Capilano Courier | Vol. 49, Issue 23.

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I LIVED ON CAMPUS

For an entire year, Leon Nagasaki showered in the Sportsplex, ate in the cafeteria and slept in a fortress of pallets just metres away from his locker.

VOLUME 49 ISSUE 23 MARCH 28 - APRIL 3 | 2016

BULCROFT: THE FINAL INTERVIEW

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THE HOCKEY EFFECT

Find out what happens when a 30-year-old journalist with ambitions of reporting on politics and pop culture is forced to cover hockey in Fernie, BC.

C O NTE NTS

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Cover Art

Editor's Desk

News

Opinions

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Features

Features

Arts & Culture

Columns

MEGAN COLLINSON

THE DEFINING MOMENTS OF THE BULCROFT ERA

THE STAFF

ONCE A PAPER BOY, ALWAYS A PAPER BOY

ABORIGINAL ART ON CAMPUS: A GUIDED TOUR

STUDENTS RECEIVE AWARDS AT INTL. MARKETING COMP.

MEXICAN YARN MANDALAS

COLUMNISTS

WHY STUDENTS TAKE LONGER TO GRADUATE

THE MUTE BUTTON: DIVERSITY VOCABULARY

CONTRIBUTORS

Andy Rice

Megan Collinson

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

COVER ART

editor@capilanocourier.com Carlo Javier EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR

carlo.capcourier@gmail.com Therese Guieb EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR

news@capilanocourier.com

Marissa Del Mistro

Rachel Sanvido

Marissa is a recent graduate from Dalhousie University, where she studied international development and law. She’s new to the Vancouver life and is using much of her free time to master the ins and outs of the big city. She loves studying but also having not to study – so she loves to study for the joys of learning. Her column will shine a light on the victims of injustices and discrimination in modern society.

ART

Megan Collinson ART

Tomáš Danco PHOTOS

Kevin Kapenda OPINIONS EDITOR

Graeme Findlay

opinions.capcourier@gmail.com

WORDS

Gabriel Scorgie

Syd Danger

FEATURES EDITOR

Hailing from Tamriel, Syd Danger, the rogue Khajit, traversed many mountains and seas to deliver her columns to us. With her +3 lightning damage Sword of Duquesne and +4 speed Infinity Cloak, Syd fought off numerous wyverns and goblins that stood in her way. Her mission is to relay cheat codes and answers to FAQs presented by n00bs regarding all things nerd.

specialfeatures.capcourier@gmail.com Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT

reporter.capcourier@gmail.com

Leah Scheitel WORDS

Cristian Fowlie ART DIRECTOR

artdirector.capcourier@gmail.com

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 23

Syd Danger PRODUCTION MANAGER

pm.capcourier@gmail.com Alva Tang

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.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER

community.capcourier@gmail.com Tianyi Bao BUSINESS MANAGER

businessmanager.capcourier@gmail.com

story meetings

Brandon Kostinuk WEB COORDINATOR

web.capcourier@gmail.com

☞

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Story meetings will resume in September. Thanks to all our contributors! ✍

EDI TO R 'S D E SK Once a paper boy, always a paper boy Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

makings of an epic paper route. What it lacks in errant sprinklers and cranky old ladies it certainly makes up for in traffic, dogs and uphill stretches.

Dodging Sandeep from Parking Services has become a weekly game for me. I like to think we’re bros because we both drive the same model of SmartCar, but deep down I know he’s still going to tow my ass one of these days.

I’m well aware how cheesy this sounds, but I’ve met a lot of great people along my route over the past few months. The faculty members who help us out by bringing our papers to the Squamish and Sunshine Coast campuses are a godsend. The folks in Shipping and Receiving are a hilarious bunch of social butterflies who I think deserve way more than the basement of Arbutus. And then there are those moments when I’ve walked into a room with a big stack of papers and found a group of students anxiously waiting to snag the first copy off the pile. I’d be missing out on all of this if I had simply stayed in the office all year.

So when our next production cycle starts up in September, I’m not yet certain what our editorial staff will look like, though chances are I’ll be serving as the paper boy once again. But as a backup plan, I just checked Facebook to see if little Matty Rogers might be available in my stead. Nope. Apparently he’s working in Richmond as a civil engineer, making $80,000 a year now.

The dude must really like wearing a Visi-Vest…

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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO.23

If you count my two-year stint as publisher, editor, reporter and layout manager of the Grief Point Wail (… it’s funnier once you know that our elementary school’s mascot was an orca), I’ve been in the campus newspaper business a long time.

Granted, I’ve come a long way from covering Sports Day with the Agfa digital camera that came with my parents’ scanner — or who can forget my exclusive interview with Pete, School District No. 47’s only full-time painter — but I’m still doing this job some 18 years later, only now I’m lucky enough to make a decent wage at it.

Last week, I was acclaimed as the Courier’s new (old?) editor-in-chief for 2016-17. I can assure you it wasn’t a raucous affair full of “ONE MORE YEAR” chants or anything like that, but it meant a lot to have the confidence of our wonderful staff and contributors nonetheless. To say I’m excited to steer this publication toward its 50th season would be an understatement.

Looking back on my past few months as EIC, I’ve had to wear a great many hats — some planned, others unexpected — not least of which was the role of distribution manager, a task I begrudgingly took on when our community relations coordinator scored a cushy desk job with the Arts Club Theatre Company.

I remember the minute it occurred to me, “Shit… I’m a paper boy now.”

As a kid, I used to watch little Matty Rogers, all decked out in his Visi-Vest, tossing papers onto the dozens of doorsteps in my neighbourhood. Right then and there I vowed to always stay on the office side of the news business and to never walk as much as he did, no matter how well it paid. But come January 2016, I really didn’t have too much of a choice.

Every Monday, sans Visi-Vest— because let’s face it, that’s just overkill — I’ve been loading 1,000 papers into the back of a Car2Go and zooming around campus as fast as its jerky transmission will allow. Every time, I come back dripping with sweat and covered in ink, more humble than before.

It’s not that I ever thought distribution was beneath any of the other jobs we have at the Courier; it’s just that I know it’s by far the most undesirable one. Experiencing both ends of our production cycle has helped me stay grounded — like being CEO by day and custodian by night. It certainly makes me stop and appreciate the little things.

Plus, it’s kind of a fun challenge.

Capilano University has nearly all the

NEWS Advanced Wilderness Leadership program suspended expecting this program to make such a profound difference for me, like this has really shifted things in my life.”

The AWLP stands out from other outdoor programs because an emphasis is placed on developing and building on leadership skills that will help students to find jobs in outdoor industry. “This program was perfect exposure to a bunch of different activities and avenues to pursue outdoor recreation and outdoor work,” noted Wallace.

“There is a strong skills-focused curriculum at the beginning, so that’s like going on a lot of trips, doing canoeing, kayaking, mountaineering, hiking, rock climbing,” explained Wallace. “Then we follow a block format taking courses in natural history, environmental interpretation, wilderness first aid, guiding leadership, risk management, and communications, which are all specially designed to develop industry specific skills.” Students build up practical skills that can be applied to hands-on work in areas such as tourism and guiding. Many alumni go on to become guides, climbing instructors or ski patrol. Others who focus more on making use of the communication skills become park information hosts, environmental centre managers or nature interpreters.

CapU has been gearing toward building new programs and rejuvenating outdoor recreation courses to better meet students’ needs. “To that end, we are building new programs and pathways in adventure tourism, some of which will incorporate coursework previously offered in Wilderness Leadership,” explained Rossi.

Students have been informed that

they will have the opportunity to complete the Wilderness Leadership certificate. Rossi stated that the program has simply halted student intake, but not necessarily the program itself. When new programs become viable to incoming students, the AWLP will be offered as a component.

CapU vice president academic and provost, Richard Gale, told the Squamish Chief last week that he is confident that with the addition of new programming, the population of the Squamish campus may double or triple in size. For now, they have opted to continue using the current facility in Squamish, but with projected growth they may have to look for a larger space. The University owns a larger building in the area which opened as a satellite campus in 1995, though last August it began leasing the space to a French immersion school and downsized to a smaller storefront location on Winnipeg Street.

“Capilano University will continue to use its downtown Squamish site through the 2016-2017 academic year,” Rossi explained, adding that the larger campus will continue to be leased to Conseil scolaire francophone de la ColombieBritannique (CSF). There will be no CapU courses offered in that campus for the time being. The university will instead be saving money by leasing the campus next year. CapU spent $281,137 to fund the Squamish campus this year, which will drop to $195,356 for next year resulting in total savings of $85,781.

According to Rossi, the University’s board and executives regret the impacts of not offering the AWLP throughout the 2016-17 academic year. “Part-time guides working with the program will no longer have employment through the program,” she said. “Members of the teaching faculty from the Wilderness Certificate program will have teaching positions through the new programming added within the Schools of Tourism Management and Outdoor Recreation Management.”

“The Squamish campus won’t exist,” commented Wallace. “Capilano will only have two campuses now, Sechelt and North [Vancouver].”

In an email sent to students informing them of the suspension, the University pointed students toward the Outdoor Recreation diploma offered at CapU’s North Vancouver campus. However, the Outdoor Recreation program is geared toward management skills rather than outdoor industry.

“I honestly don’t think anyone from my campus is going to go to North Vancouver. I mean, the reason why we chose to come to Squamish is because we wanted a 10-month certificate program,” said Wallace. “I think more students will be more likely to go to Thompson Rivers [University], which has a program identical to the Wilderness Leadership program but they also offer a lot more.”

The popularity of the program hinged on the fact that it allowed students to explore beyond the classroom.

Students came from all over the world for this program because of the natural splendour of Squamish.

“This program is very different than anything that’s offered in North Vancouver,” said Wallace. “The fact that we’re in Squamish, the outdoor recreation capital, is one thing for sure.

I mean, it’s so easy to access the rivers that we need for canoeing, or access the climbing on the Chief and hiking and going through the mountains to do our winter skills stuff. We’re in a perfect location to do all these things that are so integral to our program.”

kind of met the other schools and talked to them, we found out that there were many other schools, especially in the US that have a smaller association and chapter like we do.”

The group was also one of only two Canadian student-led marketing associations that were present during the conference, the other being the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Marketing Association.

CAPUMA received an award for Exemplary Collegiate Chapter Performance, a merit that highlights the group’s achievements in creating and organizing an annual report and a chapter plan. Singer accepted the award on behalf of the association.

The award recognizes two major elements of the marketing association’s work this year. First is the chapter plan that the CAPUMA team builds at the beginning of the year to outline their ideas, goals and events for the year, while the annual report, which was completed in February, summarizes their work and accomplishments. “It

was good to see that we’ve already done so much in our first year,” Singer said.

Noted award winner, Richard Harvey, also continued his string of success by placing fifth (out of 260 competitors) in the AMA Teksystems Outbound Sales Competition.

Furthermore, students Rhita Hassar, Alexis Morton, Stephanie Hahlen and Matthew Shepherd were awarded with a Case Competition Honourable Mention certificate for their achievements at an earlier contest. The group had won the gold at the BCIT Marketing Association Regional Case Competition earlier this year.

