Over The Edge
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Volume 21, Issue 2
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Letter from the
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Hey UNBC,
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hese last few weeks, I’ve been contemplating the value of my degree at UNBC. After spending thousands of
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dollars, procrastinating on assignments until the stress made me sick, trying to balance working a part time job, attending class, completing readings, and somewhere, in all of it, building meaningful post-secondary relationships, how much value do I take from my degree? The fact that I obtained a degree in the arts certainly makes me less employable than my scientific colleagues, but would I have been better off taking a degree that I hated, in order to guarantee myself a job upon completion? I think it depends on whom you ask. I knew, when I began my degree, that it
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would be considered a waste of time to many. I never begrudged people who asked me, “What are you going to do with that when you’re done?� I smiled politely, and explained that I had some ideas, but that I wasn’t really sure. I went into the arts because I loved them, not because of the target at the end. I’ll be the last to say I obtained my fulltime job as a direct result of my degree. However, I will say that having a degree has allowed me to explore a career path and career options that I would not have had available to me otherwise. This would probably be true in any degree I take. Having an arts degree from a small
university has certainly granted me with practical knowledge about my subject; more importantly, it has given me an experiential understanding of the world around me, and has taught me to think critically. Certainly, throughout my time at UNBC, I questioned the purpose of higher education and the overall system of which I was a part, but I also learned about the consequences that each one of our decisions makes to the world. Hopefully, you take similar lessons away from your own degrees, and get some good stories out of the experience as well. Cheers!
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s Publisher. SuIn is in charge of running the business. She is also tasked with the role of representing Over the Edge at public events around town. Aside from our student newspaper, she also organized the Northern Academic Debate Challenge in 2013 for the UNBC debate club, and remains an active member of the UNBC community.
If you have any ads you would like to submit to Over the Edge, you can email SuIn at ote-publisher@unbc.ca.
Over The Edge 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. We are an equal opportunity publication which represents students in the UNBC and Prince George community. Our publication supports student writing by welcoming news, arts, sports, culture and opinion articles as well as photography, comics, and creative writing submissions.
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. Support is always needed and no experience is required, help make Over The Edge better. We want to hear from you! Call us at 250-960-5633, tweet us @overtheedgeunbc, email us at ote-newspaper@ unbc.ca and be sure to like us on facebook. For more information, please visit our redesigned website at overtheedgenewspaper.ca. Next deadline: September 24, 2014
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rant is a joint major in Poli-Sci and General Business. Before joining OTE, he was involved in numerous on-campus activities, such as the Commerce Student Society, and the Society of Business Program Students at the CNC. He was also a student representative of the Colleges Board of Governors. Grant looks forward to working with the Over the Edge team to help bring news and student events to everyone here at UNBC.
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aryna is a first year Science student at UNBC. She was born and raised in Ukraine, and could barely speak any English when her family immigrated to Canada seven years ago. Maryna wrote for her high school’s newspaper, and is now very excited to gain more experience writing for Over the Edge. Maryna loves hiking, camping, reading, and photography. If you see her around campus snapping photos, smile, because you might end up on the OTE pages!
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ndrew Paul Kenway is a pretty cool guy. He's heavily involved in literary works, film, and fun. His primary goals writing for Over the Edge include tackling social issues that are far too big for him to personally have any effect on, and making money. Known for his unreasonably great advice on nearly everything, he is an invaluable addition to the team.
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s a Poli-Sci/International Studies joint major in her final year of study, Kelley is incredibly passionate about the community. Her second year involved in Over the Edge, she is extremely excited to venture out of the office this year to make sure everyone gets a chance to engage in the amazing campus community that UNBC has to offer. She will likely be seen buzzing around from event to event like the busy little bee she can be.
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ntering her second year with Over the Edge as Production Coordinator, Isabelle makes the paper as beautiful as she can manage. She’s currently completing a degree in English at UNBC, and hopes to teach English in Japan next year. When she’s not in the office, you can probably find her at Degrees.
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ames is currently pursuing his BEd at UNBC, and holds a BA with a joint major in Poli-Sci and History. His main interests include Canadian History and Political Institutions. He’s excited to contribute to Over the Edge since this student-oriented newspaper deals with issues specific to students in the north, who quite often suffer from a lack of proper representation in Canada. The extra money also helps to fund his chronic bubble wrap addiction.
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ani is a graduate student in Computer Science, focusing on programing. His general policy is procrastination, and his special goal planned for next year is registering a “procrastination club” for those who are interested in postponement in any circumstances. Mani is excited about Over the Edge, and is looking forward to a happy and productive school year. He believes that we will make a substantial contribution to UNBC.
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olin is a third-year English and History student who is not from Prince George originally, although he has lived here most of his life. He’s a big fan of comic books and all things Science Fiction and Fantasy. He was interested in contributing to Over the Edge because he loves writing and wanted an excuse to do it on a regular basis.
