STUDENTS AS CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE The Earth’s best bet in the environmental crisis

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. (CUP) – Unlike most of the conflicts and crises that have affected humankind throughout our existence, the current environmental crisis is a unique, contemporary challenge.
It’s time to re-evaluate – to allow a mind shift to take place, a reappraisal of priorities. Allow me to ask and answer a couple of questions:

Why are we here, in university? To get a good education. Why do we want a good education? To get a good job. Why do we want a good job? To have a good life. And this is the problem as I see it.

The very possibility of life – good or otherwise – hangs in the balance of how we respond to the critical status of nature and the planet.

If our futures in this world are jeopardized by our destruction of the environment and acceleration of climate change, how can anything, for even one minute, be more crucial than how we respond to that?

While an unprecedented volume of damage has been done in and since the 20th century, and many of the world’s current inhabitants won’t live to see the results of our exploitation and devastation, one thing is for sure: we will.

We may not have been the ones to set in motion the collapse of Earth’s ecosystems, but we’re the ones who will have to live – or die – by our ability to rectify the degenerative state of our planetary environment.

 

Recognizing our responsibilities, taking action

A few weeks ago, I had the fortunate opportunity to participate in a national conference called Impact! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership.

This involved 180 students from 60 universities and colleges across the country, gathering together at the University of Guelph, Ontario for four high-energy days of panels, workshops, meetings, group projects, environmental issue focus groups, and presentations.

All participants contributed approximately 25 hours of pre-conference research and preparation throughout the summer, including a customized online course and virtual work groups in which we examined the sustainability practices in sectors such as manufacturing, food systems, and information and communications technology, among others.

The Impact! conference was not a one-way dissemination of information, created for the purpose of educating a massive group of students, informing us of contemporary issues related to environmentalism – rather, we all came already on board, already self-identifying as concerned, enthusiastic, and motivated student leaders and activists.

We are already aware of our urgent responsibilities as the custodians of the Earth and agents of change. The aim was to enhance that awareness, to foster a collaborative network. It was essentially a nation-wide think-tank that connected me with 179 other students just as passionate about the environment and concerned about the future as myself.

Among the highlights of this stimulating and invigorating conference, were the keynote speakers, David Suzuki and Peter Schiefke. Schiefke, national manager of The Climate Project Canada, got his start as an outstanding student leader and activist throughout his undergraduate degree at Concordia in Montreal.

His involvement in creating Youth Action Montreal and the hugely attended 2007 climate change summit “Less Talk, More Action” is responsible for bringing Al Gore and David Suzuki together for the first time.

Suzuki’s keynote address was paramount to setting the tone and building the energy for this conference.

In his signature style, to focus on our humble beginnings and expose the unfathomable way in which we’ve separated ourselves from nature, Suzuki’s speech put in alarming perspective our reliance on the Earth as animals and our duty to respect the Earth and all its other inhabitants, being no more important or entitled than other species.

He has an uncanny knack for jolting us into remembering that humans are an incredibly young species, and that it’s only in a few moments in the history of the Earth – “a flash of evolutionary time” – that we appeared and become the dominant animal on the planet.

“150,000 years ago, no one would have said ‘look out for that naked ape, they’re going to take over the world!” exclaimed Suzuki. “Suddenly we have become so powerful that we are changing the physics and chemistry of the biosphere.”

Suzuki stressed that the people who have caused the problems and set in motion global deterioration won’t live to deal with it, and that it is today’s youth who have the most at stake.
“We’re past the 59th minute, we are living with the illusion that everything is alright . . . we are using up what is your rightful legacy.”

 

Driving ourselves to extinction

In our limitless progress and advancement, as human beings, we often forget that we are animals – homo sapiens. Just like any other animal, we rely on nature, on the balance and regeneration of forces in the environment, in order to survive.

We have a natural instinct for survival. Somewhere along the way, we forgot that the destruction of the environment – deforestation, water and air pollution, the depletion of non-renewable resources, creation of dead zones in the oceans, endangerment and extinction of species, excessive waste, global warming – threatens our existence, our ability to live and flourish on this Earth, just like any other organism.

The terrifying reality is that once we’ve used, misused, and abused the planet irreparably, drained its resources and altered the chemistry of its atmosphere, we will likely become extinct.
Failing to live sustainably isn’t actually killing the Earth, like we often think – it’s actually killing us. Scientists predict that once we’re gone, the Earth will live on and regenerate itself – there just won’t be any people. We cannot continue at our current rate of consumption. We’re running out of spaces to put people and garbage, out of resources, and out of time.

So, what are we going to do about it?

Rather than be depressed and lethargic about the situation we’re in, the alarming truth should set in motion a newfound commitment to improving the state of the world, and our demands and desires as consumers and inhabitants of the Earth.

There was something extremely inspiring about meeting so many other empowered students and realizing our shared vision. The Impact! conference co-ordinators certainly achieved their goal – everyone came away extremely fired up, motivated, and eager to use this newfound nationwide network.

“The Impact! conference allowed us to come together from universities across the country and share how we are making our campuses sustainable,” said Rohit Mehta, a second-year environmental management student at the University of Toronto, Mississauga. “It also allowed us to meet with industry leaders and experts on an eye-to-eye level, an opportunity that we rarely get as students.”

“The mere fact that we can go back home and communicate with each other on Facebook allows us to continue shaping our projects beyond the conference, and its the creation of this network that will help us as we work on individual action plans.”

“Going to the Impact! Sustainability Conference was a real eye opening experience,” said Eliese Watson, a third-year history student from Calgary.

“This conference made me realize that I was first of all not alone, and second that there is a greater opportunity to make some serious national change,” explained Watson. “The contacts and support I have received from the Impact! conference will change the future events that I create and become apart of.”

Robert Woodrich, a fourth-year communication studies student from the University of Windsor, hopes to keep momentum in his post-conference endeavours.

“As someone who tries to lead whenever possible, I find it extremely helpful to network and share ideas, and it helps that I’ve never attended this type of conference before. Everyone involved was so dedicated and motivated, and my total lack of sleep was not a result of late nights partying, but late nights discussing the urgency of the need for action on climate change.”
Woodrich plans to keep in close contact with several delegates he met at the conference, based on their common goals.