This set of recognitions that CapU students claimed continues an increasingly successful trend of business students making a name for themselves on a massive scale. For Morton, one of the primary reasons to the School of Business’ rising crop of promising talents is because of the myriad of opportunities that are presented to the students, “I don’t think that it’s necessarily a change in people’s abilities that’s happened recently, I think it’s just a change in opportunity,” she said. “People are getting involved, the opportunities are there

and now we’re just being able to have some sort of an end result for people’s abilities.”

Although Hahlen agrees, she emphasized that it’s still ultimately a two-way relationship. On one hand, CapU programs are ultimately the ones helping to open doors and avenues for students and must continue to do so. Meanwhile, on the other is student attitude – whether students reach out to grasp the proverbial brass ring can still be surrounded by uncertainty, “People just need to be to unafraid of seizing the opportunity that’s out there and not Cap should not shy away of giving that out to students, because I think once the opportunity is there, the option to take it is huge,” she said.

One of the biggest takeaways that the students learned from the conference was in regards to hiring and generating members.

Moving forward, CAPUMA aims to bolster its succession plan and help prepare younger students to carry not just the CAPUMA banner, but also the School of Business and CapU as a whole.

CapU Squamish campus will not offer any courses for 2016-17 academic year Christine Beyleveldt CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT

Last month, 23 students of Capilano University’s Advanced Wilderness Leadership Program (AWLP) in Squamish were informed that their program would no longer be in operation in the 201617 academic year due to programming redevelopment and low enrolment.

Students and faculty alike were outraged upon being notified of the cuts, as it echoed similar cuts made to the Studio Arts, Textile Arts and Interactive Design programs in 2013.

Forty faculty members of the AWLP wrote to the university’s Board of Governors to express their concern. In the letter, faculty stated that they were concerned that the AWLP would not be offered again because rarely has a suspended program been offered again.

According to CapU’s senior communications advisor, Chery Rossi, in order to encourage the growth of the outdoor recreation industry, the university halted student intake into the AWLP for 2016-17 while they develop a post-baccalaureate program in Adventure Management. The new program is due to begin accepting applications in the fall and launch in Jan. 2017. Since the AWLP was the only program offered at the Squamish campus, the school has other intentions for the campus for the next year.

The AWLP is a 10-month program offered at CapU’s Squamish campus.

“This is a phenomenal program,” said Alora Wallace, a Wilderness Leadership student and Capilano University Students’ Union Squamish campus representative. “I actually wasn’t

Good for business Students receive honours at international marketing conference Carlo Javier

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 23

EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Capilano University business students recently received several awards and recognitions for their achievements at the 38th Annual American Marketing Association Collegiate Conference, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Mar. 17 to 19.

The conference marks the first time that the Capilano University Marketing Association (CAPUMA) attended the international gathering, after last year’s transition from its old iteration, the Marketing Association of Capilano Students (MACS). “We kind of thought going into it that we’re really a small school and were little bit worried about how we’d measure up to the competition,” said Kelsey Singer, president of CAPUMA. “But once we

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CapU Squamish campus dean, Chris Bottrill, was unable to reply before press deadline. Faculty of Tourism and Outdoor Recreation professors declined in speaking to the Courier regarding the suspension of the program as they stated that they were not in a position to comment, as they were unaware of the university’s direction for the Squamish campus.

CAPUMA is hosting an info session on Apr. 7 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at Cedar 120.

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

Construction schemes at CapU hope to be approved for government funding

5-YEAR CAPITAL PLAN

Five-year capital plan dictates priority of renovation projects

Electrical Distribution System $2,500,000 (Phase over 2 years)

Therese Guieb EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR

Funding for the construction of phase two of the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation was revealed to be the top priority of Capilano University’s Five-Year-Capital plan at a recent Board of Governors (BOG) meeting.

The BOG approved the plan, presented by Cindy Turner, CapU vice president of finance and administration, on Mar. 15. The construction is estimated to cost $15 million.

Every year, the Ministry of Advanced Education requires post-secondary institutions to submit a Five-Year Capital Plan for their school. The plan indicates a list of the capital needs and requirements of the institution such as building construction plans and renewal projects.

Projects in CapU’s capital plan are listed by the order of priority. The rank of the priority for the projects was determined by CapU through its alignment to the BC Skills Blueprint.

The Ministry of Advanced Education will also review the school’s capital

plan submission before the plan is implemented. However, not all of the plans indicated are guaranteed to be implemented because CapU needs funding from the government.

If funding is granted, the project at the top of the capital plan list is the construction of the phase two of the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation, which will cost $15 million. During the Board of Governors meeting, Turner noted that phase two of the Bosa Centre is the highest priority of CapU because there is a high demand for space from the film and animation students of the school.

“The reason why we had [phase one] Bosa five, ten years ago was that the government gave us funding,” said Turner at the meeting. “They’ve changed the way they approve capital planning because there is now more money coming into the system. This year I’m quite hopeful that more of the capital plan projects might be approved.” She also mentioned that the construction of Bosa would help in increasing student enrolment at CapU. On Jan. 29, Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson and

Hiring process for CapU admin position opened to public Three candidates short-listed for the role of associate vice president of student success Therese Guieb EXECUTIVE NEWS EDITOR

Fire Hydrant – Water Line $780,000 Safety & Security Renewal $3,180,000 Roofing – Birch Building $500,000 Envelope Renewal – Fir $1,206,000 Life Safety System – Arbutus $492,891 Life Safety Systems – Sportsplex $339,490 (Phase Over 2 years) Life Safety – Guardrails: Birch, Cedar & Fir Building $600,000 Library Renovations/Student Commons – Library Building $3,600,000 (Phase Over 2 years) International & Domestic Student Residences $34,900,000 (Phase Over 2 years) Food Court Renovations – Birch Building $3,856,000 (Phase Over 3 years) 4th Floor Expansion – Library Building $7,700,000 (Phase Over 2 years) Recreation Centre Expansion $13,500,000 (Phase Over 2 years) Repaving - Parking Lot #4 $400,000

“I think that they [the AVP of student success] needs to be charismatic, engaging and energetic because when you’re working in that role your purpose is to engage the students. You need to have that engaging personality. I think this individual really needs to be able to develop and cultivate a relationship with all stakeholders,” stated Alysa HupplerPoliak, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation student at CapU. Huppler-Poliak attended the first two open interviews.

“The institution needs to take its focus away from just being a business, and focus on its students.”

According to Huppler-Poliak, the invitation for the open interviews was sent to CapU students’ emails at the last minute. “I was sitting at a coffee shop at 9 am and I happened to check my CapU email, and I saw that an email had been sent out from Richard Gale that there is this search. It was an hour before the presentation was going to happen — it was really last minute,” she said. “There is a challenge with the timely manner of how long it takes to get anything done at this university, and it’s the same with informing [students] that something is going to happen. It didn't allow people to have the awareness of this was going to happen.

There were way more people at the second interview than there were at the first probably because of that, and also the availability of the faculty and students and staff.”

The CapU AVP Search Committee met in camera after the last presentation to discuss the open interviews. The date for the announcement of the chosen AVP of student success candidate has not been announced.

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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO.23

the university must put students in the centre of its faculty, partners and the community. Banks said that she believes students need to learn to engage in their own learning at the school in order to be successful. She added that the faculty needs to support students by having high expectations with their students as well as a strong connection with them. Banks noted that she wanted the school to reimagine plans for first-year students by having seminars especially designed for them as well as creating a peer tutoring program where firstyear students can interact with senior students at CapU. For the final day of the open interviews, Arthur, director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning and chair of the senate at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), presented his ideas at the Nat and Flora Bosa Theatre. He expressed intent to facilitate the opportunity to give students the platform to publicly address issues within the school by hosting student panel events. Faculty members would be required to attend the panel where students can be critical of the faculty and school’s services. In addition, he also wants to start a “Thank a Prof” program where students can publicly honour their appreciation for their professors by sending a write up to the university which will then be posted on the CapU website. Arthur noted that CapU needs to have a “student-first principle” approach to all of the services that it will create in order to achieve student success.

Film and Animation Building Phase II $15,000,000 (Phase over 2 years)

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Lack of student engagement is one of the biggest issues that is evident amongst the campus community at Capilano University. In the struggle to solve this issue, the Strategic Plan 2015-18 states that an associate vice president (AVP) of student success is to be hired by the university. The AVP will be supervised by the vice president academic and provost, Richard Gale and will direct Peter Walsh, manager of student affairs. CapU has hired PFM Executive Search, a Vancouver-based company, to help with the search process for the AVP of student success. The firm is also handling the hiring process for an interim vice president of finance and administration.

On Mar. 14, 15 and 18, the CapU AVP Search Committee and PFM Executive Search held an open interview for Willie Todd, Jr., Cyndi Banks and Peter Arthur, the three candidates of the AVP of student success position.

Each candidate was assigned to one of the days to present their plans for the school if they were to be selected for the position. Stakeholders including students, faculty, staff and

administration were invited to attend and were given the opportunity to ask questions directed to the candidates.

The committee interviewed the three candidates via Skype a week prior to the open presentations.

Todd Jr. is the executive director of student affairs at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. During his presentation in BR 126 on Mar. 14, he explained how his plans were to create inclusion and focus on diversity at CapU. He discussed how he has an intensive background with student services for post-secondary institutions.

Todd Jr. was the director of leadership and student development as well as the instructor of English and an undergraduate coordinator at Clark Atlanta University before attaining his position today. He also revealed how his university is facing similar issues to CapU in terms of student engagement which he has been successfully working through to improve.

Banks, dean at Northern Arizona University located in Flagstaff, Arizona, presented on Mar. 15 in BO 343. Her presentation focused on the idea that “a university is a business” and that her conception of student success is that

North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite toured the Bosa Centre.

“This is the first time I’ve been in this Bosa facility and it is remarkable,” Wilkinson told North Shore News reporter Brent Richter that afternoon.

“It’s got state-of-the-art equipment.

It’s an almost-new building.”

Rhita Hassar, student senate representative, asked Turner at the Board meeting why the construction of the student residences is placed in number 11 of the plan. “The reason why residences in is number 11 is because the provincial government has never funded residences at all. The chances of getting residences covered by the government isn’t high but we continue to indicate it on the plan because we believe this is extremely important to our campus,” replied Turner.

The plan will be submitted to the Ministry but it was not mentioned at the Board meeting when any of the plans will be approved. However, Turner indicated that if the Ministry is interested in one of the plans they will ask for additional information from the school in terms of how CapU’s Academic Plan will benefit from it.

2017/18 to 2021/22

To the next level Women’s basketball team looks to build on a promising finish Carlo Javier

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 23

EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR

A silver medal finish isn’t going to satisfy the thirst for success that resonates from the Capilano Blues women’s basketball team. In fact, it only fuels a fierce comeback next season.

The Blues recently finished second in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) provincial tournament, marking the second time they reached the championship game in the past four years.

But despite their impressive work on the court, head coach Ramin Sadaghiani emphasized that it’s the girls’ performance off the court that he values the most. “This group represents our program and entire university in such an exemplary way,” he said. “They excel very well in the classroom as our team has had the highest GPA out of all of the varsity teams three out of the last four years. In the community, they help coach and referee tournaments for the youth. I told them how proud I was of them as people, not just as basketball players.”