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rady “Smoke” Stark, currently in his second year of the UNBC education program, has been a huge sports fan ever since his father sat with him to watch the Canucks 94 Stanley Cup Final run. Unfortunately for Smoke, he was a Calgary Flames fan at the time and was sorely disappointed. He is currently the host of “The Smoke Show” on CFUR 88.7, which is enjoying its third season of sports talk radio.
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his is Nahid’s second year with Over the Edge. She is currently completing her master’s degree in Computer Science, and is at UNBC as an international student from Iran. She enjoys reading books and watching movies, which is reflected in her writing for Over the Edge.
UNBC Life A student review of the Dining Hall: Kelley Warre Multimedia Coordinator
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s a student who experienced the controversy that the announcement of the new Dining Hall brought last year, I must admit that I was skeptical at best about the new food options. Walking into the dining hall feels awkward to me. I am not a fan of the tunnel effect that the design choice creates. The old cafeteria flowed with the rest of the campus. This stark white dining hall entrance feels alien. Aesthetically, I would feel more at home if the design was more cohesive: either staying with the architecture of the rest of the university, or closing the dining hall off entirely with doors. However, aesthetics are truly not that important in the grand scheme of things.
Mike Watson Shelley Termuende | OTE
The layout of the food and the options being served were a more positive experience. It is immediately clear that
you get a lot of options and choices for your money, which makes you feel a little better about spending the $10 for a single entrance or the $2000 plus for the semester-long meal plan. I really liked the make-your-own salad bar. Being able to put in exactly what you want by yourself is incredibly convenient and welcome. I also picked up a small cup of coconut curry soup and some sushi for round one. This brought me to my first major annoyance: the lack of trays in the dining hall. I was later told that the lack of trays and small plates was a purposeful decision to keep students from over-serving themselves and contributing to food waste. While this made me a little more understanding of the decision, it did not make the balancing act of two plates, a cup of soup, cutlery, and a glass of Sprite any less difficult. Some of the food was mediocre: the
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sushi was lackluster, with a non-optimal rice-to-fish ratio. However, some of it was really good. The coconut curry soup was delicious, and I thoroughly enjoyed my salad. While the small plates were not really a problem, I found the small glasses incredibly inconvenient. I was constantly getting up to refill, because the glasses were child’s sized. I finished two more rounds, tasting a little bit of everything. I appreciated the small serving sizes for this reason--tasting multiple items in such a way was not an option we had last year. The food itself was pretty good, and the quality has definitely increased. If you utilize the options well, it is definitely worth the price. Most new and returning students I spoke to felt the same. If you break down the price of the meal plan and compare it to restaurant meals, you definitely come out ahead, and there is less stress of having to figure out meals.
Viva la Green revolution! Michael Watson NUGSS Sustainability Representative
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am proud to say that there are many exciting opportunities to get involved with the green movement here on campus. Do not be scared! There are currently several projects and events underway, through which faculty, staff, and students can become involved with volunteering, organizing, or becoming a committee member. Participation in campus activities is an important way to
build the the community here at UNBC. There is a lot happening, so do not miss out on some valuable opportunities! A few current initiatives include the SGU Dome Greenhouse, the University Farmers’ Market on Tuesdays, Bike to School Week (Sept 15-19), PGPIRG’s Compost Program, and various Green Fund projects. If interested in participating or starting a project, please contact and/or visit me at the NUGSS Office (nugss-sustainability@ unbc.ca), or Kyrke Gaudreau in the Green University Centre (sustainability@ unbc.ca) for more information.
There are still parts I am skeptical of. My Pantry, for instance, sounds wonderful on paper, but may not live up to our expectations. The kitchen is quite small, so I am unsure how it could accommodate all the students who may want to cook their own meals, especially once they start removing the kitchens from the student residences next year. For students with specialized dietary restrictions it will be nice, but for others it may be more hassle than it is worth. While it stocks fresh ingredients and an array of spices, there seems to be a reluctance to stock premium ingredients. Ultimately, my final verdict is that the new food options are neither better nor worse, they are merely different. The Dining Hall is not bad enough to make me actively avoid it, but it is not good enough to drag me out of the Thirsty Moose either.
Finally, thanks to those who attended the SGU Dome Greenhouse Grand Opening event. After a short while, the construction and building of the Dome is complete! Soon plants will be growing and delivered to the Thirsty Moose Pub, creating a local food circuit right on campus. Email sgu. dome.greenhouse@gmail.com to get involved or to ask further questions. I am glad to see all your shining faces on campus. Feel free to start a conversation!
UNBC Life
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NBCGSS: UNBC’s Graduate Student Society Brooke Boswell NBCGSS President
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reetings from NBCGSS! Whether you are a new or returning graduate student, we hope you are enjoying your new semester as we celebrate UNBC’s 25th Anniversary.
It has been an amazing term as President of NBCGSS, with an impressively dedicated team of colleagues on the Executive
and Grad Councils. In the world of student societies/unions, NBCGSS is still considered relatively small and young, and it has been a very rewarding experience to see our work bringing vitality and visibility to our organization. The time has come, however, to pass the torch of many of our positions into new, very capable hands. NBCGSS will be holding elections for its executive and council on October 10. Information sessions will be provided throughout the beginning
of September, and the nomination period will run from September 22 to 29. Successful nominees will campaign from September 30 to October 9, and a question and answer session will be scheduled during this period as well. Please contact the NBCGSS office (7-168) for more information: gssoffice@unbc. ca or 250-960-5671, or you can reach us on Facebook. Our office hours are 9:00am-1:00pm, Monday to Friday.
