The Cascade Vol. 26 Issue 30 by The Cascade

NOVEMBER 21 TO NOVEMBER 28, 2018

VOLUME 26 ISSUE 30

Wondering if Aaron Levy has sent in the CIVL Shuffle yet since 1993

Learning in the Forest

UFV drafts memorandum of understanding

pg.5

The Cascade kitchen

A tasty recipe

pg. 14

ian sweet

crushes it

pg. 18

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 30

Opinion Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Renée Campbell renee@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Cat Friesen (Interim) jen@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

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

Multimedia Editor Mikaela Collins mikaela@ufvcascade.ca

News Writer Edina Balint edina@ufvcascade.ca

Online Editor Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca

Social Media Writer Laurel Logan laurel@ufvcascade.ca

Social Media Coordinator Anjuman Grewal anjuman@ufvcascade.ca Illustrator Kayt Hine Illustrator Simer Haer Illustrator Cory Jensen

Sports Writer Alexander Jesus

7 10-12

Staff Writer Emmaline Spencer Staff Writer Nadia Tudhope Staff Writer Carissa Wiens

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Gurtaj Bhangu Remington Fioraso Chandy Dancey Cover Artwork: Kayt Hine Back Cover: Renée Campbell

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@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 26 · Issue 30 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 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.

ARTS

Copy Editor Kat Marusiak kat@ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

Production Manager Caleb Campbell caleb@ufvcascade.ca

NEWS

News Editor Jessica Barclay jessica@ufvcascade.ca

CONTENTS

FEATURE

Business Manager Quintin Stamler quintin@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Cat Friesen cat@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

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

Snapshots.......9

16.......Study Break

Events Calendar.......13

18.......CIVL Shuffle

NEWS Town & Gown.......3

4.......Q&A with Michelle Superle

Stave Lake.......5 OPINION Editorial.......6 Mental Health.......8

7.......Saudi Arabia 8.......Canadian Monarchy

CULTURE Cascade Kitchen......14 Yoga Raves.......14

14.......International Food 15.......Alumni Q&A

GreenSpeak.......15 SPORTS Men's Volleyball.......17

17.......Women's Volleyball ARTS

Ian Sweet.......18

Nine Perfect Strangers. ......19

19.......The Circle

news@ufvcascade.ca Jessica Barclay — News Editor

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2018

NEWS

UFV Event //

NEWS BRIEFS

Students and community at Town & Gown UFV’s annual scholarship and bursary fundraiser

NADIA TUDHOPE STAFF WRITER

Lower-transgender surgery to become available in B.C. B.C. will become the first province in Western Canada to provide lower surgery for transgender individuals. The B.C. government announced that starting next year, gender-affirming surgery will be available at Vancouver Coastal Health. Previously, those wanting gender-affirming surgery would have to travel to the U.S. or Montréal for the procedure, which is often costly. “The Health Ministry says the surgeries will be covered as part of the province’s B.C. Surgical and Diagnostic Imaging Strategy, which is getting a $25 million funding increasing in 2019-20 to $100 million,” reported the Globe and Mail. -the Globe and Mail

B.C. government introduces ride-hailing legislation The B.C. government has introduced legislation to bring rideshare to B.C. sometime in late 2019 to 2020, depending on how soon ICBC would develop insurance for ridesharing companies. The eight amendments outlined by the legislation would require drivers for ride-sharing services to hold a Class 4 license, which requires criminal record and medical checks. The proposal would also give additional responsibility to the independent B.C. Passenger Transportation Board, allowing them to set price caps and determine which taxi companies can operate under which borders. Transportation Minister Claire Trevena said this would prevent people from getting stranded when companies can’t cross municipal borders. -the Vancouver Sun

On Nov. 14, UFV hosted its annual “Town & Gown” event in Evered Hall — a formal event made to fundraise for student bursaries and scholarships, and thank donors for their contributions. As one of UFV’s main community events, Town & Gown promotes supporting students through the Changing Lives, Building Community Scholarship Endowment. This year’s focus for the event was student engagement. New to Town & Gown this year, each table included a student ambassador to speak to guests about how UFV has changed their lives and is helping them advance in their goals. As well, student Gina Dhinsa, recipient of the President’s Entrance Scholarship, was put in the spotlight with an opportunity to speak about what she is doing in the community, her career and education goals, and even her “ultimate ambition” — as MC Dave Pinton put it — to become Canada’s Minister of International Development.

Dave Pinton, UFV direct of communications MCs UFV's Town & Gown. Nov. 14, 2018. Abbotsford B.C. (The Cascade)

“That’s what this event is about. It’s about celebrating what the donor’s generosity allows for the students to do,” Ian Wilson, a student ambassadors, said. “With myself, it’s being able to put my whole heart and soul into my studies here without having to worry about the money, and what I’ve seen that do for other people as well.” The Changing Lives, Building Community Scholarship Endowment — the scholarship that proceeds from this event went towards — is based on financial need, but is also focused on students

seeking to make a change in the community, such as those like Dhinsa. Town & Gown is designed to celebrate students, alumni, and community, with over 250 attendees comprising entrepreneurs, government leaders, representatives of service organizations and member-based associations, highly involved students, alumni, donors, and UFV employees. This year’s Distinguished Alumni award winners were Liz Harris and Andrew Alexander, and both individuals are examples of how one is transformed

by university. Transformation was another focus at this year’s Town & Gown. In UFV President Joanne MacLean’s speech, she discussed how UFV “facilitates transformations”: Harris had come to UFV with the aspiration of becoming a teacher and left a professional fundraiser, and Alexander had only ever been homeschooled before coming to university, but was invited by UBC to transition straight into a PhD after completing his master’s there. In MacLean’s speech, she thanked donors and backers for being “ripplemakers” who, by supporting students and students’ ability to incite change, have been the catalyst for the ripple of change itself. “And that’s what university is about: it’s about the students, it’s about the work that they’ve put in, the passion that they’ve put in, because that’s what makes a university,” Wilson said.

NEWS

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 30

Professor Profile //

Michelle Superle on children’s literature and the Right of the Child Using peer mentorship and children’s stories to reduce bullying CARISSA WIENS STAFF WRITER

Assistant professor at UFV, Dr. Michelle Superle focuses her work on children’s literature: literature analysis and creative writing. Superel began writing her own stories at age 11, after being inspired by many classic children’s writers. She continued to pursue her love of literature by obtaining her bachelor’s at SFU then going on to complete her Master of Arts in Children’s Literature at UBC. Her first children’s novel to be published was Black Dog, Dream Dog. She has also done extensive research in Indian children’s literature and the UN’s Rights of the Child. In 2009 Superle completed her PhD at Newcastle University and has been teaching at UFV for 13 years. You had done your master's and doctorate in children’s literature; did you already know that this was what you wanted to pursue in your undergrad? Yes. Most of my undergrad focused on poetry but right at the end of my undergraduate degree I took a children’s literature course with Hilary Turner who teaches here at UFV, and she, the course, and everything about the subject really captivated me. I had been a lifelong reader and absolutely loved children’s books as much in my undergrad as I had in my childhood. Basically from that course on I decided that I would like to focus on children’s literature. I certainly never looked back. It’s such a rich area. We have 12,000 English language publications released every year. It’s also very exciting because of the intersectionality and interdisciplinarity of the area: there’s the literature aspect, the education aspect, the market aspect, the librarianship, and how the work’s distributed to all of those who can’t afford to buy new books. It’s very rich and exciting.

Next semester in your English 388D class you will be taking the students to an elementary school in Chilliwack to do a Read for your Rights! program. Would you mind explaining more about what the program is? The program is specifically designed to use peer mentorship. I call it “cascading mentorship” because it uses people of different ages. Peer mentorship is one anchor of the program and children’s books are the other anchor. Working together, everyone’s reading the same children’s books: the teachers, the university students, the children. Then we do discussions and creative activities in the program that the university students facilitate and support. All of that is focused on children’s rights. The children are reading the story and interpreting it through their creative activities — like drawing and making skits, puppets, all sorts of things — then having discussions connected with the story that relate back to their human rights of the United Nations convention of the Rights of the Child. The stories relate directly to the children’s rights of the United Nations. One of the rights being that you have the right to an education that develops your potential. When children learn about their rights, how do you think they go forward with it? What do you think they do with this information? What I’m specifically interested in is if children’s literature can help children become empowered to treat each other better. To help facilitate that I bring in children’s rights as the theoretical foundation of that endeavour. What we’re hoping for is as a result of the program, and as a result of understanding and internalizing their rights, that they will go forward and

Childrens books. (Unsplash)

be nicer to each other and start to live the UN Children’s Rights through their actions and values. But when you read the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, even in the child-friendly version, you see that it’s a legal document. It’s not the type of thing that engages most people. It’s very dry; it’s very factual. So I think that the form of story is how the human mind is hardwired — we’re wired to respond to story. So that’s why I think the story component in this program is so important. The hope is that they will go forward and be inspired and influenced by what they learned and experienced in the program and behave differently as a result. Ultimately the behaviour we target in this program is bullying. We would like to see less of that. Is this a program you hope to see adapted into other schools?

It would be great to see this adapted by all the schools in the district, maybe every school everywhere, but logistically that is a real challenge because of the way I have structured it with the mentorship, which I think is quite integral to it. Where do you find enough mentors at the university level? There’s plenty of grade eights and grade fives and so on, but I only do one class a year of 25 students in English 388D. But as for now, my thought is if we start with kindergarten students, then eventually the kindergarten students will become the grade five students, and soon they will become the university students, and then they will be the teachers. And over a generation maybe we could completely eliminate bullying. That’s my idealistic vision.

