The Cascade Vol. 23 No. 7

Vol. 23 Issue 7

February 25, 2015 to March 3, 2015

Breeding baby dinosaurs since 1993

Unlocking the mysteries of

p. 5

No show at CEP meeting Cancellation of SUS all candidates meeting the result of low turnout p. 4

Mental health awareness If someone is struggling, know the signs to watch for p. 16

Rowers erg for a cure The UFV rowing team raised money for cancer research ufvcascade.ca

p. 18

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NEWS

News

Briefs Escape rooms coming to Abbotsford ABBOTSFORD — Countdown Escape Rooms are coming to downtown Abbotsford this spring in the old post office building above Mac and Mango.

Locked in themed rooms with zombies and tombs, participants try a series of tactics to try escaping. Countdown will open March 1. More details will be in our next issue.

News literally breaks at UFV ABBOTSFORD — The glass at the science centre in A building was broken.

It is not yet clear how the window was broken, but The Cascade will continue to cover this story next week.

Image: Katie Stobbart

Students lobby for safe space

ABBOTSFORD — Several student groups like Oxfam, UFV Pride, and the women’s association are hoping to establish a space for students to access resources and services relating to discrimination against race, gender, and sexual orientation. The Cascade will continue to cover this story as it develops in the following weeks.

Logs at CEP

CHILLIWACK — Some trees have been cut down at CEP, but nobody’s sure why. The Cascade will soon have the story; check next week’s issue.

Have a news tip?

Let us know! news@ufvcascade.ca @CascadeNews

www.ufvcascade.ca

SUS ACM MIA

News

4

Opinion

6

Culture

8

Arts in Review

14

K-town is a cool town for lovers of Korean cuisine

Sports & Health

20

Have a hunch?

The Student Union Society (SUS) held two all-candidates debates, but the one at CEP was cancelled.

UFV 2025: planning for the future UFV reaches for the stars, breaks plans of UFV’s exciting new plans for 2025.

Computers and courtship Thomas Levi, a data scientist at dating website PlentyOfFish, visited UFV to share how a user’s data is used to match prospective couples. Miranda Louwerse writes on the math behind the romance.

The new restaurant on the block could become a new hub for UFV students, with CIVL Radio tunes setting a student-friendly ambience — and the food was pretty good too, according to Ashley Mussbacher.

Cell phones, laptops, steering wheels — we hunch over everything these days. But poor posture can lead to other health problems.

Katie Stobbart discusses causes, symptoms and prevention of back pain and its related complications.

Student debt, like mental health, is no myth VALERIE FRANKLIN

MANAGING EDITOR

Hands up if you’ve never been haunted by images of a life in your parents’ basement, pulling in minimum wage making sandwiches at the deli, while the degree you’ve spent four (or six) years of your life working on weighs like a $30,000-plus chain around your neck, gathering interest.

No one?

BC’s minister of advanced education Andrew Wilkinson infuriated students across the province this week when he declared that 70 per cent of BC post-secondary students graduate debt-free, and that the 30 per cent of students who do graduate with debt incur only about $20,000 each. The news article in which his statements appeared was widely shared on social media among incredulous students whose experiences obviously differ from his claims.

“If [Wilkinson’s] numbers seem unbelievable, it’s because they’re completely untrue,” Steven Beasley of the Canadian Federation of Students BC Branch told CBC. According to the 2013 BC Student Outcomes Survey

by BC Stats, only 51 per cent of Volume 23 · Issue 7 Room C1027 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

Editor-in-Chief katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart Image: Joe Johnson

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

Managing Editor valerie@ufvcascade.ca Valerie Franklin Director of Business Development joe@ufvcascade.ca Joe Johnson Production and Design Editor anthony@ufvcascade.ca Anthony Biondi Copy Editor kodie@ufvcascade.ca Kodie Cherrille

students graduate debt-free, and the average graduate owes more than $30,000 by the time they don their mortarboard.

In this rocky economy, a postsecondary degree is necessary to escape a McCareer in the service sector, but it’s almost impossible to pay for increasingly expensive tuition and living costs without a student loan; you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Going into debt for education seems almost inevitable, especially for students who don’t have family to support them — or worse, for those who are trying to support their own families. And thanks to decisions made on the provincial and federal levels, students are required to take on amounts of debt higher than ever before.

But debt is one of the reasons students are among the highest demographic for suffering from mental illness. Suicide is the second highest cause of death among young people; for university students, the weight of their seemingly inescapable debt may be a significant factor. (We just came out of reading break, but the reason why most universities have a midwinter break is not to let students catch up on reading — it’s about easing the psychoNews Editors megan@ufvcascade.ca Megan Lambert katie@ufvcascade.ca Katie Stobbart (interim) Opinion Editor alex@ufvcascade.ca Alex Rake Culture Editor nadine@ufvcascade.ca Nadine Moedt

logical pressure on students at a time of year known for its high suicide rate.)

Perhaps because of the gloomy time of year, UFV has seen increased attention on mental health in recent weeks. Flip to page 16 in this issue and you’ll find a new weekly column called Safe Space, where student writers tackle issues of mental health. This semester UFV’s health, safety and wellness of-

“Debt robs students of hope and replaces it with desperation, yoking them to a life of trying to repay debts instead of pursuing their passions.” fices have also collaborated with human resources to offer a series of winter wellness workshops for students, focusing on both mental and physical health. And if you stop for a beer in AfterMath, you’ll see stacks of blank postcards on tables inviting students to anonymously share their experiences and stories about racism, giving frustrated or isolated students from marginalized groups a way of weaving their stories into the univerNews Writer vanessa@ufvcascade.ca Vanessa Broadbent Varsity Writer nathan@ufvcascade.ca Nathan Hutton Production Assistants shyanne@ufvcascade.ca Shyanne Schedel eugene@ufvcascade.ca Eugene Kulaga

Arts in Review Editor sasha@ufvcascade.ca Sasha Moedt

Advertising Representative jennifer@ufvcascade.ca Jennifer Trithardt-Tufts

Interim Sports Editor sasha@ufvcascade.ca Sasha Moedt

Contributors Martin Castro, Jasmin Chahal, Miranda Louwerse, and Jasmin Sprangers

Video Editor mitch@ufvcascade.ca Mitch Huttema Webmaster ashley@ufvcascade.ca Ashley Mussbacher

Illustrations Graeme Beamiss, Brittany Cardinal, and Sultan Kano Jum Cover image: Anthony Biondi

sity’s mosaic.

While the counselling centre can be hard to get into, they’re there for you too — especially if you’re experiencing a crisis.

UFV’s financial aid office can also offer assistance, including resources on their section of the UFV website, for students who are struggling beneath that debt load or having trouble making ends meet.

These resources are in place for a reason: because it’s recognized that student debt robs students of hope and replaces it with desperation, yoking them to a life of trying to repay debts instead of pursuing their passions. This is why it’s so frustrating is when those struggles aren’t recognized.

Wilkinson’s blasé attitude toward student debt has the same dismissive ring that we often hear in the voices of people who tell clinically depressed people to cheer up: the sanctimonious preaching of someone who has never suffered through the thing they’re talking about. For BC’s minister of advanced education to be so ignorant of students’ struggles with debt is not only disturbing — it’s disrespectful to the people he’s supposed to serve.

Printed By International Web exPress The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It provides a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a circulation of 1500 and is distributed at UFV campuses and throughout Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. The Cascade is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national cooperative of over 50 university and college newspapers from Victoria to St. John’s. The Cascade follows the CUP ethical policy concerning material of a prejudicial or oppressive nature.

Submissions are preferred in electronic format through e-mail. Please send submissions in “.txt” or “.doc” format only.

Articles and letters to the editor must be typed. 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. The writer’s name and student number must be submitted with each submission. Letters to the editor must be under 250 words if intended for print. Only one letter to the editor per writer in any given edition.

Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, Cascade staff and collective, or associated members.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

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NEWS

Prof Talk

Empowerment and a teaching vision Diane Luu traces the shifting educational climate from FVC to UFV

I have students in aviation, if I have students in basketball, science, or social work, I bring examples from all those dispersed areas.

I change it to the needs of students. The needs of students back at FVC were so different, considering that our new tech was overheads and electric typewriters.

UFV drags us into the 21st century, so we’re always learning more. What I do is a mix of PowerPoint, overhead, board, handouts, the internet, and group work. Our technology now is very fast-paced, so we have to grab that 30-second bite. But I also have to train my students in the first year to withstand a three-hour lecture.

I answer all questions and I tell students there’s not a single stupid question out there. My classroom is a safe environment, so they can risk learning, risk asking, risk failure in my classes. It’s okay to fail; in science, that’s what you do — you fail, you don’t do it again, and you know what does and doesn’t work. So I give them a different perspective to allow them to see beyond the way they see, to see outside the box of society, I’m hoping.

KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

Prof Talk is The Cascade’s oral history series, featuring the people best qualified to talk about what UFV has been like over the course of its first few decades, and as it looks to change for the better in the future: its professors. Each week we’ll interview a professor from a different department, asking them what UFV was like before it was UFV, and if and how things will continue to change here.

Diane Luu is a professor in communications who has worked at UFV since it was Fraser Valley College (FVC) over 35 years ago. She has also taught at SFU, UBC, BCIT, and Douglas College.

You’ve taught at a few institutions; what brought you to UFV in the first place?

It was the focus on students. At the other institutions I taught at, I found that they were driven more for research or advancement. It was very grassroots-based when they developed Fraser Valley College and so it really showed. Also, the vision of the first president had a direct impact on the people who were hired. I think they had a teaching vision; it wasn’t a research vision, which makes it a whole different institution.

How would you describe the culture or feeling you got when you started teaching here?

What I saw was a transparency and — what a strange thing to say nowadays, but — an honesty. You didn’t have to worry about how your words would be read from a personalized political point of view. There were politics everywhere, but it wasn’t the type of politics I was used to in larger institutions.

I found that people were passionate; I found that students were driven to learn.

It was something new and fascinating because finally education came to the valley.

Also, I think a lot of us brought startling information, too — especially the art department — information that may not be readily accessible during that time period.

So the development of FVC, then, had a political impact on the Fraser Valley.

Economic, political, and social impact.

When I talk about the art department, when they started to draw nudes in church basements, that’s what I’m talking about.

I think the biggest thing that I was attracted to at Fraser Valley College is that we were empowering the students; if we empower the students, then they can make decisions that allow them to make positive changes in their lives.

It was just marvellous, because when I taught at UBC, those students were already set economically, many of them. So the changes were there, but it wasn’t so lifechanging. But here we saw people change and grow to become successful contributing citizens, and they would never have been had the college / university [not] been here.

How has UFV’s place in the surrounding community changed since its inception?

Have there been any colleagues or students who have particularly influenced what you do as a teacher?

They all do. We learn from [students] as they do from us, but I know that’s an oldschool way of thinking. That was our philosophy years ago at Fraser Valley College.

So I’m old school. I believe in the passion of learning.

Image: Katie Stobbart

Luu says a small university with more connections to profs is beneficial to students.

We have more voice. We have more impact — economic impact. Certainly we’re more visible. We are a wonderful option for students in this area. We’re still growing; time will tell.

I don’t think many students locally realize that UFV gives them an advantage and a cutting edge that they will never have at some of the larger universities with hundreds of students in a lecture hall. I remember going to university. You didn’t talk to your professor, you talked to your TA. Your professor wasn’t interested — just put the papers under his or her arm and went off to do their research.

