January 16, 2013

VOLUME 22 ISSUE 15

JANUARY 16, 2013

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CFBX going to 24-hour schedule 5

Elections B.C. reaches out to students 7

Athletics alumni honoured

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TRU’s Independent Student Newspaper

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January 16, 2013

Feature Examining a homelessness problem...at TRU

Too many students for not enough rental properties puts many in a precarious circumstance Karla Karcioglu

HAP coordinator, who has been working with Kamloops HAP for two years.

Genshorek identifies the When Sukh Matonovich, hidden homeless as people manager of student engagement who are living in inappropriate and retention at TRU, sat down accommodations, camper trailers with the Kamloops Homeless and sleeping on friends’ couches.

Action Planning Committee she She also identifies those who are was shocked to hear that there are at risk of becoming homeless homeless TRU students. Students because they are one cheque sleeping in cars, couch surfing, away from losing their housing. or sleeping in hotels all fit into “Students can fit into all of the Canadian government’s those categories,” Genshorek definition of hidden homeless; said. “We’ve recently been able “those without a place to call to start to tease out some of the their own who live in a car, with housing numbers at family or friends.”

TRU.” The Canadian G e n s h o r e k Government has estimates there three definitions are approximately for homelessness.

5,000 out-ofThe dominant idea town students of homelessness looking for housing is called absolute through TRU each homelessness year while the -- those living number of housing on the streets or opportunities in emergency

s h e l t e r s .

—Tangie Genshorek, HAP coordinator provided by TRU is less than 2,000.

Homeless students “That leaves generally fit into about 3,000 students both or either of the government’s other and the announcement of an looking for affordable housing two definitions, hidden or engineering school coming in in our community,” Genshorek concealed homelessness as the near future. Matonovich says said, “which will end up being described previously, or relative it is important for TRU to ensure basement suites, apartments and homelessness, “those who the structure and support for things like that, so we need to absolutely make sure that that are housed but who reside in students is available.

“We’re going to do the housing stock is available to substandard shelter and/or at full assessment, make some them.” risk of losing their homes.”

Glenn Read, director of TRU was approached by the recommendations to the city and City of Kamloops to be a part then back to TRU,” Matonovich ancillary services at TRU, said TRU provides just less than 900 of the Kamloops Homeless said.

Matonovich is working beds for students between McGill Action Plan (HAP) and to provide the lens and context alongside Tangie Genshorek, the Housing and TRU Residence and Conference Centre. A standard quad room in the Residence and Conference Centre costs as low as $744.75 a month. A standard quad room in McGill Housing costs as low as $488.88 a month.

This monthly cost does not include various fees such as application fees, security deposit fees and residence activity fees. Furthermore, the McGill housing website states that “on-campus housing has the right to change any rate without warning.”

According to

Read, prices are set by the facilities and are determined by the cost to operate the buildings -- not by what students can afford -but TRU has the final approval.

Read said he feels on-campus housing is reasonably priced and competitive in the Kamloops housing market.

A new housing facility like the Residence and Conference Centre is not cheap to build and would cost upwards of $50 million, said Read.

Upper College Heights, According to their website, Landmark Two, the second phase located across the street from of condominium construction accross from TRU on McGill

TRU but with no affiliation Road, is selling one bedroom units for $199,900. to the university, costs as low of the university students in the Kamloops housing market.

Matonovich was chosen as the university’s representative. She is working with HAP to identify student housing needs and to ensure housing is affordable and accessible to them. This information will go into a report titled the Kamloops Affordable Housing Needs Demand Study, which was planned to have been released to the public by late November 2012.

TRU is expanding with the newly developed law school

Ω Contributor

“We’ve recently been able to tease out some of the housing numbers at TRU.”

The TRU Residence and Conference Centre charges a minimum of $744.75 per month, but it keeps students from being considered part of the “hidden homeless,” those who couch

surf, live in hotels, or in their cars.

—PHOTO BY K ARLA K ARCIOGLU

compared to the provincial average of 3.4 per cent, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2012 Spring Rental Market Survey.

Genshorek said as well as the limited housing availability, there are no incentives for developers to build rental units.

“We’re trying to make it possible for people to make money off of it, make it attractive, make it an economic venture that is viable because it hasn’t been for over 25 years in all of Canada,” Genshorek said.

As for vulnerable students who end up staying in hotels around —Tangie Genshorek, HAP coordinator town because of a lack of affordable Genshorek identifies housing, Genshorek said “there’s affordable housing as pivotal absolutely no reason anybody to one’s ability to work or go to should be living in that and considering it housing.” school.

Both Matonovich and “How would you finish your see progress studies and do well on your Genshorek exams and move on to a great happening and are optimistic. career if you’re not housed?” They acknowledge the process of change is slow because of an Genshorek said.

According to Genshorek, the abundance of complexities.

“We want to be able to get to a main problem in Kamloops is the need to significantly increase the place where, as a community we amount of rental stock. Venture understand the value of having Kamloops lists the city’s rental students and people who come into our city,” Matonovich said, vacancy rate at 4.3 per cent.

Kelowna boasts a good rental “instead of looking at it as an vacancy rate, 5.2 per cent, economic value.” as $500 per month for a quad room or $990 for a two-bedroom apartment.

Read said TRU also provides an online housing database for students to help them in the off-campus housing search. The website helps connect students with private land owners who are offering rental spaces in the city of Kamloops.

“How would you finish your studies ... and move on to a great career if you’re not housed? ”

—PHOTO BY K ARLA K ARCIOGLU

ON THE COVER: Housing is certainly available for students in Kamloops, but is there enough of it and can you afford it?

— PHOTOS BY KARLA KARCIOGLU

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The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 15

THE

MEGA

www.theomega.ca

January 16, 2013

Volume 22, Issue 15

Published since November 27, 1991

editorialstaff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Editorial/Opinions Never too late for resolutions

Mike Davies

editor@truomega.ca

250-828-5069

@PaperguyDavies NEWS EDITOR

Devan C. Tasa

news@truomega.ca @DCTasa ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Brendan Kergin

arts@truomega.ca @roguetowel SPORTS EDITOR

Adam Williams

sports@truomega.ca @AdamWilliams87 ROVING EDITOR

Courtney Dickson

Editor’s Note

COPY/WEB EDITOR

Mike Davies Ω Editor-in-Chief

roving@truomega.ca @dicksoncourtney

Taylor Rocca

copy@truomega.ca @manovrboard

omegacontributors Travis Persaud, Kassandra Mitchell, Mark Hendricks, Karlene Skretting

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

letterspolicy

Literary and visual submissions are welcomed.

All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste and legality. The Omega will attempt to publish each letter received, barring time and space constraints. The editor will take care not to change the intention or tone of submissions, but will not publish material deemed to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. Letters for publication must include the writer’s name (for publication) and contact details (not for publication). The Omega reserves the right not to publish any letter or submitted material. Opinions expressed in the Letters & Opinion section do not represent those of The Omega, the Cariboo Student Newspaper Society, its Board of Directors or its staff.

Opinions belong only to those who have signed them.

My friend and colleague, Taylor Rocca wrote an editorial last week welcoming us all back to classes and examining the resolutions many of us make at the turn of a calendar year.

He had some great statistics from reputable journals and was overall very optimistic and encouraging. You should read it if you haven’t (theomega.ca).

For any of you who know my typical writing style, you’ll know this is where I usually proclaim the person I’m talking about to be completely wrong.

Well, not to make anyone uncomfortable, but I’m going to break that tradition.

While he was writing that particular piece, we discussed the

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

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

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

Do it.

Seriously.

they’ve wronged — but have a look back at those times for a minute and examine what came of them.

If this is the first time you’ve done this, it will be a truly cathartic experience for you. If you’ve done this before, you’ll know what I’m talking about but let’s do it again anyway.

Can you point at any of those times and say you learned something or were changed, or that the “poor” decision you made directly altered the path of your future?

Because it did, you know.

Every action we take changes our path through life. It’s the actions and decisions we chose to make that produce the people we are and will become.

It’s not deep or profound knowledge I’m throwing at you here — but I think if you just take a moment on occasion to think about those infinite numbers of paths you didn’t take and can’t go back to, you’ll realize you’ve been constantly reinventing yourself along the way.

Whether it’s the beginning of the year or not, we can all resolve to change.

Those changes will make us who we will be.

Of course I’m only basing that assumption on the fact all the ones in the past have made us who we are right now. editor@truomega.ca

Student life can often leave individuals nomadic.

