Capilano Courier | Vol. 49.5, Issue 17.

4 NEWS – Mayor suggests SkyTrain as replacement for SeaBus service.

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE 17

10 SPORTS – Blues men and women end basketball season with silver.

MARCH 13–26, 2017

BEHIND the C U R TA I N 12

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CONTENTS

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04

09

10

Cover Art

News

Campus Life

Sports

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16

19

22

Features

Arts & Culture

Shorts

Columns

THE STAFF

COLUMNISTS

FIONA DUNNETT

THE INNER WORKINGS OF VANCOUVER'S THEATRES

Andy Rice

PRIDE WEEK RETURNS, MARCH 13-17

CAPILANO ALUM THRIVES IN NASHVILLE

PHOTOS: WORLD OF COLOUR EVENT

ALBUM REVIEWS

Carlo Javier MANAGING EDITOR

carlo.capcourier@gmail.com

Marissa Del Mistro Your favourite voice of reason is back, and this time, she’ll be a voice for the people and organizations making Vancouver the best Vancouver it can be. Titled “Reign Vancouver,” this column strives to inspire and challenge the meaning of happiness, community and inclusiveness with each individual interview.

Gabriel Scorgie FEATURES EDITOR

specialfeatures.capcourier@gmail.com

ART

Ashley Bulthuis ART

ART

NEWS EDITOR

OPINIONS EDITOR

Rachel Wada

Juliana Vieira

news@capilanocourier.com

opinions.capcourier@gmail.com

Fiona Dunnett COVER ART

Kevin Kapenda

Jessica Lio

SIP SIP HURRAY: SUBWAY AND WINE

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

editor@capilanocourier.com

CARMELLE M’BIKATA: PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Vivian Li Aidan Mouellic Communications student Aidan Mouellic has been writing for student publications ever since he began his collegiate life. In this column, he’ll be exploring ways to defeat the self-deprecating habits that we develop amidst the stressful environment of university. He’s like the human version of a Run the Jewels album, minus the bravado.

ART

Wolfgang Thomo ART

Rachel D'sa WORDS

Connor Svensrud WORDS

Justin Scott

Matty Taghipour

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

WORDS

arts.capcourier@gmail.com Max Ley

Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

campuslife.capcourier@gmail.com Cristian Fowlie ART DIRECTOR & LAYOUT DESIGNER

artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17 THE CAPILANO COURIER

More wine! One of last year’s most popular columns is back to expand your wine pairing horizons. As always, Max Ley will be keeping his choices to a student-friendly budget, making the pairings ideal for your pre- and post-exam drinking sessions.

Bonus: this year, Max will also be touching on the world of beer and cocktail pairings.

Noah Penner MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

multimedia.capcourier@gmail.com Therese Guieb COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER

community.capcourier@gmail.com POSITION AVAILABLE!

Andrew Yang Recent Capilano graduate Andrew Yang is now starting his adventure outside of the school boundaries. His column is sprinkled with pieces of wisdom accumulated through his unique work experiences with occasionally ludicrous events and human interactions. A boring yet practical advice for finding jobs: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

BUSINESS ADVISOR

business.capcourier@gmail.com Brandon Kostinuk WEB COORDINATOR

web.capcourier@gmail.com

THE CAPILANO COURIER is an autonomous, democratically-run student newspaper. Literary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste and legality. The Capilano Courier will not publish material deemed by the collective to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Courier Publishing Society.

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EDITOR'S DESK

THE COURIER HEADS TO THE POLLS FOR FIRST FEE INCREASE IN 10 YEARS A list of Frequently Asked Questions leading up to the March 21-23 referendum Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WHAT IS THE CAPILANO COURIER? The Capilano Courier Publishing Society is the autonomous, democratically-run student newspaper at Capilano University, operating independently of the CapU Administration and Capilano Students’ Union. We’ve been around since 1968 and have existed as an incorporated non-profit society since 1984. As of 2017, we are 98 per cent funded by students through a Student Publication Fee collected during the Fall and Spring terms. The remaining two per cent comes from advertising revenue. Our annual budget is ≈ $150,000. We publish 20 issues per year.

HOW MUCH AM I PAYING IN FEES RIGHT NOW? The Student Publication Fee is currently set at $1.27 per credit, with a maximum of $16.94 per term, adjusted annually for inflation according to the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CCPI).

HOW MUCH ARE YOU ASKING FOR? We are asking for an increase of $0.19 per credit, and to raise the overall dollar cap by $2.04. Should this be successful, the Student Publication Fee would then be $1.46 per credit, with a maximum of $18.98 per term, adjusted annually for inflation according to the CCPI. WHY THIS AMOUNT? WHY NOT MORE? WHY NOT LESS? Because this is all we believe we need, and will need, for the foreseeable future.

We did not want to create an unnecessary burden for current students by requesting more than was required to alleviate budget constraints and make modest expansions to our staff and services.

Sincerely,

on behalf of the Capilano Courier Publishing Society Board of Directors

WHEN WOULD THE FEE INCREASE TAKE EFFECT? The fee increase would take effect prior to the start of the Fall 2017 semester.

Note: the Student Publication Fee is only collected during the Fall and Spring terms, as the Courier’s production schedule runs from September to April at this time.

CAN I OPT OUT OF MY FEES? Though we really can’t stop you, we don’t recommend it. The protocol for doing this includes mailing us a letter, filling out a form and then delivering it in person during a very specific window of time at the beginning of each semester. It’s pretty awkward – and what happens if one day you find yourself tempted to pick up one of these beautiful newspapers you’re no longer paying for? Then you’ll feel like you’re stealing. See, it’s really better if you stay.

SO WHAT DOES THE COURIER DO FOR ME, ANYWAYS? First and foremost, the Capilano Courier is a publication created for students, by students, serving the North Vancouver and Sunshine Coast campuses of Capilano University.

The majority of our budget is devoted to paying student editors, writers, illustrators and photographers for their work and development, while creating a weekly newspaper that all students can access, both in print and online. Our society’s bylaws enforce a student-centric hiring policy, which will only continue to grow with the approval of this fee increase.

In our publications, we aim to cover the issues that affect you the most: campus life, post-secondary politics, as well as the

THE VOICEBOX with Carlo Javier

Yo, what happened to humans?

What do you mean humans? Like us, humans?

Humans of Capilano.

Technically I’m a human of Capilano.

Okay asshole, the photo series on the back of every issue.

Oh. Well, we’re not talking about that right now.

Why not?

Dude sent me a photo of himself.

LOL.

The Voicebox is back! If you have any questions, concerns or any other bitchin’ to do, text it over to our boy Carlo at 778-865-2649. “Please text me,” he says. “No one else does.”

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

Did you know? We pay our contributors for all articles and illustrations they submit.

At $30-100 per article, that means that any CapU student has the ability to make back their Student Publication Fee, simply by writing one article for us during the school year. Apply for an editorial position and you could make upwards of $200 per issue.

HAVE THERE BEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE PAST? While the Student Publication Fee is adjusted annually for inflation according to the CCPI, we have not gone to referendum for a larger increase since 2007. At that time, a $0.40 increase was requested and approved.

The Letter from the Editor sure looks different this week, doesn’t it? That’s because we’ve compiled a list of questions and answers, designed to help you understand why the Courier is asking for a fee increase in the upcoming referendum. Did you know we’re asking for a fee increase? Now you know!

THE CAPILANO COURIER

WHY IS THE COURIER ASKING FOR A FEE INCREASE? 1) To improve the overall production quality of the newspaper, specifically through the creation of additional paid opportunities for student writers, editors, illustrators and photographers.

2) To bolster our digital, social and online presence in an effort to maximize our reach and ensure we remain relevant and successful in our mission to serve the campus community.

3) To offset diminishing enrolment numbers at Capilano University and an industry-wide decline in advertising revenue, without having to make additional cuts to our services or frequency.

Our current level of funding was set long before the rise of social media and web-based content, two streams that likely provide you with the majority of your news today.

People – especially young people – read and experience print media much differently now than they did 10 years ago, or 10 years before that. We are finding ourselves at a crossroads where print newspapers still have a sizeable audience in their original format, but are also expected to make themselves available across a variety of digital platforms. For the past several years, the Courier has been shuffling its budget to meet these demands, but it has begun to come at a cost to our staff, operations and production frequency. Simply put, we have done all we can with what we have – so we are asking for a bit more.

It’s your money, and we encourage you to come and get it!

ongoing happenings of students, alumni, Capilano Blues athletes, the University administration and the Capilano Students’ Union. We attend meetings, we go to events and we ask the tough questions. Simply put, we are the community newspaper at CapU, and we are here to serve you.

We also hold events of our own, intended to foster a culture of community and democratic freedom on campus. With your vote in favour of a modest increase to the Student Publication Fee, we will be able to further expand these outreach initiatives to include more educational and social opportunities for the benefit of all students, while ensuring the operational longevity of a Capilano University institution that has existed since 1968.

See you at the polls on March 21, 22 and 23!

NEWS

CITY OF NV MAYOR: EXPANDING SEABUS FREQUENCY IS NOT LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO BRIDGE GRIDLOCK Mussatto calls on TransLink to study viability of SkyTrain tunnel from Downtown to Quay Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

Uninspired by plans to expand North Shore roads and hourly Seabus service across the Burrard Inlet, as well as musings of building a third bridge, City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto is calling on TransLink to study the feasibility of building a SkyTrain tunnel from Waterfront to Lonsdale Quay.

“As the North Shore grows, but also as the Sunshine Coast, Squamish and Whistler grow too, there's going to be more and more traffic through the North Shore. The question is, how do we deal with that? Do we build another bridge or invest in better public transportation?” said Mussatto. “Transit is the most critical issue in any city. Unfortunately, we've built a region focused on the automobile, so we're having to retrofit, which makes it more difficult. But we can do that and invest in good transit.”

Mussatto believes rapid transit from Vancouver to the North Shore is the only way bridge gridlock can be addressed in the near future, and reduced for future generations. Furthermore, he doesn’t believe building another bridge is the best option, as with many recently built routes,

FLAUNTING YOUR TRUE COLOURS Queer Students Liaison spearheads third annual Pride Week celebrations Christine Beyleveldt

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

Despite significant advancements in acceptance of the queer community in the last few decades, the collective remains largely sidelined. Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) Queer Students Liaison Clarice Scop is continuing the growing tradition of a weeklong pride on campus that she hopes will increase awareness of issues still facing the queer community and encourage students, staff and faculty to mingle.

“Jon Kinsley, the Queer Students’ Liaison before me, he started the tradition of Pride Week [on campus],” said Queer Students Liaison Clarice Scop. “He was definitely extremely good at what he was doing and I think I kind of wanted to continue his tradition, because he worked so hard on it.”

Scop explained that the weeklong

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they clog up shortly after opening.

“Number one is that the North Shore is facing major traffic tie-ups and significant congestion, which has intensified in the last couple of years and is not getting any better,” said Mussatto. “Building another bridge, in my mind, is not the best transportation policy, because you build it and a few years later it's full again. All it will do is bring in more cars and congestion into the city. We need to look at more alternatives, which is public transportation.”

The main cause of congestion on the North Shore, for Mussatto, is quite clearly its two mid-20th Century bridges, which have not had their capacities increased for decades. “Even with the improvements down at the bottom of Mountain Highway and the other intersections near Capilano, the capacity over the Ironworkers and Lions Gate [bridges] is the same. It's been the same for 50 years. Something has to be done.”

In phase one of TransLink’s 10-year plan, the transit provider has promised to purchase an additional Seabus, run the vessels every 10 minutes during weekday rush hour and increase trip frequency on Weekends and Holidays, with sailings every 15 minutes (often every 30 before).

While these improvements are welcomed

by Mussatto, he believes that the total trip time including waits and sailings is still too long for riders, something that could be addressed by a SkyTrain tunnel the length of the Inlet.

“At the end of the day, it's still 10 minutes between Seabuses, plus 15 minutes’ travel time, so once you get out [at Waterfront or the Quay] it could be 20, 25 minutes total, whereas a SkyTrain could be four minutes,” said Mussatto. “My view is that we invest in better public transportation. Maybe we do a study of a SkyTrain tunnel the length of the Seabus [route] or a track the length of the Second Narrows bridge. You do these feasibility studies to make long-term decisions, because this is not something that's going to be done in the next couple years. It's eight to 10 years out.”

As for why a SkyTrain to and from the North Shore would be a better use of public resources than a third bridge, Mussatto notes that it would have a significantly lower carbon footprint and be possibly quicker than driving, freeing up bridge space for people driving through the North Shore to Vancouver. “It's more sustainable from a number of different points. Less vehicles on the road, more road space, less air pollution,

it's just much more sustainable to [extend the SkyTrain]. All great cities in the world have great public transportation systems.”

For Mussatto, a SkyTrain from Vancouver to the Lonsdale Quay would be game-changing for the entire North Shore, as it could link up with other planned rapid transit projects expected to run from Deep Cove to West Vancouver in quick intervals.

“What is also happening concurrently now is that the three North Shore municipalities are focusing on an East-West connection from Maplewood, Sealynn, which includes Cap University, Moodyville, Lower Lonsdale, Marine Drive, Ambleside, Dundarave,” said Mussatto. “So, if you had a rapid bus route, one bus every five minutes, or a light rail traffic or car, you could then have a rapid transit connection from the Lonsdale Quay, to rapid transit on the East-West, in perhaps a dedicated lane.”