I actually get to know my students more, and I get to help them. They can drop into my office hours and spend as little or as much time as they want.

So what does that mean for your experience as a professor?

I love teaching. I love seeing the light bulb go off, the transition. I love seeing students being able to actualize their abilities.

I’ll give you a story of a student, a mature student, and he had a very rough life. He failed the first two tests, and I gave him the next test, but before I did he came up to me and asked, “Do you give any extra work to bring my grade up?”

We don’t do that in university — I don’t do that. So I said, “Did you try some of the strategies that I taught in class? The right hemisphere strategies versus the left?”

So he and another student changed their notes into diagrammatic form with colours and graphs, et cetera, and I handed the midterm back, and he said, “I got a B!” And do you know, the class clapped? I never expected that. That tells you something, doesn’t it?

Some friendships actually go beyond the classroom. But actually there is a loss, I have to tell you that. I like iPhones, I love cells, I love the internet. But it causes a division between students during the [class] breaks. Before, during the breaks students would talk to each other — what else is there to do, right?

Now we go for a break, people disperse, go talk outside with their phones, or go on their phones or laptops right away. There’s no engagement, which really disappoints me because that’s where the friendships happen. Everyone’s little, tiny silos. It’s really too bad because this was the gathering place, the place of interaction, where you get different points of view.

I don’t know how we’re going to avoid that loss with today’s technology. I don’t know where that will lead us to. They’re looking at me, and I want them to look at each other.

What kind of changes have you made in your teaching style?

I’ve had to change not only the content — ­ I also change the content every single class to reflect the interest areas of students. If

What kinds of projects or research have you worked on while at UFV? I’m constantly researching; it never stops.

Not for peer research, but for teaching.

Currently I’m interested in disability and diversity, but now I’m looking at it further for accessibility because our institutions have to be more accessible. I think it’s hidden in terms of the fact that we tend to hide those who need access.

I’ve also researched critical thinking and technology. I had a student who could not read anything from a book; it had to be on screen. He said he could not focus if it was in paper form. He’s the only student I have ever met like that, but when I meet with students, I say, you’re going to be the last generation that is half-paper, half-electronic. That has huge implications for an institution. So, only because I had my experience with that student, I realized we’re going to have a huge problem.

So again, technology is good in the classroom, but then it causes those little silos; technology is good, but it causes problems in the community.

Each student or teacher is going to take something different out of UFV. What is that for you, and how are you still changing it?

An intellectual high. I teach to empower, and when I see that empowerment, that’s an intellectual high you can’t get anywhere else.

Being driven to help a student is different than being driven to help an institution.

There’s a lack of drive — a lack of humans, of course. It’s amazing what we as human beings do to help another person.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

BC government gives $325,274 to UFV Trades

Money from provincial education plan will be used to buy new equipment and machinery MEGAN LAMBERT

THE CASCADE

The BC government has continued its investment in trades by buying $325,274 in new equipment for UFV. Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson announced the gift on February 20 at the Trades and Technology Centre (TTC) automotive room in Chilliwack to UFV administrators, select trades students, and the media.

This follows the $872,000 provincial investment in UFV’s trades and technology program in 2014. $807,000 of that sum resulted in the opening of 194 new trades seats, and the remaining $65,000 was allotted for equipment costs at the time.

Wilkinson said the purchase of equipment follows creating such spaces in trades training, from electrical work to metal fabrication.

“The next step is to provide $350,000 [sic] worth of new equipment for University of the Fraser Valley so these gentlemen [the students present] and all the other students in these expanded positions can actually have the equip-

ment they need to move ahead in their training,” he explained.

Wilkinson made similar announcements at other BC institutions; for example, Northwest Community College in Terrace will receive $171,428 in trades equipment, and Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops will receive $325,274 (the same amount as UFV) after opening a total of 100 trades training seats.

The government’s education plan, the BC Skills for Jobs Blueprint, includes investing 25 per cent of its approximate $1.9 billion budget for advanced education into trades programs over the next three years. Wilkinson estimated 200,000 full-time equivalent students are in the post-secondary system at a time; of these, he added, about 12 per cent (or about 24,000 students) are in trades programs.

Wilkinson noted that the big picture, from the government’s perspective, is to build a future workforce that can adapt to multiple initiatives.

“This is the kind of investment we want to make in the future of our people,” he said, “so they can benefit from any number of projects over their working lifetime.”

Image: Michael Scoular

Two UFV students test out a new drill press for the Minister of Advanced Education.

Some of those projects will be tied to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. The Peace River Site C project approved by the Province in December, which drew harsh criticism from environmental and aboriginal groups,

will be one possible opportunity for local trades graduates, according to Wilkinson. “[The government] will be spending around $9 billion building the Site C facility, and of course, a good chunk of that will

go into wages for skilled people like trainees from this facility,” he said.

With files from Michael Scoular.

SUS all candidates meeting in Chilliwack cancelled Excused candidate absences and no student turnout cited as factors KATIE STOBBART

THE CASCADE

Two all candidates meetings (ACM) were scheduled to occur last week — one in Abbotsford and one in Chilliwack — but the meeting at CEP was cancelled 15 minutes after its start time when no students and only one candidate was present, besides representatives from The Cascade.

The ACM moderated by CIVL Radio saw three students attend, but the meeting was still held as most of the candidates for executive positions were in attendance.

In a statement, chief electoral officer (CEO) Joe Johnson said the cancellation was more to do with candidate attendance than student turnout.

“The Thursday ACM would still have gone ahead for sake of the media and candidate exposure to students through The Cascade, if candidates were available.”

VP internal candidate Ricardo Coppola was excused from attending both meetings due to a family emergency. For the CEP ACM, Dylan Thiessen had a class

Image: UFV Flickr

Only one candidate, Thomas Davies, was present at the Chilliwack debate. in Abbotsford at the same time as the meeting, and Sukhi Brar had an unexpected medical emergency. Both are running for the VP external position, Thiessen as an incumbent.

Johnson listed the main factors affecting student turnout as organization, weak promotion, and student apathy.

“Organizing between the ACM hosts should have occurred a week earlier,” Johnson stated,

adding that classroom locations were not ideal.

“Booking was done well in advance but only the classrooms that the ACMs were held in were available.” He also noted that promotions from organizers and hosts was weak, aimed at a “historically apathetic student body.”

Thomas Davies, current SUS VP internal and running for president in the election, said while he couldn’t comment on the organi-

zation of election activities since candidates aren’t involved in that aspect of the election, he agreed poor advertising was likely the cause of low student turnout.

“I think 99 per cent [of students] weren’t aware this is happening,” he said. “We need to ensure that with these types of events the information is put out in ways that people are going to see them.”

With regards to future elections, Johnson said the position of

CEO could be split into two positions to balance the workload of planning election-related events.

“The CEO would oversee [an] Electorial Promotions Officer (EPO) but the CEO’s main role would be limited to officiating electoral issues, assessing rules, and ensuring a fair election. The EPO would be dedicated to getting students out to events, organizing the ACMs (with oversight by the CEO), organizing volunteers for voting stations, [and so on].”

If such a position were created, he said, 25 per cent of the CEO’s current time obligation could be reallocated to the second position.

There was no time to schedule an additional ACM before the elections, which are currently being held via myUFV at time of printing.

With files from Vanessa Broadbent.

Note: Joe Johnson is the Director of Business Development at The Cascade. Also, Katie Stobbart was scheduled to moderate the CEP ACM, but did not due to the cancellation.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Baker House strives to foster a strong community ASHLEY MUSSBACHER

THE CASCADE

If you don’t live in residence, Baker House can seem mysterious.

Located on the Abbotsford campus above the UFV bookstore and the Press Café, the 200-occupancy apartment-style building is outfitted with a common room, laundry, and underground parking, all maintained by students and staff twentyfour seven.

From the outside, however, it’s hard to get a clear picture of what it’s like to live in Baker House, and the issues residents might encounter.

Food services lacking, in-room cable cut One of these is an issue many students have on campus: food.

The cafeteria and AfterMath are closed later in the evenings and on the weekend, so students living in residence need to find a way to the nearest grocery store.

Other services like clinics and shopping centres lie beyond a kilometre of the university.

Resident fees include basic utilities like electricity, heat, telephone, and high-speed internet.

They used to include cable, but over the summer the cable contract was removed. Instead the internet speed was upgraded.

Director of student life and development Kyle Baillie says the decision was based on a usage assessment, as they found only 30 per cent of students used it sporadically.

“We were able to exchange it for an increased speed internet contract. We went from 10MB per second to over 25MB per second.

“There was no increase to students for that charge. The $300 increase was just inflationary room cost, [which] brought us from $602.00 per month to $618.00 per month,” he explains.

Jesus Araujo has lived in Baker House since the summer, and notes the cable cut was unfortunate.

“We had to push a lot so we could [at least] get cable in the common rooms,” he says, noting students who want cable have to pay extra.

International residents need support Baillie says support for international students is another issue that arises in residence.

“Our international population on campus is growing, so one of the things we’re looking at right now is how to support that,” he explains.

Zapisocki says one way this is happening is through studentbased inititatives; a practicum

Image: Ashley Mussbacher

Baker House is the UFV student residence, which hosts activites on- and off-campus. student who is interested in working with international students, for example, has begun a new peer support group which may help break barriers between domestic students and those coming from other places.

Part of the need for support, Zapisocki adds, comes from students’ difficulties adapting to a new place alone.

“A lot of our Chinese students find it difficult to do the transition from China to Canada, and sometimes they move out because of that isolation. So we’re trying to address that,” she says.

Mike Xiong, Bill Lin, and Will Zu, all residents who have recently come to UFV from China, say they enjoy Baker House, especially basketball games and other activities hosted by the residence.

Lin says the proximity to campus makes Baker House an ideal living situation. “I love it. I can sleep in, because I can just walk to class. It’s convenient,” he says.

Community engagement Baker House, however, hopes to provide more than just proximity; the goal is to foster a diverse

community among all its residence as well as connecting with the campus at large.

Manager of housing Christine Zapisocki says the Baker House community is structured and strengthened through programming put on by students in the role of resident assistants (RA).

She explains that often Baker House events are also organized in conjunction with other UFV

“Either you become a total outcast or you become totally outgoing.”

– Jesus Araujo groups.

“We like to do that collaboratively with clubs and departments on campus so that not only are we providing enhanced programming for our students living in Baker House, we’re also including the rest of the community,” Zapisocki says.

A programming fee of $75 is

included in the total semester fee of $2,989, which goes toward the programming they do.

“For example, [if] we are partnering with other clubs and organizations on campus to go on a snowshoeing event, and five dollars of the cost of snowshoeing is coming out of the programming fees,” she says.

Students in Baker House, of course, come from varied disciplines and departments. Baillie says Baker House tries to offer a similar variety to the activities offered.

“We try to create programming that reaches every corner and every unique population in the building,” he says, adding that events run with anywhere from 10 to 50 student participants.

First-year business student Lawrence Lobo notes that some activities include athletic meets, hiking, and even “make-yourown-smoothie” events in the communal kitchen, where residence staff lay out fruits and vegetables for students. The reasons he likes living in residence are about that social aspect.

“You can always go to the com-

mon room to chill out and study with other people. The RAs are really helpful if you need to know anything about the activities on- or off-campus,” he says.

However, Araujo explains that while there are many events planned by RAs, there is still a large population of students who don’t attend them.