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2018

UFV Partnership //

Memorandum of understanding in progress could provide UFV access to the Mission Municipal Forest

Morgan Lake, located at the north end of the community forest. (Michelle Rhodes)

JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

UFV is in the process of drafting a memorandum of understanding (MOA) with the Kwantlen First Nations and the City of Mission, leading toward a potential partnership and opportunities for UFV to facilitate experiential learning in the Mission Municipal Forest. The Mission Municipal Forest is a 10,000 hectare forested area north of Mission, and sits on the unceded territory of the Kwantlen Nation. Around 12 per cent of the area is held by the District of Mission from a tree farm license issued in 1958, and the remaining is Crown land. In 2015, the west side of Stave Lake underwent an extensive planning process which resulted in a new master plan, guiding the development of the heavily used area. The 10-year plan involves developing recreational areas for safe, sustainable use, promoting environmental stewardship and cultural protection, and bringing educational opportunities to the area.

The MOA is a first step to an official partnership between the Kwantlen Nation, Mission, and UFV. It provides a base for the discussion and identification of shared interests and goals in future educational projects in the Stave West area. Another similar agreement is being drafted between the two partners and BCIT. Dr. Michelle Rhodes, associate professor of geography and the environment at UFV, is the UFV representative for the Stave West stakeholders group. She became involved with the project while working on a book about the forest. Rhodes said the tentative timeline for the MOA is the completion of the draft proposal in late December, with signing to occur before June 2019. The Kwantland Nation is currently reviewing the draft proposal, and a meeting is anticipated before the year’s end. Another umbrella MOA has already been signed between the District of Mission and the Kwantlen Nation. The understanding stipulated a process of shared decision

making and some areas of comanagement of the Mission Municipal Forest. “They really envisioned this space west of Stave Lake as an outdoor learning laboratory, as a space that includes the K-12 as well as postsecondary,” Rhodes said. “They really, really wanted [UFV] to be a partner on that, as well as BCIT.” “They want UFV because this is our backyard. We’re the closest institution, but we also have a wide breadth of programs that could connect with the forest.” Although nothing is official, and won’t be for some time, there have been discussions on what educational experiences in the forest area could look like. Suggestions ranged from environmental and forest management programs with biology and geography students, to Indigenous or health and wellness studies. In the longer term, there is potential for setting up a permanent field center for research. Stave West is located near several universities, including UFV, BCIT,

SFU, Columbia Bible College, and Trinity Western University, and the Stave West Field Studies proposal states universities often do not have readily available access to high quality field sites. “If I look ten years out, I can really see that something like this will be in place because this is just such a high use area with so many competing demands on it,” Rhodes said. “Having some kind of educational or research space, not necessarily commercial space but something that serves that function I think is, is really just a logical extension of this being an outdoor learning laboratory.” Larissa Horne is a sessional faculty in the history department and experiential learning coordinator, is coordinating the working committee at UFV reviewing this project. She emphasized that the opportunities in the forest were not just limited to the more traditional areas of study, such as biology and geography, but would potentially be for interdisciplinary, experiential learning opportunities. She noted that the

nursing department has already unofficially requested volunteer opportunities for students at the Zotac Ranch for Children, a camp for children and young adults with chronic, life-threatening and/ or debilitating conditions in Stave West. “It's aligned with [UFV’s] vision for indigenization, it’s aligned completely with [UFV’s] education plan: learning everywhere, being responsive, cultivating citizens of the world and local citizens, and ensuring we expand experiential learning,” Horne said. Currently, stakeholders in the project are being consulted with, the main goal being to bring interest into the project and start faculty and students thinking about what they would like to see from this space. There is a working group, a committee studying the proposal and making recommendations, of administrators and faculty has been assembled to discuss the project. “There has been great interest with faculty. I can speak to that,” Horne said.

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018 opinion@ufvcascade.ca OPINION

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 30

Jeff Mijo-Burch — Opinion Editor

Editorial //

Too little, too late?

Politics //

Friendship at the cost of our humanity Looking at Canada’s relationship with Saudi Arabia GURTAJ BHANGU CONTRIBUTOR

The Saudi Arabia arms sale has been a hotly debated topic in the news lately. It has put a spotlight on our government, and the people want some answers. The deal came into the spotlight due to the recent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a staunch critic of the Saudi Arabian government. The gruesome murder itself had people questioning Canada’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, but also brought out the critics of our ties with the Saudis and the arms deal. The Saudi Arabia arms deal was contracted out by the Conservative gove r n m e nt and approved by Stephen Harper in 2014. The arms deal is a $15 billion contract that includes a substantial number of heavy assault vehicles and a deal to provide ongoing maintenance and training for 14 years, according to the CBC. The critics of the arms deal argue that we should not be selling weapons to a country that has absolutely no regard for human rights. All signs point to us continuing through with the deal, with Trudeau commenting about not wanting the Canadian taxpayers to be left with “a

billion dollar bill,” according to the Financial Post. That, combined with silence from the Conservative party about the issue, makes it more than likely that not many in our government plan on scrapping this deal. But we need to take a look at our values and what we are trying to achieve through our foreign policy. We as a country need to define what we are actually trying to achieve by being allies with Saudi Arabia. Are we trying to influence them into being more Westernized, or are we trying to have a strong ally in the Middle East? Why do we have to go through with this deal? The fact of the matter is that our reliance on Saudi oil imports and Saudi Arabia being one of our strongest allies in the Middle East makes this a complicated issue. The deal is also said to include clauses that would incur heavy financial penalties in the case of cancellation, which has been one of the main arguments used by Trudeau to not cancel the deal. Pulling out of the deal at this point would be more of a feel-good strategy than an actual acknowledgement that Saudi Arabia is a fundamentally different country from us, and that they don’t have the

“We as a country need to define what we are actually trying to achieve by being allies with Saudi Arabia.”

CAT FRIESEN

MANAGING EDITOR

This week, B.C. announced, according to the CBC, that B.C. will be spending $1.9 billion to fund the building of 4,900 low-income rental units in 42 locations over the next three years. Each building will include a range of units and prices, ranging from middle-income families to low-wage workers. This is, of course, to attempt to combat the housing market crisis. Jill Atkey, chief executive of the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association, stated in a news conference in Vancouver that this was a “vital” investment, and that “This crisis is real.” No kidding — it has been for years. Currently, minimum wage is $12.65, and set to rise to $13.85 on June 1, 2019, then to $14.60 on June 1, 2020, then $15.20 on June 1, 2021. According to the Globe and Mail, Premier John Horgan said the wage increase is part of the plan to “make life more affordable.” for minimum wage workers. Let’s do some math. Hypothetically, let’s say someone working a minimum-wage job is working 40 hours per week (often at more than one job). They’d be making $2,024 before taxes. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment or basement suite in Abbotsford is anywhere from $900 to $1,300, provided you can find somewhere to live. (As of November 2017, Abbotsford was reported as having one of the tightest rental markets at 0.2 per cent vacancy rate — not much has changed.) Now add in hydro, food, gas and car insurance (because our transit system is deplorable), and taxes, and they might be lucky enough to save a few dollars to go toward university. And, according to Living Wage Fraser Valley campaign, the living wage in Abbotsford for a family of four where both parents are working is $17.40. However, living wage is defined as living on a bare bones budget, while working 35 hours a week, 52 weeks of the year. Now, I’d guess many people reading this aren’t parent to two children, but some are. Regardless, minimum wage isn’t anywhere near $17.40, and still won’t

be by the time the government’s minimum wage increase is complete in 2021 (which, by that time, cost of living will have likely increased as well). If the Living Wage Fraser Valley campaign knows what the living wage in Abbotsford is, surely the government could calculate it as well, and realize that $15.20 three years from now isn’t going to be enough. The above is the best-case scenario for lowincome workers, and it’s not even good. You’re pushing yourself to the limit — often trying to balance several jobs alongside university or caring for family members — and, if you’re lucky, barely able to make ends meet. I remember helping my friend look for an apartment about eight years ago. He worked a minimum-wage job full-time, and was also attending an alternative high school with me. Back then, apartments were easy to find. We found about 15 in the $600 price range within a couple of days, and, upon visiting a few, he chose one he liked and moved in. Simple as that. Making $10 an hour, he had $1,000 left over after rent to pay for food, and anything else he wanted or needed. Although he didn’t have family to fall back on in hard times, he was able to afford an apartment by himself, and not worry about whether he’d be able to eat at the end of the month. Right now, options for individuals working low-income jobs aren’t great. A one-bedroom apartment is almost always out of the question if they want anything left over at the end of the month. Finding a room to rent in a house is better — but with low vacancy rates, the chances of that are slim. Then there’s the option of staying at home, but it’s not ideal for most (or even an option for some). So the government has the plan to build more affordable housing, which is awesome; it’ll create jobs, and also, hopefully, create affordable housing. But this housing is created not only for low-income families, but for middle-income families — including nurses (who, starting out, make $73,905 per year, vs. $24,288 of a minimum-wage worker). So, the real question is: how affordable is this housing really going to be?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 2018

