Issue 5, Volume 22

Over The Edge

UNBC’s Independent Student Newspaper est. 1994

How to survive exams so you don’t look like this guy See page 4 White student unions See page 5 Interview with UNBC’s new Chancellor See page 12

Volume 22, Issue 5

Free overtheedgenewspaper.ca

December 1, 2015 ote-newspaper@unbc.ca

©Over The Edge

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Every year, we provide employment as editors, designers, and managers to students with a passion for journalism and are always looking for motivated individuals to work and volunteer in our collaborative environment. Over The Edge offers competitive advertising rates for space in our print publication as well as online.

Next deadline: October 5

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Over The Edge is the University of Northern British Columbia’s independent student newspaper. Our office is located on the 2nd floor of the NUSC building in room 6-350.

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Over The Edge

is an ambassador. Say what you will about Moore as a person, but he is UNBC’s first chancellor to have graduated from the institution, and as a graduate, can accurately explain what UNBC can do for students, and what UNBC has meant to him. Even if you disagree with his politics, he has been successful, being a Member of Parliament for 15 years and a Cabinet Minister for many of those. Moore has yet to do anything, and I believe he cannot yet be judged on his value as an ambassador for UNBC.

According to UNBC’s website, the Chancellor is: “[...]the formal head of UNBC, the Chancellor is responsible for conferring all the degrees granted by the institution and plays an important ambassadorial role for the University in the community...”

From that description, the position appears to be largely ceremonial. Though the Chancellor is a member of both the Board of Governors and the Senate, one person cannot make decisions for the institutions by themselves. Moore will probably not attempt to slash UNBC expenses or funding, because he is not really an executive. He

Brady

llow me to play Devil’s Advocate.

The appointment of James Moore as UNBC Chancellor is not going to destroy this institution. People have cited Moore’s membership in a government that many accused of muzzling science and scientists, funding cuts to the CBC during his tenure as Minister of Canadian Heritage, his involvement in a minor scandal involving the Terry Fox Foundation during the last federal election campaign, and even their own personal experiences with Moore as reasons he is unfit for the position. However, does that matter?

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Letter from the

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Emily S trik

The

UNBC Life

Letter from NUGSS Brian Clyne NUGSS Associate Director

H

ello everyone, here at NUGSS we know your struggle. The last minute assignments, papers, and projects; the exams looming overhead; going home, working, course selections for next semester; and the dreaded shopping experience of the season (super scary). It is almost too much!

Yet we carry on in spite of all this, in spite of the exams which want to pull our GPA down, in spite of the rapidly shrinking bank account, and in spite of your body’s cries for sleep. We do this because we have chosen the road less traveled, and we accept the challenges of this road. The members of NUGSS offer their support to you in this most difficult time of the year.

As students we recognize that it is challenging and arduous to push on, and to push past the point where you feel like breaking. However, it can be done. Students in years past have gone through the same trials and tribulation that we’re facing and have succeeded.These survivors have come out of the ordeal as shining examples of what hard work and commitment can achieve.

So run, not walk, into this season, knowing that we can conquer these challenges. Yes, it is hard.

Yes, your body cries out for sleep. Yes, you don’t know how much further you can stretch your ramen budget. But carry on! Strive forwards!

Close your Facebook tab (or Netflix), punch those challenges in the gob, and achieve your goals.

You have the support of all of NUGSS and UNBC at your back, and you have all of the resources we can muster before you. So go forth and conquer, you indomitable spirit, you! Also you should check out some of the wonderful events coming up:

as places such as MACE, the Nucleus, ARC (which has beds for naps!), and the ASC. All of these places have many academic resources available to you. So best of luck, stay safe, and have fun this holiday season.

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Fri Jan 8th: Jump Back to New Years Fri Jan 29th: Winterfest Sat Jan 30th: Neon Ski-On The students and staff here at NUGSS also we wish you all the best as you enter this celebratory time of year. We wish for your academic success, we wish for your good health, we wish for your families and friends (whomever and whereever they may be) and we wish for your safe passage. Resources such at the Peer Support Network and the Wellness Center can help you and are a good place to turn when things get tough, as well

UNBC Writing Club... Are you write for it?

Jesmeen Deo Team Member

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o you love to write? Want to share it and get feedback from other writers? Make connections in the local writing community? Publish your work in anthologies? Do you love cookies? Or simply just want a place and time to be able to write?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”, the Writing Club might just be for you. I’m writing to you all as the Treasurer of the UNBC Writing Club, and we would love to have you as a new member. We meet once a week for an hour or two, and we literally just sit down and write. Or talk. Or eat baked goods made weekly by our wonderful President, Katelyn. The club has a really fun and casual atmosphere, perfect for all you writers.

You might be skeptical about what a writing club could do for you, especially if you are more of an introvert. I understand the doubts. I had them, too. However, the writing club has proven to be one of the best experiences I have had in my time here. University life is busy; we understand. Maybe you feel that you simply do not have the time to write with all the midterms, papers, labs, jobs,

volunteering, and whatever else you might have going on. That is why being in the Writing Club is so awesome!

It gives you a time and space exclusively for you to write, so you can finally sit down, have a breather, and get your thoughts down on paper. Simply bring your laptop or choice writing materials, or use the pens and paper we provide you and get writing. In addition, the value of having other writers look over your work cannot be overstated. The sheer amount of typos they find would astound you. As well, I have always found that some of my best ideas are inspired by group discussion or by simply listening to a group discussion.

This year we are collaborating with the English Club to produce a student anthology! We are still putting the details together, but if you are interested in writing something for it, learning more, or being part of the team of editors, contacting the writing club is a great place to start. This semester, we have been meeting Fridays at 3pm in various NUGSS meeting rooms, but next semester the time will change again to reflect the availability

of our members. Want to be added to our email list?

Contact our President, Katelyn, at vander5@unbc.ca. Or simply stay updated by joining our Facebook page: UNBC Writing Club. And dropping by our meetings is totally welcome, all year round; we hope to see you at one.

Happy writing!

fountainpennetwork.com

4

UNBC Life

UNBC’s New Chancellor

Emily Striker Guest Contributor

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t’s is the most wonderful time of the year— for those of you who actually like exams.

I am assuming that most of you reading this are dreading this time. Well, try not to let it get to you too much. Don’t get me wrong— stress isn’t a bad thing, depending on how it makes you feel. If it is going to motivate you to succeed, then by all means, embrace that stress. It is the stress that induces anxiety that you want to avoid. It is important to do your best and to study hard, but exams shouldn’t deprive you of your health. As my grandfather once told me, if you aren’t well, then you can’t do well. On that note, allow me to give you my tips on how to stay well at this time.

First, make a schedule. Studying can seem daunting when you’re focusing on everything that has to be done. By making a schedule, you can space out when and how you do your studying to ensure that it all gets done in reasonable time. Make sure to actually write it down—don’t just do it in your head.

By writing it down, your list of things to do becomes a secondary focus in your mind.

When scheduling your study periods, schedule in some breaks as well. We aren’t made to sit and study for hours on end.

Actually, studying non-stop is less productive than studying in chunks. I find that studying for an hour and breaking for 20 minutes is sufficient for me. If that number doesn’t suit you, then adjust it. Just make sure you refresh your mind at some point.