“It’s two extremes living here: either you become a total outcast or you become totally outgoing,” he says, and suggests that residents should be looking for a sense of community. “If you’re the kind of person who is a little insecure and will just stay in the room and you don’t like to live with someone, then it’s not the place for you.”

Baillie says Baker House is not supposed to be a place where students simply live; there is a greater social atmosphere.

“It’s not somewhere where we expect people to just go, and hole up [in their rooms] after classes.

It’s a community, and as a result the people who live there we ask them to engage, participate, to come out of their rooms and be part of something bigger.”

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

SNAPSHOTS

Image: Eugene Kulaga

Do what you love

Curtailed commentary on current conditions

Image: Anthony Biondi

Extra cur-what?

Image: Anthony Biondi

Image: Shyanne Schedel

Is nowhere sacred?

Take my taxes, please

Martin Castro

Jasmin Sprangers

Mitch Huttema

Joe Johnson

Here’s a fun fact: after seeing Star Wars for the first time in 1977, truck driver James Cameron quit his job to become a movie director. Fast forward some years and Cameron’s directed the two highest-grossing films in history. We should all follow in Cameron’s footsteps. Now, I’m not saying that everyone should quit their jobs and start directing films, but if you’re in a position of studying or working only for financial gain, and you derive no pleasure from your current situation, change it. I have many friends that are only studying because they think it’s what they should be doing, and many who are working full-time for the same reason. If something inspires you, follow it. Who knows? You might one day create the thing that inspires someone else to quit their job and do what they love.

UFV seems to be one of those schools that seriously lack in extracurricular participation. With all of the clubs and sports teams offered, you would think that people would take advantage of them. Between organizations like The Cascade, SUS, and the clubs and associations, there should be something for everyone. Yet people aren’t interested, and it’s unfortunate. UFV is your home and community for four years. Without effort there is no community, and without a community school is, well ... school.

It’s kind of boring when all you do is study.

It may be a bit too late to join some activities, but make an effort next semester, join a team, and meet some really awesome people. And if clubs aren’t your thing, at least attend the sports events held by our hardworking athletes. A school is only as fun as you make it.

Ujjal Dosanjh, former Premier of BC and federal cabinet minister, has called for a registration of all private schools and places of worship. “We want to know what it is that’s being taught,” he said to the Senate national security committee. He continued to say that if the organizations don’t foster the building of a caring society, then a law can be made to revoke charitable status and “starve them out.”

This does not sound like the land of the free; in fact, it is reminiscent of the registration of the Jews. By registering and monitoring mosques, temples, churches, cathedrals, and schools, the government is in complete violation of freedom of religion. By forcing registration, the government could dictate what is and what is not acceptable by its standards in regards to religious practice.

As if the state wasn’t having a hard enough time dealing with the issues surrounding the bedrooms of the nation, they’ve now insinuated a desire to step into the ring with its churches, too. Is nowhere sacred?

We mostly take the society built up around us for granted, though it provides us tremendous luxury. This is a thought that I’ve had a lot recently after having family in and out of the hospital for the past few years. While there are inherent government issues and financial cuts taking place everywhere we look, I’m still awestruck at the services that the government is able to provide to all of us in BC and Canada. The massive hospital that we have in Abbotsford, all the equipment within, and all the medical staff who take care of patients: it’s all paid for by our taxes. This awe extends to our police force, infrastructure, and all the other institutions and services that are funded through taxes. It’s amazing what we’ve created through relatively small monetary contributions. While it does hurt to pay, the money that’s deducted from everyday transactions and our salaries surrounds us with many great things that we usually don’t even notice.

Satire

Beyond local: UFV’s 2025 vision is out of this world ERIC LAITYER THE CASCADE

The university’s place in the universe is compromised unless we act. Countless experts said so recently, according to the UFV blog. The provost and vice-president academic agrees that our grasp on knowledge is completely lost. The cause? He blames the internet.

“The current model of a university has been around for about 800 years,” Davis said in the same blog post. “But due to a technological advancement — the internet — universities have lost both the monopoly of knowledge and the monopoly of credentialing.”

However, by virtue of its diversity, creativity, and strong marketing department, UFV is uniquely placed to rocket ahead of other universities in this moment of weakness.

UFV’s plan: to come up with

a plan for 2025 — which will be celebrated with an even bigger party than this year’s celebration of how great UFV is at everything — and approve it immediately.

“We need a collective and longer-term visioning exercise focused not on the details of courses and programs, but on the very nature and organization of universities,” Davis added. And so the visioning committee was born, already with a proposal on the table that predicts UFV will surpass the horizon of success.

The initial costs of such an endeavour will require the shutting down of some non-essential academic services and reconfiguring the university’s structure so “departments” and “disciplines” are not really the focus, since the main drain on the post-secondary education system seems to be the demands of such narrowly focused bodies.

Then, with one great leap into

Image: Gerlos / Flickr

Exact details have yet to be worked out for a new UFV campus. the future, UFV will be ready to establish another campus in an entirely new location outside North America, even farther than Chandigarh.

The proposal to establish the new site will undergo an expedited review process so as to be

passed by the end of the fiscal year. The initiative has a number of benefits.

One is that UFV will truly be the most diverse university around, as it will be positioned to capture an entirely untapped market of foreign students.

Secondly, our most creative students will be given the ground-breaking opportunity to establish a new kind of innovation-focused institution. The current idea is to have trades and technology students at the forefront of the expedition.

Thirdly, the university will receive government money, all dedicated to the settlement of the new campus. As an added perk, UFV will be able to increase its international reputation as these plans coincide with another organization’s high-profile expedition.

The exact details won’t be worked out until long after the plan is approved, but rest assured that in 2025, UFV Mars campus will be ready to accept its first students.

It is not yet known whether the Student Union plans to charter a shuttle.

7

OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Just Like Hamlet’s Blues

There’s a time and a place for quitting — but not when you’ve got your whole life ahead of you ALEX RAKE THE CASCADE

“Fuck me.”

These are the defeatist words I find myself uttering more often than I’d like to admit. I am a fulltime student with a full-time girlfriend making the big bucks at two essentially full-time jobs.

On top of this, I’m involved with countless creative projects with countless wonderful people.

On paper, I suppose I live a pretty productive life for my age; the only downside is that I have to live it. I’m overwhelmed all the time, responsibilities fall through the widening cracks, and creative projects are nearly impossible to get off the ground as more important things (according to family and co-workers) come up in the moment. Sometimes I have to sacrifice sleeping and eating to keep the promises I probably shouldn’t have made. I often feel like giving everything up and resent the world for making this option so difficult. I don’t want to resent the world, so I resent myself for feeling this way.

If you got through all that without thinking “boo-hoo,” you’re probably in a similar place and I write this with you in mind.

Tiger Woods decided not to play in the PGA this year because his golfing has grown sub-par.

When I heard this, I thought maybe I should give up school

Image: Rick Burtzel / Flickr

since my grades are nowhere near their potential and my degree seems arbitrary anyway.

Or, I should quit my job since I’m sure there’s somebody out there more qualified for it and I could use some rest. Or, I should leave my girlfriend because she deserves someone with the time and energy to make decent love to her. Heck, maybe I should just kill myself.

But I’m only involved with all these things so that I might acquire the skills to say whatever

it is I need to say and experience what I ought to experience. I realized that there would be a difference between Woods and I quitting, and it has everything to do with experience. There will be a time to retire, but it’s not before I’ve begun.

In chess, it’s considered good sportsmanship to resign as opposed to prolonging a doomed game. This is based on the understanding that one player has a critical advantage and only in the unlikely event of them forget-

ting their strategy could the tables turn. This is different from upturning the Monopoly board in frustration because there are no dice rolls, no twists of fate in chess that dictate the outcome, and so resigning demonstrates intelligence and respect for the other player instead of some hopeless grumpiness at God Almighty. In other words, quitting is here a sign of understanding one’s position relative to the bigger picture, and therefore a sign of wisdom.

In the realm of art, there’s a certain respect for the artist who understands their skill is declining. Director Quentin Tarantino said last year in a talk with Deadline that he doesn’t “believe you should stay onstage until people are begging you to get off.” His vision of his life’s work has an end (he plans to make 10 films before he’s through). On the other hand, a figure like Bob Dylan, who has continued to tour and record music long past his perceived peak, has no plans of retirement. The difference I think is that Tarantino’s vision is specific, while Dylan’s is always changing and tumbling in new directions.

One artist sees himself exhausting his voice while the other renews it continuously.

Tiger Woods, like a chess player, understands he cannot win because he has the experience to recognize this. Quentin Tarantino can plan retirement because he finally approaches the realization of his self-proclaimed purpose. Bob Dylan can carry on because he just isn’t fucking finished. I’m not finished either — I’ve barely begun. When it is time to give up, I will know.

I will know because I will have had an entire life’s experience behind me, and all this stuff I’m tangled up in now will seem only a moment of struggle, a worthy means to an end that I won’t stop living for.

Terror on Burnaby Mountain

Bill C-51’s vague definitions might make terrorists of more people than it means to SEAN BRADY THE OMEGA

KAMLOOPS (TRU) — When work began on Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion on Burnaby Mountain, protesters were there to try to stop them. The result was a typical line of protesters matched against a line of police. Things were mostly peace­ f ul – several arrests were made and charges for civil contempt were laid, but thrown out later.

What worries me is the incident that came months before the most recent protests, when, according to a Sept. 18, 2014 article by the CBC, 71-year-old Lesslie Askin was paid a visit by someone looking after the interests of Canada’s national se­curity. The cause for concern from the RCMP’s national security divi­sion (which includes members from CSIS)?

Askin was seen photograph­ ing Kinder Morgan’s storage tanks at Burnaby Mountain and apparently deemed a threat to national security. The CBC reported that Kinder Mor­ gan had called her “evasive,” but she refutes that.

A visit from national security police is nothing to scoff at, espe­ cially not in today’s hypersensitive threat-laden atmosphere, where a dumb joke, or your name appearing on a list, can not only get you kicked off your flight, but held until you’re deemed not to be a threat.

Putting this heightened sensitivity into perspective, consider the reac­tion to the 2008 pipeline bombings near Dawson’s Creek.

EnCana’a sour-gas pipelines were deliberate­ly targeted with explosives on two occasions, according to an Oct. 16, 2008 article by CBC. Considering Askin’s act of mere photography brought the gaze

of na­tional eyes, surely the 2008 bombings were also considered terror threats? In fact, explicitly, they were not. In a statement by RCMP spokesman Tim Shields, it was stated that “We don’t want to characterize this as terrorism,” and that “there was no intent to hurt people,” according to the same article by the CBC. The act was called mere vandalism, despite its political motivations.

Considering the RCMP reaction to the 2008 event, it’s worrying that soon the police might be less inclined to use this kind of discretion. Bill C-51, Canada’s so-called Anti-Ter­ rorism Act, contains language that try to make the above cases a lot more cut and dry. At issue is “activity that undermines the security of Canada,” and what exactly that means. One of the definitions provided within the bill reads, “interference with the ca­pability

of the Government of Can­ ada in relation to … the economic or financial stability of Canada.”

That’s the first part of the definition. The fourth part is simply “terrorism,” as if the two are held equal.

Opposition to the bill, specifically the NDP at the federal level, cited five major problems in its motion to dump the new legislation. Among the five issues is that the bill “con­tains definitions that are broad, vague and threaten to lump legiti­ mate dissent together with terror­ ism,” along with claims that it was created without consultation and that it gives CSIS too much power without sufficient oversight.