Maryna Dakhno | OTE
The Northern British Columbia Graduate Student Society is here to provide services and support the quality of life of graduate students at UNBC. Founded
September 17, 1997, NBCGSS provides an extended health, vision, and dental plan, research equipment rentals, and various social events around campus. NBCGSS Executive and Graduate Council members represent grad students on boards and committees on campus, and advocate on your behalf to university faculty, staff, and administration.
Catalyst for the cultural revival at the Pit Maryna Dakhno Team Member
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here is a new nook on the block, where you are invited to relax around a fire with a circle of friends. The grand opening of the UNBC pit house was on September 6. A traditional winter dwelling used by many indigenous people, the pit house was built in the Dakelh style, on traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, in Forests for the World behind UNBC. Dakelh are indigenous people from north-central British Columbia. Over the summer, a handful of students dug four feet into
the ground, transported and assembled logs, and covered the structure in dirt. The class chose to only use ropes, rollers, muscles, and the occasional chainsaw. Having the house extend into the ground helps to keep it cool during hot summer days, and warm during winter. Not only were students taught how to build this traditional First Nations house, they also told UNBC about how they learned a lot about aboriginal culture and earned school credit. Vince Prince, the course instructor, says that completing the pit house in only a month was a big challenge. He also commented that the bigger challenge they
had to overcome was not lifting the logs without machinery, but getting approval to get this project off of the ground. The pit house was built by fifteen First Nations Studies students, a few of which were high school youth. This course is part of UNBC’s Undergraduate Experiential Service Learning Program; the program takes students outside of the classroom to learn real life skills in hands-on situations. By becoming a recipient of a 25th Anniversary Award, the course also received funding to hire these same students as tour guides of the pit house in the future. “People are very curious and excited to hear
more about the Dakelh culture, and the students are eager to share what they have learned throughout the course,” said Jennifer Pighin, a teaching assistant with the course. “The pit house has truly become a space of cultural exchange, and another catalyst for the cultural revival of Dakelh knowledge.” Those of you who have already been for the short hike to get away from the first week’s university stress might have encountered this impressive structure. Passer-bys are more than welcome to come in and build a fire inside, as long as they do not disturb the tidiness and peace of the pit house.
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DJ ANT Maryna Dakhno | OTE
BACKYARD BBQ A
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Speed Control Maryna Dakhno | OTE
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Kelley Ware Multimedia Coordinator
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he warmth and sun of September 5 made for a wonderful Backyard BBQ. As always, the yearly NUGSS event offered students a free BBQ lunch. Evening greeted students with Prince George’s own DJ ANT playing the stage at the annual outdoor concert, while the NUSC event space was turned into a beer garden offering a selection of Caribou brews. This year’s band selection saw amazing talent from Western and Northern Canada. In addition to DJ ANT, who spun during the first and middle sets, Backyard BBQ brought in Whitehorse rockers Speed Control and Vancouver indieelectro-RnB band DiRTY RADiO to rock UNBC for the night.
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peed Control was up first, sounding like a love-child of Blink 182 and the Barenaked Ladies, raised on pure rock and roll. Their set included stage banter, nicknames, a song about a grocery store, and a lunge competition. It was obvious from the first note that these guys were a wonderful mix of fun, seriousness, and sass. The band consists of Graeme Peters on guitar and vocals, Jody Peters on bass and vocals, and Ian March on drums. The guys were just as crazy offstage as they are onstage, even after 22 hours of driving to get to us. From eating bacon for 100 days in a row to bodybuilding competitions and superheroes, there was a little bit of everything discussed backstage with Speed Control. When asked about their writing style, the consensus was that it ultimately came to pressure. Much like term papers, for Speed Control writing songs is all about pressure and deadlines. Bassist Jody explained a perfect example:
DIRTY RADIO
“Graeme co-wrote a rock opera and they had 24 hours to write it, except Graeme forgot so he had three hours to write the music.” “I wrote [the music for] 24 songs in three hours,” Graeme added, “we had a couple of days to practice and learn the songs, then performed it the next week. The show sold out.” While a university campus is not their typical venue, UNBC is not the strangest place where Speed Control has performed. They have played at a biker bar located next to the world record holder of hubcaps attached to a building (this one may have ended in a full bar brawl). This does not mean the boys do not have a serious side. one of their passions as a group is their work with children. “We are very much about music education,” Jody said, “we are all music educators and do history of rock and roll in schools because their music budgets have been cut and that’s one way we can get music
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fter Speed Control got students rocking out, DiRTY RADiO got them up and dancing with their unique mix of electro-RNB. DiRTY RADiO was loud, exciting, and fun to listen to. Backstage, the members of DiRTY RADiO were
DiRTY RADiO Right: Zack Forbes; Middle: Farshad Edalat; Left: Anthony Dolhai Ditry Radio
back in kids’ lives. We teach rock and roll camps for kids in the summer so kids can physically have instruments in their hands and make lots of noise.” Their original school tour of British Columbia will be on hold due to the teacher’s strike, and postponed until February of next year.