During your breaks, try to do something unrelated to what you were just studying. So, for instance, don’t read a book after you just finished rereading your textbooks. Exercise is a great way to clear the mind, even if it’s just going out for a walk or doing crunches in front of the tv. For those of you who don’t like to exercise, there are other things you can

do. I personally like to knit because it keeps my hands busy and I still feel like I’m doing something productive. Other things I enjoy doing are Sudoku, doodling, those colouring books everyone’s use nowadays and some creative writing. My point is that you need to do something that’s going to help you relax and draw your attention away from studying.

Another way to refresh the mind is to sleep.

You need to get a decent amount of sleep, which is at least 7 hours a night. Any less than this classifies as unhealthy and puts strain on your brain (see what I did there?)

Getting more than 8 hours of sleep is also unproductive, unless you have a health issue that requires more sleep. If so, then stick to those extra hours. For the rest of you, aim for 7 hours! You will feel so much better working on 7 hours of sleep than 5. That, and you will work without the symptoms of sleep deprivation, which is usually headaches and the feeling of “sluggishness.”

Eating is extremely important. I’m sure all of you have heard the lecture on food leading to brain power, and I hope you have because it’s true. Without food, memorization and problem solving takes more effort than it should. I know that not all of us are chefs—I myself am one of these non-chefs. That being said, it is still possible to eat well. Eat a sandwich, or munch on some fruits and veggies. Just make sure to eat something.

My last piece of advice for you is this: don’t study where you sleep. If you do, you may have issues turning off your brain to sleep because you’ll feel the need to study. Think of it this way: you don’t sleep at your desk, do you? It’s the same logic in regards to your bed.

This will all be over before you know it! Just think of the freedom you’ll have over the winter break.

T

he sixth chancellor for UNBC has been selected. James Moore will be following John McDonald, Alex Michalos, Peter Bentley, K. George Pederson, and Iona Campagnolo in the official role.

So what does a chancellor do in their position? A chancellor is more of a ceremonial figurehead for UNBC than anything else, one of the primary duties being granting degrees at the annual convocation ceremonies.

Traditionally, the chancellor is appointed from a group of distinguished alumni members, and Moore is no exception. Moore is an alumnus of UNBC, having graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. One year before his graduation, he had already been elected as a federal Conservative MP at just 24 years old, the youngest Member of Parliament in British Columbia’s history.

Moore has quite a bit of experience in the public eye; he was an MP for Metro Vancouver for 15 years, and a cabinet minister under the Harper government; most recently as the Minister of Industry (2013-2015). He retired from Parliament this year, choosing not to run for MP in this most recent federal election.

Not everyone is happy about Moore’s appointment. Some are simply concerned over Moore’s political affiliation and whether he can truly represent the north, especially since he has been representing Metro Vancouver as a Conservative for the past 15 years and is now in a position that is supposed to be publically neutral. Indeed, the fact that Moore is so closely associated with the same administration that has been accused of “muzzling scientists”, tried to start a barbaric cultural practices tip line, and had a very tense relationship with Canada’s First Nations peoples, among other controversies, has left many people wondering after the announcement about how Moore will really contribute to the image of UNBC. He has also been criticized for making some remarks over the years that some have considered to be inappropriate or callous. Some faculty members and alumni have taken to social media to denounce the appointment. They point to events as recent as an election campaign scandal in which Moore stated the Terry Fox Foundation

was supportive of a Conservative initiative regarding cancer research, though the Foundation insisted they were non-partisan and Moore did not speak on their behalf. An online petition on change.org has been started in an attempt to have the decision to appoint Moore cancelled, and by the time this article was written, over 500 people had signed it.

Now does any of this really matter for someone who is simply a ceremonial figurehead for UNBC? Or is a big deal being made up of nothing? That is up to the people of this community to decide. Whatever the case may be, the Board of Governors has decided that he was the best candidate, and Moore spoke on his appointment as well. “I am humbled and honored to be UNBC’s next chancellor,” Moore said in his statement, which can be found on the article on the UNBC website. “UNBC is a great institution with a proud history and a sterling reputation today. With the recent number-one ranking in Maclean’s magazine, and a bright future on the horizon, I am looking forward to playing my part in the future successes to this fine institution.”

Moore is slated to be sworn in as the new chancellor of UNBC at the upcoming convocation ceremony on May 17, 2016.

unbc.ca

collegetribune.ie

TIME

Jesmeen Deo Team Member

White Student Unions spring up across North America

News 5

globalnews.ca

Andrew Kenway Guest Contributor

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he sudden and oddly synchronized rise of white student unions across North America, from UBC to Berkley, might seem a little odd to the standard university attendee. However, the UBC White Student Union’s Facebook page intends to make clear their supposedly good intentions with an opening post that was, oddly enough, a press statement. Their first post, is entirely about explaining how they’re not really racist, and essentially trying to justify their existence.

So, is the sudden rise of the UBC White Student Union a reactionary group of injured students, a lazy internet troll-job, a growing group of White Nationalists or a group who believes they represent the persecuted, disenfranchised white students of UBC? The group can not be called anything but reactionary at best, but they lay out the main reason for their existence from an anonymous person who runs the page.

“Firstly, white students at UBC are now an ethnic minority. Unlike other ethnic and cultural groups, we have no organized lobby for our interests. Some have replied that this is unnecessary because there are many white people present in the university’s administration and student union. We believe that this is illegitimate on its face. There are many Chinese individuals present in business and political institutions in Vancouver; does this mean that they represent Chinese people and their interests? To assert such a thing would be reprehensible.”

They are not wrong, according to a statistic they have been highly marketing on their

own page, UBC’s student population is now 33% Asian, leaving the Caucasian populace in the dust at second with 32%. This is proof to them that white people are now a dangerously underrepresented group.

One could easily be quick to point out to them, though, that student unions for specific European groups are not frowned upon. For many, it is a place for them to meet others from their home country and feel some semblance of comfort and safety. To them, this one percent is an injustice in the current social climate.

The problem with the White student union is that it is exclusively about race. One of the other major defenses made for the group is that it is not wrong to be proud of our whiteness while erasing guilt for errors caused by ancestors hundreds of years ago. This ignores many other current cultural racial issues. The residential schools of Canada are only a few decades old, as an obvious example. However, it is not addressed. Almost nothing is, except for being proud of being white. If somebody publically discussing White Pride sets off red flags in your head, you have probably read a history book. The group seems to suggest that only crippling guilt or unwavering pride are emotional options for one’s ancestry, and it is critical of the former.

Those statistics, while a little underwhelming, appear to have spurred a group of students to the length of creating a union. Except, of course, for the fact the UBC denies that any such union exists, and makes it clear that they would not allow the group to form an official club. There is no word on whether or not they have

even tried to create one officially. So if it is possible that it is not coming from the students at all, then where is it coming from?

brings up anything about White Nationalism, nor makes even a meager attempt to distance itself from the movement.

Interestingly enough, the Washington Post’s Yanan Wang examines it in an article whose title raises an eyebrow all on its own: “More Than 30 Purported “White Student Unions” Pop Up Across the Country”. Keep in mind, that is 30 exclusively across the United States. They received an email from Andrew Anglin, a man who runs a notorious neo-nazi blog called The Daily Stormer that you would do yourself a favour to never visit. He says he has been advocating such groups for years, and has a message a bit more direct than that of the UBC student union: “Whites need to organize and protect their interests in the face of rising Black terrorism. The goal of a White Student Union would be to push back against this, and also to show Whites across the country that it is okay to be White, it is okay to defend your history and your civilization.”