The above examples seem to illus­ trate the NDP’s point, but perhaps there are even more examples. What about two recent attacks on Canadi­ ans? Not threats, not politically-mo­tivated

bombings that don’t target people – what about actual attacks?

In his Oct. 29, 2014 column in the Toronto Star, Thomas Wal­kom points to Justin Bourque, the shooter in Moncton who killed three RCMP officers; Michael Ze­ haf-Bibeau, the shooter in Ottawa; and Martin CoutureRouleau, the man who committed the hit-and-run murder of Patrice Vincent in Quebec.

Walkom says that while CoutureRouleau and Zehaf-Bibeau were called terrorists, Bourque was not, and Walkom points to politics to explain why.

“Terrorism is – as it always has been – a political construct,” he wrote.

If terrorism is a term as malleable as Walkom claims, C-51 might be the skeleton key that government agencies need to unlock doors they have no business going through.

8

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Data sets and the dating world

PlentyOfFish lecture finds practical applications for math majors MIRANDA LOUWERSE CONTRIBUTOR

Math and romance were the topics of a recent lecture by Thomas Levi, a senior data scientist at PlentyOfFish, the world’s largest free dating site. The event, which was hosted by the math club, drew students and faculty from the CIS and math departments among a variety of other disciplines. Levi spoke about the development of the system used

by PlentyOfFish to match users and described the system’s functions, offering UFV students the chance to see the applications of the mathematics they learn.

PlentyOfFish allows millions of users to enter their interests easily as “free text” rather than a questionnaire, which creates complications in terms of programming.

The problem is that free text offers no commonalities in the gathering and grouping of data due to spelling mistakes, synonyms, and similar interests. The goal of the system is instead to create an archetype of the user so that they can be matched to similar users.

Levi described the process and general method of Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). LDA is a

Image: microscopy-uk.org

Popular dating website PlentyOfFish uses math to match singles to others who share similar archetypes. model that explains why some parts of a data set are similar by organizing the data into groups that were not originally there. In this application, the words users enter as interests are split into groups that are not observed in the data set, but that humans would create, such as groups of interests such as outdoor sports or TV shows.

The process begins by taking every word entered by users,

which Levi describes as a several hundred thousand word vocabulary. After preprocessing the data to fix spelling mistakes, remove common words, and truncate longer words, the program sets a fixed number of topics for the words to be fit into. Then LDA is run to find the word distributions within each topic. Levi showed an example output from LDA that demonstrated its accuracy. One group, which Levi labelled sports,

had words like baseball and hockey as high probability and another group labelled TV had Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones as high probability, while words like “shopping” or “flowers” would likely have a lower probability of appearing in each of these groups.

So how does this work for users? When a user inputs their interests, the program creates a topic mixture vector, which basically describes how much of the users’

interests are in each topic. For example, a user could be typified as 30 per cent outdoor sports, 10 per cent culture, 40 per cent nerdy TV, and 20 per cent intellectual — all based on the interests that they input. The user is then matched to others who share similar archetypes by finding the smallest difference between topic vectors.

They can also search for certain interests in others. For example, a user can search “Game of Thrones” to find people who like “Game of Thrones,” or even other similar TV shows.

Such a program understands that people are complex and typically have a wide variety of interests. This is an astounding illustration of the complexity to which computer programming and mathematics has risen. Using LDA to solve the complex problem of matching two persons based on its own determination of their interests shows the power of mathematics and computing in the real world, and hints at the progress which is to come.

The math club is hosting another talk on Thursday, March 19.

Details will be posted on the math club web page.

Scholarly sharing: corporate decentralization and professional identity shifts rently happening to UFV’s Writing Centre.

ASHLEY MUSSBACHER THE CASCADE

If you’ve ever been curious about what research professors are conducting outside of class, the Scholarly Sharing Initiative is the perfect event to attend.

About 12 faculty and staff crowded around a board room table on February 19 to hear about two different projects: director of the school of business Frank Ulbrich’s work on shared service centres, and professor of the school of business Luciana Hakak’s research on identity dynamics.

Unlike in a seminar or stuffy classroom, the initiative was hosted in the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, and was structured like a casual dinner meeting with Greek food set out buffet-style.

A decentralized model of business Ulbrich began with his research on the shared service centre, a decentralized model of a department or company — in other words, placing people with similar expertise in the same area so you can have

Image: Ashley Mussbacher

Business instructors Luciana Hakak and Frank Ulbrich presented their research to a dozen faculty and staff. increased competence.

The idea was complex, but Ulbrich used two model-sized Mini Coopers from his pocket to illustrate an example. At the end of his presentation, he invited questions. The main one that came up was how effective a decentralized model would be in multiple situations.

“If there are all these cases

where it doesn’t perfectly apply, will it ever perfectly apply?”

Hakak asked, to which Ulbrich responded that the key component in this model is effective communication between departments.

It got the group thinking aloud about concrete examples, like UBC’s decentralization of their IT department, and even whether this model applies to what’s cur-

Professionals driving taxis and the resulting identity shift After a short break, Hakak opened her presentation by inviting the audience to imagine themselves in a scenario.

“Imagine you’re a professional in, say, India …”

She explained how this person you’re imagining to be is male, with a prestigious career and a family to support. You see an advertisement to come to Canada and work in the same profession.

Except when you arrive in Canada and go into a job interview the infamous question is posed: do you have “Canadian experience”?

Even though each workplace requires so-called Canadian experience, there is no place to gain such experience, so these educated individuals slip into work that is considered stigmatized in Canadian culture, like driving a taxi.

Hakak interviewed male taxi drivers from India and found they all shared similar experiences. She looked at how they underwent shifts in their identity, from iden-

tifying as professionals to eventually identifying themselves not by their careers, but by their roles as providers.

This presentation turned quickly into a conversation around the table as members of the audience began to share their experiences of how it was for them when they came to Canada.

“I worked in mechanical drafting,” one faculty member explained. He told how when he came to Canada he expected to find work and was asked if he had Canadian experience.

“I met with a guy […] and he asked if I had Canadian experience, and when I said no he told me, ‘Go wash some dishes,’” he said.

Hakak hopes her research can help by having an impact on policy related to providing more opportunities for immigrants trying to enter the Canadian workforce.

The scholarly sharing series is funded by the office of research and the college of arts, and hosted

by English professor Melissa Walter and communications professor Michelle Riedlinger.

9

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Holy Moly Matrimony!

A traditional way to show respect: asking parents’ permission to wed ANTHONY BIONDI THE CASCADE

Asking someone out can be a stressful endeavour requiring a lot of patience, planning, and a bit of courage. For those of you who are considering marriage, you may be coming up to the next big question.

Asking someone to marry you is one thing; asking for a blessing from the parents to marry their son or daughter requires a whole new level of courage. Asking parents for permission might be somewhat outdated, but these days it’s a way of communicating respect and a means of maintaining smooth relations with the inlaws. While traditionally the husband-to-be asks the bride’s family, you may choose to ask both sets of parents as a nod to modern gender equality.

Parents aren’t easy. They’re cunning, wise, and have been through all of this before. They know how to play games, manipulate little angles to make the situation more stressful, and worst of all, they enjoy doing it.

Still, their decision is important to

your relationship. It is a courtesy and a respect. Without it, you are coming into their family without their permission and without the culturally required respectful gesture.

So how does the prospective victim overcome this challenge?

Well, it takes a few careful steps.

Parents can be interesting people. Some are fun, some are a little reluctant, some are straight-up shy, and some are just insane.

The first step is to get in contact

Image: sheknows.com

to arrange a time to talk, and this can be as awkward as awkward can be. Never ask permission over the phone. That’s bad form.

Only do that if you want to leave the worst possible impression on your in-laws.

I still remember pacing through a field, sweating bullets, trying to get a hold of my now fatherin-law. I was probably shaking, pulling my hair out, and stuttering, and all I needed to ask was: “Can we get together to talk?”

All I needed was a quiet space to collect my thoughts and breathe.

Worst of all, he pretended he couldn’t hear me the first time. He was having fun. I was like a sea lion in a killer whale’s jaws. I can’t imagine this situation ever being easy, but just remember that you are over the phone. It’s not faceto-face yet. Just take a deep breath and do it. It’s for the greater good.

Step two is the actual meeting.

Depending on how step one went, this should be rather simple. The parents-in-law-to-be should already be anticipating what’s coming to some degree.

If you’ve been a good significant other, you likely won’t have to defend yourself. You sit down at a table or whatever, and just ask the question: “I’d like to marry so-and-so, and I would like your blessing / permission.” Of course, make sure to sub out “so-andso” with your significant other’s name. That’d be bad mojo.

Breathing is also important here. This is a pressure-cooker situation. The air will be stale, hot, and thick. In a way, you have to robotize yourself. Become an automaton and everything else will

be easier. I had to face down both my father- and mother-in-law during my session. I nearly soiled myself at the table. But after it was done, breathing became a lot easier.

Needless to say, “no” is always a possible answer. Much of the anxiety stems from this possibility. What then? If they say no, is the relationship fated to fail? That depends on your relationship, and your spouse-to-be’s relationship with his or her parents. Keep in mind that you aren’t your parent’s property and the asking of permission is just a formality. It would be acceptable, in my mind, to at least get reasoning as to why.

Perhaps there is misunderstanding at the heart of it, or something that you can do to be able to get a “yes.”

A “no” is rare, but all the same, it is still something to consider.

Respect is something that is important, especially to your upand-coming in-laws. Just try to abolish the thoughts of “no” from your mind as you wade the deep waters of such a humble request.

Dress up nice, go in with your best smile, and you’ll be just fine.

Roommate agreements are essential to maintaining friendships place and yours. If you think it’s necessary, set visiting hours. You can even give your schedule and ask that he bring her over while you are in class or at work, which can reduce the time where the three of you are in the same space.

It’s up to you whether your friend will be a good roommate.

Communicate, agree on specific house rules, and uphold your end of the deal for a successful and enjoyable arrangement.

YOURS TRULY THE CASCADE

I just moved in with a friend of mine and he keeps inviting his girlfriend over. She basically lives with us now.

I don’t mind her, but it makes things a little crowded. How do I let them know this isn’t working for me without making things awkward? ­—Perpetual Third Wheel Dear Perpetual Third Wheel, The friend-as-roommate situation might seem like an absolute ideal at first. You have someone to share in your latest Netflix binge; you can host parties with mutual friends, play endless matches of Mario Kart, and carpool to campus. However, it becomes a very difficult thing to lay down the law with someone who you consider a friend. And it gets even more difficult when you need to ask for a bit of space.

Often, roommates will put their relationship with their friend before their relationship with their roommate. They’ll let it slide when their roommate has dipped into their Nutella, just because they don’t want to deal with potentially making things awkward in a shared space. In your predicament, that shared space has become a two-on-one situation. You

Image: onsugar.com

Writing up a roommate contract when you move in can save you from frustration down the road. don’t want to upset the girlfriend or your friend, which is easy if you don’t approach this tactfully.

My advice would be to create a roommate agreement. These are a bit like domestic contracts; they divide shared chores and outline the general house rules. While it may seem a little formal to create one between friends, it gives you have the chance to communicate your expectations. It acts as a preventative measure and allows you to avoid any possible awkward-

ness down the road. According to McGill’s student housing website, common features of an agreement include who pays what (in terms of rent, utilities and other expenses), and specific policies on pets, smoking, parties, visitors, and upkeep/division of shared space.

Common details include a “quiet time,” where noise levels have to be lowered, a division of food storage areas, as well as a policy on language, drugs, and drinking.

