February 2018

FEBRUARY 2018

LAW & ORDER Different Types of Law The Business of Private Prisons Should That Be Legal?

AMOGH KADHE

Pursuing a Passion for Volunteering and the Law

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An Interview with Inspector Elkow from Campus Security

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february 2018

CONTENTS 7

SOCIAL STUDIES The Business of Private Prisons

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FASHION What Not to Wear

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FYI Different Types of Law

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Unbelievable laws

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should that be legal?

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The origins of Valentine’s

CLUBS corner Safewalk

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meet the team

EXTERNAL RELATIONS Nitin Bhatia

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Amogh Kadhe

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editor’s note

THOUGHT VS. THOUGHT Freedom of Speech: Absolute or not?

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5

lf reviews

day

The Courtroom Experience 23

lazy chat

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laws that almost happened

Inspector James Elkow

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cover designed by FATIMA MOHAMED cover photographed by DYLAN WEE

EDITOR’S NOTE Woah. January is finally over and we’re well into February, and it sure took forever. February is always an exciting time for me, because we have reading week obviously, but it’s also Black History Month. It’s especially important right now to shine a light on what’s going, and to also appreciate the ongoing contributions of black people everywhere.

The theme for this issue is Law & Order, which also happens to be one of my favourite shows (any Law & Order SVU fans??). Although we won’t be covering anything related to the show, this issue explores interesting areas of the law and public safety.

Being a business student, the law has a particular importance as it applies

to all aspects of business, from hiring to advertising to making financial statements. Some of the most interesting classes I’ve taken at the ASoB were BLAW classes because it taught me that learning about the law is beneficial.

February can also be a stressful time with all the assignments and midterms piling on. Take care of yourself, and take a break once in a while. I heard a super cool Marvel movie was coming out.

FATIMA FARAH MOHAMED Editor-in-Chief

CONTRIBUTORS editor-in-chief

fatima mohamed

vp editorial

victoria chiu rodvie barnachea

writers

meghan markowski elizabeth jun makena kigunda delicia goh michael mytrunec ganit singh valerie leow tyler keffer cleo williams

art director

joanna faddoul

designers

betty vo marina bryan melania antoszko vivian lam shannon wong joanna faddoul

photographers

renee yu dylan wee austin yee

vp communications

haya masri

communications director

richard chen

multimedia director

richard bagan

events director

wajiha islam

vp external

elizabeth jun

#suitslf director

dylan wee

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diana wyley business alumni association

contact us

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Meet the Team

Joanna Faddoul Art Director

Hi! My name is Joanna. I am a third year student pursuing my passion for finance. I work as a financial assessing specialist for the Ministry of Advanced Education. I have been a part of my mother’s successful company for several years working on marketing, SEO, and web design projects. This is my first year as the Art director at Lazy Faire, and I’m so excited to bring the design skills that I have learned to the magazine!

Tyler Keffer Writer

Hey there! My name is Tyler and I am an Accounting major in my third year with a constantly changing minor. If you haven’t guessed it yet, I am a writer for Lazy Faire Magazine and it’s something I love doing, not only to get away from the books, but because I genuinely enjoy thinking outside of the box. Outside of school activities, I enjoy water sports, nice walks and watching some good ol’ Netflix. I’m very excited for the upcoming year of business and hope it brings me lots of new knowledge, friends, and overall good times!

Cleo Williams Writer

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Hey! My name’s Cleo and I am an International Business student minoring in Retailing & Services in my second year of school. I’ve always loved writing and am really looking forward to being a part of the Lazy Faire team this year. Other than writing, I like to spend my free time drawing, reading, and online shopping for clothes I can’t afford. My favorite color is pink and I love Fast & Furious more than any other movie.

SOCIAL STUDIES

THE BUSINESS OF PRIVATE PRISONS.

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ith above 2.3 million inmates, the United States has more people incarcerated than any other country. The sheer number of prisoners means that there’s a great need for space and sometimes budgets aren’t big enough to build new jails.

THIS IS WHERE PRIVATE PRISONS COME IN.

written by CLEO WILLIAMS designed by JOANNA FADDOUL

A private prison is a for-profit institution that operates on daily government-given per-inmate rates.

These institutions are primarily run by two main corporations: CoreCivic and GEO Group. These detention centers began in the early 1980s and have been operating ever since.

The existence of private prisons has and continues to raise an ethical debate around the motives of those running them. These corporations are known to be working to increase profits, and they’re also known to cut down on important services such as food, healthcare and staff as a result. By doing so, they’re able to collect more from the government than the inmates are actually costing them. These immoral practices have led to many studies finding higher inmate misconduct and employee turnover in private prisons than the average public prison. Apart from what is confirmed, private prisons are not obligated to publicly announce what goes on behind closed doors, leaving room for more questionable acts to be committed.

But the problems don’t start within the prison walls; they begin with the corporations’ methods of filling them.

In order to receive more prisoners

and more profits, private prisons often bribe politicians and lobby for stricter laws and longer minimum prison sentences. One of the most infamous incidents is the “Kids for Cash” scandal that came to light in 2008. Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and a colleague, Micheal T. Conahan, were found guilty of receiving more than $2.6 million from two privately run youth prisons to send teenagers to their institutions. The “crimes” of convicted youths ranged from fake MySpace accounts to cursing at another student’s mother.

With such public spectacles, people have long been against for-profit prisons. Sharing the views of the public, the Obama administration announced the intent to phase out private prisons in a 2016 statement.