In keeping with the White Nationalist movement’s traditions, some of the supporters do not seem to be supportive of all of their white brethren. “The Whites with all the negative comments are self deprecating fools that suffer from white guilt disease,” is a mild example. Anyone who does not tow the party line is considered to be delusional or weak. It is impossible to know how coordinated all of this is, but one can easily find a link to a Vancity Buzz article’s poll on a 4chan board called /pol.

This board is primarily a white nationalism space -- /pol stands for “Politically incorrect” which is an understatement.

If you feel uncomfortable taking the word of a man who takes ordinarily unpalatable Islamophobia and tries to pump it up into full-on racism, you are probably a human being with a soul. His blog is one of the few frequented sites visited by one Dylann Roof, the Charleston church shooter. In contrast, the UBC White Student Union page never says anything negative about other races.

Honestly, it says barely anything at all. Its aforementioned ‘press release’ opening post is a cautious, mealy mouthed appeal to even exist, as if to get their foot in the door. Even a cursory examination of many of the group’s Facebook supporters shows that most of them do not go to the school. It also never

The groups can easily read as a simple rebranding of White Nationalism, and if they are going to try to prove to be anything different, that will be up to the groups. However, the usual tactics of White Nationalists in the internet age that focus on internet mobbing and anonymity still seem to be in play, but with an odd, palpable aura of forced politeness. So follow the story as it grows if you are interested in seeing a bunch of sick, hateful people forced to grit their teeth and be polite. Many outlets have just considered them a hoax. There are not that many students who want a White Student Union at UBC, most of them are trolls or anonymous cowards hiding in the depths of the Internet. As for the few unfortunate folks pulled in by promises of White Pride, hopefully they notice who they are talking to before it is too late.

6

Student Voice

Silence is Violence Jesmeen Deo Team Member

“

Silence is violence” was the declaration of a poster hung up at the event held in the Wintergarden at noon on November 25 for the National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women. And that was the theme, it appeared, through all the speakers’ messages.

powerfully about the gender gap in engineering that has persisted over decades and decades. Hira Rashid, a student in Social Work, read aloud her moving poem talking about the concept of honor in men and how it has harmed women. Shannon Williams, the NUGSS Women’s

The event was held to commemorate the Montreal Massacre on December 6, 1989. On that day, 14 women - all math and science students - were murdered at l’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.

Representative, spoke about how she has been affected by inequality in her own pursuits in a traditionally male line of work. Dawn Hemingway, Chair of the School of Social Work, talked about other events coming up and about the importance of feminism. Feminists want equality. They want equal opportunity for everyone; and if that scares you, maybe you ought

Ribbons were being handed out to be worn the entire day purple for women, and white for men. The purple ribbons signify the pain, suffering and bruises that women have suffered at the hands of men; the white ribbons men wear are to demonstrate their support of non-violence against women. The ribbons are to be worn until December 6.

to examine why. The feminist movement isn’t about oppressing men. It’s about uplifting those who are already oppressed, so that we all have equal opportunity in life.

That is why we need an International Women’s Day, that’s why we need a Women’s Centre, that’s why we need to talk more about these issues.

It was all organized by the Inspiring Women Among Us group here at UNBC, an initiative that holds events and awareness campaigns leading up to this Dec. 6 event. Their ultimate goal is education and their theme is that of encouraging more women to join the STEM fields. The event was well attended, by men and women alike. The program had several speakers, all of whom delivered moving messages.

It’s because every woman has been made to feel unsafe by a man. It’s because of the fact that according to Status of Women Canada a women is three times more likely to be a victim of violence than a man. It’s because white women make 77 cents on the dollar and their

First up was Cheryl George, Cultural Coordinator at the UNBC First Nations Centre, to open up the event. Then, Daniel Weeks delivered a speech emphasizing his support for the Women’s Centre and the Inspiring Women Among Us group here at UNBC. Dr. Si Transken, a professor in the School of Social Work at UNBC, and a poet, stated in her poetry that feminism still matters in 2015. Dr. Zoe Meletis, Professor in the Geography program, read two of her poems aloud; Jacqueline Baldwin, a poet from the community, also read out her piece about the character of one of the women killed in the Montreal Massacre.

coloured counterparts make even less. It’s because people still think gender is defined by genitalia. It’s because little girls aren’t allowed to play with toy cars and little boys aren’t allowed to play with Barbie dolls.

It’s about equality. It’s about everyone; and we need to talk about it.

Stephanie Wall, an undergraduate student of Environmental Engineering, shared her positive experiences on her educational path and was hopeful for what the future might hold. Cathy Mackay, a Biologist at Environmental Dynamics Inc, spoke

blog.legalaid.on.ca

Student Voice 7

Economy or Environment?

Grant Bachand Team Member

T

here is an age old question: how do we balance our economic needs with the needs of the environment? This will be the question asked at the Paris conference in December this year. Newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be going with Rona Ambrose from the Conservative Party, Thomas Mulcair from the New Democratic Party, Elizabeth May from the Green Party, and all the premiers from the provinces.

What will be discussed; lowering carbon emissions and bringing human influenced global climate change under control? This could be a lofty challenge for Canada, for all of our talk, the country, as a whole has not made significant progress on this issue.

Canada is the only country to have pulled out of the Kyoto protocol agreement of 1997.

Creating a binding agreement which all the countries must follow is a truly herculean task. There are two conflicting groups, global South and global North. Global North consists of western countries like Canada, United States and many European States. The global South consists of the BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China, with other countries sympathizing with them. Global South is our developing world who feels that limitations on carbon emissions will hold back their economic growth possibilities, and it is unfair to hold countries who have

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emerging economies, and growing middle classes, to conform to the same set of rules and limitations implement on developed countries. The “time under the sun” argument is what is the best way to understand this. China’s middle class is on the rise, and it is thanks to the aggressive growth of the Chinese economy, for them to slow down their economic engine due to climate change could hold thousands of Chinese citizens from moving from poverty to working or middle class lifestyles. The global north has for many generations enjoyed the spoils of a strong economy while emitting heavy amounts of carbon as an expense. Therefore it is unfair to ask that of China, because people there have not had the opportunity yet to be middle class.

China’s need to grow is a major problem because the Chinese economy is one of the biggest polluters in the world, along side with the American economy. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity at M.I.T., Chinese exports in 2013 were 2.25 trillion USD and the United States was in the same year 1.42 trillion USD. Data from the World Bank shows us in 2011 the total carbon emissions by China was leading the way at 9 million kilotons of carbon, and United States is at 5 million kilotons, Canada was at 485,563 kilotons. These two giants are far outpacing the rest of the world in carbon emissions and bringing them under control will not be easy. China has made efforts to move away from coal power, with coal being one of the biggest reasons for high emissions in the country, though many rural areas in China do not have access to other forms of power.

The global community will be hard to convince, and also may be the communities back at home. The economic malaise in Canada may make it hard for Trudeau to push a strong environmental agenda.

Job growth will be one of the main goals for the coming couple years, and there may not be enough opportunity in the green sector to stimulate the economy in the way that will get Canada back on track. The price of oil right now make negotiations in Paris favorable, and makes it a great time to talk about substitutes to petroleum; however if the oil price was to rebound in the

next couple years any progress made in the green sector may be undone by the reemergence of the oil and gas sector and the raise in emissions.

The problem becomes a lot more complex as we look at Canada, and who has power to make changes. In our system of government the provinces are the ones who set environmental policy and though many provinces have policies on reducing carbon emissions, cap and trade and carbon tax, some provinces don’t and getting all of the provinces on the same page might be more challenging than expected. Various provinces may be at odds with Trudeau on this issue, Saskatchewan’s conservative premier Brad Wall, and British Columbia’s premier Christy Clark. Brad Wall has already been bumping heads with Trudeau over Syrian Refugees and this summit may increase the divide between the two men.