I would suggest putting a veto policy in place and you and your

roommate’s discretion — for example, if a certain person makes one roommate uncomfortable, they can’t be invited over.

While you discuss this agreement, bring up your idea of a fair visitor policy. You can look up suggestions and templates online to back you up. The best way to talk about it is to be open; say that while you like his girlfriend, you didn’t sign up for living with her. Suggest that the two of them could split their time between her

Next week with Yours Truly: My boyfriend’s parents are nice, but super traditional. I have to help cook and clean up after dinner when we go over and the guys don’t, and they talk down to me a little. Nothing insulting or overt, but I never know if I should say something or just go along with it for the sake of being polite. I’ve talked about it with my boyfriend and he ‘s not sure what to do either. How do I change things without insulting my potential future in-laws?

Did you have a similar experience you’d like to share? Want to contribute with your own advice?

Feel free to write in with your own say and be published alongside my advice in the next issue of The Cascade.

Send in your questions, scenarios, or responses to peerpleasure@ ufvcascade.ca

10

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Drumming circle practices for International Women’s Day performance Stalh-lec (Donna Villeneuve) leads a drumming circle Sunday afternoon, where women gathered to practice songs that “honour the givers of life,” Villeneuve says. Villeneuve taught women to sing “from the bottom of your gut” to the steady beat of the drum. The women will share songs at the annual International Women’s Day event which takes place at the Reach on March 8.

Image: Nadine Moedt

Image: Nadine Moedt

Image: Nadine Moedt

CAMPUS FILM SCREENING LISTINGS Thursday, February 26, 3:00 p.m.

Brazil in Black & White (54 min.)

Presented by UFV History in B121

Part of the PBS Wide Angle TV documentary series, Brazil in Black & White covers five University of Brasília applicants, each navigating the inadequacies of the then-recently imposed rules of affirmative action. This documentary screens as part of the series “Slavery, Race, and Civil Rights in the Americas,” and will be followed by a discussion. In Portugese with English subtitles and English narration.

Tuesday, March 3, 2:30 p.m.

Northless ( Norteado) (95 min.)

Presented by the Modern LAnguages Institute in B101

Collected as part of New York’s acclaimed New Directors/New Films lineup in 2010, Rigoberto Pérezcano’s debut fiction feature is an understated Mexico-US border-crossing story. Jay Weissberg wrote in Variety that Northless stands out from similar narratives as “a refreshing, deeply human take.” In Spanish with English subtitles.

Upcoming: Directly Affected (2014) on March 11; The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011) on March 19

11

CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

All the colours of the wind

Upcoming

Willa Downing blends art and science in weather-inspired painting exhibition

Events

MARTIN CASTRO CONTRIBUTOR

“Science and art are two different ways of looking at meaning in the world,” said biochemist and artist Willa Downing on the opening of her exhibition, Maps of Weather, at the Reach gallery in Abbotsford.

“The other approach is philosophy. I guess it [comes down to] asking fundamental questions, and art and science can both be very creative. Science has a few more boundaries, however.”

Downing led a small group of people on a tour of the exhibition, speaking on the composition of her artwork, as well as her background in both art and science.

Downing chose weather as her subject for this exhibition: specifically weather maps, the type the weather channel has in the background as a meteorologist speaks into the camera. The only difference here is that Downing’s interpretation of weather is radically more liberal (and pleasing to the eye) than that of a weather channel studio technician.

The weather represented in Downing’s maps, however, is completely fictitious, as she told the audience. She explained that one set of mixed media paintings focused on the effect that humans

February 25 Ghost Sick book launch Writer in residence Emily PohlWeary presents her newest collection of poetry, Ghost Sick. The collection offers a witness to the violence, poverty and resilience of inner-city life. The night begins at 6 p.m. in AfterMath and is hosted by the English student association and the English department.

Image: Martin Castro

Maps of Weather creatively interprets meteorological weather maps. have on weather and weather patterns. As she was making the set, she tried to imagine what islands of heat might look like in the Metro Vancouver area.

Downing admitted she had taken liberties with the orientation of the pieces, as opposed to having them all with the northern part facing upward, she moved them so that each would work best as an art piece and be more pleasing to the eye.

Downing doesn’t believe it’s unusual to find a scientist who is interested in visual arts.

“I started in chemistry,” said Downing. “I got my bachelor’s degree in chemistry, and then went to art school [at] Emily Carr; after that I got my PhD in biochemistry. I worked as a biologist because my thesis was on molecular biology, so I worked as a research scientist in molecular biology, with plants.”

February 26 Film: To Light a Candle

She noted, however, that there is more freedom in art, which is why she is drawn to it as much as she is.

“I like making things that embody my ideas, aesthetically. I’m more drawn to colours and lines, whereas with science I’m intellectually very stimulated.”

Maps of Weather will be on display at the Reach Gallery Museum until March 1.

A screening of Iranian film To Light a Candle will coincide with a international day of awareness for people of the Baha’i faith, who suffer persecution daily in their pursuit for education. The film, which will be shown at the Reach Gallery Museum, chronicles their stories and will be followed by a panel discussion. The night begins at 6:30 p.m., everyone is welcome.

February 27 Hupacasath VS FIPA Join the aboriginal student club and the indigenous studies department for a discussion of rights and title by prominent member of the Hupacasath First Nation Brenda Sayers. Sayers will discuss her Nation’s constitutional challenge to Harper’s Canada China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. The discussion will take place at 1 p.m. in the Global Lounge (B 223).

Image: Martin Castro

Image: Martin Castro

February 25 Sociology info session The sociology department is offering a meet-and-greet for students and instructors. The event will include a discussion about potential careers in sociology, and on how to make one’s undergraduate degree more meaningful. Meet students with similar interests and get some free food! The event takes place in B 121 and starts at 2:30.

Image: Martin Castro

Image: Martin Castro

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STUDY BREAK CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

CROSSWORD All About “Me”

by VALERIE FRANKLIN

ACROSS 1.

3.

6.

9.

10.

12.

13.

What comes after wintertime. (10) When in ______... (4) “Clue” and “shoe” do this. (5) Japanese cartoon. (5) A word that might appear on the mat outside your front door. (7) Length x width x height = _______. (6) Can you tell me how to get, how to get to ______ Street? (6)

DOWN 2.

4.

5.

7.

8.

11.

Chubby little ceramic creature with a long pointy hat, often found in gardens. (5) ______ fraîche. (5) Masculine version of “beautiful.” (8) A funny image quickly spread on the internet. (4) The opposite of wild. (4) What every politician claims they’ll get tough on. (5)

SUDOKU 2. HOSTEL 4. MAP 6. BIKE 7. HITCHHIKING 8. TAN 9. SHERPA 10. CANAL

2

DOWN 1. TOURIST 3. SAFARI 4. MILES 5. PASSPORT 6. BACKPACK

9 7 6

4 3

5 9 4

The Weekly Horoscope

3 1 6 2 5 7 8 9 4 4 5 9 1 6 8 2 3 7 2 8 7 9 3 4 5 1 6

7

2 1

9 6 2 1

ACROSS

1 7

Sudoku solution

5 2 8 7 1 9 6 4 3 7 3 1 5 4 6 9 8 2 9 6 4 3 8 2 1 7 5

9 5 3 4 1 6 8

Last issue’s crossword

9

8 7 5 4 2 1 3 6 9 6 4 3 8 9 5 7 2 1 1 9 2 6 7 3 4 5 8

4 9 5

Star Signs from Natalie Nebula

Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18: This week, a Scorpio will cause you great disappointment. The price of your forgiveness may be too steep.

Gemini: May 21 - June 21: Good conversations may be an indicator of more. Try not to think too much about it.

Pisces: Feb 19 - March 20: Something dear to you will disappear this week, but never fear — it will turn up again before Mars next enters your sign.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22: A warning: if you tell your boss you’re bored, you will be reminded of all the work to be done.

Aries: March 21 - April 19: When in doubt, look to the North Star. It will guide you to the Arctic Circle.

Leo: July 23 - Aug 22: Asking people to care about the world they live in may be an exercise in futility, but it’s critical to flex those muscles nonetheless.

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21: This week your roommate will bring home a pet caterpillar; to question this will be a great insult.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20: At least one of your midterms will be easier than you expected. A Virgo will help you over-prepare.

Virgo: Aug 23 -Sept 22: This week a Taurus will bother you for help with studying; remind them success is arbitrary.

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19: A goat will be shot in your honour.

With a camera, of course.

Libra: Sept 23 - Oct 22: To help everyone develop their interpretive skills, phrase everything you say this week in the most cryptic and vague way possible.

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21: It will be cathartic for you to throw your friend’s belongings into a lake.

But consider the value of catharsis carefully: you may pay for it.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Book

Calling out North American Norm Thomas King’s cultural criticism cuts deep in new novel The Back of the Turtle KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

“Showcasing King’s brilliant wit and trademark wordplay, The Back of the Turtle is a funny, smart, sometimes confounding, and altogether unforgettable tale of betrayal, salvation, and the resilience of life.”

The promises made by anonymous book jacket writers are most often doomed to be broken. Thomas King’s latest novel, however, which appears after a decade-long post-Green Grass, Running Water sabbatical from the genre, lives up to the hype.

While The Back of the Turtle was written true to King’s signature comedic style, a sense of growing immediacy makes it more intense than his last novel. His commentary on corporate thinking, consumerism, and environmental catastrophe, among other contemporary albatrosses, cuts in with a sharper edge.

Dorian, CEO of a fictional corporation called Domidion — which is responsible for a slew of oil spills and devastat-

Image: thebooksmugglers.com

King delivers harsh commentary with his signature comedic style. ing chemical pollution — often articulates that commentary within the narrative, followed by a note, of course, that he’d never share those thoughts with the media.

“It was all a waste of time.

North American Norm didn’t

give a damn about the environment. Cancel a favourite television show. Slap another tax on cigarettes. Stop serving beer at baseball and hockey games.

That was serious.

“Spoil a river somewhere in Humdrum, Alberta? Good luck

getting Norm off the sofa.”

That said, King’s most effective method of conveying a sense of horror — at what has been done, what we have done to the world we live in and rely on — is through his depiction of setting. The novel takes place in two central locations: a nearly vacant ocean-side town in British Columbia whose environs and economy were decimated by human interference, and the sleek, fast-paced metropolis of Toronto.

At the start of the novel, it seems to be set sometime in the future. The contrast between the two distinct milieux, coupled with the ever-present steel of reality as the sanctity of Canada’s wilderness appears to teeter, invokes a sense of horror in the reader, an internal plea for a way to slam the brakes before this really happens, before — It’s too late. As the novel progresses, it becomes clearer that not only have the dominoes already been set to falling, the flat-line is only a hairsbreadth from the present. To an extent, such a narrative seems to forget survival and flirts with a seething unrest reliant on the inevita-

bility of destruction.

It’s a good way to spark a panicked reaction in the reader, a sudden need to be aware of what’s really happening, a desperation to find the key to a way out. Is there one?

Aha! King shouts. See, that’s exactly the reaction you should have. There’s the key: engage.

But anyone who has tried to push for engagement knows that is easiest said, and the frustration of a society that expends considerable energy convincing Norm to stay on that sofa.

It’s possible that frustration will not be assuaged. Instead of its end, King offers a frustratingly tenuous resolution to the Big Problems raised in the novel. The threat is still out there; the dark beast’s slouching away from the spoiled garden is only temporary. Maybe it is too late.

