Capilano Courier | Vol. 49.5, Issue 18.

5 NEWS – CSU election draws record turnout of 900+ to polls VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE 18

MARCH 27 - APRIL 2 | 2017

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY 12

8 SPORTS – The uphill battle against gender discrimination

CONTENTS

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04

06

07

Cover Art

News

Campus Life

Sports

11

14

18

21

Features

Arts & Culture

Opinions

Columns

THE STAFF

COLUMNISTS

RACHEL WADA

THE PLIGHT OF CANADA'S INDIGENOUS STUDENTS

Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

editor@capilanocourier.com Carlo Javier MANAGING EDITOR

carlo.capcourier@gmail.com

DANGERFIELD UNVEILS FIRST BUDGET TO BOARD

BENSON SHUM’S JOURNEY TO DISNEY

A LOOK AT DIVERSITY IN CAPILANO'S COURSES

VANITY UNFAIR

A NEW ADDITION TO THE BLUES FAMILY

DROPPING THE F-BOMB: LESSONS IN MENTORSHIP

CONTRIBUTORS Nima Boscarino Tony Stark is a self-proclaimed genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist. Nima Boscarino is not self-proclaimed, but he is a genius, could one day be a billionaire, probably is too handsome to be a playboy and is a philanthropist waiting to happen. Tony Stark is a tech expert, so is this man. The only difference is that Mr. Stark is a comic book character. Mr. Boscarino is real.

Rachel Wada COVER ART

Juliana Vieira ART

Ashley Bulthuis ART

Wolfgang Thomo

Kevin Kapenda

ART

NEWS EDITOR

news@capilanocourier.com

Syd Danger

Syd Danger

Jessica Lio

Armed with low self confidence and the ability to loop every conversation back to the Marvel Universe, Syd ventures out to bring her fellow geeks news from the fabled outside world. Valar morghulis, motherfuckers

ART

OPINIONS EDITOR

opinions.capcourier@gmail.com

PHOTOS

FEATURES EDITOR

Rachel D'sa

specialfeatures.capcourier@gmail.com

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

arts.capcourier@gmail.com Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

campuslife.capcourier@gmail.com

ART

Paul Yates

Gabriel Scorgie

Justin Scott

Annie Chang

Kevin O'Neill Communications student Kevin O’Neill is one of Capilano University’s truest stand up students. His dedication and work with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation is both inspiring and impressive.

In his column, he’ll be shedding much needed light on some of the issues that Canada’s First Nations communities face. Fun fact: Kevin is the most accessible person I have ever met – you could text himwhenever you want and you’ll get a response.

WORDS

Scott Barkmeyer WORDS

Tia Kutschera Fox WORDS

Layla Kadri WORDS

Cristian Fowlie ART DIRECTOR & LAYOUT DESIGNER

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com Noah Penner MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

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

Brittany Tiplady Coming in to rescue our promising and ultra important column on feminism is Brittany Tiplady, co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of Loose Lips Magazine. Armed with a breadth of experience in the journalism world, Brittany is set to bring a significant and much-needed voice to the Courier. Look out for some explosive truth bombs!

community.capcourier@gmail.com POSITION AVAILABLE! BUSINESS ADVISOR

business.capcourier@gmail.com Brandon Kostinuk WEB COORDINATOR

web.capcourier@gmail.com

Kevin Kapenda One of the best things we can do as citizens is to be better informed about the political environment we live in. Thankfully, Mr. FuturePrime- Minister-with- a-Mixtape, Kevin Kapenda, is here to provide some much needed sober second thoughts on the upcoming provincial elections. Expect some harsh, but fair truth bombs from our very own version of the East Atlanta Santa, only much smarter.

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

TALKING THE TALK; WALKING THE WALK Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THE VOICEBOX with Carlo Javier

What happened to Therese?

What do you mean what happened to Therese? Did something happen to Therese?

I don’t see her anymore. Did she leave the Courier?

Oh, yeah she got a real job now!

Damn people actually get places from communications huh?

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Yeah don’t jinx it Take this L Cap Courier ...

Hello, I just wanted to check in about that video?

New number who dis?

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. 18

Those of you who read my editorials fairly regularly will notice that I tend to namedrop my hometown of Powell River with the same frequency Donald Trump says “China” or The Game offers shoutouts to his rap rivals.

Not surprisingly, I’m going to do it once again this week, but in a different way than I’ve ever done before. (Probably… although I’ve worked here so long and written so many editorials that you never really know for sure.) This time, I’m going to throw my dear little hometown under the bus.

Today’s issue of the Courier is all about diversity – more specifically, a celebration of the melting pot that is Capilano University, Canada and North America at large. Powell River, for all its charms, might be one of the least diverse places in this entire province. Counting only 735 visible minorities as of the 2006 census – Chinese (70), Korean (35), Japanese (75), South Asian (35), African Canadian (50), Filipino (60), Latin American (15), First Nations (365) – out of 13,165 fulltime residents, you can see how the word “diversity” ended up being one of the more recent ones to enter my psyche. Simply put, I’ve had some major catching up to do.

Before I ever studied at Capilano University, walked the streets of Lonsdale or wandered through Greater Vancouver’s many neighbourhoods, that word rattled around my brain like a hollow soup can.

Save for a bi-annual choir festival, Powell River rarely presented an opportunity to meet people of different social, sexual, spiritual or ethnic backgrounds, let alone a chance to hear their stories or appreciate some of the things they may have been through.

In Powell River’s defence, it’s not an overtly oppressive place by any means.

It’s just isolated, complacent and peppered with a small army of (mostly) harmless rednecks. What I realize now, that I didn’t realize then, is that for the average Powell Riverite it’s acceptable enough to simply not be sexist, racist, homophobic – any of the phobics, really. The thought of allyship doesn’t seem to cross peoples’ minds.

A move to Vancouver in 2008 gave me one of the best wakeup calls a straight, white male could have ever hoped for. Not only was that the year I learned a whole lot about privilege, but also discovered that such a thing needed to be “checked” on the regular, and how selfishly (and unknowingly) I had been taking it for granted my entire life. To be perfectly honest, I still feel sheepish even saying the word, but it’s an elephant in the room that can’t be ignored. Such things need to be acknowledged in order for any sort of progress to be made; and, after nearly 10 years in this city, it’s safe to say I’m learning more and more each day – but I’ll be the first to admit, I still screw it up a lot.

Sometimes, I can be downright crude or insensitive. Sometimes, I can be blissfully unaware that my chance to speak may be prolonging someone else’s silence; or that my own exciting opportunity could

be someone else’s crushing setback. My classmates, co-workers and friends these past few years have been instrumental in shaping a new me that walks the earth with more sensitivity to these issues and the beautiful diversity that exists all around me. Slowly but surely, I’m learning to listen, learn and love like never before – but I, like many in the town I grew up in, still have a long way to go when it comes to advocation for those marginalized and oppressed (but equally important) voices in our society.

How bad is it? Well, let’s put it this way: I have a couple relatives back home who genuinely think they’ve done their part in fighting racism and supporting immigration just by ordering Chinese takeout twice a month; or that buying tickets to an Elton John concert is somehow enough of a stance against homophobia.

These folks, of course, have become target numero uno for my better-late-than-never foray into allyship – but I’m going to have to do a lot better than that. So many of us are.

It is my hope that this edition of the Courier – conceptualized, pitched and brought to fruition by some of the most diverse and talented people I know – will teach you something as well. Or, if you are an individual who finds yourself living in a situation of oppression or misunderstanding, that you realize that you have a voice, a support system, a place, in your student newspaper.

We all have a part to play in promoting diversity, and it starts with acknowledging our differences, then discussing them, and then celebrating them together. It will be leaps for some of us, baby steps for others – but the most important thing is that we all head in the same direction.

This is a path I whole-heartedly hope to meet you on!

NEWS

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT SUBMITS FIRST BUDGET OF TENURE TO BOARD Governors to adopt “conservative” fiscal plan for next three years Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

On Tuesday Mar. 14, the Capilano University Board of Governors (BOG) held a meeting to analyze, review and approve the first budget of President Paul Dangerfield’s tenure, who assumed office in Oct. 2016.

According to the University Act, British Columbia’s legislation governing universities, the president submits a fiscal plan to the Board of Governors that can then be analyzed or adopted with or without changes to the budgets for operating and capital expenditure. Capital expenditure is understood as anything pertaining to maintenance or renovation of the building, university equipment and land management. Operating expenditure has to do with employee salaries and other compensation, as well as funds spent on academics, students and recruiting.

As with all public universities in BC except UBC (21 members), Capilano Board of Governors is comprised of 15 members.

Eight of those members, in the case of most universities, or 11 at UBC (majority of vote share), are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, on the advice of the current Minister of Advanced Education, Dr. Andrew Wilkinson (BC Liberal). CapU’s Chancellor, David Fung, the President, and five elected Governors, including two faculty members, two students and one employee representative, round out the rest of the Board’s membership.

Budget

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

Early on in the meeting during his verbal report to the Board, Governor and Chair Soon Kim touted the budget for it’s

METRO VANCOUVER ALLIANCE TO HOST PROVINCIAL ELECTION ASSEMBLY Party leaders will discuss key voter concerns ahead of May 9 election Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

On Apr. 4 from 6 to 8 pm, the Metro Vancouver Alliance (MVA) will host a debate at the Italian Cultural Centre where the main political party leaders will discuss four key issues related to the May 9 Provincial Election. The Assembly is capitalizing on the success of the Municipal Election Assembly, also organized by the

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PAUL DANGERFIELD

JACQUI STEWART

clarity, and thanked both President Paul Dangerfield and VP of Finance, Jacqui Stewart for the part they played in it’s development.

In her overview of the budget, Stewart explained that while CapU is expecting roughly 40 per cent of the University’s total revenue to come from the BC Government’s operating grant, the administration and board will not know the exact amount until after the May elections. Depending on who is elected, the grant could be adjusted for a number of reasons. “If that amount changes, and not in a good way, we will need to make changes to our budget,” said Stewart.

The rest of the university’s revenue is projected to come from tuition fees. One of the issues putting the university under financial duress is declining enrolment from domestic students. “We can’t afford to go any lower in domestic enrolment,” said Stewart. To mitigate risks of declining enrolment [discussion], the university will increase tuition fees by two per cent for both domestic and international students, something Stewart claimed was in line with Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Douglas College, and Langara College. In the fall of 2012, the single semester headcount at CapU (based on enrolled students as of Nov

1.) was 8,525. By fall 2015, it had dropped by 22 per cent to 6,635. All odds point to even smaller numbers for Fall 2016’s Nov. 1 headcount, with those facts yet to be published by the province. While the nearby institutions listed above have seen their numbers fluctuate or drop slightly, none have come close to dipping by 20 per cent.

According to the budget, international student enrolment has grown, but Stewart was hesitant to “overstate” that progress.

The potential risks to the budget for Stewart are enrolment numbers as they are things the university can’t completely control, but influence. The date for her was Sep. 18, as it is the last day to drop courses with tuition refunds. “If enrolment is lower than projected in September, you can be sure it will be down in January.”

Stewart also cited cyber security as a potential risk to the University’s budget and assets, reassuring the board these threats are rare, but in light of recent attacks on the Federal Government for example, the Board would be remised to ignore it. New advertisements were also a line item Stewart highlighted as intrinsic to CapU’s priority to grow the student population.

One highlight in this budget includes

directing an additional $300K towards bursaries and scholarships to satisfy unmet need and better support students. This comes on the heels of doubling the amount spent on bursaries from $250K to $500K for the spring semester. The $300 will also allow for the development of in-course and program-specific scholarships.

Dangerfield called the budget “relatively conservative”, conceding that the biggest risk to the budget he and his administration have proposed is “uncertainty around government”.

British Columbians will go to the polls in May to decide which party will govern the province until 2021.

Since Advanced Education is a provincial responsibility, the CapU’s Administration and governing bodies are paying close attention to the election, as all possible outcomes are set to impact this budget, and future spending at the university. As Dangerfield was voicing his concerns, BOG Chair and noted BC Liberal Donor (National Post) Soon Kim jokingly asked his fellow governors who they intended to vote for on May 9. “So, are you guys voting BC Liberal or NDP?” The next BOG meetings are scheduled to take place on Apr. 18, and May 16, one week after the provincial election.

MVA, in Oct. 2014 that saw an impressive turnout of local politicians as well as 800 attendees.

Third-year Capilano University Communication Studies student Laura Melczer joined the MVA in January, and explained that for Dr. Michael Markwick’s communications course she and several classmates held listening campaigns as part of fourth hour activities – meetings designed to strengthen community. The issues they uncovered were brought to an MVA meeting in February for discussion.

“We have gathered four major issues to bring to the leaders of the political parties to say ‘This is what we care about, and this is what we want to see coming from you throughout not only the next four years as the Premier, but also as leaders of the opposition parties,’” revealed Melczer. “It’s different than a campaigning event because they will have approximately two minutes and then their mics will be cut.” The larger

issues were discussed by organizers and narrowed down to four broad but crucial topics that heavily impact residents of Greater Vancouver on a daily basis, including healthcare, housing, income justice and transportation.

The CapU School of Communication is one of just two student organizations that are members of the MVA, the other being Vancouver Community College’s school of Science in Nursing. “So if we have a large portion of students coming from Cap, then we’re able to say that we matter,” said Melczer. Nearly 100 partnering organizations in labour, faith, community and education have come together with a common goal of engaging politicians.

Melczer explained that in her discussions with students, she discovered that few knew what the MVA was or that they could be a part of the organization, and to a large extent, politicians don’t address issues that affect newly eligible

voters. The youth voter turnout has historically been lower than that of any other age group and declining for decades, but the 2015 federal election saw the number of newly eligible voters who cast ballots increase by 17.7 according to Elections Canada. “I feel like a lot of young people nowadays – not to say that Cap is primarily young students – I think it’s a way to counter the idea that young people as well as [older] students don’t really care about the political process,” said Melczer. “I think it shows that people our age are actively involved in politics and this is a way to get our voices across.”

The Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) has also collaborated with the MVA in the past.

