hearts out on Saturday.” Wallace finished by saying, “I’m proud of our athletes, and cannot wait to get started on our build to a successful 2017 season.”
HEAT BASKETBALL OFF TO A ROCKY START
With only one win between them, the men’s and women’s basketball teams have stumbled out of the gate in the 2016/17 season Grayson B. Leahy – Sports Editor
So far in the 2016/17 Canada West basketball season, the highlight for the Heat has been the pair of records broken by Mitch Goodwin and Emily Kanester. Each broke their respective team’s all-time scoring record earlier this season, with Goodwin passing Matt Gowing’s former record of 1028 and Kanester passing Roslyn Huber’s 899. The excitement at those accomplishments has been dampened, however, by the inability of either team to win. The combined Heat conference record after the teams’ weekend in Brandon, Manitoba (Nov. 11 & 12) is 1-7. The men hold the lone
win, which came against Trinity Western on November 4, when Goodwin broke the scoring record. Despite sitting fourth in the conference in points per game (65.3), the Heat women have lost twice each to Trinity Western and Brandon. None of the games have been blowouts, and the difference has been an inability to close out games. The Heat women’s first game in Brandon was an overtime loss, 80-78, after the Bobcats outscored the Heat 23-8 in the fourth quarter. The Saturday game had the Heat in the lead at halftime, before giving up 25 points in the third quarter, making their
“ The Heat men will be looking to snap their three-game losing streak over the weekend, against a 1-1 Mount Royal men’s team.
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19 in the fourth not enough. The Heat women will look to pick up their first win against Mount Royal (11), who will be visiting the Furnace on November 18 & 19. MRU sit 12th in points per game (59.0) this season, and are shooting only 34.9%. If the Heat can shut down MRU’s Becky Nash, who is averaging 17.5 points and nine rebounds per game, they have a good chance to end their winless streak. The Heat men will be looking to snap their threegame losing streak over the weekend, against a 1-1 Mount Royal men’s team. The Heat are averaging 71 points per game so far, and so will
have to focus on defence as MRU average 76.5. The key to that defensive effort will be stopping Derek Wolf (19 ppg) and Glen Yang (17 ppg), especially from behind the three-point line. Yang currently owns the fifthbest three-point shooting percentage in Canada West, making six of his 11 attempts for 54.5%. Offensively, the Heat will continue to rely on Aldrich Berrios (14.4 ppg) and Mitch Goodwin (12.7 ppg), but will have to better utilise their passing, as they average only 11.7 assists per game, against a higher scoring team in the Cougars.
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