Maybe there’s nothing you can do but live as mindfully as you can in your small, remote humanness, hopeful for community and for the return to Paradise.

That is the sliver of hope: resilience. Maybe we survive after all. The question up for debate, however: is that a good thing?

Dine and Dash

K-Town Bistro Café could turn into new Abbotsford hub ASHLEY MUSSBACHER THE CASCADE

33757 South Fraser Way Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (subject to change) Price range: $8.95 to $15.00 Ever had a craving for coffee and sushi at the same time?

Look no further than K-Town Bistro Café, where you can order a pressed vanilla latte and California roll from the same counter.

Having only been in business for three weeks, the corner café still smells like fresh paint and floor polish. The place is set up like a classic bistro with hardwood floors, brick walls, a fireplace, and a chalkboard with specials scribbled on it. You have to place your order at the counter and then sit down, even though you don’t have to pay until after you’ve eaten. What set this bistro apart from others, however, was the atmosphere.

Despite being across town, K-

Image: Ashley Mussbacher

K-Town offers lattes and California rolls with a classic bistro ambience.

Town felt like it should be the campus bistro. The radio was tuned to CIVL, Johnny Komi-

toudis plays live each night at five, and the to-go containers are the cutest ever. From the

friendly staff to the affordable pre-packaged meals, it’s the place to go when you’re on a budget and strapped for time.

With live entertainment in the evening, it has the potential to turn into a social hub in Abbotsford, which is what we need.

When it comes to the food, you get a lot for the price you pay, and the daily specials are authentic Korean dishes like bi-bim-bap and kimchi. If you don’t like spicy foods you’ll have to watch what you order, which is slightly difficult since there are very short descriptions on the menu. You can always ask the friendly staff, which I did on multiple occasions.

Being new to Korean food, I decided to play it safe with a California roll and the chicken bulgogi special, which is basically slow-cooked dark meat in a very tangy sauce. It came with a mountain of white rice, green salad with basic ranch dressing, miso soup, and an odd vegetable in red sauce. It turned out to

be kimchi, which is fermented vegetables with a sauce that is both sour and spicy. The owner was happy to explain that many Korean families eat kimchi every day as a side or even a main course. So, contrary to my belief before, kimchi is not actually that instant noodle cup from Superstore.

Unlike the food, there was a huge selection of teas and coffees on the menu. I tried a jasmine green tea, which was delicious. Normally green tea has a bitter after-flavour, but this one was smooth and fragrant.

Overall, K-Town Bistro Café still has room to improve on the menu, but the food is delicious, the space is well thought-out, and the staff are welcoming.

It’s still in its early stages of planning, but the owner wants to get a liquor licence and extend the hours. That would be a great idea, especially if they’re planning on featuring local music. It’s something Abbotsford needs badly — a local hangout.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Albums

Da 5’9” and DJ Premier impress with lyrical complexity of PRhyme MARTIN CASTRO

CHARTS 1

B.A Johnson Shit Sucks

2

Oh No! Yoko Pinhead’s Paradise

Pink 3 Ariel pom pom

4 5

Various Mint Records Presents: Hot Heroes Viet Cong Viet Cong

Bee & the Buzz6 Queen kills

7

Stalk to Me Cheap High Idle

Caves 8 Sinoia Beyond the Black Rainbow

9 Sleater-Kinney No Cities To Love John Misty 10 Father I Love You, Honeybear Heat Waves 11 Freak Bonnie’s State of Mind Rebel Spell 12 The Last Run

13

Bahamas Bahamas Is Afie

14

Quarterbacks Quarterbacks

15

Panda Bear Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper Anna and Elizabeth Anna & Elizabeth

16

From Above 1979 17 Death The Physical World B-Lines 18 The Opening Band

Shuffle

JAY MITCHELL

CIVL OFFICER / BOWSER

Professor of Heavy Metal at-Large Jay Mitchell brings us a lesson in heavy metal and literary classics.

Iron Maiden “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” A moving rendition of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” join singer Bruce Dickinson as he describes the unfortunate outcomes of killing seabirds. Pro tip: leave the albatross alone.

Blind Guardian “And Then There Was Silence...”

Based on Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid, this song is a narrative of the fall of Troy, as told from the perspective of Cassandra, daughter of the Trojan king.

This is also my personal favourite drum practice track.

Symphony X “The Odyssey” Based on another Greek classic, Symphony X uses this 24-minute behemoth of a song to present a six-part exploration of Homer’s Odyssey and its tale of hero Odysseus on his journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Mastodon “Blood and Thunder” Mastodon takes a heavy approach to their interpretation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.

With a refrain of “white whale — holy grail,” we are reminded of the importance of the single core goal running through the mind of Captain Ahab.

Iron Maiden “Alexander the Great” Most people have heard something about Alexander the Great, but I’m not sure most people know the level of detail contained in this very informative bio-narrative. Noteworthy points include the Gordian Knot, his military victories, and his death in Babylon.

CONTRIBUTOR

PRhyme is the result of a collaboration between DJ Premier and Detroit rapper Royce Da 5’9”. The first thing that strikes the listener is how well Royce and DJ Premier work together; the second: the almost-intimidating lyrical complexity that Royce brings to the table, delivering metaphor after metaphor with ferocious passion.

In the eponymous first track Royce spits bars over relaxed and spread-out production.

This track works well as an introduction to the record, preparing the listener for an auditory journey that will require multiple instances of hearing something, pausing, rewinding, and listening again, only this time with the giddy anticipation of a kid on Christmas morning.

DJ Premier ’s funk-influenced style of production works particularly well on “Dat Sound Good,” which features verses

by Ab-Soul and Mac Miller.

Again Royce delivers a verse full of his complex lyricism and images — however, it’s a less busy verse, which I suspect he opted for to match Ab and Mac

Miller ’s flows. Ab-Soul’s verse is a highlight, but Miller holds his own, too.

“You Should Know” would have been unremarkable had it not been for Royce’s unrelenting third verse, in which he spits with a ferocity that’s hard to find nowadays, as well as Dwele’s vocals in the background working in Royce’s favour by evening the track out, making it more of a soulful jam than a straightforward sampledriven joint.

Although “Courtesy” is as lyrically dense as anything else on this record, it’s one of the tracks most likely to make your head bob along to it. Along with the scratching (which is not overdone, and adds texture to the instrumental aspect of this track), an organ rings throughout as Royce anchors the music with his particular brand of bravado. It’s odd to find a rapper ’s tone of voice and style anchoring a track, but Royce achieves this by not only being deftly consistent in his delivery and use of rhythm, but also in delivering a verse that’s so commanding in its presence that it draws the listener ’s attention effortlessly.

“To Me, To You” houses one

of the record’s most impressive featured verses, courtesy of Jay Electronica, a rapper whose complexity and command of the English language gave Kendrick Lamar a run for his money when they were both featured in Big Sean’s “Control.” Jay Electronica brings the same amount of passion and complexity to his verse here, and it counterbalances Royce’s bravado with a calmer, smoother confidence.

This album’s guest appearances just don’t let up, as Schoolboy Q pops up alongside Killer Mike to round off the trailblazing verse that Royce drops at the beginning of the more energetic “Underground Kings.”

“Microphone Preem” ends the album on a more grounded note, featuring equally impressive verses from each member of Slaughterhouse.

Already a well-respected and revered name in the Detroit hip-hop scene as well as more underground hip-hop arenas, PRhyme sees Royce Da 5’9” and DJ Premier contribute a devastatingly solid debut to the airwaves.

Belle and Sebastian retain their quintessential sound in Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance JOE JOHNSON THE CASCADE

Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is Belle and Sebastian’s ninth studio album, and it’s a marvellous piece of work. Nineteen years since their first release, they’ve rarely, if ever, had a misstep in producing some of the greatest indie music to date. Belle and Sebastian are unbelievably consistent and Girls in Peacetime is no different. Across the 12 tracks, which expands to over an hour in listening length, there’s a tremendous body of music here, and any song could easily be found in movies like 500 Days of Sum-

mer — although I should mention that each track does have its own groove and flair.

Girls in Peacetime is engrossing right from the mellow hooks of the first song, “Nobody’s Empire,” where the lyrics then fall to read as a story: “Lying on my bed, I was reading French / With the light too bright for my senses / From this hiding place life was way too much / It was loud and rough ‘round the edges.” Because of the way Belle and Sebastian write their music, they fully flesh out each song, never getting tedious or boring despite the album’s over an hour of listening time.

While Belle and Sebastian re-

tain their quintessential sound for this album, each track is varied. There are still the solid singles such as “Ever Had a Little Faith” that are amazing and rightly suited for the radio. But then there are tracks — such as “The Everlasting Muse” — which I am personally absolutely enamoured with.

It begins with a sultry tease of lyrics, leading to a high-energy mixing of the band’s sound with Romani music and steel guitar.

It would be a matter for debate where the album falls within their discography, but there can be no denying that it is extremely well crafted.

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ARTS IN REVIEW

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

TV

Season four of Girls becomes dark, vicious, and drama-ridden SASHA MOEDT THE CASCADE

Not every show that passes the Bechdel test is feminist, but every feminist show will pass the Bechdel test. Lena Dunham’s Girls certainly passes the Bechdel test, but by season four, there are serious criticisms to be raised about the show.

It’s difficult to decipher whether a show is feministfriendly. The characters don’t have to be feminists or make choices in line with feminist values. But there should be a representation of feminist (and everyday female) concerns — body rights and image, shaming, harassment, rape and consent, sexual relationships, and so forth.

Girls takes these issues and weaves it into the story. And it’s certainly not didactic. This isn’t a show about feminists owning it. It’s about four girls navigating adulthood in an extremely sexist world. And they make questionable choices. They have extremely disempower-

ing sexual relationships, they’re completely selfish, and they absolutely abuse their friendships.

But, all feminists should keep in mind Jessica William’s astute comment: “Lean the F*** away from me.” It’s easy to jump to conclusions and deliver judgement on women’s choices. But it certainly doesn’t help, only adding to the culture of hypercritical judgement we place on women and their life choices.

Flawed characters are the most lovable ones, but when it comes down to it, lovability depends on the flaw. Marnie, Hannah, Shoshanna, and Jessa all share one thing — they uphold self-interest above all else.

For a show that is focused on their friendship, that’s pretty depressing.

There really aren’t any redeeming moments. Even when one character bares her raw emotional wreck, the other friend will only try to top it with her scars. They are burntout and detached, openly vulnerable yet closed off from each other. They’re products of liv-

Image: facebook

Despite their friendships, Jessa, Marnie, Hannah, and Shoshanna’s self-interest trumps everything else in their lives. ing in a vicious world, and have become vicious themselves.

Season four sees all the characters in this state. The first couple seasons held my interest because Shoshanna was still fresh and cheerful, but at this point life’s beaten that out of her.

As a comedy, the fourth season is definitely the darkest yet.

Because the characters are so jaded, the humour has become reminiscent of Louie — but unlike Louie, the plot twists give Girls more of a dramatic feel.

And season four sees it getting a little bit overdone. Rather than

a consistent, naturally driven plot, there are spikes of drama.

It feels unnatural and forced.

Why is it called Girls, anyway? Shows that are solely focused on men aren’t called Boys. Is Lena Dunham calling attention to the fact that there are so few shows about just that — girls? The name implies that the show is a representative of everyday female life, like some kind of Planet Earth series.