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SPEED CONTROL
UNBC Life
Speed Control Right: Jody Peters; Middle: Graeme Peters; Left: Ian March Maryna Dakhno | OTE
completely zen. Over the Edge got to speak to Farshad “Shaddy” Edalat (vocals and percussion), Anthony Dolhai (piano and synthesizers) and Zack Forbes (drums, keyboards, and production) about their music, label, and future plans. They still had a wonderful sense of humor. To answer the question “how dirty is the radio?” Zack smiled, “Mr. Clean died while trying,” he said with a laugh before getting down to business.
is never a problem for them because they can work off of each other, their strengths, and their weaknesses. They all come from very different backgrounds, contributing to their unique sound. Shaddy’s background is in jazz and RnB, Zack has a background in punk and metal, and Anthony is classically trained. All of these backgrounds have a cross-section in electronic beats, which makes DiRTY RADiO’s music both diverse and cohesive.
They spoke about the importance of consistency in their music, writing, and recording process, as well as the luck of having their own studio and label to support them.
“We are really lucky as a team since we can compensate for each other’s lack of whatever,” Zack told Over the Edge, “Everyone is really good at something; we are like a team of superheroes.”
“We share a record studio that we built together,” Zack said, “It’s really inspiring to work out of there. We have our own label called Trickery, and it is licensed and distributed through 604 and Universal… It allows us to create music and still own the music, something most musicians don’t get.”
DiRTY RADiO recently launched a Soundcloud campaign where they have something special for their fans. Visiting www.soundcloud.com/dirtyradiomusic for a new song released every two weeks until Christmas and the release of their new record. The Soundcloud campaign started on September 3, so there are already new songs to check out.
They spoke about how writer’s block
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Teachers, Langley B.C. BCTeacherInfo
A strike for education: BC Liberals and #BCed Tyson Kelsall Contributor
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t is not a new discovery. Neo-liberals, like the ones that form British Columbia’s current majority government, have a problem with the public sector unions. They have a problem with organized labour in general. The messiah of neoliberalism and privatization, Ronald Reagan, famously fired 12,000 air traffic controllers when they tried to demand better wages. This issue, however, runs deeper than the frontline workers. What is going on between the BC Liberals and the BC Teacher’s Federation has moved beyond negotiating pay for adults, but effecting the life of most BC youth between kindergarten and grade 12. Either the Liberals really
believe they know what is right for the next generation, or they are so blinded by their ideology that they’re fighting labour for the sake of fighting labour. So, let’s dismantle what has happened. In 2002, now Premier (then Education Minister) Christy Clark destroyed the contract that had been negotiated between teachers and the government. The majority Liberal government passed Bill-28, which was seen as unconstitutional. A decade later, the Liberals tried to pass another bill, Bill-22, which Justice Susan Griffin ruled against, as it was essentially the exact same thing. Griffin ruled that the Liberals’ “strategy was to put such pressure on the union that it would provoke a strike... The
government representatives thought this would give government the opportunity to gain political support for imposing legislation on the union.” In other words, the Liberals could force a strike because they thought it would help them politically, putting students in the middle of their political games. Now there is a vacuum. There is no contract because the Liberals are now appealing the Supreme Court’s ruling. Their identical bills have twice been seen as unconstitutional, and now they are once again appealing it. For schools to be back in session, the government has to put some money in a pot to fund classes until the appeal is done, or to negotiate a contract with pre-
2002 class sizes and the pay increase that the teachers are currently demanding. A research paper from Statistics Canada shows that BC teachers are the worst paid per student out of any province or territory in Canada, as of 2011. The BCTF are currently asking for an 8% pay increase over 5 years, which is broken down to 3.5% the first year, and 1.5% the next four years after that. On September 10, over 30,000 teachers voted 99.4% towards binding arbitration. BCTF is ready to agree to whatever a 3rd party mediator decides upon for a settlement to reopen schools. Clark and the Liberals just have to allow this to happen. Will they allow the students of British Columbia to continue their education, or will they force the strike to be continued?
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Paying for A’s: a look into incentive-based teaching A
s of the publication of this paper, the BCTF will have entered its third week of job action since summer’s end. Understandably, parents are becoming increasingly concerned for their children’s education. Teacher wages have been a central stumbling block in this conflict, with both the BCTF and British Columbia Liberal Party refusing to accept the demands of the other. In a study conducted by the Fraser Institute, Vicki Alger discussed the possibility of having a teacher’s pay linked to the achievements of their students. The Fraser Institute, a conservative-leaning and non-partisan organization, argues that offering incentives to teachers based on student performance is not only in the best interest of the students, but will keep Canada competitive.