Seating is limited at the event, and out of consideration the MVA requests that attendees RSVP by Apr. 2. Reservations can be made through Metvanalliance. org/provincial_election_rsvp.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

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2017 CSU GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS

Relations portfolio, will be Andrew Willis, while Noah Berson will serve as VP of External Relations, a position that lobbies municipal, provincial, First Nations and occasionally, federal government stakeholders, on behalf of students. Yats Palat will serve as VP Student Life and Owen Sigurdsson, whose former role as Environmental Justice Coordinator was axed in favour of the VP Equity and Sustainability position, will become the first ever student to hold that position. Wilis, Berson, Palat and Sigurdsson all ran unopposed (acclamation).

As for the executive position that was contested, VP of Finance and Services Perry Safari won the seat against soonto-be ex-International Students Liaison, Nesrin Bantan.

Executives must keep 20 office hours weekly, chair committees, submit reports to the board every meeting (biweekly) and are remunerated $1,300 monthly. Additionally, one of these five executives must also be elected CSU President, over the summer at the first Board of Directors meeting for 201617. The CSU President is in charge of preparing the agenda for the bi-weekly

Board of Directors meetings and serves as the spokesperson for the organization.

For the first time since at least 2014, the CSU will not need to hold fall byelections or appoint students to fill its Board of Directors. All six liaison positions had candidates, with two of the seats contested. Furthermore, all four faculties with two representative seats on the Board were contested by at least three candidates, with Business and Professional Studies fielding seven candidates. CapU’s smallest faculty, Education, Health and Human Development, recently had its number of representatives to the board decreased from two to one, due to its certificateoriented focus and the fact many of its students are working professionals, rather than typical undergraduates.

Kaschelle Thiessen will serve as the 2017-18 Queer Students’ Liaison, running unopposed, and succeeding Clarice Scop. Feras Bingursain will represent International Students as their liaison to the Board for 2017-18.

Geronimo Alec will once again be First Nation Students Liaison, while Andrew

Dillman will be Accessibility Justice Coordinator.

Thiessen, Bingursain, Alec and Dillman all ran unopposed (acclaimed). Katie Japaridze was elected Women’s Liaison, holding off Bridgit Forssman and Anahita Hooman. Divya Nanray won re-election to the Board as the Students of Colour Liaison, opposed

by Ramneet Kang and Alykhan.

As for faculty representatives to the Board, eight students were elected on the Mar. 23, with 16 falling short.

Carmina Tioseco (re-elected) and Anna Rempel were elected to serve as faculty representatives for Global and Community Studies this upcoming year.

Sofia Avelino (appointed in Fall 2016, able to vote) and Abbey Doucet will be the faculty representatives for Fine and Applied Arts in 2017-18. Christina Schulz and Madeleine Fyffe were elected faculty representatives for Arts and Sciences, both first-time Board of Directors’ members. Also elected to the Board for the time are Nicole Cousin and Camila Stankevicius, who beat out five other candidates to become the representatives for Business and Professional Studies.

Both liaisons and faculty representatives earn $130 monthly.

Liaisons are encouraged to hold meetings with their respective constituencies, while faculty representatives serve as bridges between their peers and the CSU. Over 900 students participated in this year’s general elections, one of the highest recorded turnouts in recent memory, with the referendum on the Student Union Building certainly playing a role in that. For a full list of results, visit Csu.bc.ca.

Unlike past CSU General Elections, which typically only involve electing its Board of Directors, this year’s voting period also had students weigh-in on six referendum questions. The questions at issue included the creation of four additional levies for CSU services, as well as increases to the existing Student Union Building (SUB) and Capilano Courier Publishing Society fees.

The question garnering most attention was the increase to the SUB fee to fund the CSU’s $10 million student space. The referendum passed

comfortably with 538 students in favour, and 240 opposed. The other increase to an existing fee voted on by students was the one for the Capilano Courier Publishing Society, the organization that produces this publication. Their proposed increase was defeated by students, with 400 in favour, and 421 opposed.

The other four referendums put to students included the creation of a Clubs and Events fee, a Recreation and Intramurals fee, an External Advocacy Fee, and tying general CSU member

dues to CPI, so their currently stagnant dues are not losing money to inflation.

All four referendums passed. According to the CSU, their External Advocacy fee ties in with their ambitions to bring student housing to CapU and will use the funds to better join their momentum to outside organizations like the Alliance of BC Students and possibly, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA).

The Recreation and Intramurals fee will be used to establish more intramurals on campus and better support the health and wellness needs of students.

Here’s who will comprise of next year’s board Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

Capilano University’s student politics is in for a change.

On Thursday Mar. 23, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) announced the results of this year’s general elections, unveiling new executives and board of directors for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Unlike past years, this year’s election period saw candidates elected to every position, which will negate fall byelections or appointments for the first time in at least three years (201416). Additionally, this was the first time in which students elected five executives rather than four, thanks to the addition of a Vice President of Equity and Sustainability seat on board. Furthermore, this election also had students vote on six referendum questions, five regarding CSU fees, and one regarding an increase to the Capilano Courier Publishing Society levy, which produces this publication.

Executives

For the first time ever, at least four executive positions were elected by acclamation, with only one of the five VP roles contested between two candidates. This year’s VP Academic, the restructured name for the University

RETURNS IN FOR SIX REFERENDUM QUESTIONS How students voted on proposed increases to fees and creation of new levies for CSU services Kevin Kapenda NEWS EDITOR

Year

CSU Union Dues

CSU Student Union Building

Rec. and Intramurals Fee

External Advocacy Fee

Clubs and Events Fee

Total (to vary slightly due to inflation)

$ 25.00

$12.70

None

None

None

$37.70

2017-18

$ 25.00

$ 48.00

$ 6.00

$ 3.96

$ 3.48

$86.44

2018-19

$ 25.00

$ 60.00

$ 6.00

$ 3.96

$ 3.48

$98.44

2019-20

$ 25.00

$ 72.00

$ 6.00

$ 3.96

$ 3.48

$110.44

2020-21

$ 25.00

$ 84.00

$ 6.00

$ 3.96

$ 3.48

$122.44

2021-22

$ 25.00

$ 96.00

$ 6.00

$ 3.96

$ 3.48

$134.44

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

2016-17

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Fees at a Glance As of September 2017, these will be the various CSU dues a student taking four courses (12 credits) pays each semester to attend Capilano University. All of these fees will also be slightly higher at the time of payment due to annual inflation, which is currently two per cent for 2017, per Statistics Canada.

For more information on these fees, you can visit Csu.bc.ca.

Board of Directors

CAMPUS LIFE

CHALLENGING DOMINANT DISCOURSE THROUGH CLASSES ABOUT DIVERSE PEOPLES AND HISTORIES Capilano making inroads with Indigenous themes, but lacks courses about other significant groups Rachel D’Sa CONTRIBUTOR

Capilano University has recently committed itself to incorporating Indigenous Ways of Knowing into its curriculum, by fostering understanding and reconciliation on campus, as well as developing an Aboriginal One program for first-year students as an extension of its Aboriginal Student Success Strategy. Moreover, CapU has continued to create courses organized to discuss and embrace diversity, not only on campus but on a global context.

With its vibrant Art History and Women and Gender Studies departments, CapU has been able to adopt diversity through

cultural and political regarding courses.

CapU instructor for Art History and Women and Gender Studies, and current Chair of the Humanities Division, Sandra Seekins, is passionate about incorporating issues of diversity in her courses. “I incorporate gender issues and social justice issues in all of the classes I teach, whether in Women's and Gender Studies, Art History, or in courses for the Liberal Studies Degree. No subject is untouched and every discipline benefits from discussions surrounding inequity and injustice,” said Seekins.

With programs such as the Global Stewardship program, and with departments such as Sociology, and Social Sciences, critically evaluating global awareness, CapU has proved to be able to support diversity and encourage a growth in worldly culture awareness, specifically regarding Indigenous peoples. However, there seems to still be a shortage in the diverse course offerings that the University has, particularly in Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Latin American Diaspora studies.

“At the risk of simplification, I would say that generally, if people are not exposed to diversity (racial, religious, class, nonbinary gender identification, etc.) they will remain uninformed and in reactive fear.

Disadvantaged groups working as allies can counter patriarchal norms, white privilege,

and heteronormativity. Intolerance of difference can lead to violence, hate, censorship and vigilantism,” said Seekins.

“When the groups with the most power feel threatened, the result is often a clawing back of civil liberties, increased hate speech, changes to immigration policies, the rise of the alt-right (call it fascism), and retrenchment. We currently see this happening in the United States, but we are certainly not immune. Curbing the powers of the press, erosion of the public education system, funding cuts to the arts… all of these devolutions devastate democracy.

Silence is the enemy in the face of these changes.”

Acknowledging Canada’s official second language as French, CapU offers an extensive amount of French courses that explore culture, too. These include progressive courses such as Beginning French (FREN 100 and 101), Lower Intermediate French (FREN 120 and 121), and Intermediate French (FREN 204 and 205). The language department also offers unique French courses for those who are more advanced in their language journey, including Studies in French Through Cinema (FREN 315), and Quebecois Literature and Culture (FREN 330).

While the Linguistics Language Department offers courses in First Nations Languages of British Columbia (LING 206), and Indigenous Languages and

Their Speakers (LING 208), there are also additional certificates. These include the Lil'wat Nation Language & Culture Certificate, which provides courses that are relevant to Lil'wat culture, told from a Lil'wat perspective; the Sechelt Nation Language & Culture Certificate, which is designed to give current and future Sechelt Language teachers training in the Sechelt Language, providing a range of courses relevant to Sechelt culture and are told from a Sechelt perspective; and the Squamish Nation Language & Culture Certificate, which is designed to give current and future Squamish Language teachers training in the Squamish Language, providing a range of courses relevant to Squamish culture as told from a Squamish perspective.

Honouring its roots, CapU offers a great deal of Indigenous courses embedded into many programs. Courses carry out from Indigenous Digital Filmmaking (IDF) Courses, Indigenous Studies (IDST) Courses, First Nation (FNST) Courses, and First Nation Language (FNLG) Courses.

The CapU English Department also offers First Nations Literature and Film (ENGL 107), reading and discussing aboriginal poetry, plays, screenplays, films, novels and memoirs across national boundaries.

Still, CapU lacks courses in African and Caribbean Studies, as well as Asian and Pacific Studies, acknowledging the diversity within both those subjects.

the typically rushed and hectic coffeehouse, trying to grab their morning’s saving grace, is transformed into a serene environment.

Guillermo, who also currently works at CapU’s Tim Horton’s location in the Birch building, finds peace of mind with Good Earth’s tranquil environment. “At Tim Horton’s there’s a lot of pressure because there’s always a long line,” she said. “Here at Good Earth, it’s more relaxing. It’s fun doing art with the different drinks and learning different coffee tricks.”

Working for a high-standard coffeehouse also comes with its stresses.

Both baristas strive for perfection, but find day-to-day challenges surrounding the craft itself. “Here its like you have a great challenge to do the perfect latte,” said Miguel. “Normally, coffee shops just brew the coffee for customers and serve it… the double-double sort of order. Here its

different as it’s a lot more specific.”

Naturally, the two find themselves receiving a complaint or two – with some, being for the slightest of things. “Some customers come back and say the hot water isn’t hot enough, but other than that, everyone is really accepting of everyone else,” said Miguel. Guillermo agreed with her fellow co-worker’s statement as she said, “So far I haven’t encountered any problems with customers yet. I know most of them already from Tim Horton’s so it’s all friendly here.”

Aside from the occasional challenging order, overall the two baristas find work at Good Earth to be enjoyable. “A few days ago, a customer introduced herself and was being friendly with us here and learned our names too. It was a really nice gesture,” said Guillermo. The two note that they find happiness and satisfaction

in interacting with customers, especially those who provide them with memorable moments.

The conscious effort in creating a welcoming community is also apparent in students, particularly the full-time, caffeine-buzzed individuals who have taken a liking to the new establishment.

“Everyone is very accepting of everyone’s cultures here – there’s like no cultural barriers, and everyone at Capilano is very accepting. Managers are nice, students are nice, staff is great, everyone is just very friendly,” said Guillermo.

Though Miguel and Guillermo can sometimes face a seemingly non-stop stream of orders, they still find joy in what they get to craft everyday. “I love my job.

I get to craft great coffee and make art, putting smiles on student’s faces,” said Guillermo.

THE GOOD PEOPLE OF GOOD EARTH Get to know Capilano University’s favourite baristas Rachel D’Sa

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 12

CONTRIBUTOR

Not every student may be familiar with their names, but Sheila Miguel and Mary Ann Guillermo could very well be the real MVPs of Capilano University.

Over six months after the ribbon-clipping, opening ceremony of the convenientlyplaced Good Earth Coffeehouse, the two baristas have become integral in truly turning the library into a student’s second home.

With the spring semester nearing its end, the Capilano Courier caught up with Miguel and Guillermo to reflect on their experiences at Good Earth, the diversity on campus and the overall warmth they’ve received from the CapU community.

Having been working at Good Earth since its launch, Miguel has had the chance to truly feel out the location and get to know the ropes. “Training was done all on the job, and I just learned as I went,” she said. While the barista took on a lead role, independently advancing her techniques along the way, her co-worker Guillermo took on a sister role just a month ago, observing other staff members’ creations.

“I also watched a lot of YouTube videos to improve my skills,” said Guillermo with a chuckle.

Due to its relaxed style, Good Earth has been sitting well with both students and its baristas. The company’s philosophy is to change the ever-busy atmosphere of cafés.

With this, the idea of people having to go to

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ENHANCING THE INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE Exploring the role of mentors at Capilano University Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

A NEW ADDITION TO THE BLUES FAMILY Sameh Khodr fell in love with volleyball in Lebanon, now he’s looking to bring a championship to Capilano Scott Barkemeyer CONTRIBUTOR

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There was a noticeable change with the Capilano Blues men’s volleyball team after winter break.

The team came into the new year winning their first two matches, beating the Columbia Bible College Bearcats in six out of seven total sets. They also posted an even record of 6-6 from January to end of the season, an upgrade from their 4-7 record before the winter break.

Part of the Blues’ rejuvenation this past year was the arrival of Sameh Khodr, a mid-season addition from Lebanon, by way of Southern Ontario. Khodr is just one of four players on the Blues roster with previous experience playing at the post-secondary level of volleyball, having spent the last year playing for the Niagara College Knights. His experience not only gave the young Blues a much-needed edge on the court, they also showed on the box score. By the end of the regular season, he placed 12th in average kills, second in average aces and ninth in total offensive stats in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) conference.

Khodr started playing volleyball at a young age. As a six-year-old, he relished every opportunity to play and compete.