ﬁll a gap in your program

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(our governing body)

will hold it’s Extraordinary General Meeting on November 21 @ 3:00pm in S2111, The Cascade office.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 same standards of human rights that we do. The ongoing support of Saudi Arabia in our “fight” against Iran and its quiet support of Israel puts us in a tough spot. Those are two foreign policy issues that we as Canadians are emotionally charged about. Thomas Juneau, writing for the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, states that “A sober weighing of its pros and cons and of how it fits in the broader partnership between Saudi Arabia and the West, however, leads to the assessment that the government is right to uphold the deal.” Our foreign policy is lacking. We don’t really define what we are trying to achieve, but rather, just wing it. This is demonstrated by the fact that the government in power right now has plenty to say about human rights violations, but doesn’t bother to do anything substantial. Let’s say that we are trying to influence Saudi Arabia so that they become more Westernized — then why are we openly having diplomatic feuds on Twitter? I’m referring to the time where Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland thought it right to openly criticize the Saudi Arabian government for human rights violations on Twitter, of all places. In retaliation to that, the Saudi Arabian government kicked

out our ambassador, brought all their students studying abroad in Canada home, and are trying to cut off all trade ties. My problem with all this is the fact that we sit on the fence: we criticize Saudi Arabia, and yet we sell weapons to them. Either we need to stop criticizing them and realize that the country is slowly becoming better and that it will take time, or we need to force our values upon them and make them change now. The decision is up to you to make on where we should stand, but we cannot be in the middle — we can’t be hypocrites. So why does this matter to you as a student? I know what you’re thinking: why should I give a crap? I have a job I have to work, I have assignments to hand in, tests to write, social life to figure out. So why does this matter? Well if you truly believe yourself to be Canadian, champions of human rights and a safe haven for the oppressed, then take a stance and hold your elected representatives accountable. If you think that this doesn’t affect you or that this is a world away, well, then it’s just a matter of time until the world comes knocking on your door. And I hope for you that you don’t plead ignorance.

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 2018

Lifestyle //

A change of heart and a change of mind Are we as a society ready for mental health-focused walk-in clinics? EMMALINE SPENCER STAFF WRITER

Mental health is a widespread epidemic in our generation. Psychology is an ever-changing and advancing field, and has been taking big steps at a rapid pace. Out of this, concerns over stress levels of youth and young adults have risen. A UBCO professor, Lesley Lutes, has formed a trial mental health-only clinic at the UBC Okanagan campus. According to Lutes, speaking in an interview with CBC, about six in every 10 walk-in medical visits are about mental health. I have to agree in that; the last time I went to a walk-in appointment, it was about mental health. I think other steps need to be taken as well, though. There is still so much stigma surrounding mental health that I feel people are more likely to choose to go directly to general clinics because it feels more anonymous than going to Fraser Health for a screening. I can recall feeling uncomfortable at 16 as I walked into a Fraser Health mental health centre with my parent. I had a hard time going through a screening because I knew my parent would know all about it. Even though I got help that time, I left with so much anxiety that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go again. Getting help is always the hardest first step in mental health treatment. Having a fear of people not understanding or judging you for it stops people, like me, from seeking help. There needs to be a change in the understanding of mental health before we create clinics that

specialize in mental health. Having mental healthonly clinics could assist in eradicating the long waits in regular health clinics, but only if people feel comfortable going to them. Progressing forward, mental health-focused clinics will become more important and needed as the stigma fades. Right now, as a society, we are still in the steps of spreading awareness and understanding. I consider myself to be very open about my struggles, but I still choose not to discuss my mental health sometimes because not everyone is comfortable with it. A mental health-focused clinic has great benefits in that one can streamline getting help in an efficient way and not take up waiting room space in general clinics, which are often over-filled and difficult to get appointments for. There is a shortage of doctors in general clinics, as evidenced by how incredibly difficult it is to get a family doctor, or an appointment at general clinics. I had to make an appointment three weeks ahead of time with my family doctor and even then, when it came time for my appointment, I had to wait another hour before actually going in to see him. Mental health clinics would and will be great to have in the future and I look forward to seeing how they make an impact on our health care system. In the meantime, let’s focus on spreading the awareness of mental health issues, so that the mental health-focused clinics can have full effect as they become popularized. After all, you only get out what you put in.

Illustration by: Cory Jensen

Politics //

The relevance of the Canadian monarchy EDINA BALINT

NEWS WRITER

Most Canadian citizens recognize the relevance of the Queen through symbolic means such as the Oath of Citizenship and portraits of the Queen on our currency. But many people, including federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, don’t understand the broader relevance of Canada’s ties to the British monarchy. Although the Queen has a special role in the structure of Canada’s political system, she rarely interferes in the governance of the country. In fact, the Queen only visits Canada around once every three years, and this event is usually ceremonial. This is because Canada is regarded as a constitutional monarchy, which means that the monarch delegates her powers to the nation’s elected politicians. Consequently, one may ask, where does the Queen fit into the governance of Canada? The Queen may seem far removed from Canadian politics, but the monarchy is still an important part of Canada’s national identity. Although Canada is an independent and democratic nation that united its colonies under Confederation in 1867, the country retains ties to the British monarchy in its Constitution. This

factor is particularly important because it marks a clear distinction between Canadian nationhood and American nationhood. The Canadian Constitution states that the monarch has complete authority over the executive government and the entire nation of Canada. The monarch is also the head of Canada’s Parliament and the commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces. Canada is not the only country that has a “shared” monarchy with Britain. The British monarch is also the monarch of 15 other independent nations including Australia, Jamaica, and New Zealand. Nevertheless, most people are unclear on how the Queen yields power over the Canadian state since Canadian citizens elect their prime minister, the head of government, by voting for MPs that represent their preferred political party. At times it seems that the role of the Queen is questionable because she is expected to agree with the decisions of the prime minister since this is required in a democracy. The House of Commons and the Senate in Canada propose new laws/bills and are also responsible for ratifying them, so most of the time the decisions of the provincial and federal governments do not involve the explicit consent of the Queen.

Due to the physical distance separating Britain and Canada, the Queen — on the advice of the prime minister — appoints a Canadian to represent the monarchy in Canada in her absence. This representative is called the Governor General, and he or she has several ceremonial powers in the Parliament. But the Governor General can also dissolve Parliament and call for a reelection if the government in power loses a vote on important bills such as the budget. For bills that are successfully passed in Parliament, the Governor General must also give the final royal assent for the new bill to become binding. Therefore, the Queen rules remotely through her trusted representative, though the Crown is usually bound to the decisions of the prime minister and Parliament unless the elected officials transgress the decrees of the Constitution. The reason that the monarchy is still a significant part of Canada’s political system is because the country never fully experienced a definite break from British colonial rule. Unlike the United States, Canada never had a revolution to establish its political independence from Britain. Instead, Canadian independence gradually evolved under British supervision. And so, the simi-

Illustration by: Cory Jensen

larities between the British and Canadian systems of government are still very apparent. From my perspective, the figure of the Queen as the head of the Canadian state is still relevant to Canadians nowadays because it is an important part of Canada’s histo-

ry and constitutional framework. Retaining the Queen as the supreme authority in the land also draws a distinction between what it means to be Canadian versus what it means to be American.

S S S N S N N S A h A A h P o P P o t t s Simer Haer s Illustrations by:

Food Fiasco I am a child. Any time I eat something, part of the food inevitably ends up on my hands, which then transfers to my clothes, my keyboard, my phone. I open my laptop up and there’s a new food stain. When did it get there? And what is it? I certainly don’t have the answers. There was a period of time where I ate peanut butter and Nutella straight from the jar. Well, not straight from the jar. I used a knife. Regardless, I ate a lot of

peanut butter and a lot of Nutella, and even though a knife was used, I still managed to get it on my knuckles and fingers. It got to the point where I was surprised if it wasn’t there. But I’m glad to say that, unlike my oneyear-old niece, at least 95 per cent of the food I eat makes it in my mouth — it’s all about progress, right?

Cat Friesen

The downside of binge-watching With the cost of cable, I heavily rely on streaming websites like Netflix and YouTube to get my fix of shows. I have no complaints about the selection on Netflix, as there are many shows that I haven’t seen or would love to watch again. The downfall lies in the notifications received when attempting to binge-watch. Binge-watching feels like an art. It must be well-timed to complete avoidance of work and to get by without a ridiculous amount of caffeine. After spending hours with the first season

of Suits, I again received the prompt — “Are you still watching?” Obviously, the five episodes into the series (so far) have not indicated that I am indeed bingewatching the show. If I was bored, I would have turned it off. I would like to just finish off the season without interruptions or feeling guilty about spending a day on the show. There should be a setting to avoid receiving the notification, or to have the ability to enable a binge-watching mode. It would improve the binge-watching experience.

Remington Fioraso

Clawing for a solution In previous trips to nail salons I have personally avoided getting fake nails, and instead favoured the simple gel manicure. That way, I could continue using my hands and fingers as normal for daily tasks. This week however, for the first time in my life, my mother and sister managed to convince me to be brave and try something new. So, having been challenged, I walked into a nail salon confident and ready for a new adventure. I have never been so naive. Who ever thought it would be a good idea to make unrealistically long nails fashionable? I can barely type, text, or even zip up my pants!

The real problem is that despite my impairments, I can’t stop staring at my hands. They’re just so darned pretty. Having essentially glued-on insta-claws can have its perks, such as finally being able to scratch that one spot on my back I couldn’t quite reach before. Thus, as a result of their insignificant and minor benefits, I can’t even bring myself to get them removed. I have a term paper to type up this week. What have I done to myself?