In my opinion, financial incentives for teachers based on student performance is nonsense. Such a program will do more harm to disadvantaged students than good to privileged ones, and is based on faulty assumptions regarding the profession of teaching. This suggestion is not new to Canada. During the last provincial election in Ontario, Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak made student-achievement incentives a campaign issue. This was a contributing factor to his electoral defeat, along with his promise to end 100,000 public sector jobs. Alger wrote that if such a method were to be in place, negotiations would have to be conducted between teachers and the government concerning the details of the specific incentives. Whenever student-achievement incentives are brought up as political issues, the definition of achievement is
often withheld. Most people associate student achievement with good grades, rather than skill development. As a result, incentive bonuses would be distributed among teachers with more A-students. The problem with such a system is that it creates a disincentive for teachers attempting to help disadvantaged students since that would lower the class average and reduce their financial incentive. If incentives were to be distributed by skill development rather than by grade, then the teacher who is capable of teaching enhanced skill development should be paid more than the teacher who has a class of A-students. However, the Canadian Education system dissuades both these extremes by attempting to bring fair, equal education to children throughout all of Canada. Northern, rural Canada is guaranteed the same quality of education as southern, urban Canada. As a result, teachers are currently not paid
A hidden effect of the BCTF strike here at UNBC Nahid Tehari Team Member
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unior students are worried, stressed, and afraid here at UNBC. I have noticed that they are under pressure in their classes, especially mathematics, since they didn’t get to finish courses in high school in June due to the teacher’s strike. They have been in a panic about their courses at UNBC. Even if they learned enough in high school, many have lost their self-confidence. It seems that they need just some extra sessions to review the materials, since they only missed two weeks of classes. Even though it is not the responsibility of UNBC
staff and faculty, some learning groups are tasked with helping new students, reviewing important topics, and asking if they have special problems that they really need help with. One math tutor claimed that there should not be that much problem with this year students, but the next year students probably will have major issues, since the end of the BCTF strike is unpredictable.
by the grades they give their students, but by their experience in the workplace and their academic qualifications. The Fraser Institute is also mistaken in their assumption that financial incentives would improve a student’s education. According to UBC professor Wayne Ross in a statement to the Globe and Mail, the intentions of most teachers are altruistic rather than financial. In most cases, financial gain is not the prime motivator in their workplace. Rather, teachers strive to set the framework for students to be successful in their adult life. If the Fraser Institute wants to advocate for an improved quality of education for students, they should be advocating that quality resources be available to all students regardless of their academic abilities rather than focusing on student performance based on academic excellence alone.
MACE, UNBC Nahid Tehari | OTE
James Mangan Team Member
Culture 7 Webcomics to Help Stave Off Boredom Colin Slark Team Member
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omic books can be expensive. The four dollar books look thick, but every fourth page has an ad, and the first couple of pages are usually a recap from the previous issue. Fortunately, there are many long-form webcomics that are as good as the big name comics, but available at no cost to the reader. Here is a list of seven webcomics with great ongoing stories to help keep you from getting bored. Cucumber Quest by Gigi D.G.: This twice-weekly comic is about two siblings seeking magical items that can help them defeat the ultimate evil that has taken over their kingdom. Yes, it sounds cliché, but Cucumber Quest delights in making fun of common adventure genre tropes. The writing is whimsical and funny, and the art looks spectacular, looking like a digital watercolour painting. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson: Ballister Blackheart was a mediocre supervillain until the day when a shape-shifting teenage girl named Nimona offered to become his new sidekick. Together, they are a powerful force working to show the people of the world that their benevolent rulers aren’t so benevolent, all the while collecting buckets of loot. Now if only Nimona would stop causing so much collateral damage.
Bachan: In the world of Power Nap, the problem of sleep has been solved. Citizens are given “Z Supplements,” which give the user’s body the benefit of a good night’s sleep without actually having to take the time out of their day. This allows people to work 16 hours workdays for massive corporations. Unluckily for the main character, Drew, he is one of a small number of people who are allergic to these supplements, which makes him very valuable to certain people who study dreams. Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran: Unlike the rest of the webcomics I have recommended on this list, there is nothing fantastical about Octopus Pie. Instead, it is a slice-oflife comic featuring a bunch of twenty-somethings living in New York and coming to grips with having to be adults. It’s funny, sometimes sad, and touching. Camp Weedonwantcha by Katie Rice: In Camp Weedonwantcha, kids are sent to a summer camp that, as far as the kids can tell, does not actually have an exit. This comic is like a much friendlier version of Lord of the Flies. There are no deaths or severed pig heads here, as we are given a dramedy, where there are jokes about kids being left to their own devices, but also sad moments where the kids realize that they miss the structure and guidance that having adults around provided them.
Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a bunch of kids go to a secret school to learn about the hidden magic inherent in the world. Yes, Gunnerkrigg Court is similar to Harry Potter on a surface level, but is radically different once you delve into it. The Court in which the kids live is one part boarding school, and one part embassy to the creatures of the magical world. The art in the series visibly improves as the artist develops his style, and the adventures of protagonists Antimony and Kat are fascinating, dealing with things like magical creatures, trickster gods, and sentient robots. Broodhollow by Kris Straub: This horror comic is more than meets the eye. This comic does horror right. The humans in the strip are drawn very simplistically, and thing seem somewhat cute, soft and, harmless. However, when Lovecraftian monsters emerge to torment Zane, they are creepy and disturbing. The monsters are not ever present, but menace is a constant threat. When the creepy crawlies emerge, they leave a lasting impression in the mind of the reader. Power Nap by Maritza Campos and
Nimona Noelle Stevenson
Culture 11 Common sense in social media Grant Bachand Team Member
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ocial media is a powerful tool for people to stay in contact, and reach beyond their circles; it unites us in ways that few things have ever done. We can use social media to find jobs, sell unwanted items, connect with distant family, etc. Truly, the range of what social media can do is limited only by our imaginations. However, do we as students know how to properly protect ourselves on social media, or the damage that can be done to one’s reputation? In my time at school, I have seen examples of students facing consequences of scoial media misuse that range from being severely put back in their studies, to being kicked out of school altogether. I have been a proponent of colleges and universities opening up more to the Internet and social media, and I would like to think that UNBC is a very pro-technology school. I do think, however, that we as a student body
could do more to educate ourselves in ways to be safe online. People post online without the forethought of what consequences their actions might have. What is funny in the moment doesn’t always translate well to the rest of us. A quick Google search and one can find tons of examples of people who, by not using enough tact when on social media, have lost jobs, friends, and sometimes even social stature. Anthony Weiner is a great example of this; as a member US House of Representatives, he had served several terms in Congress. That was until he “sexted” a young woman a picture of his genitals and lost his position. Even the mightiest can fall; the world is very unforgiving place. Other cases have popped up in the news: people may of been just ranting about their day at work, but their boss found out, and leading to their termination as an employee. What does that mean to you? My writing these things means nothing; I am just a student who has really no pull
in other people’s future, though if the same feelings are felt by a person in the business world, good luck having them take you seriously. Plenty of employers think this way too;. They want people who use their heads before they speak (or type). The old saying, common sense is really not all that common still applies. I would really like it if, as students, we would apply a bit more pressure on ourselves and our peers to think before they speak, and maybe use a bit more common sense when using social media. We can protect ourselves easily by asking ourselves before posting: “Am I okay with my boss or mother seeing this post? Can I explain my actions easily, and does what I am trying to convey in this message make sense in the most straightforward way?” Lets face it, people do not think of what you say to a great extent; they take most of your words for face value on the internet. If none of those things can be answered immediately as yes, don’t post it. We are going into the best years of our lives, which are going to be full of ups and downs. Why not make it a little easier on ourselves?
Comic-land: let’s talk about butts Colin Slark Team Member
is in a pitched battle with evil robots. On the covers for the male characters’ books, their power and heroism is clear.
rtist Milos Manara has created a very special alternate cover for the first issue of Marvel’s new SpiderWoman comic. The titular heroine is featured on all fours, straddling a New York rooftop. It is a very striking piece of art, mostly because Spider-Woman’s body seems to be somewhat altered from average human anatomy. Her limbs distend and her spine, shoulder blades, and other bones are visible through her skin-tight costume. The crown jewel is Spider-Woman’s butt. Her posterior is featured prominently, as the rest of her body seems to be a plinth on which the butt is displayed. Her body seems to be approximately one-quarter butt.
The website comicsbeat.com published an article last February saying that women make up around 46% of comic book fans in the United States. Nearly half of comic book fans are women, but the market seems intent on aiming their books at immature young men. Men are displayed as being powerful and heroic, while women seem to have to be posed in such a way that both their breasts and their butt have to be showing while making a sexy pose. If women make up nearly half of their readership, comic book companies should spend less time pandering to part of their audience, and should instead make their books accessible for all readers.
The character becomes irrelevant. It doesn’t matter that Spider-Woman is supposed to be any kind of superhero in this book, because this cover is telling the reader that the real star is her giant ass. For comparison, in the same week, other, male protagonists were shown on their covers doing the following: Thor, channeling lightning with his magical hammer; Magneto, fending off mutant animals with his powers of magnetism; and Spider-Man from the year 2099
If you want to read books that are friendly towards women, the solution is to avoid the two biggest comic book publishers, DC and Marvel. Though both companies (especially Marvel) have been hiring more women as of late and making more female friendly books, covers like this one and others, like many covers of Teen Titans, where scantily clad girls are in sexy poses for the entertainment of adults show that they are not committed to making
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their products accessible across audiences. If you want to read comics where people (acting like people) are treated like real individuals, read creatorowned comics. Virtually all Spider-Woman #1 Milo Manara | Marvel the major North American comic companies feature product lines where the creators own the work they produce. This means that these creators can write whatever they want without making products that meet some sort of marketing criteria. It’s not a universal constant, but many of these books have characters acting like people, and not like stereotypes.