“Back home all we did was play, I learned from the street,” he said. It also didn’t hurt that the passion for volleyball is quite literally in his blood. “My mother and my aunts played, my uncle played on the national team and played professionally in Europe.”

His younger brother has also proven to be a noteworthy, rising talent, having been considered as the Lebanese League’s best libero in the past two years – a distinction that has become a source of pride for Khodr.

It’s even more impressive considering that the Lebanese League has been home to players who wound up becoming some of the biggest names in volleyball, like Cristian Savani, one of Italy’s best players.

“The talent level is high,” said Khodr.

“When you are at practice, you practice hard, really hard. You have to earn your spot all the time.”

For Khodr, his move to Canada was driven by the pursuit of education. “With an education from Canada you can work anywhere,” he stated. Now in the second year of his studies in Geography and Early Child Care Education, Khodr aims to one day pursue a career in geography or working with special needs youth.

Khodr jokes that he moved to Capilano University to escape the harsh Ontario weather, but moving to the Pacific Northwest has also introduced him to group that has become his second family. “I found my other brothers here,” he said.

He’s particularly proud of the growth and developments they’ve made as a unit throughout the season, and argues that with the talent level they have, a provincial championship in a few years isn’t so farfetched. He cites the accomplishments of fellow Blues as key factors to their continued growth, especially the rise of 2016-2017 PACWEST Rookie of the Year, Justin Yee, and 2016-2017 PACWEST All-Rookie Team Member and leagueleader in digs, Jonathan Lee. Khodr even acknowledges the skill of their co-captain Simon Friesen, who was named to the PACWEST First Team All-Star this past season. “A setter like Simon, he could easily play in Europe,” he said.

His relationship with Head Coach Emmanuel Denguessi has also been an important factor of his quick integration with the team. “He has not only made me a better player he has taught me how to be a better person,” Khodr said.

The continued rise of the Blues is arguably one of the most exciting factors to watch in the entire Blues department, and Khodr is setting his sights beyond a PACWEST title. “I see us being national champions in the next few years.”

Still, Khodr admits that there are downsides with living away from home, especially when home is on the other side of the world. “I miss my family the most, and my childhood friends because we grew up together,” he said. But with his newfound Blues family now firmly positioned in his life and for years to come, living away may not be so much of an issue after all.

The Blues men’s volleyball team aim to continue their ascent in the PACWEST next season, and with the championship on their sights, Khodr is surely in it for the long haul.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Living in a foreign country with an unfamiliar culture and set of languages can be daunting. Both Jaswinder Singh, a second-year student from Ludhiana, India in the North American Business Management Applied Post-Baccalaureate (NABU) program, and first-year Business Administration student Harsha Sharma can attest to that. Singh started at Capilano University in Jan. 2016, and in September became a mentor for other international students, including Sharma, who began her studies in Jan. 2017.

The Centre for International Experience (CIE) created the Mentorship and Leadership Program in 2011 as a means of enhancing the academic experience of CapU’s international students. “I know universities have volunteer programs or they have certain things in place, but this leadership program I would say is unique to my experiences,” said International Outreach and Events Officer Sareena Saran, who has managed the program for the last year.

Seventy per cent of mentors are international students who have completed at least two terms of study at CapU and the remainder are domestic students. One of the qualities Saran looks for in mentors is empathy. She wants her mentors to be able to connect in a meaningful way with international students, show enthusiasm for the role and be willing to step outside of their comfort zones. She stressed that mentors may not have the leadership skills to begin with, but they are nurtured when students are thrust into positions where they have to speak publicly and plan and organize activities. “We do take on mentors that may not be that far along in their leadership skills or are just learning or just wanting to gain those skills, so we take on all ranges of skill sets as mentors and then work with them along the way,” she said.

“For me, the first thing I saw was that it’s very hard for international students when they arrive in Canada,” noted Singh. “They don’t know the bus route and bus stops and they don’t know how to use the Compass Card for the daily commute, so these are the basic challenges when they arrive here.” After completing two semesters of study at CapU, Singh was eager to give back to the community.

Sharma is one of his mentees, and shares his background coming from Chandigarh, India herself. She enthusiastically explained that their similarities have fostered a close friendship. “No [matter] how strong you think yourself to be, ultimately you land up being homesick,” she said. Singh was the first person she met at CapU, and every time she had a nagging question, whether it was about finding accommodation or making new

friends, he was there to help her.

Depending on the individual student’s needs, Singh will spend varying amounts of time in contact with his mentees. He looks out for three to five students, and when he met with his group, he quickly figured out which students would rely on him more than others. Some students have experience living away from home and will just want to meet their mentor while others will take advantage of having a guide in their first few weeks or months getting to know the city of Vancouver.

Singh explained that he was more uncomfortable in his first semester at CapU because he didn’t have the guidance of a mentor. He had a few mixed feelings about his new environment, but was calling it home after not too long. Sharma is hoping to follow in his footsteps and become a mentor in the fall of 2017. “My first day, the orientation was a great inspiration, you know seeing the panel of all the mentors introducing themselves and sharing their experiences, their passions about making the international student life more fun,” she said. “This is the same feeling that I received on my orientation day,” Singh agreed. “It was in the Blueshore [Centre] and everyone was in orange t-shirts and I thought, ‘I want to be there.”

Saran conducts interviews with students interested in becoming mentors to get a sense of their commitment. “I feel like I’m a coach at tryouts,” she joked. “That’s the interview process, and then [I provide] training and support.”

Between 30 and 40 mentors remain committed for an academic year and provide support to the ever-increasing population of international students, which consisted of over 600 students from 45 countries at the start of the 2016 academic year. This spring, over 200 new international students enrolled.

Mentors receive their training on two separate days. On the first day of training, they are divided into teams and taught how to work together. They receive instruction in individual subject areas such as project management and event planning.

They will be responsible for planning two events as a group and assigned three to five mentees each. Some of the events described are transitional experiences while others are cultural or volunteer experiences. Each year, they assist with International Education Week and host an Experience Fair where students showcase the myraid of cultures students bring to CapU. Some of the cultural events include pumpkin carving in the Birch Cafeteria as an example of a Canadian tradition showcased through the spirit of Halloween, and the Holi World of Colours Festival, which was held in the Cedar Courtyard in early March.

Sharma indicated that she particularly enjoyed the Holi Festival because it reminded her of home. “You’re away from home but you have people trying to connect with you,” she said. “I’m glad I was a part of it.”

The CIE is currently looking for applicants to become mentors for the 2017-2018 academic year. The deadline to apply is May 1.

–PAUL YATES

SPORTS

SPORTS

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

SHE AGAINST THE WORLD On women’s basketball and the uphill battle against gender discrimination

By C a r l o J a v i e r

Photos by P a u l Y a t e s was standing just outside of the Capilano Blues logo. Her hands were resting firmly on her waist, and her eyes locked in on their own basket. Her backcourt mate Reiko Ohama had just swished the latter of the game’s first two foul shots, putting the Blues up 1-0 against the Columbia Bible College Bearcats. It was the Blues’ final home game of the season, and getting on the scoreboard first was a nice, albeit insignificant, detail.

It was a cold February evening, and the Blues and the Bearcats couldn’t ashley dela cruz yip

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have been further away from each other.

The Blues were undefeated, riding an incredible 13-game winning streak, while the Bearcats rested in the cellars of the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) conference.

But the Bearcats weren’t exactly toothless. Fifth-year guard Mandy Van Delden was one of the PACWEST’s absolute best scorers. The 5’7 veteran averaged 15 points per game and finished the season fourth in the conference in points. She also led her team with three assists per game, complementing her scoring with dynamic playmaking.

Van Delden was the Bearcats’ number one option, and Dela Cruz Yip was about to ruin her day.

In seemingly a heartbeat, the Blues’ speedy point guard managed to move from near the half-court line to the baseline, preventing the Bearcats to inbound the ball to Van Delden. For the rest of the game, Dela Cruz Yip would shadow and effectively shut down the Bearcats’ top scorer, forcing her to miss 14 of her 19 shot attempts. For her part, Dela Cruz Yip finished with just four points, but it’s the rest of her contributions that truly makes her a great player: seven assists, five steals, a block and just two turnovers.

It takes a certain type of resolve to be a defensive stopper on the basketball court, so one can imagine what it took for Dela Cruz Yip to be considered among the

best defenders in the entire PACWEST – if not the absolute best.

“I think I’m known in the PACWEST for specific things,” she said. “I’m known for my defence, that’s one of my biggest strengths, and my assists.” ela Cruz Yip wears many hats for the Blues. She’s the starting point guard, the floor general who led the league in assists per game. If she chooses to come back next season for her fifth and final year, she can very well break the Blues assists record of 167 – she just needs 12 more. She’s their go-to defensive stopper and steals leader, the one that head coach Ramin Sadaghiani calls on to guard the opposing team’s best perimeter player. A fourth-year student athlete, Dela Cruz Yip is also one of the team’s leaders off the court. She’s a voice of reason, and a source of wisdom.

Despite the success and recognition that followed the Capilano Blues women’s basketball team this past season, Dela Cruz Yip knows that in the grand scheme of things, respect on the court, is not so easily earned by women in basketball.

“I think a lot in women’s basketball, women have to prove themselves,” she said. “[Women] have to prove that we’re at a certain level to gain respect from a male counterpart, whereas I don’t think that’s as evident [among men].”

Aesthetic is one of the common

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ashley dela cruz yip

players in the WNBA, was reported to have made the maximum salary of $107,500 for the 2013-2014 season.

On the other hand, Dionte Christmas, an undrafted NBA player received the league-minimum salary of $490,180.

That same year, Taurasi led the Phoenix Mercury to their third national championship, while Christmas rode the Phoenix Suns bench and played a mere 190 minutes in 31 appearances.

“There is an underrepresentation of women in sports in general, everyone who coaches women knows that,” said Dela Cruz Yip. “[Equal representation] is not seen as important and what does that say to women in sports?” she questioned.

“What does that tell us, that our work ethic and all the time we put into our sport is not as recognized as men, which is a little bit disheartening, but you keep going because you love the sport, you love the game, you keep playing because it’s not about the recognition from audiences, its about how you feel when playing the game, its about how important it is to you.” ela Cruz Yip admits that she was lucky. From a young age, she’s had the tutelage of coaches who, to this day, still manage to impact her life in the simplest of ways. Her teammates affectionately call her “Ace”, a nickname that was given to her by the late Eric

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Ming, her first coach at the Strathcona Community Centre.

Mitra Tshan and Mike Evans were her coaches at Britannia Secondary School, two mentors who helped make it possible for Dela Cruz Yip to pursue her passion. The two drove her to Langley so that she could try out for the Basketball BC provincial team, a team she made from U15 to U17.

They even helped run fundraisers that allowed a group of girls to go to China to play basketball.

“Britannia is an inner East Side school,” Dela Cruz Yip said. “Lots of people of colour, lots of people living in the Strathcona and Ray-Cam communities, and a lot of kids that are actually on welfare, a lot of kids that don’t have a lot of money in order to do certain things.”

Although Dela Cruz Yip believes that conversations about discrimination in sports is a step forward, she does admit that it will take more than just a simple conversation to engineer real, tangible changes.

“People can try to say that equality has been achieved, and that I think is one of the most ignorant things a person can possibly say – it really isn’t true – and that comes to gender and race relations, it is not an equal society that we’re living in; we can kind of hide behind the fact that there is some representation… but its not equal.”

Jennafer Palma is one of Dela Cruz Yip’s long-time teammates with the Capilano Blues. The former Blues guard won a provincial title with the Blues in her rookie year in 2010-2011, and has been one of Dela Cruz Yip’s friends both on and off the court.

In 2013, Palma created the Jalma Ball Sports Club, an East Vancouverbased youth sports program that provides youth with accessible and affordable camps and coaching. “Seeing something like that, community outreach, to young girls, especially young women of colour, is really amazing to see,” said Dela Cruz Yip. “That’s what its all about, I think, making sure girls know that they can excel; if they work hard, that they can reach the highest level of basketball they want to, if that’s their dream.” ou can see the changes as they happen at Capilano University.

Since the reveal of the new school insignia last December, the administration’s marketing team has delivered a visible and conscious approach towards rebranding. The website, once dominated by a sea of blue, has undergone a minimalist makeover, opting instead for a splash of white. There are posters on buses, bus stops, and as you leave North Vancouver via the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, you might even catch an electronic billboard showing a CapU ad.

The same is apparent on campus. A corner wall in the cafeteria is covered by a giant banner of the school’s new logo, while the railings on the second floor feature numerous posters that illustrate aspects of campus life. One of these posters features a photo of Dela Cruz Yip preparing to shoot a free throw. Above her picture is the word “proud”. It’s simple and oft-used in passing, but in the face of systemic discrimination of groups of people, sometimes simple words and gestures can mean the weight of the world.

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n 2015, VICE published an article that illustrated the inequality that women face in basketball. Diana Taurasi, one of the most well-known

When women are against women, or fighting against other women, it’s not really helping the cause [...] there has to be a team effort in order to get the recognition that we deserve, so definitely that team mentality helps with moving forward as women.

/CAPILANOCOURIER

THE CAPILANO COURIER

arguments when discussing the difference between men and women’s basketball.

Men’s games tend to be played on a faster pace and with a greater amount of improvisation, whereas women’s games are often more structured and reliant on set plays to get baskets. Both styles of play have their merits, and although structure and improvisation both exist equally in the highest level of the game, Dela Cruz Yip finds that in youth, the improvisation and freedom that men have on the court can lead to selfish and self-centred basketball.

This year, the Blues women’s team featured four players in the top 10 in scoring in the conference, illustrating how big of a factor teamwork was to their success. The idea of teamwork on the basketball court is almost representative of one of the constant variables in the waves of feminism that has developed over the past half a century: togetherness.

“When women are against women, or fighting against other women, it’s not really helping the cause,” said Dela Cruz Yip. “I feel like there has to be a team effort in order to get the recognition that we deserve, so definitely that team mentality helps with moving forward as women.”

@CAPILANOCOURIER

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

FEATURES

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A stepping stone along the path towards reconciliation.

The state of post-secondary education in Canada’s First Nations communities.

By JESSICA LIO Illustration by ASHLEY BULTHUIS

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Today, Indigenous people are the fastest growing and youngest demographic in Canada, yet the barriers they face are unlike those of any other population.