“It certainly didn’t hurt to have had a chance to meet David Suzuki, either,” he said.
While such testimonials are inspiring and encouraging to a concerned student like myself, it still seems mystifying, and wholly counterintuitive, that drastic and immediate measures are not being taken on a global scale, and that it has taken this long, with scientists predicting global warming and noticing the evidence in nature, for people to accept that we’ve been headed toward destruction for a long time, too concerned about the now to remember the future.

Sustainability is precisely that – meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

I don’t want to live to see the (already occurring) melting of the polar ice caps become so severe that low sea-level cities all around the world end up underwater, resulting in the displacement of millions of people. I don’t want to live to see the oceans’ natural cycles become so disrupted that they become stagnant and mass extinction of aquatic life occurs. I don’t want to live to see the last old-growth forest cut down.

I think, as a species, our instinct for survival is strong, strong enough that we’ll get our act together and try to turn things around.

The thing to remember is, it’s everyone’s responsibility. If you live in this world, you have a duty to take care of it, save it for others, and take action in its protection and restoration right now.

Startling statistics:

• 90 to 95 per cent of old-growth forests in the United States are gone.
• The average Canadian puts out about 20 tonnes of carbon per year.
• The American defence budget is greater than the entire economy of Australia.
• Canada is among the world’s top 10 producers of greenhouse gases, ranking eighth in the world in absolute greenhouse gas emissions.
• In North America, we produce enough garbage each day to fill 70,000 garbage trucks. Lined up bumper to bumper, they would stretch halfway to the moon.
• The average North American uses 600 litres of water a day while the average African makes do with six.
• 50 to 55 species are becoming extinct every year because of humans.
• 99.9999 per cent of all species that ever existed are extinct.
• What could it cost to “replace” nature? What is the cost on the service of purification of the air that trees provide? It would cost $35 trillion to do artificially what nature does for the world for free each year.

Encouraging statistics – how you can reduce carbon emissions:

• Replace one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb and save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
• Walk, bike, or take public transit – you’ll save one pound of carbon for every mile you don’t drive.
• You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year if you recycle half of your household waste.
• Wash your clothes in cold or warm water instead of hot water and wave 500 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
• Plant a tree – a single tree will absorb one tonne of carbon dioxide in its lifetime.

//Zaren White
The Muse (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

HEADS I WIN, TAILS YOU LOSE All the sides to an argument you need.

“Less Tuition = More Beer Money” is the mocking syllogism crayoned onto a sign gripped by a man amidst a student protest for lower tuition fees. The man, a non-student, identifies himself as a 'concerned taxpayer' against lowering tuition costs with his tax dollars. He argues students will redirect the funds to alcohol consumption and other luxurious debaucheries. Through the effervescence of student placards demanding middle-class education, this man’s message is being drowned out. And when the Canadian media, who is covering the protest, turns their cameras on to this solo protester, the surrounding students jeer in opprobrium. As he speaks to reporters, the debate becomes a yelling match that only Stephen Colbert could justify arbitrating: “Whoever is the loudest wins.” Within this debate, the students represent one side of the protest, while the man represents the other. Out of the hundreds of students who showed up to protest, does this one civilian deserve to get the entire half of the media coverage simply because he represents the “other side” of the debate? 

Deborah Tannen, in her book The Argument Culture, argues that society does not always need to hear the ‘other side of a story.'  Tannen uses the example of Holocaust-deniers who are given air time to debate their version of events; the public doesn’t need to know that side of the debate. Why spread lies? Even the largest talk show host on television, Oprah, made the mistake of representing the “other side” of racism by inviting the Klu Klux Klan to her show. Later, Oprah remarked that she would never invite the KKK on again because it merely empowered them rather than enlightening viewers. Smart choice.

But how far down the line of fringe minority perspectives do we feel comfortable in dismissing?

The more popular belief is that ‘both sides of the debate’ is an ideal that journalists ought to strive for. The theory of representing ‘both sides’ was put forth by one of the Greek fathers of Western rhetoric, Protagoras. He was also known for representing both sides of an argument with equal persuasion. If one can argue logically for the opposite side of an argument, has he not caused the existence of that Truth?

Irvine University recently put out a paper that remarked that our current form of argumentation is merely a reactionary one. If someone makes an argument towards something, another person will feel inclined to respond an antithesis due to their scepticism towards another person's nugget of Truth. Is it not ironic that to this day, the top leaders in effective communication, Chomsky and Lakoff, refuse to speak to one another? Lakoff’s last words to Chomsky were simply: “You’re wrong, Noam. You’re wrong.”

What does the reader take away from reading both sides of the argument? The answer is the Gestalt - Or what Hegel would propose as the synthesis. Simply put: If we’re given a thesis, and then its antithesis, we may derive a synthesis of the two theories. How exactly the thesis and antithesis are combined is the question. Some argue that it’s a balance of points from both sides of the argument, such as a negotiation. While others have argued that it’s an actual combination of both arguments.

So when the civilian protests student protesters should we listen to his side of the story? I’d argue yes, but other philosophers would disagree. As you read through this week’s issue, you’ll find two other debates to ponder the grey areas of such questions. One is in the Arts section with Cook and Walker, and the other is in the Opinions on the virtues of theft. If you think you have the answer on how to debate any of these issues, please write in.

//Alamir Novin

Editor

 

CAPILANOCOURIER.COM FEATURED COMMENTS

Re: BLOWJOB WEEK

I have a major issue with your so called "sex" column. There never  has been and there never will be anything sexy about menstruation. This is a matter for females to deal with in a private way. Don't discuss it with parents, friends, teachers, not to mention the entire Cap student body. I didn't ask for a side of blood clot to go with my Aramark Boca burger as I sat down to read the Courier. This article made me long for the days when women were sequestered and shunned until they returned to a normal state.

//Krock

Re: LOVE, AWKWARDLY  Episode VIII: Sting like a bee

That's rough JJ. 

//Katsanto

Re: FROM “BREAK A LEG” TO BREAKING UP

Hahaha Great article! Go Kidnap Kids!

//Matt Day

Re: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LIAR 

The name was changed by an editorial collective that included Eric Morten. The broad sheet that Pierre is talking about came out after The Liar was already being published. The broad sheet was done by myself, Eric Morten and Shane Sparks. We did it for one year, ran it once a week and distributed 200 copies throughout the campus on construction paper. Pierre's writing class was an amazing experience and shaped the rest of my life.