Whatever comes of the mayor’s feasibility studies, the governing BC Premier Christy Clark has repeatedly said there will be no funding for mass transit without a referendum, meaning it could be a long time before you can get from Waterfront to Lonsdale in the time it takes to listen to your favourite song.

event is a group effort among members of the collective and that she serves as the facilitator. A couple of changes from last year’s Pride Week were made, including a request to make all events inclusive to students of all ages. “Formally Queer”, the dance party that will cap off Pride Week at Groundswell on Thursday evening on Mar. 16 from 7 to 10 pm, is open to students of all ages. Societal gender constraints, however, are not invited.

Another change that was made to the agenda of events was the reduction in the number of workshops. Last year, three workshops that focussed on drag, community and anti-oppression were hosted simultaneously, which resulted in few people being able to attend each.

Scop has organized just one workshop: Allyship 101, scheduled for Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 11:30 am in the CSU Maple Lounge.

Allyship is an unknown concept to many, but Scop explained that you don’t have to fit in to be welcomed by the community.

“Allyship is the concept that you might not necessarily identify with certain people, in this case the LGBTQ community, but you want to learn about the community, you want to learn how to support them, to be an ally basically,” she said.

The week’s events will kick off on

Monday at 11 am in the CSU Members' Centre (Library Lounge) with a Community Resource Fair open to all students who want to learn more about the resources available to LGBTQIA+. Scop explained that although the community has become more visible and accepted in past decades, there are still significant issues. “There’s a lot more encompassed in the queer community than the acronym LGBTQ,” she said. “You can inclue IA, I being intersex, A being asexual. There’s a huge list of folks and a lot of them aren’t visible either in the campus community or just in [general].”

While CapU has been supportive of the community, there are a lot of issues that Scop would still like to see addressed, one of them being transphobia, which applies to the transgender community. “It’s not as widely known or considered, so that’s one of the issues that we try to bring to the forefront, not just sexuality,” she said.

“There’s room for improvement on the campus as a whole.”

She spoke of seeing transgender students, staff, faculty and even international students who adopt Anglicized names allowed to use their preferred names on identification cards, class lists and email accounts, and of

seeing an increase in the number of gender-neutral washrooms on campus.

“A year or two ago we had the single-stall all-gender washrooms installed, which is progress, but there is something that we are eventually wanting to install which is a multi-stall gender-neutral washroom,” she said.

Following the Allyship Workshop, on Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 5 pm is an open mic night in the CSU Members Centre with a cozy theme, which here means blankets, pillows and onesies will not only be welcome but encouraged. On Wednesday, Mar. 15 at noon in the same location, a number of short films produced by CapU’s Motion Picture Arts (MOPA) students that address themes in the LGBTQIA+ community will be screened. On Thursday, Mar. 16 at 11:30 am in LB 188 instructor Ki Wight of the MOPA program will facilitate a ChatLive discussion that involves queer perspectives related to current issues in the community, including representation and reconciliation.

Unsure of whether Pride Week would live or die outside of Kinsley’s jurisdiction, especially with the weeklong festivities relying on so many resources and hours of planning, Scop is proud to have the honour of continuing the tradition.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

CAPILANO UNIVERISTY SENATE APPROVES TWO PROGRAMS FOR FALL 2017 Body approves longer engineering diploma and first-year Indigenous program Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

On Tuesday, Mar. 7, the Capilano University Senate met to discuss the approval of two new programs, among other business. The Senate is the jointhighest decision making body at the institution and is responsible for matters concerning student evaluation, curriculum content and all other issues related to academics. At this meeting, the Senate voted to approve two new programs: a longer, more specialized and pre-requisite encompassing Engineering Diploma, and University One for Aboriginal learners.

The Engineering Diploma, administered through the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, will feature 71 credits meant to be completed over two-years. The courses include a variety of pre-requisites, classes that are already in the existing Engineering Transitions year-and-a-half program, and additional subjects meant to make graduates both “job-ready”, and prepared to transfer elsewhere.

According to the administration, one of the key rationales for introducing a second engineering program is industry growth.

The Senate’s description of the program states that jobs across STEM are growing by 1.3 per cent annually, trailing only health.

According to engineering convenor, Bruno Tomberli, this brand-new diploma program would provide applicants with three engineering options at CapU. Currently, CapU only administers the Engineering Transitions program and a highly competitive two semester Engineering Certificate, with courses that transfer “one-to-one” to UBC for secondyear. Faculty representative Caroline Depatie asked Tomberli whether this program would consist of a new cohort, or shift students from existing programs

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/CAPILANOCOURIER

into the new diploma. Tomberli clarified that the new diploma would not add 35 new students, but “encourage exist students to push themselves a little more in preparation for a four-year engineering degree.” The program was approved in principle by the Senate.

As for the University One for Aboriginal learners, the program will replace what the university has already been doing for sometime. This program, is said to support the lifelong learning of aboriginal leaners, a commitment to CapU’s Aboriginal Student Success Strategy and the “Calls to Action” report, published by the Truth and Reconciliation report, both published in 2015. This program, exclusively for first-year students, will feature a number of core courses that would allow learners to transfer into several degree and diploma options in their next years.

Courses will range from introductory English and mathematics, to classes concerned with indigenous issues, politics, history, storytelling and traditional ways of knowing. Dr. Brad Martin, the Dean for the Faculty of Education, Health and Human Development, of which University One would fall under, was on hand to present the program to the Senate. Faculty Senate representative

and [centre] David Kirk, also spoke to the merits of the program and the unique needs it would address, citing it would help students who aren’t always completely ready for post-secondary ease into their studies. CapU Vice President of Academic and Provost, Rick Gale, also added that this program would better help the university support and retain aboriginal students. The program was approved in principle by the Senate.

Other business that was discussed included plans to send out nominations for student elections to the Board of Governors and Senate for 2017-18. CapU Registrar, Karen McCredie noted that terms for student representatives on both decision-making bodies are Aug. 1, 2017 to Jul. 31, 2018.

Notably present at the meeting were newly elected student representatives Imroz Ali, who is pursuing a Legal Studies degree, and Erik Steel, who is in the Liberal Studies program. Kim Bothen was also at the meeting, and is a Costuming for Stage and Screen instructor with the School of Motion Picture arts who was recently elected in a faculty by-election.

The next senate meeting will take place on Apr. 4.

COMPARING STUDENT SOCIETY FEES per semester based on full-time students taking nine credits (excludes student union building)

$200 $150 $100

$182.00 ($112.46 per semester plus an additional undergrad society fee based averaged at $70)

$105.64

$102.70

$50

$65.00

$75.08

UBC ALMA MATER SOCIETY

SIMON FRASER STUDENT SOCIETY

KWANTLEN STUDENT ASSOCIATION

CSU (current)

THE CAPILANO COURIER

$0

CSU (proposed)

csu.bc.ca/yes

a university experience 5

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

On March 21, 22, and 23, vote Yes to

NEWS

USING PEER-TOPEER TUTORING TO CHANGE LIVES IN CANADA’S POOREST POSTAL CODE Capilano’s work in Downtown Eastside helping residents improve themselves and community Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

For almost two decades, Capilano University’s Community Development and Outreach Department (CDO) has been providing residents in at-risk neighbourhoods the basic skills and credentials they need to further their education. Despite provincial cuts to adult upgrading education, CapU’s partnership with the Carnegie Community Centre, known as the Carnegie Literacy Inreach/ Outreach program, is allowing students to master both basic skills, such as English or mathematics, and pursue their own specialized goals.

“We’re really working to assist people with their interrupted learning lives, to pursue their educational interests, but also to deal with the functional challenges they may have around literacy, numeracy and digital literacy,” said Lucy Alderson, Instructor and Project Coordinator with the CDO. Over the years, the CDO’s projects and programs have partnered with organizations throughout the University’s main regions, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast and Sea to Sky, as well as Burnaby.

At Carnegie, most of the teaching happens in pairs or small groups with volunteer tutors. “Many people who use our programs are doing one-on-one or group work with tutors. It's not like a class of 25 people coming in to learn the same thing.

WHAT’S NEW WITH THE CSU? VP of Student Life: DeStress Week providing massages, ‘Rock the Boat’ to have “party buses” Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

On Friday, Mar. 10, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) held its first board meeting in almost a month after the previous one, scheduled for Feb. 24, was cancelled due to a lack of quorum.

Notably, this was also the first meeting to be conducted since the resignation of former VP of University Relations Jullian Kolstee. The VP of University Relations’ duties have since been assumed by CSU President and VP of External Relations Sacha Fabry, in an unofficial capacity.

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For example, we often have three or four people who are at the same level learning English,” said Alderson. “Occasionally, we will do larger workshops, such as our course in community leadership.”

Among the basic skills taught include ESL, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy, as working your way around a computer is something Alderson suggests is increasingly necessary for residents in the DTES to find, and succeed in jobs.

Other subjects taught by tutors include American Sign Language and themed “tech cafes”, where, for example, students can learn how to better use their mobile phones or tablets.

For Alderson, many of the DTES residents she has gotten to know through the partnership are quite unique and talented, with many involved in a variety of creative interests. “People who learn with our tutors do have a big interest in the arts. We do have a community arts festival called Heart of the City, which is facilitated

by Vancouver Moving Theatre [VMT].

The [CDO] has been part of that since the beginning,” said Alderson. “We've helped people who have been a part of plays. For instance, when they're trying to learn their lines or have struggled with their reading, we help them rehearse and participate with VMT.” This diversity of talent has also led to the CDO working with artists who can apply for an arts grant known as Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grant. The grant, awarded by Vancouver Foundation,

allows artists to receive funding to access training, resources or materials that will allow them to complete their project. “The grant exists to support emerging artists in the community to further their work, by manning a new technique, marketing their work or by just being able to afford enough materials to produce significant work,” said Alderson. “There is someone who works at Carnegie to support that program. We worked with them because we have a whole group of artists that maybe aren't feeling proficient at the computer, so we've offered that support through the learning centre. This year we worked with 13 artists in the community to help prepare their proposals.”

Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of the work the CDO does in the DTES, for Alderson, is the amount of students who have become tutors, volunteers or support staff with Carnegie or other organizations themselves. “The way that people engage with the Learning Centre, not just coming for an hour to study, but participating in other ways, people really start to learn all of the skills that they need to get involved in the community,” said Alderson.

“We've seen people move up, and join the Carnegie board, or join other boards in the community. Some people come as students, then become volunteers with us or nearby organizations, and often that leads to parttime work for them.”

This desire to give back, after being helped by Carnegie and the CDO, has really revealed itself during the opioid

overdose crisis, which has had a disparately tragic impact on the DTES community. “As you know, the Fentanyl Crisis has hit our neighbourhood in terrible ways. We've lost current or former students. But, what's really been amazing is the amount of people who have taken on the role of peer-support workers out in the community, carrying naloxone kits or helping out at the using sites,” said Alderson. "Yesterday, one of my former students came to me asking for help in returning to school next September.

When I asked if she would like to return earlier, she said ‘no, I'm doing peer-support work right now. Did you know I've saved seven lives! All I could say was ‘wow, that's incredible’– people in the community are rising to the occasion."

While the work of the CDO, Carnegie Literacy Program and many other organizations on the Downtown Eastside has had a huge impact on residents’ lives, Alderson concedes it has become harder for students to learn their way to better lives, due to BC’s cuts to adult basic education.

Alderson cites this policy has resulted in many closures of adult learning centres, including one in the DTES. “We’ve been participating with the ‘Open the Doors’ campaign because we see how many adult learning pathways are being eliminated or narrowed,” said Alderson. “So many school boards have reduced the amount of adult learning centres. Also, of these, upgrading courses are no longer free. You shouldn’t have to go into debt before you begin your post-secondary education.”

Among the business discussed at the meeting included the CSU’s Spring Appreciation and Spring Semester DeStress week.

In his report to the board, Fabry thanked the board for their enthusiasm regarding the launch of their “Yes Campaign.” He announced that the CSU’s promotional video for the campaign will be released on Monday. Also conveyed to the board by Fabry included news that candidate nominations for the upcoming CSU General Election have been received for all positions, meaning that the organization most likely won’t have to fill vacant seats through appointments or by-elections. This is, of course, notwithstanding any resignations between the post-election period and the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year.

Later in the meeting, VP of Student Life, Beatriz Miralles, filled the board in on Rock the Boat and progress regarding its planning. Miralles was excited to announce the booking of three shuttles, which she described as “party buses.”

Miralles also used her report to discuss

specifics around the spring semester’s De-Stress Week. She announced that there will be no ball pit during the week long event. However, the CSU will be hiring massage therapists to provide students with massages. De-Stress Week as a whole will cost $2,900 to administer, with massages constituting a large portion of that at $1,800. Miralles stressed that the cost of masseuses was discretionary, as she is still waiting on possible $900 sponsorship from Student Care, the country’s largest provider of student union medical plans. This would cut the cost of hiring masseuses in half.

De-Stress Week’s planning tool was approved with widespread support.

Shortly after, the CSU discussed and approved the planning tool for their Spring Appreciation. In December, the CSU hosted their Fall Appreciation at the Improv Centre, the home of the Vancouver Theatre Sports League (VTSL). It featured catering and a performance from VTSL improvisers, and is intended to serve as a “thank you” to volunteers, staff, administrators

in frequent collaboration with the organization, and all other members of the campus community who work with the CSU to support their members.

