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SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
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September 23, 2013 | the Weal.com
NEWS EDTOR Crystal Schick
NEWS WRITER Sheldon Smith
A&E EDITOR Inonge Chimwaso
A&E WRITER Husson Zaman
LIFESTYLES EDITOR Yashica Anandani
LIFESTYLES WRITER Position available
OPINIONS EDITOR Monica Henderson
SPORTS EDITOR Steve Sucha
SPORTS WRITER Andrew Halipchuk
PHOTO EDITOR Brent Calver
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Leo Aragon
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Evan Buhler
ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR
Parking prices hiked up BY SHELDON SMITH NEWS WRITER
This summer, SAIT endured a few increases to its parking rates that will undoubtedly affect students’ pockets. With so many lots located around campus, prices are determined by proximity. The closer to campus a lot is, the more students and faculty will have to pay to park there. Parking lot P1, located on the west side of the LRT line and beside ACAD, raised its average daily rate by $1, hiking the new price to $10 per day. Parking lot J1 is the furthest lot from campus and is also $10. The most expensive lot, P2, is the one closest to Campus Centre and Heritage Hall, and can cost up to $25 a day, depending on length of stay. “It’s inflation, wages, maintenance, security, painting and cleaning. It’s all part of a functioning parking lot,” said Wayne Gee of SAIT Commercial Services about the increase in prices.
Patricia Rye
LAYOUT & GRAPHICS EDITOR Alannah Pohran
WEB MASTER Jennifer Poon
For students like Burge, few things are more upsetting than driving to SAIT only to find no available parking spots. To curb the cost and unreliability of driving to school every day, there are many viable and economic options that students can use. Close to the Clayton Carrol building, there is a parking lot that existed previously but wasn’t in use due in part to the construction in and around the area. According to Gee, this construction affected the lot because some classrooms had to be temporarily displaced there. “[The lot] was decommissioned for almost four years, which tightened up our supply again,” he said. However, his department is now ready to bring that lot back into action as soon as possible, which should alleviate a lot of the parking bottleneck happening around campus. Nearly 300 spots will be available in that lot, though there will
evolved into an online blog-style magazine that featured works from photographers around the world.
BY HUSSON ZAMAN A&E WRITER
After 10 months of successfully publishing online articles and photographs, Vault Photo Mag is gearing up for its first print issue, which is scheduled for release in late 2013. SAIT graduate and Vault founder Kurt Martyn started the magazine as an archive for himself, which he used for personal inspiration. Eventually, the archive
Martyn explained that the success the online publication is currently receiving is a clear indication to start printing the magazine. “After a long period of online articles and photographs, our readers have an appetite for a printed magazine,” he said. Vault is now recognized on an international level, with its
contents being distributed online all around the world. The Ontario-born entrepreneur originally moved to Calgary as a teenager and quickly realized the creative potential that the city possessed. “Calgary is great city to prosper as an individual and I want to help local fine art photographers gain the exposure they need [to] inspire people on a world stage,” Martyn said. After moving to Calgary, Martyn went on to continue his
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PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Giselle Wedemire ph. 284-8458 / fax 210-4216
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not be any lines painted because of a time constraint, though plans to paint the lines are scheduled for next summer. The lot should be up and running by Oct. 1. The rate in this lot will be $5 for the first hour and $1.75 per additional 30 minutes, with a maximum of $16 per day. For those not interested in fighting for parking spots, SAIT has the added advantage of an LRT line that stops right on campus and full-time students are given a UPass with their tuition costs. Car2Go is growing in popularity by the day, making it another useful and trendy option for disgruntled commuters to consider. Especially handy are the reserced Car2Go parking spots located behind the Senator Burns building. Biking to campus is another student-friendly transportation option, and Gee said that “SAIT even has a lot of bicycle parking, which I think flies under the radar a little bit.”
Former sait student brings idea to print
Susan Kim
LAYOUT & GRAPHICS EDITOR
These summer increases were recommended by Gee’s department after doing comparative surveys with other schools and institutions. The surveys were to determine parking prices at SAIT, while also having a comparison to the other colleges and universities in Calgary. “These decisions are brought up executively, then proposed at budget time, then approved by the board,” Gee said. Matthew Burge is a secondyear information technology student at SAIT who is on the fence when it comes to the price hike. “I am of two opinions on the parking rates. On one hand, I accept that our parking woes are a clear reflection of what it’s like to park downtown,” he said. “Yet, it really annoys me as a broke student that I am being bled of what little money I have that could be put to more useful expenditures, such as other books for class.”