There are still significant disparities in

gives to Indian Affairs to distribute among the various hundreds of First Nation groups… there’s just not enough to go around,” said Alec, who is one of the eight students who are currently being funded by his nation, despite 30 students having applied.

Students who do receive funding must reapply every year and must be enrolled in full time courses with a minimum GPA requirement of 2.0. If a student’s funding is cut because they can’t meet those requirements, they have to wait at least one year before they can reapply.

“A lot of people don’t even have funding but they’re in still in school regardless. They’re working two jobs and taking four classes, so it’s really hard.

Even though I’m a funded student, I still work two jobs,” Alec said.

Students who have to transition from rural to urban setting also face the challenges of having to give up the culture they’ve been surrounded by their entire lives and immerse themselves in a new environment without adequate learning support.

Supporting Indigenous Students

Having unique GPA requirement is just one of many ways schools can offer Indigenous students an equal chance to access post-secondary education.

“A lot of students either fail or have

Our Youth are Our Future

Alec is still looking forward to one more year at CapU, but he plans to move back home after graduation to make a

Many Indigenous students face the pressure of being the first in their family to attend post-secondary, and it means a lot to students to have mentors and role models who have gone through the same struggles they are going through. low grades coming out of high school.

For those who do suffer GPA-wise, it’s community and family support that can encourage them to do better in school,” says Alec.

Many Indigenous students face the pressure of being the first in their family to attend post-secondary, and it means a lot to students to have mentors and role models who have gone through the same struggles they are going through.

“Our biggest source of support was our parents. We were raised with expectations that we were going to

“A lot of people don’t even have funding but they’re in still in school regardless.

They’re working two jobs and taking four classes, so it’s really hard.”

Nations Students Liaison at the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) and a fourth year Tourism Management student at CapU. As a member of the Wet'suwet'en nation, Alec lived on a reserve just west of Burns Lake in the interior of BC until he was 18. When he moved to Vancouver, it became clear right away how expensive it would be to live and go to school in the city.

“The funding the federal government

with a lower GPA, they will still face the same exams, challenges and standards as every other student in order to graduate with a degree.

To address the systemic barriers faced by Indigenous students, most major universities in the Lower Mainland, including Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, have developed programs to assist Indigenous students in accessing and preparing for post-secondary education.

The enduring myths about First Nations students receiving free education are all too familiar to Alec, but he hopes Indigenous students will be proud of their achievements and continue to pursue their dreams.

Today, the Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre at Capilano University stands proudly and visibly as a place to celebrate Aboriginal learning and knowledge.

Named in the Squamish Language as “a place to meet”, it aims to provide students with hope and the opportunity to connect with First Nations culture, traditions and values. It’s a space for connect and learn from resident elders, and even take part in weaving workshops and smudge ceremonies.

graduate from high school and qualify to go to university. There was a huge emphasis on education right from the beginning,” said Wilson. “Both of my parents have several university degrees so that also made a big difference. They knew exactly what I needed to do to get into university, so that in itself is a privilege.”

Wilson maintained that while an Indigenous student may be admitted

difference in his community. Looking towards the Squamish, Tsleil-Watuth and Musqueam nations for inspiration, Alec believes his own nation can also thrive and support youth in reaching their potential.

“There are a lot of opportunities for eco-tourism business where I’m from, so we could potentially get more revenue and bring it back to the community and fund a lot more students to come out and get their education,” Alec said.

We could have a future in this country where Indigenous people are included and embraced culturally, academically, socially, economically and politically in every aspect of society. We could choose to dedicate our resources towards ensuring that under-represented learners succeed.

We could choose to replace the stereotypes and falsehoods with understanding and support for our Indigenous population to thrive.

This future is possible, but we’re not there yet.

We still have a lot of learning to do, and whether it’s in our classrooms, our communities or our homes, it’s up to all of us to seek out and embrace the culture, history and truth of our Indigenous people.

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An Uphill Battle for Post-Secondary Education

levels of education, income and health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.

Despite the widespread belief that all First Nations people receive free education in Canada, the reality is far more complex. Only status Indians are eligible for funding, and students must apply for funding through their nations.

Band offices often have to turn away applications, giving priority to younger students who have recently graduated high school and those who live on the reserve.

“My community in the 60s decided it was very important to educate our people, so they dedicated a lot of money to post-secondary education. My first nation could do that because we had other resources, we had other revenue, versus other First Nations that don’t have any of those options. If you have to choose between feeding your people and housing your people, you’re going to choose that over education,” said Wilson.

Even with funding Wilson received from her community, she still had to take out student loans during her undergrad and eventually graduated from law school with a significant amount of debt.

Despite tuition costs doubling in the past two decades, the amount of funding nations receive has not changed.

Geronimo Alec is the current First

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n 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) made a plea for governments across the country to confront and acknowledge the haunting legacy of residential schools.

The TRC’s final report recognized education as a key to establishing “mutually respectful relationships” between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, and appealed for the allocation of adequate resources to address poverty and inequality faced by our Indigenous population.

Kory Wilson is the executive director of Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), where she works to ensure the school is working to create positive connections with Indigenous people both on campus and out in the community. As a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation, her community and non-profit work is often centred on supporting First Nations communities and students as they seek self-determination.

When the last residential school finally closed in 1996, Wilson was still in university. Before completing a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and graduating from law school, Wilson attended Pearson College, a preuniversity IB school on Vancouver Island with an enrolment of 200 students from more than 100 different countries around the world. The school’s philosophy of uniting people through education for peace has still stayed with Wilson to this day.

Wilson’s story is one of incredible success and achievement, but the unfortunate reality in Canada is that many First Nations youth still do not have equal access to post-secondary education as their non-Indigenous counterparts.

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FEATURES

MAINTAINING CANADA’S BEA

By JUSTIN SCOTT

Illustration by RACHEL WADA

Immigrating may not be easy, but for most it’s worth it.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

Ambleside Park is usually used for sports, lounging at the beach and a multitude of other activities throughout the year.

However, there is one night at the end of every winter season where it is ignited and becomes a gathering place for one of the North Shore’s largest populations.

There are no soccer balls to be seen, or beach towels on the ground; instead there are numerous fire pits set ablaze, to be jumped over by those celebrating Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year. While Nowruz is not a traditional Canadian celebration, it has been embraced and celebrated at Ambleside Park for over 20 years.

According to Capilano University Sociology professor Laurel Whitney, Canadians’ tendency to embrace other cultures should come as no surprise.

“Canada has always been a country of immigrants,” she said. “We take it for granted.

“If you look at pictures from 100 years ago or 150 years ago, especially from western Canada, and you look at the kids, say it's a picture of a little school house

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AUTIFUL CULTURAL MOSAIC @CAPILANOCOURIER

where grade one to seven attended, it's completely culturally diverse. Canada has always been culturally diverse, that's who we are,” she added.

Shohreh Abedi, who first brought her family to Canada in 1996, offered a testament to the draw Canada has worldwide. Originally from Iran, Abedi moved to Dubai with her husband Mo in 1987 in search of new opportunities.

However, after several years and the addition of son Babak and daughter Matty to the family, Abedi and her husband made the decision to yet again move, this time to Canada. “At that time we were living in Dubai, but we were thinking about our kids’ future,” she said.

Speaking to Abedi the morning after the official celebration of Nowruz was a special experience. Sitting in her living room, there was an energy in the house. She and her family had been out late into the early morning celebrating with friends and family, and had spent the majority of the day on the phone exchanging Happy New Years wishes with many in Vancouver and Iran. In between calls, she was able to look back at the journey that brought her family to Canada. “Matty was only three years old and Babak was only six years old [when we came]. We knew that when they grew up they'd need a good education,” she said.

According to Whitney, education is one of the main motivations for individuals or families to come to Canada. “Factually speaking,” she said, “we have one of the best public education

Professor, Andrey Pavlov’s 2016 study that tied a drop in housing prices to the termination of the Canadian Immigrant Investment Program, has linked immigration to the inflation of housing prices in Vancouver, it is ignorant to believe that immigration is the sole cause of the inflation.

Additionally, most British Columbians and Vancouverites in particular should remember that their families have most likely only lived here for a few

“Often [immigrants] are isolated,” she said. “They don’t have any community to support them, to tell them where to go and what to do. Also, there’s a language barrier.” generations. “BC has the most transient population in Canada,” Whitney said.

“I know the word transient also has a colloquial meaning, but transient in a demographic sense would mean that very few people have roots in this province, we're all newcomers. The First Nations would be the exception,” she clarified.

Abedi also identified racism as one of the drawbacks to being an immigrant in Canada. While she hesitated to give any specific examples, she acknowledged that it’s something many immigrants have to go through on a daily basis, often while performing routine tasks. “You can see it when they talk,” she said. “For example, cashiers at the supermarket, they talk to white people one way, but when they talk to us they know we came from another country, and speak to us differently,” she said.

While racism is an everyday challenge for many immigrants, arriving in Canada is perhaps an even larger struggle.

According to Jane Howard of the North Shore’s Harvest Project, getting grounded in a new city and a new community can be one of the biggest challenges immigrants face. “Often they are isolated,” she said.

“They don’t have any community to support them, to tell them where to go and what to do. Also, there’s a language barrier.”

The Harvest Project’s motto is “extending a hand up, not a hand out,” focusing on the residents of Vancouver’s North Shore. Howard explained that while every individual or family the

Project helps is different, there are reoccurring issues. “Often they’ve got PTSD,” she said, “so we help find them counselling services.” However, some of the biggest challenges facing those new to the country that Howard and the team at the Harvest Project help are related to day-to-day happenings.

“We try to get them connected to supports they might need,” she said. “It might be in the legal system, health care, we help them write a resumé so they can find employment, we have a money manager here who will help them with their budget," she explained. Howard also emphasized the importance of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for many immigrants. Overall, she stressed the fact that immigrating is, “Very stressful for families, our culture is so different, they're trying to integrate into something they don't really understand.”

As much as Howard’s job often sees her dealing with immigrant families or individuals in need of aid, it also allows her to see the possibilities immigrating to Canada offers. “We have single mothers come with five children, with English as a second language,” she said. “They’ve done their master’s degrees.”

Chiu will graduate from CapU this summer with a degree in Communication studies, but won’t soon forget her time spent at the school. “There's more local students here that I can Interact with and learn more about Canadian culture, which is kind of opposite of my previous experience from SFU,” she said. She hopes to find a public relations job in Vancouver, and while she does feel some pressure to return home and help her father with his business, she sees her future in Canada.

Abedi’s daughter will also be graduating this summer with a criminology degree from SFU and the intent to attend law school in the future.

Her son graduated from the Vancouver Film School this past December and is pursuing a career in video game design.

While Canada is still a relatively young country, its history is rich with contributions from immigrant communities – something that is important to remember when addressing the topic of immigration. It is also a country that has long referred to itself as a “cultural mosaic”, which most Canadians take pride in. But perhaps, no one appreciates Canada and the opportunities it offers more than its immigrants, as they realize how lucky anyone is to call it their home.

“I always say, ‘I love Canada, I love Canada’ – I really love it,” said Abedi.

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

systems in the world. Our K-12 system is in the top five in the world, and they know that.”

For Abedi, and many other parents who make the move to Canada in search of a better life for their children, the decision is not without sacrifice. Abedi and her husband had spent years developing a photography business in Dubai, and were seeing success with it.

“We had really good jobs in Dubai,” she said. “We earned really good money, but we came to Canada for the education, we knew that in Dubai they [wouldn’t] have a good education.”

Whitney recalled a Syrian refugee she worked with this past year who had a similar story of sacrifice. “Last year at this time I taught in a Link program, which is a program for new Canadians and refugees,” she said. “I had a man in my class whose English was very good, and he was the head of the paediatrics ward in the main hospital in Syria, but here he was working making doors in a factory in Abbotsford. He never expressed any resentment or bitterness about it.”

Curious about how he could cope with the transition from such a prestigious position in Syria, she asked the man how he was feeling. His response: “'Well, my son is 18 and he's making a decision right now about which university he is going to attend in Vancouver,' and he said 'I feel my sacrifice is worth it because my son is going to have a better future here than if we stayed in Syria'," she recounted.

Unfortunately, immigration has been a target for many people, gaining more prevalence as of late, at all levels of society. While it’s hard to miss President Trump’s weekly verbal excrements, the negative tone taken towards immigration has been making its way down the grapevine, being embraced by larger and larger groups of people.

Discussing this trend, Whitney made an alarming comparison. “I think really we should go back to Germany in the 1920s,” she said. “Immigrants are easy scapegoats, especially if you have one group that is very visible.”

Whitney made this connection while discussing the racist undertones that have taken over the narrative connected to British Columbia’s sky-high housing prices over the past few years, something CapU student Daphne Chiu knows all about.

Originally from Malaysia, Chiu came to Canada in 2010 in search of a better education than the one she would have received at home. “I wanted to get an education outside of my country because the education there basically sucks,” she said. “My initial plan was to go to the UK, but my dad wanted me here because my aunty is here.” Chiu originally attended Simon Fraser University (SFU), but later transferred to CapU.

While the majority of Chiu’s experiences in Canada have been positive, she has also had her share of negative interactions as well. She remembers one encounter in particular.

“I was downtown,” she recalled.

“There was this woman behind me who was like, 'Fucking Chinese,' so I turned around and said 'I'm not Chinese, I'm Malaysian, why do you hate Chinese so much?' Then she was like 'They make everything so expensive here,'" targeting her frustration towards Chiu.

While research, like SFU Business

/CAPILANOCOURIER

THE CAPILANO COURIER

“We have one of the best public education systems in the world. Our K-12 system is in the top five in the world”

@CAPILANOCOURIER

ARTS & CULTURE

BENSON SHUM’S JOURNEY TO DISNEY How a Capilano animation grad made it to the biggest of leagues Carlo Javier MANAGING EDITOR

Benson Shum could very well be Capilano University’s most accomplished alumnus.

Over the past five years, Shum has compiled a portfolio that would be the envy of any animator and illustrator. Since 2012, he’s listed animation credits for Wreck-It Ralph, Moana, Big Hero 6, Frozen and Zootopia – all of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, with the latter three winning the honour.

It took Shum 12 years to get to Disney.

The animator and illustrator graduated from CapU’s Commercial Animation Program in 2000 and bounced around firms and studios like Sony Pictures Imageworks, The Moving Picture Company (MPC) and Atomic Cartoons before he got his first Disney gig. “I really just wanted to be creative no matter where I was,” he said.