Towards the end of the meeting, the CSU also weighed options as to how to replace the vacant VP of University Relations and Services position for the remainder of the year. As explained earlier, President Fabry has been handling many of the files that concern both the Administration and the CSU. Fabry provided the board with three courses of action as to how to proceed.

Keeping things as they are now, with him “holding down the fort” for the next two weeks at no extra pay until a new VP of University Relations is elected in late March, appointing an existing Board of Directors member to the role, or filling the position with any member of the society, which can be done per the CSU’s Emergency Succession Rules. The board decided to proceed as is, with Fabry continuing to handle VP of University Relations issues in addition to his role as President and VP External.

CAMPUS LIFE

–CHRISTINE BEYLEVELDT PHOTOS

THE CAPILANO COURIER

WORLD OF COLOUR FILLS CEDAR COURTYARD

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Holi, also known as the festival of colours, is a traditional Hindu celebration of spring marked by dancing and throwing coloured powder. On March 9 in the Cedar courtyard, the Centre for International Experience hosted CapU’s first World of Colour event. Students, staff and faculty painted the courtyard red, yellow and blue.

CAMPUS LIFE

CAREER SERVICES TO HOST "JOBS FOR CAPS" HIRING FAIR Industry professionals will be present at Capilano to recruit students Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

For Eileen Wang, manager of Capilano University’s Career Services department, the lack of drive and direction from students has been disheartening. She described how students would come to her during drop-in hours with no formative career goals and no competitive edge, and it inspired her to take action. “We want [students] to have great education [and] well-developed life skills, career skills and really be ready for global community challenges,” she said.

Aside from the usual drop-in hours on Mondays and Thursdays from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, the service organized a series of developmental workshops for students to learn about networking, creating LinkedIn

WHO YOU: CHRIS HARDCASTLE: LEGAL EXPERT AND MUSIC CONNOISSEUR Jessica Lio

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OPINIONS EDITOR

Anyone who has taken a law class with Chris Hardcastle will tell you he’s hilarious.

Aside from being a respected and easilyaccessible figure at Capilano University, little do most people know that their favourite legal instructor is also a doting father of two young girls and a passionate music aficionado who plays classical and flamenco guitar in his spare time.

Hardcastle has been teaching at CapU for four years, but his academic journey here began many years ago. As a firstyear undergraduate student at CapU, he studied political science and philosophy before transferring to UBC and eventually became a lawyer. Although he’s been teaching for seven years now, Hardcastle still remembers connecting with his first classroom full of students at BCIT. “I remember showing up on the first

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profiles and resumés and preparing for job interviews, which will all be useful skills on at the upcoming career fair, Jobs for Caps, on Wednesday, Mar. 29.

Jobs for Caps will run from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Birch cafeteria. It will be the first time CapU has a career fair with 30 to 40 employers present on campus, and instead of telling students about the opportunities available to them after graduation, they will be seeking students to fill roles within their organizations. “It’s all employers on campus, not just to talk about their business, but to bring jobs to campus,” said Wang. All five faculties are involved, and currently she has confirmed the attendance of professionals from the sectors of Health Care and Tourism, to Business and Film. From the Communications sector, recruiters from the City of Burnaby and the City of Surrey, as well as the North Vancouver and West Vancouver District School Boards, have confirmed their attendance.

“For our students who are looking for summer jobs, for our students who are graduating [and] looking for professional work, I think that’s actual connections and actual jobs that will help our students directly connect with jobs instead of just

information,” she said.

Over the course of several semesters, Wang has consulted with students from all five faculties in a series of focus groups to learn more about students’ career-driven aspirations. The decrease in competitiveness and passion she saw prompted her to begin consulting with students. “So, through all those research groups and my own team experience we did evaluation assessment[s] to see what our students’ needs are and then come down to, you know, lack of career development awareness,” she said.

Last semester, Career Services hosted Career Awareness Week, but without the resources needed they’ve had to shorten this semester’s version from four days to one – Career Awareness Day on Thursday, Mar. 16 from 11:30 am to 1 pm. In last semester’s event, few students took the time to explore the venues and listen to speakers, and the number of attendees thinned throughout the week. This time, Wang is positive that Career Awareness Day will be more successful because the session will be intensive and include an Industry Leader Panel in Birch 126, where students may pose questions to four industry professionals. The panel will consist of General Manager of Maison Senior Living, Kelvin Monteiro; Program Leader of BC Public Service Agency, Odette Dantzer; Manager of Change Management at Vancouver Coastal Health, Jen Olson Lund; and RBC’s Senior Recruiter, Andrea Lyndsay.

Wang hopes that the two events can help better prepare students for their postuniversity career. “I’m very optimistic, very excited that this will be the first job fair that every employer will have a job to offer, you know, [will] bring positions,” said Wang, who has gone about finding potential employers through her personal connections and those suggested by faculty members.

With intimate class settings, instructors get to know their students well and know what kinds of jobs they want to pursue.

Wang hopes to see the hiring fair become an annual tradition that will encourage students to develop and pursue career goals.

day and walking down the hall, thinking ‘I have no idea what I’m going to say to these students,’” he recalled. “I started introducing myself and I don’t remember to this day what I’d said, but there was a chorus of laughter and I knew at that moment, humour had to be part of my style.”

Not only did that moment help him realize his own teaching style, but it also set the foundation for a successful learning environment that’s welcoming and exciting for students.

“I try to keep class formally informal so that we’re talking about the material, but it’s a conversation. We talk about legal material in a way that’s relatable to them,” he said, adding that he tries to always make time for his students.

“Being here and having a home in terms of an office and a full-time job, I’ve gotten to know a lot of the students and they’re really terrific.”

Hardcastle practiced as a lawyer until 2015, when he decided to pursue a master’s degree researching legal theory, psychoanalytic theory and semiotics at SFU. “I’m doing my master’s in humanities… to consider how judges think and talk about the law, and how [it] can offer quite

a limiting view on the results that can fall from a case,” he explained.

In the upcoming summer and fall semesters, he’s looking forward to continuing his research. Along with spending time with his kids and their adopted cat, Johnny John-Bax Smithers, Hardcastle also tries to practice guitar every day. He even dreams of travelling to Europe to study classical and flamenco guitar. “I would immerse myself completely in music,” he said, revealing that he often drew inspiration from the late iconic Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.

“It was Gould’s approach to music that was really inspiring,” said Hardcastle, describing his admiration for Gould’s unapologetic way of interpreting musical texts and imposing his own style and voice into the music. “He made it such that the artist who was playing the work was as important as the composer, and I think that’s really important.”

Hardcastle even tries to carry this philosophy into his teaching, and hopes that students will be empowered to inspire change through their work. “You’re not just there as a passive recipient of what has come before you. You can actively interpret what’s there and create something new.”

UPCOMING EVENT: ANNUAL ART HISTORY SPRING LECTURE Rachel D'Sa CONTRIBUTOR

On Mar. 23, Capilano University’s Art History department is hosting a free, organized lecture in partnership with Women’s and Gender Studies and First Nations Student Services. The event, which focuses on the topic of Indigenous women artists in the age of truth and reconciliation, will be held from 11:30 am to 1 pm on campus in LB 217, with light refreshments served afterwards.

Professor, art historian and event organizer, Dr. Efrat El-Hanany hopes that relevant, pressing and important themes in Art History and visual and popular culture can be introduced and discussed.

The event will reflect CapU’s goal to engage in the ongoing processes of truth and reconciliation, and indigenize the curriculum on campus.

The event will be featuring guest speaker and art historian, Dr. Megan Smetzer, who teaches, publishes and lectures on historical and contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous cultural expressions, with specific focus on women and the production of transcultural art.

“Smetzer will introduce us to the innovative and creative work of selected contemporary Indigenous Women Artists who utilize diverse media to foreground Indigenous world views as a way to heal their own communities, as well as to illuminate the consequences of our entwined histories for a wider public,” said El-Hanany.

The lecture, which plans to introduce the work of contemporary artists, relates to Art History, as El-Hanany believes that art provides a visual interpretation of the world, serving to communicate important and current concerns, while engaging individuals in conversations regarding such topics as culture, race and identity, all the while helping to bridge social divides. “The combination of women and art is interesting to me as well as processes of othering and the empowerment of disenfranchised groups within society. I try to focus my research and teaching on such themes whenever possible,” said El-Hanany.

CALENDAR

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CAPILANO UNIVERSE: DR. NANCY NOWLAN

NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT PUBLIC LIBRARY 7 PM TO 8:45 PM / FREE Well, this is interesting. Dr. Nancy Nowlan will be presenting a talk entitled: “Enhancing Education with the “Digital Blur”: Engaging Students with Games like Pokemon Go.” That’s right, this iteration of Capilano Universe will be about the once rabidly popular mobile game. It almost kind of makes me wonder why it’s about six months too late, though.

EAST SIDE BEER FEST WISE HALL 7 TO 9 PM / $25 No disrespect to the grandiose and overall magnitude of Vancouver Craft Beer Week, but the East Side Beer Fest is hands down the best beer fest in town. They might not have as big a selection, or as nice a venue, but nothing can beat the unlimited beer tokens that East Side Beer Fest offers. They also provide some nice snacks to keep you sane throughout this wonderful evening.

THE INTERNET

IMPERIAL 8 PM / $26.50 30 years ago, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson met and formed what has since become the greatest musical hip-hop band ever. Today, I firmly believe that The Internet is carrying the torch that Black Thought and Questlove lit. They might not have the bars of The Roots, but they got everything else: jazz, trip-hop, Thundercat’s younger brother; what more do you need?

VANCOUVER WEB FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE WORKS 9:30 AM TO 1 AM / $10+ In celebration of the growing integration of the Internet into our lives, the Vancouver Web Festival will be putting together a three-day gathering that’s all about web-based content. The festival will be screening numerous digital content and will also be bringing in speakers from the world of Virtual Reality, YouTube and video games.

JOSEPH BILTMORE CABARET 8 PM / $17 A few years ago, I saw the Portland-based trio at The Alexander Gastown for a nice intimate show that only had about 30 people attending. The performance was really awesome and I remember tweeting them after, and them actually responding. Although Joseph’s last album erred closer to pop than their cool-as-hell folk debut, I’m sure this show will just be as intimate.

21ST CENTURY FLEA MARKET

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BIRCH BUILDING, ROOM 207A 11:30 AM TO 1:30 AM / FREE I met the good folks of Career Services today and boy, they’re quite the critical bunch. One of them asked me what I was doing after I graduate and I said, “I’m not really sure” and goddamn she looked at me like I’m some inept fool. “What do you mean you’re not really sure?” I felt so incompetent I almost applied for a new bachelor’s program right then and there.

ALLAN RAYMAN RIO THEATRE 8 PM / $23 Allan Rayman is a pretty enigmatic r&b singer who apparently came from a small town of four people in Wyoming.

Now living in Toronto, Rayman is slowly making a name for himself with his distinct brand of r&b and cinema-like music videos. Speaking of cinema-like videos…

PRINCESS NOKIA

BILTMORE CABARET 8 PM / $15 First of all, Princess Nokia is actually a duo, and not a single act.

Second of all, I don’t know whether the Princess Nokia moniker is inspired by the legendary phone company, but it better be. Finally, Destiny Frasqueri, the main singer of Princess Nokia, almost knocked someone the fuck out at a concert after a guy hurled sexual obscenities at her. I guess Princess Nokia is my favourite musician of all time.

BACK TO THE 90’S: GAMES NIGHT FOR SOCIAL IMPACT THE HIVE VANCOUVER 5:30 PM TO 9:30 PM / BY DONATION This sounds like a fun time, except it seems like they really don’t know what they’re doing. They’re marketing a “back to the 90’s” games night and are planning on playing Super Smash Bros?

Sure, the first Smash Bros came out in 1999, but using that as the flagship game for a 90’s night is really pushing it.

PROTECTING YOUR ONLINE IDENTITY VPL CENTRAL BRANCH 10:30 AM TO 12 PM Remember when Bill C-51 was about to terrorize and destroy our online behaviour? Just because the controversial bill hasn’t been as hot a topic as it used to be doesn’t mean we should just be recklessly parading ourselves on the Internet. This seminar by the VPL will provide helpful tips that could really do wonders for your online safety. Also, Brooklyn Pizza is just across the library.

#NERDGASM: A NIGHT OF NAUGHTY NERDLESQUE BILTMORE CABARET 8 PM TO 11 PM / $10 You might be thinking to yourself right now, “Wow, there’s really an alarming number of burlesque shows in this calendar.” You might also be thinking, “Damn, is there anything Kitty Nights won’t turn into a burlesque show?”

I’m going to argue that the second thought is the one that deserves more attention. Ignore the number of burlesque shows here, they’re just reminders.

CROATIAN CULTURAL CENTRE 10 AM TO 3 PM / $5 These guys are promoting over 175 different vendors selling all sorts of vintage memorabilia and other weird shit they sell at flea markets. I do like the complete immersion that comes with 21st Century Promotions. Their website is old as dirt and one visit to it makes you feel like you’ve transported to the days of dial-up Internet. I remember those days.

BLACK ATLASS

BILTMORE CABARET 8 PM / $13 In 2013, MacLean’s ran a neat feature on Alex Fleming, more commonly known by his stage name, Black Atlass. In the interview, Fleming talked about how the past decade or so has been lacking in dynamic R&B singers. Maclean’s also called him the “Anti-Justin Bieber.” This sounds more and more like La La Land, except it’s a young white dude from Montreal that’s saving r&b. I’d rather be Bieber.