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education at SAIT, and graduated as a journey carpenter in 2007. Shortly after graduating, his natural curiosity of design and architecture drew him to photography. Martyn has since returned to SAIT for photography night courses and plans to eventually take more classes in graphic design. Through Vault he hopes to expose the talents of unknown photographers and showcase their creativity with the rest of the world. Martyn urges students, photographers and writers alike to get involved and submit their work to Vault. His passion for photography mirrors his interest in amateur photographers, and he indicated that photographers submitting content to the start-up magazine won’t have to wait long to hear back from Martyn. “Since we are an indie magazine, when you send us an email we will respond within 48 hours. We are open to everything,” he explained. In order to fund and draw audiences towards the upcoming release of its print issue, Vault launched an online campaign on Sept. 8 that is geared to last until Oct. 18. Martyn hopes to create a magazine that not only serves an inspiration for its writers and photographers, but for its readers as well. “I want amateur and semi-pro photographers’ work to be displayed in a professional and captivating way, and to build a community of collectors that hunger for the next issue.” For magazine submissions and inquiries can be submitted to submissions@vaultphotomag.com.
the Weal.com | September 23, 2013
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Fenced in at SAIT New fences stop students from forming “cattle paths” BY CRYSTAL SCHICK NEWS EDITOR
Gone are the days when SAIT students could plow across the lawns in front of Heritage Hall, and here are the days that students are guided by a black, wrought iron fence. Some returning students have noticed this new obstacle, which was erected during the summer break between July
and August 2013, and are questioning its purpose. “It looks really nice, I just want to know why it was put up,” said Ashley Dedman, second-year administrative information management student. “It seems to be pointless, [because] it’s only three quarters of the way around,” said Marc Ethier, third-year electrical apprentice. According to Boris Dragicev-
ic, associate vice-president of facilities management and campus expansion, the purpose of the fence is “two-fold.” The first reason for the fence, he said, is “to add rigour and formality to the south side of Heritage Hall, [while] staying in character with the collegiate Gothic architecture of the building and associated landscaping.” The second reason is to stop
people from cutting across the grass and “creating ‘cattle paths’”, which destroys both the life and look of the green grass. Over a five-year period, these “cattle paths” have cost SAIT in repairs about the same amount that it cost to erect the fence. With the addition of the new fence, it is expected that the school will save money in the
long run, because they will not have to spend money repairing the dead grass caused by the “cattle paths.” The fence project was initiated by facilities management at SAIT and then was approved, at the cost of $15,000, by the SAIT executive council. According to Dragicevic, the school does not currently have plans to erect more fences like this around campus.
New fences have suddenly appeared on the campus grounds in an effort to spare the campus’ grass from pedestrians’ roaming feet.
LEO ARAGON PHOTO
robberies “Fairly common” in gym lockers BY CRYSTAL SCHICK NEWS EDITOR
A typical night at the gym turned sour for one SAIT student this summer, as he found himself the victim of a crime in the Wellness Centre locker room. After working out late one evening in July, first-year petroleum engineer technology student Felipe Soto left his gym locker unlocked and went to take a quick shower. Sometime during his ten-minute shower, he was robbed. According to Soto, he had left his wallet in his backpack, which was stored in the unlocked locker. Soto remained unaware of the robbery he was a victim of until he opened his wallet the next day and noticed
all his cash and credit cards were gone. “Unfortunately, [these breakins] are fairly common,” said Clarke M. Gay, site manager of Paladin Security at SAIT. The reasons, he said, are because it is easy for thieves to blend in and appear as gym patrons and also because there are no cameras in the change rooms. Gay said that “we do have measures in place we hope will help,” but was unable to divulge what they were, in an interest of retaining their effectiveness. Patrick Gauvreau, supervisor at SAIT Wellness Centre, said that on a busy day the centre can see up to 1,500 users, especially during the busy months of September,
October, January and February. While the break-ins at the centre are not uncommon, the busy months will only see approximately one to five thefts per month. Out of these thefts, there is an average of about one break-in monthly, while the remaining thefts are a result of valuables not locked up. According to Gauvreau, the women’s lockers are broken into more often than the men’s lockers, but the men tend to have more things go missing. He explained this is because men tend to leave their valuables in unlocked lockers or unattended, whereas women tend to always lock their valuables away. From the women’s lockers he
said, it’s mostly clothing, jewelry, and hair products that go missing, while more valuable items such as wallets, watches and phones go missing from the men’s lockers. Due to the outdated style and design of the lockers in the changing rooms, they are more susceptible to thieves than most other lockers. “Our locker rooms are from the 1980s and they’re old lockers. There are lots of handles for people to cut or leverage on, lean on and break,” said Gauvreau. The Wellness Centre has been waiting on renovations for five years, though these renovations continuously get pushed back to later dates. Gauvreau hopes that when the renovations fi-
nally do happen, that they will receive new lockers, which will have push-button combinations locks built into the doors. The new lockers will have no actual handles padlocks, leaving the face of the lockers relatively flush and making it extremely difficult for anyone to cut or pry their way into them. In the meantime, both Gay and Gauvreau have the same recommendations that gym patrons keep their belongings safe while working out at the gym by using a good quality lock. If, however, valuables are brought to the gym, patrons are advised to use the wallet lockers by the check-in desk or to leave their belongings behind the front desk with Wellness Centre employees.