Unfortunately, these intentions have been reversed and private prisons are expected to house more prisoners throughout Trump’s presidency. Although they only hold approximately 8% of total prisoners across the country, they contain 65% of the immigration detention beds. Beds that Trump’s strict immigration policies intend to fill.

Contrary to the U.S., private prisons never saw a rise in Canada. The only one to exist was the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, Ontario which opened in 2001 and was taken over by the government in 2006. In 2012 groups began lobbying to re-enter the country but, already known to be corrupt, Canada refused to let them in.

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FASHION

WHAT NOT TO WEAR

You’re looking through your closet for something to wear for the day. For most of you, the first question that’ll pop into your head is something along the lines of: “What am I going to wear?” The last thought will probably be, “Is this against the law to wear?”

Clothing laws have always been in place throughout history, with changes in these laws being the only constant, as different time periods and locations bring along different mindsets and perspectives.

Here are some examples of fashion laws that have changed throughout history:

Purple Purple tends to be associated with the terms “royalty,” “wealth,” and “power,” stemming from the price of its dye being so historically high that only the wealthy were able to afford it. The dye originally used to create it came from a certain mollusk only found in the trading city of Tyre (modern day Lebanon). Its high price was attributed to it requiring more than 9,000 mollusks to produce just a single gram of Tyrian purple. The Sumptuary Laws created during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign regulated the colours, fabrics, and clothes that could and couldn’t be worn by different classes within English society. These laws forbade anyone, except close relatives of the royal family, from wearing purple, as they wanted the colour to reflect both the wearer’s wealth and regal status. The accessibility of this colour was only afforded to the lower classes in the mid-1800’s when William Henry Perkin, an 18-year-old English chemist, accidentally created a synthetic purple compound whilst attempting to synthesize the antimalaria drug, quinine.

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Silk ien Swimwear Rom

China and India introduced silk to Rome. However, due to its high costs, regulations and price controls were set in place to limit the purchase and use of silk. Attempts to dissuade people from wearing silk involved the early Empire’s Senate passing legislation forbidding the wearing of silk by men, attributing the material to being too “effeminate.”

Women were also frowned upon for being “immoral” or “immodest,” should they choose to wear silk. Nevertheless, disregard for those laws and high expenditures and importation of silk resulted in a significant inflationary drain on Roman coffers — contributing to the loss of the empire’s gold to the benefit of foreign traders.

During the 19th century, women in the West’s bathing suits consisted of a knee-length gown, with weights sewn into the hems to prevent them from rising up in the water, and ankle-length bottoms. The material was made from heavy fabrics that wouldn’t become transparent when wet.

In 1907, professional Australian swimmer, Annette Kellerman, was arrested during a visit to the United States on a beach in Boston for “indecent exposure.” Her swimsuit was more similar to men’s swimsuits of the time, rather than the women’s ones, as it showed off her arms, legs, and neck.

Upon changing the suit to include long sleeves, bottoms, and a collar, while still retaining the form-fitting fabric, she marketed these one-piece swimsuits so successfully that they’d come to be acceptable swimwear for women in parts of Europe by 1910. written by VALERIE LEOW designed by BETTY VO

FYI

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAW Personally, memorizing all the different laws in BLAW 301 was incredibly challenging; I spent a lot of time reading, and re-reading terms that seemed almost indistinguishable to me. To this day, I would require extreme concentration to merely differentiate between tort, assault, or battery.

of its food servings, displayed in a font equal to or larger than the name of the item. After all, McDonalds wasn’t trying to inflict negativity into your life, they’re just following the law.

Ever thought of paying your parking ticket in pennies or nickels? There are actually legal limitations in doing The seemingly endless composition of the law so. Canada’s Currency Act 1985 limits how many prompted me to reflect on how vast and comprehensive coins can be used in a single transaction, and your the law system came to be throughout human payment can be refused if its more than $5 in nickels, existence. With the first law ever written dating back $25 in loonies, or $40 in toonies. Coin overload may to the 22nd century BC, it’s surprising how humans not be the most feasible way to express your passive have transitioned from codifying and inscribing the aggression after all. law in stone, to a system that essentially governs everyday lives. Its prevalent influence can be seen The Canadian stereotype has always been a prominent in business, politics, health, education, food, family, one, and perhaps for a good reason. In fact, Canadians environment, entertainment, and more. Nevertheless, have developed a complete set of laws to stop the in the copious streams of laws lies some unexpected sale of fake maple products. The Maple Product laws that turned out to be quite a revelation for me.

Regulations (MPR) states, “no person shall market a product in import, export, or interprovincial trade in As broke university students, the thought to dine and such a manner that it is likely to be mistaken for a dash has definitely crossed our minds numerous times. maple product.” As Canadians, our primary duty is to But did you know, despite how ethically and morally uphold justice for Maple products - bet you’ve never wrong it is, ditching your bill is technically not a been more proud to be a Canadian! crime? In fact, it is only a contract debt as the act is civil, rather than criminal. But what’s the law of who Considering the regimental process of creating a law, covers the costs? While the employer is not permitted it’s a surprise how some laws came to be. Did you to deduct any shortages from an employee’s wages, know that it’s illegal to paint a wooden ladder? Or to they are allowed to take money from the employees’ own a pet rat? To think that all these laws were once tip pool. As if servers don’t already put up with enough debated and voted on in the House of Commons and shenanigans, it’s really not the best position to be in! the Senate, is evident that we’ve really come a long way as human beings and Canadian citizens.

