The Cascade Vol.25 Issue 20

SEPTEMBER 12 TO SEPTEMBER 18, 2018

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 20

No lifeguard on duty since 1993

3 Flooding in

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building b

Snail Mail

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Production Manager Caleb Campbell caleb@ufvcascade.ca

Jr. News Editor Edina Balint edina@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Jen Klassen jen@ufvcascade.ca

Social Media Writer Laurel Logan laurel@ufvcascade.ca Multimedia Editor Mikaela Collins mikaela@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kayt Hine kayt@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Simer Haer simer@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Cassie de Jong cassie@ufvcascade.ca Arts in Review Editor Martin Castro martin@ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

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Online Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca Social Media Coordinator Anjuman Grewal anjuman@ufvcascade.ca

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Uyen Nguyen

Cover: Kayt Hine Back Cover: Advertisement

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@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 26 · Issue 20 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

ARTS

Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

Editor-in-Chief Joel Robertson-Taylor joel@ufvcascade.ca

FEATURE

STAFF

NEWS

CONTENTS

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12 Snapshots.......6

13.......Study Break

Events Calendar.......10

14.......CIVL Shuffle

NEWS Flood in building B.......3

3.......DJ Khanvict gets khanceled 4.......Student orientation

The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley.

The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 1,000 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Writers meetings are held every Monday at 2:00 p.m. in The Cascade’s office on the Abbotsford campus.

In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved

by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 200 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

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OPINION Up SUB creek with no canoe.......5

7.......Accidental pyramid schemes

Editorial: What is SUS doing?.......7

CULTURE FLORA popup shop.......11

11.......Sunflowers

Flora and fantasy.......12

ARTS Snail Mail.......14

15.......The Tale

NEWS

Jessica Barclay — News Editor news@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Campus flood //

Pipe damage floods B building

NEWS BRIEFS Massive seniors’ housing proposal for Abbotsford A condominium development proposal has been under review by the City of Abbotsford since last fall. If approved, the housing project would be the largest condominium development project in Abbotsford’s history.

The proposal consists of a plan to build a 20-storey tower, three 18-storey towers, and three smaller apartment buildings on South Fraser Way. The application says the buildings are expected to be part of “a mixed use, multi-tenured seniors’ apartment and commercial village.” However, the space is situated on a parcel of land currently occupied by a Red Robin restaurant and more than a dozen homes; therefore, to proceed, the city would need to rezone the area.

-Abbotsford News

Reasons for the Supreme Court’s pipeline rejection The Federal Court of Appeal recently overturned the Canadian federal government’s approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, halting construction.

The project, now owned by the Canadian government, failed to conduct appropriate environmental reviews and negotiations with First Nations. Canada’s execution of the consultation process with Indigenous people fell short of the standard prescribed by the Supreme Court because Canada’s representatives did not engage in meaningful two-way dialogue with Indigenous applicants.

The National Energy Board also failed to consider the government’s obligations under the Species at Risk Act, which calls for planned measures to mitigate the impact of marine shipping on killer whales.

-The Tyee

Remediation to take six to eight weeks JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

Large blue fans fill the halls of B Building as restoration begins after a damaged pipe flooded the third floor Saturday afternoon, resulting in extensive water damage.

A third-party contractor damaged a 1 inch main water line while tiling the third floor bathroom. It took 30 minutes for the water shut off valve to be located, at which time the damaged pipe pumped an estimated 50 gallons of water per minute into the building. The subcontractor was the only contractor on site that morning.

“They called security and security got the facilities person in touch with them, but it took a little while for the instructions to reach the people on site,” said Dave Pinton.

The subcontractor was overseen by Dawn Construction. The company had been contracted for a variety of summer renovation projects throughout the campus, including the new ITS helpdesk, new assessment services, new D-building classrooms, and office and washroom improvements.

Remediation is underway, but early estimates of the damage indicate the work will not be done for 6 to 8 weeks. The initial process of drying is expected to be complete by this weekend.

Damage was concentrated to the south of the building, with the highest amount of damage on the third and fourth floors.

“Water flows downhill, as it does, and the impact was significant, not only on our faculty and staff but also on some of our infrastructure, like our ITS offices,” said Pinton.

No classrooms were damaged, and the cafeteria and lecture hall (B101) are operational. The S’eliyemetaxwtexw art

Water damage in IT services, before restoration work had began. (UFV)

gallery was undamaged by the flood, but a nearby art locker is being assessed for damaged, according to Pinton.

Information Technology Services offices and common area received heavy damage. The ITS helpdesk has a temporary location for walk in tech assistance in the Alumni Hall, outside the Office of the Registrar.

Heavy damaged also occurred to the AV tech room, advancement offices, and many faculty offices.

Those with damaged offices have been directly contacted to record damage to their office and retrieve personal items.

Temporary work spaces are bring set up for those unable to work in their offices.

“Many people are working from home

Fans drying offices on the third floor of B building, taken Monday evening (The Cascade)

in some cases,” said Pinton. “In other cases they've doubled up with other people whose offices weren't damaged. The university has also got an inventory of extra space and computer resources in some cases.”

“The patience and consideration showcased by those impacted by last weekend’s flooding in Building B has been exemplary,” Dr. Joanne Maclean, UFV president, said in an address over email.

“While it’s not the way we envisaged the Fall kicking off, this certainly isn’t a challenge we can’t overcome.”

There is no current monetary estimates for the full extent of the damage.

SUS News //

The Student Union Society cancels DJ concert EDINA BALINT JR. NEWS EDITOR

The Student Union Society (SUS) cancelled their on-campus concert with artists DJ Khanvict and DJ Morgan Lily short notice last week due to low ticket sales. The cancellation was announced on Sept. 6 through a press release issued

by SUS president Gurvir Gill, one day before the concert was scheduled.

A total of around 50 tickets

were sold to the event. The SUS began selling tickets during the summer months and early September. The SUS also shut down Fair Grounds coffee shop on campus during the New Student Orientation on Sept. 4 in order to sell more passes to the show.

The final cost for the concert would have been upwards of $20,000, according to Gill. Tickets for the event were sold for $15 per student.

“This is a reality of entertainment — sometimes the

interest isn’t there,” Gill said in the press release.