The issue may be hard to fix but the potential consequences of inaction are potentially devastating. NASA has stated that since 1880 the world has warmed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat rise has had major impacts on the world, sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk from in 8 million square km of ice in 1980, to 5.02 million square km of ice in 2015. The rate of change in this region is around 13.3% per decade. Sea ice isn’t the biggest worry though, land ice is.

Greenland and Antarctica are both regions where massive amounts of ice are sitting on top of land. When this ice melts it raises the sea level of the oceans because unlike the Arctic the ice is not in the water already.

Greenland, according to NASA, showed in November 2014, 1911.78 billion metric tonnes of ice loss, at a rate of 134 billion metric tonnes of ice per year. That is just Greenland, Antarctica had 1009.80 billion metric tonnes of ice loss, with a rate of 287 billion metric tonnes of ice. This means that 421 billion

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metric tonnes of ice are being added to our oceans every year, which will have major effects on coastal cities. If you live in areas like Richmond, Surrey, or Abbotsford, make sure you know how to swim.

You have probably heard of the Syrian refugee crisis, so consider this: they might the first refugees caused by extreme environmental changes. Droughts in Syria created massive food shortages and unemployment that stimulated the Arab Spring, which was the spark of the hostilities.

Areas all over the world will feel the impacts of climate change, and could create more refugees that will need places to go. Canada could face more international pressure in the future to bring refugees to Canada, and it could make the 25,000 already coming to the country look like a drop in the bucket.

What does this all mean for Paris? The leaders will be faced with some massive hurdles to get over. It is very possibly that nothing substantive will come out of the talks. There are a lot of countries that want to have a high level of living standard. If environmental limitations are put in place, it will most likely slow down growth in theses countries. Without some sort of international body to force these countries to conform, the member countries can easily break these treaties. Paris could have a huge impact on the future of our world, and one thing is clear that it will be Justin Trudeau’s biggest challenge to date.

Poetry

Solutions to big life problems

Paris Will Stand Monique Gendron Team Member

Écoutez, écoutez.

You don’t have to sit in school to stand among greatness.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

Idris Clarke Guest Contributor

Let those words echo Through valley, sword and stone.

Remember who you are.

Oh when there’s ice in my nose

Remember where you are from.

And frost on my toes

Écoutez, écoutez.

I don’t care that my fingers are blue

Hear every sound

Or when my willy is too…

Hear the friends lament

Oh, I don’t care:

And the families weep.

when there’s snow in my hair

Hear the sadness through the street.

when mitts are all snotty Or when we’re smelly and grotty When there’s snow in my ears Or I have ice for my tears I Don’t care.

But I do care that there is ice in our beer.

Oh that our beer all ice There’s dammed ice in our beer I’ve got no beer with my ice our beer is not nice when it’s icey icey ice When we can’t keep on the drinking My emotions are sinking It’s why I bought a thermos.

Luttez.

Luttez contre la terreur Contre ceux qui limitent la liberté.

Contre ceux qui osent Se croire être mieux Qui croient avoir la seule vérité. Écoutez, écoutez.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

A revolution may yet stir And peace may yet be achieved One for every self.

But not yet.

For now, we remember.

For now, we rest.

When we stand as one There will be a reckoning.

› Thomas Edison: The world’s most extraordinary failure never gave up.

Thank goodness.

open. online. everywhere. go.athabascau.ca/online-courses

By Levin C. Handy (per http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpbh.04326) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

8

Opinion 9 unbc.ca

Is University Worth It? The Case of John and Allen

Grant Bachand Team Member

I

s university really the way to go in the 21st century? That is the question that has been on my mind after dinner with a bunch of people from the trades program at CNC. I had the pleasure of having a dinner with some gentlemen who work and operate some different trades based organizations within Prince George and I must say they certainly have a compelling case for going into the trades.

The province has certainly been pushing trades in the last couple years. With all the work that is going on with the LNG pipelines, Huckleberry mine, Mount Milligan Mine, and Site C to name a few projects, it is apparent that jobs in trades related fields are here and are in people are in demand.

If not all the potential job opportunities don’t make you think about trades what about the fact that according to Statistics Canada people in trades related jobs tend to make 6% more, than other careers. The average entry-level person in a trades related job $22.36, that is in itself is huge.

During the dinner all I kept hearing was the lack of qualified people they had to file

positions in their organization.

These people were going on and on and they weren’t talking about accountants, office managers or data entry people, they wanted pipefitters, welders, electricians, and plumbers. I thought it would be fun to look at two different students leaving high school and compare the two. I picked for this example John and Allen, for the purposes of this example they are completely equal in terms of grades and potential.

John wants to become an accountant and Allen wants to be a welder. John decides to go to UNBC to get bachelors in Commerce majoring in Accounting, Allen wants to go to CNC and get his red seal in welding. A red seal is the accreditation that is required for someone to work in a trades related industry. John starts off with welding basics at CNC it is a 7-month program costing $3,941, now there is also tools and clothing which need to be purchased as well, so let us say $2,000 that would cost. All together to start off John spent $6,000 for seven months in school. Keep in mind John still needs to do his apprenticeship, and may need more schooling for different tickets A, B, C that can also add to his costs. However, once he gets out of school he can go to work right away and make money while doing that.

Allen on the other hand will probably spend $3,000 - 5,000 a semester in tuition and books and after 4 years could potentially walk away

with $20,000 – 30,000 in debt. Allen probably will have to intern or start off in a low wage job. If he is lucky the first job he will get will be around $16-19 an hour while he learns the ropes. It will take longer for him to get a career; he will have more debt than his counterpart and once he has his career it will take longer for him to pay back his debt.

Why is it that jobs that require less training are paying way more than jobs that require years of it; simple supply and demand. Why then, are people crowding into universities to get degrees and not colleges to get tickets? I have no idea all throughout high school all I heard was go into the trades. Here I am getting my training to be a barista at Starbucks.

Schools have shifted, and so have universities instead of expanding our minds and pushing what we think, we download information spew it back on tests and forget it the very next day. Our ideas and notions about society rarely get changed and if they do we end up sounding like a bad remix of the things that have already been said. “Capitalism is bad, love not war, and human right for everyone.” The biggest scam is that once you are done school to become an accountant you aren’t even one yet, now you have to become certified. Once you walk out the doors on convocation day you still need to get your CPA designation and pay more money and spend more time studying.

Since I was a kid I was told to follow my

dreams and do what makes me happy. However in our world today it doesn’t make a lot of sense to follow your dreams and work at Starbucks for the rest of your life, unless that is your dream then your right on track. How do we as a world still push barriers and expand our minds and also eat the very next day. Do governments need to pay more into post secondary; well that does need to happen but I doubt that is an answer. It is interesting to know that once going to high school was the same as going to college. ncc-ccn.gc.ca Once upon time, people would have education free in elementary school but if you want to go to high school you had to pay. Governments eventually decided that going to high school was to important to make people pay and so they made it free for people. The same might soon need to happen for college or maybe even undergraduate programs. Society might have reached a point where we now must have people go to post secondary and for them not to will put them behind other places, therefore the state should pay for it.

Whatever the future of education may be it is clear change must come. How can people be forced, in order to get even a basic paying job, to go to university and incur thousands of dollars in debt, then once they graduate they might not even get a job that pays half way decent. If we hope to move ourselves forward as a society it must not be a huge question for people, do I go to post secondary and get basic education or do I work at McDonalds for the rest of my life?