Some leave their hometown in search of an education. Others leave their first, second or even third post-secondary institution in search of a different education. In between semesters, students venture across the country or back to their respective hometowns in search of employment — a means to pay the high tuition fees and living expenses — in hopes of avoiding the shackles of student debt.

Some people traverse foreign continents, seeking out culture and life experience through academic exchange programs. At the end of this all, students are constantly left looking for a new “house or dwelling.”

Depending on how often you get sucked into this cycle or willingly volunteer yourself for the adventures it can present, you might be left searching for the same answer I am currently looking for.

Over the semester break, I spent five weeks in Calgary and one in Toronto. When out on the town, countless times I was asked the question, “Where are you from?

Where is home for you?”

Every time I had to pause and think, struggling to come up with an answer I felt to be appropriate.

Now, I am fortunate in countless ways when it comes to the Oxford Canadian definition of ‘home.’ I have a place to live; a fixed residence or dwelling place. When I visit my hometown of Calgary I am always welcomed in my parents’ residence and I have an extended family that is warm, friendly and caring. Heck, I even have a building to go to where my employer (or company) conducts its activities.

If you’re curious, come by House 4

on campus, I can give you a tour.

I am thankful everyday for what I have.

So why, as a person so fortunate and rich in the definition of ‘home,’ was I struggling to answer?

“Where is home?”

I grew up in Calgary. After 18 years, I packed my bags in search of an education in Edmonton. At that point, I still considered Calgary home.

Five years later, I relocated myself to Kamloops, looking to further my education once again.

Calgary had somehow become less home for me, but Edmonton was also in the past. Relationships had brought me to consider Vancouver like a second home, but that was gone too. A pit-stop in Toronto for four months added to the confusion.

Knowing Kamloops is likely just one more stop along the way, with Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto all being in the past, I find myself at a loss for an answer to the question, “Where are you from?”

I used to believe in the old cliche, “home is where the heart is.”

But when one has bounced around from place to place, meeting new people along the way but never truly setting down roots anywhere along that road, where does their heart go? Where is their heart’s home?

According to Collins English Dictionary, ‘spiritual home’ is defined as, “the place where you feel you belong.”

I like to believe that one day I will find a place to call home again. Until then, I will keep pausing when someone asks, “Where is home for you?” copy@truomega.ca

Nomadic heartbreak

copyright

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

so-called “New Year’s Resolution” and how I’ve never believed in the value of such silly things.

Upon thinking about it further, that is not entirely true.

I completely believe in the reinvention of one’s self. It’s just that whether that reinvention happens (or rather begins) at the start, middle or end of a calendar year makes no difference.

I’ve reinvented myself many times.

I will admit some of those reinventions did not make me a better person; in fact they did the opposite.

Wait…that’s not true, either.

Even when I changed myself and became someone I don’t like when I look back, those times made me the person I am today — the kind of person who can look back on times, not like myself in that past, and be okay with that.

All of those changes I made brought me to the point I’m at right now in my life. They often took me by a route that was… let’s say uncomfortable…but they produced a human that as of right now, I’m pretty proud of.

“Okay, Davies, stop it with the self-reverence and get to the point,” right?

Actually, that is my point.

Everyone has times in their past they’re not proud of — actions they have taken, people

TRUe Thoughts Taylor Rocca Ω Copy/Web Editor This week we ran a fantastic feature penned by Karla Karcioglu.

After giving it a good, solid read (also known as doing my job) I was oddly inspired to write my column, somewhat in relation to the discussion about home and how it can be defined.

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary lists five definitions for the word ‘home’ in relation to the context we are using it in: 1.

The place where one lives; the fixed residence of a family or household; 2.

A house or dwelling place; 3.

The residence of a person’s parents; 4.

A building etc. providing a locale for a company’s activities; and 5.

The members of a family collectively; one’s family background.

While it definitely does not compare to the serious issue examined by Karla, a spiritual sense of homelessness confuses and often frustrates me.

Putting thought into posts prevents problems Lindsay Moore

The Gateway (U of A) EDMONTON (CUP) — In response to any degree requirements, I hereby write this article, exempting myself from having to take any writing-oriented classes here at the U of A. My written consent for making me sit through lectures about writing is needed at all times. Anyone reading this can copy and paste this and post it anywhere. This will place them under protection from the Academic advisers. The violation of this exemption is punishable by law UofA1-088-02-10-0012-3 and the Geneva Convention.

This statement, while untrue, could be perceived as real information — without a little common sense and some online research. However, just because a person states exemption or protection from something using some technical jargon does not mean it’s applicable in real-life scenarios. Take the recent rash of pointless privacy-exempting Facebook statuses as an example.

Users believed that a lengthy, poorly written status could exempt them from certain usages of their personal information. In a matter of hours, the comedy website College Humor came out with a video explaining some of the contents of this “exemption” to all us Internet idiots. It’s fair to think someone is a bandwagon jumper or even simply an idiot for having posted the same untrue status as 40 of their closest friends and it’s equally fair to be upset for being called a moron. However, this isn’t something to be distressed about.

The real problem is that people are mindlessly fueling hoaxes and spreading unreliable information online. Although some of it can be funny, people who don’t take a small amount of time to research these hoaxes pollute social media by spreading it around as facts.

The web has never been a 100 per cent factual place to obtain information. Any user can contribute to what is presented on news feeds, personal blogs, encyclopedia pages and forums. Just because it was found on the Internet doesn’t make it true.

This isn’t the first Internet hoax to be circulated virally, and it certainly won’t be the last. Just look at the Invisible Children fiasco that tried to bring attention to Joseph Kony’s use of child soldiers. The slogan KONY2012 spread like wildfire and many people planned to participate in protest events. Instead of this project running smoothly, many people quickly discovered that it was more of a hoax than a mission. It was quickly realized that Kony had been out of power for years and this campaign accomplished very little. Many new-found “activists” lost interest.

It’s amazing what a little research can do. Most Internet users will never know if in fact the information they received was true, nor will they know if their actions impacted any cause other than giving hits to a heart-wrenching video.

Due to the sometimes-unreliable nature of the web, Internet users should take everything they watch or read with a grain of salt. It isn’t difficult to spend a couple minutes making sure a new Facebook status is accurate or if a play on words will insult a specific group of people. The World Wide Web is a database for an incredible amount of information and users should make use of this resource without polluting it. People need to think before they post.

4

January 16, 2013

News Devan C. Tasa Ω News Editor

TRUSU is asking students to support changes to its bylaws, including the addition of two new elected members, the improvement of election advertising and the removal of the requirement for elected members to provide written reports.

Those changes will be presented at the students’ union’s annual general meeting Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in the TRUSU lecture hall. Students attending will need to bring their student card.

In order for the changes to be successful, at least 50 students must attend the meeting, with two-thirds of those people voting in favour. Last year’s meeting had only 39 students show.

Most students seem to be unaware of the proposed changes. Students approached by The Omega to comment about the AGM were unwilling as they felt they didn’t have enough information.

One of the changes will add two members to TRUSU’s 11-member council. One will represent lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) students while the other will represent graduate students. The two will also chair new equity collectives advocating for each group.

“I think that these are two important groups on campus that need advocacy and representation through the student union,” said TRUSU president Dustin McIntyre last October. “That’s why we believe it’s important that the members come out to our AGM and ratify these two collectives.”

TRU is the only B.C. university that doesn’t have any sort of official representation or support organization for LGBTQ students hosted by either the students union or the university.

The students union is also adding language to the bylaws that requires anybody running for women’s, international, Aboriginal, LGBTQ or graduate representative to be a member of those groups.

That’s not the only change to the structure of TRUSU’s council. The four members of council that represent faculties such as arts, sciences, trades, nursing, business and other programs will have those particular focuses removed, becoming generalized directors-at-large.

“Changing the name to directorsat-large is something we tried to do last year,” McIntyre wrote via email, “and that is simply changing the name to signify what those council [members] actually represent on the board as no council members actually do faculty representation.”

Another change aiming to increase student awareness of the students union’s elections will entail a two-week nomination period as opposed to one.

“As for election timelines, that has been changed because students have asked for more time and notice when it comes to upcoming elections,” McIntyre wrote.

The 25 posters required promoting the nomination period and the campaign period will be increased in size from 8.5 by 11 inches to 11 by 17 inches. TRUSU will also be required to advertise the election at least three times in The Omega and two times in its newsletter.

Call of the wild

The 2011 TRUSU AGM didn’t reach quorum, but they are hoping this years’ will, as many changes are proposed.

The students union is also asking students to approve a change that would remove the need for council members to submit written reports to each council meeting.

“This resolution also seeks to remove the requirement for a written report to Council by each position,” states the annual general meeting’s agenda, “as in practice reporting is done by collective or committee.”