Have you wondered how calorie counts on fast food or restaurant menus work? Why is it mandatory for some and not for others? Well it turns out that written by DELICIA GOH only restaurant chains with twenty or more locations designed by VIVIAN LAM worldwide have to display its nutritional information

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THOUGHT VS. THOUGHT

IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH ABSOLUTE OR NOT?

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n a technical sense, I am capable of producing and speaking any arrangements of words that I want. In theory, my consciousness allows me to state anything that I deem worthy of uttering. The key issue in free speech debates, however, does not arise from one’s ability to speak, but rather stems around the inability one has to control the reactions of others.

One of my favorite things that I learned from studying Business Law is the concept of Social Contract Theory. In philosophy, this theory states that: In order to receive the maximum benefits that functioning society offers, all individuals must limit the amount of freedoms that they choose to act upon. This is the reason that actions such as trespassing or copyright infringement are illegal. Under this theory, our society makes laws to ban behavior that is thought to deter human advancement.

However, while these actions are unlawful, I feel that it is important to note that they still exist. These are still physical motions that we all can recreate and perform. Despite having rules and penalties in place for trespassing, the actual act of committing a trespass is still possible. Although it is illegal for a burglar to enter your home, he or she can still physically do so.

In the same breath, I can violate any laws or social norms regarding free speech that I want. I can technically say or do anything. The only thing that I can’t control is how society will react to me.

By definition, our physiology allows us to perform any task that is humanly possible. We all have a free will that permits us to make any decision that is in the realm of our abilities.

We can all control our bodies, but we just can’t control the law.

I know that it may seem that I am defaulting my own point, but I think it’s important to have this perspective.

Freedom of speech is absolute as long as you are comfortable with dissenting from the written and unwritten rules of your land. Physically, I can speak on the topic that I desire. I may be banned from social groups for sharing my opinion. Nonetheless, I still have a physical ability to speak.

In this sense, I think it is more logical to say that although freedom of speech is absolute, the ramifications for acting against popular opinion are very real. You will be arrested for breaking into someone’s house, but this is still your choice to make.

Ultimately, we curb our actions and behaviors in a way that is most suitable to the life we want to live. Some of us are more outspoken, while some of us are more reserved. There are different levels of impunity for opinions that we choose to express, but we all have a choice. designed by GANIT SINGH

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THOUGHT VE RSUS THOUGHT F

reedom of speech is not what it used to be. Now, I’m not old by any means, but I can recall a time when you could freely speak your mind without fear of opposition. Opposition is good. Opinions do vary. Fear comes into play, however, in that things that are opposed today can lead down a dark path which is discussed later. We may have the freedom to say what we want, but is it absolute?

It seems that in today’s world, anything that is spoken can be interpreted as offensive or otherwise derogatory.

Ultimately, this is barring our absolute freedom of speech.

We now live in a world where if you misspeak, there may be ramifications. Not just any normal ramifications, but terminating ones. They can be detrimental on one’s career, love life, or worse. If we’re consistently having to plan our every word as to carefully avoid offending every single person, is that truly freedom of speech? What happened to being able to speak our mind freely, within reason, without drastic repercussions?

I’m not saying that there aren’t offensive statements that have been made. However, every passing day our freedom to speak is becoming increasingly limited to avoid hashtags preceding our statements, or getting negative publicity for simply speaking our minds. Is it fair for people to now be on the edge of their seat carefully curating their next words? As, if they don’t, someone may be waiting for them to slip and will quickly call them out.

Granted, those that are finding offense and drawing attention to these topics, do have their freedom of speech and the ability to share what they want with whomever they please. Though it’s important to keep in mind that in doing so, they may limit everyone else’s freedom of speech, and potentially their own without realizing it. It also seems interesting that those same people who expect others to be perfect are far from it themselves — because that’s an unattainable precedent. How is it even remotely reasonable to have such high expectations, regardless of who the person they’re targeting is, when you’re not bound to them yourself ? Sure, one could say that the Prime Minister should be held to a higher standard given his representation and position, but not to some predetermined standard. We’re all human, and it’s very well known that “humans make mistakes.” They shouldn’t be ending, nor should we actively or inactively be targeted for simply speaking our minds.

THOUGHT VE RSUS THOUGHT designed by JOANNA FADDOUL

To me, actions speak louder than words. A person can say all they want, yet they are merely statements unless action is taken.

Why should people be constantly attacked, simply for the fact that you disagree with what they are saying? We all have a difference of opinions and that’s fine. We shouldn’t be barring our absolute freedom of speech over it. It seems like this is a trend that is becoming more prominent in today’s society, and, as a result, is limiting our absolute freedom of speech. written by TYLER KEFFER

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Amogh Kadhe is a 4th year Business Economics & Law student with a passion for volunteering and meaningful opportunities. Amogh’s long list of extracurricular achievements include: Vice President Public Relations, Vice President Education, and President of the Business and Beyond Toastmasters Club, the Speaker of the House for JDC West 2017 and 2018, an Alberta School of Business student ambassador, and serving as a Board of Directors member for the Gateway Student Journalism Society. Currently, Amogh is focusing his time on helping establish a University of Alberta branch of 180 Degrees Consulting. He is also working towards a Certificate in Community Engagement and Service Learning (CSL).

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MEET AMOGH

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Lazy Faire had the opportunity to sit down with Amogh to talk about his passion for volunteering and his interest in pursuing law.