News From beavers to bears: the changing Canadian fur trade
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Andrew Kenway Team Member
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hen you hear of the Canadian Fur Trade, you might think of 17th century people wearing beaver-pelt hats and a whole lot of cultural tension. It’s undeniably one of the cornerstones of Canada’s economy in its developing years and well after. The modern fur-trade, after having fallen for decades, is once again suddenly booming. This is both because of new Chinese capitalists revitalizing the industry and, of course, to the increasing rarity of the Canadian Polar Bear. Wearing furs has been a status symbol long recognized throughout much of European history, as is making sure you collect one of an animal before they’re frustratingly extinct. While wearing it once
might have bragged “I have disposable income,” when confronted with the modern world, the sentiment simply shows how out of touch the person wearing it is. With a lot of modern fashion finding itself more interested in the wardrobehabits of the lower classes, the idea of wearing fur out in public to anything but a luxury event seems laughable. Even for a major event, it’s something rarely looked upon as favourable. To some, a dead fox hanging around someone’s neck might just seem like the tailor hadn’t finished turning it into clothes. Even in popular culture, it is a trend that seems to have rarely gained much favour. It is done simply because it’s expensive and supposedly something rich people are expected to do. However, considering that the only public advocate for fur trade in popular culture in recent years was
Cruella Deville, it’s safe to say it’s not a particularly fond stance to take. While these ancient fashion trends are less likely to invite a bucket of red paint than they might’ve in the nineties, one is still likely to receive a barrage of disapproving glares. Despite the negative connotations of pelts as clothing, there’s no shortage of demand for the pelts from across the Pacific. It is hardly a new thing for the wealthy to use their means to obtain status symbols, from massive homes and shiny cars to whatever rich people happen to be into that week. It has become obvious that the polar bear, in all its rare glory, has become one of these items. Canada personally supports this trade, narrowly stopping an attempt from Russia and the United States attempting to put an end to the international polar bear fur trade.
Considering how much these skins go for, it is not hard to imagine why selling them has become such an enticing form of employment. National Post reported that in one of these auctions, one polar bear skin sold for a record-breaking 22,000 dollars to one buyer, who intended to mount it and sell it again for 70,000 to 90,000 overseas. While the threat to polar bears still remains an undefined and ominous one, the industry brought in 706 million dollars in exports in 2012. t is a dangerous approach to how we handle one of our potentially endangered species. While it might be difficult to turn down cash that could pay off half a student loan in a single pelt, it remains a dangerous precedent to bhow Canada handles species that have be hunted to near extinction.
News 13 Carleton University students protest Safe Space policy Colin Slark Team Member
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ttawa’s Carleton University had a rough first week. As reported on the CBC, multiple leaders were found during orientation week at an off-campus party wearing t-shirts with the words “Fuck Safe Space” on the front. Many institutions have similar policies, but Carleton’s website defines their Safe Space policy as “An interactive workshop designed to reduce homophobia and heterosexism on campus and to increase the visibility of supportive people and positive spaces for the GLBTQ community on campus.” One student has been banned from campus after being charged with three counts of sexual assault. The question is why would students, especially ones working to welcome
newcomers, attack a policy meant to create a safe and inclusive space for students to learn? This incident smacks off the commonly-held belief that giving non-white, non-straight, or nonChristian individuals the freedom to be who they are is an assault against the majority of people. Last year, orientation leaders from a commerce club at UBC and orientation leaders at Halifax’s Saint Mary’s University both led new students in similar chants that promoted non-consensual and underage sex. New students are arriving at post-secondary institutions to find a culture that is allowed to be toxic and potentially harmful to a large segment of the people on campus. Some Carleton students went on Twitter to argue that the shirts weren’t meant to be offensive and that they were only protesting anti-swearing rules contained
within the Safe Space rules. In the case of the chants at UBC, some students complained that they were only following some kind of tradition. However, those assertions ring hollow. These students didn’t attack one aspect of the program, they attacked the program as a whole. The UBC students shouted out loud that women were objects only fit for sexual gratification by males. What these students have forgotten is that programs like this are not designed for them alone; they’re designed to protect them and people who aren’t like them. Unfortunately, this incident and the alleged sexual assaults prove why institutions need these kinds of rules in place.