With the exception of the four directors-at-large, each council member is responsible for chairing a committee or equity collective.

The change that removes the need for written reports also removes other responsibilities from some executive members. The vice-president external’s responsibility to ensure student spots on university committees are filled has been removed due

— PHOTO BY DEVAN C. TASA to TRUSU’s new student caucus, as well as the vice-president finance’s responsibility to represent students involved in university appeals.

“The wording change comes from the fact that it is not the sole responsibility of the vice-president finance to represent students on appeals,” McIntyre wrote. “We send either a staff person or another executive member on a case-by-case basis.”

Other changes include standardizing each TRUSU committee’s membership to have a chair, one additional executive member, three members of council and two students from the community; the removal of the finance committee’s explicit responsibility to develop the students’ union annual budget; and the renaming of the finance committee to the services committee.

theomega.ca

TRUSU hoping to reform bylaws

TRU program partners with B.C. Wildlife Park to introduce wildlife medicine Mark Hendricks Ω Contributor

What did you do in class today? Did you neuter a coyote?

Maybe you spayed a cougar or a wolf ?

If you’re a student in the Animal Health Technology (AHT) program at TRU and you’re going to the B.C. Wildlife Park today, you may be doing just that.

For 28 years, the AHT program has been taking students to the park to introduce them to wildlife medicine, a specialized branch of animal care.

Wildlife medicine involves dealing with animals that are not domesticated and students wishing to pursue this must learn

how to properly handle wild animals without conditioning them to the presence of humans.

“I mention that we’re going to the wildlife park and they’re grinning ear to ear,” said Erica Gray, an instructor in the AHT program. “They’re so excited.”

Gray is the instructor responsible for taking students to the B.C. Wildlife Park on the outskirts of Kamloops. Once there, students work closely alongside Tara Geiger and other staff at the park. Geiger is the animal care supervisor and the animal health technician for the park. She is also responsible for facilitating student involvement and helps to teach the students while they’re at the park.

Both first- and second-year

students in the AHT program are involved with the park. The first-year students run tests on samples sent from the park, checking for parasites and other potential dangers. Students in their second year spend six days at the park assisting Geiger with hands-on practice.

Students at the park help with routine procedures and exams, such as administering vaccines, hoof trimming mountain goats and de-worming a variety of animals.

Students also assist with nonroutine procedures, such as neutering bears or racoons or catching and administering oral medication to birds of prey.

The field work gives students an opportunity to utilize their

skills in a different way. “[It] teaches them something cool that they may not see regularly” Geiger said.

For those interested in pursuing wildlife medicine, the park also offers summer student positions. In the last two years, six students from the AHT program have been accepted and given four months of wildlife medicine experience.

The partnership does not solely benefit the students. The park gets the benefit of having skilled assistants that know how to hold and care for the animals with timely procedures.

“We can get two weeks or three weeks worth of work done in three days” Geiger said.

The park also gains access to

the technical side of the AHT program. Samples with parasites staff at the park can’t identify are sent to the AHT program to be analyzed.

This has the added benefit of showing students how to run these tests.

Both Gray and Geiger would like to see the partnership between the AHT and the B.C. Wildlife Park expand by adding a wildlife medicine speciality to the existing AHT program, however the program is already quite dense; students in the first semester of the two-year program write 14 final exams.

For now students will have to be satisfied with their domestic patients and only a brief trip to the wild side.

International Days Speakers, Performances, Foreign Films, Workshops & Cultural Events Keynote Speaker: Colin Angus (Canadian author & adventurer), 6:30pm–8pm, February 4

MC117363

February 4–8, 2013

5

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 15

News

Kamloops bus system to use Google Maps

Devan C. Tasa Ω News Editor

Finding out when to take the bus to get to a destination is now as simple as getting directions in Google Maps.

Kamloops is the fourth B.C. community, after Whistler, Victoria and Vancouver, to launch Google Transit, a trip-planning tool that can tell a person using Google Maps which bus routes to take at which time to get to a location.

The tool was officially introduced at a press conference in TRUSU’s boardroom on Jan. 7.

Terry Lake, MLA for Kamloops – North Thompson, told the room the free tool was innovative, helping students and families with their daily commute.

“It combines the latest B.C. Transit schedule and route information with the power of Google Maps,” he said.

Dustin McIntyre, TRUSU’s president, said he thinks students will take advantage of the new tool.

“Students will use this function everyday whether they are going across town or if they’ve got to go to a doctor’s appointment,” he said. “[If ] either you’re from Kamloops and you need to [use] transit or you’re an international student and you don’t know the system that well, it’s easy to turn it on and enter your destination.”

McIntyre said the students union has been lobbying for this type of tool ever since it was involved in consultations that led to a plan for Kamloops’ fu-

ture transit expansion that was endorsed by city council in December 2011.

“We called upon them for an app for simple use online for our members here at Thompson Rivers University and B.C. Transit has come through,” he said.

“We’re really excited about it.”

The president and CEO of B.C. Transit, Manuel Achadinha, said lobbying by students was one of the reasons it decided to adopt Google Transit.

“They’ve added a lot of pressure on the system, in terms of making it better,” he said.

“One of the demands that the students have always had is they want better, faster information.

Instead of looking at a paper schedule, they want something that can get on one of their smart devices. With the trip planner – by them demanding that – it’s put a lot of focus on us to get that introduced to Kamloops as quickly as possible.”

Achadinha said B.C. Transit started testing the technology 18 months ago.

Before it could be applied to Kamloops, B.C. Transit had to wait until a plan detailing future transit expansion was in place and databases containing bus stop locations and schedules for Google to use were created.

Students are one of the largest users of the transit system, Achadinha said. The new tool is part of a long-term strategy towards this demographic.

“We want to make sure when a student graduates from university they continue to be a transit user,” he said. “One of the ways to do that is to meet their needs.”

International Intonation

Really old rocks from space, carbon fibre cars, and a ceasefire in Central Africa Mark Hendricks Ω Contributor

Meteorite contains fragments older than the sun

commercial vehicle production with lightweight eco-friendly carbon fibre.

BMW unveiled its new i3 electric concept car at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show and while electric cars aren’t a new concept, BMW has a unique design approach they claim is both ecofriendly and lighter than current cars.

Lighter vehicles require less energy to produce the same

principles including a hydroelectric facility to supply power.

If BMW succeeds in their i3 prototype it will be the first commercially available car to be constructed purely from carbon fibre.

A meteorite containing fragWhere you can find out more: ments predating our solar system www.worldcrunch.com was found in the Sutter’s Mill area of California earlier this Central African Rebels sign year. ceasefire Known as carbonaceous chondrites, these pre-solar Seleka rebel fighters grains can be found inside and the government in the certain meteorites and are Central African Republic known to scientists. This (CAR) have signed a forparticular meteorite marks mal ceasefire with condithe first time one has been tions. recovered before contacting Talks were conducted water. in Gabon under mediation “Carbonaceous chonof neighbouring African drites are almost 30 per countries. cent empty, so they act like The formal ceasefire sponges and suck in water, came with conditions. which rapidly causes chemThe Seleka rebel alliance ical reactions changing claimed President François their composition,” Dr. PeBozizé of breaking previter Jenniskens, a researcher ous peace deals that would studying the fragments, told have seen payment to rebABC news. els who laid down their The meteor was seen in the sky the morning of April — IMAGE COURTESY CHRISTIAN FISCHER / arms during the previous rebellion in 2004.

22, 2012 and thanks to the WIKIMEDIA COMMONS The agreement will see U.S. Air Force and Doppler the creation of a new govweather radar installations, scientists were quickly able to speed. A lighter electric vehicle ernment of national unity to be will have greater range due to the headed by a member of the opporecover it.

Researchers hope that by motor not having to work as hard sition party. Although President Bozizé will remain in power, the studying these pre-solar grains to keep the car at driving speed.

Carbon fibre is normally re- leader of the government of nathey will gain a better understanding of the formation of our served for trunk lids, roofs and tional unity will be the head of spoilers. BMW plans to build the government. solar system.

The government of national entirety of the i3 from carbon fiunity will be responsible for mulWhere you can find out more: bre.