Why is volunteering so important for you?

The idea of community and giving back sparked when I was in high school. I got involved with a program that connected high school students with senior homes in Calgary, and we got the chance to meet with seniors and share stories with each other. That’s when I saw how much of an impact an opportunity like this can have.

In most cases, seniors would be sitting by themselves, so it was nice for them to meet younger students and interact with them. It resonated with me on a personal level because I’m really close with my family. My grandparents passed away when I was younger, so this volunteering opportunity gave me the chance to talk to people who reminded me of them. That’s when I realized that giving back doesn’t only help the organization you’re volunteering with, but helps you grow as an individual.

It makes you feel liberated and that you’re making a difference in some way.

What opportunities were the most memorable to you?

I came to Canada when I was in Grade 10, and the biggest challenge for me in high school was stepping outside of my comfort zone and getting involved. That’s when I joined the leadership club, which was a huge milestone for me. I learned a lot about leadership, volunteering, and I made many friends. The second biggest milestone for me was being a part of the Toastmasters Club, which has helped me in so many ways. I was able to learn more about public speaking. I got the chance to meet cool people and mentor some people as well. I also had the opportunity to be on the executive team of Toastmasters, because I realized that I wanted to give back to an organization that gave me so much.

So you’re graduating soon. What have you learned at your time at the ASoB? I would say that there are two lessons that I would take with me as I graduate. First of all, never give up. My time at the School of Business has been filled with success and failure, too. I initially encountered a lot of failure and it would have been easy for me to give up at that point, but what I chose to do was learn from that experience and keep pushing forward. It’s important to keep pursuing what you’re passionate about. The second main takeaway was the importance of being genuine and humble.

In a fast-paced world like this, you will meet so many people, and a lot of them are superficial. It’s become more important for us to maintain our own identity and genuinity.

What sparked your interest in law?

High school was such an important time for me. It was when a lot of things changed for me. In terms of law, in Grade 10 I took my first legal studies class. The only reason I took it back then was because we had a fancy textbook that had “Law” written across it. I wanted to brag to my friends that I was studying law. Soon after, I became very interested in the topics we were studying and the things we were doing that I continued that class in Grade 11 and 12 as well. I knew that I wanted to pursue law and become a lawyer which is why I majored in Business Economics and Law.

What does the future look like for you?

The future for me entails getting involved- whether that would be in the workplace or pursuing a future education that I believe I can learn from. In terms of career prospects, I know I want to study law in the future, but I’m also interested in teaching. Through my time at the university, I’ve realized that I like talking and sharing my ideas and stories — so there’s a good chance that in the future I might get involved in academia.

I’m going to go off on a relevant tangent here and ask you about the show Suits. What are your thoughts?

I actually have a personal bias for the show. I love it, although it has very little to do with the law. I’ve personally worked for a law firm before, so I’m sure that’s not how a real law firm works. However, I love how it tackles different types of relationships from friendships to competition. I’m also fascinated by how the show explores the different behaviours in the workplace.

One of my favorite characters from the show is Jessica Pearson. She comes across as fierce, blunt, and to the point. But she’s also humble, nice, and cares for all her employees. I look up to her because she has established herself in an area where there are many stereotypes and prejudices attached. written by FATIMA MOHAMED designed by FATIMA MOHAMED photograph by DYLAN WEE

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EXTERNAL RELATIONS

NITIN BHATIA

written by ELIZABETH JUN designed by MELANIA ANTOSZKO photograph by AUSTIN YEE

This month, Lazy Faire had the chance to speak with Nitin Bhatia. Nitin was born and raised in Edmonton, attended the ASoB for his BCom in Business Economics and Law, and went on to study law, also at the University of Alberta. He began, and continues to practice law in Edmonton, and has been instrumental in co-founding and managing the regional law firm Shourie Bhatia LLP. He has taught at the ASoB, and currently teaches at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF?

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I’ve been a serial entrepreneur since I was about 12. In high school I started a promotions company that turned into a DJ services company. It became a “gig” that paved the way for a lot of things throughout my university career; for example, it was a nice way to meet people, generate a network of people and businesses, and, of course, make some money. In my first year in business school, I got into e-commerce through an online entertainment portal, but was short-lived, but it was my first real venture into the “tech space” and marketing.

In some ways this led to me becoming very interested in marketing in the real estate sphere. That’s where I started getting into real estate development and acquisition.

I got involved in everything as small as residential condos to purchasing parcels of land and creating syndicates to leverage acquisitions. Doing that through business school really had me in gear for being a business owner, applying basic business fundamentals — some of which, were gained from classes taken at the ASoB — and knowing how to operate on a practical business level.

HOW DID YOU GET TO STARTING YOUR OWN PRACTICE? After law school, I articled with a local law firm but I found that, despite making reasonable money, I wasn’t getting rewarded from a career or personal enrichment point of view. I happened to be approached by another lawyer who was looking to open up a practice and he mentioned that along with needing a partner for the legal end, he needed help on the business side of things. That’s when the lightbulb kind of clicked. I thought to myself “I have the legal skill set, and I also have the desire to own, operate and grow a business from the ground up like I always have,” so this became an opportunity to attain that “enrichment.”