If Girls is a representation of American womanhood, there is a serious lack of diversity. All four main characters are white, straight, able-bodied, and middle class. None of the secondary characters move away from that, save Hannah’s gay ex-boyfriend, Elijah. For a show set in New York, that’s pretty pathetic.

Ultimately, I require more out of a show than passing the Bechdel test. While Girls is steeped in a world of feminist issues, the representation of actual girls falls flat. The show is constantly given adrenaline shots to the heart by the writers, and frankly, it becomes boring.

Film

2015 Oscar-nominated live-action short films reviewed MITCH HUTTEMA THE CASCADE

The 87th annual Oscars were on Sunday, and the category of liveaction short films offered vast cultural, topical and stylistic variety in comparison to the major motion pictures that were nominated.

Image: imdb.com

Image: amazonaws.com

Image: Butter Lamp / facebook

Image: cloudfront.net

Parvaneh

Aya

Boogaloo and Graham

Butter Lamp

The Phone Call

Set in Switzerland, the film is about a young immigrant Afghan woman named Parvaneh struggling in her new country, trying to send money back home to her sick father. It follows her as she meets a young Swiss woman who agrees to help her send the money, but only for a price. The film moves at a slower pace than is necessary but portrays Parvaneh’s uncertainty. Unfortunately, the plot is somewhat cliché in regards to the situations Parvaneh gets into and is often predictable. While this film may not deserve to be on top of the pile, it is an uncommon perspective on the immigration game often forgotten by the inhabitants of the destination country.

Coming out of France and Israel, Aya is a film about an Israeli woman waiting at an airport whom a recently arrived traveller mistakes as his driver.

She neglects to correct his mistake and travels on with him for several hours. While very beautiful and cinematically strong, the film lacks in its explanation of why the woman entered into this situation. An intriguing view on the relationships of strangers, the film is unpredictable in contrast with the passenger ’s inherent desire for structure and routine. While beautiful in more ways than one, the film’s length is potentially a difficulty for some, at half the length of a feature and twice that of most shorts.

Boogaloo and Graham is a captivating short story about two boys who fall in love with the chicks that their father gives them to raise. Set in Northern Ireland, military presence is apparent throughout the film, but the family lives on despite the threat. Offering a take on familial tensions, paternal love, and childhood, Boogaloo and Graham is lighthearted yet serious in its telling.

Made by Chinese filmmaker Hu Wei, this film takes place in a remote Tibetan village. It depicts a young photographer and his assistant taking family photographs of the disheveled villagers in front of his slide-up backdrops of wealthy and distant vacation-type locations. The film is shot from the perspective of the camera that is taking the photographs, and shows snippets of each family’s interactions. The juxtaposition between the wealth of the cities, in front of which the povertystricken but cheerful families are being photographed, is powerful to say the least.

This British film follows a phone operator from a suicide hotline as she deals with a particularly troubling call. Similar to the film Locke, which was shot only in a car, The Phone Call manages to create incredible beauty while rarely ever leaving the desk of the operator. Portraying the emotional rollercoaster of the operator ’s conversation with a man who has taken a bottle of pills, the film takes viewers to a place very rarely visited in movies.

Themes of human compassion and the value of life are showcased while viewers are brought to tears. Incredibly well-composed, the film never seems drawn out, but stirs a sense of slow calm despite the portrayed panic and emotion.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Safe Space

Upcoming

Events

Awareness is the greatest tool in the struggle against depression and suicide JASMINE CHAHAL

February 27 March 1 Men’s basketball playoffs

After a first-round bye, the men’s team will host a quarter-final

series

beginning

February 27 against the winner of this week’s Calgary Dinos-Manitoba Bisons firstround clash. Three games are taking place, starting with Friday night, 6 p.m. at the Envision Athletic Centre.

Intramurals For drop-in intramurals, all you need is your campus card. Registration isn’t required. All games are held in the North Gym, E105.

March 2 Volleyball

Drop-in intramural volleyball. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

CONTRIBUTOR

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people aged 10 to 24, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. Within that age bracket, suicide accounts for over 24 per cent of deaths.

For 75 per cent of these people, there was a warning sign, UFV counselling department head Tia Noble explains. “It’s our responsibility as friends, as family to take [these signs] seriously and take action as needed,” she says.

While the statistics can be difficult to visualize, it isn’t difficult to recognize that mental health-related issues have affected all of us at some time or another. Many of us can recall a moment when we or our loved ones needed extra emotional support to cope with a difficult experience.

We aren’t always sure, however, where the line is drawn between difficulty coping and depression or suicide risk.

Whether it’s personal or something that we see manifest in a loved one, assessing and responding to the signs of depression can be difficult without knowing what to look for.

According to the National Depression Screening Day office, there are a few particular signs to look for when you’re

Image: thegospelcoalition.org

worried that a loved one is experiencing depression. An individual who may be experiencing depression is likely to become emotionally withdrawn, from loved ones as well as from activities that they would usually enjoy. They may show changes in sleeping patterns, appetite and even speed of movement. These changes in mood and activity are often accompanied by difficulty concentrating and strong thoughts of worthlessness or guilt.

When an individual has gone beyond depressive tendencies towards thoughts of suicide, there are a few critical signs to look for. It’s important to take statements like “life isn’t worth living,” “my family would be

March 2 Basketball

Drop-in intramural basketball. 8 to 10 p.m.

March 4 Pickleball

Drop-in intramural pickleball. 4 to 5 p.m.

March 4 Soccer

Drop-in intramural soccer.

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Scoreboard Women’s Basketball Date Game Score Feb 20 UFV vs. Regina L 74-56 Feb 21 UFV vs. Regina L 80-65 Women’s Volleyball Date Game Score Feb 20 UFV vs. CBC W 3-1 Feb 21 UFV vs. CBC W 3-2 Men’s Volleyball Date Game Score 20-Feb UFV vs. CBC L 3-1 21-Feb UFV vs. CBC L 3-1

better off without me,” and “there’s nothing I can do to make it better” very seriously.

As well, individuals planning to commit suicide can often be observed paying off debts, changing their wills, or giving away personal possessions.

Often the greatest difficulty when observing any of these traits in a loved one is knowing when to speak up and how to respond. It can be a challenge to find the right words or even bring ourselves to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation. It’s one action, however, that can make all the difference in a situation of depression or suicide risk.

If you notice changes in a loved one, Noble recommends

you trust your intuition. Respond to the situation by addressing the issues directly with the individual you are concerned about and contacting a UFV counsellor or crisis hotline accordingly.

When a loved one manifests any of the depressive or suicidal tendencies described, the first step is to take the signs seriously. Be willing to listen to your loved one if they are willing to share. Voice your concern over their behaviour and let the person know that you care and understand. Ask the individual if he or she has a specific plan and act accordingly. Be prepared to get professional help by contacting a suicide or crisis hotline.

The Fraser Health Crisis Line (1-877-820-7444) and BC Suicide Hotline (1-800-SUICIDE) are available 24 hours a day with trained professionals who will be able to direct you or a loved one to the right resources.

On March 25, UFV’s counselling department will be hosting a Mental Health screening at UFV’s Chilliwack campus aimed at reducing the stigma around depression and mental health. Students will be able to gather resources, speak to UFV counsellors and connect with other students on mental health-related issues.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

17

SPORTS & HEALTH

ARC vs. MRC: comparing gym and pool facilities ASHLEY MUSSBACHER THE CASCADE

Getting into a gym routine is difficult, especially if you’re just starting it. If you’re new to the scene there are several key variables you have to take into consideration before you start committing to a gym. Your UPass will allow you access to both Matsqui and Abbotsford Recreational Centres (MRC and ARC, respectively), but first you should think about what you want from the facility.

Gym facilities ARC offers an impressive 58,000 square feet of recreational space, including areas devoted to machines, free weights, and even an indoor track. The co-ed gym is equipped with several benches, at least 10 treadmills, and a large mirrored wall for checking your technique.

This gym is devoted mostly to machine and weight training, so if you’re into ballistic workouts you’ll have a hard time finding space to move around.

There isn’t a whole lot of floor space, since the administration recently restricted it to the track and weight room. However, if you’re focused on cardio and machine training, and don’t mind a crowded workout space,

this is the perfect gym for you.

MRC is a lot smaller than ARC, but where it lacks in space it makes up for in organization.

There is a women-only section, and though it has fewer machines, it is rarely busy. MRC doesn’t have an indoor track, but there is an outdoor one right next door. If your workout consists of on-the-spot training like jumping jacks, push-ups, free weights, machines, and the treadmill, and you’re uncomfortable working out with a lot of people around, then this might be the choice for you.

The only downside is, like at ARC, there is hardly any floor space for stretching and ballistic training, and those who wish to work out in the women-only section must first walk through the men’s section to get to it.

Pool facilities For me, the pool is what makes or breaks my relationship with a gym.

ARC’s pool facilities are fitness-oriented. Until recently, ARC had a high diving board and a small slide, but they took both of them out. Now the pool facilities consist of a six-lane pool with a standard diving board, a toddler pool, one figure-eight-shaped hot tub, and a

sauna.

For the size of the gym, this part of ARC leaves much to be desired. The hot tub is usually full, and the swimming pool is reserved for lessons, unless you come during the public swim hours. So, if you want to swim lanes, you’ll have to check the schedule. There are no barriers in the room to help keep the noise level from escalating, so if you want to sit in the hot tub and chat with a friend you might have to yell. One thing the hot tub has going for it is the 50-inch plasma screen that shows hockey and football games — but good luck finding room to sit.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, MRC makes up for what ARC lacks in pool facilities. Though there are no lanes, it is more family-friendly with one large wave pool with a high diving board, as well as a toddler pool. The hot tub is larger than the one at ARC, and though it’s still crowded, it is quieter — perfect for unwinding after a workout. MRC also has both a sauna and a steam room for those times you want to feel like you’re in the tropics.

Overall, the choice of which gym you want to frequent depends on your fitness and recreational goals.

Image: Graeme Beamiss

Get ripped at the ARC or the MRC.

Image: Brittany Cardinal

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

UFV rowing team hosts ergathon to raise money for Canadian Cancer Society VANESSA BROADBENT THE CASCADE

Most students use the weekend before midterms start to study, finish homework, and maybe have a nervous breakdown. But not the UFV rowing team. This weekend the rowing team hosted an ergathon (a rowing marathon to fundraise) on Saturday and Sunday in Fort Langley.

Ben Schreiner, fourth-year business student and captain of the men’s rowing team, explained that an ergathon is different from a standard rowing race. “You can think of it like a marathon where you’re running a set distance and trying to complete in the lowest time possible, where ours is we’re erging for a set time [five hours each day] and trying to maximize the distance in that time,” he said.

An ergathon is also much longer than a standard rowing race, both in time and distance.

“The six km race in the bigger boats takes up to 20 minutes to complete, so what they’re doing here is three times that distance,” Schreiner said.

Despite their differences, Schreiner sees preparing for an

ergathon the same as preparing for a race.

“It’s all about getting a good night’s sleep beforehand, eating well, and warming up properly,” he said. “Each rower is taking a second shift, but the second group is showing up 15 to 20 minutes before to stretch, loosen up, get hydrated, and that’s fairly standard no matter what kind of race you’re doing.”

The rowing team partnered with the Canadian Cancer Society to raise funds for research, through their online donation page and in cash. Many of the team members, including Schreiner, have been affected by cancer in some way or another.

“It seemed like a no-brainer to choose the cancer society,” Schreiner explained. “For me personally, it was a nice choice to choose the cancer society.