In order to keep the image of tiple tasks including restoring www.abc.net.au/science the i3 being sustainable and eco- peace and security, re-organizing BMW to make car entirely friendly, BMW has created their the security forces and reforming own plant to produce carbon- the judicial system. out of carbon fibre fibre-reinforced plastic, which Where you can find out more: BMW hopes its new electric they claim will operate with sustainability www.bbc.co.uk concept car will revolutionize state-of-the-art

CFBX shifts to 24-hour broadcast platform Justine Cleghorn Ω Contributor

(Left to right) TRUSU president Dustin McIntyre, Kamloops mayor Peter Milobar, MLA Terry Lake and B.C. Transit CEO Manuel Achadinha annouce the setting up of Google Transit in Kamloops at the TRUSU Boardroom Jan. 7.

— PHOTO BY DEVAN C. TASA

GET IN TOUCH WITH US IF YOU HAVE A STORY THAT NEEDS COVERING.

FIND THE APPROPRIATE EDITOR’S

EMAIL ON THE LEFT SIDE OF PAGE 3, OR EMAIL EDITOR@TRUOMEGA.CA

Listeners can now tune in to 92.5 CFBX any hour of the day with the introduction of new software that allows for 24-hour broadcasting.

The community radio station, located in House 8 on TRU campus, previously broadcast from 8 a.m. until midnight and then shut down until the next morning.

With the new software overnight broadcasts will fill the previously dead air from midnight to 8 a.m.

Continuous play of only local music is the focus for the overnight broadcasts, said Steve Marlow, the CFBX programming coordinator.

“I think the fact that we are doing nothing but local music is the main selling point,” Marlow said. “This station plays more local music than anyone else in town.”

“We can’t be beat in terms of local music,” said Joey Jack, a board member and volunteer at the station.

The station’s music library includes 400 albums from local musicians.

While the new system has been complicated to set up, the daily operation of the system is simple.

The last broadcaster at midnight turns the program on and the first person in at 8 a.m. turns the program off, Marlow explained.

“The idea of 24 hours has been in the back of our heads since the station opened in 2001, but it hasn’t been a real realistic thing until the last couple of years,” he said.

In 2011, the station’s board members approved allocation of more funds towards software upgrades within the existing budget, Jack said.

The majority of CFBX’s funding comes from TRU student fees and student fees didn’t increase to account for the $150 upgrade to the station’s equipment.

However, rather than cost, the main hurdle the station overcame to secure the new equipment was staffing.

The station operates with only two paid employees along with its volunteers.

The responsibility of finding a software program that fits the

needs of the station and understanding the new software fell on the two paid employees.

The overnight broadcasting was implemented at the end of December by using a program called SAM Broadcaster to create the station’s own unique system called Automation.

“That software is basically a radio station in a can,” Marlow said.

“You just put in what you want it to play and it will play what you want it to play.”

With the increase in music hours, Marlow hopes to draw in more listeners driving to work in the morning. The increased broadcast times will also allow for new radio show opportunities, he added.

“This gives us a bit more of a presence in the community,” Marlow said.

“Now people can always know that they can put it on 92.5 and they will be able to listen to music,” Jack said. “It just adds that consistency.”

Anyone interested in volunteering at the station should contact Steve Marlow at smarlow@thex.ca.

6

January 16, 2013

Life & Community

SLIDERS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR BASEBALL AND CURLING

Idea Festival brings array of citizens to TRU Allison Declercq-Matthäs Ω Contributor

Proper winter footwear will help you get to your destination safely.

A message from TRU Facilities Services

Are you missing out?

The Kamloops Idea Festival, Jan. 12, 2012.

Study Abroad!

—PHOTO BY ALLISON DECLERCQ-MATTHAS

followed by a short break and then broke into groups of five or less to discuss two big topics: what will Kamloops, at its best, look like in 2023 and what are the components of an amazing transportation network?

“My favourite one [idea] was more public produce,” Jovan Rodrigue said about the resulting discussions.

He and Kristen Rodrigue loved the idea of public discourse suggesting it should be more commonplace.

Kristen favoured discussing cultural inclusiveness, suggesting something like TRU International Days, but at a city-wide scale.

“Discussion took off more than I ex-

pected,” she said, adding it was more disorganized than she anticipated.

Kevin Skrepnek also suggested more facilitation for next time, but otherwise he enjoyed the talks.

“My passion is transit and it ties into a lot of things,” he said.

There was an absence of speakers on First Nations issues as well as participants in the discussion group. During the final 25 minutes of dialogue, the area allotted for First Nations issues remained empty.

In tapping public knowledge, the event found a number of backgrounds, supporters and inspirations for the days ahead.

Pro-life group gets club status at Kwantlen Matt DiMera

The Runner (Kwantlen) SURREY (CUP) — The Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) has capitulated to the legal demands of a pro-life campus group, reversing an earlier decision to not approve them as an official club.

During a two-hour closed meeting on Dec. 5, the KSA’s board of directors voted to overturn the previous Nov. 9 decision of their executive committee and voted to grant Protectores Vitae club status. They also voted to suspend their regulations against allowing clubs which support political parties, religious organizations or causes.

The KSA executive had originally rejected the pro-life club’s application, citing an internal student association policy affirming a woman’s right to choose.

The KSA also discussed plans to abolish their two-tier system of clubs and recognized groups during the closed meeting.

Under the current system, political, religious, controversial groups or groups affiliated with external organizations are given recognized group status which entitles them to books

meeting space on campus, free photocopying and lockers, but no funding from the KSA. Clubs receive all of the same perks, but can apply for funding on a case-by-case basis.

Under the KSA’s new proposed system all groups would be eligible for funding, including current recognized groups such as the Sikh Student Association, Bible Study @ Kwantlen, the Kwantlen Green Party and Kwantlen University Christian Ministries.

All discussion and votes related to the pro-life club were held during an in-camera session, where campus media and general students were barred from attendance. The KSA’s lawyer, David Borins, was also present.

No official motion was released after the meeting re-opened to the public, as is usually customary. No record of which board members voted in favour, against or abstained was made available as of press time.

The KSA’s executive chairperson and director of student services, Christopher Girodat, declined to discuss the content of any motions passed during the closed session, when asked by The Runner.

“In this case, we were meeting with legal counsel and there was privileged advice. [The motions] will be released

when they have been communicated to the appropriate parties,” he said.

“We will be issuing more information tomorrow. We’re not issuing anything tonight, we haven’t communicated with [Oliver Capko] yet.”

Capko, a first-year Langley agriculture student and president of the Protectores Vitae pro-life club, issued a public statement two weeks ago promising to take the KSA to court if they didn’t give his group club status

by Nov. 29. After that deadline passed, a second press release stated that they would file court papers by next week.

According to their website, Protectores Vitae exists to educate students about life issues, specifically abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The Protectores Vitae club is represented by lawyer John Carpay, president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF).

Capko’s group is also supported by Anastasia Pearse of the National Campus Life Network.

Pearse made headlines of her own in 2010, when as the president of an anti-abortion group at the University of Victoria, she sued the University of Victoria’s Students’ Society for denying them funding.

Attend an information session to learn more on how you can Study Abroad!

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create yourown experience

MC117267

The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre in TRU’s House of Learning played host to Kamloops’s first-ever idea festival Jan. 12.

Talk of transportation, education, housing, healthcare, addictions, energy, policy and the arts echoed throughout the Saturday afternoon session.

People enthusiastically stepped up to a poster, squeezing forward to put their Post-It Note ideas among the many others.

Organized by Arjun Singh, a Kamloops city councillor, the event drew 151 registered participants ranging from children to the elderly. One seven-year-old stepped forward to suggest a spider exhibit to help people get over arachnophobia.

“Ideas are an important part of my work,” Singh said in his opening speech.

The event was inspired by his interest and experience in public engagement. He wanted to get a diverse group of people together to share and inspire discussion.

“For democracy, we tap into people’s wisdom,” Singh said, “It’s pretty exciting to have this brain power.”

At least one participant came to the festival with an agenda.

One individual wandered from the standard stand-and-talk, giving a lively comedic promotion for hanging laundry.

“Dry your laundry the solar way,” Cheryl Kabloona said as she stood before her audience in a lab coat and flaunted air drying laundry with scientifically proven perks.

Speaking for the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association, Kabloona was met with chuckles as she finished with, “and get this, there is no city law against it. In fact they like it!”

Katie Hutfluss, TRUSU graduate students representative said participants should have been allowed to speak to presenters before moving onto the idea sharing and creation. Instead, the event hosted a performance

by Sabrina Weeks and Mike Hilliard,

7

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 15

Life & Community Elections B.C. hoping to reach out to students Devan C. Tasa Ω News Editor

The next provincial election is only five months away and Elections B.C. wants students to get involved. The election will be held on May 14.

“We are endeavouring to reach out to students – and Aboriginal communities too – within our riding,” said Doug Gibson, the district electoral officer for Kamloops – South Thompson, which contains TRU. One of the ways Elections B.C. plans to do that is by holding registration and information tables in high-traffic locations across the riding. TRU will be one of those locations.