PRINCESS NOKIA

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RIO THEATRE 6:00 PM / $12 If I go see Moonlight at the Rio Theatre now that it has won the Academy Award for Best Picture, does that make me a bandwagoner? That’s the thing that I really hate about kids these days. Just because you caught on late, or at the same time as everyone, doesn’t make you a bandwagoner – except in sports.

You ride or die with your squad.

WRITING RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS

THE CAPILANO COURIER

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MOONLIGHT

SPORTS

CAPILANO’S CARMELLE M’BIKATA CROWNED PACWEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR

player in the league.

While her natural strength and athleticism certainly aid her on the court, it’s M’Bikata’s off-court work ethic that allowed her to hone her skills and truly shine.

She credited her off-season workouts and goals as some of the main factors in her MVP year. “[My] teammates, family, friends, everyone was pretty stoked,” she said about receiving the award. “It felt like all my hard work had finally paid off.”

An example of this hard work can be seen in M’Bikata’s field percentage. Going into this season M’Bikata was determined to get better. “I wanted my percentage to be higher than it was last year,” she recalled – and it was, by two per cent. While that may not seem like a great leap, it’s an impressive improvement considering she led the league in the same statistic the

previous year. “I was pretty happy about that,” she said.

While she had no expectations or goals of receiving league MVP honours, it also came as no surprise to the Blues star.

“When I received the award I wasn't really shocked,” she said. “Honestly, I did work really hard the whole season and in the offseason, so I knew it would either be me or Rachel Beauchamp.”

M’Bikata’s season was even more impressive considering how much attention she drew from other teams. Although the Blues had an arsenal of players who contributed in their own way, perhaps none commanded the amount of attention from opposing teams’ defence like M’Bikata did.

“I've been double-teamed all semester,” she said, “and I still feel like I get the position that I want.”

Blues guard Reiko Ohama echoed this

sentiment. “Playing with Carmelle is pretty great! She is such a solid force in the paint that if other teams don't double team or triple team her, the ball is going in the hoop,” she said.

By being such a monster in the paint, M’Bikata was also able to create and facilitate more opportunities for her teammates. “[M’Bikata] really opens up the court for us shooters on the three,” continued Ohama. “It gives us open looks and even if we miss, we know she's there battling for the rebound and putback.”

Unfortunately, seeing as basketball is a team game, individual accolades come second to team success – and while the Blues had an incredibly successful season, they came up one game short of the PACWEST gold. “Obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted with the provincials,” said M’Bikata, “So, that was pretty rough.”

However, the team has only one fifthyear player from this season’s roster, allowing them the potential to return with the vast majority of their roster – including two of the players M’Bikata came into the league with, and credits as some of her most impactful teammates.

“Obviously I enjoyed playing with everyone,” she said, “But this year I really enjoyed playing with Ace [Ashley De La Cruz Yip] and Karyn Nelson. We're all fourth year, we've been together since first year so it was just nice to see how all of us have developed.”

In terms of returning next year, M’Bikata isn’t sure yet. “Maybe,” she said hesitantly. “I just need the off-season just to reflect and see what I want, and just kind of go from there. I feel like I will.”

While M’Bikata isn’t ready to commit to another year just yet, her return seems likely. After finishing with a silver medal for the second consecutive year, leaving now may be the only thing harder for M’Bikata than the two previous seasons’ conclusions. “The season obviously didn't go how we wanted,” she said. “I don't like to finish things off like that.”

games, the Blues only allowed 51 points per game from their opponents. The number is even more impressive when juxtaposed with their own 71 points per game average.

With a victory margin of 20 points per game, the Blues handily dismantled nearly every opposition they faced. In fact, there were only three instances this past season where the Blues allowed more than 60 points – an out-of-character 95-78 loss to Camosun College Chargers on Feb. 11, a 77-68 win in the final game of the regular season against the Langara Falcons and the 70-63 loss to Douglas College Royals in the gold medal game.

Building a defensive identity was the plan all along. The Blues not only featured hard working players that excelled in a variety of schemes, they also had the right mix of perimeter and post defenders. Their backcourt featured a host of guards who could pressure ballhandlers into mistakes and fight through screens in the pick and roll, while their post and wing players shone in clogging the lanes and eliminating entry passes from opposing teams.

Their defence was also boosted by two dogged defenders who took pride in their work. Point guard and PACWEST Second Team All-Star Ashley De La Cruz Yip was considered by many as among the best

defenders in the conference, using her quickness and tenacity to suffocate the opposing team’s ballhandlers.

The other top notch defender was Ohama.

Against the Falcons on Jan. 27, Ohama put together one of the best performances by a Capilano Blues basketball player all season. The shooting guard had 25 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block, while shooting 43 per cent from the field, and hitting 10 out of 11 free throws. Although her offensive output from that particular game was marvellous, it was her composure and defensive effort that really helped the Blues secure the victory. “I kind of take pride in my defence,” she said.

After dominating the PACWEST throughout the season, the Capilano Blues came into the provincial championships as the favourite to win the gold medal and claim the conference’s only spot in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championships. After getting a bye in the first round, the Blues made quick work of the Chargers in the second round behind an incredible 18-rebound performance (in just 16 minutes) by forward Karyn Nelson.

The Blues also benefited from some

hot shooting, as combo guard Brittany Wertman knocked down four threepointers en route to 18 points off the bench.

The final game was a little bit different.

The testy contest featured 42 total foul calls on both teams, a combined total of 47 offensive rebounds and 55 free throw attempts between the Blues and the Royals. Late in the second period, as the Royals started to pull away, it was Ohama, who provided the Blues with some much-needed jolt of energy. “I just knew we needed to score some points and they gave me open looks so I just took what the defence gave me,” she said. Ohama finished the game with 19 points and four rebounds, even when complemented by 16 points and 16 rebounds from PACWEST Player of the Year Carmelle M’Bikata and another stand out performance by Nelson (12 points and 13 rebounds), but the gold just wasn’t in the cards. “I felt like we beat ourselves because when we look at the scoresheet, we missed our free throws, we missed open layups,” Ohama said.

Although a provincial gold medal wasn’t waiting at the end of the Blues’ historic 16-2 season, youth and experience have the Capilano Blues women’s basketball program poised to compete for years to come.

After a career season, the Blues forward received the recognition she rightly deserved Justin Scott ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

While her season ended with a heartbreaking loss in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) finals, Carmelle M’Bikata still had a year to remember.

The star forward was one of the key players on the nearly unstoppable Capilano Blues women’s basketball team, who finished one game away from the PACWEST title and a trip to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national tournament. However, as the team recovers from their heartbreaking loss to the Douglas College Royals in the provincial finals, M’Bikata, who was named PACWEST Player of the Year prior to the provincial tournament, will be attending the national tournament in Edmonton, as she has been selected as one of the nominees for CCAA National Player of the Year.

M’Bikata was a force to be reckoned with throughout the entire season. She led the conference in field goals made, total points, points per game and points per 40 minutes.

She also had the second highest field goal percentage in the league, the third most free throws made, the third most offensive rebounds and the fifth most rebounds overall. She accomplished all of this while playing the 19th most minutes per game, making her, by far, the most efficient

THE SILVER LINING Guard Reiko Ohama reflects on tough ending to an incredible season Carlo Javier

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

MANAGING EDITOR

Reiko Ohama was understandably blunt when discussing the outcome of this year’s Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) gold medal game. It’s been nearly a week since the Capilano Blues women’s basketball team fell to the Douglas College Royals in the championship, and the second-year shooting guard’s “pretty disappointed” sounded quite a bit like an understatement.

“We beat ourselves,” she said.

The Blues wanted to defend like crazy. Being the best defensive unit in the PACWEST was a goal repeatedly reiterated by all members of the team, from the coaching staff to every player on the roster. For pretty much the entire 20162017 season, they did exactly just that.

“I think its something to really be proud of,” Ohama said about their defensive accomplishments. In 18 regular season

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- PAUL YATES

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

- PAUL YATES

@CAPILANOCOURIER

A TALE OF TWO SEASONS Blues continue growth and development amidst hectic year Carlo Javier MANAGING EDITOR

watched enough film to know who are starters could be, who our finishers were, what combos worked, who excelled in man and who excelled in zone,” Kannemeyer explained.

Lo and behold, the Blues made it to the finals. Despite their exciting first half against the defending champs, the Blues ultimately fell to the Mariners 94-77, ending their season with the provincial silver medal. “I felt like we took a step forward this season,” Kannemeyer said.

“We proved in the PACWEST playoffs that we are a tough team to play against and that makes me proud to coach these guys.”

In the end, despite taking the blame for some of the issues that the Blues faced this season, Kannemeyer couldn’t be more proud of the guys that wore the Capilano name on their jerseys. “I made many mistakes this season,” he said. “In terms of what players I brought in, coaching errors, practice plan errors, the players that survived the season academically and physically represented the men's basketball program with class all the way to the end.” The players that fought through thick and thin, maintained their focus on the court and in the classroom – those guys just might be the foundation for what can be an exciting basketball profram. “[The Blues] showed resiliency through many ups and downs, they were right there when it mattered, playing their best when everything was on the line,” Kannemeyer said. “Those are the kind of players I want representing the school.”

The Blues now have next season to look forward to. They have a relatively young core, and if this group of players sticks around and grows together, they could soon be up to something truly special.

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Nov. 4. “Greet was a leader from day one,” said Kannemeyer. “He coaches guys on the floor and in practice. On the offensive end, he can help you in all areas.” Like Untalan, Gill also received year-end recognition from the league, earning a spot in the PACWEST First Team All-Stars.

By winter, the Blues had shot themselves to the top of the conference. They were 5-1 heading into the break with victories over established teams like the Mariners, the Royals and the Langara Falcons. Then, trouble started knocking on the door. First, they lost half of Mabone’s season due to injury. Afterwards, combo forward from Des Moines, Washington, Caden Rowland departed the team after he seemingly left his academics unchecked.

Behind the play of Gill and swingman Hassan Phills, the Blues still managed to win their first few games of the new year, but their winning ways wouldn’t last long.

On Jan. 14, the Mariners came to town and extracted revenge on the Blues. The loss would mark the start of a forgettable stretch for the Blues, losing seven out of their final nine games of the season.

“The losing streak was caused by several factors,” Kannemeyer said. “Injuries, Caden Rowland departure, people having to step up into new roles, Hassan [Phills] had to become our secondary scorer, five of our last six [games] were on the road. With all those factors happening at the same time, growing pains were bound to follow.”

The slide also pushed the Blues out of the top two spots, costing them a valuable bye in the coming tournament.

In time for the PACWEST provincials, Kannemeyer and assistant coach Kile Cooke made changes that they hoped would bear fruit come playoff-time. “We

THE CAPILANO COURIER

There were no shortages of obstacles for the Capilano Blues men’s basketball team this past season.

The Blues came into the year with an exciting roster featuring a blend of returning players and high-profile recruits.

They addressed the needs that emanated from last season’s fourth place finish: they got older, revamped their frontcourt with more size and acquired several players who could really put the ball in the basket.

Then they lost their backcourt. Issues with eligibility cost the Blues their potential starting guards, losing both third-year players in Martin Bogajev and Brendan Bailey.

However, with loss comes opportunity.

Rising to the challenge were secondyear shooting guard EJ Mabone and rookie point guard Wowie Untalan. The change in the backcourt was sudden, but somehow, the Blues still managed to turn heads in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST). Not only did they win their season opener against the Douglas College Royals despite an abrupt change in personnel, they also proceeded to sweep both island teams in their own home courts. Beating both the Camosun College Chargers and the Vancouver Island University Mariners in back-to-back

road games is almost unheard of in the PACWEST, but the Blues did it.

“Coach [Kile] Cooke and I at the beginning of the season told the guys that our goal was to be the hardest working team in the league,” said head coach Cassidy Kannemeyer.

The play of their new backcourt was integral in their fast start. Mabone, a 6’2 second-year guard immediately established himself as the Blues’ go-to lockdown defender. On Nov. 5, he put the PACWEST on notice by shutting down Usama Zaid of the Mariners to just 13 points on a paltry 3 for 16 shooting night. “As [Mabone] moves forward, if he can improve his handle and lower body strength, he could be a top-10 player in the league,” Kannemeyer said.

On the point, Untalan took the league by storm with his speed, showing off an impressive ability to get anywhere he wanted with a nasty crossover and an explosive first step. “If he can get his threepoint shot to 35 per cent he will be one of the toughest players to stop in the league,” Kannemeyer said about the blur of a point guard. “He also has to work on his free throws, because with his speed he can get to the line often.” Untalan was eventually named the PACWEST Rookie of the Year by season’s end.

A big part of the team’s early success was the emergence of Greet Gill. The thirdyear do-it-all forward quickly established himself as the Blues’ go-to-guy. His maturity is evident in his performance.

Gill plays under control, often appearing calculated in his methodical offensive forays. His strength also separates him from nearly everyone he plays against, evidenced by his incredible 25-point and 20-rebound outing against the Chargers on

FEATURES

Before the Curtain Opens How Vancouver’s Theatre Scene Operates

BY R ACHEL D'SA I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y F I O N A D U N N E T T

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

With more than 30 local theatre companies, and over 20 venues, including some of the most popular stages such as The Cultch, Presentation House and the familiar and well-beloved BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts, the local theatre scene in Vancouver is thriving.