10

Culture

Ticket to Riches Found on Mexican City Bus Linda Glover Guest Contributor

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t is mid-December and my partner and I are on a flight returning from Mexico. I remain dressed for summer and sit crunching the salted ends of my hair. The thought of Christmas Madness awaiting us at home does little to ease the sadness I feel at leaving. To distract myself, I shift my focus to the newspaper I picked up from the departure lounge in Vancouver a week ago. I read an article victoriously advising Canadians that our middle-class has nudged past America’s in conquering the quest for the American Dream. It states that through the value and commitment Canadian people place on hard work, we’ve achieved prosperity and success. We’ve made it! We’re rich—well on our way to having it all. I call bullshit. The richest people in the world can be found on an antiquated Mexican city bus.

My visceral reaction to this story angers me and I regret my decision to read it. It feels an ugly intrusion into the beautiful memories I have mere hours to savour before the plane lands and I’m smacked in the face by the realities of my life. I stow the paper, close my eyes and try to dissect my thoughts. And in that dissection, I am taken back to the first 24 hours of our vacation.

After an evening spent people watching on Vancouver’s Granville Street, we caught the Canada Line to our hotel near the airport. Observing an ever changing train-scape of riders, we were awestruck by their constant denominator—oblivious to those around them, fully engrossed in the alternate reality streamed to them through the inanimate rectangular objects they coveted in their hands, hunched over and closed to the real world, spines forming a protective letter C. Their blatant detachment was a screaming example of what our society has become—a disconnected, nomophobic, increasingly narcissistic, me and want wasteland.

Hours later, our flight history, we threw on our packs and charged out the doors of the Puerto Vallarta airport, giddy with excitement that the rejuvenation of our weary souls was about to begin. The heat and humidity hugged us in welcome as we made our way through the chaos to the bus stop to await our time machine—the Centro city bus. We paid our seven pesos and were gifted a seat by a young boy who offered to stand in our place. “Gracias,” we said. “You’re welcome,” he replied—no ‘No problema’ here—with pride in his English skills and respect that we were visitors, guests in his country. We gratefully sat and the rumble started.

Over the unmuffled groan of the diesel engine, the grinding of gears as the driver threw his charge into traffic and the rattles and sighs of the ancient undercarriage beating itself over the time-worn roads, the rumble became magic as a

beautiful noise grew within the bus. People were talking. To each other. They were turned in their seats, moving back and forth, calling down the aisle and offering greetings to one and other. They were smiling and laughing and engaged. They were present. In the moment. On the bus.

The driver greeted every rider. Young men stood up and offered their seats to the women and elders who got on at different stops. Parents fussed over their children— listened to their stories, showed interest in little fingers pointed out of windows and offered snacks from their bags.

Buskers boarded at different stops and stood in the aisle to entertain their captive audience. A woman in curious clown make-up with a baby strapped to her chest performed a comedy routine, and an elderly man in a polyester suit and cowboy hat strummed his guitar and sang songs of Johnny Cash and Charlie Pride in beautiful, broken English. At the end of each performance, the audience offered up a few pesos and applause as their gratitude.

We left the bus at the Malecon and headed deeper into Old Towne to find a room to rent. We followed a group of families who’d been riding our bus, and as we walked we drew ourselves closer to feed off their excitement. A few blocks in, there were crowds in the street and the sound of a marching band’s approach. While we waited for the parade, a mother handed her young son a small roll of caps from a bag in her pocket. One-by-one he dropped them on the roadway and stomped them until they let out a crack, triggering his contagious laughter and claps of approval from his family beside me. True joy from a simple game.

down to the point where an industry of personal coaching has been birthed to teach, or re-teach, people the lost art of communicating face-to-face. We’ve lost our values and empathy as the line between want and need has become desperately skewed, our craving for society’s approval of us so insatiable we’re willing to sell our souls for material statements that feed us a false sense of esteem and announce to people who don’t really matter that we’ve made it.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers eight definitions of the word rich. The first is “having abundant possessions and especially material wealth:” the second is “having high value or quality.” Ironically, as it pertains to life, the opportunity cost of the first is the second. When our time on Earth is over, our abundant possessions and material wealth, our achievement of the ‘American Dream,’ won’t matter. Neither will our Platinum MasterCard, gazillion dollar home, tricked out vehicle, Employee of the Year plaque, 700 Facebook friends, Twitter history, unlimited texting account or Instagram album. What will matter will be the value we place on the people closest to us and the authenticity we’ve woven between our lives and theirs. This is a lesson easily learned by the example of the richest people in the world.

They can be found on an antiquated Mexican city bus.

Throughout our week in Puerto Vallarta, the bus and its community of riders played a critical and welcomed role in our quest to vacate, and rendered me nostalgic with memories of a simpler time. It was a time before technology ‘improved’ our lives and ‘connected’ us, a time when we didn’t particularly want for anything.

Instead, we were grateful for what we had and valued those around us.

Our ‘Smart,’ like-me-likeme-please society has dumbed itself

transportbox.blogspot.com

Opinion 11

Opinion: Extreme Political Correctness Grant Bachand Team Member

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t is time for university students have a talk about political correctness and cultural sensitivity. I, like many of you have engaged in political correctness and I have rephrased my words in order to not offend anyone.

That’s the fear right? I better make sure I say everything with exact surgical precision, that way no one will call me a racist, homophobe, or a bigoted ass. Our need to not offend anyone has led us to never saying anything of any meaning.

I realized this fact when I read an article that the Student Society at University of Victoria denied funding to a conference at their school because they did not consult with the indigenous groups on campus, because their topic was sovereignty. How dare they have a conference on sovereignty, and not talk to the indigenous groups first! Indigenous people should be consulted anytime, anyone, wants to think about maybe, possibly, talking about something, to do with land and who owns what! I feel this is a byproduct of our over sensitivity to everything, and our need to not offend or challenge anyone. It’s ok you can have a conference share ideas and not ask every different ethnic group if it’s ok. I know it seems scary progressives but we can do it, why because not everything is an earth-shattering social injustice.

As a progressive liberal who believes in freedom of expression, and speech as one of our most important rights, this really bothers me. I believe we must be understanding and open. Sometimes things we do because they are social norms do perpetuate stereotypes.

Policeman, Fireman, these should be changes to firefighter, police officer. That being said we do not need to run from everything we say and do just case someone might take offense to it. As progressives we need to stand by minorities and help them advocate for their rights, and better integrate into our society, we do not need to bow down and do

nothing that might offend them. People get offended by each other, it is called living in a society, I get offended when I see Confederate flags, does that mean the idiot should not have the right to fly them? Of course not. Fly the flag, and prove to everyone that being a dumb redneck is awesome.

Let us expand this idea, recently the University of Ottawa suspended some yoga courses because they felt it was cultural appropriation. Yes, yoga is from India, and yes it can be linked with their culture.

However, just because something is a good idea and it was thought up by another group does not mean it is off limits. An idea in a globalized world gets around, and sometimes things that other cultures do are a good idea, and we use them to make money off them. Yoga is a way to live a better lifestyle, and as progressives we don’t need to worry about offending people because we like to do the downward dog.

This essence of my article is this, if we fight every battle in the hopes to ensure that we are being politically correct then we are fighting too many battles. In society we are going to do things which will make other groups uncomfortable and possibly mad, the question you need to ask yourself “is what I am doing harming someone” if it is a yes then stop doing it.