“We’ve proposed two registration and information sessions here at TRU,” Gibson said. “This will give students and staff an opportunity to ask any questions about the upcoming election and as well, if they are eligible to vote, they can register to vote at that time, no matter where they happen to live.”

To be eligible to register, one must be a Canadian citizen, be over 18-years-old and have lived in B.C. for the last six months.

The plan is to have one table at residence on March 12 and another in the Campus Activity Centre on March 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Students can also get involved in the election in a more direct way.

“The information tables will also have opportunities for students should they wish to get employed for the election to find out more information,” Gibson said.

“We’ll be hiring around 450 people for the election. There’s certainly opportunities for anyone of legal age to get employed at least for voting day and perhaps for the advance polling stations.”

But those TRU students wanting to vote will have to go either to Dufferin Elementary or the Beattie School of the Arts on election day. Those voting in advance polls on May 8 to 11 will have to go to Valleyview Secondary or St. Paul’s Cathedral.

“We weren’t proposing to have

The Kamloops - South Thompson provincial voting district.

a voting station here because it’s very expensive to set up a oneoff with a limited budget,” Gibson said. “What we have to do is choose central locations to a number of voting areas and establish a central voting place.”

The area that Dufferin Elementary would be central to includes the southwest portion of Kamloops and rural areas west of the city.

TRUSU has been lobbying

Elections B.C. to have a polling station on campus. Gibson said there has been some communication between himself and the students union.

In order to vote, one must bring two pieces of identification. One must be a picture ID, while the second must have one’s current address.

The second piece could include a utility bill with an address or the voting card that’s sent to reg-

Hey...where did SIFE go?

Mason Buettner Ω Contributor

Enactus Thompson Rivers, formerly known as Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), went through some major changes last semester and has a busy programming schedule going into 2013.

SIFE was rebranded as Enactus in October 2012 to reaffirm its commitment to entrepreneurial action.

“The name changed worldwide, not just in our club… We are evolving from more than just a free enterprise, so they decided to change it to Enactus,” said Mitesh Patel, president of Enactus Thompson Rivers.

Enactus is an international nonprofit organization that works with leaders in universities as well as business leaders in the community to help students make a difference in their community.

“Our mission is going beyond busi-

ness to empower individuals to redefine their lives,” Patel said. “We see where there is a need in our community and we create tailored programs or curriculums around that and try to help the need.”

In the past, Enactus has been seen primarily as a business club but that is no longer the case.

“We have a student from almost every faculty sitting in on our club right now,” Patel said. “It’s not about business, there is a lot more to it, we do a lot of social work and a lot of stuff with event management.”

Going into 2013, Enactus Thompson Rivers has a Women’s Expo event, the Business Affair networking event and the Year End Gala scheduled showcasing its accomplishments to the community. Enactus Thompson Rivers also holds general update meetings every Wednesday as well as weekly meetings for the different programs.

The programs currently running

are Environomics, Last Drop, Toolbox, Enactus Consulting, Help Hunger Disappear and Balance.

Enactus Thompson Rivers also participates in competitions against other Enactus chapters across Canada and the world throughout the year.

Regionals are held each spring with the top teams advancing on to the national competition that takes place in May. The winning team advances to the Enactus World Cup, an annual event hosted in a different location each year.

If you are interested in joining Enactus Thompson Rivers, you can check out its website at www.enactustru.ca or attend one of the general meetings that take place every Wednesday. If you are unable to make the meetings but still want to be involved, you can send an email to info@enactustru.ca.

“We don’t turn anyone down,” Patel said.

Enactus Thompson Rivers has approximately 100 active members.

istered voters through the mail.

If one is from outside Kamloops and would like to vote for somebody from his or her hometown, that can be done, Gibson said.

“You could either do it at an advance station, you could do it at our office or on voting day itself, you could go to any one of the voting places and there will be a separate table set aside for people who aren’t necessarily in

—IMAGE COURTESY ELECTIONS B.C.

that riding but want to vote,” he said.

Gibson said he hopes students will participate in the election.

“I would certainly encourage the students to take advantage of the fact that there is going to be a registration and information table,” he said. “to take advantage of those opportunities and to register and consider voting in the upcoming election because it’s not too far away now.”

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8

January 16, 2013

Arts & Entertainment

Album review: Lonerism

Brendan Kergin

Ω Arts & Entertainment Editor Lonerism is an album filled with doubt and isolation, wrapped in a warm blanket of some of the best Motown-f lavoured 1970s psychedelia to come out in recent memory.

Take members of the Black Keys and MGMT, give them the lyrical notes from Pink Floyd’s The Wall and let them listen to the Flaming Lips.

The result is bound to land somewhere around Lonerism’s sonic region.

Australian Kevin Parker, the man behind Tame Impala, has been working on this album since 2010’s Innerspeaker, the band’s first album.

As the lead writer, vocalist and musician, he put together the album bits he recorded from around the world, taking a much more relaxed approach to the project.

The majority of the songs meld together with f lowing soundscapes over percussion that often rampages through, though sometimes is relegated to the background.

Opening track, “Be Above It,” builds out of nothing to burst forth with the drums running the show and a dreamy melody play-

ing catch-up.

With self-affirming lyrics, Parker sounds like he’s offering the listener Lonerism, while trying to shut out the worry about the criticisms.

From there he delves into uncertainty in love and life, using the warm guitar and synth sounds to soften the anger in the percussion.

Highlights include “Apocalypse Dreams,” a grimy opus that could have been a late Beatles track if John Lennon had lost confidence and “Elephant,” a crunchy, bluesy track straight out of the Black Keys book.

Overall, Lonerism brings some of the vitality that rock music has been lacking lately.

Despite landing in psychedelic areas, it has a rawness to it that the music industry saw in Vancouver’s Japandroids.

This is good news for fans looking forward to less mechanically-produced rock and something a little more human, filled with feeling and thought.

Released in October 2012, the album has been a slow-burning success, finishing on many prominent “Best of 2012” countdowns in England, Australia and North America, including number one on English magazine New Music Express’s list.

Some advice for sliding down hills (hint: it’s awesome if you do it right)

Kyle Leitch

The Carillon (U of R) REGINA (CUP) — Now that it’s well below freezing, and there is more than a foot of snow on the ground, it’s finally time for everybody’s favourite winter pastime.

If you said skating, hockey, the luge, skiing, snowboarding, or anything stupid like that, you lose. You’ve forgotten, of course, tobogganing.

Nothing beats the magic of flying down a 75 degree angled sheet of ice on what amounts to a strip of wax paper before hurtling off of a makeshift jump like a rogue cannonball.

Okay, maybe a lot of things beat that feeling, but the second before you crash-land onto the earth, and your lifeless corpse slides facedown the rest of the hill, there is no denying that you feel like an invincible sky god.

Like the noble knights of Camelot, the first thing you need to decide on is your noble steed.

You’re going to need a reliable beast to carry you (relatively) safely from the top of the hill down to the bottom.

Those traditionalists may take comfort in riding on a plywood tank with steel riding rails, but racking up on that thing is the tobogganing equivalent of a natural disaster.

Once a decision is reached, it’s time to decide on appropriate clothing.

Now, as much fun as it is to see shirtless skeezoids get icy road rash when they wipe out, it’s safe to say they’re not having a good time. Wearing a coat

isn’t exactly a bad idea.

If you don’t have long hair to blow triumphantly in the wind as you whiz down the hill, then a long scarf is also something you’ll want to look into.

Finally, and this may sound goofy, but a bike helmet is also not a bad idea.

If you should crash, at least you’ll protect your melon — and possibly the aforementioned triumphantly blowing long hair.

Next on the toboggan to-do list is to assemble some provisions.

When gathering necessities, it is important to determine the length of your tobogganing adventure.

If you are going out for a few hours, a flask of whiskey and a Thermos full of soup will be great things to end the day with. If the adventure is going to be longer, then a flask of soup and a Thermos full of whiskey is likely the order of the day.

It is also a good idea to bring along

—PHOTO COURTESY THE CARILLON

some munchies – they’ll help combat the whiskey.

Bringing several bags of assorted snackage to share amongst you and your undoubtedly cold compadres will ensure that there are no hard feelings after you push them down the incredibly bumpy section of the hill.

When you get to the sledding spot, your final decision will be of role assignment. It is here that you must determine sledding order, paramedic caller, and, if there’s someone who doesn’t wish to partake in the sledding, who will be the sled roadie who waits at the bottom of the hill to carry the rides back up after the run.