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out. For audience members, watching the performance is a way to kick their feet up; for the actors, the productions are a chance to do what they love. But there are also some big guns behind the scenes making the whole production run smoothly, let alone run at all, managing stressful tasks.

Communications Associate at The Cultch, and current CapU Arts and Entertainment Management student, Lisa Mennell, feels connections to her career in the field, working with the media and helping to find publicity for the institution’s shows. “Working in a performing arts venue is quite wonderful. I am particularly passionate about the arts, and it means a lot to be helping present and promote work that I feel is meaningful and important. It is a lot of work, and the team works very

“The best part of running a local theatre is being a part of community building, networking, sharing ideas and finding creative ways to meet and overcome challenges collectively,”

hard to coordinate with everyone involved,” said Mennell.

Kim Selody, Artistic Director at Production house agrees with Mennell’s claim that the field is hard work, drawing connections to his experience with the company. “There have been a lot of changes in the last 10 years of how people consume their performance experiences.

It’s stressful, and it’s deceptively simple,” said Selody, giving his honest opinion on what it’s like working for an entertainment venue. “With the Internet becoming more present, things have shifted dramatically.

People are now booking at the last minute because they can book online. That means we often don’t know exactly how many people are going to show up until the last minute, so that can be very nerve-raking, as you don’t know how things are going to go, especially since it takes so much money to put on a show. It’s difficult to add up the predicted revenue, which helps to gain sponsorships.”

/CAPILANOCOURIER

General Manager of BlueShore, Sandra McRae, can also testify to the high-stress atmosphere. “Every day is different. You must always be prepared for last minute changes and/or omissions,” said McRae. “There aren’t enough days in the week.

We are very busy and could use way more resources – human and capital. It can be a very high stress job.”

On top of booking shows, an important aspect of running entertainment venues is managing the financial side of the business. How do these venues afford to operate, exactly? Most rely on donations from sponsors and donors, on top of ticket sales. “Often, the cost of putting on a show is much greater than the revenue that it can generate; we depend on government subsidies and private sponsorships to help us make the formula work. And in order to gain those subsidies we have to prove that we have a social benefit that we give to the community, which is why we have a lot of add-on activities, and focus on programming work that we know will have an impact on the community,” said Selody of Presentation House. While most rely on donors, McRae finds funding in today’s cutthroat theatre funding environment, especially pertaining to meeting the University’s needs and demands, with help from the University itself. “It is a difficult one here, especially with so much of our usage allocated to the University’s needs, it becomes challenging to attract ‘rentals’ – which is where we make our money. Ticket sales are a good source of revenue, when performances require tickets; a lot of our stuff is free,” said McRae.

While working for local theatre companies can often be strenuous, there comes benefits to each individual in the career field. Mennell finds connections to those that she assists in showcasing. “In my opinion, the best part of being involved in the running of an art venue is getting to be a part of supporting something important and worthwhile, and getting to showcase the amazing work of local, Canadian and International artists,” said Mennell. “I would say that it is true that the industry is not at all boring. Every day is a different day, which is exciting.

It can be very rewarding emotionally and spiritually to be constantly engaged in an activity that’s trying to help people get on, or understand their community better.” said Selody. “The best part of running a local theatre is being a part of community building, networking, sharing ideas and finding creative ways to meet and overcome challenges collectively,” said McRae. “Being immersed in art and culture is an absolute joy. Working to administer art and working with artists and students to promote their craft is a privilege. The industry is filled with amazing, creative people who work really hard to pull off the impossible. It’s all worth it!”

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pening its doors in 1973, The Cultch, formally known as the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, has since been running as one of Vancouver’s most diverse arts and performance centres, offering multiple entertainment spaces within the one location. The centres include three theatrical venues, a gallery and multiple additional spaces within East Vancouver.

The spaces include the original venue, The Historic Theatre (1973), Vancity Culture Lab (2009), York Theatre (2013) and the newly reopened Greenhouse, offering programming in contemporary entertainment including theatre, music, dance, and the visual arts. According to The Cultch, their purpose is “to provide a venue for performance that serves a diverse and engaged public and provides space for artistic experimentation and development, building an audience for local companies and presenting cutting-edge national and international work.”

North Vancouver’s own Presentation House Theatre opened its doors in 1976 as the Presentation House Arts Centre. The idea of having a centre came from Anne MacDonald, the first board member to be a part of the arts centre. Her idea was to have a space for residents of the North Shore to create and showcase art, both visual and performance-based. Previously a city hall and police station for the community, the then vacant and dormant space was brought to life by artists through generous community donations, and the space was handed over to become the arts centre it is today, booking mainly community-based shows, supporting the local theatre scene.

Across town, Capilano University’s BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts opened in October of 1997, as a necessary facility for the everevolving performing arts programs at the University. Now also serving as a venue open to other university departments and wider community users, the venue books everything from wide musical varieties including vocal, classical, jazz and world music, to both professional and student theatre productions, to speaker series, and onwards.

CapU, continuously supporting the developing local theatre scene in Vancouver, offers many program options for those looking to pursue a career in the entertainment field. Programs such as the Technical Theatre Diploma, and the entire Arts and Entertainment Management department, allow individuals who are interested in getting into entertainment, to expand their knowledge of the field, and gain the experience to work at institutions such as The Cultch, Presentation House and BlueShore.

Whether you’re looking for a familyappropriate activity or a date night, theatre always makes for a nice evening

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FEATURES

FINDING LIGHT IN THE DARK How people recover from traumatic events Gabriel Scorgie FEATURES EDITOR

T

he human mind is a fragile thing where a simple sentence has the power to send our whole world crashing down and where certain smells and songs can make us well up with sadness or fill us with joy. So when something catastrophic happens that shakes our perception of reality, it’s no wonder it takes people so long to recover, if they ever do.

“From the moment I got the call, everything felt like a dream and I don’t even remember some of it,” described Julian King, whose father passed away suddenly in 2014. Feeling like you’ve entered a dream state is a coping mechanism. It’s the brain’s way of lessening the emotion connected to the event. It creates a different perception of the world and, as a result, makes you feel disconnected.

“I don’t know how I got to dad’s place,” began King, “I only remember getting in the car. The next thing I knew I was there.”

Amnesia like that can be specific, like a car ride, but people can also lose whole sections of their lives. Sexual abuse, for example, can cause disassociation and can make recalling certain parts of the event or that period of time difficult for people.

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PAST TRAUMA

For a lot of people, they are recommended counselling.

University of Toronto Professor, Jordan Peterson, however, warned in his online lecture series that going to talk to someone too soon after a traumatic event occurs may not be wise, “Without some temporal delay, there can be little difference between remembering and being re-traumatized. It is for this reason that ‘trauma counselling’ in the immediate aftermath of a terrible event can do more harm than good,” he said.

“When he first passed, I tried to go to group counselling,” said King. “It didn’t work for me because nobody was my age and I was the only young person. People talked about their wives their husbands their kids, but nobody lost their dad.”

When a loved one passes away, people will deal with what is known as simple grief. They will mourn the loss in a normal way. They’ll cry a lot, sleep less, eat less and struggle to imagine a life without them. Some will go into counselling and seek help with their grieving and, with or without the help of a counsellor, people resolve their grief and move on with life.

For some, they’re never able to move on.

“I thought about him for a long time,” said Kayleigh Stewart, whose fiancé left her after four years together. Peterson said that

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if someone recalls a memory that is more than 18 months old and they still have a visceral, negative reaction to it, then they haven’t articulated and resolved the issue internally. “Sometimes it still feels like a dream. I still get sad that I can’t talk to him,” said King. “For the longest time I waited for him to come back. I really believed he’d just call or text and everything would get back to normal,” echoed Stewart. There are stories of grown men and women who still cry at the thought of a dead relative. People who haven’t moved on from a decade old ex. These are all examples of people who haven’t reconciled with their past.

Known as complex grief, between 10 to 20 per cent of people who lose a loved one suffer grief severe enough that they need either prescription medication or counselling to deal with it. “I had one voicemail from him on my phone,” said King. “It was him apologizing to me over something. It wasn’t a happy message, but I still listened to it, I think almost every day.”

King said that even after a year had passed, he would still listen to the voicemail.

THE BALANCE BETWEEN ORDER AND CHAOS

Peterson describes psychological trauma as a descent into chaos. “Imagine that you know someone really well, an intimate partner, and they betray you.

The realization they’re having an affair suddenly dawns on you. Chaos is what that realization implies,” he said. Peterson argues that when someone believes something to be true and it turns out to be false, it can cause their world to fall apart.

“All sorts of things you thought were real, firm and solid aren’t. They’re illusions of some sort. You don’t know that person; you don’t know your past life. You don’t know your life with them, your history isn’t right.

Your projections into the future aren’t right. Everything falls apart.”

The idea is that humans’ natural instinct is to strike the perfect balance between order and chaos. Order is defined as knowing what you do works.

Competence and confidence. Chaos is the unknown, and it isn’t intrinsically bad.

Chaos is what allows you to improve as an individual. “If you put yourself in a new situation, a radically new situation, new genes will turn on inside you and they’ll code for new proteins and they’ll build new structures for you. That’s part of how you adapt. That’s why banging yourself against various obstacles in a systematic way is a good way of expanding your capabilities,” said Peterson.

However, when a traumatic event occurs, people find themselves surrounded by chaos. “When a revelation occurs that knocks down one of the walls that support you, you will descend accidently into chaos.

You’ll regard that as one of the worst experiences of your life,” said Peterson.

What’s interesting about the brain is that if an event is major enough, it can permanently alter your genetic structure not only for you, but in a way that can be passed down to your children. In fact, how deeply an experience can affect you is still unclear. “We have no idea to what level of being your experiences can be coded.

We don’t know what the fundamental structure of your memory is, how that’s associated with your conception of time

and space and how that’s related to your ongoing experience,” said Peterson.

A research team at New York’s Mount Sinai hospital found that when they studied the genetic structure of 32 Jewish men and women who had either been kept at Nazi internment camps, witnessed or experienced torture, or had to hide from Nazi soldiers, that genes stemming from the trauma had been passed down to their children. Similar conclusions have been found regarding slavery and PTSD in solders. This discovery was controversial at the time, as it went against conventional science that believed genes could only be passed down through DNA. Life is hard and it grinds people down mentally and physically. There’s a lot in this world that even well-conditioned people are afraid of, not to mention those with high neuroticism or that have suffered through a traumatic event. “We all get sick, we all die. Our families are vulnerable.

There’s an apocalyptic element to being and you have to face that and confront that and deal with it properly. There’s never a situation that’s so bad that you can’t make it worse,” said Peterson. He believes there are things in the world people are far more terrified of then death. We’re afraid of our minds and body deteriorating. We’re afraid of being in pain, or being betrayed, or going insane. We’re also afraid of death, but Peterson says that people who think death is the most frightening are wrong, otherwise people wouldn’t commit suicide.

“I know I haven’t moved on and I don’t know that I will,” said King. After his dad passed, King tried to go to school the following semester. Halfway through, he started to get terrible panic attacks that would debilitate him for the rest of the day, sometimes for multiple days. Eventually, he dropped out. “It terrified me. I’d sit in class and suddenly I’m terrified something bad had happened to mom. I had to talk to her that second and if she didn’t answer her phone I just lost it.”

Stewart, however, believes that

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way,ˮ wrote Frankl in his book. although the end of her relationship was devastating, it’s something she has come to terms with. “It took a long time and it was longer than I wanted but eventually I just slowly accepted it and started getting used to him not being there.”

It’s been over two years since his dad passed and King said that sometimes he’ll be out with friends or at work and he’ll get hit by a wall of sadness. He’s talked to other people his age who have lost parents and he said that has helped him out a bit. “Everyone older who has lost family has told me this feeling never goes away

so I think I’ve sort of just accepted it,” said King. “If my anxiety gets bad, the medication helps but some days it’s still really hard.”

THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

It’s an old, religious idea, but Peterson believes that life is naturally designed to wear us down. “Life is suffering, and suffering can make you jealous, murderous and genocidal if you take it far enough,” said Peterson. Saying that life is suffering sounds bleak, but it isn’t. People struggle and worry more than they’d like to admit. The key is to understand the suffering and find a way of living that justifies it. Peterson believes that truth is how people relieve the suffering. Truth puts the past behind us, so we can focus on the future without our minds being afraid, weak and corrupted. “That’s the final hell.

Your soul wishing for the destruction of everything because it’s too painful and you’re too bitter. That happens to people all the time.”

In 1942, Victor Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist who was arrested and brought to a concentration camp with his family.

When the camp was liberated three years later, most of his family, including his pregnant wife, had died. A year later, he wrote a book in nine days called Man’s Search for Meaning, where he concluded that the difference between those who lived and those who died in those camps came down to one thing: meaning.

Frankl spent his time in the camp as a therapist for other prisoners. Something he observed was that those who found meaning even in the worst of moments were more resilient to the suffering.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of the human freedoms – to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way," wrote Frankl in his book.

To support his argument, Frankl used two suicidal people he encountered in the camp as an example. "In both cases, it was a question of getting them to realize that life was still expecting something from them; something in the future was expected of them." One man had a young child who escaped capture and was living safely in another country. The other was a scientist who was writing a series of books he had not yet finished.