Here is an example: “Man I really don’t like black people, I am going to make sure that black family feels unwelcomed and hated here.” In this case you are being a racist ass and you need to stop. However, you don’t need to go overboard with this, for example if you hear someone in a bar making a joke at the expense of certain racial groups and he is doing it to be funny. I suggest you relax, I understand your sensitive liberal sensibilities want to go over and make sure that he knows how rude he is being, but do you need to get outraged at him. Will going out and being the

guardian of everything liberal and tolerant make the world any better, probably not, but what it will do is isolate people and push us further part.

Our world feels the need to make sure that everything we do is right and respectful but it never really accomplishes anything. We are so concerned about people not wearing culturally insensitive costumes, but as soon as we see minorities starving on the street we say “Sorry, I don’t have any change.” My favorite form of slacktivism is on social media. People were changing their profile pictures when the attacks in Paris happened killing 130 people, and injuring many more.

This was a terrible event, and the only way many of us could muster ourselves to help was changing our profile picture. “If I didn’t change my picture how would people know I am standing with the people of Paris and against terrorists,” they must have thought.

I guess donating money to victim support groups, writing emails to politicians, or generally doing anything to help was too much, but thank goodness you changed that profile picture. I assume we will be changing our profile picture all the time then, for all the people who die because of extremism.

My suggestion? Look into the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Mali, and many other countries who routinely have people dying from various forms of violence.

It is important in our world to be respectful and understanding. I am not arguing to not stop people who are being purposefully

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ignorant. What I am saying is pick your battles; being so worried about not offending different groups, that they don’t do anything is silly. A person being so worried about making jokes because they know they might offend some people is silly.

It not racist to point out our differences, we are all different, deal with it. Noticing someone is black, brown, or white is ok we aren’t any less progressive, and possibly having a laugh at the silly things the different groups generally do is ok.

What we must not do is be so scared to say anything that might offend someone that we never say anything of value at all. I say this, wear that costume at Halloween that makes people frown, make that joke about people walking it a bar you always wanted too, but when it comes down to it you better be standing up for people when they really do need you, and not changing your profile picture, get into the fight and be a true progressive. The merit of any progressive person isn’t measured by how many things you are outraged by, but how many things you stand up for when it matters.

12

UNBC

vancouversun.com

In Conversation With...

UNBC's New Chancellor

Monique Gendron Team Member

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his last week, UNBC named the Honorable James Moore, former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister as the institution’s next Chancellor. Over The Edge caught up with Mr. Moore and talked to him about his appointment and what he hopes to achieve during his term.

Moore is the first UNBC alumnus to be named Chancellor, and he is excited for the opportunity: “It’s a tremendous honour. I mean, UNBC is a phenomenal institution that was transformative in my personal development. I had an amazing academic experience there that opened my eyes to a big part of the province that before being a student there, I had never been exposed to. The professors that I met exposed me to literature and concepts I had not been previously exposed to and it was a phenomenal academic experience.

“Plus, the community of Prince George was great to me, I got to work at CKPG and got to do some work at PGTV and met some lifelong friends there. What I hope to be able to offer the university is to be an advocate for the school in this other parts of the province, where fewer students look north and decide to go to UNBC.” Moore does not currently live in Prince George; he lives in Port Moody, part of the federal riding that he represented in the House of Commons. However, Moore does not see his distance from UNBC as an impediment to his duties: “As a Member of Parliament that represented a riding for fifteen years and five terms, I was to and from Ottawa all the time while maintaining contact at home. It’s a short flight to Prince George, and I’m happy to come there, to be available to faculty, students, staff, anyone who would like to talk to me.”

Moore says that he will be in attendance for convocations at the main and regional campuses and activities beyond Convocation,

like board meetings, student recruitment, and fundraising, whether they are at one of the campuses or down South.

The new Chancellor will perform many duties, but Moore describes his main goal as raising UNBC’s profile, especially in the South of the province: “When I finished high school back in 1994, there were only a few options for people going into post-secondary education, SFU, UBC, maybe UVIC. If you didn’t go there, maybe you went to one of the colleges. But then UNBC came along, this brand new university with lots of energy, it was opened by Her Majesty the Queen, and a lot of people looked North to go to school.

“In the intervening time, there were a lot of institutions that became degree-granting institutions, like Emily Carr, the University College of the Fraser Valley, and others, and so a lot of people didn’t look North to Prince George as a place to go to school. I’d like to revitalize the presence of UNBC in other parts of the province. There’s a great retention of high school quality students in Northern BC, who go to UNBC for their post-secondary education, but not enough people from the Lower Mainland have UNBC on their radar and I think it’s a real shame.

Half the education I find that you get from being in post-secondary education happens in the classroom, the other half comes from learning about yourself, meeting new friends, learning about other cultures in other parts of the world, country, or province. I think that story needs to be better told.”

There has been a vocal objection to Moore’s appointment, with nearly 600 people signing an online petition calling for the cancellation of his appointment. The opposition to Moore’s appointment seems to be based on his tenure in government as a member of the Conservative Party, which many say muzzled and restricted science and scientists while in power, and a

Cabinet Minister, where as the Minister for Canadian Heritage, Moore cut funding to a public institution, the CBC. Moore disagrees, saying that he is pro-science: “I don’t agree with the premise [of the arguments against his appointment]. I was a proud student of the school, I’m a proud graduate of the school, the school named me Alumni of the Year twice, and I’ve always been an advocate of post-secondary education and of course of scientific discovery.

“As a member of the Federal Cabinet, I created the 1.5 billion dollar Canada First Research Fund, 1.5 billion dollars for research arms-length from government, independent from any political decisions that will be governed by universities for scientific discoveries. I led the fight to secure funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope and to ensure that our footprint and our incredible legacy of scientific discovery in space will be continued for well over another decade. I believe in science, I believe in government funding for science, and I believe in the independence of scientific research and discovery.”

As a former politician, Moore will certainly face resistance from individuals of differing political beliefs, but Moore says that like many of his colleagues, of whom many have gone on to leadership positions at postsecondary institutions, his worthiness will be proven over time: “Whenever somebody comes from the political world, it crosses over. There are going to be people who have their doubts, or their suspicions or what have you. That was seen in the past when Andrew Petter, who was a former NDP cabinet minister became President of SFU, there were some doubters, but in the fullness of time, he proved himself to be a fine leader of a great school. When my former colleague, former Conservative Senator Hugh Segal went on to a leadership position at a university, there were doubters

there, but he proved himself to be worthy of the position and he carried himself in a way that was appropriate. It’s the same with Stephen Owen, who was a Liberal Member of Parliament that became Vice-President at UBC that had some doubters, but proved himself to be compatible with the role.

“I understand that there are people who have questions about the past, but this is about, in my view, the next 25 years of the school. It’s about having the first graduate of the school to be Chair of the Board of Directors, the first graduate of the school to be Chancellor, talking about building on the great success and reputation we’ve built so far and maybe there will be people who will never have confidence in me until they meet me or get to know me a little bit better and work with me on the future of UNBC. This is not about the last election, this is about the next generation of leadership at UNBC.” There will be students who do not know Moore from his time in public office, and we asked him how he would describe James Moore, the person. He responded: “I’m a pretty easy-going person, even-tempered, I’m not one who rushes judgments. I’m pretty mild-mannered… I think. We all have our moments that we regret. I’m a dad, I’m a husband, and I’m looking forward to making a contribution to the school. It’s a genuine honour [to be named Chancellor] and I’m looking forward to moving forward.”