The press release reiterated the SUS’s commitment to bringing more events to the campus and encouraged students to participate actively in community building activities at UFV. Planning for the DJ show commenced in early July and the concert was promoted through multiple mediums such as via student emails, posters, and through the university’s social media.

The concert was planned to be held in the Student Union Building at Everend Hall, as a cap off to the first week welcome events for new and returning students.

In the future, Gill said that providing more notice to students of the event may be helpful.

“For the future, more time always helps spread the word and face-to-face promotion would be an option,” Gill said.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

New Student Orientation //

SUS sees increased attendance to orientation

Students being hypnotized. Abbotsford, B.C./ Sept. 4th 2018 (The Cascade)

JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

The Student Unions Society’s (SUS) New Student Orientation day, held on Sept. 4, saw an attendance of over 400 students, an increase from about 300 the previous year.

The day was proposed by the SUS earlier this year, and was approved by Senate after considerable discussion. The first day of both the fall and winter semesters has been dedicated to New Student Orientation programming for the next two years, pushing back the academic calender by one day. This will not reduce the number of teaching days.

Other pre-semester orientation programming was run by Student Life. Their online orientation, which consisted of black-

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board modules students could do at their own pace to learn about UFV services and receive back to school advice, reached 800 students. Their faculty-run campus tours, which ran throughout August, saw an attendance of 350 students.

The student union’s orientation programing ran from 11 a.m. to the late evening the day before classes began, after many students were finished settling into residences. The programming had a strong focus on building friendships amongst first year students, and allowing students to make connection with upperlevel volunteers and the SUS. Students were divided into groups that attended the various workshops and presentations together.

“They will all be doing [the events] in their teams, because

the primary goal of orientation for us is really to make sure they make friends, so there is no student left behind,” SUS president Gurvir Gill said.

“I think that friend building is a really big component of just the day in itself.”

Workshops included team finance and budgeting, and team building exercises, such as dancing and lip syncing. Students learned about the services provided by the SUS, and were also able to get their IDs and U-Passes early during the event.

Later in the evening, there was a performance by a hypnotist, outdoor carnival games, and a performance on the lawn by local artists.

“All of this is very optional, and we want to have options and variety for different students,” Gill said.

In previous years, the SUS’s orientation programming had taken place before the start of the academic year. Last year, fall orientation ran on Labour Day, and Gill said it was challenging to get students and staff onto the campus during the long weekend.

The orientation programing will have a two-year trial before Senate gives its full approval to dedicate the first day in each semester to orientation. Gill said that the SUS will be gauging the success of their events primarily based off of participation numbers, but also through a post survey of first year students’ thoughts on the programming.

“Realistically, we want to ask the students what their measurables are, because it's different for everybody,” said Gill.

“Was orientation more of a

prepare for classes or more of a friend building for [them]?

Because each incoming class I think is going to be unique and have their own traits as well.”

In the future, Gill hopes to see the dedicated orientation day used for programming run by other areas of the university. He said SUS will be discussing possible collaborations with faculty and staff associations.

“We have this orientation day; it’s for the university, it’s not just for SUS,” said Gill.

“I can really see the future kind of going somewhere along the lines of students arriving on campus, meeting their faculties, have like a mini breakfast/lunch meet and greet mingling, and then going from here into orientation as a whole student body.”

OPINION

Jeff Mijo-Burch — Opinion Editor opinion@ufvcascade.ca

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

The Canoe //

Up SUB creek with no Canoe Moving forward with the old Canoe premises ALEISTER GWYNNE CONTRIBUTOR

When I heard that the Canoe, UFV’s on-campus student-run restaurant was closing for good, I confess I wasn’t shocked. The restaurant had a number of issues, and the revelation that it was unable to turn a profit was unsurprising.

To some extent, the Canoe’s fate was unavoidable. A proper sitdown restaurant demands more time and money, both of which are often in short supply among students, than a simple café. A coffee and a pastry from Tim Horton’s or Fair Grounds is more manageable.

Unfortunately, the Canoe did little to endear customers who might have been able to afford the extra expense. Rarely did I see familiar faces among the staff, who seemed to come and go with each semester, and as a result, never had a chance to get a feel for the

place. This is probably what led to so many mistakes and questionable decisions.

The Canoe had a, let’s call it “creative,” approach to the preparation and presentation of their meals. While not inherently bad, what was served was likely not what the customer would have expected. The Canoe was full of surprises, and many of them were unpleasant. Such unpredictability is unlikely to earn repeat or frequent patronage.

This doesn’t excuse the frequent outright mistakes however, such as forgetting an ingredient, or not providing cutlery. The last straw for me was when I was served a pasta special that was half lukewarm, half cold, as if it had been poorly microwaved (although they assured me it wasn’t).

Evidently, I was not the only student who left unimpressed, judging by the restaurant’s fate. For the record, the Fair Grounds café, which is also student-run, and is

located in the same building just one floor down, is doing much better and manages to run at a profit.

All that is in the past. The question now is what to do with the space previously occupied by the Canoe.

Student Union Society president Gurvir Gill has suggested inviting a restaurant franchise to take over the space. The most obvious solution to fill the vacancy left by a restaurant would be another restaurant. To be honest though, I feel a bit leery about inviting yet another (presumably fast food) franchise onto our campus. We already have Tim Horton’s, and now a Triple O’s. I worry our campus is becoming too commercialized. An original business would be better, but that has already been tried, and it failed. Maybe an independent privately-run business operated by full-time professionals would do better, although it might be a

hard sell given the limited customer base.

Perhaps instead of a restaurant, a proper campus pub could be established instead. The closure of the Phoenix Bar & Grill last year has left students without a nearby watering hole. In my opinion, we really ought to shed the puritanical dry campus culture that seems to be the norm in B.C. On the other hand, I can understand why some people feel that making alcohol freely available on campus is undesirable; or perhaps it is simply out of the question as a matter of academic policy. In that case, there is no reason the Canoe site couldn’t be transformed into a sober gathering place for students. It would be excellent as the site of a new student lounge to replace the old one in the Student Union Building (SUB) that was shut down a while ago.

For the time being, the seating area of the Canoe is open to stu-

dents to use as they will. This is meant to be a temporary thing, but there is no reason that it has to be. The SUB could use some extra seating, because it gets rather crowded at times. As for the kitchen facilities, perhaps they can be kept for use during special events hosted in or around the SUB. Lastly, we could think outside the box. Perhaps there is an amenity that UFV has never had before, for which the former Canoe area might be ideal. The demise of the Canoe is unfortunate, but we ought to view this as an opportunity for something better to take its place.