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September 23, 2013 | the Weal.com
arts & ENTERTAINMENT
CULTURE FOR THE SAIT COMMUNITY
HighKicks will kick down Gateway doors BY INONGE CHIMWASO A&E EDITOR
On June 17, Calgary’s alternative rock radio station X92.9 announced HighKicks as one of three bands that won its Xposure contest. HighKicks has since continued to gain quite a following of fans that love the hard-hitting Calgary-based rock band made up of vocalist and fuzz bass player Danny Vacon and drummer Matt Doherty. While this duo is gaining some exposure through HighKicks and their self-titled album, this isn’t the only local musical project that Vacon and Doherty are a part of. Vacon is also the lead singer behind the indie rock band The Dudes, and the guitarist in the rock band Dojo Workhorse. Doherty moonlights as the drummer of the indie folk band Raleigh, and the percussionist in the pop band Axis of Conversation. On Sept. 28, HighKicks will be performing at the Gateway during The Suppliers’ album release. In anticipation of this show, The Weal sat down with Vacon to find out a little about HighKicks’ journey. The Weal: Can you give me a little insight on where the name HighKicks came from? Danny Vacon: We stumbled on ‘HighKicks’ and it was the only name we could both get be-
HighKicks are bringing their brand of high-energy rock and roll to The Gateway Sept. 28.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOODCHILD
hind, and the funny thing actually is that I’m quite inflexible. The more appropriate [name] would have been calling us the MediumKicks or the Waist-HighKicks. But right at that time, I wanted to have a really cool high kick because I was dating this girl with the craziest high kick and I was a little jealous. And so, over the course of last summer, I started working on it and I got it really high, but I haven’t kept up my training so it’s back to medium kicks. TW: Your bio reads that Highkicks was founded in 1687, but can you tell me how long it has really been and what your journey has been like? Vacon: I’m really bad at time,
but it was cool. We wanted to form a band and I’ve always liked the guy [Matt Doherty], so we put it together in days and then I booked a show. And I was like, “We’ve got no songs, but we’ve got a show so we better get cracking.” I work really good under pressure. TW: Where do you draw your inspiration from? Vacon: Real life. I like to party hard, so adventures just seem to stem from that. It’s mostly about living a crazy life and sort of being a yes man, getting into some romantic danger. I’m super into crazy positive bands like The Flaming Lips. I’m totally all over the place because tonight, for example I DJ nothing but punk rock at Broken City Bingo,
but then I’m crazy into soul music. I mean there’s nothing that doesn’t move me. TW: Why rock and roll? Vacon: I never thought about the why too much. It’s just like, ‘Why do you eat?’ or ‘Why do we drink water when we’re thirsty?’ It’s just one of those miracles, those gifts from who-the-hellknows-from-where, but [rock and roll is] for everyone and it always will be there for you. It always will be accessible to everyone. Rock and roll is just kind of a miracle like that. TW: Why did you choose to be in three bands at the same time, and what is the contrast between all three? Vacon: They are definitely all three different parts of me. I mean, I think it’s crazy that people only listen to one kind of music. Why would you do that to yourself? The Dudes are kind of like my sing-along thing, where it’s amazing to play at a show and have the audience join into a giant, bigger thing. HighKicks is my really loud rock thing, which is turning into a sing-along thing too, but it’s just a different, louder, more aggressive side of me. With the Dojo Workhorse, I get sensitive and talk about my feelings. TW: What do you have in store for your upcoming show at The Gateway?
Vacon: I’m going to pull out a crazy cover that everyone knows, and that my drummer is super pissed that I’m forcing him to play. It’s a Celine Dion tune, but it’s all super fuzzed out and dangerous. I’ve wanted to do it for so long with my other bands and I couldn’t get it past the popular vote. But now it’s just two of us, so no matter what, it’s always a tied vote. He’s just going to have to deal with it because I’m going to start playing, and if he’s not playing the drums, everyone is going to feel weird. TW: What’s next for the HighKicks? Vacon: I love Calgary the most and I’ve been lucky to get to travel everywhere, but I don’t think there’s a more supportive community in any place that I’ve ever been to, and you will never see me move away. I just have so many damn friends and they’re all so altruistic and giving and it’s been amazing to be a part of something like that. I kind of feel bad for people that don’t have that sort of connection to their community. The music community is pretty small and I like regular Calgarians, too, but in the music scene there are just some beautiful effin’ people. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.ca for $10.00.
SAIT grads represent at CIFF BY SARAH COLLINS WEAL WRITER
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Film enthusiasts rejoice, the Calgary International Film Festival is back with an ample sampling of SAIT alumni talent. From Sept. 19–29, Globe Cinema and Eau Claire Market are hosting the 11-day jubilee of over 200 films submitted from over 40 countries. The festival’s Alberta Spirit Gala Series features nine select short films representing the diversity of talent in this province. Most notably, the sci-fi epic Agophobia, with SAIT alumni and film director Benjamin Hayden, made its Alberta premier on Sept. 21 at Eau Claire Market. Agophobia won Best Film in the Experimental Category at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and according to Hayden, the film “is a trans-human odyssey following a digital entity’s escape from the digital world.” Hayden — who graduated from the SAIT film and video Production program in 2012 before going on to finish a film studies degree at the University of Calgary — filmed on-location among the hoodoos of Drumheller to create an “otherworldly effect.” However, he said the
setting will not be recognizably Albertan. “I wanted the surroundings to be visually absent,” he explained. “The future doesn’t belong to one culture.” Interestingly, the film — set in an unspecified date in the future — is entirely silent. Part of Hayden’s inspiration for this came directly from his experience at SAIT. “One thing I learned is that actions speak louder than words. In the digital world [where the movie is set] verbal communication is obsolete.” The combination of practical skills from learned SAIT and theoretical knowledge gained from his time at the U of C motivated Hayden to create an “accessible cinema that matters.” Three other SAIT alumni worked with Hayden on the film, namely cinematographer Bradley Stuckel, gaffer Anish Bahl, and editor Kyle Sanborn. The title is a combination of ‘ago’ (meaning ‘past’) and ‘phobia’ (meaning ‘fear’) — a theme that runs throughout the 26 minute short film. Other films involving SAIT graduates at CIFF include The Post, produced by Cameron Thomas, and Computer Potato, edited by Brock Roberts.