The team kicked off the tourneys on a high note, defeating the Camosun Chargers with their first game. They followed the victory with an upset win over the second-ranked Douglas College Royals. At the finals, the Blues kept it close with the league-leading Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners, but their nine-point lead wasn’t enough to hold off a Mariners team that featured the tournament MVP. For Sadaghiani, one of the biggest takeaways from the season was that the regular season itself has little indication on how teams will perform once they get to the playoffs. The Blues lost all three regular season games to the Royals, but as it turns out, the playoffs are a new season unto itself, and the team’s adjustments and cumulative development paid off.

Part of the Blues’ success this year can be attributed to their well-balanced roster, highlighted by first team all star, guard Michelle Errico and second team all star, forward Carmelle M’Bikata.

This season marks Errico’s final year with the Blues, capping of her collegiate athletics career as the leading scorer in the history of Capilano University’s women’s basketball program and fifth in the PACWEST all time rankings. Errico has been a model student-athlete for the Blues both on and off the court and her impending departure will leave some big shoes waiting to be filled by the team’s next captain. “Just an amazing career, I don’t think she truly knows how much she will be missed,” Sadaghiani remarked.

On the other hand, Sadaghiani describes M’Bikata as arguably the team’s most consistent player.

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Her season was highlighted by her selflessness and team-first attitude.

Despite being a third-year player, the coaches saw that her skillset and presence would best help the team at the sixth man position, providing scoring and rebounding sparks off the bench.

“Some players might have been upset about that but she showed incredible character by putting the team first,” said Sadaghiani. “I’m so proud of her for trusting us as coaches and doing what was asked of her without hesitation.”

M’Bikata finished the season in the top 10 of both scoring and rebounding stats.

One of the challenges that the Blues might face this offseason is the shift in their leadership. Errico and co-captain Jennafer Palma will both be graduating and players will have to step up to continue the team’s consistency. For now, Sadaghiani admitted that it’s difficult to predict which players might claim captaincy, but he does believe that every new season is a chance for someone to show their improvement and reestablish their roles. He also expects the leadership mantle to fall onto whomever dedicates the time and effort to train during their respective offseasons.

The Blues already have the pieces in places to compete next year. They have talent across positions and the addition of six-foot-two Robyn Aulyn-Haynes, a transfer student from the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), only accentuates the depth at their post positions. “We may be looking to add one or two more things but overall I’m fairly confident with the group we currently have,” said Sadaghiani.

Ultimately, what matters most is the training the players do this coming offseason. Athletes work during their summers to further develop their games and prepare their bodies for the gruelling schedule once the season restarts in the fall, and oftentimes, the work they put in during the offseason translates to success when the real games begin. “I know the team is motivated and they want it bad,” said Sadaghiani. “I have no doubt we will be ready by next season.”

The team is poised for greater achievements, and if they play their cards right, gold just might be right around the corner.

— VANCOUVER SPORTS PICTURES

CAP YOU

O P I N I O NS The Bulcrofted university Former Studio Art faculty member questions the wisdom of converting old Studio Art building into campus makerspace George Rammell LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Editor’s note: The following was submitted in response to a Jan. 18 article, “Students circulate petition for collaborative space: IDEA program chair proposes new usage for underutilized Willow building.” It is our editorial policy to accept Letters to the Editor from the campus community and we make our best efforts to publish all that we receive, space permitting, without financial compensation.

I feel like the buzzards are circling over the newly named “Willow” Building. The hollowed carcass of the former Studio Art structure appears to be up for grabs.

While the [Capilano University] Faculty Association’s objective is to reinstate programs that were cancelled in 2014, our president seems eager to support a proposal for a maker’s space that will revive art-making activity, but there was no mention of faculty from the Studio Art program. The IDEA proposal she supports includes silkscreening, photography, pottery studio, woodworking space, metalwork machinery, meeting rooms, classrooms and similar crafts.

Green thumb botanists

Gabriel Scorgie FEATURES EDITOR

prepared their graduates with a strong foundation in art-making practices at a time when inquiry of corporate power and the creation of cultural identity are so vital. Students learned how to deconstruct, articulate and respond to their social condition, and they carried this knowledge forward as practicing artists or in related disciplines.

Let’s push the pause button; a postBulcroft era is fast approaching.

also found that 48 per cent of citizens think people should be able to grow their own pot, while only 42 per cent disagree. Though Trudeau has remained silent on his views regarding personal grow-ops, these two results could tip the scales towards a free-for-all model of legalization.

Right now, there are two kinds of legalization models, one that allows people to grow their own marijuana, and one that doesn’t. In Washington State, citizens aren’t allowed to grow their own weed, but people who live in Colorado may own up to four plants. Opponents of the home-grown model are worried that if everyone were able to grow their own pot, the government would make less money on taxes because dispensaries would generate fewer sales and there would be less of a market for licensed growers. So far, there is no real evidence that this would happen. In the first year that Colorado and Washington legalized

marijuana, they both made roughly the same amount from taxes, with Colorado ahead at $117 million compared to Washington’s $83 million.

The reason that allowing people to grow their own pot didn’t crash the market is likely because growing marijuana isn’t an easy thing to do, let alone some that’s actually worth the effort and better than you can get at the local dispensary.

First of all, Marijuana is a flowering plant, meaning that it can only be harvested once per year naturally, in the fall when there is little sunlight. People growing at home will have to do it in a room where light can be on the plants at least 12 hours a day, preventing the plants from flowering prematurely and bearing little harvest. Growers will need to use horticulture lighting. A 250-watt high-intensity discharge (HID) bulb can be bought at any hardware store for around $30, but you’ll also need a

special HID fixture to screw it into, and those can cost over $250. Alternatively, if you have a window that gets sunlight most of the day, setting your plants up there and using fluorescent lights when the sun gets less intense can work, but it will take longer for the plants to flower and can cause a weak harvest. Getting the plant to flower afterwards involves essentially turning your light room into a dark room, similar to the ones used to develop photos, for the other 12 hours in the day. Any light leaks at all during this cycle risks severely damaging the plants, weakening the harvest.

With all the effort required to have a chance at four plants worth of marijuana, it’s no wonder every other household in Colorado doesn’t have a grow-op in their shed. On the condition that legalization of personal growth is limited to small amounts, similar to Colorado, the government and dispensaries shouldn’t fear a rise in amateur botanists.

George Rammell began teaching at Capilano University in 1990. His sculptural practice is based in his warehouse studio space near Main & Terminal Streets in Vancouver.

Rammell will be speaking about the erosion of academic freedom and the on-going censorship of his work at Kwantlen University in April.

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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO.23

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ran for office in 2015, part of his platform was to legalize marijuana in Canada.

The future of pot in North America is looking very green, but now the argument has shifted from if it should be illegal, to how it should be legalized.

Earlier this year, a Federal Court judge struck down regulations that would have restricted the ability for medical marijuana patients to grow their own weed. A Forum Research poll

was having a vocational epiphany while announcing new funding for industry training. Our government doesn’t place the humanities or the university’s goal of enlightenment in the forefront. Wilkinson gives the gold star to the job-readiness of vocational training and administrators who attract corporate funds outside of an academic plan.

While I strongly support a maker’s space and a more engaging campus I question the wisdom of setting up in the Studio Art building. A new president is on the horizon. Under new leadership the university can begin to rebuild. These programs were not vocational; they were aligned with the humanities and integral to a university education. They were nationally recognized programs that held a reputation for their balance of practice, theory and history. They

— GEORGE RAMMELL

THE CAPILANO COURIER

Growing personal marijuana is more effort than it’s worth

Of course, Bulcroft’s personal decision to eliminate Studio Art resulted in the disposal of the equipment. Demolition crews gutted the building, filling dumpsters in haste. Tools were sold-off, including a bronze foundry, mould-making room, welding shop, woodworking facility, media art lab and a state-of-theart printmaking studio. Since it was Bulcroft’s personal decision to cut the program perhaps she should cover the cost of replacing new infrastructure.

Justice [John] Savage was recently surprised to hear cancelled programs hadn’t been reinstated following his [BC] Supreme Court ruling that her nonconsultative cuts were illegal, and so far there haven’t been any consequences for wrongful dismissal of employees.

Studio Art was the ultimate maker’s space, a hub of inclusive creative activity with programming for students, employees, artists from the community and kids alike. A faculty of practicing artists helped each participant push their boundaries.

Why did Bulcroft target Studio Art, Textiles and Interactive Design for elimination? An audit revealed her excuse of a $1.3 million shortfall was fictional. There was actually $1.6 m of unspent money remaining in the coffers that year. One thing is obvious: she doesn’t understand the content and value of the programs she eliminated.

Any president who supports corporate style censorship of faculty art (including my sculpture) isn’t a fan of critical thinking, academic freedom or artistic expression. It doesn’t appear the Minister of Advanced Education, Andrew Wilkinson, is either. He didn’t acknowledge the loss of Studio Art and the Textile Art Program on his tour of the Bosa Centre in January, not a peep; he

@CAPILANOCOURIER

@CAPILANOCOURIER

/CAPILANOCOURIER

Should Happn make things happen for people?

Dating is about making personal connections, not sending texts Graeme Findlay

Whether we like it or not, online dating has become ubiquitous in our society.

It is no longer a last resort, but the most prevalent way to meet other single people. As far as Vancouver is concerned, everybody leads very busy lives. It’s an expensive city, and so many people work multiple jobs to make ends meet. With school, and extra-curricular activities, dating can become quite challenging. As singles, you just can’t wave a magic wand and hope the girl or boy of your dreams will appear. To meet people, you have to take initiative in the best possible way for you. Online dating just might be that, due to lack of time or convenience — but where do we draw the line? Is online dating the most effective way, and is dating in Vancouver really that bad? And will Happn really exceed our expectations?

Happn has been billed as the answer to Vancouver’s interpersonal problems.

It’s different than Tinder in the sense that it doesn’t indicate how close potential matches are to you, but instead tells you who you’ve crossed paths with during the day. Is that what dating has really come too? Creepy monitoring of people you’ve bumped into, so you can message them later? A large part of a connecting with others is missed when you aren’t conversing with people and getting to know them. Happn is not going to make that connection any better, nor will any other app for that matter.

If you lead a busy live, chances are you’re involved in numerous activities. Maybe you enjoy kickboxing, organized sports, lifting at the gym or singing at church. Point is, there is no shortage of things to do in Vancouver, and no lack of people at these events either. So why are we not mingling with each other at those venues? Why the disconnection and passivity towards real people? There should be no reason for that.

I don’t want to sound like a total hard-ass here, but people generally are shy and social anxiety does exist. For many young adults, it can be crippling to talk to new people.

However, as a 25-year-old, I didn’t have a cell phone until I was 18, and rarely used online dating. In high school, most young people had no choice but to man up and go talk to a person they found attractive. Was it easy? No. But it was really the only way.

While it’s not ideal, it is understandable why online dating is popular. It allows you get your message across without being overwhelmed by shyness.

Online dating is not completely useless.

Apps like Happn could be helpful for recently-divorced adults, or those who are working on heightening their self-esteem.

However, online dating shouldn’t be the most prevalent way to meet somebody in our society. Besides, classes on the art of flirting and conversation are being offered all over town. As adults, we do know how to network, right? Why has it become so hard to do that with people you like? For some, flirting comes naturally. But no matter how anxious you are, it can be learned with practice and determination.

taking nine credits per term simply won’t reach the 120-credit requirement by the end of the year. Students in other institutions share this reality as well – last year, an Academic Survey Report conducted for the University of British Columbia (UBC) revealed that 60 per cent of students in UBC’s fouryear programs take longer than that to graduate. DiPuma attested that the same is apparent in Simon Fraser University (SFU), where students can find themselves three or four months behind, simply because the school is unable to offer the courses they need to graduate during certain semesters.