“A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the ‘why’ for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any ‘how’,” wrote Frankl.

So when something traumatic occurs, be it the loss of a family member, the end of a marriage, or some form of assault, a process of healing must occur. People have to grieve; they have to feel sorry for themselves, be devastated or however else the event made them feel. Eventually, though, they have to articulate what happened and resolve it internally. What makes this process easier is finding a reason to fight through the suffering and the pain. Life isn’t going to be easy or fun all the time and we certainty aren’t going to be happy through it all. But if we can find a reason to keep getting out of bed in the morning, we can get through anything.

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-RACHEL WADA

ARTS

THE ROAD TO ESCONDIDO How CapU alum Jessica Maros found her calling in Nashville’s underground scene Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jessica Maros isn’t at all ashamed of her Canadian roots – it’s just that the band she fronts and the city she lives in couldn’t be farther from the land of beavers and back bacon.

Since 2011, the Port Moody-born singer has comprised one half of the “desert rock” duo, Escondido, with Tyler James. Their artistic path has led them on multiple excursions from Nashville’s indie underground to the far reaches of North America – to clubs, festivals, and rural recording studios – and at many points it’s nearly led them apart, but the music has always prevailed.

“The day I met Tyler I walked out with a demo and went home and it was just like ‘wow, this is the sound that I’ve been trying to do for years,’” said Maros. “We have ups and downs, but when we come down to the writing phase and recording, that’s what we always agree on.”

Studying theatre at Capilano College 16 years ago, Maros never imagined she’d one day be making a living as a professional singer-songwriter. “At the time I thought I would do acting. I had no idea; I was just kind of floating, but I knew I wanted to be

in the entertainment industry,” she said.

“In the program, we did some set design work and we did costume design and we also did some lighting, and it’s interesting that those elements of what I learned still apply to what I do now. I do a lot of costumes for our shows; it all comes full circle.”

Coincidentally, the North Shore campus was also where she found her muse.

“I met my first boyfriend at Capilano College and he was in a rock band which is now The Matinee,” she recalled. Hanging with the band opened Maros’ eyes to a career in music and she began taking classical voice lessons with a local teacher.

Eventually, she secured a regular gig at Rossini’s Jazz Bar in Gastown where a friend happened to record one of her performances. The tape then made its way to Nettwerk Records where executives offered her a development contract for songwriting. “Because of all the acting I was doing at this time I called up my acting agent and said ‘Hey I think I got myself a record deal… do you guys have any management on the music side?’”

They did, and Maros was soon on a plane to Nashville to meet James and other members of a prominent indie songwriting collective known as Ten out of Tenn. “I still, to this day, am a huge fan of all them,” she said. “Those were the artists that I looked up to when I came here and wrote with and now they’re doing really well.”

Escondido’s debut album, The Ghost of Escondido, was released in March 2013.

Recorded live off the floor in a single day, it blossomed with the spirit of their newfound partnership and a certain naivety for what might be looming just over the horizon.

ZOE’S BAKED GOODS Former CapU student talks about her passion and how she’s combining it with school Carlo Javier MANAGING EDITOR

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Making macarons can be a tricky procedure. Their batter can be quite delicate and the most minor of missteps can lead to the pastry coming out deflated, too crunchy or even hollowed.

Despite failing time and time again to create a perfect macaron, Zoe Goode persevered. It wasn’t until after her seventh downfall that she finally got it right. “I’m pretty proud of that one, that was a big baking moment for me,” she said with glee. “I finally can say that I’ve mastered the macaron.”

Baking has been a part of Goode’s life since she was a child. The former Capilano University student used to find herself in the kitchen with her mother, helping her make cookies or mix the batter. When she wasn’t learning little tricks in the kitchen, she was tuned in to some of the Food Network’s classic cooking shows, getting inspired by the likes of Anna Olson, Martha Stewart and Ina Garten. In the seventh grade, Goode started baking on her own

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-ASHLEY BULTHUIS

“We captured a real moment,” recalled Maros, adding that the follow-up in 2016 was a “much tougher” process.

They began production on a third album this past January, once again combining their contrasting approaches to music.

“Tyler is very well-rounded; he knows exactly how he wants to hear the drums and he knows exactly how he wants to hear the washed-out guitars and it’s great. For me, I don’t really know,” said Maros. “I like just writing the songs, and in the writing process that is my goal, for something to be completely 100 per cent coming from the right place. I don’t necessarily like listening to other kinds of music during that process because I want it to be really pure. I mean, we all have influences, you can’t hide it, you can’t avoid it, but I like to have a clean palate.”

Live and in studio, Escondido’s sound is undeniably original, while also reflecting the musical melting pot from which the band emerged. “I feel like we have a Western quality and I think we’re very much in the vein of Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons a little bit,” said Maros. “I had no idea when I first came here that there was more than country. I mean, there are so many cool bands coming out of Nashville.

You’ve got Jack White living here, you’ve got The Black Keys, you’ve got Third Man Records, you’ve got Nikki Lane and Margo Price and we’re all in it together in a way.

It’s happened really fast.”

So how does Escondido, the band from Tennessee, connect to Escondido, the city in Southern California? So far, just by title. Before the duo had even formed, James had always loved the way the name sounded. “They’ve contacted us and asked

us to play the city hall and it just hasn’t worked out yet,” laughed Maros, “But it’s probably going to happen soon.”

In the meantime, the outfit has kept busy on the American festival circuit, including a memorable performance at Bumbershoot in Seattle last September.

“It was the first festival I went to that gave little gift bags of weed, which was hilarious,” Maros recalled. “My band members were like ‘Oh my gosh, we’ve got to come back, this is amazing.’”

A few months before that, she and James had another surreal experience that involved sharing a green room with Neil Young in Los Angeles. “He was hosting an album listening party at the National History Museum and we were playing it and basically we were upstairs watching him reveal his album to the crowd,” she said. “Tyler and I were like ‘Should we talk to him? Should we say something?’

But then we just didn’t. It seemed like he was nervous. I’m like, ‘If he’s nervous, I should be nervous.’ What does he have to be nervous about?”

It’s times like those when Maros can only pinch herself, marvelling at the twist of fate that caused a girl from Canada who “didn’t even like country” to end up in Grand Ole Opry territory, mining a musical underground she had no idea even existed.

“It’s kind of fun to look back,” she mused. “We’ve really questioned a lot of things about how badly we want to be in this band, you know. It’s so much work, but through the ups and downs we realized ‘Oh yeah, this is supposed to be. We’re supposed to make music.’”

For the latest Escondido news, tracks and tour dates, visit Thebandescondido.com.

– from then on, the fascination became a passion. “It’s definitely something that I use as a creative release,” she said. “If I’ve had a tough day at school, or at work, or if I have any spare time and I want to do something, then I’m usually baking.”

Soon, Goode started to document her creations, using Instagram to exhibit some of her most scrumptious pastries. Little did she know, the power of social media would actually lead her into creating her very own independent baking order service, operating in conjunction with her Instagram account: @zoebakez. “I started gaining followers and people started finding out that I was a skilled baker, and people started hiring me for orders and parties,” she said.

Right off the bat, Goode was put to the test. Her first order was for a large party and called for her to bake 150 cupcakes.

Despite the tedious and time-consuming task, Goode gained fulfillment from the end product – she also saw potential. “It felt so good to be able to show off what I can do,” she said. “That’s when I kind of realized that maybe this was something that I can get into more.”

Currently studying communications at SFU while minoring in publishing, Goode aims to combine elements of her love for the culinary arts with her education and affinity for design. “My dream would be to do page design layout for something related to baking or food – or managing visual and digital communications for a bakery, so being able to combine design, food photography and layout all into one,” she said. “My passion is baking, but

the career I would love to do is design.”

Like any full-time university student, Goode can be faced with the problems of time. It doesn’t help that she almost never turns down an order. “I’m in school four days a week and I’m working three days a week and I take on whatever baking orders I can,” she said. “I’m normally finding myself scrambling or even sacrificing my schoolwork to accommodate my passion just because I want to do that more than I want to do my schoolwork.”

Another challenge she faces is the amount of control she has with deadlines and time management. “When someone needs something, like on a Monday maybe, and I’ll have an exam that evening, I can’t really ask them to change the date of their event,” she admitted.

“It’s not really flexible when people have special requests, but I always try to make it work.”

For Goode, the fulfilling reactions from the people she bakes for are almost synonymous with the little surprises one gets when their baked goods turn out perfectly. Recently, Goode’s friend found out about her work and requested a “bear cake” for her dad. Goode had never crafted such a thing before, but just like in her quest to bake the perfect macaron, she persevered and found a way.

“She came and picked it up and she was almost in tears because she was so happy about it how it turned out,” she said. “It’s kind of a rewarding moment to show my talent and make them happy, so that was really nice.”

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REFLECTING ON “CULTURAL REALITIES OF RESISTANCE” In conversation with Tongo Eisen-Martin and Cecily Nicholson Jessica Lio OPINIONS EDITOR

North America. “[What we’re seeing] is an intensification of all sorts of current bullshit that’s been here since colonization, since imperialism, since the transatlantic slave trade,” said Nicholson. The problems facing vulnerable populations aren’t new, but now more than ever, there needs to be a consciousness and ability to talk about what’s going on, and to ground that consciousness in neighbourhoods and in concrete realities.”

“Trayvon Martin, Ramarley Graham and Aiyana Jones were all killed during Obama’s administration. The right for the government to [kill] US citizens and this police state, Trump didn’t just pull out of nowhere. It’s one that was made readily available to him, since the beginning,” Eisen-Martin stated. However, he maintained that nothing can reach a crisis point unless society lets it. “They’re not doing anything that we can not handle.

They’re not doing anything that we can not resist. In fact, any time we lose, it’s only because we [have] not organized ourselves properly.”

So, the question becomes: what happens next? For Nicholson, it’s about creative practice and building autonomous spaces where people can trust each other.

In creating these spaces, Nicholson hopes to start by transforming every day areas – work spaces, classrooms, streets and homes. “It doesn’t matter how revolutionary anything is if the language isn’t plain enough, if the door isn’t wide enough, if there's not food and an accessible bathroom. That work, regardless of where we are, is so critical… It’s so easy to affect change. [It’s] completely possible all the time.”

“A lot of us have a clear understanding of what we experience. We know when we’re being oppressed. I think similarly, we have to recognize when we’re not oppressed or what that feels like,” she said, recalling an experience of speaking on a panel in Toronto where the moderator and speakers were all black women. “There’s five of us sitting there and we’re talking. We’re not talking about being black women, we’re

talking about art! And that has never happened… That kind of moment when you have consciousness and agreement and trust, and you’ve got a space. Those are some of the things I’ve learned to hear and recognize.”

In her own work, Nicholson tries to find poetry in all situations. “It’s just about freeing up our minds every day. It becomes a collective critique and analysis,” she said. At times like these, Nicholson is still optimistic about the ability to create art, not to mask the ugliness of what the Earth is going through, but to speak right through it.

“You can’t look for revolutionary work to solve some depths of unhappiness. When revolutionary works get undermined by people who bring [their] internal conflict…

If you haven’t put yourself in the process of resolving that inner duality, you will never be safe. Regardless of what you do, there’s going to be a crisis there,” Eisen-Martin warned. “Art has been good for me because it teaches me how to take any reality that’s upsetting to me and find some type of healthy relationship to it. I can point out something within it that gives myself, or anybody that wants to walk in my shoes, some type of invincibility. A part of you that has no enemy.”

Both poets have been putting these moments of liberation and invincibility in their own poetry. Eisen-Martin’s upcoming book, Heaven is All Goodbyes, will be published in September by City Lights Books of San Francisco. Nicholson’s Wayside Sang, which explores ideas about the black Diaspora, will be published in November with Talon Books in Vancouver.

“It’s encouraging to see that we have solid counterparts here. That’s what I’ll return home gushing about. It’s beautiful to see what happens when people in good process come together, whether it be oriented around art or political struggle,” said Eisen-Martin. “I represent no accomplishment or success story. We can’t brag until this world is truly transformed.

That’s the music that’s been made the last couple days.”

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poetry community.

“My bags were packed as soon as I read the email,” Eisen-Martin said. As an artist, he could trust that Nicholson would understand the complexity of both art and movement work. “I knew that it was going to intellectually feel like home.

Not necessarily home as in San Francisco, but just kind of the home you make with people… So, I had a relaxed approach into the conversation.”

Nicholson knew Eisen-Martin would be the perfect artist to connect with audiences.

“It’s possible to listen to Tongo’s work and feel enraged and engaged, and not feel somehow outside of it,” she said. His oratory style uniquely married traditions of the black aesthetics movement of the 1960s and 70s with a contemporary voice.

Without fail, it was this voice that drew a room full of people into a critical discussion about creating culture and resistance, while recognizing the institutional realities of the spaces on which we gather.

Along with teaching at detention centres in New York and California, EisenMartin has also worked and organized in Jackson, Mississippi, an area with one of the highest incarceration rates in the US. Despite his intention to protect students from the oppression they faced outside the classroom, Eisen-Martin realized after years of teaching in detention centres that his work could not escape the institutional realities and functions of the prison system.