Cassie de Jong

Ugly-cute I have an ugly dog. Not only is Brutis a pug-chihuahua mix — a hilarious combination in every instance I’ve ever seen — but he has a snaggletooth his upper lip usually catches on, sad bulgy eyes, and a mouth that resembles a very frowny fish. His general appearance is that of a disgruntled old man. And personally, I think he’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. In fact, I go out of my way every day to coo at him about how cute he is, much to the exasperation of my dad, who usually pipes up with an (admittedly accurate) high-pitched impression of my dog voice. But I’m not the only one that thinks

he’s cute! Several of my friends are avid members of the Brutis fanclub. They often joke that they’re only friends with me for my dog and honestly, I kind of believe them. There’s something about his unique looks, his squished face, and his strange mix of ugly and utterly adorable that reaches out to people. Brutis is a testament that ugly-cute beats out regular cute any day — in my book, anyway. If people resemble their dogs, I’m perfectly happy representing this horrendously cute oddball.

Nadia Tudhope

What’s up up with with the the increase increase in in What’s counseling centre centre wait wait times? times? counseling Hint: it’s more complex than mere understaffing. By: Cat Friesen

ecently, the wait time to see a counselor at UFV was up to four weeks, and the community’s wait times mirror this. According to the Vancouver Courier, some individuals wait up to six months for treatment — and this is the norm. However, UFV’s counseling centre has taken steps to remedy this gap. Priscilla Ang, clinical counselor and department head of UFV’s counseling services centre says that, with the addition of two new counselors — 40 more available appointments per week — the wait time for counseling services at UFV has been cut down significantly. “The current wait time for an appointment is approximately 1.5 weeks, which makes it more available to students than the typical three- to six-month wait for counselling through many community agencies,” Ang said. But tuition rates are increasing, gas and insurance rates have risen, the job market is looking ever thinner as more students graduate and search for jobs above entry level. Global warming is very real and very frightening, politics are disheartening, and school shootings are still happening. In short, many of us are dealing with added worry, stressors, or mental health issues due to our increased workload and the current state of the world. The problem is that the demand for mental health services isn’t leading to more or better options for mental health treatment — it’s just leading to longer wait times. Global News reported that, accord-

ing to Addictions and Mental Health Ontario, people often have to wait six months to a year before they’re able to see a counselor. A little closer to home, the Tyee reported on one man’s wait to see a psychiatrist that took four weeks, while his wait to see a neuropsychiatrist (about possible brain damage that could be causing his inexplicable depression and mood swings) took over a year. Ang believes that, in part, the spike in counseling services being sought after has to do with the demanding lives we’re living. According to the National College Health Assessment survey in 2016 — which surveyed 44,000 students from 41 Canadian post-secondary institutions — one-fifth of students are struggling with depression or anxiety, up by three to four per cent from 2013. Even more concerning is the increase in Canadian students contemplating suicide — 13 per cent, up by 3.5 per cent since 2013. “We live in a world where increasingly stressful demands are being placed on us. In addition to taking on an educational journey, students face work, financial, and family demands that need to be met. We are seeing more students coming in with more stressors and more complex situations,” Ang said. Unsurprisingly, the number of students seeking mental health services through their universities is on the rise. According to the Globe and Mail, a survey of 15 universities conducted by the Toronto Star and the Ryerson School

of Journalism found that the average spent on mental health budgets has risen by 35 per cent over the past five years. There’s no single reason for this increase: some say it’s due to increased awareness around mental health services, others say because the stigma of discussing mental health has decreased, and others still blame social media, of which studies have shown a link to selfloathing and low self-esteem. These stressors, in part, come from the increasingly challenging task of finding work, and the added pressure of doing well in university, which may in turn increase their chances of being hired. “As the job market becomes more competitive, education becomes a more crucial factor in being successfully hired, so people are making more sacrifices to be here.” This, coupled with everything else students deal with, may ultimately lead to a breakdown. “Eventually the stress may wear on them, causing burnout and a deterioration of mental health. This is where support services such as counselling can be helpful to support them along in their journey,” Ang said. The problem with this is that many people seeking mental health services are in need of help right now. Waiting a month — let alone 90 days — could be detrimental. According to Statistics Canada, 2009 saw 3,890 suicides, and that number has likely gone up since then, due to daily stressors and the increase in wait times to seek counsel-

ing services. Declining states of mental health, coupled with long wait times for therapy and other treatments, will contribute to this. Jessica Reist, president of UFV’s Mental Health Awareness Club (MHAC), said the wait times to see a counselor over the past few months at UFV is less than perfect, but there’s reason for this wait. “I know UFV has about a dozen counselors, and students are allotted up to an hour [of counseling] a week,” Reist said. “Students don’t get that because it’s busy — sometimes it takes two to four weeks to get an appointment.” So, what’s causing this spike in the need for mental health treatment, and by extension, increased wait times? Is it a rising number of people seeking treatment whereas they wouldn’t have before, or are more people actually developing mental health problems? One major factor may be the culture of busyness that’s salient in the Western world. Those who do more — and in turn, suffer more stress — are supposedly doing better than those who have a spare minute to breathe during the day. Not only that, but busyness is applauded. According to an article in the Atlantic, busyness — not luxury items like cars or watches — is the new bragging right. Essentially, those who are busy are seen as a commodity. They’re competent, they’re ambitious, they’re motivated, and they’re driven — all things bosses look for in a potential hire. But when did busyness become acquainted with those things? If you think about it, someone who’s busy — and is therefore splitting their

energy between multiple tasks — will do worse at a job than someone who’s not. Why? Because multitasking reduces efficiency and performance, resulting in a lower quality of work (and, according to a study at the University of London, multitasking lowers your IQ ). Reist, a member of MHAC and UFV’s criminology student’s as-

to be dropped; priorities need to be looked at.” As for priorities, Reist believes that, if it’s going to be useful or relevant for anything you’re doing within the next few years, it should be a priority. However, you have to decide what exactly is going to be important; a delicate balance that usually takes some guesswork and failures.

sociation while simultaneously completing a double major in psychology and criminology, knows what it’s like to be busy. But she also knows there’s a certain point where you have to pull back from what you’re doing to focus on your mental health. “You shouldn’t make yourself so busy that you regularly have mental breakdowns. If you’re that busy then something needs

“I’ve had this before with some executive positions — people are really into it at the beginning of the year, but then they realize that it’s a lot of work to be in a leadership role. Sometimes you need to take a step back and go back to being a volunteer and help us when you can. You can still be a part of things, but you need to limit your time.” According to Ang, understaff-

ing, an increase in students needing services, and increasingly complex mental health issues can all be attributed to longer wait times. Reist, of course, believes something similar. “I would say it’s a mix of understaffing and more people knowing about the counseling centre, especially with the MHAC really pushing for people to go see the counseling department — it’s great and free while you’re here. But we could also use a couple more counselors. And more heightened awareness of the counseling department.” To achieve this, the counseling centre holds campuswide mental health events to increase awareness and reach out to the UFV community, one of which is Beyond the Blues, a mental health screening day where students, staff, and faculty are invited to drop by, take a few quick screening tests, learn about wellness, mental health, and self-care, and to connect with counselors to talk mental health. The counseling centre does this in order to decrease the stigma that persists in clinging to the topic of mental health. But they hope they’re doing their part in decreasing this stigma, and that students realize mental wellness is important, and that they’re willing to come to the counseling centre when they need support. The decrease in stigma surrounding the topic of mental health is obviously one major cause as to why counseling services are more sought after, but there is no one reason as to why the number of people seeking mental health services has spiked. There is, however, a

clear answer on how we can combat it: spend more on mental health services — hiring and training more counselors, mainly. But what it comes down to is priorities. Think about what our fees go into at UFV: $43.84 for the SUS U-Pass fee, $30 for the SUS membership fee, $27.23 for the inter-campus shuttle fee, $7.85 for CIVL Radio, $6.12 for The Cascade. What about counseling? There is the $29 experiential learning and wellness fee students pay each semester, but it’s unclear what this goes to. If this goes into improving the counseling centre by hiring and training more counselors, that’s great. But the name “experiential learning and wellness” is vague, and I wasn’t able to find any information on it, not by searching online, nor by emailing higher-ups at UFV. Another option that won’t cost students or the university anything is to educate the general public on self-care strategies they can use on themselves while they wait for services, which, if the risk is low enough, may negate the need for them to see a counselor at all. As the president of MHAC, Reist

knows a thing or two about self-care. “Time away from my phone really does me good, because I’m constantly checking social media and my emails since I’m a part of MHAC and the criminal justice student association,” she said. “And I regularly see a counselor, so my counselor helps me with other self care tips that I might not have thought of before, like writing a five-minute journal entry at the end of every day.” Waiting for your appointment with the counseling centre, but need help now? The MHAC is more than willing to talk, or provide you with resources to get you through. “A good website is heretohelp.bc.ca — they have a lot of general resources. And we have a ton of links to resources on our mycampuslife page, and our Facebook page as well … The counseling department also has a 24-hour crisis line — that number can be found on the UFV website. Also, if a student is in crisis, the counseling department will switch around whatever they’re doing and make sure they see them right away. Crisis counseling is top priority,” Reist said. Ang also says that, if a student is in

crisis, they’re urged to come directly to the counseling services centre (B214 for Abbotsford and A1318 for CEP). “A student who is in crisis will be seen on the same day. In addition to ongoing appointments for regular clients and new clients, the counselling department has limited appointment slots available each day for students who are experiencing a crisis. If there is a counsellor who has had a cancellation and is available, the student will be seen immediately.” And what if UFV campuses are closed for the evening? “It’s important to reach out to trusted support individuals in their life,” And said. “If needed, I would encourage them to call the local crisis line at 1-877820-7444. In the case of risk to safety to oneself or risk of harm to others, please call 911 or visit the local hospital.” And, well aware of the stress placed on students, urges them to search for resources, to connect with a therapist when life is looking grim. “There are many support services on campus that have been created to help students — reach out, lighten your load.”