JUST BECAUSE THEY SWIPED RIGHT DOESN’T MAKE IT RIGHT. Sexual violence and misconduct can never be part of student life.

It will not be tolerated.

Make campuses safe for everyone, play your part.

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

S S S N S N N S A h A A h P o P P o t t s s Why is there no maximum wage?

The benefits of a minimum wage are debatable. We’ll leave that at that. What about the obscene amounts of money many working people make around here? Forget the one per cent with their unfathomable bonuses, I’m talking about the guy at Cultus Lake towing a 2018 Malibu Wakesetter with a brand new Range Rover, and his friend with the fully loaded Sierra.

How about this: salary is set by the employer, as it is currently, and it can be whatever they fancy, so we can still keep track of “points” or whatever, but a

paycap is set for each sector and career type and anything over that maximum wage goes into a pool allocated towards helping my distant relatives around the globe get the chance to taste a cheeseburger, or you know, more than a mud cake with a packet of white sugar mixed in for nutrients.

Just a thought. Call it an updated tithe. What’s 10 per cent of the Fraser Valley’s earnings?

Joel Robertson-Taylor

Mystery music Lately I’ve been wondering why I am so attracted to music in languages I don’t understand. Whether it’s colourful Jpop or earthy Icelandic folk music, I often find myself more invested in music from other cultures than I do music that’s more relevant to my own geographical area.

Perhaps it’s because it allows me to focus more on composition rather than lyrics. Which is especially relevant in a global music industry that, as of late, has been more concerned with the monetary value of music, rather than the

quality of its lyrics. Hence I feel there is some sort of unknown truth to the gain from melodies, which is enormously significant due to the language barrier. So maybe it has something to do with the feeling of mysticism, and the eerie sense that though you don’t understand the words being said, you can still gain an idea of what the song is about.

Whatever the case may be, you can find some of the catchiest tunes from the the most hidden corners of the Earth if you keep an eye (or ear) out.

Cassie de Jong

Bury me in those sweet, sweet pumpkins In this issue of The Cascade, you’ll find our photo feature about “rushing the season” — a.k.a. the reason you see pumpkins, bats, and black glitter capes creeping into stores come late August, even though Halloween is more than two months away. I get it — companies want to capitalize as early as possible on that sweet, sweet commercialized cash — but I don’t enjoy it.

However, there is one aspect of it I can get behind: jelly pumpkins. Walking into Save-On-Foods in late August to see those clear plastic bins stocked with a myriad of Halloween candy — candy

Illustrations: Simer Haer

corn, tiny chocolate eyeballs filled with caramel, and most importantly, tiny orange jelly pumpkins covered in a layer of sugar — is absolute heaven.

Regular candy won’t cut it. When you’ve got a hankering for jelly pumpkins, nothing else will do, and I have an eternal desire for jelly pumpkins.

Perhaps it’s nostalgia, perhaps it’s the almost-real orange flavour, perhaps it’s the texture. Whatever it is, I’ll gladly throw away my health and money for a bag overflowing with those babies.

Cat Friesen

Sorry there’re only three snapshots this week I was going to write a snapshot about these great new chairs they put in the library — they’re like little space pods, but for studying. There’re screens on three sides, so they’re nice and quiet, and there’s not just a desk but a movable arm that’s great for putting your laptop on so you can reference your notes or a textbook. Not to mention they have lots of outlets and they’re super comfortable; I fell asleep in one for two hours

once while writing a paper. If I were being exiled to a desert island and I could only bring one thing with me, it would literally be one of these chairs. They’re amazing, and I want to be buried in one.

So I was going to write a snapshot about them, but then I realized that if I did, everyone would want to go sit in them.

So, I didn’t.

Mikaela Collins

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Editorial //

SUS, what are you doing?

JOEL ROBERTSON-TAYLOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Student Union Society (SUS) freed $80,000–$110,000 in annual expenses for themselves by quashing the Canoe. In its first year, the Canoe ran a $79,500 deficit; year two, a $113,571 deficit; year three had a $88,297 projected deficit.

Where will the money now go?

SUS president, Gurvir Gill, said they’ve reallocated the funds to hiring a front desk assistant and an events coordinator, but also towards the shuttle bus.

But the shuttle bus is funded by the Inter-Campus Shuttle Bus fee — a student fee that goes into the pool of approximately $3.5 million per year of “earmarked” funds that disappear without breakdowns. These are collected from the various SUS fees outside of what contributes to the operational budget, and it’s very frequently left out of budget conversations.

At the 10-month-late budget presentation in February 2018, the SUS talked about

the challenges they faced keeping the Canoe afloat. In plain language, they couldn’t balance the cost of food with the price they sold it at, especially with a 49 per cent cost of goods.

The reality: students didn’t want to buy food at the rate the SUS chose to sell it at.

But that doesn’t mean the restaurant isn’t viable. (A properly run restaurant typically only needs a 25–35 per cent cost of goods to run with a healthy profit. Casual dining shouldn’t be above mid 20s.)

The SUS stated that they’ll offer the Canoe’s space to a franchise. So if they rent out the space, where will that income go? It certainly shouldn’t go into any SUS budget line without affecting student fees.

Students, you’re owed a refund, but don’t expect one.

The relationship that students have come to expect sees the SUS operating a restaurant. Obviously that’s not going to happen. But if a franchise decides the space is worth paying for, student fees should be reduced by an amount proportional to the

restaurant’s rent.

In other news that demonstrates poor use of student money, the rave/concert planned for last Friday by the SUS would have cost about $20,000, which is kind of strange and obscene for a small show. Due to the last minute cancellation, the SUS still paid about 30 per cent, according to Gill.

With tickets going for $15, it would take 1,334 sales to break even. Naturally, the SUS is willing to fund events, but apparently not $19,000+ for the 50 or so students (SUS official numbers) who bought tickets.

The SUS shut down their profitable Fair Grounds café for a full day to push ticket sales. Still no dice.

The SUS didn’t have the foresight to see that an on-campus rave wouldn’t sell.