//Jess Howard

VOICEBOX

“They shut down Geocities! Gone is my poetry site! Gone is my potential

band site! Gone is my jokes site! Gone is my parody site! Gone is my

site that let users put falling roses on their own Geocities sites!”

“Go buy a BLT from Criss Angel at Grillworks.”

[Everyone should actually do this, if they're planning on buying

food from Aramark. That shit only costs three bucks, and the bacon is

amazing. - Giles]

“How do you pronounce Gerry Weir? Jerry Wear? Jerry Weer? Jehgeery

Weer? Shakira Wear?”

[I believe it is, indeed, “Shakira Wear”. -Giles

“I just bought a banana with my debit card.”

“I think there's a shortage of well-decorated yoga facilities in

this city. I don't think there are any, actually. I went to this new

yoga place yesterday and they had royal blue carpets.”

[There's a long pause on the recording after this opinion. -Giles]

“I bought a Twitter this week.”

[Second voice] “What?”

[First voice] “Yeah, on Craigslist... he got me a good deal. It

basically just looks like a computer with a fax machine attached, but

it cost 200 dollars. So now I have Twitter, I can do Twitter now.”

TALKIN' TAXES Grad students question CFS tax plan

MONTREAL (CUP) – Graduate students at several schools across the country are taking issue with a national student lobby group’s call to end tuition and education tax credits.

The call is part of the “Education Action Plan” released by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) in October. According to the plan, non-refundable education and tuition fee tax credits cost the federal government almost $2.5 billion annually – money that the Federation wants to see redirected to upfront grants.

A group of graduate students at McGill, the University of Manitoba and the University of Calgary, who sent out a joint press release on Monday, say that if these tax credits were cut it would hurt them.

By taxing graduate scholarship and fellowship income, recipients of such income could be taxed as much as 30 per cent of their funding, say the group members. Fellowship funding is a key income component for graduate students who often, because of the extent of their research, have no opportunity to seek other employment. Taxing that income would make it even more difficult for some graduate students to get by.

“Broadly speaking, there would be thousands of people who would be paying a lot more money,” said Daniel Simeone, president of the McGill Post-Graduate Students' Society.

Most graduate students who receive funding are supported by fellowships from federal or provincial granting agencies.

According to Simeone, “the average federal or provincial scholarship is in the $17,000 to $20,000 range.” He said that taxing these scholarships would hurt anyone receiving such funding.

But Gaétan Beaulière, deputy chair of the CFS graduate caucus said that because many students have low incomes, they would not be taxed to a great degree in the proposed Education Action Plan.

“We’re talking about the largest grants that are available to graduate students,” he said. “[Like] the Vanier Scholarship for instance, which is $50,000 a year, and students currently don’t pay any tax on it.”

But since most of that kind of funding for graduate students is based on merit, Arman Vahedi, a senator with the University of Manitoba Graduate Students’ Association, said that taxing graduates would unfairly target the best students.

Beaulière said that if the tax breaks were scrapped, the money should be put in to needs-based upfront grants that would be available to graduate students.

While undergraduate students outside of Quebec now have access to the Canada Student Grants – which replaced the government’s millennium bursaries this year – graduate students do not.

“If this recommendation were to be accepted all students who have financial needs would be better off,” said Beaulière. “Tax credit measures are simply not the most effective way to alleviate student debt or improve access.”

But Simeone said the tax exemptions have helped many students deal with increasing inflation. He said that fellowship amounts have not increased in over five years.

“Part of the nature of graduate studies is that it’s very time intensive,” he said. “If you’re in chemistry lab you have to be in your lab from 8 am to 7 pm every day, so you can’t get a another job.”

At McGill, the largest percentage of graduate students is in the sciences.

“For the vast majority of graduate students who are working in labs,” said Simione, “it’s like a job, but it’s like a badly paid job, and the tax free status of your low salary makes it a little bit more reasonable.”

The CFS’ Education Action Plan also calls increased funding for the social sciences and humanities and a doubling of the number of Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS).

According to Beaulière only four percent of the over 140,000 graduate students in Canada receive the scholarships.

Simione likes the idea, but doesn’t think it’s very likely. “Kudos to them for suggesting that we have more CGS fellowships,” he said. “ I would be very surprised, but pleased, if the Harper government were to put that forward.”

Vahedi said he had problems with the way the way the action plan was drafted, citing a lack of consultation between the CFS and graduate students’ associations.

But Beaulière said that all CFS campaigns are voted on at national meetings.

“Direction comes from the membership,” he said, adding that the recommendation to cut tax credits is “more than 12 years old.”

//Jacob Serebrin

CUP Quebec Bureau Chief

YOUTH HEALTH RAPIDLY DECLINING High blood pressure among problems

MONTREAL (CUP) – One in five Canadians aged 14 to 15 suffers from high blood pressure, and the majority of teenagers already has at least one major risk factor for developing heart disease and stroke, according to new research presented last week at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Edmonton.

Although Canadians are more knowledgeable today about healthful lifestyle habits, there’s a discrepancy between possessing information and actually applying it, said Dr. Roland Grad, an associate professor in the department of Family Medicine at McGill University.

Grad is also a family physician, though he did not take part in the research itself.

“You might have information that Tim Hortons and McDonald’s aren’t very good for you, but you still eat it anyways," he said. "This leads to the rise in obesity that we’re seeing, and it’s the obesity that drives up the cholesterol and blood pressure."

While presenting the research findings, Toronto cardiologist Dr. Brian McCrindle said the study demonstrates the health of Canada's teens is declining at an accelerated rate.

The information stems from a study that monitored the heart health of over 20,000 Grade 9 students from Ontario’s Niagara region between 2002 and 2008. During this period, the number of adolescents with risk factors for heart disease increased from 17 to 21 per cent. The percentage of obese teens and those with high cholesterol also rose. High blood pressure rates dropped to 17 per cent by 2008; a two per cent decrease.

McCrindle cited family history, high levels of inactive behaviour, poor nutrition, and lower socio-economic status as all having a negative effect on an individual’s heart health.