“Disney was a place I wanted to work at and never thought I'd get here.”

Shum’s first assignment with Disney was Wreck-It Ralph’s King Candy, a character he describes as “cartoony,” which provided himself and other animators a lot of leeway with exaggeration and improvisation. In contrast, his experience working on characters like Elsa from Frozen or the titular lead hero of Moana, erred more towards the classic Disney style. “We can exaggerate but in a more

EASY ACCESS Making do with the lack of accessibility at Vancouver’s concert venues Justin Scott

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Ascending the stairs to a concert hall or nightclub usually helps build excitement and anticipation for a night out. You’ve waited in line, paid cover or given your ticket, maybe dropped something off at coat check, and are on the homestretch before you’re inside. Unfortunately, while this experience is exhilarating for lots of people, it’s daunting for some and it’s impossible for others.

“Buildings before 1979 weren't required to make the necessary modifications to the building to make them accessible,” said Shayne De Wildt, a North Vancouver resident who was born with cerebral palsy and has spent his entire life requiring mobility aids. De Wildt, who has been in a power chair since grade eight, not only encounters accessibility issues on a daily basis, he fights them as well.

As a member of the North Shore Advisory Committee on Disability Issues, De Wildt advocates on behalf of himself and others by advising the city council

14

subtle way, and that is challenging and fun as well,” he said.

With Zootopia, Shum was heavily involved with its lead character, Judy Hopps and comic relief supporting character, Benjamin Clawhauser. For Shum, what he found most satisfying with the two are not necessarily tied to their artistic or technical elements. Instead, it was with their characterization and portrayal. He commends Hopps for her optimism and dedication, while noting that Nate Torrence’s voice work for Clawhauser wasn’t just funny to the audience, but also to the animators. “The recordings would get us laughing before we even started animating,” he recalled.

He even goes as far as to mention the two, in addition with Baymax from Big Hero 6, as his favourites among the Disney characters he’s worked on over the years.

The characterization of compelling and memorable characters has been one of Disney’s calling cards for some time. Their recent string of animated features has ventured past the typical portrayal of characters that’s become so common in popular media.

Critics especially noted how Judy Hopps illustrated a female lead who was depicted as a character invested in succeeding in her career, as opposed to the usual portrayal of damsels in distress.

For Shum, the existence of characters like Hiro from Big Hero 6 or Moana shows a positive trend towards much-needed and equal representation of people. “I think its really important that we all are represented

in films,” he said. “I think its amazing with Disney being such a big company that they are willing to create stories about minorities and people of colour. I'm very lucky and proud to be a part of [Big Hero 6 and Moana].”

With Wreck-It Ralph 2 already in the works, Shum figures he is going to be busy

revisiting the characters he worked on five years ago, but his immediate future will likely be dedicated to the fruition of a project he’s been working on individually.

“My first children's book, Holly's Day at the Pool, is out Apr. 25 with DisneyHyperion,” he said.

According to Shum, within the Walt Disney Animation Studios exists a subprogram that allows artists to further prosper in their craft: the Disney Artist Showcase. “Anyone at the studio can pitch

and illustrate their idea,” he said.

Like the thoughtful and deep characterization of Judy Hopps and Moana, Shum’s inspiration for Holly’s Day at the Pool also comes from morals and life lessons he wishes to elaborate on.

This story comes from a familiar place: his family.

Shum recounted a conversation he had with his sister about his niece, a talk that centred on a seemingly minute topic, but not for a child.

“She was starting to take showers instead of a bath and she did not like that,” he said.

“The idea of fear from the little things we forget as adults, even something as small as droplets showering down on you, is probably pretty big for a child. I thought it would be interesting to explore the fear of water, and how we can grow and overcome it.”

With more films in the future and a children’s book awaiting its release, Shum admits that sometimes, he still finds it hard to believe that he made it all the way from Capilano to Disney. “I never thought I'd get here, let alone still be animating after 17 years!” But he’s living proof of the products of perseverance and hard work, and that even a small school in North Vancouver, can lead to magical worlds. As for current students at Cap who dream of working for Disney or another major studio, Shum has some simple advice. “Keep being creative, draw, doodle, anything that gets what's in your head down on paper or the computer.”

regarding all accessibility issues. “We do offices, we do public buildings, we do all of that stuff,” he said. “We advise Council on different ways to make venues accessible and making sure that new buildings are accessible.”

For De Wildt and anyone else who faces similar accessibility issues, buildings that lack accessibility are just one ingredient in the overall recipe of problems facing their community. Simple day-to-day tasks can be challenging or impossible and can make everyday a struggle.

De Wildt recently endured a troubling experience that has left him more frustrated with accessibility efforts on the North Shore than usual.

On Mar. 8, De Wildt and his girlfriend Stacey made their way to a local bus stop on their way to get her power chair fixed. “My girlfriend and I are both in power chairs,” he said. “We got to the bus stop, and the bus came, and there was a stroller on the bus.

We knew the mother of the stroller, and the mother was going to move to accommodate us as she'd done in the past.”

At this point however, the day took a turn for the worse – even though there was plenty of room on the bus. “The driver flat-out refused to take both of us, he would only take one of us because according to Translink, its policy that there can only be two Mobility Aids on the bus at one time, no matter what.”

The driver of the bus then contacted higher ups at Translink in search of

approval for the decision. “He actually waited 15 minutes, maybe half an hour, to get approval,” said De Wildt, assuming it was done to shift responsibility for the decision.

As frustrating as situations like this are, De Wildt understands that by attempting to break rules or skirt regulations, individuals or organizations can open themselves up to lawsuits. When discussing Vancouver music venues that require the use of a staircase for access, he acknowledged the risk venues would put themselves in if they were to attempt to accommodate anyone with accessibility issues without the proper infrastructure in place to do so. “If someone falls going up those stairs, [the venue is] potentially going to get sued. It’s really unfortunate, but that's the way it is right now.”

However, for De Wildt, that’s not acceptable. “I get really mad at that, though,” he said. “It goes back to my story about Translink, apologies – apologies do not make it right, liabilities do not make it right.”

This is a mindset shared by the Biltmore Cabaret’s general manager, Heath Parsons. “We try to be as accommodating as possible to all our guests,” he said. While the Biltmore’s two entrances are accessed via staircase, they have been resourceful in their efforts to create a welcoming and accommodating venue.

Rather than accepting the limitations they inherited with the venue, the Biltmore

has taken advantage of the building’s layout and found a solution to the issue of access. “We have a ramp that goes through our cooler,” Parsons said. “It's basically our little VIP entrance.”

“The ramp was always there,” he added.

“It's something we've always been able to use because it's how we get our deliveries in – it just happens that it works perfectly to get people [who require it] in at the back entrance. Plus, it's pretty cool, they get to see a behind-the-scenes working of the bar.”

Parsons explained that while the Biltmore has no official policy on attendees with mobility aids or other special requests, they always try to be as accommodating as possible. The venue’s bouncers will help those who need assistance up and down staircases as well as ensuring that all attendees enjoy a memorable experience.

“We generally try, with our security, to find a spot with a view of the stage and make sure that it's available to them,” he said.

De Wildt understands that there is still a long way to go for accessibility in Vancouver, but he prefers to focus on the progress made.

“I want to be equal in society,” he said. “It's never going to be fully equal, but you have to make strides to make the barriers go away, because if you don't you're not going to make society equal.”

Parsons has a very similar approach to how the Biltmore is operated. “Anytime somebody needs something [we do it],” he declared. “That’s kind of our policy – kindness goes far.”

@CAPILANOCOURIER

NOT JUST ANOTHER FILM FESTIVAL Local groups hope to address current issues and inspire action Justin Scott ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

From Thursday Mar. 30 to Saturday Apr. 1, Vancouver International Film Festival’s (VIFF) Vancity Theatre will host the fourth annual Just Film Festival. Staged by Amnesty International, Village Vancouver, Codev and the VIFF Theatre, the festival aims to offer a diverse selection of films addressing social justice and environmental issues. While this is the fourth year of the Just Film moniker for the festival, the event has been around longer than that.

“It's the fourth one as the Just Film Festival, it used to be the CoDevelopment Canada Film Festival and they called it the World Community Film Festival," said Don Wright, Regional Activism Coordinator and the Acting Manager of Activism for Amnesty International’s Vancouver location.

The festival will screen a wide variety of films, from local student productions, to

SIN CITY & INCLUSIVE PARTIES A look into Vancouver’s kink and fetish community Jessica Lio OPINIONS EDITOR

international films being premiered in the city for the first time. Overall there will be 13 films screened over the three-day event.

In the past, the festival would purchase rights to packages of films to screen. This year, however, its coordinators opted to take an alternate route. "We've decided to leave the package behind and just go with films that we've selected ourselves that bring the stories forward that make sense for our organizations,” said Wright.

“We look for ideas from various sources, what's going on at other film festivals across Canada, what films have we heard about,” he said. “Sometimes, filmmakers approach as and say, 'We've got a film that you might be interested in, would you like to have a look at it,’ and there are some suppliers that have catalogues of films so we'll have a look at the catalogues and maybe ask for a couple of those films to be submitted.”

While all the films to be screened tell important stories and address timely issues, Wright is particularly excited for two of this year’s offerings. “I'm really excited for On the Bride's Side,” he said. “It's a very quirky film about five Palestinians and Syrians in Milan who have fled Syria and are on this island in Italy, and they're trying to figure out how to join some of their friends in Europe.”

The group members proceed to

disguise themselves as a wedding party, and attempt to travel across the continent. “It takes a real poke at the borders and restrictions and rules that have been in place in Europe to try to prevent people from fleeing across borders,” added Wright.

He is also excited about the Jon Stewart-produced After Spring – a documentary which shines a light on the tribulations faced by families and individuals who find themselves living in refugee camps, often for years on end. It's about people that are trying to rebuild their lives in the space that's not really meant to be permanent,” said Wright.

Overall, the goal of the festival is to provoke thought and action regarding current issues. Wright explained that they aim to achieve this by offering a variety of uplifting success stories along side more sombre but enticing films. “We look for a mix of films that celebrate success, or [ones where] people have achieved their goals around protecting human rights or protecting the environment,” he said.

“But also films that tell stories where the challenges remain.”

The beauty of film is its ability to do more than simply tell a story: it can put a face or faces to an issue, and allow the viewer to gain a greater and more personal connection to the issue

–SYD DANGER

attire,” said Lee. “Everyone who attends should know about the importance of consent. It shows that you respect the person, their rights, their boundaries and their body.”

Sin City has a strict code of conduct, which all attendees must observe, including a restriction from taking photos inside the club to ensure that everyone feels safe and comfortable.

“The number one [rule] is no touching.

If you touch someone, they better have told you that it was okay. If someone tells you no, you need to take it graciously and move on,” Terpstra stated.

Over the years, Terpstra and Folkes have built up teams of staff who are committed to upholding a philosophy of mutual respect and acceptance. They help

being discussed. This concept is not lost on the Just Film Festival’s organizers.

“You spend maybe 90 minutes with a film,” said Wright. “You’re meeting the people that are involved, that are affected by the issue, they're experiencing the oppression, or are working to change circumstances or to resist environmental destruction. And you really feel for what they're going through, and you want to support them.”

In addition to spreading awareness, Wright hopes that the festival will insight action in some of its attendees. “What we hope the films will do is, they're compelling stories, they're well told, and we're hoping that they will motivate and inspire people to be engaged and to be involved,” he said.

Amnesty International will have a table set up at the theatre for the duration of the festival and hopes to engage with attendees, possibly leading to further actions being taken regarding issues addressed by the festival. While the festival itself is only three days, Wright is active year-round coordinating events and hopes it will inspire festival-goers to join in additional events throughout the year.

Tickets for the festival, Screening times, and more information are available at Justfilm.ca.

enforce the rules and make it clear that Sin City is not the type of event where people turn a blind eye to inappropriate behaviour. A third-party group called the Vancouver Dungeon Monitor Team is also in attendance to ensure that everything happening inside the club is safe, legal and consensual.

“If there’s any issues we tend to them immediately. We have a zero tolerance policy for any hostility or aggression or any abuse of the environment inside the club,” Folkes stated.

Together, Sin City and the Odyssey have created a unique space where anybody can feel accepted and welcome, one that feels like home to people from all around the world.

“I see people partying and they make these random connections that are really healthy and fun and wonderful and we just kind of help let the sparks fly, provide the atmosphere to have that happen,” said Terpstra.

“We have a phenomenal cross-section of people that are gay, trans, crossdressers, straight, couples, singles, old, young – it’s a very rare thing.”

“It doesn’t matter who you are, what orientation you are, what country you’re from, it doesn’t really matter. We want it to be a safe space for everyone to have fun in,” said Folkes. “Our mandate is to realize that ideal and make sure we have a place in this city where people could be free and not worry about how they look or what other people are thinking of them.

I want people to come in here and feel like everyone here is their friend. You’re joining a family.”

Editor’s note: *name has been changed.

Sin City Fetish Night takes place on the second Saturday of every month at the Odyssey in Vancouver. To find out more, visit Sincityfetishnight.com.

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VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

anything else, attendees can incorporate their fetishes into their outfits and have a great time wearing something they feel confident in. Many attendees even make their outfits by hand.

Isaac Terpstra has been producing events in Vancouver for 20 years with his company Restricted Entertainment.

His goal with Sin City has always been to create an inspiring, healthy environment where people can trust each other. With extensive experience in set decoration and the sound and lighting industries, Terpstra has become an expert in throwing themed parties.

For 16 years, Sin City has provided a home for people who want to creatively express themselves sexually, in an accepting environment. When Sin City first began in 2001, Club 23 West in Gastown was its long-term home for over a decade. When that venue eventually closed, Sin City moved around to several different locations in Vancouver before settling into its new permanent home at the Odyssey nightclub in January this year.

“People that have come for the first time were just blown away… Everyone was so nice, respectful, creative and wild,” stated Brandon Folkes, the general manager of the Odyssey.

These parties are only possible if everyone has the trust to participate and contribute creatively to the party in some way.

The fetish dress code is a key element to the party. It acts as a small barrier to entry but it’s not meant to be exclusive. Rather, it unlocks an environment where anybody, regardless of gender, age, or sexuality, can be free and openly expressive.