Clearly they don’t have any finger on the pulse of students. It raises the question: SUS, what are you doing?

From the current SUS executive team, students were promised a proper breakdown of SUS finances and an increased amount of better program offerings.

But within the last two years, the student union axed their agreement with the Cheam Leisure Centre, promising to build their own gym, in partnership with UFV, at the CEP campus. The “gym” is surplus equipment in old office space, and the funds have seemingly gone nowhere.

Additionally, the two rooms reserved for the Pride Centre and Gender Equality Centre remain dark; fixIT IT service, previously operated by the SUS, was shut down; and the most successful on-campus student event, Child’s Play, which was organized by, and brought in hundreds of, students, not to mention thousands of dollars for charity, was put to an end by the SUS. From an onlooker perspective, the SUS’s big plans to rebrand and create a new experience for students have only been to cut programs. Is this the new image that the SUS is going for? Cut programs and sell promises?

Students aren’t interested in hype. They aren’t interested in having their money used responsibly.

Entrepreneurial //

My accidental pyramid scheme A strange adventure in the unchecked capitalism of the online world

JEFF MIJO-BURCH OPINION EDITOR

Don’t let anyone ever tell you that video games aren’t educational. It was a video game that introduced me to the concept of pyramid schemes, and in a way that’s stuck with me for life.

You see, I accidentally created one.

I, 13 at the time, an avid player of the online RPG Runescape. One of the things I loved about the game was that it offered an unchecked open market economy that, while full of weird quirks due to the game’s systems, managed to simulate a reasonably intricate chain of supply and demand based wholly on player interactions. Players mined the iron, made it into ingots, fashioned them into armour and weapons, and could sell the products at any point along that chain. Some items held immense value due to rarity, as only specific monsters or uncommon events allowed you to obtain them at random. And a big part of the price tag was based on the value that the game’s virtual society assigned to any given item.

But I stumbled on one kind of item that existed in a strange little economic bubble.

It wasn’t difficult or expensive to obtain, but other players would pay massive markups for it based on its perceived rarity. That item was the fez. You know those little cylindrical red hats with a tassel? That’s where I made my fortune.

To get a fez in Runescape, you had to complete an obscure quest in the game’s desert region. One reward for the quest was access to an in-game store, which sold a variety of “desert clothing” for around 30 gold coins a piece — a trivial amount.

I’d always loved trading, so I bought a few sets of the clothes to include on offer when selling my goods. They proved popular, often fetching two or three thousand coins a piece. But the fezes were easily the hottest seller: I was able to consistently get 10,000 gold for those cheap little hats.

Sometimes even more than 15,000.

Seeing an opportunity, I bought hundreds of the items, and spent a lot of time making trades. I showed potential buyers one of each item, so that they didn’t realize I was buying them in bulk, and quickly made hundreds of thousands of gold coins in profit.

I let a friend in on the secret, and he found similar results. But our greed wasn’t satiated by simply making these trades ourselves. We soon hatched a bigger plan.

Making sales took a lot of time. But what if we could have people to do the selling for us? We began to talk to our in-game friends, and to make some new ones. We made them an offer that was mutually beneficial: we sold them a large inventory of our desert clothing, 25 of each item, for 150,000 gold. And of course, once they ran out, we’d be happy to supply them with more product. And when they inevitably ran out of fezzes, we restocked them — with another full set of everything, at full price.

If I’d even heard of a pyramid scheme, I had no idea how one worked. The irony of selling clothes purchased from near Runescape’s actual, literal pyramids was lost on me as I employed half a dozen salespeople to travel the world selling our goods at a markup, unaware of this massive markup they were paying us. The investment of gold was so low, and the return on our time spent increased hugely. We even had one or two of our salespeople start recruiting subordinates of their own, adding a third layer to the pyramid. Those middlemanagers got to buy even more inventory at once — at appropriately increased prices, of course.

For a few glorious months, we were rich.

My partner and I each made several million gold coins off of our sales. He spent it, turning his in-game house into a massive, intricate palace with all the bells and whistles, while I hoarded mine, buying myself a few vanity items, but otherwise letting the

(Jeff Mijo-Burch/ The Cascade) massive pile of wealth grow ever larger.

Then one day, without warning, our seemingly unlimited pit of money sealed shut. Runescape’s creators, Jagex, implemented a system that allowed players to buy items remotely by just typing in their name, and showed an average price. The price of a fez dropped from five digits to two overnight. Suddenly my partner and I were left with hundreds of now-worthless items in our storage, with nothing but fond memories (and a pile of gold) to remind us of that free, unregulated market.

That experience at such a young age gave me an awareness of pyramid schemes, and an eye for spotting them. Whenever I see people in Facebook groups sharing their multilevel marketing get-rich-quick products, I have flashbacks to what it was like to be on the top of that pyramid, raking in immense wealth while pawns ran around doing the difficult work. It was so easy to do. And that’s why market regulations and watchdogs are so essential in the real

world — if a couple of kids can throw together a scheme to make absurd profits, I have no doubt there are charismatic, highly educated businesspeople out there capable of swindling every single one of us out of our hard-earned money.

When I finally quit Runescape a few years later, I still had a considerable amount of gold in the bank, and decided to make up for my past misdeeds. I bought some of the game’s most stylish, pointless, and expensive items, and filled my backpack with them. I spent a day wandering the land, handing them out to people at random, and then teleporting away without explanation.

I like to think that maybe one of the people who received a top hat worth a quarter of a million gold from me had once paid one of my underlings 10,000 gold for a worthless fez.

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RUSHING the SEASON By: Jen Klassen

A

s children, time used to go by slowly, each year an eternity in the innocent mind. As we age, we realize that society — that is, the adults — conclude that advertising should begin earlier and earlier, causing the sensation of time to hit warp speed. We are pushing ourselves through the year and wondering at where all our time went.

Advertising for commercialized holidays — Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas — begins so early it’s easy to conclude that merchandisers only want to line their pockets. We are designed to look to tomorrow and better days, and quicken through every season of life, instead of stopping to enjoy the moment.

This sign went up on August 23. More than two months away from Halloween, and a month before it’s OK to advertise. Is anyone that concerned about their costume that it’s necessary to begin to shop for it now? The same costumes will be there today, tomorrow, and yes, even October 30.