Thus concludes the wisdom that there is to impart about tobogganing.

Remember to stay safe, have fun, and if there’s a real possibility you could get hurt, make sure someone’s filming.

The physical body may die, but the viral YouTube spirit shall live on forever.

Jerry Wasserman melding acting and academia Maitrayee Dhaka

Canadian Music Corner Travis Persaud

Ω Resident Music Guy To set the scene, infectious drumming fills the late July evening as dust stirs from beneath a dancing crowd by a river somewhere in the monotonous flats of Ontario.

On stage, Half Moon Run pounds through a set confidently, but with a kind of humility that is never cliché.

This Montreal-based trio know they’re on to something and so does Glassnote Records, who signed the band to its label in late 2012.

Glassnote adds Half Moon Run to its impressive stable of artists that includes The Temper Trap, Mumford and Sons, Phoenix and Two Door Cinema Club. Surfing on the sounds of their 2012 debut album, Dark Eyes, Half Moon Run has al-

Brendan Kergin

Ω Arts & Entertainment Editor While Canada is not known for its warm-weather music, Danny Michel has created a sound that seems to fit that bill.

A prolific musician since 1999 with seven studio albums, an album of David Bowie covers, a live DVD, a live album and an album of acoustic versions of his own material, it’s safe to say Michel enjoys his craft.

That craft is making an eclectic mix of songs, with the central sound being his guitar -- an acoustic six-string.

He uses the guitar to wander into

ready managed opening slots on Patrick Watson and Metric tours.

The band has a busy 2013 in the works, starting the new year in Australia before returning to Canada to play some shows in Quebec. Further, they have secured an invite to the prestigious South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

Instrumentally, the album is laced with standout percussions and melodic finger-picking guitar work.

The use of electronic soundscapes gives the album a very polished sound. Each track is intricately layered but not overdone.

Give “Full Circle,” Dark Eyes’s opening track a spin.

Before you know it, you’ll have happily made your way past the mid-album slowdown, “Need It,” through to the slow synth on “21 Gun Salute.” a variety of genres, with the odd twang-filled, folksy ballad, some finger picking over a bouncy beat or quiet chords.

He does shift to electric occasionally, with bluesy-style tracks earlier in his career.

Songs cover a variety of subject matter, from getting older to the bustle of the city and other relatable themes.

Recently he’s gotten involved with Belize, helping sponsor a school and recording his most recent album in the Central American country.

For a taster track, check out “Feather, Fur and Fin” from the album of the same name.

The Ubyssey (UBC)

VANCOUVER (CUP) — “It was the Wild West. It was great.”

An uncommon description of Vancouver, but for native New Yorker Jerry Wasserman, the West Coast held the promise of adventure.

Now head of UBC’s theatre and film department, Wasserman first ventured to Vancouver in the early ’70s for an assistant professor position in UBC’s English department.

“I was very fortunate.

“When I arrived, professional theatre was just getting off the ground in Vancouver. Not only did you not need an agent, but no one asked you for a resume, or where you had trained. You just auditioned,” recounted Wasserman.

“By the time Hollywood came north to Vancouver in the mid-1980s, I had a quite a bit of professional stage experience. I had a New York accent, and I was a middle-aged male character actor,” said Wasserman.

“I was the perfect candidate. I got a lot of work.”

In the decades that followed, Wasserman collected over 200 professional acting credits in TV, theatre and film, including Watchmen, Alive and I, Robot.

Though theatre is his livelihood, Wasserman recognizes the challenges B.C. theatre professionals encounter and his fortune in having a well-paying day job.

“There are a fantastic number of extraordinarily talented people involved.

The problem is that it is very difficult to make a living in theatre,” said Wasserman.

“The support for the arts in B.C. is pathetic. It has been so under every provincial government, and the lowest per-capita in Canada. A lot of my friends work full time in theatre, and

it’s a struggle,” he said.

Wasserman noted that it was easier when he started off due to lower cost of living.

“It was the ’70s. Not only was it cheaper to live, but the attitude about lifestyle was different; the word hadn’t been invented for everyday use. You didn’t care if your jeans had holes. Poverty was attractive. Now, we’re in the opposite kind of world.”

Wasserman said he feels that similar financial challenges stalk other arts communities in Canada.

“It is a matter of priorities. The community has to decide that the arts are a priority, which is unfortunately not the North American mindset.”

Wasserman said he is disappointed by recent funding cuts in Vancouver, but he is confident that theatre will continue to play a role in Vancouver.

“If Vancouver is going to be a worldclass city, it’s got to have world-class

culture. Think of New York, Paris, London or Berlin; it’s expensive even when it is subsidized. People have to be willing to pay for culture, or they’re going to get the culture they deserve. The arts are as essential to a civilized city and a world-class province as highways and Skytrains.”

Though his acting career has brought Wasserman face-to-face with the likes of Sidney Poitier, Will Smith and Johnny Depp, he argues his role as a professor is the best job he could have.

“The people that you meet on film sets aren’t half as smart as the people you meet on university campuses.

Acting is more exciting at times, but also more insecure. I’ve met a lot of very interesting and creative people on the way in acting, but I’ve met at least as many interesting, creative people while teaching, and they’re way smarter,” he said.

—IMAGE COURTESY JER RY WASSER MAN

9

The Omega · Volume 22, Issue 15

Arts & Entertainment

Reviewed: Songza, 8tracks, Pandora, and other music streaming services Romain Dompnier

The Concordian (Concordia) MONTREAL (CUP) — Songza, 8tracks, Pandora, GrooveShark and Spotify are apps and websites that encourage listeners to discover music in more relevant, cost-efficient and innovative ways. Together, these five online services attract a cumulative 64 million users to their websites and mobile applications. All are free, but not all are available in Canada — nor are they all legal. Apart from being great services, these products shed light on changing paradigms in the music industry. Their business plans and profitability margins vary greatly, but the underlying truth is how we engage with music and how streaming is becoming more important than buying records.

Most of these sites allow you to listen to music you don’t own for free. How is that possible? A compulsory license with groups ASCAP, BMI and SESAC which pay musicians, songwriters and labels fractions of a cent each time their intellectual property is played. No real money can be made from these royalties. Releasing these songs for the world to hear, like and share brings new fans to shows. Each website has their particular way of getting the music you might want to your ears.

Songza Songza is a relatively old player in the music streaming and recommendation game considering its launch in 2007. But this old dog has learned some new tricks that make it the fastest-growing and attention-grabbing of the bunch.

“The idea here is that we can get you some awesome music without you having to think,” said Songza‘s

founder and chief executive Elias Roman, when describing what is now known as the music “concierge.”

While other sites and apps require the user to manually choose or assemble the playlist they want to listen to, the “concierge” leads you to a playlist curated by one of their experts and tailored to the time of day and your activity. If it is Tuesday evening, for instance, one might choose “doing homework” from the six activities available for that timeframe. Turns out, a mixture of obscure genres including soft jazz and American primitivism is a perfect, steady and lyricless backdrop to pounding out that paper. Very obscure music can be perfect for very mainstream activities. Songza puts them in touch.

What’s most impressive about this company is how consumers have responded. In June 2012, four months after the “concierge” was introduced, Songza was the second most downloaded free app for the iPhone.

70 days after its launch in Canada in August, 1,000,000 people North of the border had acquired it.

While Songza remains incredibly user-friendly, a couple of snags will no doubt hinder your sing-likeno-one’s-around enjoyment, if even just a little. Say you discover a really great song, which you’re bound to at any given moment, well, Songza hopes you enjoyed it the first time because there is no way to repeat any previously heard song or even parts of the song currently streaming.

8tracks 8tracks is another source of free music streaming, except this time the content is user-curated. After registering, the user can start listening to one of more than 600,000

playlists. Others can embrace their inner DJ, and create a mix containing a minimum of eight tracks uploaded from their own mp3 libraries.

Oriented towards social networking, users sometimes try hard to get their choices listened to, commented on and “hearted” (akin to “liking” on Facebook). 8tracks users interact more with each other than on other services, but this is partly by choice.

It was featured in TIME magazine’s 2011 list of “50 best websites.”

At the entrance, users are greeted by the “cloud:” a collection of trending search tags. Two rounds of choices are made to refine the search. One might pair “lazy” with “chocolate” and end up listening to a playlist of exclusively acoustic covers. 8tracks one-ups Songza’s themed playlists by offering ones assembled by celebrities like Elton John and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The company also offers prizes and media coverage to members who enter their mixtapes into contests. It has been in operation since August 2008, and while founder David Porter held high hopes since the site’s development in 1999, 8tracks hasn’t been as quickly adopted as Pandora or its peer-to-peer predecessor, Napster.