Easily accessible junk food and the prevalence of video games also have a big effect on health, said Grad.

Exacerbating it, though, is a lack of effort in Canada to recognize guidelines required for managing risk factors for heart disease and stroke amongst children, said Dr. Charles Luc Jutras – despite a strong effort to do so for adults.

Jutras is a pediatric cardiologist and an associate professor in the department of Pediatrics at McGill.

Although those in the pediatric age group may have risk factors, the complications only occur as adults, and as a result it’s difficult for a pediatrician to perceive whether they should operate or intervene before the child turns 18, Jutras said.

Because paediatric doctors stop monitoring patients at age 18, Jutras said, they don't often get to see long-term ramifications of poor lifestyle habits.

But a doctor's responsibility to ensure a child's health only extends so far into a person's life, Grad said. He noted, for example, the medical community is aware of the obesity problem. But ultimately, decisions about what a person eats and how much they exercise are their own.

Both Grad and Jutras said governments, schools, parents, and individuals need to work together to ensure these figures decrease.

“If you make it easier for people to ride their bicycle, or if you put a soccer field in a school, if you do those kinds of things, people are going to find it easier to get more exercise,” said Grad.

Though the future may look bleak, Jutras said he remains positive.

“There’s always a pendulum effect, so now we’re swinging that way, but later we may swing the other away."

//Valeria Nekhim
The Concordian (Concordia University)

DNV MAYOR SEEKS STUDENT INPUT Capilano University gets a say in the community plan

In an effort to obtain a youth perspective for the District of North Vancouver’s Official Community Plan (OCP), mayor Richard Walton paid a visit to Capilano University. On Wednesday November 10, the mayor and five of his colleagues met with Capilano Students Union (CSU) executives and Capilano Business Undergrad Society (CBUS) students to discuss pressing issues in the community.

Mayor Walton, who attended his first ever business course at Capilano in 1978, says that it is important to him that he hear the voices of young people in the community, especially as it is the young adult demographic that is shrinking most rapidly in the North Vancouver region.

“This demographic is the future of our community,” says the mayor, whose goal is to find ways to accommodate the younger generation on the North Shore.

He is working to create an updated of the OCP, which was originally adopted in 1990, to set out goals, a vision, and overarching policies to guide this municipality.

The Capilano students had no shortage of opinions surrounding these problems and were eager to share their suggestions with the Mayor and his affiliates. Economic health, transportation, energy and climate change, and housing were all addressed.

After the common concerns about environmental issues and sustainability within the community, the biggest issues the Capilano students felt needed to be addressed were the decreasing affordability of living in North Vancouver for young people, and how the district’s transportation system needs a drastic change.

The Mayor’s main concern was gathering ideas on the logistics of making housing more affordable. The students suggested more apartment complexes but admitted that such structures would also destroy the homey feel of North Vancouver.

The most feasible solution seemed to be duplexes, offering cheaper homes complete with all the amenities of a family house, while maintaining the feel of a typical neighborhood.

Mayor Walton and city officials were also the first to admit that traffic in North Vancouver is a serious problem.

Twenty years ago the busiest time to be on the road was weekends when people were going to and from Whistler. Now rush hour seems to exist all day, particularly after school, when parents are picking their children up individually.

Not only is this increased vehicular use making it extremely difficult to navigate the city quickly, but it is also increasing our carbon footprint tenfold.

The students suggested direct shuttles within the transit system, business’ such as Internet cafes on dead land (like by Phibbs exchange) and “miniature urbanization.” Shuttles with the specific purpose of express routes to business districts and possible shopping center to shopping center buses would make it possible for people to run their errands efficiently, and without the concern of parking.

Structuring neighborhoods such as Lynn Valley and Edgemont Village to be self contained by creating sustainable businesses within and offering more community programs, recreation and services was also suggested as a way to decrease cross-town driving, and to help create a sense of pride within the community.

Striking closer to home were ideas about identity at Capilano University and the possibility of offering more work experience programs for Cap students on the North Shore. Creating businesses on Cap U land was suggested, particularly a campus pub.

The idea of affordable housing for students was offered up as well, including an idea to transform shipping containers into stackable studio apartments that could be constructed on the Capilano grounds, a project which has proven successful in cities such as Tokyo, Paris, and London.

//Skyler Flavelle

Writer

STUDENTS STEAL FROM ARAMARK, ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY IT Damn, that pizza is expensive

Students may have, at some point, witnessed a scene similar to this while waiting for food in the cafeteria. A student grabs a slice of pizza and joins his friend in line. He begins eating and finishes before his friend gets their food. Heading over to the cashier, you notice that the student walks past without paying for the pizza.

Dan Traviss, Head of Aramark food at Capilano University, cites students eating food inside the service area as the biggest theft problem they have to deal with in the Birch cafeteria. However, according to Traviss, the estimated impact that shoplifting is having is slight, although it does occur. He declined to produce exact numbers for loss attributed to theft, but stated that “I'm sure that on a monthly basis it accounts for what amounts to a small percentage of loss, and if it can be minimized it keeps the cost of everything down.”

Traviss notes that sometimes simply being asked if a food item was paid for is enough to deter students from shoplifting. He also mentions that the staff is trained to have the best customer service skills possible while being responsible for policing the cafeteria.

However, some students cite the absence of an alert staff as the reason theft occurs from the Aramark cafeteria regularly. 

Walter Bravo, third year business student, theorized that “the cashiers don't really care, and they are busy with the paying customers. Someone could easily just walk out the side with out going to any register at all and not be noticed.”

Aside from staff policing and a few cameras, Traviss explained that closing the second entranceway to the serving area cut down on theft. Simply having to walk by the registers has been deterring some students.

Sous chef Roland Saul also relayed a story about a run in he had with a student who took hot sauce and ranch dressing and put it on food he brought from home. The student argued that he was paying exorbitantly high tuition costs at the school and believed he was entitled to some hot sauce.

Saul pointed out that this is a difficult situation for himself, because he sympathies with this fact, but explained to the student that the cafeteria and the school are separate entities. The student returned the next day to apologize, which Saul was happy to see.

Saul estimated that the staff probably catches an average of one or two students per week trying to steal from the cafeteria, though many of these cases are difficult to simply label as shoplifting.