Again, two months beforehand, this display adorned the wall of the local dollar store. The Halloween section outnumbered the Thanksgiving decorations by half, and even it was still 28 C outside. Halfpriced popsicles would be a better use of space.

The famous, #basicwhitegirl beverage of choice, the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. Chock-full of fall-time flavour, and more sugar than the human body should consume in one sitting. According to Starbucks, the launch date this year (August 28) is the earliest ever.

Pumpkin Spice Fever has swept through the land, with Starbucks’ response being to open a Facebook page for fall lovers called “The Leaf Rakers” where the season’s biggest fans can swap fall delicacies and sappy poems about their love for the falling leaves.

Tell me something: do people actually buy Halloween, or even Thanksgiving, themed cards? At the best of times the card has a nice handwritten sentiment in it; at worst, it is the small rectangular piece of paper attached haphazardly to the bag that says who the gift is from, if it is filled out at all. Hallmark: always cashing in on the holidays.

This fall flavor favorite was back again, and just like the Starbucks rendition of this treat, was back earlier than ever — September 3.

The relaunch of the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard at everyone’s third favourite ice cream stop is only available for a limited amount of time, and that time better roll to at least Thanksgiving, or it’s a ridiculous promotion. If pumpkin spice flavouring hasn’t touched your food by September, is it even fall?

The go-to for all things crafty — whether one possesses any artistic talent or not — is this chain store. With a half-off coupon in every flyer and email, one could think they were going out of business. Their ability to sell you sparkly things to decorate a house months before it’s necessary in hopes that your dwelling looks just like House & Home, makes it unlikely the doors will ever permanently close, and not because they’re automatic. With Christmas wreaths already for sale, you too can make a sparkly Christmas-themed disaster that looks like an elf puked at your front door.

Costco has Christmas items for sale already. The original set-up date is unknown, but truth be told, the sun is out still, which means it’s too early. Only once the rain has arrived, has the season actually begun here on the West Coast.

These wouldn’t scare a child who just watched “Jeepers Creepers.”

Let’s keep the scarecrows in the fields and leave them to do their job. They’ve got it bad enough; we don’t need to force them to sit amicably in our front yards to be knocked over by absently thrown footballs, making a mockery of what their reason to be is.

The Cascade Events Calendar Community UFV Events Music Art Culture Note: Some of these events require tickets, most are on Facebook.

If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details.

Date

Sept 12

Sept 13 Sept 14 Sept 15

Sept 16 Sept 17 Sept 18 Sept 19 Sept 20

Sept 21 Sept 22

Sept 23 Sept 26 10

Event

Time

The Cascade on The Green!

Cities for Children Panel Discussion Chilliwack U-Join

10:45 a 12:45 p 11 a - 3 p 7 - 8:30 p 11 a - 2 p

Shaela Miller Band UFV Alumni Open Fraser Valley Wellness Expo Mt Lehman Community Fall Fair Mission FVRD Photo Walk

7 - 10 p 12 - 8 p 9a-2p 9a-4p 11 a - 1 p

PetSmart Adoption Event Abbotsford Extreme Rodeo Bacchanal

12 - 4 p 3:30 p

Fraser Valley Culture & Craft Beer Festival The Kwerks The DRAG Show - 5th Anniversary Edition Hike for Hospice PetSmart Adoption Event Blues Night w/ Shaun Verreault Listen Write Now - Punk !

Sketching Details w/ Glenn Art of the Book 2018 Opening Reception Abby Theatre Fest Indigenous Radio Cafe Abby Theatre Fest Old Soul Rebel & Nasti Weather Loans, and Soulmates (Saskatoon) Abby Theatre Fest Fraser Valley Literature Festival iLead Abby Fundraiser

7 - 10 p 7 - 10 p 8p-2a 9 a - 1p 12 - 4 p 7 - 10 p 7 - 10 p 2-4p 4-6p 5 - 9:30 p 12 - 2 p 5 - 9:30 p 7 - 10 p 7 - 10 p 5 - 9:30 p 6-8p 7 - 11 p

Fall Festival Lightworks Coul Connection Festival Staggers and Jaggs Abby Theatre Fest Fraser Valley Literature Festival Annual Terry Fox Run Chilliwack Autumn 2018 Job Fair Joe Nolan

9a-6p 12 - 8 p 7 - 10 p 5 - 9:30 p 6-8p 8:00 a 11 a - 3 p 7 -10 p

School of Business Welcome Back BBQ

Blessed+Harma White, Kristin Witko, and Loans (Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones)

Venue

The Green

(Abbotsford Campus) The Green (Abb. Campus) Room B101 (Abb. Campus)

Canada Education Park (Chilliwack Campus)

Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) Chilliwack Golf Club Mill Lake Park (Abbotsford) Mt Lehman Community Hall Silverdale Creek Wetlands (Mission)

PetSmart Abbotsford Abbotsford Exhibition Park The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford)

Chilliwack Cultural Centre Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) The Stage in Mission

Fraser River Heritage Park (Miss.)

PetSmart Abbotsford Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) House of Fine Art (Abbotsford) Abbotsford Campus Library Yale Secondary School (Abb.) CIVL Radio (Abbotsford Campus) Yale Secondary School (Abb.) Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) Carport Manor (Abbotsford) Yale Secondary School (Abb.) Evered Hall (Abbotsford Campus) Abbotsford Rugby & Football Club Devan Greenhouses (Abb.)

Fraser River Heritage Park (Miss.)

Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack) Yale Secondary School (Abb.) Evered Hall (Abbotsford Campus)

Fraser River Heritage Park (Miss.)

Coast Chilliwack Hotel Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack)

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Q&A //

A casual night at FLORA pop-up show

Flower Fest //

Satchel full of sunflowers A short woman’s adventure into a festival of tall flowers

A fantastical new art exhibition opens at UFV

UYEN NGUYEN CONTRIBUTOR

Last Friday night, on quiet Montrose Ave. in downtown Abbotsford, a section of 2539 illuminated the street with its purple and pink lighting.

The welcoming space was filled with a variety of The Record magazines, plants, and Teen Daze vinyl records. The electronic music by Nice, a local band, permeated the atmosphere, which gave a 1980s vibe. Hosted by Jamison Isaak, also known as Teen Daze, the FLORA Pop-up Shop promoted Teen Daze records and welcomed people who shared the same interests.