“Attendees are putting themselves in a vulnerable position. The dress code is something that makes attendees feel safe to participate in a public kink event, as everyone who is attending is in fetish

/CAPILANOCOURIER

THE CAPILANO COURIER

When you walk into a Sin City Fetish Night event for the first time, you’ll probably find yourself wondering why you hadn’t done so sooner. Sin City is a home for people from all walks of life, where you can be spanked, tied up and engage in any type of kinky play that your heart desires.

If you're lucky, you could be treated to what the Courier staff like to call "the conjuring” – a performance in which a dancer does a captivating striptease until everybody in the club is cheering wildly in anticipation as the performer majestically summons an erection… all while naked in a steaming hot shower on stage.

“I heard that you could dance and party until 3 am so I was drawn immediately,” said Sasha Lee*, a university student who attended her first Sin City event in 2014. Lee was initially intrigued by the music and costumes in the kink scene, and expected the experience to be similar to clubbing, but she was pleased to discover that Vancouver’s fetish scene is actually home to a wonderful community where people make friends and explore kink culture together.

For those who are new to kink, Lee recommends Sin City as a starting point because of its emphasis on creative costumes and community. “Even though there are many fetish events in Vancouver, Sin City is definitely the best event to go to if you enjoy dressing up… or dressing down to dance topless.”

Whether it’s latex, rope, leather or

@CAPILANOCOURIER

SHORTS

SH OR T S ROUNDTAB LE

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

What does More Life mean for Drake's career?

Cristian Fowlie

Justin Scott

Carlo Javier

Kevin Kapenda

ART DIRECTOR

ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

Drake may be at the top, but More Life shows he’s still hungry – commercially and creatively.

Despite the loose composition and playful vibe, More Life is a carefully calculated project. The whopping 22-track album ensures Drake will continue to dominate in streaming numbers. The ‘playlist’ format aligns him with artists like Beyoncé and Frank Ocean, who are redefining how music is published and consumed.

Even the creative influences of the playlist are on trend. Drake positions himself with UK rap and grime at a time when Skepta and Stormzy are reaching global recognition. He continues to ride the success of dancehall influenced pop and r&b on “Madiba Riddim” and “Ice Melts”.

Even the whimsical flute on “Portland” is an intelligent choice in the wake of the D.R.A.M.’s “Broccoli” and Future’s “Mask Off”. Drake places himself among emerging sounds and bridges them to the mainstream with his approachability and charm.

Though Drake may seem like an opportunistic culture vulture at times, he also shares his global spotlight with his inspirations and collaborators. Jorja Smith, an unknown 19-year-old singer from the UK, commands the show on “Jorja Interlude” and “Get It Together”. Sampha get his own three-minute interlude with “4422”, without a peep from Drizzy. Even Drake’s peers – Young Thug, 2 Chainz and Kanye West – are given generous space to flex.

Drake’s success has always been closely tied to his creative collaborators. More Life is just another example of this, but also shows how Drake brings up those around him as well. He wants more for himself and for those around him.

By releasing More Life as a playlist, Drake allowed himself the freedom to offer the songs and styles he wanted, without the pressure of creating a cohesive album.

He jumps from traditional Drake tracks, both r&b singing and bar spitting, to more inspired and progressive productions. More Life has UK grime, dancehall, house, rap and everything and all in between.

The playlist, which is presented by the new and currently ambiguous October Firm (Drake’s DONDA?), is a monumental moment for Aubrey as it will surely be a defining moment for his career.

The moment More Life graced Apple Radio’s airwaves for the first time, Drake legitimized himself as more than a rapper with crossover potential – he proved himself as one of the most talented hit makers of his time. This was further achieved by the acknowledgements made throughout the work.

“Get it Together”, for example, is a remix of the 2011 Black Coffee hit “Superman”.

While many other artists may have just given Black Coffee a production credit, Drake acknowledged him with a feature.

He further acknowledges his house music inspirations by sampling legendary Detroit DJ Moodymann at the beginning for the ultra-catchy “Passionfruit”. Similarly, Drake does his best to acknowledge the other styles from which he drew inspiration.

With More Life, Drake has embraced his role as a facilitator. He has very little left to prove as a rapper and is transitioning into the next phase of his career. Expect a higher level of creative output from Drizzy and his OVO crew from now on, likely through the October Firm. One thing’s for sure: after More Life nothing will be the same.

Drake’s new album is a step up from his last – that much is clear. While Views may have featured two of the Canadian rapper’s biggest hits, the album ultimately proved to be a lackadaisical and predictable body of work. With the aptly-titled More Life, Drake re-injects a much-needed energy to his sound, and in turn delivers a careerdefining album that just might complete his quest to be the biggest pop star in the world.

Becoming a true global pop star is not out of reach for Drake. More Life is oozing with worldly sounds like afrobeat, dancehall and grime. Songs like “Passionfruit”, “Get it Together” and “No Long Talk” basically guarantee Drizzy with fail-proof hits outside of North America.

In the universally-acclaimed “Madiba Riddim”, the Toronto rapper elevates his affinity for afrobeat to whole new dimension. Simply put, the irresistible track is all but a lock to be the number one song of 2017.

Don’t take Drake’s expansive sounds as a sign of departure, though. Canada’s crown prince still illustrates the tools and skills that brought him to the apex of pop music with spitfire tracks like “Sacrifices”, “Do Not Disturb” and the Kanye Westassisted “Glow” – which also resurrects West’s beloved Late Registration style with a masterful sampling of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Devotion”.

More Life is an ingenious career move

by Drake. With the crown for “best rapper alive” resting firmly on the head of a certain Compton rapper, Drake set his sights somewhere else. He might not be hip-hop’s alpha dog, but ruling the charts around the world is unquestionably a greater feat.

With his latest project, More Life, Drake has cemented himself as this decade’s Jay-Z, and Kanye’s successor, as hip-hop’s most preeminent crossover artist.

From his debut mixtape, Comeback Season, to So Far Gone and Take Care, to More Life, Drake has forced hip-hop to adapt to him, specifically the distinct sound of his producers, and his many vocal styles.

It’s been a pleasure witnessing Drake’s career develop from a rapper many wrote off, to someone who rappers are putting voodoo spells on (“Madiba Riddim”).

Whether you like him or not, you are a witness to his unmatchable work ethic, and unrivalled versatility. If Kendrick is the best at what he does, with More Life, Drake has become the best at what every mainstream rapper wishes to be. This reality is conveyed in “Fake Love”, where Drake states rappers now “look up to him” after his many years of success.

Take the breadth of the features on More Life, for example, reminiscent of Jay-Z’s albums of the early 2000s. Drake’s ability to feature a dozen or so artists on the project with none of them overpowering him is something even the best rappers – like Kanye West, Big Sean, Future and Rick Ross – can’t manage.

Collaborating with some of the UK’s best, Skepta and Giggs, as well as the US’ top young rappers in Travis Scott and Young Thug, demonstrates Drake is the launching pad to success, the artist you collaborate with to blow-up between personal projects.

Drake is now Tom Brady, or Usain Bolt.

The undisputed best, but certainly not everyone’s favourite.

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CALENDAR

27 MONDAY

HAYAO MIYAZAKI DOUBLE BILL

RIO THEATRE 6:15 PM AND 8:50 PM / $10+ The Rio will be honouring one of the greatest filmmakers of all time with a double showing of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. The great Roger Ebert has famously described the legendary Hayao Miyazaki as possibly the best animated filmmaker of all time, and if you haven’t seen any of his work, $10 for each of these masterpieces is a deal you won’t want to miss out on.

31 FRIDAY

JAIN

28 TUESDAY

VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE EAST 4 PM TO 10 PM / $16+ This one’s for those with high aspirations, or those with ultra wealthy backgrounds. The Vancouver International Auto Show will showcase some of the finest cars in the world. Take your pick, luxury cars, super cars, super luxury cars, anything and everything a car enthusiast could ask for is probably going to be here. The base price for admission is cheap, too. The cars are not cheap, by the way.

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY ALL DAY / TUITION MONEY Oh man, back to school is calling students already? And we haven’t even left school yet! It really is a kick in the balls for students to have to persevere through the toughest stretch of the academic year, and then get a message letting you know to get on your application, for classes that start six months from now.

1

SATURDAY

ALINA BARAZ

29 WEDNESDAY

BIRCH BUILDING, CAFETERIA 9:30 AM TO 1:30 PM / FREE As you probably know by now, our hardworking social media manager almost certainly does not read our articles, after a preview for the upcoming Jobs for Caps hiring fair was mistakenly tweeted out with the wrong date. To be honest, it was all part of an elaborate plan, since the fewer students attend, the higher the chance I have of getting hired.

KATE TEMPEST

FORTUNE SOUND CLUB 8 PM / $15 The English poet-rapper is bringing her impressive and Shakespearean brand of hip-hop to Vancouver’s foremost hip-hop venue. For most rappers, Fortune might be the place to go, but for Tempest’s rustic mix of spoken word and syllabic art, I feel like a “loungier” space might be a better fit. Regardless, the aptly-named Tempest is not one you should overlook. She’s already a doper rapper than J. Cole.

THURSDAY

RED ROOM ULTRA BAR 8 PM / $10+ The Laydy James debut EP release party could be one of the best shows in town this coming month. Composed by Missy D, Roya, Maneo Mohale and Sejal, Laydy Jams is an all-female group that blends elements of hip-hop, jazz, classical, Bollywood tunes and many other influences into one holistic approach to music. Don’t miss out on this show. Missy D’s dexterous bilingual bars alone are worth the (very affordable) price of admission.

2

SUNDAY

ROGERS ARENA 8 PM / $39.50 TO $125 It’s tremendously important to understand that this is a live Game of Thrones Concert Experience and not just a live Game of Thrones Experience, because the latter would just be quite fucked up. I love Game of Thrones just as much as anyone, but I sure as hell would not want to exist in Westeros.

HANAMI CHERRY BLOSSOM CELEBRATION TROUT LAKE COMMUNITY CENTRE 11 AM TO 1:30 PM / FREE The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is not only a beautiful spring tradition, its also one of the ways Vancouver honours its long-marginalized Japanese community. Even more important, the Hanami celebration on Apr. 2, is actually one of the dates that our News Editor Kevin Kapenda will be attending this spring. No word yet on who his +1 will be.

WRESTLEMANIA 33 12 KINGS PUB 3 PM TO 8 PM / A FIGURE-FOUR LEGLOCK Every true fan of the Attitude Era has real and reasonable gripes about how today’s wrestling landscape has turned out.

All the complaints are valid and mostly true, but there are some slivers of hope, such as the level of technical prowess and athleticism that pro-wrestling oozes with today. 12 Kings Pub’s event should be a nice showcase of Wrestlemania, and I hear a certain ex-CSU member will be there.

CHATLIVE: HUMAN-ANIMAL INTERACTION

THE CAPILANO COURIER

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LAYDY JAMS DEBUT EP RELEASE PARTY

GAME OF THRONES LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE

THE IMPERIAL 8 PM / $20 Alina Baraz has one of those silky and chilly vocals that’s become so trendy in recent years. Her style lends itself perfectly to idiosyncratic formats of r&b, as well as to some of your favourite iterations of EDM. This show is bound to be a real sensual experience and The Imperial’s stylistic interior should be a perfect match for Baraz’ style.

JOBS FOR CAPS

NEW WESTMINSTER PUBLIC LIBRARY 7 PM TO 9:30 PM / $10 Social media has turned the word “lit” into such a contentious term that it’s divided older and younger generations farther apart than any other thing that transpired since history. This particular “LitFest” in New Westminster will not be a celebration of the type of “lit” that you might be interested in, because it’s very much concerned with literature. That’s a good thing.

EARLY APPLICATION FOR FALL DEADLINE

BILTMORE CABARET 8 PM / $15 Jain is a French singer-songwriter who I thought I had never heard of until I realized that her irresistible hit song “Come”, had been on the soundtrack of NBA 2k17 all along. I happen to be dominant in NBA 2k17, and I’m welcoming any and all challengers who want to play a good game of virtual basketball. DM me on Playstation 4 @lorcaj.

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

LITFEST NEW WEST

LIBRARY BUILDING, ROOM 188 11:30 AM TO 12:30 PM / FREE Not much info is provided about this particular ChatLive on the school’s website, so I’ll give you the rundown. Students who attend this ChatLive will not only get a great education experience and potential notation on their academic credits, they will also get to pet animals from across the entire biosphere.

Yes, the school will be bringing in lemurs, rhinos, gazelles, salamanders and polar bears. Get there before seats run out!

ARBUTUS BUILDING, ROOM 117 11:45 AM TO 12:45 PM / FREE Unfortunately, this is not the launch of an authentic selection of Latin American cuisine at Capilano University. Fortunately, Spanish instructors at the school’s language department will still be bringing some tostadas de guacamole to make up for the mild disappointment. Come and celebrate your amor for all things Español! No pico de gallo, though.

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

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LA PRIMERA HISPANIC CAFETERIA

VANITY UNFAIR Famous feminist Emma Watson comes under fire for having boobs and a brain.

Tia Kutschera Fox CONTRIBUTOR

UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson sparked a ridiculously trivial debate this month when she chose to wear a revealing outfit on the March cover of Vanity Fair. CNN entertainment asked, “Can you be a feminist and pose in a nearly see-through top for Vanity Fair?” Yes. Glad to clear that up. That’s all, folks!

But seriously, why was this even a controversy? As if the world didn’t already have enough examples of classic slut shaming, English broadcaster and journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer tweeted “Emma Watson: "Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my tits!"” Hartley-Brewer’s tweet demonstrated a basic misunderstanding of empowerment and unintentionally summarized one of the toughest fights in feminism — men can be sexy and taken seriously by society, but women can’t. You either get brains or boobs, but don’t be so naive to think you’re allowed to enjoy

having both.

Feminism at its core is about women having a choice, not about judging each other for what we do and do not wear.

Watson summed this up perfectly when she said “Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with.” Dictating how a women should dress might get you brownie points from The Patriarchy™ but quite frankly, the world is tired of it.

Feminism is about lifting each other up, not dragging each other down with cries of “fake feminism” just because a woman doesn’t live her life the same way as you.