Websites to visit while waiting for therapy www.betterhelp.com -- www.heretohelp.bc.ca -- www.7cupsoftea.com -- www.anxietybc.ca -- www.headsupguys.org -- www.keltyeatingdisorders.ca -- www.crisiscentre.bc.ca --

(general mental health - paid membership) (general mental health - paid membership) (general mental health) (anxiety) (depression) (EDs) (suicide)

LEGEND

The Cascade -ARY

Community Events are in UFV Events are in Music Events are in Art Events are in Cultural Events are in

Nov 21 UFV History Department Film Series: Rulers and Rebels - Tecumseh’s Vision @ Room B121 (Abbotsford Campus), 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. C3: Untold Stories of a Paramedic @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 2:33 - 5:33 p.m.

Nov 27

Abbotsford Torch Relay Celebration Stop @ Abbotsford Recreation Centre, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Faculty of Science Dean’s Seminar Series with Kori Czuy @ Room B121 (Abbotsford Campus), 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Meditation Class @ Two Dragons Tai Chi Academy (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Chilliwack Torch Relay Celebration Stop @ Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Christmas Goat Yoga & Wine @ Maan Farms (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Banff Mountain Film Festival @ Clarke Theatre (Mission), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Life Drawing Studio: Instructor Jesse Klassen @ House of Fine Art (Abbotsford), 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Jann Arden @ Abbotsford Centre, 7:30 p.m.

Nov 22 CreWri: Revise! Revise! Revise! Workshop @ Room C1421 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Lightning Dion and The Unbranded @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Nov 23

Inanimate Alice Perpetual Nomads: A Virtual Reality Experience @ Clearbrook Library (Abbotsford), 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Yarrow Tree Lighting Celebration @ Pioneer Park (Yarrow), 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Reel Change: Songs My Brother Taught Me @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Lonesome Town Painters @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Nov 25

The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market @ Tradex (Abbotsford), 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Dirty Catfish Brass Band @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Making Spirits Bright @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Nov 28

Blue Green Red Purple Yellow

Note:

Some of these events require tickets, most are on Facebook. If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details.

Dec 1 Christmas Open House @ Trethewey House (Abbotsford), 10:00 - 4:00 p.m. Winter Jubilee + Tree Lighting @ Downtown Abbotsford, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. Santa Claus Parade @ Downtown Chilliwack, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Roots and Blues with Harpdog Brown @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. The Molten Blues Band @ Historic Dewdney Pub (Mission), 8:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Dec 2

C3: They’ll Fight Better in Kilts @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Yugioh Tournament for Mission Food Bank @ Game Changers Buy and Sell (Mission), 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Banff Mountain Film Festival @ Clarke Theatre (Mission), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Alt Country Night with Derby Town @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Nov 29 CreWri: Secret Santa Social @ Room C1421 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Research Encounters - Jon Thomas and Arjun Kalyanpur @ University House Room F124 (Abbotsford Campus), 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. School of Business Alumni Networking Mixer @ The Sprouted Oven (Abbotsford), 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Sam Weber @ Tractorgrease Cafe (Chilliwack), 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Dec 4

CityStudio Abbotsford HUBBUB @ City Hall (Abbotsford), 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Dec 5 C3: Everything You Wanted to Know About The Reach @ The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford), 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Nov 30

Concerto Invierno with Daniel Bolshoy @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Interpretations and Expressions: Evolution of South Asian Canadian Experiences @ University House Room F125 (Abbotsford Campus), 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

CULTURE

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 30

culture@ufvcascade.ca Cassie de Jong — Culture Editor

Column //

On-Campus Event//

Butternut Mac & Cheese

Students gather to celebrate internationality

The Cascade Kitchen: In the mood for international food EMMALINE SPENCER STAFF WRITER

CHANDY DANCEY CONTRIBUTOR

The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budgetfriendly recipes and cooking tips. Consider contributing a favourite recipe of your own, or check back weekly for something new to try in the kitchen. What’s not to love about butternut squash? It has a sweet, hearty taste that’ll keep you warm during the colder months of the year, and best of all? It’s in season right now! The great thing about buying produce in season is that it’s kinder to your wallet, and can be more environmentally friendly. Stores are able to provide outof-season produce to consumers because they ship produce from afar while in season, which generally means your food has been transported a shorter distance or could even be local. Since there’s a higher supply of in-season produce, this also means great sales and lower prices. This week’s recipe turns the butternut squash into a creamy sauce that’ll fool you into thinking it’s mac & cheese. Ready in: 40 minutes. Serves: 8 Ingredients 15 ml (1 tbsp) of oil ~2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and diced 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 900 ml carton of broth (veggie, beef, etc.) Pasta of choice, cooked 5 ml (1 tsp) sage 5 ml (1 tsp) thyme 2 ml (1/2 tsp) paprika Salt and pepper to taste Blender is also needed at the end Tip: If you’re preparing a fresh squash there are a few ways to go about it. My method was to cut the squash into wheels then shave the skin off the sides before dicing. Another is to poke the sides with a fork and microwave for ~5 minutes to soften it before cutting. Instructions Warm your oil in a large soup pot before adding the onion and garlic. You’ll want to cook this until the onion is nice and translucent. At this point lightly salt. Add your diced butternut squash. Don’t stress too much over the exact weight of the squash, it’ll just affect how much sauce you get in the end. Immediately pour in your carton of broth until it’s about an inch from the top of the squash. Less is more here since this changes the consistency of the end product. Down the road you can always add more, but you can’t take away. Cook with the lid on for ~25 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender. Remove from the heat and carefully spoon the mixture into a blender capable of withstanding some hot food. Make sure to keep the lid cracked open just a bit or open the vent on the top to release steam. Also don’t underestimate the squash — it’s hot! As you blend batches of squash, transfer them to a new pot. At this point you’ll be able to see the consistency of your sauce. Now you can add more broth until you get something that can coat a noodle without being too thin. Now’s the time to add your spices! I wholeheartedly encourage you to add the listed amounts of spices then taste and adjust as needed. They’re just a baseline to get you started. Serve sauce with pasta and enjoy. If you aren’t vegan then grating cheese on top takes it to the next level of creamy deliciousness.

On Thursday, Nov. 15, students gathered in the Global Lounge for an event hosted by UFV International, UFV Amnesty club, and the Japanese culture club (JCC). “In The Mood For International Food” featured an assortment of food from various countries including, but not limited to, the Philippines, India, Japan, Canada, and Mexico, and the event featured karaoke as a group activity. The main planners of the event, Melissa Salter and Juan Manalo, said its purpose was to encourage community connections between international students and domestic students. They wanted to build a bridge of connections for students. According to Manalo, right now is a stressful time for international students as they are registering for courses and may not understand the process very well. With the added stress of being away from home, Manalo believed it would be helpful to provide some free food that may give some comforts of home and give the opportunity to make more connections with domestic students. When asked why specifically the three groups would come together to plan such an event, Salter responded that both clubs had been approached by UFV International to plan some sort of event because both clubs had international-focused causes. The JCC is purely about spreading an appreciation for the country of Japan and its culture, and building a relationship between domestic students and Japanese students. The Amnesty club is all about global concerns and raising the awareness of those

concerns. Manalo said he hopes the success of the “In The Mood For International Food” event will inspire more clubs and associations to do larger joint events as well. The expected turnout for the event was to be roughly 50–70 people. However, about 150 students came out for the event. Due to the popularity of the event, “In The Mood For International Food” ran about an hour and a half later than the set end time of 7 p.m. After seeing the turnout, both Manalo and Salter hope to host more events like this in the future. Manalo said he would like to see at least one or two events like this each semester. Part of the purpose of the event was also to let the domestic students know that they are allowed in the Global Lounge, and that it is a place to get help with planning their own study abroad journey or meet international students. The Global Lounge is also just a fun place to hang out. At the Thursday event, it was promoted that games nights have started to go on every Thursday in the Global Lounge and that anyone is invited to come and play. Another project going on through UFV International is “En Route” which is a series of activities planned for students to go out and see the Lower Mainland area. Activities include things like ice skating, Christmas markets, and laser tag. Final thoughts on the “In The Mood For International Food” event from Salter and Manalo were that they hope this will help grow the UFV community as a whole and bring greater turnouts to future events. Salter hopes students will look into what’s happening on campus more so future events are just as fun as this one.