May we first start with FLORA and the purpose of the FLORA Pop-up Shop?

FLORA is a boutique-based label founded in 2016. We’ve released five official records so far. This pop-up is an opportunity for us to share all of our releases with friends and people who enjoy ambient/electronic music in general. I am very happy to welcome everybody and to see my friends DJing at my event.

I could see the theme here as soon as I walked in, the pink and purple lighting and vinyl records. Can you tell me a little bit about the theme of this event and how you came up with it?

I wanted to make this space feel as “homey” as possible, but also connected to nature. As you can see I have plants, magazines, and minimal interior design. Even the chairs that we are sitting on now have minimal patterns with leaves. The pink and purple lighting is definitely intentional — they are two of my favourite colours. They evoke a sense of nos-

talgia about vaporwave and ‘80s retro feel. I incorporated these two vibrant colours into this event to make it feel as retro and dreamy as possible.

So why “Teen Daze,” and what are your main inspirations?

I listen to a lot of Brian Eno. I get a lot of organic feel from him. He’s just amazing. I started making my own music as Teen Daze in 2010. The name Teen Daze is drawn from the passion and innocence of youth. It’s kind of funny because now I’m already in my early 30s, but I still want to deliver that optimistic vibe about landscapes and nature of the Fraser Valley to a younger generation.

So why did you choose downtown Abbotsford as a location for this pop-up?

The room that we’re in right now is called Downtown Abby Pop-up. So they specifically rent out this place to people who want to hold pop-ups. The front and inside look cozy and minimal. People can just walk in, enjoy the music and have a casual chat with one another. I thought this would be an ideal place for me to hold the FLORA Pop-up Shop.

So what are your plans after this?

I’m working on releasing a new record next year. “Nice” and I will also be DJing in October at a weekly showcase in Highstreet Mall.

More details regarding the showcase should be coming soon.

JEN KLASSEN FEATURES EDITOR

Imagine a field of sunshine, as far as the eye can see. There is only yellow, and it seems to stretch for miles.

Actually, it’s only five acres of sunshine, but the image in your mind’s eye is an accurate depiction of what greets you at the Chilliwack Sunflower Festival.

With 17 different varieties of flowers to see, attendees are sure to find a type that fits their fancy. Whether it’s 12 feet tall, or an orange tinge to the petals, there are plenty of options to fulfill any sunflower dream, even if that dream is seeing the sun rise over its favourite flower, watching as the face of the bloom turns to greet its namesake. Tickets are available for people to experience this wonder, and partake in the beautiful scene.

The festival creators clearly know the importance of having a strong selfie game, and so various photo spots are uniquely crafted so your amature iPhone shot looks quality.

Take a photo with a bike, on a swing, by a windmill, or really, with a giant sunflower since that’s the reason for the whole festival in the first place.

If you don’t want to be the selfie master, feel free to go eat some ice cream, and play some yard games.

Challenge friends and family, and hope that the sunshine helps placate the obnoxiously competitive side that comes out of you when playing games with loved ones. Choose between Yardzee, giant checkers, tictac-toe, and others to decide which

game piece will cause the least damage when thrown in frustration because your lucky sister beat you again.

The U-pick fields are now open as well, and those who long to adorn their homes with the happy flowers can go and choose the most perfect blooms to accent their fall-themed kitchens. Or as a student, more realistically, brighten up the dull basement suite you currently call home.

If by chance one happens to have a four-legged friend, they are welcome to accompany you on your visit. But preferably a dog; a rabbit on a leash might be difficult to keep track of among the tall stalks of these flowers. Drinking stations are available, as well as equipment to take care of any accidents on the other end.

From the creators of the Chilliwack Tulip Festival that beckons many of us back among the bulbs, the kickoff season of the sunflower has arrived, and it doesn’t disappoint. Just don’t look too closely at the flowers, because honestly, they look kind of weird at that angle, and you don’t need to have a sneezing fit while trying to take that #goals selfie.

Be sure to wear sturdy boots, because there is some mud. As members of the Fraser Valley, this shouldn’t be a revelation as it rains 10 months of the year here, and most of us live close enough to farm country to not traipse about in our fanciest shoes.

The event runs until Sept. 16, and tickets are available online.

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CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Summer music //

Flora and fantasy A fantastical new art exhibition opens at UFV

The S’eliyemetaxwtexw gallery, displaying Les Fantasmes de la Flore (Cassie de Jong/The Cascade)

CASSIE DE JONG CULTURE & EVENTS EDITOR

A new art exhibition in the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery has started this year off with a bang for the UFV visual arts department. Graduating student Madeline Hildebrandt had the pleasure of opening her latest show to the public last Friday, Sept. 7. Dubbed Les Fantasmes de la Flore, the exhibition is noticeably a departure from Hildebrandt’s previous work, but still retains enough of her classic visual aesthetic to identify the works as a natural step forward.

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All the drawings shown in Les Fantasmes de la Flore were completed during Hildebrandt’s directed study under the visual arts department head, Shelley Stefan. Origin, the one work that was completed prior to the directed study, also happens to be the featured artwork of the exhibition. You can identify Origin as the centred piece hung on the far wall of the gallery, which draws the eye of viewers immediately upon entry into the space.

In an interview with The Cascade, Hildebrandt mentioned that each work took an approximate completion time of 30 hours, which is why it has taken

her just over four months to complete this body of work. During this time, she experimented extensively with new materials, including Japanese ink and fountain pens, to determine a more eco-friendly drawing practice that wastes less pens.

This is Hildebrandt’s second solo show in the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery; however, her previous exhibition used the space in an entirely different context. From Jan. 8 to 25, her exhibition Deep Sea Changes transformed the gallery space into an undersea oasis made entirely of recycled plastics. When asked about how the change of

pace affected the production of the show, Hildebrandt stated: “It’s really interesting, since it took a lot less time to install. It took hours to install Deep Sea Changes, over multiple days. This probably feels so different because the space is so empty. I’m not used to that. I’m used to installations.”

Like Deep Sea Changes, Hildebrandt’s work in Les Fantasmes de la Flore revolves around the concept of sea life. She is deeply mindful of how horrible the plastics situation in our ocean has become. She also mentioned during her interview that she has tried to work with other plant life, but it always comes back to the sea. There’s

something about the modular nature of deep sea plant life she is drawn to.