The concept of extended years in school has also been employed by American institutions.

A 2014 study by Complete College America revealed that only 19 per cent of students in public non-flagship universities graduate on time and only 36 per cent do so in public flagship universities. The report also showed that only 50 of the near 600 public four-year colleges and universities in the United States have a graduating population composed primarily of students who finished within the four-year period.

The study cites several reasons for the collective delay of graduation, namely

the consequences of transferring schools, the lack of a comprehensive plan (no surprises on that one), and the effects of taking unnecessary courses that don’t always count to degree completion.

A delayed graduation can also be attributed to some mistakes that students tend to commit. The lack of comprehensive planning and consultation with program heads and academic advisors can lead to students taking courses that don’t necessarily add credit to their degrees of choice. CapU students are also called upon to apply prior to graduating – there’s a whole process to it, including the renting of caps and gowns, getting photos, and what not. Ideally, students who are aiming to graduate at the end of the spring semester should apply around January or February. Those who apply around April can still finish by the end of term, albeit with some late fees on their account.

Ultimately, whether it’s four, five, or six years, what matters most is that the degree gets completed. Taking the extra years isn’t necessarily a testament to a student’s work ethic. Just because one finishes within the four-year period doesn’t make them a top student.

Jobs and other commitments can add semesters or years to completion time, but hey, at least you finished.

CONTRIBUTOR

— RACHEL SANVIDO

Not five, not six, not seven The four-year degree myth and why students take longer to graduate Carlo Javier

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 23

EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR

On paper, it takes just four years to complete a bachelor’s degree. Though this is mathematically correct, the reality is that there are too many external variables that contribute to students taking longer than four years to complete their degrees.

Whether it’s the challenges of balancing academics and other aspects of life, or the financial costs of education, taking longer to complete a degree isn’t unusual – nor is it a trend either. Graduating after the fouryear belief isn’t new. In fact, Capilano University uses a six-year standard metric to evaluate baccalaureate completion rates with its students.

The six-year rate represents 150 per cent of normal time, with normal time being the four-year plan that is often associated with degree completion. A bachelor’s degree normally consists

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of 120 credits. This format encourages students to take 15 credits per term, every term. Dong so will lead to the completion of the 120 credits by the end of one’s fourth year. Yet why is it that institutions monitor their BA completion rates with a six-year time frame?

Data provided by Frank DiPuma, manager of CapU’s Institutional Research branch, revealed that only 32.5 per cent of the students who graduated in the 2011-2012 academic year did it in four years or less. CapU’s host of ladder programs allow students to transfer credits in internally, thus helping them complete BA’s within the four-period.

Yet the rate of BA completion within four years and the six-year metric is a testament to the large part of CapU (approximately 50 per cent) that represents part-time students.

According to DiPuma, one of the biggest reasons why students exceed the four-year period is the reality that part-time students who might only be

F E ATU R E S

CALL ME KRIS A FINAL CHAT WITH CAPILANO UNIVERSITY’S MOST POLARIZING PRESIDENT

Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CONTINUED ON PG. 9

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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO.23

— MEGAN COLLINSON

THE CAPILANO COURIER

To some, she was a builder — to others, a wrecking ball — and when Dr. Kris Bulcroft parts ways with Capilano University this July after six years at the helm, she’s well aware the dust might take some time to settle. In fact, she hopes it will. For her, dust is change in motion — a sign of longterm leadership, the kind she set out to embody when she took the job in 2010.

“I’ve seen a lot of people lead with very short-term vision and make decisions that don’t see the long-term goal,” she said, chatting with the Courier just after lunch on St. Patrick’s Day. “Sometimes it takes a long time to get there. We’re not there yet. We’re moving and I absolutely think we’re moving in the right direction, but this work is by no means done.”

At a university with the lowest perstudent funding in the entire province, that work hasn’t been easy. But in spite of it all, Bulcroft has overseen major changes during her tenure, leaving a legacy of capital projects and academic strategies she believes are finally shifting the campus from a pass-through college to a destination university.

“A lot has happened in six years,” she said, “but in terms of the magnitude or the scale, I think I’m really proud of the fact that we got the Bosa Centre built.” The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Aug. 4, 2010, her first day on the job, and although the building’s design and funding was finalized before her tenure, the myriad of construction complications were Bulcroft’s to resolve.

“I’m proud of the fact that we’ve done lots of other things,” she said, noting the opening of the Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre and Wong-Trainor Centre for International Experience within the existing Library building, followed by the relocation of the Capilano Students’ Union Members’ Centre right across the hall. Even her own office made a highly symbolic move from Birch to Arbutus, leaving its million dollar view behind. “I really think the ethos that we’ve been able to accomplish physically really is a manifestation of the value system that students are at the centre.”

According to Bulcroft, those values are outlined in the University’s new Academic and Strategic Plan as well.

“It talks about student success, it talks about building out those areas that are really going to help students get the kind of education that’s unique in this province, differentiates us from many of our other peer institutions,” she said, “But those are strategic decisions and strategic decisions are harder.”

When CapU announced a $1.3 million budget shortfall in the spring of 2013, Bulcroft shouldered considerable heat for the actions taken in its wake.

The University’s Board of Governors suspended a series of programs and courses that year and many students, who were supposedly at the centre of the university’s new value system, began to feel abandoned. By the halfway point of her tenure, Bulcroft had become Public Enemy No. 1, a label she’s still fighting to shake, albeit with a great deal of patience and understanding. “This is not a popularity contest,” she said.

“You have to have a pretty thick skin in today’s world to be a good leader.”

But everyone has a limit, and on May 10, 2013, Bulcroft reached hers during a tense solo meeting with the campus community. After being heckled by a disgruntled member of the ousted Studio Arts faculty (“If you act like a queen you’ll be treated like one”) she abruptly left the stage of the Blueshore Centre. “This is a campus where we have a policy on respectful workplace,” she explained. “I agreed to have that conversation with the faculty with the understanding that we honour the respectful workplace environment and I would never expect anybody — a student or a faculty member — to have to sit in a meeting or in a situation and have personal attacks made and have to tolerate and put up with that… So to model what you should do in a situation is what I did — I left the stage when I felt it had crossed the line.”

Since then, Bulcroft has received further criticism over those cuts in a variety of formats — letters, emails and even sculptures of her likeness — but to this day she believes the alternative, which was making smaller, across-theboard cuts to every program, would have proved even more disastrous for the institution as a whole. “When I took this presidency I knew what was coming,” she said, “and I remember in my interview saying there’s going to be less money in a public institution, we’re

WHAT WILL YOU REMEMBER A CALL ME KRIS, FROM PG. 8

going to have to figure out how to work with the ‘do more with less’ mindset. I’d seen it in the US, and I saw a lot of schools in the US do what I thought was a wrong approach, which was to just across-theboard cut — everybody takes a five per cent, everybody takes a 10 per cent — and then pretty soon after a number of years of doing it that way every single program suffers, students can’t get the classes they need. It really takes a toll on the whole organization and that’s bad leadership because it’s easier to make an across-the-board decision… Hard leadership, hard decision making looks

takes it to that next level and who’ve made it what it is. I mean, the ethos for students here is so strong. That’s what brought me to Cap in the first place. I really wanted to be in a place that cared about students, and it always has… I’m hoping that the next team of leaders who come in can build on the foundation that we’ve put in place.

“I think very few presidents in post-secondary have the advantage that I have in terms of the scale,” she continued. “This is a relatively small university, so I know a lot of students by first name because I work with them

1 MAY 21, 2010

Dr. Kris Bulcroft is named president and vice-chancellor of Capilano University, leaving her position as provost and vicepresident for academic affairs at Franklin College in Switzerland.

3

SEP. 8, 2011

CapU announces plans for an international student centre in the Library building, after a $500,000 donation from international businessman Sheldon Trainor and his wife, Emelda Wong.

5 NOV. 20, 2012

Wong-Trainor Centre for International Experience officially opens.

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 23

APR. 9, 2013

at quality and says ‘this is what we do really well, this is where we’re trying to build a place,’ and really tries to preserve the quality for students.”

Bulcroft recalls one occasion early in her presidency when a faculty member took her aside and reminded her that a happy faculty would make for a happy president. Her ensuing response wasn’t quite what he was expecting. “I said, ‘Well, two things: what makes you think I want to be happy? If I wanted to be happy I wouldn’t have taken this job, okay, and number two, just so you understand, my version of that is ‘happy students, happy president,’ so if we’re doing the right thing for students, supporting students, helping students succeed, helping students feel like they’re empowered to go out into the world and make a difference, then we should be putting resources in that way to make sure that happens.”

She said she hopes the campus community will eventually improve in its ability to “think about the big picture. We really have to start pulling together in a way that makes this a cohesive fabric, so we understand the whole organization and how that whole organization increasingly has to work in collaboration with each other, instead of stepping back and trying to protect the me-ism and the mine,” she explained. “That’s a hard shift mentally for people to do.”

With three months remaining in her presidency, Bulcroft is ready to pass that challenge on to a new leader, though she admits it will be bittersweet.

“I’m not going to miss the stress, right, because this is 24/7 you know and every day there’s some crazy thing flying in here, but I will really miss the many, many good people who are really trying to see this place succeed in a way that

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and I work with the CSU,” she said.

“For me, the defining moment is always when a student says to me, ‘President Bulcroft’ — or a lot of them just call me Kris — ‘You gave me…’ When you get that affirmation from the people that you serve, the students who say ‘You’ve done great things’ or ‘You’ve changed my life in this way,’ it confirms that as hard as those decisions were, and sometimes as much criticism as you get, it’s all worth it.”

When Aug. 1 comes, the Spokaneborn sociologist isn’t quite sure what retirement will look like, though she intends to return to her roots as an author. “I just really want to go to my desk and dedicate a few hours every day writing… I’ll do that and I’ll garden and I’ll cook and I’ll travel a bit and I’ll certainly walk my dog more often. I’ve had a very great time here at Capilano but this isn’t my whole life and I’m looking forward to having some new things in my life and to explore some new parts of me,” she said. “I’ve still got lots to give.”

While ideally she'd like to be remembered as a builder, a team leader and a champion of student success, Bulcroft recognizes that others may have their varying opinions. “I’ll be remembered in different ways by different people,” she said. “Some people will see me as somebody who brought change and it wasn’t change they liked. Some people will see me as somebody who brought change that has helped us in the transition from college to university and brought us up to a different level, so there will be lots of ways in which I’m remembered and maybe that’s good. I guess that means that I’ve impacted people’s lives in different ways, and maybe that’s what good leadership really is.”

Capilano University announces $1.3 million budget shortfall, along with plans to cut three diploma programs and several classes in an attempt to balance its budget.

9 JUN. 11, 2013

After several weeks of delays, CapU Board of Governors makes final decision to authorize suspension of Textile Arts, Studio Art and Interactive Design programs.

11 MAY 1, 2014

After unanimously passing a motion of non-confidence in her leadership, Capilano University Faculty Association (CFA) calls for Bulcroft to step down.

13 JUN. 23, 2014

Following extensive media backlash, Rammell’s scultpure is returned in pieces; the incident receives further coverage on a national scale.