For students who want to meet their next Chancellor, they will have to wait, but not long. Even though Moore will not be officially appointed until May’s Convocation, he says he will be visiting UNBC before Christmas.

Moore mentioned that he has already reached out to certain members of the UNBC community. It remains to be seen if the controversy over his appointment will dissipate quickly, or if the dissent will linger.

Girls in Movies vs. Girls in Books Tierney Watkinson Team Member

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irls, you do not have to be beautiful to be a hero. You don’t have to be a sex goddess. You just have to be you.

Young adult novels are doing pretty well with the portrayal of girls as heroic figures; these ladies aren’t generally written as the character who steps aside and let’s the boys take over. The Percy Jackson novels

by Rick Riordan tell us about characters like Annabeth, who are described as being brave, intelligent, and more than ready to step up and take a hit. Clary of The Mortal Instruments series, written

by Cassandra Clare, would do anything for the people she loves. Tris of Veronica Roth’s Divergent might be a bit difficult to like, but she is strong, resourceful, and independent. Everyone knows that Katniss of The Hunger Games, is ready to die for her sister; she is not a person to mess with.

All of these stories are hugely popular at the moment and don’t speak for the entire genre of YA fiction, not even these sub-genres in

which magic exists or the world is ending.

Even so, while there are exceptions, overall teen novels actually do tend to feature women as strong characters admired not for their physical beauty but for their inner strength and valour. I will admit that they are almost always boy crazy, to the point of obsession, but they generally fight their own battles and to me, that is the most important factor. Side note: I want to see more YA fiction written wherein the people in love aren’t heterosexual. It’s important.

Just throwing that out there, future authors.

The problem lies in the alteration of these characters for screen. Television or film adaptations of these novels tend to deviate from portraying girls as characters whose beauty actually goes deeper than their faces. On screen, the character’s physical beauty is what you see first.

Annabeth of the Percy Jackson is completely warped by the movie industry--her defining character trait becomes good looks and being really good at yelling for Percy to come and save her, rather than using her superb intelligence. Although Percy is obviously

crushing on her in the books, he barely mentions her looks and instead goes on and on about how smart and how good of a fighter she is, and how much he admires her for that. Clary is written as an awkward, nerdy teen with obnoxious red hair but is transformed into a beautiful, curvy young woman with brown curls. Tris is a part of the faction in her dystopian society wherein vanity is looked down upon, so things like makeup and nice clothing are never worn, but on film she is clearly made-up even before her situation changes, and the minute it does she is decked out in much sexier clothing and her long, flowy hair is loose too often to be practical for all of the combat that girl has to do. If you have seen the final installment, Katniss is nearly flawless for the entire movie; injuries she sustained to her face in the novel are either glossed over or omitted entirely despite the fact she only endures them for a short time.

Are we repelled by young women with curveless bodies and imperfect faces? It is absolutely ok to write beautiful female characters--you don’t have to be unattractive

The Price should be Right for Blue Jays Brady Stark Team Member

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mere month removed from making their spectacular run in the MLB playoffs, the Blue Jays are looking a little worse for wear.

First, there young stud of a GM decides that he wants to take his talents out of Toronto to a yet to be determined organization. Next, they lose Mark Buehrle, Dioner Navarro, and David Price to free agency. The latter of those three has to be the most puzzling of them, after all, Buehrle is getting up there in age and Navarro wants to be the main guy behind the plate instead of backing up Russell Martin. David Price just finished second in Cy Young voting to the Houston Astros ace Keuchel, and is poised and driven to do even better next year. Price was a dominant force in the regular season, but faltered a little in the playoffs, which lowered his value only slightly. Now, to the rant. I am perplexed as to why the Blue Jays would not try to go hard after Price to make sure that he is their ace next season. There is no

one in free agency that wants to come to Toronto as badly as him, as well as, no one that will bring in the fans to every game like he can. Every time Price stepped onto the mound at the Rogers Center, the crowds filled in and they went bananas. To know that you have an almost guaranteed win every time he steps onto the field will be a relief to every Jays fan from coast-to-coast.

Seriously, what is the problem with Rogers?

They have all the money in the world. They basically own Canada, especially Canadian sports. They made a ton of money last year with the run that they went on. I know that the length of the contract will be a problem with ownership due to the fact that Price will be looking for his “career contract”, therefore the term will be near the 10 year mark. Asides from the length of the contract, there should be nothing else to hold up negotiations. Price is 30 years old; ownership should front-load the contract so that when Price gets to 38-40, there will be less of a financial risk. Another reason for the Jays to make it a priority to win the Price sweepstakes is the notion that

if they don’t, then one of their divisional rivals might snatch him up. One of the front runners to get Price is the Boston Red Sox. Since I am a Red Soxs fan and have been for about 20 years, seeing Price in Red and White would give me great satisfaction. Despite my allegiance to Beantown, I am still very frustrated with Jays management and their willingness to throw a Cy Young pitcher away. Price deserves the money that he will command on the market; the Jays (or Red Sox) better be the team to get the coveted lefthander. The Jays will make their worst mistake in years if they do not sign David Price.

jaysjournal.com

Events 13 to be real. However, you shouldn’t have to be model-worthy to be watchable.

Maybe the idea of a stick-like or pimply Black Widow just doesn’t fit our ideal of a superheroine. I mean, superheroes are supposed to be an ideal. It is not like Black Widow is the only pretty character—her fellow, male heroes are hot enough to melt Santa’s igloo. The abundance of beautiful people is definitely not going to keep me from watching the next Avengers movie. I’ll be running to the theatre for that one (I really like the scenes where they get to smash stuff).

Teenagers are not superheroes. Maybe they want to be, but magical powers aren’t just handed to you in times of need. Sometimes you are a Hermione and you’re born with a free ticket to Hogwarts, but for most of us, we have to earn it.

Not every female character has to be the lead. When she is, though, the first thing we admire about her shouldn’t be her looks. It should be her tenacity, her bravery, her intelligence, her spirit - all of the things that keep her alive.

Sports

Cougars Report Card: First Quarter

Brady Stark Team Member

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fter 24 games, the Cougars are in the middle of the pack in the standings and looking poised to make a statement on their march to what should be a post-season berth. Whenever you have a decent start like the Cougars are enjoying right now, one wonders how certain players have fared when breaking down the season into more minute details. Since Over the Edge is a school newspaper by students for students, it is only fair to give other people in our community report cards for a change. Here are five Prince George Cougars that have been sized up for their play in the first quarter of the season.

Ty Edmonds: Despite having a 5-4-1 record to start the season, Edmonds has picked up where he left off last season with very strong play. On the physical side of the game, Edmonds has made sure that his team is in the game no matter the struggles with the offense. Edmonds is cutting off his angles better than ever before and controlling the rebounds that plagued him for the first half of last season.

Edmonds has improved on his puck handling skills, which shows in the quick transitions from offense to defense during line changes. The most important aspect of Edmonds physical game is his ability to be more stable in the net. With a WHL goalie, you want to preach smaller movements in net because of how fast the play develops.

Edmonds’ lateral movement has been noticeably better and the opposition are less likely to catch him out of position.