Then there were others who called Watson a hypocrite for comments she made in a 2014 interview, which seemed to criticize Beyonce’s sexuality in a music video performance. Again, these are trivial allegations. Watson publicized the full transcript of the interview, and those who actually read it would realize her comments were made in regards to the “male gaze” orientation of the camera world, and that she went on to say that this is Beyonce’s choice — and that is what feminism is all about. However, even if Watson hadn’t said this, there is still such a thing as learning and growing. People make mistakes (even famous feminists), and if they have made amends over time, what is the point in dragging up stuff that is no longer relevant? We should be celebrating the fact that people can change for the better, not punishing them for their learning process.

If you’re having trouble with the concept

–ANNIE CHANG

OPINIONS

of respecting women’s choices, just consider the difference between nude photos being leaked and a nude selfie being shared.

How can it be that the first is sexualization and objectification, while the second is self empowerment and acceptance? The difference is consent. When a woman decides to be proud and confident with her body and show it, that should be a win for feminism and body positivity. When a slimy person decides to break all trust and share private photos without the subject’s consent, that is everything wrong with the world. Yet, nobody seems to have an

CANADA’S FAILURE TO INVEST IN A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM THAT PUTS HUMANITY FIRST Universal coverage remains an unrealizable ideal Jessica Lio

THE CAPILANO COURIER

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OPINIONS EDITOR

Publicly covering 117 essential medicines could possibly save our country more than $4 billion per year, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in early 2017. Despite commissions on the Canadian health care system repeatedly concluding that universal, comprehensive public health care, it’s not likely that this ideal will be realized anytime soon.

These essential medicines would include antibiotics, insulin, heart medication, antidepressants, oral contraceptives and more, sufficiently addressing the needs of most Canadians for pharmaceutical drugs. We could choose to take action and provide care for those in need while saving on government spending; however, the pressure of private industries to shift Canada’s health care system away from universal coverage and toward independent providers continue to prove to be a barrier.

The Fraser Institute and other players in the health care privatization movement continue to advocate for a two-tier system, particularly for private health insurance, claiming that it will mean better quality of care and more choice for everybody.

However, in the US private health

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insurance providers have make a killing off subjecting patients to unwarranted procedures while creating more barriers to actual access of care.

Here in Canada, private ownership of pharmacies hasn’t contributed to better quality of care for patients, nor have pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and assistants benefitted. Instead, owners have the incentive to only fill prescriptions that are profitable. Pharmacists are even pressured to engage in irresponsible practices such as turning away patients who are looking to get prescriptions filled because the medications they require are not profitable.

The first for-profit, private clinic that was opened in BC in the mid 1990s was promised to be a shining beacon of hope in the midst of an “overcrowded and mismanaged” public system. It promised

(wealthy) patients first-class surgery and care, then subsequently went on to excessively over-bill patients for hundreds of thousands of dollars. When asked by the BC government to stop the unethical practice, the clinic addressed the concern with disregard and continued operations.

We could make it a priority to improve working conditions in the health care industry and increase access to medication for patients. Instead, the Clark administration in British Columbia has chosen to embrace and push for privatization in every industry. We have failed to invest in preventative health care services, provision of mental health services for youth and at risk citizens.

Despite the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s findings that support investing the country’s mental health system, and extensive research to

issue looking at nude photos, or dedicating websites to “top 100 leaked nude photos of all time”?

Why are we okay with womens’ privacy and trust being violated on global scale, but still entertain those who have a fit when one woman decides she wants to show a little (gasp) underboob?

If Brad Pitt can pose with an open shirt and bare his nipples on the cover of Vanity Fair and still be praised for his work as an environmental and human rights activist, feminism and basic human decency says that Watson deserves the same freedoms.

demonstrate the economic rationale for providing such funding, the status quo remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, the fentanyl crisis that claimed more than half of the 922 lives lost to illicit-drug overdose deaths in British Columbia last year shows no signs of slowing down.

In the first week of March alone, Vancouver saw 174 overdose calls and the Vancouver Police Department reported 14 suspected overdose deaths, setting a record high for 2017.

Despite public statements from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Vancouver police chief Adam Palmer urging for the province to act on addiction treatment, doctors still do not have adequate resources to administer the necessary treatment to combat, response workers are overwhelmed with calls and there are still not enough treatment beds.

The federal government continues to cite the division of powers as their reason for not taking action, despite Health Canada having the power to remove regulations and obstacles that are preventing prescription heroin from being available for addicted patients.

Where is the $10 million that the BC government received from the federal minister of health to fight this? Why has funding for injectable opioid treatment not increased when we know it has been proven effective?

Until our government decides to takes a stance and provide healthcare based on need rather than wealth, universal coverage will remain unattainable – an ideal far off in the distance while lowincome earning and disadvantaged folks suffer.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

WILD SALMON: BRITISH COLUMBIA’S BACK BONE The ocean-farmed salmon industry’s impact on our keystone species Layla Kadri CONTRIBUTOR

In the mid-1980s, open-net salmon farms were introduced on our British Columbian coast. In the 18 years following, our wild sockeye salmon populations have declined. Only recently, due to the work of hatcheries, biologists and activists, are British Columbians beginning to learn the truth about ocean-farmed salmon, as well as the importance of our wild salmon.

As a keystone species, wild salmon are integral to our coastal ecosystems. Their survival is paramount to the prevention of diseases, parasites and excessive waste in the water and it’s pivotal in protecting our local economy, thus making wild salmon arguably the most important species in British Columbia.

When wild salmon are born, they typically begin a two-year journey as herring migrating out of our fresh water rivers to feed on rich ocean nutrients found far beyond our coast. Later, they return to mate and lay eggs before eventually reaching the end of their lifespan.

However, their death is a gift to our coast.

All animals gather to feast on the salmon run, including, most famously, bears and eagles. The rich ocean nutrients found in salmon are also given to the soil, trees and insects as they decompose.

Wild salmon are also essential for humans as they provide a source food security and indicate a healthy ecosystem.

They also hold extreme importance to First Nations culture and livelihood. According to Grand Chief Steward Phillip of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, “the proliferation of salmon farms along the BC coast” has left people unable to

MAKING THE MOST OUT OF A LIAISON POSITION

Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

depend on the return of wild salmon.

As a result of the fish farming industry, BC jobs have also been negatively affected.

The wild salmon industry employs roughly three times as many employees as the ocean farmed salmon industry. Profit from the wild salmon industry directly benefits our local Canadian economy, whereas the vast majority of ocean farms are foreign owned. Industries beyond fisheries also depend on healthy wild salmon population and runs, such as the growing wilderness tourism industry.

In 2009, the federal government created the Cohen Commission to investigate the alarming 18-year decline of the Fraser River sockeye salmon, with findings clearly indicating that open net salmon farms cause a major threat to wild salmon.

In highly populated farm pens, viruses spread rapidly, and without natural selection, the infected salmon do not die off.

Instead, they share their diseases and in some cases are still harvested. Not only are the migratory routes of vulnerable young herring infected, but the water carries viruses far past the farm.

Yet another issue with ocean-farmed salmon is the amount of waste produced by such a high concentration of stagnant fish. This waste is collected below the pens, meaning that wild salmon must pass through farmed salmon feces.

These migratory routes have become home to billions of parasites that puncture flesh and suck blood from fish, known as sea lice, at and around open net salmon farms. In their natural wild setting, sea lice are not devastatingly harmful to the salmon population, but in farmed net pens they reproduce at exponential numbers and have become immune to new drugs.

Paradoxically, in January 2014, Canada began opening BC’s coast to expand the 98 per cent foreign-owned salmon farming industry, clearly contrary to the Commission’s report. It is 2017 and Cohen Commission recommendations on how to restore wild salmon that were aimed at reducing the risk of salmon farms are still ignored today.

Far more issues exist with ocean-

farmed salmon, but there are alternatives to this harmful industry. Building land-based, closed-containment fish farms are a more sustainable option for aquaculture. This method is allows for the control of disease and sea lice with no interference to wild salmon.

Canadians and our government need to acknowledge the risk that our wild

salmon face with these farmed salmon pens directly at their migratory routes.

BC has farmed Atlantic salmon grown in closed-containment systems on land on the market such as Kuterra, a First Nation-run business, which proves we don’t need to rely on ocean-farming. You, as a consumer, have the power to choose to support our wild salmon.

ran unopposed this election cycle, a good sign that there are more students who care about issues affecting minority groups on campus and want to take an active role in student politics to address them.

As with any election, some candidates focus more on selling themselves than explaining their goals and pointing out specific issues they would like to address. People vote for their friends and colleagues, and if they don’t know much about the pool of candidates, they vote for whomever was the most visible. Student politics is no different. It’s not about who ran on the strongest platform, it’s about who ran the loudest campaign and who shared their vision with more people than anyone else.

Year after year, candidates express that they will provide a safe and inclusive space for self-identifying minority groups.

While admirable propositions, spaces on campus dedicated to the collectives already exist. The real work lies in starting conversations with students who don’t belong to a minority group, and challenging their ideas about the struggles

faced by those who do.

Others strive to create change or to focus on specific issues related to their collectives.

Challenging negative stereotypes and addressing high numbers of sexual assault cases that go unaddressed are both valid issues raised by previous liaisons.

For instance, First Nations Students Liaison Geronimo Alec, during his time at the helm of the collective, has successfully influenced numerous changes made by the university to represent First Nations culture on campus. The Musqueam, TsleilWaututh and Squamish peoples’ traditional claim to the land is acknowledged at the commencement of every gathering on campus, First Nations artwork was incorporated into CapU’s new brand identity that was unveiled last November and the Senate recently approved a new set of courses pertaining to First Nations history, politics and storytelling to be taught starting in September.

In the CSU’s directory, the Women, First Nations and Queer Students Liaisons and the Accessibility Justice Collective have provided lists of resources available to

students, including academic funding, employment associations and assistance with programming and education planning. Other liaisons, however, have been mostly invisible to all but the cohort of students who belong to the collective.

Last spring, International Students Liaison Erick Rojas organized CapU’s first Diversity Week to celebrate culture, featuring food, games and information kiosks as well as a traditional Chinese dragon dance in the Birch Cafeteria, followed by an African drumming performance.

In contrast, few students know who the International Students Liaison has been this past year.

Campus-wide events such as Truth and Reconciliation, Pride Week and International Women’s Day are critical in bringing the CapU community together in such a manner that students outside of the collectives have an opportunity to learn about the issues that affect them.

Inclusivity is a larger concept than just fostering harmony within a group. It should extend to the community at large and include allies.

–WOLFGANG THOMO

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While the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) executives provide services for students and maintain relations with Capilano University and the larger community, student liaisons are tasked with representing minority groups on campus, including students who identify as First Nations, Queer, women, students of colour, international students and those affected by accessibility issues.

Few candidates for the liaison positions

/CAPILANOCOURIER

THE CAPILANO COURIER

CSU Student Liaisons need to be more visible, engage community at large

@CAPILANOCOURIER

COLUMNS

DROPPING THE F-BOMB Lessons on mentorship Brittany Tiplady COLUMNIST

Believe it or not, I don’t keep a roof over my head solely on a freelance writer’s salary.

My side hustle for the past eight years has been teaching ballet to children, teenagers and adults at a small dance studio in Richmond, and I truly love my job even with all of its challenges.

My senior students are now finishing up high school, applying for universities, planning gap years abroad and soon will be out in the world without my weekly guidance. Many of them have grown up with me, and I with them. They’ve seen me through every hair colour, many boyfriends, apartments and tattoos. And in return, I’ve watched my girls flourish from innocent, young ballerinas into bold, independent, beautiful women. To have

been their quirky ballet teacher for eight years is a privilege that I hold as one of my most treasured accomplishments.

However, mentoring young women comes with greater responsibility than simply teaching a proper grand jeté. As I grew up and found my feminism through experience and education, I have found that passing on these lessons and scraps of wisdom has been equally, if not more important to pass along to my girls than just dance. As I myself developed a stronger sense of my personal intersectional feminism, I started dropping the F-bomb in class discussions. The term at first went over their heads, and then, as time passed and the conversations grew more intense, feminist ideologies became the central topic of my mini-life lectures.

I’ve learned that young women are rarely given the opportunity to be. Their words, woes and wants are stifled by parents and teachers and the growing epidemic that is social media standards and cyber bullying. Their entire world is captured online, making every problem and hurtle more challenging than our generations

ever was. And while being 16 in 2017 is technologically more advanced, some things still remain: peer pressure, family pressure, body image, friendship drama, sex, drugs, drinking and homework. My entire youth, I was told that once I was an adult I would wish to be a teenager again, and that has been the farthest thing from the truth. Being a teenager sucks.

My privilege as a role model in this adolescent chaos is that I get to hold space for conversation, for questions and for growth. My responsibility as a feminist and mentor is to infuse strength, selflove and compassion in that space. A few weeks back, my girls had a “funny story” to share with me in class. In between nervous laughter, they shared with me a story about a girl at their school who was given a spiked drink and later, had her virginity taken and broadcasted on Snapchat.

My sweet, sweet girls found this hilarious. Speechless with horror and disappointment, I strapped on my feminist cape, and the beginning of our pointe class was spent having a very

needed conversation about consent. We talked about rape culture, about the cycle of rape culture, victim shaming and the trauma that this poor girl is now chained to for a lifetime. We talked about empathy and we talked about my own unfortunate experiences and how I overcame them.

Your biggest problem, is your biggest problem. Mine, as a 26-year-old, is how I’m going to afford to pay for my wedding on a writer’s income, and how to do my own taxes. Their problems are how to navigate through parties without risking sexual assault, their parent’s messy divorces, emerging mental health challenges, fights with mom about going to the mall, childhood pets dying and boys. Their problems are real, and often much scarier than mine, so why do we treat them with such negligence?

I hold space for my girls so that they can find a comforting haven when they come to dance. So that I can be held accountable for my actions as a mentor.

So that one day, when I have a child, I’ve gathered enough wisdom to raise my own strong feminist.

hip-hop” score 0.379 as an average score, compared to tags like “trap music” coming in with a hot 0.675.

If underground music has a low swear count, is mainstream music more vulgar?

Throwing artists up on a scatter plot and comparing popularity versus profanity scores shows us that as the popularity increases, so does the profanity score. Of course, to make actual statements about this, we’d need some beefy math and a bigger dataset.