On-Campus Event//

Glow-paint, yoga, and dance UFV hosts yoga rave JESSICA BARCLAY NEWS EDITOR

Several dozen students decked out in white clothing and glow paint attended UFV’s latest fitness event, a yoga rave, last Thursday. The evening event, hosted by UFV Campus Recreation, built on last year’s “glowga” session, adding electronic music by local Mission DJ Elixis to the blacklight-lit gymnasium and glow sticks. I entered UFV’s yoga rave with a spoonful of skepticism. Admittedly, I had never participated in a group yoga session, but I had participated in raves and knew the energy generally associated with them. I also knew some of the background. Yoga rave wasn’t just a term picked up by glow-painting yoga enthusiasts; they’re an actual thing. They claim their origins from Argentina in the early 2000s from a group of volunteers with the Art of Living, a nonprofit organization that runs programs on happiness and well-being. The volunteers were looking to create a “utopia” party for local youth, with all the highs of a rave but without the drugs and alcohol. Early videos show youth swaying to the devotional songs (bhajans) set to electronic music, with a variety of yoga poses scattered throughout. The small raves, sometimes held in people’s homes, expanded to events that have been held

around the globe. They are drugand alcohol-free raves that start with a yoga session and mediation, and end in meditation, often with basic yoga poses throughout the music. The events were picked up by other local yoga groups and businesses. Yoga raves peaked in popularity with Western consumers about five years ago, with secret yoga raves trending in Brooklyn and New York. As general popularity dimmed, many local universities have taken on the activity, including UBC, UVic, and now UFV, as a social fitness activity. UFV’s yoga rave, as with the UVic and UBC events, was far removed from the yoga rave’s original form. DJ Elixir’s selection of modern electronic beats were unlikely to be mistaken for devotional songs but did lend energy to the event, and while there was a dance workout there was no actual dancing. The most musically-charged part of the event was the warmup. After participants had gathered their glow sticks and painted their faces, Heidi Hill, UFV’s Dance Fit instructor, lead the group through an energetic dance routine to a mix of equally energetic house songs. After 20 minutes of jumping about, with varying degrees of success that was highly dependent on coordination and talent, Rebecca Marshall, owner of Haven Yoga and Wellness in Abbots-

ford, took over. The music turned down, and we were directed through a series of recognizable yoga poses. The routine was straightforward, and as a beginner I had no trouble following Marshall’s instruction. Marshall emphasized that these types of events were meant to be accessible to a broad audience, to bring people into yoga and let them see what it’s all about in a fun, laid-back setting. “I think that it shows that you don’t have to go to a studio, you don’t have to roll out your mat; you can show up and just have fun,” Marshall said. “Yoga isn’t all about being in a quiet room. In fact, yoga is really about living what your yoga is, to becoming present to what may be, and this is all about fun and moving around.” Despite the event being more fitness class than dance party, Marshall’s words echo the spirit of the original yoga rave events: to be a healthy, substance-free outlet for party-goers and to bring a spiritual element into partying. “Yoga asks you to do one thing and that’s simply to become present to that moment, and that’s all. There’s a long-time belief within yoga that each and every breath you take is a new opportunity to change what is. So, living in the present, moving on from the past,” Marshall said.

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2018

Q&A //

UFV //

A Q&A with accounting graduate Matt Stam

NADIA TUDHOPE

Business insights and Not a next generation problem UFV greenSPEAK series: climate change major discussion and global warming with Tim Cooper QUINTIN STAMLER BUSINESS MANAGER

This is the third installment in a series of Alumni Q&A’s that give students insight into the potential outcomes of the majors offered through the university’s Bachelor of Business Administration degree. I interviewed a recent UFV grad who is now in their respective field, discussing studies and their leap into the job market, and what sort of things they experienced. This week I spoke with Matt Stam, a CPA at Langbroek, Louwerse & Thiessen LLP, an accounting firm in Chilliwack. Matt graduated from UFV with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting in 2014. What pushed you toward the field of accounting? Mainly, just took the courses and I was good at it. I also got a job in accounting before anywhere else. I stuck with it and it worked. Why do you think you were good at accounting? It takes a certain mentality, more of a logic and problemsolving type. Those are the skills you need to do well, and those are the things I do well. Tell me about your experience with finding a job after graduation. I actually got my current job while I was finishing up halfway through my third year at UFV. I started as a seasonal worker, and got hired on fulltime after that. The job market for accountants is pretty good. Lots of firms are hiring, especially local firms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, there are always opportunities there. I think with the local firms, UFV credentials are respected. They know that the students are good quality, with a good hands-on training, and can usually step into the job comfortably and quickly. How do you balance the pursuit of the CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation with working? The UFV degree in accounting sets you up so you can start the CPA essentially the September after you graduate. The CPA program is structured in a way that assumes you are going to be working full-time when you are in the program. I think you actually have to

work a minimum of 32 hours a week just to be in the program. It is mostly based on online stuff that you can do during evenings and weekends, with few weekend workshops, so it works well if all you want to be doing is school and work for a few years. After you became an accountant, what are some things you expected and didn’t expect when it came to the job? I was kind of naive going into my job I think. Not only had I never worked as an accountant before, but I also never had my own accountant before. So you kind of expect that it’s numbers primarily, and you just go and do your work and everybody leaves you alone. I’m not going to say I was looking forward to that, but I was expecting it. What I didn’t anticipate was the amount of people skills you need to have, the amount of interaction you have to do with clients and staff members, and how you deal with the day-today interactions. You end up dealing with a lot of the other degrees. For example, working with clients and customer service, which is kind of like marketing to some extent. You also do some human resources related things, and end up wearing many hats, especially with a medium-sized firm with lots of small to medium businesses. You end up being a business advisor to a lot of clients as well, where they ask you questions that are not necessarily accounting related because you are knowledgeable about business and have a business degree. In that way, you can actually help them with other aspects of their companies as well.

STAFF WRITER

with a yoga session and mediation, and end in meditation, often with basic yoga poses throughout the music. The events were picked up by other local yoga groups and businesses. Yoga raves peaked in popularity with Western consumers about five years ago, with secret yoga raves trending in Brooklyn and New York. As general popularity dimmed, many local universities have taken on the activity, including UBC, UVic, and now UFV, as a social fitness activity. UFV’s yoga rave, as with the UVic and UBC events, was far

dent on coordination and talent, Rebecca Marshall, owner of Haven Yoga and Wellness in Abbotsford, took over. The music turned down, and we were directed through a series of recognizable yoga poses. The routine was straightforward, and as a beginner I had no trouble following Marshall’s instruction. Marshall emphasized that these types of events were meant to be accessible to a broad audience, to bring people into yoga and let them see what it’s all about in a fun, laid-back setting. “I think that it shows that you don’t have to go to a studio, you don’t have to roll out your mat; you can show up and just have fun,” Marshall said. “Yoga isn’t all about being in a quiet room. In fact, yoga is really about living what your yoga is, to becoming present to what may be, and this is all about fun and moving around.” Despite the event being more fitness class than dance party, Marshall’s words echo the spirit of the original yoga rave events: to be a healthy, substance-free outlet for party-goers and to bring a spiritual element into partying. “Yoga asks you to do one thing and that’s simply to become present to that moment, and that’s all. There’s a long-time belief within yoga that each and every breath you take is a new opportunity to change what is. So, living in the present, moving on from the past,” Marshall said.

“...scientific counsels in almost every country agree on three things: the planet is warming, human beings are causing it, and it is very dangerous.” removed from the yoga rave’s original form. DJ Elixir’s selection of modern electronic beats were unlikely to be mistaken for devotional songs but did lend energy to the event, and while there was a dance workout there was no actual dancing. The most musically-charged part of the event was the warmup. After participants had gathered their glow sticks and painted their faces, Heidi Hill, UFV’s Dance Fit instructor, lead the group through an energetic dance routine to a mix of equally energetic house songs. After 20 minutes of jumping about, with varying degrees of success that was highly depen-

Why should a student pursue accounting? I think accounting is underrated and seen as the boring or uninteresting job. But it’s one where there are constantly new things to push the limits of your capabilities. You will get so much better as you are able to add more value to organizations and clients. There is no person in accounting, whether they have been doing it for two years or 20 years, who has reached the pinnacle of everything they can do. You’re always improving and pushing yourself, and I like that appeal of constant improvement.

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2018 Made by Cassie de Jong ACROSS

DOWN

1: A trick played on someone that makes them look foolish to amuse others. 4: The city known as the formal seat of the European Parliament. 6: A word that sounds like the noun it describes. 10: A medical practitioner that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. 13: A straight flush in poker including an ace, 10, queen, jack, and king, all in the same suit. 14: Gold, platinum, and silver are all considered _ _ _.

2: A quantitative relation between two amounts or numbers. 3: A system of Japanese writing using Chinese characters. 5: Small Italian dumplings made from potato, semolina, or flour. 7: A person holding a position of command or authority in an armed service such as security force or the police. 8: A mayonnaise dip seasoned with garlic or other spices. 9: The circular or ovoid path of a celestial object or spacecraft around a star, planet, or moon. 11: A mythical creature represented in Roman mythology as a man with a goat’s ears, tail, legs, and horns. 12: An American automotive and energy company based in Palo Alto and owned by Elon Musk

LAST ISSUE’S

ANSWERS: Across: 2: Trapeze 4: West Indies 6: Espresso 8: Toffee 10: Catnip 11: Flatiron 12: Rendezvous 13: Nauseas

Down: 1: Eiffel Tower 2: Tower of London 3: Endometriosis 5: Sleeping Bag 7: Orc 9: Elf

Bread Crumbs You can rest, Mutually Assured, that our boys are still fighting The Good FiGhTTm.

Horoscopes //

r season Bill “Reptile” O’Reilly & this winte y for, Donnie “The hands” Trump ad re t ge

THE WAR WAR ON ON THE christmas christmas part two: The Kringle delusion

Astrological mysteries interpreted weekly by Morgana the Mystic.

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 Is time flying? With the semester nearly over you might be keen to let your impatience take ahold of your work ethic. Rein it in, Aries, and remember: slow and steady wins the race (and gets you an A!). Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 Dragging your feet will only slow down the inevitable, Taurus — it won’t stop it from happening. Try to conquer the dread you feel this week and tackle your workload head on! Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 Mercury in retrograde can make even the most eloquent speaker stutter, so don’t feel bad if you find your thoughts hard to get across in the following weeks. Anything too complex should wait until after the fog has cleared, for both you and your listener’s sake. Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 If you’re feeling like you’ve forgotten something important, retrace your steps. Something’s been escaping you and it’s no doubt making you nervous. Take this as a chance to reorganize and recollect your thoughts!