Saul explained that students will often claim to have forgotten to pay, or insist that they intended to. 

Kenan Zeigler, a University Transfer student, went on record to talk about his past theft from Aramark, saying he believes it to be justifiable. 

“It's not fair to the students to offer them such a limited food choice, and if thats all I have to eat, and I don't want to pay their outrages prices, then I'll take it.” Zeigler mentioned that Aramark’s business practises are damaging to not only students, but the community as well.

He believes that as long as Aramark doesn't take responsibility for their “unethical” actions toward the community, then members of the community should not worry about the ethical implications of taking from them.

Zeigler states that the monopoly Aramark holds at the school is something he finds troublesome, and the limitations it has on food choices for student union events are particularly unfair.

Although students have been caught stealing, Aramark has yet to charge a student with shoplifting through campus security. Repeat offenders are recognized and asked not to return.

//Marco Ferreira

Writer

PROFESSOR PROVOKED BY DECIBAL DISTURBANCE Film Department issues apology to CSU

“Who is in charge here?” These were the first words of Professor Dave Gordon of the Film department to CSU staff member Giselle Aiabens, only fifteen minutes into the inaugural CSU-organized Harvest Moon Festival.

This comment touched off an exchange that resulted in the penning of a letter of reprimand by Bahiyyih Campbell, a member of the CSU Executive Board. The letter was written at the end of October, and sent to Dianne Neufeld, coordinator of the Motion Picture Production Program.

According to the letter, Mr. Gordon allegedly continued on to state that he was, “teaching a fucking class,” and couldn’t “hear a goddamned thing.” He then strode to the main stage, where he accosted MC and CSU staff member Noah Fine in a similar manner.

It was also noted that Noah was afraid that the enraged staffer might attempt to disable the sound system with his bare hands, “given his body language and proximity.”

As detailed in the letter, Mr. Gordon “hollered that his students could not hear him and were therefore not getting what they paid for.” His mannerisms have been characterized in print as “clearly abusive” and “unnecessary.”

After several more heated moments, Mr. Fine managed to soothe the cantankerous educator, and walked him back to his classroom while issuing a plethora of assurances. The musical accompaniment to the revelry was extinguished until the class was dismissed at 4:30 pm.

Ms. Aiabens stated that she “did not feel threatened” personally, but corroborated the reports that Noah felt that property damage might have been imminent.

In an interview, Aiabens characterized the altercation as “definitely not appropriate,” although she did continue to muse that, “we all have our moments.” She further elaborated that the professor had made no effort to identify himself as an associate of the University before accosting her, and that he seemed to be “blowing off steam.”

Sarah Silvester, Services Coordinator, confirmed that extra security was booked for the event, but they did not intervene in the aforementioned events.

The organizers of the event, which was part of the University’s Welcome Back Week, had booked the Maple Field from 4 to 8 pm on September 11 through Ian Roberts, the Director of buildings and grounds. The Students Union Board of Directors stated in their letter that they “feel that [they] undertook due recourse in planning this event,” and requested that the situation be addressed.

When contacted via telephone by the Courier, Professor Gordon chalked the events preceding his outburst up to a “[probable] scheduling conflict of some sort.” He stated that “people in the front row [of his class] couldn’t hear [him], and [he] couldn’t hear them either,” due to the noise levels produced by the festival.

Mr. Gordon admitted that, “if [he] had the chance to go back and do it over again, [he] would probably have refrained” from using coarse language. However, he posited that “the singular expletive, ‘damn,’” was his only utterance of this nature.

Students of Mr. Gordon also painted a contrasting portrait of their instructor, with several acknowledging his sense of humor and pleasant demeanour. Matthew Enright characterized him as a “big cuddly grizzly bear, [that] you just have to pet … right.”

Ms. Neufeld issued a response to the letter on Wednesday, November 4. In this, she attributed Mr. Gordon’s behaviour to unspecified “extenuating personal circumstances,” saying that “the situation [had] been addressed internally in the department.” She apologized for his conduct, and thanked the Students’ Union for “letting cooler heads prevail.”

When interviewed in person, she stated that the methodology used for internally addressing the matter included “peer counseling within the department,” and elaborated that, “it involves speaking English.”

By the time of next year’s Welcome Back Week, the Maple Field will be the site of construction of a new Film Studies building, and thus the Welcome Back Committee will have to book a different venue, according to Ms. Silvester. She has stated that the relocation is not related to this year’s disruption.

//Max MacKay

Writer

TWIDDLIN' KNOBS IN THE CSU Foosball unites lonely students

“You can tell we're all single, we have really strong wrists,” said Ryan Bolton, scrutinizing his own skill. I was in the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) lounge, following a rumour. There, surrounded by four second year Stage and Screen Acting students, two on each side, was the table, upon which the game known as doubles foosball was taking place.

Jennifer McFee, who played goalie and defence was baffled when she found out it was a new addition to the Maple building. “It's a new thing? It doesn't seem like it.” Undoubtedly, the table has seen some use before being rescued from the R building, Capilano's graveyard of movie props and unwanted furniture. A tournament grade table, it is not.

The foosball players have been so abused that electrical tape has been applied to keep them attached to the poles. The white team itself looks particularly roughed up, with the goalie playing without a head. The match I came upon was Guys vs. Girls, and although the girls' team were roughly 20 points behind, they seemed to be getting the hang of it. I noticed that the students seemed to have little regard for the rules of the game, as foosball poles were viciously spun. I asked them why they played this way, to which they claimed ignorance. Indeed, like most everything in life, there is an extensive list of rules for foosball, spanning from what to do with a dead ball to proper serving etiquette. These in-depth rules are predominantly adhered to by professionals, although it can't hurt to adopt some of them into casual play.

If the table grows in popularity, you may start to see students pulling off more complicated and advanced passing and shooting techniques to give themselves an advantage. It’s difficult on the CSU table, but not impossible. The rapid passing technique “tick-tacking” and controlled shots like the intimidating “snake shot” are essential to reaching the upper echelon of play, but are in no way necessary to having a good time.

The history of foosball is uncertain, with both the Germans and the French taking credit. The French inventor Lucien Rosengar, who also invented the seatbelt and the front wheel drive, is sometimes accredited to foosballs invention. He worked for a German car company during the 1930's, explaining foosball's seemingly simultaneous appearance in both Germany and France. This flies in the face of the theory proposed by the theatre students and myself - that the game was originally constructed with pool cues and cork in a bar in Ireland.