the Weal.com | September 23, 2013
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Entrepreneur Vi An Diep composes music while mentoring aspiring artists BY INONGE CHIMWASO A&E EDITOR
Contemporary musician Vi An Diep uses music as more than just a medium to promote her art, but also as a way to enrich the musical community. Diep, who recently graced The Gateway’s stage on Sept. 14 alongside post-rock band Atomis, said that music is bigger than herself. “The deeper I get into art I realize that art is for the people, art is about the people, and art isn’t really about me after a certain point,” she said. Diep has been a full-time musician for over a decade and she is known for creating compositions on Asian long zithers including the Chinese zheng, the Japanese koto and the Vietnamese dan tranh. According to Diep, becoming a full-time musician wasn’t something that she pursued during the early stages of her career. Instead, music for this self-taught artist was something that came naturally to her and she simply played as a form of expression. Once a number of close friends, family and other people in the musical industry encouraged Diep to realize her talents,
she started to take her gift more seriously. “I thought to myself, ‘I feel that this [music] is my calling.’ But it’s more than just a calling because it was a way of supporting myself and a way that I could feel legitimate in the economic social world,” she said. Diep said when she started her journey as a musician, it opened doors for many other people because it created jobs. Diep needed people to help produce her music, promote her music, organize shows, and once she started creating albums, she needed someone who could create album art for her. Her efforts to help the musical community go beyond the production world as she passes on her talents to other aspiring musicians by teaching people of all age groups how to play the zheng, which is the easiest zither to learn. While the zheng is louder than the koto and dan tranh, it is still a soft sounding instrument, which Diep said can serve as a form of meditation. Through her teachings and what she referred to as the “creative intuitive process,” she hopes her students will learn to appreciate the sound of the
zither, and perhaps even find peace simply by playing the instrument. “Everybody uses their gut feeling and their instinct to listen deeply to what’s going on and to create sound together,” she said. “If they feel it, they feel it and if they don’t, they may over time, or maybe they just don’t. But I allow them to figure it out for themselves.” Most recently, during the first week of September 2013, Diep announced that she will be composing custom-produced singles and albums. People can send her an email documenting what they want the song to sound like, including what mood that they are looking for. Those interested are also encouraged to send a sample of a tune or melody that they may have in mind. While Diep doesn’t have a set price for these customproduced albums, she asks that people “pay whatever they think is fair.” Through this project, she aims to engage with her listeners and find out, “what inspires you, what makes you dance, what makes you think or reminisce about good times.”
Chinese zheng player Vi An Diep creates custom-produced albums with negotiable price tags.
BRENT CALVER PHOTO
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September 23, 2013 | the Weal.com
LIFESTYLE
YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
Missing home? Identifying and combating homesickness BY MARCELLA SERINK WEAL WRITER
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Marta Edgar, registered psychologist at SAIT Student Development and Counseling Services, said that there are a lot of factors involved in homesickness, it mainly involves the feeling of longing for all of the familiar things like a house or the feeling of hometown, friends, family and even pets. This can cause both psychological and physical effects, she said.
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How to manage the feelings
According to Edgar, there are many ways to overcome these feelings of longing. She stressed the importance of developing a routine, including studying, socializing and leisure activities. She also suggested bringing something that reminds them of home, like a symbolic object or pet, to help them feel comfortable when away from home. Another idea she mentioned was to schedule regular visits back home, thus giving the student something to look forward to. Jordan Callaway is a third-year automotive service technology student who currently lives at SAIT’s East Hall Residence. After going through the process of homesickness three years ago, his best advice is to “make a friend or two because those are the people that are going to be there.” Kury agreed that building friendships was important and also recommended staying physically active and becoming involved in school programs to ease symptoms.
Counselling as an option
If a student is really struggling with homesickness, SAIT offers counseling sessions. In Edgar’s opinion, it is important to understand that while it may feel horrible at the moment, homesickness will end for sure at some point.
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Effect on student life
While these feelings can have an effect on student life and may even affect a student’s grades, Edgar said that the homesickness’ impact varies from person to person. She said that some students figure out how to deal with this problem and move on with their lives, whereas others may be affected more severely. Tim Kury, first-year professional teaching student at University of Lethbridge, understands this well. Originally from Winnipeg, Man., and having moved to Lethbridge for school, Kury said when he feels homesick and misses his friends and family, he becomes more closed off than usual.