We started out in 2010 as a team of two lawyers and an assistant. Now, about eight years later, we are 10 lawyers and 11 staff strong, and busier than ever.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS? If you’re a business junkie, or a deal junkie, the highs and lows are what keep you going. The highs would include landing the first big client, and now it’s not just the first big client, its every client. It doesn’t matter what the size, every time you close a deal or get someone to sign on saying they’ve hired you, it brings you a certain amount of joy. Profit of course has its place, but getting validated by someone saying “we want you” is extremely satisfying.

WOULD YOU CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT HOW YOU GOT TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW? I think I was a little too bold in the risks I took early on, and it put me in the type of debt that I shouldn’t have been in. I was generally financially responsible, but when you’re riding the high of success in business, you’re young with little grey hair, you start to get a feeling of invincibility.

You start to think you’re smart enough to navigate through any problem, even ones you have no control over. Take risks, but be smart about it, and be confident that you can get out of it. Hard to tell if I would change anything at all, because the journey had a number of lessons that I value today.

‘‘University is a place for you to learn about what you like to do, you don’t need to worry from day one about what you’re going to do for the rest of your life, there is plenty of time for you to figure that out.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ASOB STUDENTS HOPING TO PURSUE LAW? Go in with an open mind. Having a business background can help you in so many ways, not just in becoming a corporate or commercial lawyer. A lot of people in business school come out of classes thinking after law school “I’m going to be the next Harvey Specter”, or “I’m going to close these multi-million dollar deals and get rich”, but this is so far from the truth of how the field works. It is a challenging field, but a rewarding career if you can make the most of it.

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CLUBS CORNER

Safewalk Launched in 1994, Safewalk is a free student service for all University of Alberta stakeholders—undergraduate and postgraduate students, faculty, staff, and visiting members of the public. Started as an initiative to reduce crime and promote security on campus, Safewalk runs on a studentssafeguarding-students platform. The service operates from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. every day of the week throughout the Fall and Winter semesters, transporting participating members from campus to within 10 blocks of any LRT station. Students can also call Safewalk to walk them back to campus.

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written by MAKENA KIGUNDA designed by FATIMA MOHAMED photograph provided by CJ AUGILAR

Lazy Faire sat down with Safewalk’s Coordinator, CJ Aguilar, to gather the inside scoop on what the service is all about, where it’s headed, and how we all can play our part.

What is Safewalk and how do I use it?

The Mandate of Safewalk Safewalk aims to provide a service that “runs” itself out of business by promoting everyday safety and looking out for each other on campus.

How do I arrange a Safewalk?

Members on campus can call 780-4-WALKME (780-492-5563) during Safewalk’s operating hours or find a patroller on shift (they’ll be sporting a yellow vest). Students can expect a wait of 5 to 20 minutes after scheduling a walk. A two-person team of patrollers will come meet you where you are.

Can I arrange a walk in advance?

Yes! If you have a recurring night class, work shift, late study night, meeting, or event, you can arrange a safewalk in advance. Scheduling recurring walks cuts down on wait-times. You can set up recurring walks by calling Safewalk’s line, or filling out a form on their website.

Other services: In addition to promoting safety, Safewalk offers a poster distribution service to faculties, departments, businesses, student groups, and other campus organizations. If you’re interested in using this service, visit Safewalk online to view their pricing breakdown and for more information.

How do I get involved?

Interested in volunteering for Safewalk and keeping your fellow student safe?

Have you seen Safewalk do a classroom talk, bumped into them during Week of Welcome, followed them on social media, or heard about their services from a friend? If you want to take the next step and get involved in keeping fellow university members safe on campus, you can fill out Safewalk’s application form through the Student’s Union website: https://www. su.ualberta.ca/services/safewalk/apply/. Volunteering with Safewalk is a great way to contribute to your campus community, especially if you’ll be studying late on campus. On top of that, it’s a great way to work exercise into your busy schedule! And remember: you don’t have to be a student to volunteer with Safewalk, either! Those with experience in the police force are encouraged to apply.

What’s the typical volunteer shift?

Safewalk offers flexible volunteer shifts of three hours in total per week. When you show up for a shift, expect to grab a gear bag and check in with a dispatcher to receive schedule of pre-booked and call-in walks.

Safewalk volunteers also partake in postering services, by distributing media across campus.

How we can all play our part: We asked CJ, where do you see the future of Safewalk headed?

I want Safewalk to be very evolved, and develop campus into a resilient community. We should be working to make ourselves obsolete. I’m trying to make it so that every student is looking out for one another. So we don’t need a formalized service to make it home safely. For example, when a student is in the library and they leave their stuff to go to the bathroom—I want to build a campus community where we care about each other’s belongings as much as our own.

Ultimately, safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Other organizations and government bodies have joined in on this movement, notably the City of Edmonton’s “Let’s Keep Each Other Safe” campaign.

Interested in learning more about Safewalk?

Email CJ at cj.aguillar@ualberta.ca, visit Safewalk’s website, call their hotline at 780-492-7049, or visit the Safewalk office in person at the basement level of the Students Union Building: Student Life Central 0-74 SUB.

written by VICTORIA CHIU designed by FATIMA MOHAMED 17

Unbelievable Laws I’ve always had faith in the legal system—I thought all laws were carefully thought out and purposeful. But after learning about all these crazy laws, I’m not so sure…

Canada You can always count on us Canadians to be extra protective when it comes to our wildlife, so it should come as no surprise that in BC it is illegal to kill Bigfoot. My question is, what about the Ogopogo?

Fish

There is also a law that requires 35% of all popular music played on radio stations to be by Canadian artists. All I can say is thank god for Drake.