American companies began to manufacture tables in the early 90s, and as the game grew in popularity, the same companies started throwing  tournaments to endorse their product. Currently, the leading foosball manufacturer is Tornado, which puts on the biggest American foosball tournament, the USTSA World Championship, which took place this September in Texas. Apparently, professional foosball can be quite lucrative, as it paid out $100,000 USD to the winning team.

As foosball is immediately accessible, without  complicated controls or a steep learning curve, everyone could give it a shot. It's free. It’s also rumoured that the arcade machines will be removed, so perhaps this will be a more successful alternative.

For those interested, small tournaments also take place weekly around Vancouver (Check out vancouverfoosball.net), so getting a team together at Capilano and taking it to a competitive level is not out of the question.

//Marco Ferreira

Writer                                                              

LOCAL WRESTLER’S MEMORIAL MATCH Adam Firestorm leaves shocked and saddened colleagues behind

The close-knit world of Canadian wrestling was shocked this past week to hear of the unexpected passing of Adam Dykes, who acted under many names within the ring but was most recently known as Adam Firestorm. Without warning, Dykes took his own life on November 5th for unknown reasons, days before some of his closest friends were set to perform at the Russian community centre on November 7th.

To the surprise of some fans, the event hosted by the Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) organization went ahead as planned. "I don't think there's any question what he would want," heavyweight wrestler Scotty Mac tells me when asked about the show, "We're wrestling because we're paying tribute to him and we know that he loved wrestling, as far as I know, more than anything else"

Before the show began, the bustling crowd was humbled by a pre-fight memorial ceremony lead by ECCW owner Dave Republic, who like many of the staff that Saturday night was visibly shaken at the loss of a dear friend. Republic spoke of the New Zealand-born Dykes not as an employee but as a member of the entertainment group's family, and it was obvious that the late wrestler had made a significant impression upon all who worked alongside him.

As a young teen, Adam became involved with the independent wrestling circuit, running a wrestling hot-line and training in the back yard of hall-of-fame indie wrestler Terry Joe Silverspoon. It was only by chance that he was able to enter his first match on a night where he had been set to play the role of ring announcer and cameraman, instead becoming a last minute substitute for another wrestler.

After donning the mask of "El Antorcha", Dykes quickly became known for his high-flying acrobatic performances, and became a fan favorite as well as gaining the respect of those he worked with inside the ring. He loved his sport, going on to wrestle over a dozen matches per month, and ended up winning six titles over the course of his career. Firestorm eventually retired due to an elbow injury, but remained passionate about wrestling and managed to entertain fans with a few returns to the ring, the last one taking place on September 25th.

Adam Firestorm's passion for the ring and camaraderie with his colleagues made it all the more shocking that he cut his own life short at just 32 years of age, bewildering many as to why, as he had always been a helpful and loving friend to all around him. "It’s a terrible unexpected shame" says Scotty Mac, struggling to find meaning in the loss, "[Adam was] someone that was so well liked."

There was an air of respect on Saturday night, with Dave Republic urging those present to acknowledge the importance of suicide prevention organizations. Republic spoke earnestly in tones one does not expect to hear within the ring of an aggressive, over-the-top sport such as professional wrestling. In a show of sincere grief and honour, all participants of the night's show gathered solemnly around the outside of the ring, facing away from the audience in a traditional "ten bell salute".

At this point the atmosphere in the venue was positively unreal, as such decorum would be unheard of at any other ECCW event, especially with a room full of athletes so often facing one another in larger-than-life mock-combat. More than anything, one could feel the genuine sympathy from the teary eyed and patient audience. Before the show began, they were raucous and filled with excitement.

"We're all out there. We're standing around the ring paying tribute to Adam,” Scotty Mac says. "Everyone's seeing the heroes and the villains all together . . . and Dave's talking about how we're a family . . . In a sense, I suppose we're sort of exposing the business, but we're in a time where people don't want their intelligence insulted." This lifting of the theatrical veil is rare, though it is becoming more and more accepted by wrestling fans who see wrestling as a sport as much as they do a form of entertainment.

The last speech before the show began was given by past heavyweight champion Chance Beckett, who explained to the crowd that the night's feature events would not be offered as a memorial in honor of Adam Firestorm's death, but instead a monument to the way he lived his life.

//Mike Lindsay

Writer

BOOK REVIEW Roméo Dallaire's Shake Hands With the Devil

The oily stench of death had penetrated everything in Rwanda’s capital of Kigali. It festered among the machete-hacked torsos, heads, and arms in death trap houses, and exploded onto the cramped streets, mixing with the fresh rot of the recently dead who have been stacked like cords of wood against the walls bordering the roadways. It clung to the men who sat with Force Commander Roméo Dallaire inside their armoured UN vehicle. Outside, Rwandan men banged and shook the vehicle whenever it was forced to stop at the Interahamwe roadblocks.

Dallaire was the Canadian Commander of UNAMIR, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, an initiative that was put in place to mediate the Arusha peace accords between rebel forces and government troops in Rwanda. He waded through Kigali to meet with the Hutu-led and government-backed leaders of a militia called the Interahamwe, or “those who attack together.” Their goal was to eliminate all of the Tutsi population by rape, genital mutilation, and murder. The Tutsis were called Inyenzi - the cockroaches. 

The vehicle passed the final roadblock and entered the compound of the Hotel des Diplomates, granting them a temporary reprieve from the suffocation of the streets. Dallaire had dealt with frustrating meetings before, but this was different. Dallaire was about to meet with the three men who are largely responsible for the maimed, bloated corpses filling up the rivers, streets, and houses throughout the country. What if he went against everything the UNAMIR mission stood for and killed these men? Wouldn’t it be justified? Would it help?

Dallaire contemplated, then unsheathed the pistol from his side and gently removed the clip, leaving it behind. Then, he entered to shake the hands of the Interahamwe. After the meeting was done he recalled: “I felt that I had shaken hands with the devil.”

What could turn these young men into butchers, slaughtering over 800,000 of their own countrymen, and what could make a UN Peacekeeping Commander need to self-consciously prevent himself from splattering the brains of three unarmed men across the walls of a negotiation room?