15 JUN. 12, 2015

After a year-long inquiry, Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) concludes that the University’s destruction of Rammell’s sculpture violated his academic freedom; calls for formal apology.

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AUG. 4, 2010

Bulcroft begins presidency; attends groundbreaking ceremony for the new Bosa Centre for Film and Animation, a $30.2 million state-of-the-art LEED Gold standard facility.

4 FEB. 17, 2012

Bosa Centre officially opens.

6 FEB. 1, 2013

Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre opens as a hub for Aboriginal students on campus.

8 MAY 10, 2013

At a public meeting held in the Blueshore Centre with CapU faculty, students and stakeholders, Bulcroft defends impending program cuts; leaves the stage after being heckled by a faculty member.

10 APR. 28, 2014

BC Supreme Court rules that CapU’s Board of Governors was in violation of the University Act when it suspended three programs in 2013, due to insufficient consultation with the Senate.

12 MAY 7, 2014

Board of Governors chair Jane Shackell orders the seizure of Blathering on in Krisendom, a sculpture made and publicly displayed by former Studio Arts faculty member, George Rammell.

14 JAN. 13, 2015

Bulcroft announces plans to retire; agrees to an extension of her contract until Jul. 2016 at the request of the Board.

AS THE DEFINING MOMENT OF KRIS BULCROFT'S PRESIDENCY? JANE SHACKELL FORMER CHAIR, CAPU BOARD OF GOVERNORS (2013-14)

What I remember most about Kris as president was her resilience. Kris took over from Greg Lee, a beloved president who had been at Cap for decades.

Any new president was going to face enormous challenges. Kris was flexible and adaptable, and approached her role with a sense of humour. She quickly familiarized herself with BC’s highereducation environment and made a point of getting to know all the players.

I admired her tenacity and imagination, her personal engagement with Cap’s students, and her commitment to Cap’s ongoing excellence.

DONNA HOOKER

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DIRECTOR, WONG-TRAINOR CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Kris encouraged students to speak out in forums where new ideas, challenges, successes and opportunities could be heard, welcomed, criticized and even tried… Many international students come from very heretical systems where the president is a figurehead. These students were often amazed to see her at their small events. She would volunteer her lunch break to be a judge at a pumpkin-carving contest – she joined them for their first Canadian Christmas dinner on campus, or she awed them with a simple hello in the hallway.

BRITTANY BARNES

FORMER PRESIDENT, CAPILANO STUDENTS’ UNION (2014-15)

What I can say is that the relationship I've developed with her over the course of her presidency is one of the most influential I've ever had… What made Kris a great president was that she was, and continues to be, a visionary. I believe that this has stuck with her through the years, and even though Capilano has been faced with some difficult and challenging circumstances, Kris has continued to demonstrate an incredible amount of strength and perseverance while striving to make Cap all that it can be.

the Board of Directors? – the criticisms and the bitter tone of the complaints must have felt like personal attacks…

I certainly understand why she left the stage, but as our university president, I think she had an obligation to weather the storm, to stand her ground and keep answering our questions… That was a public moment, but I certainly shared a few private moments with her that were memorable, including accompanying the student editor, Rachel Morten, of the first issue of our CMNS 498 student magazine, Bacon, to Kris's office to drop off a dozen copies, hot off the press. She invited us into her office, and congratulated us, and was very sincere and engaging.

MICHAEL MARKWICK PROFESSOR, CAPU SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

The School of Communication came to adulthood on her watch as president, and the direction that we are going in, in terms of communication for social transformation, ethical communication, democratic communication… All those things that happened in difficult times, in terms of our relationship with government and funding, but even then we have been able to figure out innovative ways for us to become a leader in north america in democratic communication, and so i give her credit for helping us get there.

DAVID EBY

CO-CHAIR, CAPU’S SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

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ANDREW WILKINSON

MLA, MINISTER OF ADVANCED EDUCATION

Throughout her term as president, Dr. Kris Bulcroft has shown a strong commitment to ensuring students receive high-quality education at Capilano University… I was fortunate to visit in Jan. 2016 the world-class Bosa Centre for Film and Animation that was built during the tenure of the president.

Students were excited, motivated and genuinely appreciative of the training that they received from faculty and staff as well as their ability to use state-of-the-art equipment that is used by industry. When students graduate they are career ready. The Bosa Centre is an example of some of the excellent programs that Capilano University is able to deliver and something that the leadership at the university can continue to build upon in the years ahead… Also, the Aboriginal Student Centre and the Centre for International Experience – both dedicated spaces for learners – were created during Dr. Bulcroft’s time at Capilano University.

In my view, President Bulcroft’s defining moment was when she refused to accept any responsibility for the flagrant violation of academic freedom at Capilano… President Bulcroft had a real opportunity to take leadership on the matter by admitting culpability and apologizing to Professor Rammel and the entire Capilano community.

Instead, she brushed aside the real and serious concerns about violations of academic freedom, a foundational value of any institution that can call itself a university. For that, I think she damaged the reputation of the University, and will now leave with a shadow hanging over her.

KIRSTI JAMISON

FIRST-YEAR PARALEGAL STUDENT

Despite former President Bulcroft’s efforts, and the efforts of many before her, the provincial government has refused to budge on funding fairness for Cap, and Ms. Bulcroft wore much of the blame for the inevitable budgetary shortfalls that resulted… She tried as best she could to lobby the provincial government for change, going so far as to commission an historical study of the incredibly problematic process by which Cap’s funding got set at such a low level.

Her closed-door appeals to the provincial government using both reason and fairness failed.

FORMER CAPU STUDENT, STUDIO ARTS

At a meeting Apr. 29, 2013, with over 100 students and faculty crowded into a lecture hall to meet with Kris Bulcroft...

Bulcroft talked about how [the University] had not given up on government funding, after which I asked, “But even if you had the funding, would you keep the programs?” Her response was, “That’s a good question, isn’t it? And we have to continue this dialogue.” After further questioning, she admitted that even with full government funding she “wouldn't keep them”… suggesting cuts were not related to the deficit but rather a reengineering of the institution itself.

ED LAVALLE

CHAIR, CAPU POLITICAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT

Dr. Bulcroft’s appointment as president of Capilano University was in an

BRENT RICHTER

REPORTER, NORTH SHORE NEWS

It was a rocky time and it was going to be regardless of who was president… but the part I’m not going to be able to shake or forget about is Blathering on in Krisendom, the acrylic polymer effigy made by George Rammell and the fiasco that it triggered.

DAVID CLARKSON

FORMER CSU PRESIDENT 2011-12; FORMER STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE, CAPU BOARD OF GOVERNORS (2010-12) AND CAPU SENATE (2010-13)

I think the defining legacy of Dr. Bulcroft’s tenure is the style of leadership she brought to Capilano

"She is good at listening to what students have to say and takes their suggestions seriously. At the [Student Voices] meetings that I have attended she was very approachable and was very interested in the points brought up by the people there.”

GEORGE RAMMELL

FORMER STUDIO ARTS PROFESSOR (1990-2014)

The defining moment of Kris Bulcroft’s reign at Cap U was in May of 2013 when she stormed off the stage in the Birch Theatre. That was the moment I realized decades of consultation had collapsed into corporate style governance.

CATHERINE VERTESI

FORMER CAPU VICE PRESIDENT (2006-13)

Her depth of commitment to Capilano University became abundantly clear one day when I was invited to a meeting of the BCAIU (BC Association of Institutes + Universities)... Other presidents were talking about research and how to build their academic reputations like the traditional research universities. But not Kris. She interrupted the meeting to remind them all that our mandate was to teach and through teaching excellence, to prepare students for their future careers and studies.... She never assumed that education was just a collection of courses but rather it was an experience to build the whole person.

Editor's note: Some responses were edited for brevity, due to the space limitations of our print publication. To view an extended version of this retrospective, visit Capilanocourier.com.

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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO.23

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DAVID ROBINSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS (CAUT)

THE CAPILANO COURIER

I can share two [memories] from opposite ends of the spectrum, and the first was when she abruptly left the stage during a forum that was arranged for faculty in the [Blueshore] theatre on May 10, 2013. We were invited to discuss the program cuts that took place that spring… Although Keiron Simons, conflict resolution advisor, was there to host the question and answer, and he did an admirable job, it was just Kris on the stage. She gave an informative statement about the woeful state of our base funding from the provincial government, and opened the floor to questions, but feelings were running high and there were heated comments from frustrated faculty in the audience.

Without anyone up there to support her – where were the Deans? Or anyone from

University… Dr. Bulcroft genuinely engaged with students and valued our contributions within a collegial governance framework… Dr. Bulcroft was often criticized for making unpopular decisions.... When it became necessary to suspend programs to preserve the financial sustainability of the university, Dr. Bulcroft ensured that policies were in place to ensure that potentially affected students would be able to complete their studies.

4 7 8 12

MLA, FORMER OPPOSITION CRITIC, ADVANCED EDUCATION (2013-14)

JENNIFER O’KEEFFE SUSAN DRITMANIS

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environment of positive expectations, largely because of the positive reception to Kris Bulcroft’s open meeting with faculty during the search process. This lasted sometime but seriously declined as a consequence of a number of significant errors. The first indication of trouble was the cuts of 2013, leading to protests.

In 2013, Dr. Bulcroft gave the group of vice presidents a free hand to trim the faculty and staff workforce by cutting programs… It was the beginning of the disease of “new-University” neuroticism: prune out the “non-academic” twoyear programs; no matter how highly enrolled, brilliantly taught and successful in placing students in applied employment. This was also the beginning of the serious decline in consultation and collaboration, a decline which was the subject of a successful faculty legal action alleging the University [was in] breach of the University Act… This was followed by an administrative practice which reduced decades of collaboration and consultation, produced academic and strategic plans of debatable value or originality, squelched promotion of the transfer courses taken by so many alumni, and caused the Arts & Sciences to decline. Opportunity lost! Cui bono?

Featuring 10 pieces from the Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre to the Community Garden Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Tomáš Danco PHOTOGRAPHER

Completed in 2013, the Kéxwusmáyakn Student Centre is one of Capilano University’s most important social and educational spaces. “Kéxwusm-áyakn (pronounced Kay-wayoh-sum-aye-yakane) is a Squamish word that was given to us meaning ‘a place to meet,” explained Clay Little, CapU First Nations liaison officer. “In essence, this space was created for all students, but for Aboriginal students specifically, to create a sense of belonging — a spot where Aboriginal students from around the country can meet other Aboriginal students.”

All sorts of things happen in the room (LB 196) in any given week. “We do workshops on cedar hat weaving, we’ve done workshops on moccasin making, we’ve done a medicine wheel,” he said, adding that coffee is always on and elders visit every Tuesday and Thursday to share their stories and skills with the campus community.

Designed to evoke the look and feel of a traditional longhouse, the centre is home to dozens of carvings, sculptures and paintings, created by artists from many distinct regions of Canada. Even its logo is a work of art, designed by Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw artist Maynard Johnny Jr., depicting an eagle with a scholarship.

“There are various different pieces of artwork all over campus,” Little explained, offering to take the Courier on a guided tour of some of his favourites. “Aboriginal people in Canada are quite a diverse group… Each band is unique and distinct in terms of cultures and values, and even language and practices for that matter, so when I take you around the University and show you the artwork I want you to kind of keep that in mind, because artists will be from all over the country representing the Nation.”