In Switzerland there’s a law that requires a person to make sure their goldfish has a partner goldfish because fish get lonely too, duh.

USA Friends are the people you can count on when you need it most. When I think about it, there’s not much I wouldn’t do for my best friends...that is until I heard this next law. In Montana, there is a law that allows people serving in the military to have a proxy at take their place as bride or groom at their wedding. Here’s my question, would you have to kiss the bride?

When asked the question “why’d the chicken cross the road” most people prepare themselves for an overused punchline. But, not in Georgia! In Georgia there is a law against chickens crossing the road so, I’m sure there have been at least a few times when someone has asked “why’d the chicken cross the road” and truly meant it.

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In Rome, it is illegal to keep a fish simply for entertainment because it’s considered animal cruelty.

But, by far the craziest fish law I found was the UK Salmon Act of 1986. This act makes it illegal to suspiciously hold a salmon. My favourite part about this law, apart from someone actually being able to hold a salmon suspiciously, is that it was only created 32 years ago—that means it’s younger than our parents! It just proves, once again, that we (humans) are just as crazy as we’ve ever been.

written by MEGHAN MARKOWSKI designed by FATIMA MOHAMED

written by MICHAEL MYTRUNEC designed by MELANIA ANTOSZKO

SHOULD THAT BE LEGAL? The law is the policy tool that most strongly reflects the standards that we, as a society, aspire to. As with all public policy, laws are created and dissolved as solutions to perceived problems. And as the times change, so do the problems we face. Below you will find the most pressing issues that remain unaddressed by today’s laws, and whether or not criminal consequences are the appropriate remedy.

Pineapple on Pizza: For some strange reason, there exists a group of otherwise reasonable people who hold the (unreasonable) belief that it is okay to put pineapple on pizza.

While they are a minority, they are a vocal minority who are unlikely to be deterred by the consequences of the criminal law. Much like chewing with your mouth open or listening to Nickelback, we will have to rely on social pressure to keep this behaviour to a minimum. LEGAL.

Sending someone the same Snapchat that you put on your story: Friends don’t make friends view the same snap twice. Although I am generally all for judicial discretion, this one requires a mandatory minimum.

ILLEGAL.

Online access codes: Millennials have a long list of things to be angry about: whether it be climate change, the looming risk of thermonuclear war, or the fact that it is nearly impossible to buy a gosh darn McFlurry. Let’s take paying to do homework off that list. ILLEGAL.

Selfie Sticks: Did you know that in 2017 there were 39 selfie related deaths worldwide?1 Although criminal prohibition may seem like a logical response, one must be wary of the unintended consequences of such an action. To avoid the ensuing black market that would result from banning the means that people are actually willing to die for, these should remain LEGAL.

Mumble rap: LEGAL, because focusing on mumble rap distracts from the real problem … Instagram stars becoming rappers. No one wants to hear the cashmeousside girl drop a mixtape.

Truck Nuts: The fact that these are a real thing means that there are people in this country willing to design them, make them, sell them, and even buy them. Is this really the kind of society we want to live in? ILLEGAL.

Walking on the wrong side of HUB: Please. Don’t. Walk. On. The. Wrong.

Side. Of. HUB. ILLEGAL. Tide Pods: Look, the US banned Kinder Surprise eggs and they look a lot less delicious.

Think of the children. ILLEGAL. 19

LF REVIEWS

The Courtroom Experience

Nothing prepared me for my first experience in a real-life courtroom. At the time, my attendance was mandatory as is the case for all students enrolled in Jeff Bone’s 301 business law class. As part of an assignment, you are expected to attend an ongoing court session and briefly write about the experience. I learned a lot of things during the two hours I spent watching cases in criminal court, here are my top 10:

01

You must go through security checks. Before being allowed to enter the Court of Queen’s Bench, you must step through a metal detector and have your bag screened by a machine on a conveyor belt. The whole experience made me very nostalgic about airport security.

02

Anybody can attend a court session. Normally when I think of court, I picture an intimate room of people that are fully involved with the details of the case. The truth is, many court cases are open to the public.

03

The Provincial Court of Alberta is huge. I should have already known this prior to arriving but I must admit, seeing the court in person really reminded me about how many different types of legal cases that are processed every day.

04 The severity of each case is different. Despite sitting in a criminal court, I was surprised to see minors and incarcerated adults being processed in the same room.

05 Court moves quickly. I was shocked to see that the judge in my courtroom could finish dealing with a case in a matter of a few minutes.

Looking back, I’m really grateful to have this assignment as I doubt that I would know anything about courtrooms if not for my 301 class. Personally, I think this is a fruitful experience that everybody should try at least once, the amount of insight you gain from just watching alone is amazing. It’s good to see the legal system in action, because your B-LAW textbook really can’t do the whole thing...justice. #PunIntended 20

06

You can go to jail before trial. In one of the proceedings that I observed, a man was found guilty on one account of domestic abuse. He was then sentenced to 90 days of jail time. Since the man had chose to attend jail prior to his trial, the 60 days he attended were multiplied by 1.5. As a result, the judge determined that the man had already served an adequate sentence and was free to return to the public.

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Orange jumpsuits are real. In one of the cases I observed, a man who was being tried had come straight from prison. His arms were bound in handcuffs and to my surprise, he was wearing a bright all-orange jumpsuit. I used to think that was something that you see only in movies.

08 Courts use video chat. Whenever it was inconvenient or impractical to bring forth an incarcerated individual to the court, the judge used a video chat software on a mobile TV monitor that they had in the room.