“In coral, there’s a lot of [motifs] repeated,” she said. “That’s very natural for me because that’s the way I want to draw. And I just love the ocean! It’s so beautiful, and everything is wonderful in there.”

Hildebrandt graduates this year with her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in visual arts. More of her work will be on display at the year-end grad show for the BFA program. Les Fantasmes de la Flore will remain on display in the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery until October 10.

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 Made by Cassie de Jong

ACROSS

DOWN

1: The name of a leader in countries like Canada or Great Britain.

1: An individual who refuses to accept any standard short of astounding.

6: A short round stem with fleshy leaves or a leaf base that functions as food storage for a plant.

2: A popular, precious green gemstone, which gets its colour from traces of chromium and sometimes vanadium.

7: Green soybeans boiled or steamed in their pods and served as an appetizer.

3: To inspire or permeate something or someone with a feeling or quality.

8: A rough woolen cloth, originally from Scotland, flecked with a variety of mixed colours.

4: A clear Italian liqueur that is anise or licorice flavoured.

10: Current capital city of Egypt.

9: A person or object that is a perfect example of a particular quality.

11: An invertebrate of the same phylum that includes snails, slugs, and octopuses, that lives in damp or aquatic habitats.

12: First name of the protagonist in the latest Harry Potter universe movie.

13: A camera lens with a longer focal length, resulting in a narrower field of view and magnified images.

5: Units that carry oxygen through your blood.

10: A nymph known in Greek mythology, from the island of Ogygia.

11: A short sentence or phrase that encapsulates the beliefs and ideals chosen by an individual or a group.

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS: Across: 1: Barbecue Sauce

Horoscopes //

8: Graham Cracker 9: Rumour

5: Beryllium

10: Brogue

6: Recipe

12: Chipmunks

7: Italic

13: Cayenne Pepper

Down: 1: Boxer 2: European Union 3: Saint Lawrence 4: Ethic 9: Relic 11: Elder

Astrological mysteries interpreted weekly by Morgana the Mystic.

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 Hit the ground running this week, Aries. With a no-doubt exciting summer now behind you, it’s time to turn your attention to school.

Challenges have never fazed you and it’s best to face anything bothering you head-on.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 As bright as you are bubbly, you’ll have no trouble leaping from season to season. It would be wise to confront the responsibilities you’ve been neglecting now that it’s no longer your time in the astrological spotlight, though.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 With a new schedule in place, you may be feeling a little down. It can be hard for your fun-loving self to give up the freedom of summer, so why bother? Gather up some friends for one last hurrah!

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 You’re still in vacation mode it seems! Try to put your natural determination to good use this week and accomplish some of the tasks you said you would. Think about how great it will feel to indulge completely guilt-free!

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 Your time to shine is now, Virgo! You’ve always been a pro at the back-to-school rush and this year will be no different. Your organized nature is perfectly suited for the transition between summer and autumn — old and new — and there should be no doubt in your mind about the new semester.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 It seems you never let yourself relax this summer. While everyone is busy getting back from vacation, you should be taking one. It’s okay to take a break from working, and you will find that, when you return, you’ll be even more prepared for the new semester than before.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 You’ve got something to share, Gemini, and share it you should! Staying silent has never done anyone good and it’s never been a better time to start a conversation, whether that be with yourself or the world.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 Try not to crash and burn on your next endeavour, Libra! You may have overcompensated for past mistakes, and you could find yourself in quite the pickle if you don’t stop making promises you can’t keep.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 Try not to let your life get too stagnant, Aquarius. You thrive on change and evolution and it won’t do you any good to let yourself be bogged down by the status quo. If a new opportunity hasn’t risen yet, make one up!

You’ve always been creative.

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Try not to worry too much about your problems this week as you might be making mountains out of molehills. Focus on helping out those close to you instead; you’ll find comfort in it.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 Nobody quite knows how you’ve been feeling lately, and that includes yourself! Whether you’ve been ignoring something or you’ve just been too busy to deal with it, it’s time to turn your focus inwards. Repression isn’t the answer to everything.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 Feeling a little overwhelmed? While you’re certainly adept enough with new beginnings, you may be feeling as if it’s too much too soon. Remember, the only way out is through.

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ARTS

Martin Castro — Arts Editor

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

arts@ufvcascade.ca

Album Review //

CHARTS 1 2 3 4 5

MICHAEL NAU & THE MIGHTY THREAD MICHAEL NAU & THE MIGHTY THREAD PETRA GLYNT MY FLAG IS A BURNING RAG OF LOVE JOYFULTALK PLURALITY TRIP SAINT SOLDIER KARMA BIG HARP GEORGE UPTOWN COOL

6 7 8 9

TINY LEAVES THE FULLNESS OF THINGS SOUL MATES LOST OLAFUR ARNALPS RE:MEMBER LIL WINDEX EENY MEENY

SHUFFLE AARON LEVY CIVL STATION MANAGER

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy is reminded of the rolling, fuzzy, bassy tones of the following songs as school comes back this semester, so enjoy, ‘cause he is!

Drake — “Headlines” It’s all about the arpeggio here — or is it a modular synthesizer of some sort? Or, who knows what it is, but it’s here that Drake makes the claim, “Money over everything, money on my mind.

Then she wanna ask when it got so empty,” and his career turns slightly.

Santigold — “Disparate Youth” Is this not the exact same melody as in “Headlines”? Perhaps a far more impactful, “real,” and thoughtful song with slightly more introspective and perhaps immensely more social conscience, and this song ultimately draws the parallels between our diverse backgrounds and even more diverse living conditions around our vast world.

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CADENCE WEAPON CADENCE WEAPON

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DENNIS HERRERA YOU STOLE MY HEART This is a song that I’ve related

Radiohead — “Mr. Magpie”

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GINA SICILIA HEARD THE LIE PHONO PONY MONKEY PAW

13 14 15

PILE ODDS AND ENDS YEP GRUB B/W JULIAN

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KEITH STONE WITH RED GRAVY BLUES WITH A TASTE OF NEW ORLEANS

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HANSMOLE BITTER HERB

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THE LYTICS FLOAT ON

19 20 14

RAE SPOON BODIES OF WATER PIP BLOOM SINGLES

Rock comes of age on Snail Mail’s Lush

some local and upcoming musical recordings to, personally and publicly, and I can’t wait to share a shuffle with the link of said song that bares resemblance to the one linked herein, one of Radiohead’s most simultaneously reserved and far reaching attempts yet.