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Causes and symptoms
Edgar emphasized that the main cause of feeling homesick is when a student is placed in a different environment than usual. “If you are suddenly somewhere else and all the familiarity is gone, it’s easy to feel homesick,” she said. Some symptoms, she noted, may include depression, anxiety, disrupted sleep or any other disruption to normal function.
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the Weal.com | September 23, 2013
7
New editorial reign at The Weal BY YASHICA ANANDANI LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Heather Setka, publications manager, asked:
Crystal Schick, news editor, asked:
As part of an effort to bring forth a new perspective to SAIT students, The Weal has made way for fresh talent in the form of a new publications editor. Currently the publications editor of The Weal, Giselle Wedemire previously served as the lifestyles editor for this paper, and is now here to head our editorial team. After graduating with honours from SAIT’s journalism arts program, Wedemire has acquired her journalistic prowess through a number of experiences in the field. An internship at Fast Forward Weekly, summer reporting at the Vulcan Advocate and High River Times and interim editorship at Nanton News are examples of other jewels fitted into her crown. With so many experiences under her belt, the current Wealies were curious about their new editor and decided to sit her down to pick her brain.
What’s your favourite piece of journalism, and why?
What is your greatest fear?
Wedemire answered: In terms of publications, I really like The Globe and Mail and Fast Forward Weekly. For The Globe and Mail, it’s the layout. I nerd out over the layout. I buy the weekend edition and gasp over it because it’s so pretty. As for Fast Forward, I just like their cavalier writing style because it’s just so irreverent. I appreciate that because not everything has to be serious business in journalism.
Wedemire answered: [After a long pause and serious thinking] Being pregnant. I never want kids, so that is the ultimate [fear]. I don’t like the idea of something growing inside you…maybe I’ve seen Alien too many times.
Steve Sucha, sports editor asked: Where do you see yourself five years from now?
Who is your favourite doctor on Doctor Who?
Wedemire answered: I’d really like to copyedit at a publishing house for manuscripts and novels. I think that will be amazing. I love copyediting. I’m a nerd.
Wedemire answered: Matt Smith! Bowties are cool, and he’s just so charismatic. I love him, I want to hug him. He seems like he’d be my friend.
Inonge Chimwaso, A&E editor, asked: What feeds your soul? What really nourishes you as an individual?
Brent Calver, photo editor, asked:
Wedemire answered: I really like fonts — I super nerd out over fonts. I watched the movie Helvetica and I almost cried, I was so happy. I’ve also read entire books on fonts. I just love fonts to death. Yashica Anandani, lifestyle editor, asked: What is your vision for The Weal over your tenure as publications editor for the newspaper? Wedemire answered: I would like to see The Weal relating to more students on campus, and not just journalism students. I’d like it to be the on-campus authority for what’s going down here. In terms of appearance, I just want it to look cutting edge. This is a place to take risks, so I want it [the paper] to look as such, and I want it to boast all of our students’ talents.
What is the worst job you’ve ever had? Wedemire answered: I was a housekeeper for about two weeks, and that was the worst. I was constantly criticized and told that I wasn’t cut out for it. Everything was an insult, and then you just feel gross at the end of the day. So it’s nice having an office now and not having to use Lysol all the time. Patricia Rye, layout editor, asked: I love all your shoes, and I was wondering where you got the ones you’re wearing today specifically, because they are killer. Wedemire answered: These leopard print ones were actually on sale at Winners in Signal Hill. That’s the best Winners outlet in the city. They have the best stuff!
Monica Henderson, opinions editor, asked:
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September 23, 2013 | the Weal.com
SPORTS
SPORTS NEWS AND VIEWS FOR THE SAIT COMMUNITY
Two Trojans keep the ‘student’ in front of ‘athlete’ BY STEVE SUCHA SPORTS EDITOR
The life of a student can be a hectic one, but the life of a student athlete can add a little extra stress. Two Trojans — fifth-year Trojans basketball veteran Katie Beard and second-year men’s hockey player Sam Mitchell — have found the necessary balance of academics and dedication to the sports they play. Both students, Beard and Mitchell have a heavy course load that is not unlike their teammates’ own. Mitchell is on his second year of the petroleum engineering technology diploma while Beard is on her fifth year of the emergency medical technician program. According to both Beard and Mitchell, an average day can be a relatively long haul. “I’m up by 6:30 a.m. and out the door on my way to class by 7:30,” she said. From there, Beard begins classes at 8 a.m. and will usually hit the books until 3 p.m. After that, she heads to the basketball court for an hour of shooting practice and then her team’s practice runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Her hectic days come to a close when she returns home for dinner around 8 or 8:30 p.m. Mitchell has a similar day. Their schedules are almost a carbon copy of each other’s,
aside from the dry-land training Mitchell occassionally participates in after hockey practice. So when do these two dedicated Trojans find time to study? According to both athletes, they take advantage of any free time that pops up throughout the day. As of right now, Beard is in and out of the therapy room due to an Achilles tendon injury she suffered from last season. Despite the pain her injury has caused, she has found a way to make the most of her trips to the therapy room. “I use the time [the therapists] are working on me to break out a book and study a little,” she said. Mitchell finds that his continuing love for the game is more than enough motivation to find time to study. “I still enjoy playing hockey a lot, so going to practice is the break I take from my school work,” Mitchell said. Beard feels that becoming overwhelmed with her work load is “bound to happen,” but also explained that she’s found that having an organized calendar and making lists for herself help to ease such feelings. “Getting overwhelmed is not uncommon, I have been doing this for five years now, it becomes routine after a while.” Mitchell said that a key to staying on top of his academic life is attendance. “It is impor-
Katie Beard, Trojans veteran and fifth-year emergency medical technician student, manages her time by utilizing breaks between classes and team practices.