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BUTTON BLANKET

Location: Interior, Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre “This piece was actually done by the Children’s Centre, and that was done with Carmen McKay who is a Stó:lō and Musqueam artist. He has a few different pieces here on the campus. That’s a button blanket with a great cedar background and the salmon there. Generally, button blankets are a Coast Salish tradition.

You’ll see them often times in ceremony…

You would wear it and you would have crests on the back that would identify your lineage, your family.”

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PAVILION

Location: Exterior, Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre

Bhi (pronounced “Cloth-Bay”), who is a Squamish and Kwakwaka’wakw artist.

You see the mother and the father bear and the baby bear, and on the back there’s some pretty interesting artwork as well — the eagle and humans, I believe. Generally when you hire a carver these days, if it’s for a corporation or a school, you have them come in to design a pole specifically for you, but often times when you look at the artwork they’re really pulling from their history and their family. I always ask that people keep that in mind — there may be more history involved in the artwork than one thinks.”

VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 23 THE CAPILANO COURIER

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DREAMCATCHER

Location: Interior, Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre “This was made by Jaime Gervais, who is a former IDEA student. It is a dreamcatcher and it’s used every year at Convocation. Dreamcatchers are meant to catch the bad dreams and the feathers represent the good dreams and the hopes of students. Every year we put out the dreamcatcher and graduating students add a dream or a goal to the dreamcatcher, so there’s various different messages on there… This is the biggest dreamcatcher I’ve ever seen.”

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TOTEMS

Location: Exterior, Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre “These carved poles were done by Klatle-

CONVOCATION MACE

Location: Interior, Office of the President and Vice President “This was done by Xwalacktun, a Squamish artist — quite renowned, probably one of the more well-known Squamish carvers that we have. You’ll see this get brought out and carried in every year at Convocation.

I think originally there were real feathers on there but it wasn’t too practical so he fabricated some metal ones. Often times you’ll see feathers on top of cedar hats or you might see feathers on top of a talking stick or a mace or what not, and they will actually move and twirl.”

5 PORTRAIT MASK 10 6 BENTWOOD BOX CARVING 7 CEREMONIAL DRUM

Location: Exterior, CapU Community Garden

Location: Interior, Library Hallway Display Case “The architect for this space was Alfred Waugh. He did the pavilion and the Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre as well.

The inside space is designed to resemble a longhouse, sort of a traditional longhouse with the slanted ceilings.

The outdoor pavilion, in essence, is for ceremonial use. We do cultural events out here, social justice, guest lectures, and it really is just another great space where Aboriginal people and nonAboriginal people can gather.”

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CEDAR PLAQUE

Location: Interior, Office of the President and Vice Presidents “This is Shain Jackson’s piece here. He’s a Sechelt artist and this is probably one of the newest pieces that we have.

He has a studio just under the Second Narrows Bridge. He’s an interesting artist and is coming about on his own.

This depicts two bears, using red cedar and copper for the eyes. You’ll see a lot of traditional shapes like the crescent moon and often times you’ll see a lot of similar designs in the pieces but they all have different names.”

“I just love the idea of bringing Aboriginal artists in and having them create their piece and have people come and interact. This was done by Latash — Maurice Nahanee. He’s our in-resident elder and he was here for a good chunk of time over the summer.

Every morning we’d have a little group of people knowing that we’d just start carving and often times we’d come here and there’d be a class from the daycare waiting for us or people from the community and they just really valued getting to know the traditional area and getting to know the elder that did the carving and the meaning behind it. You can tell that there’s a real desire to have this involvement. People are curious and people want to know a little bit more and I think by bringing artists in on this level it just really creates a bridge between Indigenous culture and non-Indigenous culture in a really safe and trusting way.”

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THE CAPILANO COURIER

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Andy Rice EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THE CAPILANO COURIER

VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 23

Walking through the sliver of forest beside Capilano University’s Fir building today, one isn’t likely to find anything out of the ordinary — but 16 years ago the area was home to Leon Nagasaki, a sophomore guitar major with a crafty plan to avoid paying rent.

For years, his story circulated the Jazz Studies department like an urban legend, its details becoming gradually diluted over time. But earlier this month, after much searching, the Courier finally tracked down the mythical unicorn himself, now living in Victoria with a wife and young family.

Though slightly tamed, his adventurous spirit remains very much intact and he was more than happy to take us on a trip down memory lane.

“I had done my first year [at Cap] and spent a lot of it in a practice room to the point where it was sort of frustrating to pay rent at a place where you do your laundry, you know, and just go there to crash,” Nagasaki explained, “So I was having a chat with my mom. We were joking around and saying oh maybe I should try to avoid the expense.”

The two began brainstorming — what if he lived on campus instead? He could eat in the cafeteria, shop at the nearby SuperStore, shower in the Sportsplex — “and we just sort of talked it through and we started laughing because, well, really it was probably feasible if you could sleep in the woods or something, right?”

When the fall semester started a few weeks later, that’s exactly what he did.

Nagasaki packed up his belongings and boarded the ferry over to Vancouver from his hometown of Victoria,

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For an entire year, Leon Nagasaki showered in the Sportsplex, ate in the cafeteria and slept in a fortress of pallets just metres away from his locker but instead of moving into a basement suite or rental apartment on Sept. 1, he showed up on campus with a cordless drill, a bag of screws and a large tarp.

“At the beginning of every year they load a bunch of different pianos into the practice rooms,” he recalled. The instruments typically arrive on a series of large wooden skids, which are left for pickup at a later date. “When I went to school I saw all those pallets and I went ‘oh, okay’ and just got out my screw gun and a tarp and made a little place. It seemed like serendipity.”

With his rent and his commute now a thing of the past, Nagasaki couldn’t have been happier. “I started in September and it was totally nice at first, of course, just beautiful, crisp autumn mornings.

But then the rain started to come, and the rain on that tarp, like when it’s really raining, it was like trying to sleep inside of a snare drum. In order to get to sleep I had to wear earplugs and then I put my over-ear headphones on and then I put my toque on and then I put my pillow on top of my head — and then it was quiet enough that I could sleep.”

Every morning, Nagasaki would emerge from the forest, walk 30 feet to the south entrance of Fir and stow away his pillow and blankets for the day. “It was funny, because I wasn’t really telling anyone but then my sleeping bag would like fall out of my locker or something like that,” he recalled, “So I told a couple people and I guess word spread a bit.”

Mike Reveley, the program coordinator at the time, was among the first to catch on. “I was in his theory class and he’s teaching away and then he just stops teaching and was like, ‘It must get cold out there, hey?’ and looks at me in front of the whole class.’”

A bit later in the semester, Brad Turner, who now directs the university’s A-Band, checked in on Nagasaki as well.

“One day, he’s like ‘Hey man, I heard you’re sleeping in the woods. Do your parents know about this? Is it cool, do you need a place or something?’ And I’m like ‘No, it’s weird, but it’s fine.”

When the cold and the rain finally became too much to handle, Nagasaki moved indoors, choosing a windowless practice room at the end of the hall, known as FR 126. By day, the ten-bysix space was shared by saxophonists, trumpeters, flautists and pianists, but by night it was his personal bedroom.

Security never bothered him once, “But there are cleaners that come in the middle of the night, he recalled. “We scared the shit out of each other one night, this cleaning lady and I. It was horrible. And then I was waiting there for the police to come and nobody came so eventually I went back to sleep. From then on, she’d always open the door a crack and look in and see if I was there.”

Once the 2000-01 school year came to a close, Nagasaki took some time away from his studies,

playing on cruise ships and working as a private guitar teacher to round out his skills. “And then I met a girl and fell in love,” he laughed. “She wanted to live in Vancouver for a couple years for her schooling so I decided I’d go back to school. I came back and did my final two years but at that point I was a different man. I had been more domesticated I guess you’d say, had a fiancé, all that sort of stuff that goes along.”

Today, Nagasaki is the busy father of two children, ages three and five.

He’s also a bandleader, working with Victoria songstress Eryn Sharpe on her latest CD, One Day. And although he’s long since upgraded his pallet house to a real one, there isn’t much he’d change about his college days. “I really felt like I needed to make some hard financial decisions if I was going to hack it in the music business,” he said. “You have to be sort of financially prudent and manage it if you want to do well, you know. I couldn’t come out of school with like $40,000 of debt or something.”

As for the lasting buzz surrounding the bizarre combination of scholarships, student loans and shipping pallets that got him through his days at CapU, he calls it “flattering” — even if he didn’t think it was anything to write home about at the time. “It’s funny to talk about this,” he said. “I totally forgot how completely crazy it is and then I’m telling the story and I’m like ‘wait a second.’”

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— LEAH SCHEITEL

Who cares about hockey?

A journalist’s look at a culture made on skates Leah Scheitel CONTRIBUTOR

Love has been known to trump reasoning — this is the making of most good love stories and the reason Hollywood still produces romantic comedies. And along with love, faith and other hope-based endeavours, hockey can provide fans with the optimism that overshadows all of its pitfalls. It can be worth all the money, time and energy for that one beautiful overtime goal.

“I’m sure every player on the Ghostriders and every other hockey team has played road hockey and visualized scoring the overtime winning goal to win the Stanley Cup,” said Blight, speaking to the optimism. “I think a lot of people have to remember that sport is the most powerful thing in the world.”

Mohr echoed the sentiment of hope being the main driver behind what fills the seats every year: “It’s because you never know. And maybe that’s why we cheer, maybe that is why we are fans, because there is always that hope that we will make that run. But the best thing is that it is still fun going through it. Like love, you never know.”

All three of my expert sources were saying that it was emotion, not logic, which drove people to love the sport.

And as much as my cynical, rational self didn’t like that answer, I found myself

agreeing with it because there was side to it that appealed to even me, someone who started the season not giving two fucks about the sport.

It’s the same thing that keeps Murphy heading back to report on the Canucks year after year – the stories.

“There are new players, there are rookies, and there are new coaches.

The day-to-day stuff remains the same, whether you are talking about the power play or the penalty kill,” he said. “It’s the stories of the individual players that keep us coming back because it changes every year and they each have their own path from where they came to where they are going.”

This was a sentiment I understood.

Stories are why people do things. They get us passionate, lively and animated.

It’s the reason I pursued this career, as I wanted to be a master storyteller. Near the end of the season, even against my better judgment, I started to care about the team. I had my favourite players and involuntarily cheered when they scored.

I started to care about the story I was telling — and according to Coach Mohr, my writing got better because I cared.

Without trying, I saw direct benefit to being a fan, as it was making me better at my craft.

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has a playoff run. Over a beer, he told me that when this happens, the people in the surrounding community all have an extra pep in their step, whether they are diehard fans or not.

“That’s the crazy thing about sports – you could have nothing invested in them money wise, but if your team or city is doing well, everyone is happy,” he said. “Everyone is talking about it, everyone is excited — it’s the great thing about sport. There is always that vested interest. It’s your town.”

But there had to be more to it than that. I remained unconvinced that merely having a talking point and a local conversation started would be worth the emotional investment hockey requires over the course of a season. Like love, another life factor that takes emotion investment, the attraction to hockey might be hard to articulate.

“I would definitely compare it to love,” said Cole Blight, an old flame who played hockey for two decades and now coaches a North Vancouver team. “If your team wins, it’s the best, but if your team loses, you have been with them for so long, you can’t leave them. So it is like a relationship — it definitely is like love.