“I was talking about teaching in a jail. The function of education should be the practice of liberation. That’s in stark contradiction to a site that’s fiction is slavery,” he explained. If communities can create culture in spaces that are meant to perpetuate oppression, they can acknowledge and be conscious of that reality. In a sense, culture doesn’t mean only art – its’s also about how groups spend time together. In a time when many are afraid to speak up about the injustices afflicting oppressed communities, both Eisen-Martin and Nicholson offered a sobering perspective on the status quo in

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On a quiet Saturday afternoon in Vancouver, a room full of people gathered with excitement in a big blue building on Industrial Avenue. Despite the surrounding reminders of poverty, injustice and ongoing gentrification, two dozen people held space to listen and learn from each other. They were waiting for the arrival of Tongo Eisen-Martin, a San Francisco-based poet and revolutionary movement worker, and Cecily Nicholson, a local poet and inspirational community organizer who made Eisen-Martin’s trip to Vancouver possible.

The two poets first met in San Francisco mere months ago, when Nicholson travelled to the Bay Area for a poetry reading in the winter of 2016. Eisen-Martin is an educator who advocates against mass incarceration and the extrajudicial killing of African American people in the United States.

Nicholson has worked in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside community for 17 years, where she’s currently an administrator at an artist-run space called Gallery Gachet. Nicholson has also been involved with migrant justice and prison abolition movement work. It only made sense that the two instantly shared what Eisen-Martin called a surreal “cooperation of power” upon meeting.

As the writer in residence at SFU, when Nicholson was offered the opportunity to organize a poetry event, she knew right away that Eisen-Martin would have a unique and highly relevant perspective to Vancouver’s community organizers and the

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·· More educational and social initiatives for the benefit of all CapU students

ON MARCH 21, 22 & 23, VOTE YES TO A FULLER CUP OF CAMPUS NEWS. *Price of coffee is approximated. Maximum increase to Student Publication Fee will be $2.04 per term ($4.08 per year) if per-credit fee cap is reached in both the Fall and Spring terms. Visit CapilanoCourier.com/referendum for more information.

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SHORTS

÷

STEVE LACY’S DEMO

Ed Sheeran

Steve Lacy Justin Scott

CONTRIBUTOR

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

The anticipation is finally over for Ed Sheeran fans who have patiently been waiting for new songs since X released in 2014. ÷ will leave listeners nostalgic for people they’ve never met and places they’ve never been. The album induces heartache, love and a desire to dance in the streets of Spain to the song “Barcelona”.

The Brit’s new album offers a variety of genres including club songs, love songs and Irish folk. Opening track “Eraser” delves into Sheeran’s small-town life and his transition from couch-surfer to millionaire.

He raps, “I look in the mirror, questioning what I've become,” offering a glimpse into the artist’s struggle with his new founded fortune and fame.

An Ed Sheeran album would be incomplete without a song that leaves his listeners belting out heartfelt lyrics about love and loss. “Dive” is undoubtedly the breakthrough song on ÷, introducing a soulful and stripped down ballad that pulls on emotional strings. The chorus captures the blue-eyed singer’s ability to perfectly hit the high notes with his raw and raspy voice. This track will leave you clinging onto the love of your life, or wishing you had one.

Don’t be fooled by Sheeran’s boy nextdoor façade – he may seem like an outsider, but “Shape of You” is a mainstream wonder. The Caribbean-themed track is everything you would expect from a 2017 pop single, it’s infectious and Sheeran’s talent for guitar looping creates the perfect dancing atmosphere. ÷ is Sheeran’s re-introduction to the music scene, with tracks that fall far from his previous work. But Sheeran's ability to expand his music by taking new risks has allowed him to break barriers, musical charts and even some hearts.

Steve Lacy’s Demo is one of the most exciting releases to come out of the West Coast in quite some time. No, he’s not Anderson .Paak, or Frank Ocean, or Kendrick Lamar – Lacy is an 18-year-old kid fresh out high school, who has embraced the musical styling’s of the California music culture he grew up surrounded by. You may know his past work as a member of The Internet, but don’t be confused, Steve Lacy’s Demo is just that, his.

The six-track release is rich in sound, with reverb-ridden guitar riffs being guided by the teenager’s capable voice – which has clearly been influenced by his California contemporaries .Paak and Ocean.

While there may only be six tracks to choose from, each is strong and unique.

“Dark Red”, a track reminiscent of Channel Orange, sees Lacy trying to save a doomed relationship. “What if she’s fine, it’s my mind that’s wrong, and I just let bad thoughts, linger for far too long” he sings.

Opening track “Looks” is funky as hell, and fully allows Lacy to show off his musical talents. “Thangs”, on the other hand, is slower, and sees the young man attempting to entice a potential love interest.

Steve Lacy may have broken onto the music scene with The Internet, but he is quickly making a name for himself. Steve Lacy’s Demo gives listeners six tracks, all of which allow the young Lacy to shine. This release should have you salivating over the idea of an impending full length release from the Californian. Oh, and it was all recorded and produced on an iPhone…

Stormzy

DRUNK Thundercat Carlo Javier

Justin Scott ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Stormzy's first album, Gang Signs & Prayer, is a masterpiece. The British grime emcee recorded a collection of tracks that allow listeners to feel as if they truly know him. Not only does he tell stories of a youth spent growing up on the streets of South London, he also explores his emotions and past relationships, even discussing his battle with depression.

While the album starts with traditional grime tracks like “First Things First”, “Cold” and “Bad Boys”, he quickly gets into one of the offerings that allows Gang Signs & Prayer to shine.

“Blinded by Your Grace, Pt.1” is a beautifully composed and delivered track.

“Your love never lets me down, your love never leaves me out,” he sings over a keyboard similar to Kanye West’s “Only One”.

Following what may be the album’s best grime anthem, “Big for Your Boots”, is another sultry track. “Velvet” showcases the diverse delivery capabilities that are sure to turn Stormzy into a star. He floats atop the slower, more soulful beat, then closes it out by serenading listeners with a smoky voiced verse – but not before firing shots at those who doubted his abilities to sing.

The transition from “Velvet” to “Mr. Skeng” exemplifies the album. Between the two tracks, Stormzy evolves from a vulnerable and introspective man to someone you don't want to fuck with.

“Cigarettes & Cush”, “Blinded by Your Grace, Pt.2”, and the albums penultimate track “Shut Up”, are also standout songs, with the latter being a triumphant middle finger to anyone who didn’t believe in the British emcee.

Stormzy has said the he hopes Gang Signs & Prayer will bring grime to the masses. It’s a diverse album that needs to be listened to from front to back, with every song being a must-listen.

MANAGING EDITOR

Thundercat wants to take you on an intergalactic space journey. In his third album, Drunk, the multi-genre jazz guitarist exhibits exactly why he was such an integral force in two of the most universally-acclaimed albums of the past half-decade: Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and Kamasi Washington’s The Epic.

Thundercat is a bass guitar virtuoso who comfortably tiptoes the lines of jazz, hip-hop, fusion and new age. Armed with a silky-smooth falsetto, legitimately hilarious storytelling and off-kilter jokes, Thundercat unleashes the aptly titled Drunk as arguably his best work to date.

“Lava Lamp” is a sultry love song that borrows elements of slow jam from 90’s titans like Boyz II Men and Keith Sweat.

The Flying Lotus-assisted “Jethro” is an escapade that manages to be both concise and exploratory and “Drink Dat” is a failproof radio single that explores the perils of… drinking.

The holistic approach to styles and genre are evident in Drunk. Frequent collaborators like Flying Lotus and Sounwave pop up throughout the album, while Kendrick Lamar delivers another signature verse in “Walk On By”. In the initial single, “Show You the Way”, Thundercat resurrects the magic of Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald, essentially demonstrating how a standard r&b song should sound like.

As intricate and impressive as the music is on Drunk, the greatest aspect of the album might be Thundercat’s honest writing. He pays tribute to his love for Japanese culture in “Tokyo” and writes an ode to video games in “Friend Zone”.

Drunk is an adventurous record that illustrates the undeniable talent of Thundercat, hinting at his potential to please both conventional and underground audience. Yet as he sings in “Friend Zone”, he’d “rather be playing Mortal Kombat anyway”.

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

Matty Taghipour

GANG SIGNS & PRAYER

OPINIONS

TAKING THE ALTERNATIVE SEAT IN THE OVAL OFFICE Professionalism and formal etiquette yet to be observed in the post-truth era Connor Svensrud CONTRIBUTOR

Regardless of your political views, there’s no doubt that the Trump administration is easily one of the most controversial in recent North American history. From the way its executives talk to the way they act, it seems no one can go a week, let alone a day, without the administration coming up in conversation.

Recently, a viral photo taken in the Oval Office was the subject of public scrutiny. In it, the president is meeting with a group

of representatives and leaders of several African American colleges, shaking hands with them and posing for a photo. However, the bigger focus was on Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, who was captured sitting with her feet up on the couch, in a kneeling position, on her phone, no less.

This picture isn’t just worth a thousand words. It’s almost a perfect metaphor for exactly how the administration is treating their appointment to the White House.

One might expect their kid to sit like that in their bedroom or living room couch, but we’re talking about the counselor to the president of the United States here, not a bored teenager taking a snapshot at a family gathering. Officials such as Conway and Spicer have put themselves into precarious positions by opting to throw traditional etiquette and courtesies out the window in favour of appearing like people who can “shake up” Washington.

With these newly appointed members of staff in the White House, it just doesn’t seem to register with them that the office

they’ve been granted the privilege to occupy comes with very serious responsibilities.

Instead, with this administration, what we’re witnessing seems closer to a violent shakedown. Those who are inexperienced are revered and those who have an adversarial track record with the very departments they’re being appointed to run are celebrated and touted as strong leaders, worthy of praise and admiration. From what we have seen of the administration in such a short time in office, it would hardly come as a surprise if Conway were sitting that way during a meeting with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Frankly, they’ve refused to take responsibility and prioritize the critical work they’ve been hired to do. No, these guys are too cool to act like politicians, because they aren’t like all the other liars and crooks in Washington. They are going to provide alternative facts, because the enemy of the people (read: free press) are not being “nice” to them. They are going to opt out of frivolous things like security and legal briefings, so they can excuse

themselves and shift the blame onto others when they find themselves in hot water.

Who would have known that occupying the country’s highest office would require solving such complex and intricate problems? Surely not those with bad experience who have dedicated years and years of their lives to public service.

It’s not only how Conway was sitting that reflects the ethos of the Trump administration. What it really boils down to is professionalism - something the Trump Administration clearly doesn’t even know the definition of. Right now, there are people in the White House who have openly and proudly demonstrated that they care little for things that will affect the lives and well being of real human beings. Morals, ethics and empathy seem to mean nothing to those who are in control of the Trump administration.

Both the right and left wing have people who care deeply about these issues, but the tragedy is that none of them are sitting in the Oval Office.

APP ATTACK: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TECHNOLOGY TALKS BACK Artificial intelligence will transform apps as we know them Gabriel Scorgie

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

FEATURES EDITOR

If the addition of Black Mirror to the Netflix roster did anything, it put the fear of God into the hearts of those who are unsure about the future of technology. In a sense, it’s understandable. A world where your entire house can be controlled by voice command and you can study in a virtual reality classroom isn’t unfathomable.

However, these fast-approaching realities should be seen as cause for celebration, not fear.

The widespread integration of artificial intelligence technology into our everyday lives could be the death rattle of many apps as we know them. Make no mistake; the slow disappearance of apps is a good thing.

Just a quick scroll through your phone’s app pages will prove that most of us have too many apps but barely make use of any of them. How many specialized apps do you have for tasks like tracking cheap plane tickets, checking the weather in Zimbabwe or finding places to eat, that you can’t get rid of because they might be useful again at some point in the future? Not to mention the plethora of games we download, play once, then completely forget about. The advancement of technology like Google Home, Siri and the like will become a “one stop shop” with the functions of all those specialty apps built right in.

Voice controlled devices aren’t going to supersede mobile apps in the same way that DVD killed the VCR. Instead, they’ll supplement them, covering their blind spots. For instance, voice controlled Tinder would be awful. Nobody wants Siri reading out strangers’ bios or asking if you’d like to swipe left or right. It’ll be the niche apps

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-JULIANA VIEIRA

that control your the temperature in your apartment and keep track of your groceries that fall to the wayside.

One of the hurdles this technology will have to overcome is the shitty, but everimproving, voice recognition software.

Not many people in Australia are going to want to talk to a device that hears “happy Tuesday” as “hoppy cheese day,” but developers are already working on that.

Plus, there will be the capacity for some really iconic celebrity voices. Anybody who had the Snoop Dogg narrated GPS knows the endless potential there.

An interesting part of voice activated technology is how it could replace human contact. We are naturally social creatures, but talking to an intelligent enough AI could satisfy our social urges. It could even be used as a way to help people with social anxiety overcome their fears. The extreme of this was seen in the movie Her, where a very lonely Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with his day planner, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Then again, who wouldn’t fall in love with their celebrity voiced AI? There are a few people in the Maple building who would love to fall asleep to the soothing

voice of Ryan Reynolds telling them a bedtime story.

Overall, the future of voice controlled technology is full of potential. Smart homes could be fully operated by a device like Google Home. Grocery shopping could be done by your fridge and delivered to your door. Thermostats and light fixtures operated by voice control. Since real life isn’t an episode of Black Mirror, it’s not likely that your house is going to kill you.

Ultimately, these new technologies are going to make life more convenient, not deadly.

GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’ TD-ous Bank Work Andrew Yang COLUMNIST

When I received the call that I got hired at TD Bank, I thought it would be pretty sweet that I would get the chance to meet people as a bank teller. I really needed all the customer service experience I could get, not to mention I’d heard how full-time bank employees had decent wages and benefits. Little did I know, the job that I got at TD Bank was nowhere remotely close to being a bank teller…

As it turns out, I was hired as a mail clerk.

What this means is that I was to oversee filing client information for financial planners, send outdated documents to the shredder and write greeting cards on the occasional holiday. I’ve been at not one, not two, but three separate branches of TD Bank to help with those menial tasks. Yet, working at the bank technically granted me completion hours for my practicum, so I swallowed my pride and got down to business.

For the first branch, I bussed all the way to Kerrisdale to sort out a financial planner’s messy cabinet. After several hours of registering myself into the slow

Vote

administration network, I finally got to the part where I synchronized my online calendar with my employer’s. I asked if there was anything else I could do to make myself useful, but being a mail clerk meant I was too busy sorting out office chores to even talk to the customers.

At the second branch, I worked at the Kingsway location near Metrotown, somewhere much more convenient for my transportation options (even though it was still relatively far from my home).

Once again, I was assigned to same shit that I did before, only it was a different employer with meticulous requirements.

For example, there were pages that needed double-sided printing or else it was a waste of office paper. Part of me got irked that there was nothing else for me to learn, so I got out of there.

The third branch was relatively better because it was closest to my house. But here’s the catch: I only got to work at the West Vancouver branch once every two weeks. Even when I tried to contact the hiring managers, they were either too busy with their own tasks or ended up telling me to contact the HR department.

So, I called the HR department and asked if there were any other job opportunities for me.

For some strange reason, the head of the HR department acted sketchy and played dumb with me. I sent her my resumé twice, yet it got rejected on the

- WOLFGANG THOMO

COLUMNS

basis that I didn’t have enough customer experience. (Okay, so how the hell am I supposed to gain experience when you won’t let me work as a bank teller in the first place?!) Deep down, I resented both the HR department and the hiring managers for not giving me a chance to prove myself. It pissed me off that I was still working at a part-time job with no

to a student union building Vote

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benefits, too afraid of the consequences of unemployment.

Now that I think about it, I applied through a job search agency, but I hadn’t bothered reading the job description.

Sometimes I can’t believe I’m desperate to make a few bucks that I sign up for things without planning ahead. Now I wished I had studied accounting...

to financial stability csu.bc.ca/yes

a university experience 21

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

On March 21, 22, and 23, vote Yes to

COLUMNS

Subway + Circus Malbec 2015 Max Ley

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17

COLUMNIST

Subway is a rather divisive place. Either it transports you to a new world of delicious, semi-healthy wonder or it brings you to a disappointing reality of yoga-mat-likebread and chicken that's actually only 50 per cent chicken.

Let's get back on track, though. Subway has been a staple of the student diet for ages. It's always the "Well, Subway isn't that bad for you" option when you and your friends are craving fast food and trying to pretend you're concerned about your figure. Those $5 foot longs are the perfect meal when you're on a budget. There are, of course, many customizable options at Subway, but after some thorough polling, it was determined that the classic "Meatball Sub" is the most quintessential "student" sub. So, let's move on to our fermented grape juice of the day.

For today, we went with the most popular of red grapes, an Argentine Malbec.

Originally from France, Malbec has found a great home in Argentina, growing and becoming one of the most popular grapes in the world. Argentine Malbecs are deep, juicy and delightfully approachable reds, rightfully earning their popularity with so many different demographics.

The 2015 Circus Malbec was the wine of the evening and it did its wine compatriots proud. This deep and dark wine started off with a full nose of blackberries, pepper spice and some dashes of coffee notes. Full and rich on the palate, this red is intense with a slight salty note, pepper, smokey spice and dried dark fruit. The tannins are well integrated with bright acidity, making this wine approachable and easily accessible – a total deal of a wine that I found at Brewery Creek Cold Beer and Wine for $17.77 on the shelf. The Circus Malbec should not only be a good sipping wine, but also a perfect wine to accompany a totally stacked meatball sub.

So, what happened when the Subway made a stop at the Circus? Well, I should clarify what exactly was in my sub.

The meatballs were covered in a light, unobtrusive tomato sauce topped with some cheese. Veggie-wise we had some lettuce, tomatoes, onions and some hot peppers, all covered with some "lite" mayonnaise (I'm trying to watch my figure). Sounds like a lot of stuff right?

When matched with the sub, the wine more than held its own. The juicy, bright nature of the Malbec was wonderful with the veggies and gave the entire meal a fresh aura. As the main event, the meatballs were ideal with this dense, savoury wine.

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The rich fruit accompanied the fatty meat quite ideally. However, the problem with meals like this sub is that some ingredients may have substantially more prominent flavours than others. This may seem like an obvious point but a meatball from Subway is not going to have as much prominence or depth of flavour as a hot pepper from Subway. While the meatball and sauce worked beautifully with the rich, dark fruit heavy wine, the pepper was too spicy and sharp that it cut through the wine easily. That is unfortunately the issue with "jammy" wines like this, where there is a lot of fruit and body, but not enough real structure to truly match up against many kinds of flavour profiles. Passing on the peppers would have helped tremendously, keeping the sub more focused on the meat and tomato flavours, rather than letting the hot peppers be front and centre.

All in all, this was a good pairing with only the pepper really causing a disturbance into what could have been an almost perfect pairing. Of course, many other wines could go with all sorts of combinations of subs, so finding the perfect pairing with your favourite sandwich artist-created masterpiece is up to you!

Maybe that Spicy Italian BMT would go great with a nice chianti, or if you splurge on a Chicken & Bacon Ranch, try a nice buttery Chardonnay! Let us know what pairings you enjoy and discover! As always you can find me on twitter and Instagram @sipsiphurray.

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REIGN VANCOUVER Food Stash is Vancouver’s newest food hero Marissa Del Mistro

Over 190,000 tons of food is wasted in Metro Vancouver every year – more than 50 per cent are quality items that could’ve been eaten.

Founded in September 2016, Food Stash is striving to reduce the staggering amount of waste by rescuing neglected food. Unsold and slighted items from farms, markets and cafés are picked up by volunteer drivers and delivered on the same day to charities across Vancouver. The food is more than adequate to be consumed and the redistribution diverts them from contributing to the harmful environmental issues often associated with excess food waste.

For David Schein, founder of Food Stash, what makes the initiative so unique is that it deals with fresh and perishable food.

These can sometimes be the hardest to acquire and redistribute, but the benefits of fresh food are significant. “Vancouverites should be able to access fresh and healthy fruit and veggies,” Schein said. “While we do receive a little bit of dried goods, 50 per cent of the food we pick up are fresh food and veggies. A quarter has been bread and eight per cent are dairy.” Since its inception six months ago, Food Stash is now associated with 25 retailer donors and delivering to 20 charities. Schein is continuously motivated by knowing that the food is being used and he enjoys the support from the individuals who receive the products.

One of Schein’s favourite stories during his work on Food Stash happened just before Christmas on Dec. 23. He delivered various food items, which included seven stacks of ribs, to a government subsidized housing complex. To his pleasant surprise, the 50 residents got together for a BBQ, perfectly capturing the spirit of giving and community in the holidays. “There is so much food waste. When we get more donators involved, I want to expand to start delivering weekly boxes of fresh produce to food insecure families throughout the city as well,” he said.

Indeed, Schein has many ideas for the

GET ON UP

Aidan Mouellic COLUMNIST

and teachers along for the pickup and delivery processes. “They get to see the food that we’re getting and they are always surprised by the quality,” he said. “While we’re driving, we talk about food waste and things that they can do at home to help. It’s a lot of fun and its good for young adults to see and learn about this early, so they continue to be active and aware as they get older.”

Food Stash is entirely run by volunteers who organize one pickup and delivery a week to subsidize the work. Schein explained that the responsibilities are about an hour a week of commitment and it’s designed to be convenient for anyone

who wants to join in the continued success of Food Stash. Donating, volunteering or making suggestions for charities or contributors can all be done through Food Stash’s website, Foodstash.ca.

Food waste is one of the worst contributors to pollution and other environmental concerns, but thanks to the effort and support of Food Stash, plenty of goods are being rescued and given to those in need. Not only does this type of work relieve hunger and stress for Vancouverites, but its making a promising contribution to our environmental footprint.

Check out Food Stash’s Instagram at: @ foodstashfoundation.

it. While acceptance in some situations is great, it doesn’t mean you can’t change.

Depression and anxiety are great at fooling us into believing that they are the new normal. Even though I’m aware that I deal with mental illness and I work on overcoming it, most of the time, it still manages to render me into a helpless slave to its power. Finding ways to outsmart the habit of helplessness could be crucial to finding “it” – whatever “it” is. One tool that is powerful in the fight against helplessness is psychical activity – like sports.

Smart people scoff at sports and working out – that’s something that jocks do, after all! Sports are for brutes who failed at thinking and resorted to using their body to gather achievements. Same goes for the gym, it’s where meatheads congregate to discuss protein powder and EDM. That’s what we’ve been taught and

its complete bullshit. Some of the smartest people I know are athletes and some of the dumbest people I know are scientists. I’m not here to tell you that stereotypes are often wrong, we know that. Embarking on this path towards regaining my health has made me realize how powerful a tool sports is in combatting helplessness.

The opposite of being helpless is being confident. When you train, and see yourself becoming stronger, it’s irrefutable proof that your actions are causing a positive change. It’s a powerful feeling seeing yourself become physically stronger, not because of the strength achieved, but because of the confidence it provides.

Confidence is something that has a different meaning for everyone. When it’s brought up in the same conversation as athletics and sports, you might get images of cocky frat boys and that’s understandable. For me, I view confidence

as believing that I’m capable of achieving something, regardless of what rules or obstacles I have in my way. Like happiness, confidence is elusive and fleeting. Perhaps no one exemplifies confidence as well as Keith Richards. You might assume that the legendary guitarist exhumes confidence because of his Rockstar status, but I think all of that is irrelevant to the core of his confidence. It’s about being carefree – uninhibited by constructs and how society may want you to act.

Music and sports are two of the great equalizers, and to be good at either takes discipline and rhythm. Harnessing the power of physical movement is perhaps one of the most intelligent things to do and it can enhance your art or academic work in so many ways. Einstein perhaps summed it up best when he said, “I thought of that while riding my bicycle.”

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The past week or so, I’ve been thinking a lot about helplessness. I don’t know what sparked this, but the thought of it deeply resonated with me. I see helplessness as the feeling that life is happening to me and all I can do is accept it – like an out of control passive existence. I came to the realization that for a while now, I’ve been in a sort of helpless state. I’ve come to accept that within my brain, there was shit that was going on that I didn’t like, but I just had to find a way to work with

future of Food Stash. Along with expanding charities and donors, Schein aspires to incorporate a kitchen and cold storage to elongate shelf life. Food Stash now receives produce from Fraser Valley Farms and come summer months, the number of produce will increase, so adequate storing will be important to preserve the supply.

Sustaining projects like Food Stash will promote and fulfil the mandate for Metro Vancouver to be the greenest city by 2020 and zero waste by 2040.

Essential to Food Stash’s sustainability is passing on the knowledge of food waste. Schein has partnered with local high schools and taken both students

THE CAPILANO COURIER

How being more active can boost your confidence

- DAVID SCHEIN

COLUMNIST

CABOOSE

HOROSCOPES

THINKING CAP

IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK:

If you still care about this after your 22nd birthday you need to get over yourself.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18):

Your new haircut is so nice you almost wish you had friends to show it off to.

LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22):

You know it’s gotten out of control when your delivery drivers are concerned about you.

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MARCH 20):

Q:

The CSU referendum is coming up – March 21, 22 and 23. Why do you feel it's important to be involved in campus democracy?

"I think it is important to be involved in campus democracy because I still don't know what those technology fees actually get me."

Tyus Bro, second-year Acting for Stage and Screen

All work and no play makes you still deeply in debt.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 21):

Never, ever take advice from a stranger.

ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19):

The only part worse than still living in your parents’ basement is that it’s been flooded for three months.

LIBRA (SEPT. 22 - OCT. 23):

Remember, it’s called a trash can, not a trash cannot.

TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20):

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 21):

You decided to buy an Amazon Echo with Alexa. Or as you call it, “friend in a box.”

A beer a day keeps sobriety away.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21):

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20):

Just because one size fits all, it doesn’t mean it looks good.

Even blind people don’t like looking at you.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19):

CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22):

Life is dangerous but that’s still no excuse for wearing water wings in the bath.

People who say you can’t run away from your problems have never been chased by someone in a wheelchair.

TO ADVERTISE in the Courier’s pages, please contact us by phone at 778-855-9942 or email Andy Rice, our editor-in-chief, at capcourier@gmail.com.

We are proud to offer discounts to non-profit organizations and North Shore customers. A full media kit with sizes, rates and deadlines is available on our website, CapilanoCourier.com. Classified advertisements up to 50 words are free for students.

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

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"If you have a right to vote it makes you feel like you're a part of the university."

Midhwan Mahajan, first-year Business Administration

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"I just think it's important because everyone deserves an equal voice."

Erik Kristian Canas Petersen, fourth-year Tourism Management

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"Well I think it's good to be aware of what's going on and give your opinions because you're part of the school and it's good to be heard."

Charmaine Iormetti, second-year Music Diploma

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