AMANDA SIEBERT PHOTO
tant to attend every one of your classes, you don’t get anything out of skipping a class for a couple hours of sleep. Find a way to absorb no matter how tired you are.” After these two Trojan warriors finish their studies at SAIT they are both still looking for more education. Katie Beard plans on coming back to SAIT
in the next two years to finish becoming a paramedic. While Mitchell plans on turning his petroleum engineering technology diploma into a degree by either attending the University of Calgary of heading state side to find a school in Montana. For the next crop of SAIT Trojan student athletes, Katie advised they “use everything
that is available to you if you need help, tutors, coaches or teammates, also, early in your classes introduce yourself to your professors, having a good relationship with them can go a long way.”
CONCUSSIONS AND THE GROWING EPIDEMIC BY MIKE SPECHT THE LANCE (UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR) IN OUA PROFILES, SPORTS
WINDSOR (CUP) — Windsor natives Spencer Jean and Jordano Papa have seen firsthand how concussions can hinder ones quality of life. With a combined 20 registered concussions between them, Jean and Papa have dedicated their lives to concussion research and rehabilitation. Jean, a retired semi-pro hockey player is certified in Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation; while Papa, who played in the Ontario Soccer Association and studied pre-law at the University of Western Ontario. In 2012 they formed the
Concussion Education and Prevention Agency (CEPA) to raise awareness and treat local athletes. “Our rehabilitation program is designed in conjunction with the CDC (United States Center for Disease Control). It is a six step process that allows players to regain their mental cognitive ability as well as their confidence in their respective sport,” said Papa. Concussions are quickly becoming an epidemic in sports, with many athletes having their careers threatened by hits to the head. Head injuries do not only pose an immediate threat to those afflicted. Health concerns later in life often arise in those who continually sustain concussions,
most notably chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. CTE is a degenerative brain disease that eventually causes dementia. The startling number of CTE cases in professional athletes have caused many who participate in collision sports to donate their brains to science. Currently the only way to diagnose CTE is postmortem which speaks to the level of mystery that surrounds head injuries. “There is still a significant amount that we do not know about the brain, our goal is to set up a network to get every athlete in the area tested with a baseline. That way, subsequent injuries can be monitored and compared to the player’s [former] cognitive ability. The
hope being that the athlete can return at the same ability at which they left,” said Jean. Working out of the Active Body Physiotherapy Clinic in Tecumseh, Ont., CEPA treats athletes through sense tests catered to the specific concussion. “As no two concussions are alike, no two concussion management programs should be the same. We try to tailor all of our return to play protocols to the individual injury. The only way to ensure the most concise result is to incorporate a variety of tests to hit every stimuli, or marker that the athlete exhibits. One athlete may respond well to a visual-based test, but poorly to a hearing test,” said Papa.
Statistics Canada estimates that there are nearly 30,000 diagnosed concussions in athletes aged 12 to 19 every year. Young athletes who compete for the love of sport often return to action before their brains have had time to heal, leaving them susceptible to further damage. “Second impact syndrome is a condition that occurs when an individual sustains a second concussion before the initial concussion has fully recovered. This can cause hemorrhaging in the brain and we see this in many minor athletes. I don’t want to see a child go through what concussions can bring, I myself am still going through the effects and will continue to for the rest of my life,” Jean said.
the Weal.com | September 23, 2013
Upcoming Games Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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Thursday Sept. 27
The Women’s Basketball Team take on the MHC Rattlers at 6 p.m. on the road.
Friday Sept. 28
The Men’s Hockey Team take on the KC Huskies at 7 p.m. at Home.
Saturday Sept. 29
The Women’s Soccer Team take on the OC Broncos at 12 p.m. on the road. The Men’s Hockey Team take on the KC Huskies at 2 p.m. at Home. The Men’s Soccer Team take on the OC Broncos at 2 p.m. on the road.