Wilco — “Shot in the Arm” Singing this song to myself with the mysteriously referred to band above’s keyboard/guitarist, responsible for the sonic similarities that bring their recordings to mind in discussing the aforementioned Radiohead performance, we agreed, it’s definitely a keeper, even if I prefer fin de siecle Wilco and he likes Let Down.

MARTIN CASTRO ARTS EDITOR

It’s not easy to make a record about a breakup and have it be both palatable and, more importantly, enjoyable. Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan’s full-length debut manages to do just that.

On Lush, 19-year-old Jordan focuses on filtering clearly personal narratives into a series of songs that are rightly homogenous. Revisiting the same emotions throughout the record, Jordan highlights the ubiquity of young adulthood by not having any of the answers to the questions she asks, but asking them nonetheless.

Especially notable is that, while not of the variety that favours four dudes trading off solos for six minutes, Lush is still very much a rock record. Intimate and vulnerable at times, biting and sarcastic at others, Jordan’s lyricism highlights the moody, drawn-out rhythms that slowly crash over themselves on the record.

Not to tout a record as being representative of a movement that may (or may not) be present in a genre at large, but it seems as if the confessional, unabashedly private narratives of songs like “Full Control,” wherein Jordan exercises her will over the feelings that might otherwise

wreck a person when they realize that a relationship is over, are taking over the rock scene. And in the same breath (in this case it’s more of a sigh) with which I exalt Lush, I’m pleasantly bewildered by the shifting attitudes in rock music lately that have seen the genre take a step from the partying and indulgence (instrumentally, and in its narratives) of earlier decades, towards a space wherein softness, for lack of another word, is allowed to flourish without being patronized by the industry or reduced to a public act of contrition.

It’s telling that we have reached a place where one set of pioneers in a genre that used to be so closely knit (because, let’s face it, rock at this point has splintered off into a daunting sea of subgenres and niches) are spread out but tied together by the need to reveal themselves (as opposed to perform themselves). Yes, confessional narratives in music have been around for ages, but the delineation of a personal narrative space in music, however true to life it may or may not be, has for the most part been the realm of pop for the past 20 years. As escapist as some pop narratives may be, that act of holding up a proverbial mirror has of late taken hold over many influential rock releases.

Is it perhaps because, as we become more preoccupied as a society with progress and “keeping up,” the act of taking a step back from the action and allowing oneself to feel, consciously, whatever there may be to feel at the moment, now constitutes a somewhat oppositional action?

If not this, then the act of sharing in experience, of being open, has recently seen more incidence in music. Even when pop, which used to (and, depending on whom you ask, might still) be the most obvious of tools by which we judge the collective temperature of the public, has lost its candor, Lush and records like it, that by virtue of expression remind us that emotional vulnerability and self-actualization are not the same as weakness, continue its tradition of reaching out to the masses.

Whether or not its nakedness (of expression) is reflective of a trend in which the oversaturation of releases in music acts as an embrace in the middle of which those of us who choose to can embrace a vulnerability no longer derided as needlessly sentimental, but lauded as necessarily human, Lush remains as much pop as it is rock, as much meditation as presentation, as formidable as it is actually lush.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Film Review //

The destructive investigation of a memory

JEN KLASSEN FEATURES EDITOR

HBO’s The Tale is a heartbreaking discussion of memory, and the role it plays in our ability to protect ourselves from trauma.

The film originally debuted in the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

It has garnered high praise, in-

cluding an Emmy nomination for the movie, and another for Laura Dern, who plays Jennifer “Jenny” Fox, the movie’s central character.

As an amateur documentarian, she unravels a part of her life she had previously viewed through another lens: one of consensual, loving sex. The voice of young Fox narrates the movie, and is

stitched together with Fox interviewing the participants in her memories, both their past and present selves. As she investigates further, the recollection is dislodged from her, and it reveals the truth buried beneath the fictional anecdote she claimed it to be.

Fox’s mother calls, frantic upon

finding the handwritten story, written by Fox for a class assignment. The story details the relationship between her daughter, the running coach Bill, and Mrs. G, her horseback riding coach, but Fox shrugs it off, dismissing the fear as an extension of her mother’s prudish and overbearing nature.

At the age of 40, she is launched back in time, prompted by that story she wrote as a 13-year-old girl, to investigate what really happened. The young Fox was entranced by the relationship formed between Mrs. G and Bill, amazed that two people could be so close, but “not with their bodies,” as she states in the beginning of her story. She crowned the two characters with the title “beautiful,” praising the relationship into which she was so delightfully invited.

A lonely child in a house with parents too busy with her siblings, she is welcomed into the affair of Mrs. G and Bill, where she is seen, heard, and accepted, with them feeling like the family, the parents, she had always dreamed of possessing. This is the beginning of Fox being groomed for Bill.

Bill eventually moves in to change the dynamic from familial to romantic, crooning compliments in Fox’s ear. The change is so gradual, and yet so unsettling, the viewer isn’t sure why they feel discomfort, but is aware that something is wrong.

Fox struggles to identify the

assault as such, and instead justifies the abuse by stating that the two were in a relationship. Fox had been introduced to the man by her riding coach, Mrs. G; Bill taught that pleasure would come through the pain. And while the film uses an adult body double to film the scenes in which we see a 13-year-old Fox in bed with Bill, it doesn’t make it easier to watch or stomach.

Mrs. G is later described by Iris Rose as akin to “the cat, bringing the mouse.” Rose, a former employee at Mrs. G’s horse farm and another victim of Bill and Mrs. G, details to Fox her time, and trauma, with the couple. Through her interview with Rose, Fox comes to the realization that she was indeed raped and abused.

As the viewer, it is a reminder that child sexual abuse is often perpetrated by people children know and feel comfortable with.

It doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but instead, through calculated steps. The Tale highlights the process, revealing the methods used to lure young Fox into a relationship that shaped, and ruined, her life.

Written and directed by Fox, this film is a moving tribute to so many victims who are impacted by the lies and abuse at the hands of others. It has been heralded as the bravest movie you’ll ever see, and I am inclined to agree.

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