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Judges appeal to emotions. I was happy to see that the judge in my courtroom was engaging with the logic and reasoning of each defendant. From my point of view, the process seemed to try to be as impartial as possible.

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Judges are G’s. Before lawyers leave the court, it’s industry standard to acknowledge the judge with either a nod of the head or a full bow. There seems to be a great degree of respect for judges that is deeply embedded in the common law legal system. written by GANIT SINGH designed by VIVIAN LAM

written by VALERIE LEOW designed by BETTY VO

the origins of

VALENTINE’S DAY February has long been hailed as the month of romance, what with the prevalence of Valentine’s Day throughout the world. Some praise the unofficial holiday as the epitome of proving your romantic affections to your significant other by showering them with candy, gifts, flowers, and the like. However, others may find the whole occasion overrated because of the feelings of loneliness it may fill those who aren’t currently in a relationship with...that and the fact that stores are probably capitalizing on everyone’s mad scramble to find “the perfect gift.”

Regardless of what your stance on Valentine’s Day may be, it looks like it’s here to stay for now. So with the date soon coming up, what better way to brush up on the origins of Valentine’s Day than through a little history lesson on love?

Its origins are deeply rooted in religious celebration, with the holiday used to commemorate its namesake — St. Valentinus, a priest serving in Rome during the third century. When Emperor Claudius II banned marriage, viewing it as a distraction to his troops, St. Valentine continued to perform marriages for lovers in secret. When St. Valentine’s actions were made known to Claudius II, he was sentenced to

death by execution in 269 A.D. The legend claims that St. Valentine eventually developed feelings for his jailer’s blind daughter whilst in prison, with his love for being being so immense such that it healed her sight.

On the day of his execution, he signed a note to her with the phrase, “From your Valentine.”

Valentine’s Day was further popularized when Pope Gelasius attempted to get rid of a pagan festival that was also celebrated in February. This pagan festival involved young Roman men drawing the name of a female, who would then be their partner for at least the next year (or more, depending on their chemistry), out of a box during the celebration of the spring festival of fertility. The Pope’s modifications to this festival were drastic, replacing the female names in the box to names of Saints that the men should then aspire to be like for the next year. Lupercus, the pagan god originally associated with this festival, was also replaced with the name of “St. Valentine.”

At first, these changes proved fairly unpopular with the masses. But with the men starting to write letters containing various romantic themes to the young women and invoking St. Valentine’s

name to convey their affection in addition to the Pope’s changes to the festival, popularity soared.

This exchange of handwritten letters soon became the norm for Valentine’s Day during the Middle Ages, with the concept of gift-giving only introduced in England during the 18th century.

It became commonplace for friends and lovers from all social classes to exchange both handwritten notes along with small tokens of their affection.

The 1900’s saw printed cards begin to replace handwritten ones due to leaps and bounds made in the printing technology available. In our world today, modern Valentine’s Day gifts often consist of commercial massproduced greeting cards in addition to flowers, chocolates, and largely storebought gifts.

Whether you plan on spending this Valentine’s Day alone or with a special someone in your life, there’s no denying that Valentine’s Day is an occasion you’ll want to mark down on your calendar… if only to buy all of the chocolate that’s going to be on sale in stores the day after!

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LAWS THAT ALMOST HAPPENED Every day, our laws are changing. Okay, maybe

not every day. But sometimes it can sure feel like laws change consistently, especially when we hear about new big bills that are coming expected to make a big difference for some given area of society.

However, not all laws make it through the process of, well, becoming law. We’re going to discuss a few that would likely have made an impact (or not), but never ended up becoming officially written in the books.

Believe it or not, some laws are designed to pick on the wealthy to benefit those less well-off. The only problem is, they are next-to-never passed. For example, the American Jobs Act was planned to impose a 5.6% income tax on income earned over $1 million. However, by a loss of one single vote, this law was turned into dust. Another great example of deducting money from the wealth was the socalled “Buffett Rule.” This rule was made to have a minimum 30% tax on wealthier well-off Americans.

Although we can see laws like these helping the less wealthy, all it would likely mean is that more wealthy people would resort to offshore tax havens which could actually worsen the overall economy.

Next, we have the DREAM Act. The act was designed to provide help for undocumented immigrants who came over as children. It meant that if they served in the military or got educated with a college level degree, they would get help in obtaining permanent citizenship. This act was not blocked once, but twice. Another Act that was blocked twice was the DISCLOSE Act. Basically, it required that corporations disclose how much they spend politically. This type of act could have major impacts on elections if passed, but, we’ll never know.

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Moving on to more laughable bills, we have the “Every Sperm Is Sacred” bill. This proposed that there could not be any waste of sperm for any reason.

Doing so was ‘an action against an unborn child’. A more serious act however, the “Paycheck Fairness Act” failed four separate times. It would have ensured that employers account for any pay gap between male and female employees. Failing to do so, under this act, would have meant harsher penalties for discrimination and ultimately encouraged closing any pay discrepancies.

Down our list we have the Minimum Wage Act. Such an act can be said to be varying in opinion.

Some may find it necessary to pay a “livable wage,” while others suggest simply moving on to another job to get paid more, if only that easy. This act would have brought significantly higher minimum wage to aid those who can barely, if at all, make ends meet. Finally, we have gun control. This has been a highly controversial subject, particularly in the United States. Some love their amendment rights so much they will go beyond an arms length to protect them suggesting it brings safety. Opposingly, others believe that controlling guns is what would bring safer communities. It’s hard to say for sure, but because it was never passed, we simply won’t know the ending result.