Things are tough but you just can’t quit on it. It’s a weird circumstance.”

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For the last six months, I’ve spent at least three hours a week in the local arena, freezing my ass off and watching 17-year-olds play with their sticks.

As a community news reporter in Fernie, BC, one of my main duties has been covering the Junior B Team, the Fernie Ghostriders, with vigilance and enthusiasm. As a 30-year-old journalist with ambitions of reporting on politics and pop culture, this couldn’t have been further from my beat of choice.

After spending hours upon hours watching this team play hockey, I set out to understand why people were so into it, going to every game with dedication usually reserved for church or a Breaking Bad marathon. This little team has fans that have been coming for 25 years, since the team started in 1991, sitting in the same spot and eagerly watching the game. I followed the action because I was paid to, but what was their reason? What kept them investing in a game that they had little to no control over, spending time, emotion and money to support a team of boys on skates? I didn’t understand it, so I started searching for answers.

If anyone could tell me about the benefits to fans, Dan Murphy was my best bet. As a sportscaster covering the Vancouver Canucks for the last 15 years, he has been with the team through the ebbs and flows of the organization, including their 2011 playoff run to the Stanley Cup finals. For him, the appeal of hockey has more to do with the common thread between society and cultures, rather than the possibility of a tangible return for the fan — though he admits the latter can be a nice bonus.

“Obviously, you would love to get a return on your investment, whether it is emotional, because it’s not going to be financial,” he explained. “There is not many things in life in which you can have an common interest with so many people. When a city or a province lays ownership of the team, like with the Canucks, it’s a common interest point, it’s a common talking point and it doesn’t have anything to do with race or religion, gender or anything.”

Thinking about this, Murphy had a great point. In Fernie, I saw evidence of hockey being a common thread for the small community to bond over. I saw grandparents sitting with their grandkids, clad in matching Ghostrider jerseys and cheering at the right times.

I saw unlikely friendships start in the beer room, where the conversation would begin with the game and move into people’s personal lives and interests. It gave people something to talk about.

Craig Mohr is the Ghostriders’ head coach, and has experienced the direct benefits of when the team does well or

ARTS & CULTURE CapLive expands to combine music and visual art AEM students organize annual event in support of charity Graeme Findlay CONTRIBUTOR

With classes winding down for the semester and the final day of exams scheduled for Apr. 15, what better way to blow off some steam than to go and see some live music and visual art? The ability to do so in a bar — where you can drink away your sorrows if you might not have passed one or two of those exams — is an added bonus. Luckily, there’s CityScape, an event taking place that evening at the Onlok Gallery on the coner of Commercial and Venables.

CityScape is presented by CapLive, which consists of four Arts and Entertainment Management (AEM) students at Capilano University — Jessica Lio, Brianna Bowerman, Siobhan Lambe and Luna Hoyek. The

four have been planning the concert and art showcase since the start of the semester and their hard efforts have paid off.

“It is something different that everybody can enjoy,” said Lambe. “You see a lot of art shows that have DJ’s or music in places that are strictly for that alone, but it is cool to see these different types of artists come together and use it as an opportunity to lend a hand to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. It is for a good cause.”

The CapLive team underwent some challenges along the way, and the desire to make the event accessible to the entire student body has not been without its struggles. “The all ages license is a huge challenge,” said Lio. “It is not necessarily finding a venue, but finding a venue with

an all ages license is massive, and of course within budget and making sure we have all of the things we need for our showcase.”

There is also the issue of art galleries not wanting to put up art that is not purchased by them. “Some art galleries already have their own artwork up, so you are unable to touch theirs,” explained Hoyek. “Some art galleries also don’t want nails in the wall, and some flat out just did not want any art at all. Thankfully, the Onlok Gallery was very open to it. They are more of a gallery and a studio space, so they are okay with us putting the art whenever we want it and having the music.”

“When we first starting brainstorming, we all thought it would be cool and different,” added Lio. “The previous CapLives focused on just music, and not that there is anything wrong with that but we wanted to expand and try and reach some other wide varieties of audiences.”

According to Lambe, the group’s goal was also to connect this audience with

the local musicians and artists involved.

“We wanted to bring in a variety of people who appreciate the local music scene, and help out the artists in our event reach out to form a sense of community.”

Zane Barrett, known as Zane, is one of the musical performers at CityScape.

Although a resident born and bred in Vancouver, he was in Berlin and Dublin for some time where he performed in many bars as well as trains and streets.

“I was really happy to be a part of the event,” he said. “It is interesting to know that programs like the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre exist and that people are trying to raise awareness to the problem. It is a really good tool. It is a great event. When I think about all of the things we could be doing in the world, there is something powerful about focusing on issues at home as well.”

Other performers include Royal Oak and ESC, along with artists Jordan Westre, Cody Cowx and Tina Yan.

that’s what it’s supposed to represent,” he continued, “So, for example, red is for strength, high energy and compassion, and pink for love, intuition and [femininity].” Black is supposed to symbolize boldness and elegance, while hues of green have soothing properties.

Yellow represents good cheer and optimism.

Mclean doesn’t usually start with a

pattern in mind. He lets the colours tell him what to do. “This is a different kind of art,” he said. One can almost fall into a trance gazing at these pieces, which offer tranquility and serenity to the beholder. It’s not something you’d find at a craft market on Ambleside beach — more likely at tourist hotspots in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he first noticed these mesmerizing pieces over a year ago.

For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, visit CapLive.ca.

Got the world on a string Former student finds inner peace by creating yarn art Christine Beyleveldt

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CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT

Derek Mclean’s living room looks like a scene out of a Dr. Seuss illustration.

Unravelled spools of coloured yarn are spilled across the floor, and half-finished projects hang from the walls. The former Capilano University student spends his free evenings weaving mandalas, a form of Mexican Huichol art.

“I started doing these mandalas approximately a year ago,” he said. “I started doing them as a hobby, and I probably did about 20, and I left them all in my room hanging up and giving them away to friends.

“I first started with just two sticks, the God’s Eye,” Mclean explained, “and then I did a mandala, which is four sticks.”

The God’s Eye – Ojo de Dios in Spanish – is a simple diamond pattern, which requires approximately four hours to complete, by his estimate.

The mandala is an arduous and more intricate process that took him far longer to perfect. “When I first started they were terrible, like you could tell that maybe a 10-year-old made them, but with time I got really good and I started doing my own designs,” said Mclean.

He pointed to one hanging up on his wall with white and orange strings running in every direction imaginable.

“That one is just too crazy for life. It was my first time doing something so weird, with all the weird triangles in the middle and just like crossing lines and stuff.”

Mclean begins each one by tightly knotting two crisscrossed wooden dowels with one colour. After that, he strings the tail of the yarn from one dowel to another, and pushes

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each thread into place alongside the previous one so that a diamond pattern emerges. Then he repeats the process with a second set of dowels and binds them together to create an eight-sided structure. “You just tie the yarn on to one, and then you go to the right, over, under, next one, over, under, next one, over, under, then eventually it just gets tight enough that it won’t really move too much. It’s very simple but long,” he described.

Measuring over a metre in diameter, the larger mandalas can take up to 40 hours to complete. As they grow in size, they get heavier, and eventually he can’t hold them up anymore so he sets them down on a flat surface and spins the structure in a circle as he weaves until he reaches the outer edges.

Mandalas exist in many cultures.

Originally, Buddhists used the designs for meditation purposes, but among the Huichol people native to central and western Mexico they represent a power to see and understand the unknown.

“The meaning behind these is basically it means a circle… It represents wholeness, a cosmic diagram reminding us of our relation to infinity, extending beyond and within our bodies and minds,” he said.

A mandala brings peace of mind not only to the owner, but to the maker as well. “If you have one on your wall and you’re having a stressful day it’s supposed to relax you, make you focus on things that matter… like the part of your mind that’s always thinking and worrying. Sometimes, it helps give it a break and bring out the creative side in you,” Mclean added.

“The colours are what mean something in these, so every time someone does them and they’re in a specific mood,

CO L U M NS Spoiler Alert A walk through the Marvel Cinematic Universe – the sequel Syd Danger MARVEL TRASH #1

Today in Syd’s clusterfuck of a column, we open with the self-described genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist, Tony Stark kidnapped by terrorists on orders from his military weapons business partner, Obadiah Stane. Stark is holed up in a cave for a while, where he managed to create a mini arc reactor and become Iron Man. Then “Nick Fury’s Big Week” happens – a set of days where multiple storylines within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) unfold and set the gears in motion.

TUESDAY Ivan Vanko, aka Whiplash, also invents an arc reactor (which are apparently really easy for just anyone to invent) and attacks Stark with his fun little whips at some racetrack in Morocco. They fight.

Stark wins. Whiplash is then sent to prison where his death is faked and he is contracted to create an army of super suits.

WEDNESDAY Natasha Romanoff, the legendary spandex-wearing assassin, is brought in

by S.H.I.E.L.D. to observe Stark. They realize that maybe having some sort of metal thing embedded in your chest isn't super great, and that it may possibly be, you know, poisoning Iron Man.

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makeshift spears. The Reality Stone is given to a man named The Collector for safekeeping.

Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D appears to be killed by Hydra’s assassin, The Winter Soldier who, in the leastsurprising reveal of all-time, happens to be Bucky Barnes. Cap, Widow, Falcon and the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D then work together to prevent the complete takeover by Hydra. Meanwhile, Peter Quill steals an orb that contains the Power Stone and sings with alien rats as microphones. He works together with Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot to defeat Thanos’ henchman Ronan, and the Nova Corps are given possession of the Power Stone. On Earth, a blind lawyer by the name of Matt Murdock begins fighting crime under the alias Daredevil.

As the Avengers attack a base to retrieve the sceptre containing the Mind Stone, they clash with the wonder twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Tony Stark uses the sceptre to advance Project Ultron, the worst idea on the planet, and creates an artificial intelligence that hates humanity. Good job. A whole bunch of kicking and punching happens, and the Mind Stone is merged with Ultron’s would-be body, creating Vision, who helps defeat Ultron. Thanos then dons the Infinity Gauntlet and decides to go after the Infinity Stones himself, because honestly, oh my god, everyone he asks to do a simple task cannot get their shit together.

I hope that this two-part MCU timeline has helped you either better understand some pieces or realize what a huge massive nerd you are. I know which one it did for me. Thanks to the Courier and my editors for putting up with this mess, and I’ll see all you geeks next year.

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Finally we get to everyone’s favourite day of the week, Friday! Thor has been using his time on Earth to walk around shirtless and wonder why Kat Dennings is even in his movie. He eventually learns enough humility to regain his lost powers and defeat an unnecessary robotic-Cyclops.

He then blasts back up into space to destroy the giant rainbow bridge known as the Bifrost, their means of traveling between worlds, in order to keep Loki from further irritating Jotunheim.

After that shit-storm of a week, Captain America is finally defrosted.

As everyone grabs a hairdryer to thaw him out, Loki is approached by Thanos – also known as that giant purple guy you keep seeing in the after credit scenes. He’s actually a very big deal, and gifts Loki with a sceptre containing the Mind Stone, promising the complete control of Earth if he can deliver him the Tesseract (which has the Space Stone in it, remember? Keep up.) That doesn’t go super well for Loki, as The Avengers assemble and beat up all those random sky portal aliens, but lose their honestly kind of forgettable Agent Coulson in the process.