trojans pull Double Duty on the Road BY ANDREW HALIPCHUK SPORTS WRITER
The Trojans men’s and women’s soccer squads went on their first road trip of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season on the weekend of Sept. 14. On Sept. 14, the teams took to the pitch in Red Deer to play the Red Deer College (RDC) Kings. The women’s team played a 1–1 draw, which would be their second tie in as many games. Second-year Trojans striker Amoy Hudson scored the first tally of the match at the
16-minute mark, but yet again the ladies of Troy saw their lead disappear as Red Deer College was able to knot up the game 10 minutes later. Despite a solid second-half, SAIT and RDC remained tied at one goal apiece after 90 minutes were up. “We played very well. The first half we played good, I’ll just say good.” said Trojans assistant coach John Talerico. “We were playing against the wind, and our passing was just not connecting even though we were playing the ball on the ground.” The men tried to carry over their success from the previous 1
week against the RDC King’s men squad, but were unable to after dropping their Saturday afternoon contest 3–2. First-year striker Ryan Robertson and firstyear midfielder Nicholas Aravena both scored their first goals as SAIT Trojans in the loss. The next day, both Trojan teams were in Lloydminister to take on ACAC South Division rivals, the Lakeland College Rustlers. The men were looking to bounce back after their first loss of the season, while the women were still searching for their first win of the 2013 season. The men’s team was able to win their second game of the
season and end their road trip on a high note. They defeated the Rustlers 3–2, with goals by first-year midfielder Yassin Yusuf and second-year midfielder Chris Rushworth, who netted his third and fourth goals in just three games. “[Rushworth’s] got a lot of experience and great talent,” Talerico said. “He’s come up with big goals for us twice.” [In this particular game, or in his time with the team?] The women’s squad, however, will have to wait another day for their first win of the season, after losing 4–3 to the Rustlers on Sunday afternoon.
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The ladies started fast with goals from first-year Chelsea Anderson and second-year striker Cassey Bush. Leading 2–0 early in the game, SAIT lost their lead before halftime. In the game’s second half, SAIT took the lead again when Hudson scored her second goal of the weekend, but Lakeland scored two more goals to take the win away from the Trojans. “We played well, but we ran out of steam,” Talerico said. The men’s team currently sits at third in the ACAC South Division with a record of 2-1-0, while the women are fifth with a 0-1-2 record.
Drop-in Fitness Classes
sait.ca/recreation
SAIT Trojans Recreation has drop-in fitness and yoga classes FREE for full-time SAIT and ACAD students* Schedule at sait.ca/recreation *Please check fitness schedule for free class times
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September 23, 2013 | the Weal.com
Goings On The Executive Corner [Get involved, improve your student life]
Letters to the Editor www.theweal.com
BY AMANDA HANNA SAITSA VP STUDENT LIFE
I don’t know if I could be any more excited about the upcoming year. I’ve been working hard with the SAITSA team to ensure this year is packed with way more fun, exciting and engaging events. I want to get involved and pro-
vide you with as many opportunities to make new connections as much as I can. We have all kinds of different awareness weeks coming your way throughout the year. Mental health, nutrition, antibullying, and LGBTQ pride are just a few examples of the wicked campaigns coming to SAIT. These campaigns will help connect you with what is going on in the world as well as with your fellow students. After graduating from the business administration program with a major in marketing, I know the stress you feel as students, and I understand all too well how hectic things can get. My job is to provide you with the opportunities to take a step back and just enjoy this amazing experience. With that said, clubs are a
great way to get involved and meet new people. In all honesty, I was not super involved outside the classroom during my two-year program, and I definitely regret that. I always made it out to the industry and networking events but I definitely could have done more. I see the unreal things clubs are already planning this year and it blows me away. By joining or starting a club you open so many doors. Whether it is just to make some friends, hang out and have fun doing something you all love, or to hold those industry-specific networking nights for people in your program, it’s invaluable. You can visit the SAITSA. com site to check out more about the wonderful world of clubs or chat with me. Most exciting of all, Tegan
Cochrane and I have been working on an amazing initiative that will come to life in November. After securing a $40,000 mental health initiative grant through Alberta Students’ Executive Council (ASEC), we are creating SAIT’s first Student Support Centre. This space is all about you. We are building a nonacademic safe-zone where students can come in and just take some time for themselves. It will be cozy, welcoming and yours. There will be different resources available to you on a number of topics, including everything from mental health, sexual orientation and addictions, all the way to women’s support. There will be games, comfy chairs and couches, as well as a TV. We want this space to
offer anything and everything we can to support students’ mental wellbeing while going through this stressful thing we call school. I hope I can inspire you to get involved this year in any way, shape or form, and I look forward to making this year absolutely incredible. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or just need a little chit chat, I’m here.
The Executive Corner is a weekly column series written and submitted by members of the SAITSA Student Executive Council.