The answer is complex, but the basic causes of what initiated the Rwandan genocide have their roots in the European colonization of the area, beginning in 1885 with the Germans, and then the Belgians in 1916. The Belgian led government  increased tribal tension between the two main ethnic groups in the area, the Tutsi and the Hutu. They created a system of classification to better distinguish the ethnic groups, who, although Tutsis are generally taller and lighter skinned, share much of the same genetic makeup. The Belgians separated the Tutsi, who were traditionally cattle farmers, and the Hutu, traditionally agricultural farmers, not by race, but by social status. A main indicator of wealth was the number of cattle one had, obviously giving an unfair advantage to the natural Tutsi – however, a rich Hutu could become Tutsi simply by buying a large herd of cattle, and a Tutsi could fall into the Hutu caste if they lost their wealth. The Tutsi were a minority to the larger population of Hutu and Twa, another tribe in the area, yet the Belgian classification gave them disproportionate political power, status, and preferential treatment from the Belgians.

In the 1960’s, and with the Belgians gone, Hutu revolutionaries overthrew the Tutsi monarchy, and the new republic persecuted the Tutsis; over 150,000 fled to Uganda and other neighbouring countries. It was these displaced Tutsis that returned to Rwanda in 1990 as a well-trained and disciplined army. They were called the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), and led by a brilliant general Paul Kagame, “the Napoleon of Africa.”

The mainly Hutu-led Rwandese Governmental Forces (RGF) were no match for the RPF, giving ground steadily until 1994. While they Hutu cause did not have the military superiority, the print and radio propaganda campaign was horribly efficient. Radio Rwanda and Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) spewed forth anti-Tutsi hate messages and spread fear throughout the large Hutu population.

The spark that finally ignited these tensions occurred on April 6, 1994, when the plane of the Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down near Kigali airport. As the plane fell, so did the peace talks that UNAMIR had hoped would succeed; Hutu extremists blamed the RPF and the killings began that night, as the militias, civilians, and even RGF troops were propelled by the lies of their government and the hate speech radio. They joined forces to exterminate all Tutsi and Hutu moderates.

While Dallaire does attempt to explain some of the motivations and history behind what happened, his book, Shake Hands With the Devil, is primarily an eyewitness account of what happened in Rwanda, and several of his chilling recollections give full scope of the horror.

Trying to find new routes out of Kigali in early June led Dallaire through several small villages, often too small to be noted on the military maps. One village lay on an exit road used by refugees as they fled Kigali. The Interahamwe had erected a barrier to stop the Tutsis, and hundreds of bodies were strewn around the village. Dallaire exited the vehicle to survey the site, and suddenly glimpsed the movement of a child amongst the bodies.

“Just as I glimpsed the body of a child, it moved. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination . . . but I wanted to help. I leaned down to pick the child up, and suddenly I was holding a little body that was both tingling and mushy in my hands. In a second I realized that the movement was not the child, but the action of maggots. I was frozen, not wanting to fling the child away from me, but not wanting to hold it for a second longer.”

The UN peacekeeping forces witnessed these atrocities silently. Despite detailed and continuous reports from Dallaire and his staff describing the events in Rwanda, the UN refused or simply sidestepped Daillaire’s requests for more troops, supplies, or permission to actively protect citizens by changing their Rules of Engagement (ROE). Their current ROE did not permit them to use force for humanitarian rescue. They could protect those at risk behind their lines, and return fire to defend themselves, but they could not fire on machete wielding militia to save the civilians being carved to death in front of them.

This failure of the UN and the apathy of nations is the most important message of Dallaire's book – a book which was awarded the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004. Wealthy nations such as the US provided fifty non-operational trucks, refused to equip the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) battalions, and kept troops out of Rwanda until the genocide was over. Though the US claimed they took “a leading role in efforts to protect the Rwandan people and ensure humanitarian assistance,” this was later rejected by Clinton himself, who admitted in 1998, that it was his greatest failure, and that he “blew it.”

The stench of these peoples’ deaths have faded from him long ago, but it is obviously still inside Dallaire, a permanent filth that haunts him terribly to this day. Shake Hands With the Devil is an attempt at cleansing this internal guilt. He  has revealed how the UN and the US failed Rwanda in the hopes that we will not lose our humanity on such a large scale again.

//Mac Fairbairn

Writer

ALL THINGS WEIRD AND WONDERFUL Behind the music with Vagabond Opera

“In the moment, each song is a universe that fits its own,” Ashia Grzesik, singer and cello player for Vagabond Opera, describing the band’s unique brand of music. A bohemian cabaret band that has roots in jazz, opera, classical, Ukrainian, Balkan, and Middle Eastern Music, it is nothing short of a mystery.

The band utilizes a strange combination of theatrics, comedy, dance, incredible musical talent and, of course, what band is complete without a little burlesque dancing? On Friday, November 6th, they shocked and awed the audience at the Capilano Performing Arts Theatre with their antics, which included speaking gibberish to each other between songs, and one of the band members pulling a set of false teeth out of her bra. Music and drama compete in Vagabond Opera, but the real wonder behind the scenes of the band is the secret ingredient of both these elements – improvisation.

According to Jason Flores, the band's stand up bass player, the forming of the group was as improvised as the set list every night. They're lead by operatic tenor, pianist, and composer Eric Stern, but according to Flores, the other members have a lot of input into the songs and the music styles that they play. “A couple of us have classical training,” Flores said, “but ultimately this band is about melding and mixing. We take whatever we have and we bring it to the floor – and if it’s good enough, we just might play it. This group challenges all of us to play outside of our style.”

For Grzesik, that is one of the key elements that attracted her to Vagabond Opera when she joined, six months ago. Originally from Poland, she had extensive training in classical cello and singing, but she always had the inkling to do something beyond that. After performing as a cellist with Cirque du Soleil last year, she was convinced that classical was not enough for her. “I loved the performance element of Cirque du Soleil,” Grzesik said, “So I knew that I wanted to do something that included that.” And she certainly found her performance niche in Vagabond Opera; she manages to play the cello, do vocals, and fit in a few burlesque dances, all during the course of one show.