After this giant battle, Stark becomes a little unhinged and creates dozens of Iron Man suits because how can that go wrong? After a man called The Mandarin attacks him, Stark is stranded and presumed dead.

During this time, he discovers that the Mandarin is a puppet of Aldrich Killian (see I TOLD you this would all tie together!) who, with sexy botanist Maya Hansen, developed a very unstable drug called Extremis, which regenerates cells but has side-effects of random explosion.

Pepper Potts comes in to the story just to be damsel-in-distress with Extremis, which Tony eventually uses to finally fix his heart.

Meanwhile in Asgard, Thor is flexing and trying to maintain peace while The Convergence begins again, causing random portals to appear out of nowhere. Jane passes through one of them and sees the Reality Stone, which infects her. Remember that gnarly-looking elf Malekith? Well he reawakens and attacks Asgard with his Dark Elves, kills Thor’s mom and takes the Reality Stone. Loki pretends to die, and Thor defeats Malekith with some

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The god of mischief and extreme sexiness, Loki decides that he wants to send some Frost Giants to attack Asgard during Thor’s coronation. Thor and his band of merry men then go start some shit on Jotunheim, causing his father Odin to banish him and his giant biceps to Earth, where he meets hot astrophysicist and oxymoron, Jane Foster.

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Bruce Banner is tracked down in Brazil and finds himself fighting a soldier named Emil Blonsky. For some reason, Blonsky wants to be a giant green dude too and takes a serum to become like The Hulk, but becomes The Abomination instead.

They have a fight scene similar to the end of Jurassic World, and The Hulk wins.

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The mute button Twelve words that inspire inclusion and diversity Marissa Del Mistro COLUMNIST

Words are basic yet powerful tools for communication, and with our everevolving society comes ever-evolving words. Cyclical and bountiful terms are slowly becoming integrated into our collective lexicons to include the expanding changes in society. In order to be inclusive, definitions and terms are changing to help alleviate bias or discrimination for any persons.

Language is an interesting presentation and a person’s ability to speak can sometimes be an indicator to their overall understanding of the status quo.

It can be hard to keep up with the growing “lingo” – therefore, here is a list of words important for an inclusive vocabulary.

INTERSECTIONAL This incorporates the many systems of oppression that are working together in a multi-layered way within society. It acknowledges the multiple oppressions and privileges in someone’s particular life. Intersectional identities include gender, race, ability and/or class to help explain how different life can be for any given person. For example, a Japanese woman may have to deal with both

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racism and sexism while navigating through life. It is important when trying to understand the reality of various identities.

WOMYN The altered spelling of “woman and women” removes the “man” in a word that can be criticized for perpetuating patriarchy. It challenges the norm and exhibits that identity is not inherently reliant on man. It is to say that womyn can and should have their own singular identity while celebrating diverse female culture.

CULTURAL AMALGAMATION Cultural amalgamation refers to the combination of different cultures to create a new and unique culture. This could be manifested through interracial marriages.

DAD-VERTISING Dad-vertising explains the negative portrayal of fathers in the media. It challenges the dominant representation of fathers and husbands as lazy, incompetent or dumb and the lack of strong, supporting and lovingly present fathers and husbands within platforms of media and entertainment.

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sexual and marital relations are strictly for people of contrasting genders. The bias presents itself at a young age through opinions, books, lawmakers, media, education and attitudes. It is often associated with homophobia.

ILLITERATI Illiterati is an individual who does not have a high level of education, or lacks greater understanding of a particular subject or issue.

ZE Ze is used to escape gender binary. As a gender-neutral pronoun, it does not confine a person to “he” or “she.”

TWO-SPIRIT Two-spirit is a contemporary umbrella term used within some Indigenous North Americans to describe those who associate with different mixed gender roles. Native Americans emphasize the importance of one’s spirit. The emphasis is to liberate one’s unique, non-binary spirit and celebrate gender and sexual identities rather than force a definition.

MISANDRY Misandry is the opposite of misogyny, therefore defined as the hatred, fear or anger towards men.

as counterproductive, useless and incompetent. It’s also presented through the de-sexualization of older populations in outlets such as media or advertising.

TRANS* The term trans* refers to individuals who are transgender or identify themselves with related, non-binary and gender nonconforming identities. The asterisk (*) is included to allow the addition of any suffixes to the word “trans.” This includes, but is not limited to, -gender, -sexual, -vestite.

MASCULINITIES Masculinities are defined through social and culture construct rather than biological. The term includes the idea that there are many ways to portray masculinity and that there doesn’t have to be a congruent stereotype, which men often feel categorized within.

Masculinities explain that there are many ways to act in any given setting.

Surely, this list will continue to grow, change and expand to respect and define our nation’s interesting medley of masses.

HETERONORMATIVE Heteronormativity is the assumption that heterosexuality is the norm for everyone, instead of an option. It operates on the belief that humans have specific genders and therefore, it presents that

AGE-ISM This is the bias and discrimination against the older population simply due to their age. Ageism can be manifested by treating older population

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CALENDAR

28 MONDAY

RACHEL PLATTEN VOGUE THEATRE

6:30 PM • $25 + SC Unless you’ve been living in a bunker like that chick from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, there’s no way you haven’t heard “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. It’s everywhere. And just like Carly Rae Jepsen did a couple years ago with “Call Me Maybe,” Platten has been milking her one lonely hit for all its worth by embarking on an international tour. Go see her at the Vogue!

29 TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THE GRANVILLE STRIP

TACOFINO COMMISSARY

JOANNA NEWSOM VOGUE THEATRE

8 PM • $45 + SC Joanna Newsom is one of those singer-songwriters who everyone’s heard of but somehow can’t name a single thing she’s ever done.

The California native flies largely under the radar, in spite of her outlandish talents which include playing the harp and the hammer dulcimer. Meanwhile, Kardashians are making $20 million a year for doing nothing. This world is incredibly unfair.

7 PM • $49 If you haven’t paid a visit to Tacofino yet then you’re really missing out. This event takes place at the original Vancouver location at Hastings and Nanaimo and would be a great way to try out some highlights from their delicious menu. For one night only, they’re offering a four-course feast where several types of tacos will be paired with a carefully-curated selection of tequilas.

31 THURSDAY RIO THEATRE

ORPHEUM THEATRE

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES PACIFIC THEATRE

8 PM • $23-$30 The online synopsis for this play wasn’t much help: “Over the course of 30 years, a series of unsettling injuries brings Kayleen and Doug together as they spar, spat and haltingly try to rescue one another.” (Imagine being their neighbours!) “A surprisingly tender story tracing the ricocheting dynamics between a corrosive masochist and an accident-prone daredevil.”

JULIAN MCCULLOUGH 8:30 PM • $15-$20 Julian McCullough is an actor, writer, producer and comedian originally hailing from Philadelphia. Have you heard of him?

Good, because neither have we. Apparently, his claim to fame is being the host of We Have Issues on E! and he’s also made appearances on Inside Amy Schumer and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Cool story, bro.

02 SATURDAY

SAUERKRAUT 101 HOMESTEAD JUNCTION

11 AM • $25 Have you ever cooked up a big batch of perogies only to find out you’re lacking the proper ethnically-appropriate condiment to go with them? Well, this Polish-themed workshop changes everything. Fermentation enthusiast Andrea Potter is going to teach you how to make probiotic sauerkraut — essentially a mixture of cabbage, salt and a whole lot of “good” bacteria. Yum!

ROCKET MAN W. CHRIS HADFIELD

BLUESHORE CENTRE

ORPHEUM THEATRE

8 PM • $33.75-$110 Unlike your creepy uncle Steve, Chris Hadfield wears his moustache with flare and dignity. Whether he’s serving as commander the International Space Station or singing David Bowie songs with his guitar, the 56-year-old astronaut oozes pure cool. Here’s your chance to see him live with an orchestra as part of the VSO’s Symphony Pops series! How awesome is that?!

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SUNDAY

VANCOUVER ART AND LEISURE

6 PM • $ - FREE A pop-up record shop and listening party — that’s what this is.

Vinyl, Art and Leisure takes the social ingredients of an art show and melds them with the nerdy obsession of a neighbourhood record store. Attendees are encouraged to swap LPs and chat with the vendors in attendance, and although this is a monthly event it’s always different each time. Come see for yourself!

NORMA WINSTONE WITH CAPU ENSEMBLES 8 PM • $32-$35 British jazz vocalist Norma Winstone is a living legend — probably one of the more buzz-worthy guest artists ever to share the stage with NiteCap and A-Band. This concert is a fitting way to end the year for both of these talented CapU student ensembles, and if you haven’t heard them yet, this is a great chance to do it. Heads up for $10 student rush tickets at the door!

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VINYL, ART AND LEISURE

THE COMEDY MIX

7 PM • $21.75-$75 Someone must have made the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra an offer they couldn’t refuse, because this week they’re playing The Godfather soundtrack live on stage. Guest conductor Justin Freer will be leading the ensemble through Nino Rota’s iconic score while the movie plays on a big screen overhead. What more could you want out of a Wednesday?

FRIDAY

12 PM • $ - FREE Other than your annual Courier fee, can you think of any times in your life where you’ve been majorly ripped off? (That free cruise you won via text message last week might be a good place to start…) In this free seminar, Evan Kelly of the Better Business Bureau will walk you through all the latest scams and provide helpful tips on how to avoid them. Isn’t he a sweetie.

TACOFINO TEQUILA DINNER

THE GODFATHER LIVE!

01

PEOPLE’S LAW SCHOOL

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN STRIP 8 PM • $15 It’s amateur night at The Granville Strip, home of Vancouver’s tallest stripper pole! (Fun fact: the Courier office is home to the second-tallest — a daily reminder of Leah Scheitel’s epic reign as editor-in-chief.) This is a one-night competition with $500 on the line, so break out your best moves and see if you can’t win a little extra money to pay off your student loans with.

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TOP 10 SCAMS OF 2016

INSECT-DEVOURING BIRDS BEATY BIODIVERSITY MUSEUM

1 PM • $12 Birds eat more bugs in a day than an entire year’s worth of contestants ever did on Fear Factor — and we all know that was a lot. Many of these bugs are the bane of farmers’ existence, so it’s lucky that birds happen to think they’re delicious. In this workshop, you’ll learn about the benefits of birds and how you could attract them to your farm. If you had one.

VPL CENTRAL BRANCH

2 PM • $10-$15 “Yes, you can thrive without dairy,” assures the event description on Dairyfreeliving.ca. Can you believe these assholes are trying to convince you to give up milk to “improve your health, lower your environmental footprint and reduce animal suffering?”

Unless you suffer from acute lactose intolerance, we suggest you show up to everything in life with a four-litre jug of cream.

THE GODFATHER LIVE!

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DAIRY-FREE LIVING WORKSHOP

1964

is an idea

1968

becomes a college

1973

finds its home

2008 is designated a university

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VOLUME 49 ISSUE NO. 23

2016 you tell us Help shape Cap’s future.

Share your thoughts at capilanou.ca/BrandRefresh As we prepare to mark our 50th anniversary in 2018, Capilano University is embarking on a brand refresh to affirm our identity as a university with a unique local presence, compelling education service promise and competitive global reach.

For more info, email brandrefresh@capilanou.ca