On the mental side of the game, Edmonds looks more

confident than he did last year, especially when handling the puck outside his crease and when facing the shooter on an odd man rush. Edmonds stellar play and impressive .934 save percentage has earned him top marks. Grade: A Tate Olsen: Fresh off a memorable training camp with the Vancouver Canucks, Tate Olsen has brought that experience and confidence into the 2015-16 season for the Prince George Cougars. With a style that is reminiscent of a Mike Green, Olsen has shown that he has a flare for the offensive with 12 points in the first 24 games, but has not let his defensive responsibilities dip as much as others on the team. He has bolstered the power-play with a well-placed shot that seems to find its target more often than not. Clearly taking points from the likes of Edler, Hamhuis, and Weber were a priority and were heard loud and clear because Olsen is all over the ice and has Coach Mark Hollick a very viable option when looking at defenseman that should be put out in crucial situations.

One aspect of the game that Olsen still has to work on in order to help him get to the next step in his development is his decision making skill. Often fans are left wondering why Olsen takes the shot at the point when there is passing options deeper in the offensive zone or why he doesn’t let the puck fly towards the net. Instead he tries to make the extra pass that might get intercepted by the opponents. Grade: AJesse Gabrielle: Since acquiring Gabrielle from the Regina Pats for Lane Zablocki during the off-season, Cougars fans have been nothing but impressed with his play. It is clear to all the see Gabrielle play why he was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 4th round of the 2015 draft. He is a big body presence with soft hands that reminds people of Rick Nash.

Gabrielle has amassed an impressive 14 goals, with a couple of them being shorthanded (5 SHGs already this year). When you see Gabrielle out on the ice, one cannot help but notice that he tries his heart out on every play and is all over the ice. He has already eclipsed his point total from last year and is poised to best his career high of 69 points when on the Brandon Wheat Kings a couple of years ago. His play has probably come as a relief as he has carried the weight of some of the players that were expected to play a little better than they have thus far. One aspect of the Gabrielle’s game that needs some attention would be his consistency.

As evidenced from the point production, Gabrielle has the ability to take this league by storm, but there are times that Gabrielle seems a little invisible on the ice. Everyone has peaks and valleys in their season, Gabrielle just has to make sure that his great start carries through the whole season. Grade: A

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Brogan O’Brian: Probably the surprise of the season just

based on the fact that he was in the BCHL last year playing for the Spruce Kings. O’Brian has 18 points in the first quarter of the season and has been all over the ice with a great offensive flare as well as a responsible defensive game as he leads the team with a +5. Coach Mark Hollick is the type of coach to juggle his lines a lot throughout the game depending on who is struggling in order to get them going. He often relies on Brogan O’Brian for secondary scoring if the first line is struggling or to give someone like Brad Morrison an option to pass to whenever he decides to rip down the wing with his head down. O’Brian has complimented the likes of Morrison, Gabrielle, and Jared Bethune throughout the season because of his balanced attack. With 9 goals and 9 assists through the first 22 games of his WHL career, O’Brian is making the best of his chances to impress NHL scouts that frequent the CN Centre. One aspect of O’Brian’s game that needs to be worked on is using his body to create more space for his teammates. With a frame of 6’2” and 195 lbs, O’Brian has the ability to crash the net or use his size to give his teammates a skating lane. With a great and surprising start to the season, he deserves a top quality grade, now he has to prove that he can carry his strong play through the whole season.

Jansen Harkins: Harkins single handedly was the reason that the New Ice Age worked as well as it did last year. The ownership did a top notch job in making the Cougars hockey experience as a fan better than it has been in over a decade, but it was the play of Jansen Harkins that kept people coming back game in and game out last year; but that was last year.

With even more expectations that come with being a 2nd round draft pick, Harkins was expected to carry this team from the first puck drop, but that has not happened. Harkins has been the target of the other team’s’ defense when he is on the ice, which has limited his space that he has to work with. This lack of space has become a blessing for teammate Chase Witala, whom has continued his impressive point production from last year. Harkins has the opportunity to work on different parts of his game that have been seen as weak throughout his development. With a team worst – 7, Harkins has shown that frustration is creeping into his game as he is trying too hard to force certain plays that may have worked last year, but no longer. Another aspect to his game this year that is rather surprising is the amount of penalties that he has taken at crucial times in the game. Harkins only has 19 minutes in penalties this year, but those penalties have come at inopportune times. Harkins needs to realize that the points will come to a high talent such as him, but in the meantime, he needs to focus on other aspects of his game so that when his offensive touch does come back in spades, his other parts of his game elevate his value to the Jets to a whole new level. It is not a time to press the panic button on Harkins just yet, but he needs to find his groove that made him the highest drafted Cougar since Brett Connolly went 6th overall to the Lightning. Grade: C

Sports 15 Filbert Cartoons

By Anthony Labonté

Video Game Review: Undertale Colin Slark Editor in Chief

T

here has been an embarrassment of riches for gamers this year. Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V, and the latest installments in various series with annual installments have been released to critical success and high sales numbers, but none of them can compare with what is truly the greatest game of the year. Released back in September, indie PC game Undertale has taken critics by surprise, becoming one of the top rated games of all time for computers. How has it managed to do this? Copious amounts of originality and charm.

Created by indie developer Toby Fox and friends, Undertale is an 2D role-playing game that mixes elements of turnbased and real-time combat systems. When fighting a creature, you play a timing minigame to determine how much damage you do and then when you are attacked, you play a minigame reminiscent of bullet hell games where you control a heart representing your character and guide it so enemy attacks do not connect and damage you. It is a fun addition that lets you feel more involved in your battles than the standard, where you select an action, then your opponent selects an action and so on, without the player doing anything other than selecting items from a menu.

While the bullet hell aspect is new, the idea of interactive

battles in turn-based role-playing games is not as various RPGs, especially the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series have been doing it for years, but what is really remarkable are the nonviolent ways you can interact with enemies.

You have a list of actions you can perform with every enemy in the game. You can flirt with some, joke with others, and even get into flexing contests with one particular creature. The upside to this is that you forsake your ability to attack or flee for a turn, but in return you get to weaken, distract, or even convince enemies that they should stop fighting with you. That is right, you can complete Undertale without killing a single living creature. Doing so means you do not earn any experience points, which means it is possible to beat the game with your character still being at level 1. It is more than a novelty too, the game’s characters will react to you differently depending on how violent or nonviolent you are. This brings up another high point of the game; the writing and character design.

Undertale is the funniest, most charming game in ages. Every character, down to random creatures standing around has an unique design and personality. The principal characters are so interesting, that you are heartened to see them appear again, because you want to figure them out or read their laugh out loud dialogue. The humour is great because it does not rely extensively on references to outside material, or

stereotypes, but the characters’ actions and personalities.

That being said, the game gets surprisingly dark if you choose to be a murderer. If you play nonviolently, you can befriend many of the game’s characters, but if you play violently, they will react to you differently according to different levels of violence. They always retain their core essence, but the way they, and the world with them shifts to match your demeanor as a whole is impressive. Many games let you indulge your inner sociopath, letting you carve a bloody swath through various places. It is easy to do so in such a game because many of your victims are featureless, uninteresting shells, devoid of any distinguishment from anyone else in the environment. In Undertale, when you kill a creature, you feel like you are killing a person, and you feel guilt.

This review has been scarce on exact details, because this reviewer feels that the game is a personal experience.

You should play the game exactly how you want to play it and you will get a variation of the story to match. Once you have played through once, go ahead and look up how to reach all the endings and easter eggs, because they are many, and most of them help flesh out the game’s world or backstory. The characters are interesting, the writing carries weight and is funny, the music is varied and a joy to listen to, and the attention to detail is extraordinary. For what it attempts to do, Undertale is essentially perfect.

Coffee Break

(To be used as wrapping paper)