Still, it has an average of five million users per month between the site and its smartphone app.

Grooveshark is a service which takes 8tracks‘ user contribution model to a more extreme level. All of the songs available for streaming come from users rather than record labels. Imagine Limewire with a music recommendation system. Just like its file-sharing predecessors, Grooveshark is currently the subject of lawsuits asking for damages in the millions.

Pandora and Spotify Pandora internet radio is both the grandfather and poster boy for the music streaming and recommendation market. It is the most used, the most profitable and has arguably the best recommendation system. In 2011, the company made $138 million and its stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Pandora initially prompts users to choose one song they wish to listen to. That song is analysed according to rhythm syncopation, key tonality, vocal harmonies and instrumental proficiency. Algorithms then produce a series of similar tracks to be played. If a track doesn’t suit your taste, you can give it a thumbs down, further refining future suggestions.

Up to this summer, close to 55 million people in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand have had their tastes examined via Pandora.

Only those three countries benefit from access, in part because they offer fewer constraining royalty laws.

Constraint can also be felt by the user: you may find yourself listening to subtly different versions of the same music you started with.

Satisfied listeners can save a playlist, which then becomes a “station” anyone can listen to.

Spotify is another service that has acquired mainstream success in the U.S. but is unavailable in Canada.

This company has concentrated its effort into seamless streaming rather than recommendation of music.

It requires the user to download software which in turn grants them access to Spotify‘s entire song library from your device. Think iTunes, but free and with a library 18 millions songs deep and a 2.5 hoursa-week listening limit.

Album review: Dogs Eating Dogs

Taylor Rocca

Ω Copy/Web Editor On Dec. 18, 2012, the San Diegoarea rockers released their latest effort, a five-track EP titled Dogs Eating Dogs.

This is the band’s second studio release since reuniting 2009.

The first came in the form of the full-length effort, Neighborhoods, which dropped back in September 2011. It is also the group’s first release as independent artists after splitting from Interscope Records late in 2012.

Dogs Eating Dogs reveals a reinvented blink-182. Meshing influences from each band member’s individual side-projects, blink-182 puts forth a dynamic record. From Tom DeLonge’s signature Angels & Airwaves-esque guitar intro on “Disaster” to the inclusion of Yelawolf, Travis Barker’s latest partner in crime, on “Pretty Little Girl,” blink-182 has branched away from its pop-punk roots and moved more clearly into the realm of alternative rock.

Not only does this make for a

much deeper and mature-sounding instrumental track, it also results in more serious lyrical content from the likes of DeLonge and Hoppus, classically known for their potty humour and immature shenanigans.

The EP opens with “When I Was Young,” an angst-filled tune that provides a fast-paced burst of energy in typical blink-182 fashion.

“Dogs Eating Dogs,” the title track to the release, features lead vocals from Mark Hoppus, whose vocals seemed to take more of a backseat to those of DeLonge throughout 2011’s Neighborhoods.

Apart from the odd b-side, blink-182 has typically avoided the folk-acoustic brand of rock that has become popular in mainstream rock in recent years. “Boxing Day” provides fans with the band’s first foray into the genre and while it is no Mumford and Sons, it certainly strays from the typical path blink-182 is normally seen walking.

The EP wraps up with “Pretty Little Girl,” arguably the most versatile and pleasing track on Dogs Eating Dogs. A tale about the triumphs and tribulations of love, Tom DeLonge’s vocals are accompanied by a catchy little interlude from Alabama-born rapper Yelawolf.

As always, Travis Barker’s drumming shines through. It seems as though anything and everything the blink-182 drummer touches turns to absolute gold these days.

He is one of the most respected percussionists in the industry and Dogs Eating Dogs adds more evidence to his case file. blink-182 is expected to release a full-length studio album later in 2013.

Album review: Stomping the Phantom Brake Pedal

Taylor Rocca

Ω Copy/Web Editor Tom DeLonge was a busy man as 2012 came to a close.

The band that vaulted him to become one of Rolling Stones’ top 100 guitarists of all-time, blink-182, released a new five-track EP, Dogs Eating Dogs, on Dec. 18, 2012 (see review above).

On that same day DeLonge’s rock super-group, Angels & Airwaves, released an eight-track double EP, Stomping the Phantom Brake Pedal.

Angels & Airwaves has always been regarded as a self-described experimental art project for DeLonge and that sentiment shines through on Stomping the Phantom Brake Pedal.

The release is split up into two discs -- The Score Evolved and Love Two Re-Imagined.

The double EP has been noted as a sort of hat-tip to former Angels & Airwaves sound engineer Jeff “Critter” Newell, who passed away unexpectedly on New Year’s Eve 2011.

The Score Evolved features three tracks, all pulled from the band’s full-length feature film, Love. The tracks have been expanded upon and are largely instrumental. The influence of new drummer Ilan Rubin, formerly a touring member of Nine Inch Nails, is easy to find within the dark, electronic overtones present throughout.

The standout track on The Score Evolved is “Reel 1 (Diary),” which has been accompanied by an official music video featuring a tribute to Newell and his work with the band.

Love Two Re-Imagined features five remixes from the group’s double album Love. Once again, Rubin’s influence is clear as the remixes provide a much darker mood than is typical of Angels & Airwaves’ inspirational sounds.

While Stomping the Phantom Brake Pedal might be viewed as a tad self-indulgent by Tom DeLonge and the rest of Angels & Airwaves, it fits well within the group’s progressing discography and functions as a great introduction to what Rubin is bound to contribute on future records.

10

January 16, 2013

Sports TRU alumni recognized for outstanding community leadership

al winner with his team at nationals.

After playing professionally in London for the Essex Leopards, he returned to Ω Contributor Clearwater where he coached senior men’s and women’s volleyball and basSkye Buck, a Clearwater resident ketball. who passed away with his wife CourtKen Olynyk presented the communiney in early December was one of six ty leadership award plaques in halftime alumni recognized with a community ceremonies. Brent and Tracy Buck acleadership award at TRU’s first alumni cepted Skye’s award on behalf of their event on Jan. 12 at the TRU Gym. late son.

Recipients of the award were TRU Before the start of the men’s game, a alumni athletes who made a positive video presentation by CFJC’s Earl Seitz impact on the community through their was shown honouring Skye and Courtdedication of giving back to the sport of ney Buck. It was followed by a moment basketball and community involvement of silence. as coaches and role models.

Porter ended the men’s game halfThe community leadership awards time by presenting Tracy Buck with a are part of TRU’s goal of “starting a game basketball in honour of Skye. tradition to recognize alumni who give Porter and Skye Buck were not only time to the community,” said Kelley teammates but also good friends during O’Grady, TRU’s first-ever alumni nettheir time at TRU. work liaison.

“He definitely made the game a lot Before the creation of the new posieasier for post players like myself,” tion, alumni groups didn’t exist at TRU, Porter said of Skye. “It’s always easy to O’Grady said. score when you have a point guard of his “It takes a long time to build an alumcalibre. He was one the best teammates ni program,” she added. “We’re starting you could have.” small and hoping to Some of Porter’s fagrow into a successful vourite memories inalumni program like cluded time spent off the UBC and SFU.” court with Skye.

O’Grady, athletic “It was a blast getting director Ken Olynyk, to know him over the alumni officer Arlene years,” Porter said.

Olynyk and various “It was really nice to community members come here,” said Skye’s nominated the candifather Brent. “This is dates.

“We have great

—Brent Buck the first university game that I’ve seen since people that come I came and watched through our program and contribute to our community,” Ken of the Year, CCAA Player of the Year, Skye.”

While reflecting on his time spent CCAA All-Canadian and Academic Olynyk said.

Among those recognized were: Shei- All-Canadian Award in 2000. After with Skye, Brent praised his late son’s la Balson, Sandra Blair, Sarah Camer- graduating, he became an assistant qualities of perseverance, humility and on, Lindsey Karpluk, Ryan Porter and coach at UCC for two seasons and won sportsmanship with a wide smile.

“I believe that when I grow up, I want a CCAA national championship with the late Skye Buck.

Sheila Balson was the first athlete to the 2004-05 men’s basketball team. Por- to be like Skye,” Brent said. “He’s just a receive an all-Canadian award at the ter currently coaches the senior boys’ great example.”

The award will be a reminder of “that University of Cariboo College (UCC), basketball team at Westsyde Secondary clean attitude he had and his humilTRU’s precursor. Balson has coached School in Kamloops.