My mom was diagnosed with cancer, ultimately winning that battle, so it kind of hits close to home.”

Prior to the event, the rowing team approached local businesses to explain to them the nature of the event, and Schreiner and the rest of the team were happy with the amount of support.

Images: Vanessa Broadbent

The ergathon was 10 hours in total.

“All of them were very supportive and very impressed with the way that the two entities — a university rowing team and a cancer society — have come together to make one event,” he said.

While the event is helping raise money for charity, Schreiner notes that the ergathon is also helping the team prepare for upcoming events because each team member spent an entire hour rowing.

“Aside from it being a fundraiser event, which is the main

privilege, is that it works very well into our training program.

Spending 60 minutes on the erg is nothing but beneficial to us,” he said.

The rowing team does most of their practicing at 5:50 a.m., which makes promoting the team a little difficult.

“This time of day we’re never on the water,” Schreiner said.

“Most of these people here today will never see us on the water so it is a nice way to promote the fact that there is a university program in the area.”

Aside from promoting the team, Schreiner noted that the event provided a nice break in schedule for the team.

“It’s great for them to be out here, especially on a nice day,” he said. “It’s a good break from the training aspect we have where we’re normally tucked away indoors in the morning.”

By the end of the 10-hour ergathon, UFV Varsity Rowing tweeted that they’d rowed 251,000 m and raised $736 in cash, as well as over $1,100 from online donations.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

UFV students raise awareness of bone marrow donation shortages SASHA MOEDT THE CASCADE

According to the UFV’s Centre for IndoCanadian studies, a shortage of bone marrow donors within ethnic minorities leaves the likelihood of finding a matching donor within these communities lacking.

For UFV alumna Summer Dhillon and her cousin Kiren Bergmann, this problem strikes close to home. Both Bergmann and Dhillon have a loved one diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.

When Bermann’s cousin, Raj Singh Bhuller, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, they weren’t panicked because they were aware of the high success rates of transplant treatment.

But then they realized that finding a transplant was more difficult than expected.

“We quickly learned that while the [bone marrow match] is fairly positive for Caucasians, it is not great for people of Asian descent,” Bermann said.

“He has a 20 per cent likelihood of survival without a transplant. He is still undergoing treatment but has yet to find a stem cell or bone marrow match.”

One Match, a stem cell and marrow network, is helping Bermann and Dhillon raise awareness about the issue.

Tables were set up to reach out to UFV students about how to donate.

Bermann hopes to reach out primarily to ethnic minorities, explaining that we need to build a bank to prevent people dying needlessly.

“By the time that a person is diagnosed, we often have little time to help find a match if one does not already exist. Time is always the evil when faced

BONE MARROW DONATION MYTHS

Image: Sasha Moedt

One Match volunteers helped UFV students begin registering to be bone marrow donors in the E building Tuesday. with cancer.”

At the tables, Summer Dhillon worked with One Match volunteers, talking to students and encouraging people to register. Dhillon was pleased with the reception, and hopes to be on campus to spread the word more in the future.

Dhillon explained that she herself was “intimidated” by the prospect of donating. But when she learned it wasn’t an invasive surgery, but rather like donating blood, she realized that those myths needed to be broken.

Kiren Bermann notes that being ignorant can drastically reduce a cancer

patient’s chance of survival.

“We literally have the ability within ourselves to save people, and possibly also to be saved,” Bermann said.

“So I ask everyone to consider getting registered. It does not cost a dollar, but saving someone is worth millions.”

Bone marrow transplants are horribly painful In most cases, blood stem cells are obtained through your blood, which is a quick and painless procedure similar to a blood transfusion. If a bone marrow transplant is required, it is done so under anesthesia. There is no pain during the procedure, and afterward you might feel like you have a bruise.

M atches are almost always found within the family Less than 30 per cent of the time a match is found within a family.

Donating bone marrow can compromise your health The body naturally replaces bone marrow every six weeks.

While there might be some discomfort after donating, donors can expect to return to their normal routine shortly.

I don’t need to donate because there are so many people on registries already.

Based on the current registries, 70 per cent of ethnic minorities will not find a match, and 30 per cent of Caucasians will not.

Getting registered is a timeconsuming process A form can be filled out online quickly and easily, and a swab test will be sent to you, Bermann explains. Taking the test (swiping your inner cheek with a cotton tip) will get you registered, and then if you are matched you will be contacted. “We are talking about minutes of your time to get registered,” Bergmann says.

To read about other myths and facts about becoming a donor, visit Canadian Blood Services at Blood.ca.

With files from Anish Bahri.

Volleyball teams honour seniors in regular season rivalry games NATHAN HUTTON THE CASCADE

WOMEN’S

The women’s volleyball team honoured four players on Saturday night who had all had very different journeys.

KIERRA NOOT A fifth-year middle, Noot spent her whole career at UFV after coming from Pacific Academy in Surrey.

EMILY CARROL A fifth-year transfer from UBCO, Carrol spent the last two years of her career at UFV as a starter.

SARAH RUSSELL Russell is a fourth-year who redshirted one season after injuring her knee. Russell was a key contributor on the national championship winning team.

KATIE PEACOCK A player, coach, and fitness trainer, Peacock was an allaround stud for the Cascades during her time in multiple roles.

After their senior-night celebrations, head coach Dennis Bokenfohr had nothing but praise for his seniors.

“I’m just lucky to have them stick around, lucky that they choose to be here and privileged to coach them all these years,” he said.

The women’s senior night game wasn’t high stakes; they had already secured their playoff spot and were playing a team that had been knocked out of the playoffs. However, they were playing the CBC Bearcats and games against their crosstown rivals always mean more.

The Bearcats came into the game with a record of no wins and 23 losses, and were trying to finish a messy season on a high note. They trailed early into the first set 20-10 to the Cascades but came back and

won the set 26-24. The Bearcats were also able to snatch the second set from the Cascades and hold a massive two-set lead over their rivals. The Cascades then pulled out a phenomenal comeback, forcing a fourth set and then a fifth set, and then thriving when down late in the fifth set. The Cascades pulled out four straight points to tie the game and then go back and forth with the Bearcats in front of a raucous crowd — the Cascades would pull out the incredible 18-16 win and win one of the best games of the year.

“It shows that there is no giving up on our team,” said Coach Bokenfohr about the win. “Even being down late in the fourth and fifth sets and finding a way to dig it out, it shows a lot about a team. It shows a lot of good fight.”

MEN’S

The men’s team honoured three key contributors over the years.

JOSH TOGERETZ Togeretz is a fifth-year standout with the Cascades who got the opportunity to play with his brothers at UFV. CHRIS SCHMITKE The left side / libero split his PacWest career between CBC and UFV and won a national championship with the bearcats in 2011.

KURTIS STROMDAHL After tearing his ACL, worked hard to get back onto the court and has been a leader on and off the court for the Cascades.

“This year all three [Togeretz, Schmitke, and Strohmdahl] have been good teammates, they’ve thrived in the different roles they have put in this season. They have all shown leadership this season,” said head coach Kyle Donen about his three graduating players. “I expect them all to be good next week. I hope that we will see them back as much as we can at a lot of these games next year.”

Unfortunately for the Cascades, they dropped both games to the Bearcats on senior weekend.

Both teams are in playoff action next weekend at Camosun College.

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SPORTS & HEALTH

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Back basics: don’t just rely on a hunch KATIE STOBBART THE CASCADE

Perched naked on a stone, the thinker leans forward; eyes, forehead, and shoulders all focused on the same invisible object of contemplation.

These days the object of such laborious focus is often more tangible: think laptops, cell phones, handouts, final essays in progress after a sleepless night of study in vain.

None of the viewbooks tell you how bad university can be for your back. By the time we get here, in fact, the damage may already have been done in the years of similar but perhaps less intense slouching over schoolwork, and portaging said schoolwork to and from home.

DID YOU KNOW?

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A “stand up straight!” approach might not be the best for your back.

If your seat has poor lower back support, folding up your sweater to use as a cushion can help.

Image: Sultan Kano Jum

The life of a student encourages poor posture.

Back pain is not just in your back The term “back pain” seems self-explanatory: pain in your back. However, symptoms of back pain may not always be isolated to that area of the body. General health information pages on both Western University (UWO) and McGill’s websites list several indicators you should have a doctor examine your back — and only three of them are directly associated with the back of your torso.

Obviously, if you’re having persistent pain in your back, that’s back pain. But you may also need to consider your back if you’re having bowel or bladder problems (including blood in the urine) or leg pain below the knee.

According to the McKinley Health Centre at the University of Illinois, poor posture can result in a number of other pains, not just in the back but in the head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands — even your fingers and toes.

contributor to back problems and pain. At the risk of blaming “technology these days,” modern gadgets don’t exactly promote a straight back. Furthermore, students have the added slouch susceptibility of long-term poor seating; classroom chairs notoriously provide little to no lower back support.

Faced with an ergonomically lacking seat, the guide from the McKinley Health Centre suggests folding up your sweatshirt to act as a “lumbar cushion” as well as ensuring your feet are flat on the floor.

Essentially, this suggests mindfulness about your position. A slouch is perhaps associated with laziness because it denotes either ignorance of, or ambivalence to your own body and health, not because it results from excessive time spent seated.

One would hope even a remote threat of bloody urine, let alone extreme and widespread pain, would encourage sitting “properly.”

The student “hunch” Poor posture is a significant

In pursuit of pain-free posture

In a New York Times article featuring a particular approach to soothing back pain among office workers, a Silicon Valley “posture guru” Esther Gokhale describes the wrong and right back postures alphabetically.

According to the article, “Gohkale says that most Americans tend to be relaxed and slumped (think of a C-shaped spine), or arched up and tense (an S shape), the stand-up-straight style of posture that some parents demand of their children.”

However, the ideal posture is as “nature intended: upright and relaxed (a tall J spine).”

As for a good sitting posture, Trinity College in Dublin has a disability services page on ergonomics in lectures with some tips: keep your back and neck upright; your shoulders relaxed, not hunched up; and the hips angled no more than 90° from the body (“when the hips are at 60°, it puts less strain on the lower back to maintain the natural curves”). Again, there should also be lower back support.

Relief and prevention of back pain symptoms If back pain or associated symptoms are prolonged or extreme, you should see your doctor or naturopath. UWO lists rest, ice or heat, massage, and medication as self-treatment options for back strain.

For regular discomfort and posture improvement, stretching can be a good way to keep your back limber and healthy, as long as they don’t exacerbate pain. More tips from UWO health services include knee-to-chest stretching, pelvic tilt, and hip rolling. Their page is one of the more comprehensive university health pages on back pain and posture, and is worth looking into for further advice on how you can aim for good posture while lifting, standing, sitting, sleeping, and even having sex. (A good rule of thumb might be to avoid doing something you wouldn’t want to explain to the paramedic.) Ultimately, the idea is not to be paranoid, but to be mindful of what the natural position of your back should be.

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I n some cases, posture problems can result in bowel or bladder problems as well as pain in even your fingers and toes.

Your health and dental plan through SUS covers both chiropractor services and massage therapy (with a referral) up to a maximum of $30 per visit and up to $300 per policy year, respectively.

The Cascade is looking to hire a

Sports editor

If you love writing as much as you love sports, this is the job for you.

We’re looking for a creative, organized self-starter with excellent communication skills. Must be currently enrolled in UFV classes to apply.

Send your resumé, cover letter, and writing sample to valerie@ufvcascade.ca by March 1.