Even in the face of secular stanleys who would attempt to sully sacred salutations, such as those delivered by Walmart greeter’s

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 Caught up in something you didn’t mean to start? You have quite a lot on your plate currently, and while you have a knack for multitasking, it would be better in the long run if you kept your list of goals concise. Don’t feel guilty leaving some stuff for a later date! Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 If you’re starting to feel claustrophobic, extend your boundaries. Don’t be afraid to exert some force to get to where you want to be; now is a perfect time to try and escape your comfort zone

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 This week will be full of excitement for you, Sagittarius. You might have to lend a helping hand in kick-starting the festivities, but don’t let this discourage you; this simply means your input is invaluable. Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 Feeling a little stressed this week? The pressure is certainly on, but ask yourself where it’s all coming from. If your panic is self-imposed, take a break. Your sky-high standards (while admirable) are dragging you down.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 Feel like sleeping in? Don’t! Your talent towards treating yourself is only making it harder for you to focus on what you need to get done. Hit the books this week, Libra, you’ll thank yourself!

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 Dust off a forgotten hobby this week, Aquarius! The best way for you to tackle the end-of-semester slump is to budget your time wisely enough that you have equal amounts scheduled for your responsibilities and yourself.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 With your season coming to the end this week, prepare to wind down. Your supercharged emotions have been a great motivator these last few weeks but don’t let their now-muted presence drag you into a slump. Soldier on!

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 It’s going to be a challenge, but avoid overthinking recent decisions, Pisces. Your mind has a habit of running away with an idea before it’s been fully formed, and you’re likely to panic if you can’t get a hold on it. Trust yourself and worry not.

SPORTS

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 30

Women’s Volleyball //

UFV women’s volleyball weekend recap: Cascades complete the sweep of the Capilano Blues ALEXANDER JESUS SPORTS WRITER

The UFV women’s volleyball team came into the weekend looking for the coveted weekend sweep when they took on the Capilano Blues. Beating a team is one thing but doing it in back-to-back nights is no small task. UFV wound up pulling it off in back-to-back four-set matches with the Blues, now tied for third in the PACWEST conference. That being said, while a sweep sounds almost effortless, this weekend was anything but. The first game of the weekend for the Cascades started out rough. UFV fell behind and wound up losing the first set 25-14. UFV came back in the second set playing much better, and when Capilano called a timeout with the Cascades up 11-6, it felt like the team might be on the rebound. Capilano wasn’t done by any means and hustled all the way back to a 19-19 score when UFV called their first timeout of the set. After a back-andforth, #9 Amanda Matsui lead the Cascades with two big plays to win the set 25-23. The third set was a good one for UFV, who got out to a 17-6 lead over Capilano and the Blues called a timeout. The lead

held for the Cascades who served much better and seemed to be completely on track. Big efforts from Amanda Matsui and #12 Kim Bauder helped UFV go up two sets to one, putting them in position to win the match in the fourth set. In the fourth, Capilano called a timeout with the score 8-3 and UFV looked just as good as they did in the set prior. A lack of mistakes combined with solid play from #16 Keira Fisher and others put the Cascades up 15-8 by the next Blues timeout, and from there UFV went on to win the next two sets 25-11 each and the match in four sets. The second match between these two teams played out much differently, with UFV starting strong this time. The Cascades and Blues came out playing hard early, but UFV won the first set 25-20. The second set was tougher, as Capilano called a timeout with the score at 1818. The Cascades were playing well but mistakes were keeping the Blues in the game and quite close. Capilano as down as UFV pulled away to a set score of 2520 for the Cascades, two things about the game were clear: Capilano was benefiting a lot from UFV’s mistakes, but they had no answer for the play of Amanda Matsui, who seemed to consistently

overpower the opposing team with big offensive plays. The third set had Capilano jump right back in the game. Seemingly unbothered by UFV’s early success, the Blues jumped to 6-14 and 9-19 leads, both which warranted timeouts from the Cascades. Capilano’s serving was on full display as Blues #7 Meghan Koven and others helped them take a big lead. However UFV pushed back. Capilano called a timeout late in the set with the score at 19-24 and took the set 25-20, but UFV was rallying. The fourth set saw the Cascades excel yet again, getting to a 13-9 score lead and Capilano calling a timeout. The score was tied at 20-20 but just at the right time, Amanda Matsui jumped in. In what can only be described as a completely clutch performance, Matsui took over for UFV, and with the help of her hard-playing teammates, they overcame a 23-24 Capilano lead and took the set 26-24. With no shortage of fun and skillful play, the Cascades completed the sweep. They look to continue their winning ways when they take on their fellow Abbotsford team and rivals, the Columbia Bible College Bearcats this weekend, Dec. 1-2.

Men’s Volleyball// //

UFV men’s volleyball weekend recap: Cascades remain winless, lose tough weekend to the Capilano Blues ALEXANDER JESUS SPORTS WRITER

The Cascades faced a challenge when they took on the Capilano Blues in backto-back home games on the weekend. Though UFV had their moments, the Blues prevailed in both games, winning in three sets on Friday and four on Saturday. It wasn’t as bad as you might think though, as UFV put forth a solid effort, and will take the losses in stride as they learn and search for their first win of the season. The first set saw UFV compete well, but right away Capilano came out with a style of play that impressed, and UFV took a timeout with a score of 9-15 for the Blues. Capilano constantly dove for balls, recovered plays, and mixed up their offence with a combination of spikes and tips over the net. The Cascades battled back with a valiant effort of their own but lost the first set 25-18. The second set went similarly, but with some

big plays that couldn’t be ignored. UFV’s #2 Landon Uy and #10 Ben Friesen stood out, but the Blues continued their style of play and it seemed to work against the home team. The third set saw Capilano go on a run that prompted a UFV timeout with the score sitting at 0-4 for the Blues. Their hustle and morale were on full display, and UFV called a second timeout with the score at 1-7. From there they battled back and made the set tough for their opponents, but Capilano hung on and took it 25-23, winning the match. The second game went differently, as UFV seemed to have learned from the night prior. The first set went back and forth but Capilano played like they had a chip on their shoulder even though they had won the night before. The Cascades lost the set 25-14 but it wasn’t all bad, as their serve was better than before. The second set saw a turn in the action, with UFV playing much better, resulting in a Capilano timeout, with a score of 18-15

for the Cascades. They went on to be tied with the Blues at 19-19, calling a timeout as well. In a display of solid effort the Cascades won the second set 25-22, marking their first set win of the weekend. The third set was a close set through and through, as Capilano looked to go back to their winning ways while UFV wanted to ride the momentum of their second set win. The Blues won the set 25-21 although the Cascades were maintaining a high level of play. The fourth set saw UFV call a timeout at the 2-8 score mark and again at the 9-16 mark, finding it hard to beat Capilano, who were playing quite well. UFV got the set close at multiple points but lost, as Capilano took it 25-22, winning the match in four sets and the weekend overall. The Cascades will look for their first win of the season when they take on their fellow Abbotsford team and rivals, the Columbia Bible College Bearcats this weekend, Dec. 1-2.

UFV Cascades Sports Scores Nov. 12 – Nov. 17, 2018 Men’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV Versus MACEWAN Nov. 16, 2018 Result: Win (94-79) Game/Date: UFV Versus MACEWAN Nov. 17, 2018 Result: Win (84-80)

Women’s Basketball Game/Date: UFV Versus MACEWAN Nov. 16, 2018 Result: Win (58-41) Game/Date: UFV Versus MACEWAN Nov. 17, 2018 Result: Loss (62-63)

Men’s Volleyball Game/Date: UFV Versus Capilano Nov. 16, 2018 Result: Loss (0-3) Game/Date: UFV Versus Capilano Nov. 17, 2018 Result: Loss (1-3)

Women’s Volleyball Game/Date: UFV Versus Capilano Nov. 16, 2018 Result: Win (3-1) Game/Date: UFV Versus Capilano Nov. 17, 2018 Result: Win (3-1)

ARTS

VOL. 26 // ISSUE 30

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

arts@ufvcascade.ca Martin Castro — Arts Editor

Album Review //

Ian Sweet crushes it CHARTS 1

Stephen Carl O’Shea & Sylvia Platters Shadow Steps (split)

Beach Towels Unsweetend / Sweetened

Jock Tears Bad Boys

Miya Folick Premonitions

Single Mothers Through A Wall

Kurt Vile Bottle It In

Autogramm What R U Waiting 4?

Lindsay Beaver Tough As Love

Art d’Ecco Trespasser

Fog Lake Captain

Kirsten Ludwig We Get It Now

boygenius boygenius

Pill Soft Hell Dadweed

14 I Dreamt I was Running

SHUFFLE AARON LEVY

CLIPPING THE MIC

Every year, the Central Valley DIY community comes together to host a New Year’s extravaganza, in the form of scene karaoke. Here are some songs to be showcased this year, including mine:

Jimmy Eat World — “A Praise Chorus” This song is like four songs in one: first, the original song that it is, a Jimmy Eat World/Jim Adkins penned two-hitter from the breakout 2001 Bleed American, but also the classic Tommy James masterpiece “Crimson and Clover” gets referenced, Madness’ “Our House,” and of course, They Might Be Giants’ “Don’t Let’s Start.” Neil Young — “Rockin in the Free World” If there’s one line in modern rock or music overall that just gets people up out of their seats to fist pump and declare enthusiasm for the changing of the guards, it’s “One more kid that’ll never go to school / never get to fall in love / never get to be cool.” The Pretenders — “I Touch Myself”

MARTIN CASTRO

No one could ever get away with crooning this song quite as effectively as everyone’s favourite local Yale Secondary bass legend, Harma White’s own Brandon Clark, who enjoys wearing not very many clothes, and doesn’t spare your, or my, sensitivities when talking about the object of his affection. When I ...