In 2004, Skye Buck was the UCC ity. He treated everybody the same,” he basketball at all levels, including the UCC women’s basketball team for one male athlete of the year, BCCAA Player said. “It’s going to be an emblem that of the Year, CCAA player of the year, helps me recognize those memories season.

While studying at UCC, Sandra Blair CCAA All-Canadian and bronze-med- again.”

The support the Buck family has received from the Clearwater community has been exceptional, according to Brent.

“It’s a community with heart,” he said. “Right from day one they have supported us through our grief.

“I know Skye and Courtney they would want us to be very positive about things. They would not want us to be milling around and being lost in our sorrow.”

An alumni display was set up showcasing team pictures over the years along with a memorial display of Skye and Courtney. A slideshow of pictures of Skye and Courtney played continuously throughout the evening near the gym entrance. Friends of Skye and Courtney were encouraged to share

favourite memories of the couple at a memory box display.

A total of 43 alumni members and 350 fans attended the event. O’Grady considered it a success.

The WolfPack basketball teams ended the evening with two straight wins over the University of Calgary Dinos.

The women’s team secured its 10th victory of the season with Saturday’s 69-60 win over the Dinos. Top scorers for the WolfPack were Diane Scheutze with 20 points and 19 rebounds and Taiysa Worsfeld with 17 points.

In a nail-biting ending, the WolfPack men’s team took the win over Calgary 85-81, raising its record to 6-7.

TRU was led by Kevin Pribilsky with 20 points and Brett Rouault with 15 points.

pate in the camp. After an impressive camp, Coakwell moved to Calgary in September to train full-time with Canada’s bobsleigh team.

“Everything happened so fast. I was a football player, and bobsledding kind of reached out to me after my football career was done,” Coakwell said. “Now I’m competing with Canada and it’s pretty exciting.”

Coakwell admitted that he didn’t even know that bobsledding was an option until Canadian Football League (CFL) running back Jesse Lumsden retired from football and joined Canada’s bobsleigh team before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

“The fact that Lumsden did it kind of paved the road for me to think it was an actual possibility,” said Coakwell, who is now living with Lumsden and learning about bobsledding from his former football hero.

Both Lumsden and Coakwell are pushers for Canada’s two- and fourman bobsled teams. In a four-man bobsled team there are three pushers and one driver. Lumsden pushes for Canada’s top ranked four-man team led by 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist and driver Lyndon Rush. Rush also happens to be a Huskie football alumnus and brother to current Huskies defensive end Ben Rush. Meanwhile Coakwell, in his first season with

Team Canada, is a pusher and brakeman for Canada Two, the nation’s second ranked four-man team.

“There are three Canadian teams, and through testing you find out which team you will be on and where you fit,” Coakwell said. “As the brakeman for my sled, I have to be the fastest because I run the furthest before jumping in.”

Coakwell says a common misconception about bobsled pushers is that they lean to turn the sled around corners when they are going down the track. “When you are riding the track your goal is to be as low as you can be. You try to stay in the middle of the sled, lined up with the person in front of you for as long as possible.

“As the brakeman I have to memorize the track because I can’t see what I’m doing but I have to pull the brakes when the race is over,” Coakwell said.

Coakwell and the rest of BCS are currently competing in the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup, a circuit of bobsleigh and skeleton races at venues around the world.

The first race was in Lake Placid, N.Y. on Nov. 10. There Coakwell helped push Canada 2 to a 10th place finish in his first international race.

The following weekend his squad bumped up to eighth place, and on Nov. 24 in Whistler, Coakwell won

his first medal as a bobsledder. Along with the other three members of Canada 2, he claimed bronze on the same track used in the 2010 Olympics.

Coakwell said winning a medal this early on in his career makes him excited for what the future holds. “There are guys on the team that took seven or eight years to win their first World Cup medal. So I’m pretty lucky to be on this team.”

On Nov. 29 the team will pack up their sleds and head to Winterberg, Germany for a European swing of the World Cup. The results of this World Cup, and other international bobsled events, will be adjusting the world rankings that determine which countries will be represented at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Coakwell is excited about the prospect of representing his country at the 2014 Games, saying that he might even continue with bobsledding after the Olympics in Sochi in just .

“I’m young in the sport comparatively. Most athletes hit their peak around 28 in bobsleigh. I’m only 25 and I think it’s definitely a possibility for me to push through and train for the 2018 Olympics.”

For now Coakwell will focus on continuing to improve his bobsleigh skills, one race at a time.

was a three-time scholar athlete of the year and academic all-Canadian while competing on both UCC’s basketball and soccer teams. For the past eight years, Blair has been a member of the TRU Sports Task Force, an athletic endowment fund for student athletes that has raised more than $100,000 a year and given 204 awards to student athletes.

Sarah Cameron was an assistant coach for the WolfPack men’s basketball team while simultaneously coaching the Sahali Sabres and a B.C. regional team in 2010. She currently volunteers her time as a co-coach with the Brookswood Bobcat junior girls’ basketball team in Langley, B.C. After competing as a member of not only the basketball team, but also the hockey team at UCC, Lindsey Karpluk became the head coach of the men’s basketball team from 1990 to 1992. Today, Karpluk coaches the Norkam senior women’s basketball team in Kamloops.

While playing basketball with UCC, Ryan Porter achieved the BCAA Player

Justine Cleghorn

“They would not want us to be milling around and being lost in our sorrow.”

Tracy and Brent Buck on behalf of their late son Skye Buck, Ryan Porter and Lindsey Karpluk received community leadership awards presented by TRU Athletic Director Ken Olynyk Jan. 12 at TRU Gym. —PHOTO BY JUSTINE CLEGHORN

Former Huskie on track for bobsled success Cole Guenter

The Sheaf (U of S) SASKATOON (CUP) — Only a year after Huskies football sensation Ben Coakwell finished his last season with the club, he is finding international success in bobsledding. With only three months of bobsled training under his belt, the former running

back is already competing for Team Canada on the world stage.

After leading the Huskies in both rushing and scoring during his final year of university sport eligibility, Coakwell attended a Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) blue chip camp in March, 2012.

BCS selected a handful of highcalibre athletes with potential to make the national bobsleigh team to partici-

—PHOTO BY KEN CHILDS/THE SHEAF

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1. Driven transport 5. Jewish teacher 10. Kind of instrument 14. “By yesterday!”

15. Betelgeuse’s constellation 16. “Cogito, ___ sum” 17. Rarely 20. Back 21. Outdo 22. Annexes 25. Dates 26. Chop (off) 29. Piques 31. Can’t stand 35. “The ___ Daba Honeymoon” 36. Andrea Doria’s domain 38. Arabic for “commander” 39. Fab Four film 43. Otherwise 44. Character 45. Poetic meadow 46. Mideast capital 49. Goose speech 50. Time zone 51. Froth 53. Big laugh 55. Astronomer 58. Choker 62. Destination of the disgruntled?

65. Dirty coat

66. Sea gear 67. Ball field covering 68. Barley beards 69. 1980’s-90’s ring champ 70. Cut down Down 1. Golden Triangle country 2. “___ She Lovely?”

3. Disabling spray 4. “La Bohème,” e.g.

5. Howard of “Happy Days” 6. Victorian, for one 7. Food collectors?

8. Dense mass 9. Accustomed 10. Learn again 11. “Aeneid” figure 12. These may be inflated 13. Family head 18. Deep blue 19. Old weapon 23. Attracted 24. Taste, e.g.

26. Cake part 27. Ancient editorial marks 28. Buddy-buddy 30. Pole position?

32. “South Pacific” hero 33. Trig functions 34. Foot the bill 37. Dislike intensely

40. Flyers 41. Like old recordings 42. Obliquely 47. Slay 48. Most healthy 52. Compassion 54. Licks 55. Cultivate 56. Long, long time (var.)

57. Sonata, e.g.

59. Daunting exam 60. “Buona ___” (Italian greeting) 61. Glimpse 62. Fed. construction overseer 63. Blood group system 64. Gabriel, for one

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12

January 16, 2013

M E M B E R S H I P A D V I S O RY Annual General Meeting 7:00 PM Thursday January 24, 2013 TRUSU Lecture Hall Open to all members of the TRU Students’ Union

Agenda 1.0)

Call to Order

1.1)

Approval of the Agenda

1.2)

Presentation of the Annual Report

1.3)

Presentation of the 2011-2012 Audited Financial Statements

1.4)

Appointment of the Auditor

1.5)

Presentation of the 2012-2013 Budget

1.6)

Special Resolutions*

1.7)

Adjournment

*Full details available online at trusu.ca

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