Many laws can be controversial and spark debate, even sometimes protests for extended periods of time. People will fight for what they believe in, whether that’s for or against. As humans, we should be doing just that and ultimately the ending choice will likely leave society better off, despite some unhappiness from those on the other side. This isn’t implying that all laws that do or do not come into effect leave a positive impact, but for the most part it’s nice to at least think that the majority of people make the correct decisions in deciding our future. written by TYLER KEFFER designed by SHANNON WONG

Inspector JAMES ELKOW

written by RODVIE BARNACHEA designed by SHANNON WONG photograph by DYLAN WEE

LAZY CHAT

Inspector James Elkow is a 32-year veteran of the Edmonton Police Service who retired in 2012. His devotion to keeping our campus safe is evident through the countless hours he dedicates to the University.

Inspector Elkow takes honour in his service, proudly wearing the colourful bars on his chest commemorating 25 and 30 years as an officer.

He is now in his sixth year at the University of Alberta, managing the Patrol Services branch.

What does a regular day look like for campus security?

It starts with patrol. We have four sections that work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I arrive here at 6:30 a.m. My area, Patrol Services Division, Investigative Services Division which looks after the code of student behaviour, and Support Services division which is training and our security agent program, meet every morning at 7:00 p.m. We go over the previous night’s activities. We look at crime trends. “What’s been going on over the last week to ten days?” Sometimes we have issues that go on for a month, so we talk about those. We talk about different situations and whether we should look into them more. We also have micro-training sessions in the mornings where the support services guys will go over a scenario and talk about how we should handle it. It’s almost like the quarterback setting up everybody in the huddle, setting the play for the day, and everyone saying “break” and go off and do their work for the day.

What is the difference between peace officers and police?

It’s training and authorities. We have authorities under the traffic safety act: for speeding, red light infractions, having no lights. We have authority under liquor and gaming. We have authority under the trespass act. We don’t have criminal arrest authority. So a police officer has all of the authorities. We, as peace officers, only have a handful of them.

We carry pepper spray and batons, but we don’t carry firearms. We can’t investigate crimes. We have break and enters on campus, mischiefs where stuff is broken, thefts that occur where property is stolen. We investigate those manners but we can’t conduct a criminal investigation. Any criminal matter, we have to call in the police service. Campus Security is a precursor to the police, where we can report on behalf of the University.

Should property of the UofA be stolen or someplace be broken into, we can report for the University. However, for personal items, we can’t report to the police, you have to take responsibility to do that.

On average, how many calls do you get per day?

Right now, it’s the 18th of January. I think we’re around 900 dispatch entries, which are calls made to our dispatch centre where events are entered into our computer. So about 50 calls per day are entered into our computer. Our file numbers work out to about 10% of that, but at this moment we have around 100 written reports. Therefore, there’s around five written reports per day, and that’s documenting higher profile events which range from sexual misconduct to break-ins and thefts which we’ve already had. Anything about student behaviour, staff, and faculty, we deal with it.

Do calls usually pertain to student type behaviour or just regular citizens?

As you know, we’re a very open campus. We experience a lot of our issues as a result of a non-affiliated presence. We did have a graffiti event last year where a student was tagging. This student not only faced the criminal component of it, but the code of student behaviour as well. We do see graffiti which is connected with non-affiliates where they use it as a type of messaging. They’ll tag walls to identify areas as safe places: “this is a place where the police never come, this is a place to get warm, this is a place where there’s a shower down the hall.” But most of the time, we deal with students, staff, or faculty.

What are the most common calls you get?

Probably “suspicious persons” is our most common one. Most of the time it’s our patrol reporting these. The Bee-Clean staff is ever vigilant and very good for us when they’re in certain areas. They’d see people at the bottom of stairwells or locked up in washrooms. Next is trespassing. 3040% of our work on a daily basis is our proactive and directive activities done by our peace officers and security guards. When they go to a specific location for a directed activity, which means it’s an area with higher than normal activity, we direct our members to go there to do checks. Hub Mall has been a problem for us because it’s open 24 hours. A lot of people go there to those stairwells since no one uses them, but there’s warmth.

When there’s -30 °C temperatures, we see an increase of the street people coming here. We’re not heartless. We just don’t kick people off of campus.

We do talk to people: “Who are you? Where are you from?” We’ll drive people over to the Hope Mission. We’ll get them to shelters, and get them the information they may need or want.

What is the most outlandish call you’ve ever gotten?

One that comes to mind is last fall. The EPS and Park Rangers broke up a camp down at the riverbank. 23 people living in a tent city. I’ve even got a picture of it. What risk do they oppose to us? Unknown. But all it takes is for one of them to skirt up the river valley and go into HUB Mall and do something. Then it becomes something bad for us.

If you had one quick message to the students on campus, what did you want to say to them?

My message to everybody is to be vigilant with your personal property, because that’s the biggest thing we experience here. You come here, you have research, documents, personal information on your electronics. Keep your property secure. If you see something out of the ordinary and your gut’s telling you it’s not right, then it’s not right, so don’t hesitate to call us. We’re easily reached at (780) 492-5050. We all know what crime is, and if it’s a crime in progress dial 911. If you call the police and their coming here, they call us next so we know their coming. We’re going to get there, and we’ll do what we can.

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