Our hip-hop dataset comes from Spotify, which gives users free access to tons of crazy metadata about songs and artists. For example, each song comes with a list of “audio features,” which describes

things like the key signature the song was performed in, how positive the mood of the song is and even how “danceable” the song is. The folks at Spotify can use their gigantic dataset to generate playlists and recommend new music. With some code, we could teach a computer to try to generate some (nonsense) lyrics, or even come up with the ingredients for a hit single by picking the right beats, performers and song topics. Famously, Netflix did something similar when creating the US version of House of Cards, by seeing that viewer data favoured political thrillers starring Kevin Spacey.

The world of data isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though. Beyond the

simple creepiness of surveillance, we’re getting closer to a world where content could be easily created, or counterfeited with data. One day, it’ll be possible for hackers to impersonate you online by not only stealing your passwords, but also replicating things like your typing patterns and conversation topics to trick your friends into giving up sensitive information.

As companies like Facebook continue to collect our information at an alarming rate, virtual “blueprints” of ourselves are being created and fleshed out each and every day. Is this data in good hands? Will it come back to bite us? No one knows yet, but it sure makes me feel a little uneasy.

I CAN CODE YOU THE WORLD I love it when you call me Big Data Nima Boscarino

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COLUMNIST

If we go to Wordcounttools.com, paste in all the previous entries of this column and check the most used non-grammar word, we get today’s topic: Data! In the previous articles, we looked at where data comes from and where it gets stored, but what exactly can we even do with it?

Today, we’ll roleplay as data scientists and explore some common methods for using and manipulating sets of data. A word of warning before we start: today’s experiments are super quick and dirty.

Our dataset is fairly small and we’ll also be violating a ton of the best practices in statistics, so it’s important not to take any of our conclusions here seriously.

Lucky for us, I’ve done a bunch of heavy lifting ahead of time and put together “DataBased”, a collection of 1538 songs by 53 of the most popular hip-hop artists out there. Sorted by popularity, we have Drake, The Weeknd and Kanye West at the top, and less recognizable names like Das Racist and Hieroglyphics at the bottom. If we take each song and tally up every swear word in the lyrics, we can come up with a “profanity score” for each song and an “average profanity score” for each artist. To no hip-hop head’s surprise, artists like Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne were crowned as the most profane with scores of around 1.2, while the likes of Deltron 3030, Aesop Rock and Blackalicious scored very low on the chart at around 0.1.

At this point, someone familiar with hip-hop might look at the “Profanity” list and see that artists seem to be grouped by genre, with gangsta rap artists generally being more profane than underground or alternative artists. Sure enough, if we check the average profanity by genre, we see that songs tagged as “alternative

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/CAPILANOCOURIER

LEGISLATURE WATCH RCMP probe of BC Liberal donors prove credit cards with high limits “trump” constituents Kevin Kapenda

With a tough-on-crime agenda and former Mountie in provincial cabinet, how ironic is it that the RCMP is now sifting through BC Liberal donation records (aka dark money) and dusting for corrupt fingerprints?

As of Mar. 10, the RCMP is investigating the BC Liberals for violating Elections BC fundraising regulations, specifically for breaching rules that prohibit individuals from being compensated for donations.

The issue came to light after a Feb. 2017 Globe and Mail probe revealed many lobbyists had made hefty donations to the Liberals in their names, only to be partially or fully compensated by their individual and corporate clients. To say that this compensation was minor or an oversight doesn’t hold much water either, as many of these donations were in the thousands, or tens of thousands. A Mar. 6 article by the National Post discovered that 25 per cent of donations made to the BC Liberals totalled $25,000 or more, while 55 per cent of donations made to the party were over $5,000.

Hardly a grassroots party, Premier Clark has deceitfully governed on the fallacy of working for everyday British Columbians. Now on the defensive, the Premier is employing the Republican, ‘us vs. them’ mantra to avoid taking responsibility for breaking laws that safeguard our democracy, and give every citizen an equal voice. Just last week, she went on a fullout offensive against BC NDP leader John Horgan, claiming he lacks spine and is an even bigger “flip-flop” than his predecessor, Adrian Dix. In the dark money campaign known as “Say Anything John” paid for by people who have literally given so much to the Liberals ($12 million to the BC NDP’s $3 million), they couldn’t conceivably give more, Horgan is characterized as someone

FIRST NATIONS FIRST

Kevin O’Neill COLUMNIST

In BC, right-wing parties have governed for 52 of the last 65 years. Until the Liberals are dealt another major blow, they will certainly be in pole position to extend that reign to 56. This reality underscores the existential nature of this election for West Coast progressives, where, much like the Progressive Conservatives in Ontario, op-eds about the BC NDP’s identity crisis have already being drafted.

The only way to counter the Black Card Liberals’ dark money on May. 9 is to exercise your franchise. Youth stole the 2015 Election from the Conservatives (with help from visible minority groups), and with proper mobilization, they can oust Clark too. In this election, only two parties have committed to banning corporate and union donations, the NDP and the Greens.

The next step after that is limiting personal donations to the hundreds, so corporations cannot funnel gifts through employees. In Clark’s case, slick lobbyists, BC Green and NDP candidates are going to need every $1,000+ check they can get between now and May, if change is to manifest.

We know that the Liberals have been given over $771,000 by Kinder Morgan, and have coincidentally approved a

pipeline that not only contravenes First Nations rights, but threatens the lifeblood of their communities – land and water. We know that the Liberals have also accepted close to $260,000 from Canadian National Railway since 2001, now refusing to stand

by West Vancouverites as the corporation threatens to take away the community’s Centennial Seawalk from residents if Council don’t raise municipal property taxes by eight per cent (in Canada’s most expensive postal code) and fork over $3.7 million annually.

To say corporate money isn’t impacting government decisions or lack of action does not hold water. Its no surprise that pundits from publications large and small, on all sides of the spectrum, as far away as the New York Times, have dubbed BC the “Wild West” of political fundraising and government accountability.

After 16 years of tax shifts from the rich to the poor, it’s safe to say the best investment in BC this millennium has been real estate, which keeps on getting pricier despite unprecedented supply, and donations to the BC Liberals. Let’s pull the plug on this Ponzi Scheme.

various First Nations events to engage, raise awareness and educate the entire student body with compelling information as to why it is pivotal to reconcile. It’s critical that the student body understand that Indigenous people still face the destructive repercussions of colonization, and to this day, the people of First Nations descent are still living with trauma and various illnesses.

CapU was one of the first postsecondary institutions in British Columbia to organize a week-long series of programs and tributes that are dedicated to the wrongs that First Nations people have lived with. Since I started at CapU in the spring of 2011, I have noticed incremental progress from our campus community in terms of First Nations issues. Nowadays, you can see that students are well aware of the past trauma. I have witnessed more students recognizing that CapU is built on

unceded territory of the Tsleil-Waututh (TWN) and Squamish nations. Also, the introduction of more Aboriginal classes in the school curriculum is a significant step forward that CapU has taken.

During our Truth and Reconciliation Week, the Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre hosts events throughout the day that provide students with the muchneeded education about our past, and what we must do today in order to move forward.

There are simple events like film festivals, but there are also more culturally-driven programs like the TRC Blanket and the invitation of Elders to speak on behalf of their respective nations. Although I find CapU’s actions towards TRC to be progressive and promising, there is still a long way for our campus community to go. The most important aspect is to accept and understand that reconciliation doesn’t happen in a week. We shouldn’t have one week for any particular historic event,

especially one that has altered the lands and territory of a group. To help improve awareness on campus, I would like to see more cultural programs throughout the year, instead of a concentration of events in one week.

It is also crucial to understand that although we hold events on campus that reflect on the problems of the past, there are still serious and rampant issues that exist today. So many nations are on the verge of losing more of their identity. At TWN, Musqueam and Squamish, we are dangerously close to losing the last of the fluent speakers in our communities, unless we can find ways to extend and disseminate our language and cultural customs to the next generations. TWN has already lost much of our language with the last Hul'q'umi'num speaker, and finding ways to preserve what we have left is just as integral as finding ways to honour the past.

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Capilano University’s participation and advocacy for programs by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) is a positive step in the school’s recognition of the importance of our Indigenous peoples. Yet, like any initiative that works towards raising awareness and education regarding the eradication of cultures and identities, our TRC events still have ways to go before they can even reconcile with the faults of our past.

Since 2013, CapU has been hosting

who will “say one thing to unions, another thing to environmentalists, and anything to voters to get elected.”

Last time I checked, that was the very function of democracy!

If we all can’t share in the governing of our province, then what do we have?

A society where the rich donate to one party and every decision that party makes conscripts everyday people into the ideal, free-enterprise utopia of those donors – sound familiar?

The worst part about this scandal is that in a matter of weeks, Premier Clark will take to a debate stage arguing her ‘ends justify the means’ and that it’s about where she’s taking us, rather than the shady backroom deals she’s using to “grow our economy.” In an ideal world, when leaders break the law, they must lay themselves accountable, no matter how boring and balanced the budget is.

After 16 years in power, and many scandals along the way, you would think BC voters would be eager to look elsewhere for leadership. Unfortunately, provincial legislatures are known for their dynasties and long-term romanticism with single parties.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Assessing Capilano’s Truth and Reconciliation Programs

–JULIANA VIEIRA

NEWS EDITOR

COLUMNS

THE WEEK IN GEEK Iron Fist, an opportunity missed Syd Danger HAS A COOLER SUPERHERO NAME THAN IRON FIST

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

he decade of the easy superhero hit is over. When Netflix released the next Marvel’s Defenders series, they were met with serious nerd skepticism, and let me tell you, nerd skepticism is by far the worst. We pick everything apart, whether it deserves it or not, and Iron Fist definitely deserves it.

I know it’s trendy to rag on Iron Fist right now. Especially since it’s been absolutely bombing with the critics – but what do they know anyways? I mean, Elektra has a 10 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and we all know that’s way too high. I watched Iron Fist, and the show had problems that absolutely can’t be ignored, but it wasn’t the complete disaster people have been making it out to be.

The most obvious problem with the show is it’s pacing. Iron Fist is just so fucking slow. I was earnestly watching the pilot and when I woke up from my hefty nap, it was still only episode two.

The story ran into the same issue that I had with Luke Cage, it just felt like eight episodes worth of content had been stretched out to over 13 episodes – which is how you get an entire episode of Danny Rand wandering around a mental hospital for absolutely no reason.

Speaking of Rand, it just takes forever to introduce his character at all. Like, I get it, he’s a Bohemian guy who runs around New York without any shoes on and therefore doesn't have the fear of stepping on a used needle, but for a solid few episodes we learn next to nothing about him. I can’t even imagine trying to follow the first half of the season if you hadn’t read the comics. It would make absolutely no sense and also bore you to death all at once. At least the writers got one thing in Iron Fist right, when I clicked on that Netflix thumbnail. I

thought to myself, “Gosh, I hope I get 10 hours of Danny Rand, martial arts master, The Iron Fist himself, sitting in a corporate office taking meetings and talking to characters I give zero fucks about.” I got my wish, and I’m eternally grateful. You can’t buy naps like the ones I had.

Iron Fist did break some serious new ground, however. They managed to do something no show has ever been able to do before: unite nerds and athletes.

Because, guess what, we all hated the fight scenes. Another giant issue with Iron Fist is that he should come off as the best martial artist in the Marvel universe, and yet I'm sitting here thinking that even whiney Karen Page could probably take him. The fight scenes are choppy, uninspired and few and far between. Rand just doesn't come off as Defenders material; maybe he would be more suited to being a cute, scrappy sidekick instead.

I don’t think that Iron Fist is a lost cause. Season two is inevitable at this point, and I honestly believe they could fix it up if they tackle their issues head on. If anything, I wish Netflix had just taken a risk. Grounded and gritty works for some heroes, but the story of Danny Rand is so crazy and magical that having him hang out on a porch and have the same conversation about his dead parents for the umpteenth time is just a weak slap in the face. He punched a dragon in the heart for crying out loud!

His fist glows and he punches stuff!

Just let him be the totally out there, mystical character he was created to be.

Also, maybe give him the number of a tattoo removal place.

- SYD DANGER

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PEPPERONI CHEESE VEGETARIAN MEAT LOVER’S HAWAIIAN BBQ Chicken DEMOCRACY.

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Capilano Courier Editor-in-Chief Elections Tuesday, April 11 at Noon Maple 122

23

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18

Grab a slice, help us out.

Quorum is 15. Pizza is delicious.

CABOOSE

HOROSCOPES

THINKING CAP

Q:

IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK:

If you think things will get better from here, they won’t

LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22):

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18):

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MARCH 20):

VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 21):

You knew life wouldn’t be everything you hoped for, but you definitely thought you’d get laid more.

When you think nobody cares about you, just think about cats. They don’t care about you either, but some are pretty cute.

ARIES (March 21 - April 19):

LIBRA (SEPT. 22 - OCT. 23):

You’re not much good to anyone.

A few good things might happen this week.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20):

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21):

All those years playing hockey will have really prepared you for the upcoming ice age.

Some people need a cup of coffee to wake up. Others need a line of cocaine and a punch in the face. Who are you to judge?

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19):

CANCER (June 21 - July 22):

With summer fast approaching it’s time for you to talk about going to the gym again.

After the severe burns, people are really happy to see what they think is a smile on your face.

Hard Sudoku Puzzles 20

CLASSIFIED

6

HUMANS OF CAPILANO

8 4 6 1 7

1 1 9 6 7 9 1

1 3 9 5 5 2 7

— DOMINIC GUIEB PHOTOS

3 4

SUDOKU

VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 18 THE CAPILANO COURIER

“Hawaii, because then you don't have to worry about crossing the US border to go there.”

Smiely Khurana, first-year Motion Picture Arts

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24

“Alaska, because it's ours.”

Harrison Page, third-year Liberal Studies

No amount of repenting will make you feel better about what you did last Sunday.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20):

1

“Texas. It's too obnoxious!”

Mila Melanidis, first-year Acting for Stage and Screen

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 21):

Being a knight that slays a dragon is acceptable to act out when you’re 12, not on a first date.

1

“Uh Utah, because I don't know what they do there.”

Daveed Saban, first-year Music

You’re not the brightest lightbulb, but you are the cheapest and that’s close enough.

Everyone encouraging you to travel just wants to get rid of you.

Sudoku Puzzle

If you were to get rid of one US state, which would it be and why?

5 9 "What advice could you give to yourself five years ago?"

9

"Get into volunteering. It opened up a lot of doors when I started. It's how I got my job after university. It's a great way to meet new people and a way to learn new things. It gives a way to look at things from different perspectives."