Students protest Safe Space limitations Leslie Robertson
DevinFlack Deviantart
Sports
2014-15 Season preview Colin Slark Team Member
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he 2013-14 season was certainly an interesting one for the Vancouver Canucks. The team didn’t make the playoffs, but they were sure entertaining. Their new coach, John Tortorella, only lasted one season (probably because trying to fistfight other teams’ coaches is generally frowned upon, and failing to make the playoffs just isn’t enough for most Canucks’ fans). On the ice, the Roberto Luongo saga finally came to an end as he was shipped back to Florida after a few seasons of unhappiness. Rumours that Ryan Kesler was wanted proved to be true as the versatile center was shipped off to Anaheim before the draft. The only thing the Canucks ended up
winning last season was a high draft pick. Forwards: At first glance, the Canucks appear to have less firepower than last season. Losing Ryan Kesler is a big blow. One of the players received in the Kesler trade, center Nick Bonino, actually had 6 more points than Kesler over the last season. David Booth’s departure was no big loss, but the loss of Mike Santorelli could be a problem. The addition of Radim Vrbata will be helpful as he has scored 60 points in multiple seasons. If Alex Burrows can get back into form, it will greatly help his usual linemates, the Sedins. With the potential ascension of prospects like Bo Horvat and Hunter Shinkaruk along with the Canucks’ other additions, they should score more goals this year. Defense: There’s not a whole lot different on the Canucks’ backend. Jason Garrison
was shipped out after a mediocre defensive season that was masked by good offensive numbers. Newcomer Luca Sbisa can fill Garrison’s defensive duties, but probably won’t reach the same kind of point totals. Rookie Frank Corrado could develop into a solid top-4 defender. As he has been for the last couple of years, new Prince George Cougars part owner Dan Hamhuis is the most consistent d-man on the blueline. Goaltending: The Canucks decided in the off-season to replace two-time Olympic gold medal winner Roberto Luongo with free agent Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller. Luongo and Miller have posted similar numbers in recent years, but Miller was playing for years on a bottom feeding Buffalo team. Another positive is that unlike Luongo, Miller wants to be here, which counts for a lot. Eddie Lack suffered under John Tortorella, being
thrown to the wolves after Luongo’s departure. Jacob Markstrom, who was received in the Luongo trade is surplus to requirements and will be traded or waived. Many of the Canucks’ moves this offseason appear to be sidegrades rather than upgrades. New GM Jim Benning helped build a perennial contender as the assistant GM in Boston, new coach Willie Desjardins has had success at lower level leagues, and new president Trevor Linden is someone who Canucks’ fans can be sure will put the needs of the team first. If this new management team can motivate old players to get back to playing their best hockey and motivate new players to live up to their potential, then they might be contending again in a couple years. This year though, I predict the Canucks making it no higher than a seventh or eighth playoff seed.
Sports 15 Brady Stark Team Member
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y now you probably know that the Canada Winter games is coming to Prince George in 2015. The two and a half week event will showcase amateur talent from across the country in 19 different sports. These sports range from ice hockey to wheelchair basketball. For the mere fact that the city gets national attention for putting on a celebrated event, this will be a positive thing for the Prince George community. Millions of eyes will be on the 2,400 athletes as they descend upon Prince George, showing their talents and proving that they are the best in the nation. Having such high caliber athletes for children to watch will give the younger citizens of PG the extra drive and motivation to strive for higher goals in sports and fitness. If a child can connect with an athlete as a peer, then they will be able to visualize what their potential could be like if they worked hard. The local economy will get a much
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Winter Games are coming needed boost as the influx of athletes, their families and coaches, and supporters will need lodging, food, and entertainment. The last great advantage in seeing the events is that people are exposed to different kinds of sports that usually don’t get the national attention deserved. The flip side of the argument is that it extends the spring break for kids in school, while also shutting down the portions of the city that are hosting each event. Well then, take advantage of the opportunity to see some events and immerse yourself in the sports culture. Either that or take a vacation to Florida, I hear they don’t pay much attention to winter athletes down there. When the time nears closer to the winter games, Over the Edge will be covering it in our issues as this reporter will have an in depth analysis of each sport and which are the top athletes to look as during the massive event. The games are good for our economy and great for sports in Canada.
Eugenie Bouchard: Canada’s new shooting star Brady Stark Team Member
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anada’s newest sweetheart has risen like a shining star, after one of the strongest summers of any tennis athlete. She has a world class personality. Her winning smile and her charming remarks of having a crush on Bieber are only the icing on the cupcake. What’s more, she dominates on the court; in Bouchard’s inaugural season in 2013, she managed a 4-3 match record, with her best result being a Wimbledon tournament 3rd round exit to Suarez Navarro. Through maturity and working with her coach Nick Saviano, Bouchard broke into the international spotlight in 2014 with a string of strong finishes in major tournaments. This included a final round matchup at the famed Wimbledon, where she lost in straight sets to Petra Kvitova. So, what is the reason for her rise to the 7th in the world? Bouchard’s strategy is to confuse her opponents into submission. There is an air of mystery to her gameplay that throws her opponents off their game and causes them to lose focus and
confidence. She is not a conventional player that goes by the tennis handbook and does every programmable move as proficiently as Roger Federer; instead she uses her vision on the court to move organically through the match and pick her spots to strike. Bouchard has the raw talent and ability that it takes to adapt to any changes in gameplay in order to get the advantage. Of course she has the fundamentals that every other player in the pro circuit must have to achieve that level, but Bouchard has the ability to read the ball and her opponent in the moment in order to find the best shot. It is interesting to see that her age sometimes leaks into the match as her inexperience and immaturity start to show when things do not go her way. The day before her Wimbledon final, Bouchard and her coach got into a heated debate during practice, which prompted reporters and professionals alike to speculate that she would be off her game. Unfortunately those postulations came to fruition with the straight set loss. It seems that Eugenie’s biggest obstacle to overcome right now just might be her emotions.
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