What multiple choice answer are you most likely to answer with? BY BRAD MCLEOD — THE PEAK (SIMON FRASER UNVERSITY) Take this short personality quiz and find out whether you’re the kind of person who’s more likely to answer ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ when taking a multiple choice test. 1. When answering a question I am most likely to . . . a. Choose the first answer b. Choose the second answer c. Choose whatever answer is left after not choosing the first two 2. Your crush walks past you with a group of friends at the mall and hands you a multiple choice test. You don’t know the answer to the first question so you . . . a. Answer ‘a’ b. Answer ‘b’ c. Answer ‘c’ 3. You have a choice between three doors each of which contains a man-eating tiger, you . . . a. Choose door 1 b. Choose door 2 c. Choose whatever door is left after not choosing the first two 4. What’s the capital of Norway? a. Oslo b. Oslo c. Helsinki 5. You realize how the personality test you’re taking works before you finish. Do you . . . a. Just keep picking ‘A’ b. Keep picking ‘B’ c. Change your answers just to fuck with the results RESULTS: If you answered mostly A you’re most likely to answer ‘A’ on multiple choice tests If you answered mostly B you’re most likely to answer ‘B’ on multiple choice tests If you answered mostly C you’re most likely to answer ‘C’ on multiple choice tests If you answered all C you’re most likely to answer ‘C’ on multiple choice tests and should also work on your Scandinavian geography
the Weal.com | September 23, 2013
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CTRAIN PAINS Public transit a breeding ground for AWFUL BEHAVIOuR BY MONICA HENDERSON OPINIONS EDITOR
If as many people broke the law as those who cross the line of acceptable social conduct on the CTrain, we’d have a plague of thieves, murderers and convicts running among us. Many define commuting by CTrain as a nightmare, or as the worst part of their day. It’s hard enough getting out of bed in the morning, let alone knowing you’ll be taking public transit to school or work after you’ve showered and dressed for the day. This nightmare is especially true for those who described the CTrain as threatening in a Calgary Herald article published online on Aug. 28. According to the article, a survey disclosed that one in five people don’t feel safe on CTrains after 6 p.m. And why does it feel like such an unsafe experience? It seems that intoxicated riders and other disturbances are prevalent on public transit. Based on previous years’ numbers, the Calgary Herald shared that Calgary Transit estimated that in July 2013, peace officers likely dealt with “38 intoxicated riders, about 29 disturbances and 26 assaults, robberies and sex crimes.” These numbers are estimates because Calgary Transit has not yet released their actual numbers for that month. Of course, it’s better that these people are taking the train instead of driving
themselves. But if they’re acting out to a point where approximately 20 per cent of people don’t feel safe on their late ride home from work, then it becomes a problem. Behaviour on public transit also trickles down to less illegal breaches of social etiquette. Besides feeling unsafe, it wouldn’t be surprising if a survey revealed that 100 per cent of transit commuters had at one point been either uncomfortable, grossed out or annoyed by their fellow passengers on a bus or train. In an installment of The Urban Etiquette Handbook—a guide published in New York Magazine’s online edition— author Adam Sternbergh addressed the unwritten rules of transit etiquette in his article ‘Breaching Subway Decorum.’ He described seven different characters on the New York City subway, paired with a single photo of a scene on the subway that depicted all seven of those characters – each one breaking one of those unwritten rules. Some characters included: the Seat Hog who doesn’t offer their seat to the elderly or pregnant, the Doorman who holds the closing doors of the train, and the Groomer who can be seen “plucking eyebrows, curling eyelashes, flossing teeth, or clipping fingernails” on his or her commute. Each of these characters depicts a guideline in Calgary Transit’s online etiquette guide, ‘Etiquette on Transit.’ However, mere guidelines aren’t going
to keep socially challenged people from clipping their nails on the train. That’s like suggesting to a five-yearold that, “You shouldn’t steal cookies before dinner, but you wouldn’t get in trouble if you did,” and expecting them to comply with what they “shouldn’t” do. Perhaps if these were enforced rules instead of guidelines, riding the CTrain would be a more pleasant experience. The idea isn’t unheard of. In fact, the Daily Mail reported on Sept. 17 that transit sheriffs in Vienna are now actively fining people 50 euros ($68.83 CDN) for either talking too loudly on their cell phones, eating smelly foods, or kissing on public transit. However, in Calgary, this would be daunting to truly enforce, since according to the article in the Calgary Herald, while every bus has a surveillance camera, only a third of CTrain cars do. Plus, there’s the whole question of the Big Brother concept and to what point it’s acceptable to enforce rules against behaviours that aren’t technically hurting anybody. The point is, despite there being no legal repercussions to breaking one of these guidelines, if you have any shred of kindness in your heart, please follow them and keep all that grooming and noisy eating to your own private abode. It’s not uncommon to see people being inconsiderate of other people’s experiences on public transit. Calgarians may well take a few pointers from Vienna, where violators of subway etiquette are fined for their indiscretions. SUSAN KIM ILLUSTRATION
Second-year journalism student Brent Calver asks the SAIT campus:
“What’s the worst behaviour you’ve witnessed on public transit?”
“Somebody sitting with their feet
“I remember a guy drinking
“I think it’s disrespectful when
“A really drunk guy wanted to
“I saw two men trying to steal
“I think it’s disgusting when
on the chair.”
vodka on the train. He threw up
people smoke on the platform.
buy pot off of me. He wouldn’t
from a sleeping passenger.”
people blow snot rockets on the
And I don’t like aggressive pan
believe I didn’t have any.”
all over the place.”
platform, or when people don’t
handlers, it makes people uncomErnesto Medina, first-year
let the elderly sit.”
fortable.”
information technology network
Mert Kardas, first-year electrical
Sterling MacMurchy, first-year
Glen Briddon, first-year new
Xing Yan He, first-year business
Justine Leaman, first-year radio
systems.
engineering technology.
radio and television broadcasting.
media production and design.
administration.
and television broadcasting.