For the longest time, Jilian Medford’s appeal as / with Ian Sweet (first a solo project, then a band, now a solo project once again) was, to me, epitomized in “Cactus Couch,” the fifth song off 2016’s Shapeshifter. On it, watery overdriven guitars and reverb-soaked cymbals crash as Medford weaves in and out of a melody that’s at once bittersweet and intensely playful. Lyrics are either cooed out, or delivered in squeaks. It all amounts to a record that’s unlike any other. Shapeshifter is full of dissonance, but couched inside it are such fun hooks; it’s optimistic and bright, but unnerving and anxious at the same time — like a Benadryl fever dream. Crush Crusher, Medford’s return to Ian Sweet as a solo act, smooths out a lot of tonal elements in comparison to its predecessor: the dramatic peaks and valleys remain, as does the dissonant plurality of overlaid guitars and Medford’s vocal quirks, but we arrive at them

Dilly Dally Heaven

Upper Wilds Mars

Chris-A-Riffic Post-Season

Thin Lizzy — “The Boys Are Back In Town”

Ian William Craig

This song is like four songs in one: first, the original song that it is, a Jimmy Eat World/Jim Adkins penned two-hitter from the breakout 2001 Bleed American, but also the classic Tommy James masterpiece “Crimson and Clover” gets referenced, Madness’ “Our House,” and of course, They Might Be Giants’ “Don’t Let’s Start.”

18 Thresholder 19

Exploded View Obey

Fake Shark Walking Through A Fantasy

ARTS EDITOR

with more tenderness. On “Bug Museum,” for example, Medford’s vocals are much more straightforward. She seems more vulnerable than before, perhaps a result of highlighting her voice unfiltered. Even so, when the chorus comes around, the connection between Shapeshifter and Crush Crusher becomes abundantly clear: as she wails about being lost in a bug museum again and wishing “I’d be a better man” or being “scared of getting bit by what bites harder than I can,” Crush Crusher’s off-kilter lyricism picks right back up where Shapeshifter left off. Even in her evolution, Medford puts together a record that is distinctly different than Shapeshifter: the hard, grating guitars are gone, but Medford revels in adding tension by elongating bridges to the point of near-antagonism, such as on “Borrowed Body.” Bittersweetness also is doled out with a bigger ladle this time around, especially on tracks like “Question It,” and “Falling Fruit,” on the

latter of which Medford goes through peaks and troughs of energy in delivery: cooing one moment, shrieking the next. When taken whole, Crush Crusher proves to be even more dissociative in effect than its predecessor, especially when its crashing waves of bitterness are stripped of what sweetness they may have laid claim to previously. Once more a record whose blurred boundaries have a quietly disorienting effect on the listener, Crush Crusher’s impact is amplified by just how insidious its harmonic components are, and how effective they are at coaxing us into a lull of complacency before pulling the floor out from under us. I’m sure it wasn’t her intention, but in the event that you ever do anything warranting your expulsion from your community via ice floe, Jilian Medford’s Crush Crusher is almost uniquely suited to accompany you to your doom as you float out towards the cold, and the sea.

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2018

TV Review //

The Circle gamifies catfishing

Social media, deception, and drama come together in a new British reality series JEFF MIJO-BURCH

OPINION EDITOR

I started watching The Circle because I thought it would be bad and cheesy in a fun way. And while it certainly was cheesy, I binge-watched all 18 episodes without a trace of ironic detachment, because it actually turned out to be a genuinely compelling show. The Circle hasn’t been talked about too much on this side of the Atlantic, but it was surprise hit in the U.K. for the three weeks it ran (six episodes per week) through September and October — a big enough hit that Netflix bought the rights to make three international adaptations, including an American one. Speaking of Netflix, the premise sounds like something straight out of Black Mirror. The Circle is a reality competition show, easily compared to Big Brother. The contestants are housed in separate apartments in the same building, cut off from the outside world, and with no human interaction except conversations with each other. The gimmick that sets it apart is how these conversations take place: the entirety of the show is built around a fictional social network (the titular Circle), through which contestants

have text-based conversations, compete in games, and share a very limited number of photos. The ultimate goal is to become the most popular, with less popular individuals regularly removed (via a slightly confusing voting system) and replaced with new contestants. Where The Circle delivers is that it checks all of the boxes you want a show with this premise to meet: there’s drama and conflict, colourful characters with big personalities, and twists and turns that make you watch a fifth episode when you should really get to sleep. The game welcomes and accommodates deception, because of the textbased communications. (Though players dictate messages, to keep the show interesting to watch.) The inherent humour of these deceptions fills the show from some of its earliest moments, like a flamboyant gay man pretending to be a very direct “lady’s man” and flirting badly with a woman who is, in reality, a straight man using photos of his girlfriend. There are others who are being themselves, and as they build friendships with these catfish, the anticipation of their eventual, inevitable in-person meetings grows more and more as the series goes on.

The Circle isn’t perfect — the first episode has some growing pains, but it finds its feet by the end of the second. The game is also confusing, not making the criteria for how contestants will win in the finale clear to the audience (and possibly the players) until that episode arrives, making it hard to judge players on their strategic choices. But other decisions, like having players compete to paint one another and allowing each player to, upon elimination, visit another one in person, more than makes up for the quibbles. What the show also does very well is challenge the viewer to think about how we interact in digital spaces. The notion that not everyone you speak to online is who they say they are is far from new ground, but where shows like Catfish revel in the mystery of who a person really is, The Circle explores how these deceptions take place — the suspicion of those on the receiving end, but also the panic and emotional toll on the catfish themselves as they try to keep up the illusion, and grapple with the guilt of lying. It also raises one question that most media depictions of catfish don’t: when is lying about who you are justified? Within the context of the show, we see all

sides of the spectrum, with big lies like dramatic shifts in age, gender, and background, to smaller trivial details, to people who would never lie, and don’t think anyone else should. Of course this is in the context of a game where anything is fair play, but on the wider world of the internet, is there not a place to withhold or lie about who we are? When the aim isn’t to deceive, what can we gain by seeing a different perspective, a different side of life? Everyone’s answer will fall somewhere different, but with social media

dominating ever-more of our lives and relationships, can it not be a tool for exploration, reflection, and discovery? Now that the first season of The Circle has ended, it’s well worth a look, whether you want to reflect on deeper questions about social media or just get sucked into the drama of an exciting reality show. While it’s not currently available to watch on any official platforms in Canada, all of the episodes are available online on sites such as Dailymotion.

Novel Review //

Ms. Moriarty delivers another win CARISSA WIENS STAFF WRITER

Liane Moriarty is no stranger to continuous and increasing tension throughout her novels, and Nine Perfect Strangers is no exception. Set in Australia, we are acquainted with nine individuals who travel to an exclusive health resort, the Tranquillum House, in order to experience healing and revitalization in their lives. Many are dealing with emotional and relational pain as well as physical dissatisfaction. Once their 10-day retreat commences, the staff take actions which cause us to begin questioning the legitimacy of the resort. As increasingly peculiar episodes take place at the resort, like a forced five days of silence, we find ourselves fearing for the guests’ wellbeing. The guests are as confused as we are, and begin to fear for their lives as they realize they are trapped in the resort. Moriarty takes turns changing the perspective used through each of the 70-something chapters to include the perspectives of all the characters in the novel. I was very impressed to find that while following along with the nine unique individuals’ perspectives (plus the three resort staff) I was not confused or overwhelmed with keeping their stories straight. This

was because, often, the nine were experiencing the same external situations, conveniently avoiding multiple complex storylines which might cause the reader any further confusion. The author also helps us keep each character separate in our minds by gradually introducing each person’s perspective, which often comes along with their past and present struggles. For example, we only hear from Carmel’s perspective (one of the nine strangers) once we’re 150 pages deep because by this time Moriarty has established most of the characters and knows her audience is ready for another to keep the plot moving. Usually, I prefer a shorter novel (350-400 pages max) because I find once they get longer than this, I lose interest and get antsy to move to a new book. Nine Perfect Strangers is 450 pages long. At first glance I wasn’t incredibly excited to drag myself through a book of this length, but surprisingly enough, my attention was captured from beginning to end. Even though the majority of the book occurs over the course of six days, each little detail Moriarty includes is profitable to the development of the story. For instance, Moriarty quickly mentions that one of the guests slips a bottle of wine in her bag for the retreat. Later on that bottle of wine is used to bring the guests to-

gether for a toast which bonds them before they part ways. She keeps us entertained and enticed all the way through with cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, many concluding with a hint that slowly reveals who the enemy of the Tranquillum House is. Like in most of her other novels, each character’s storyline comes to a satisfying close. Even though it’s nice to know that each character learns and evolves after the traumatic events at the Tranquillum House, I continue to wish that everything didn’t end in sunny skies and sweet fruit. Even though a divorce occurs (spoiler alert) between a married couple at the retreat, the divorce is amicable even though it seems more likely there would be bitterness between the two in their situation. For many, I assume the book’s happy ending works nicely with the tense and rigid plotline that takes place throughout the majority of the novel. But for me, it seems too painless to tie off the characters’ stories so tenderly. I expected the story’s conflict to at least trickle through some characters’ lives to the end. Regardless, I was captivated and enticed throughout, and would recommend this book for entertainment and a riveting escape despite the lackluster ending.

*cordially

We will be celebrating the end of the semester, and the launch of “The Zine” (that we’ve been talking about).

There will be readings, there will be food, there will be various non-descript festivities!