It’s not just Grzesik who puts on a spectacle. All of the band members are dressed to the nines in Bohemian get-ups, from striped pants and suspenders to top hats and face make-up. During songs, they dance, throw cards into the audience, and generally put on an entertaining show, from their huge operatic range to their somewhat risqué body movements. “Somehow, this crazy group works really well,” Grzesik said.

Although some of the band members have studied music professionally, a few of them are self-taught, true Bohemian children of the revolution. Even the self-taught members have had to learn the art of improv and readiness. “We never know what song is coming next at a show,” Flores said. “Eric just points to us and then we play. It could be a song we haven’t practiced for months, but we’ll still play it.” The band members work off of each other incredibly well, getting energy out of the music and dancing around each other. “Like-minded freaks can smell their own,” says Flores.

//Krissi Bucholtz

Writer

iPODS MADE ME FAMOUS The changing face of the music business

The days of bands needing to be signed by major record label to be successful are a thing of the past. Modern times call for modern measures and bands these days are turning to big television shows and commercials to play their songs. Getting on Grey's Anatomy or an iPhone commercial will get your music noticed by 14 year old girls and grandmothers alike. Mitch Davis of Orba Squara did just that.

It’s not as simple as calling up Patrick Dempsy or Steve Jobbs and pitching your music. Who is Orba Squara, anyway? Music aside, put on your business goggles and notice this guy’s fresh ideas. Check out his unique website at OrbaSquara.com, and find a side-scrolling adventure: his recent tour across America promoting his new album, The Trouble with Flying. Oh, he’s got mystery and intrigue – in both his character and music. “I’ve always been a fan of the mysterious persona, the Daft Punks of the world,” He says. “You don’t know what it is – is it one guy doing it, is it ten guys doing it, is it a computer...?”

Mitch isn’t just a multi-talented musician, he's developed a ton of other music industry talents over the years. He's done film scores, MIDI programming and music production. “That’s when I really started to do things on a more professional basis”, he recalls. “The things that you think are so insignificant turn out to be the things that really move you ahead.”                           

But let's get to that iPhone deal, where one can assume Mitch got his big break. “I had like,  five other songs licensed before that one. The iPhone was the highest profile – anything Apple gets noticed. But I had songs for Goodyear and CSI: New York.” Mitch set himself up to have his music work for him.

Having a publishing agreement with Universal helps. “I didn’t really seek that out either. I [started] getting things licensed [without them] and we just kinda found each other through that.” He developed business and technical skills, and it snowballed from there. “I didn’t send Universal anything.” He dodged that whole mess of putting together demos and press kits and wound up being Mr. iPhone. “[publishers from Universal] were just running in the same circles as me. They didn’t even pitch my song for the iPhone, it was there [at Apple] for something else.”

He doesn’t pretend that luck isn’t a huge factor. “You can’t really try to decide what’s going to happen and have control over it. You have to be good at what you do, but after that, it’s all luck basically. You could be amazing but if you just don’t talk to the right person at the right time, a second too early, a second too late, it’s just not gonna happen.” 

The method of “breaking” as a band has definitely changed since the legendary rock and roll days. There are factors besides the elusive and sometimes constrictive major record deal. “It’s totally true, the old model isn’t as important now. There are so many other ways to make things happen. Making music is a full time job, it’s a lot of work doing promotion, keeping up the website, trying to book shows. It’s good to assemble people around you that help you with things you can’t do, or don’t have time for.”

//Shaun Mcpherson

Writer

ALL ABOARD THE STEAM TRAIN But can you find a station in Vancouver?

“I recently found out I was into it. I’ve actually been into it for several decades, I just didn’t know that there was a name for it.” So says Luciano, a participant at the bondage event I went to recently. Actually, that’s a lie. It wasn’t a bondage event. Black leather and corsets were abundant, but it was all in the name of Steampunk.

Steampunk, according to the participants, takes Victorian and Edwardian fashion sensibilities and pairs it with brass, clocks, gears and goggles. They dress as though technology never moved away from steam power, but nevertheless kept progressing. It is a Utopian society where the Internet is steam powered and the sound of gears clanking can always be heard in the background.

But what place do these crazy people have in Vancouver, you may ask? Why do we tolerate these well-dressed, moustache-sporting radicals in our fair city? The answer is simple. We don’t.

All you have to do is spend a little bit of time in Vancouver to see that we are nowhere near the forefront of any fashion culture, or sub-culture. The craziest we really get is wearing a layer of fleece under our raincoats. Vancouverites still think Uggs are acceptable footwear, for heck’s sake. Steampunks have no place here.

Apparently there are a few kicking around, though, because the Steampunk Symposium had a fairly decent turnout of people in steam gear. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder at how many of them were wearing costumes, rather than outfits. The whole thing seemed more like an excuse to get dressed up like Steampunks, rather than a legitimate counter-culture gathering.

According to Shwa Keirstead, the event organizer, Vancouver has the largest steam punk scene in Canada. That isn’t saying much, though. Places like the US, China and Japan have much more devoted Steampunk communities, and often hold massive conventions, such as Steamcon, which just happened in Seattle. It seems that Steampunks, like most counter-culture groups, prefer to stay concentrated together rather than live in a place where nobody understands what they are doing.

Popular culture has helped to familiarize people with Steam, of course. Movies like Wild Wild West, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Van Helsing all helped to bring Steampunk into the public eye.

Keirstead himself became interested in Steampunk through watching Full Metal Alchemist, as well as through his desire to grow a curly moustache. “I started realizing that with a curly moustache, I needed to have some classy clothing.”

There are elements of Steampunk that baffle me, though. How can it be called punk if it costs so much to pull off the look? Even if you tailor your own vests and weld your own pocket watches, the materials are going to get pricey. Matty Harris, a performer at the event, insisted that it was easy to pull-off the Steampunk look on a low budget. “Just go to the Salvation Army. You can find all sorts of things, like boots”. I’ve not once seen a pair of aviation goggles in a charity store, though. It feels like this counter-culture is a little too cultured to pull off on a budget.

To the event’s credit, Steampunk was only the theme of the night. It was the second annual Symposium, a collaborative art project hosted by Keirstead. Last year’s theme was Underwater, and nobody made fun of them for not being devoted enough to their tentacles. Perhaps all the real Steampunks are hiding out in abandoned mansions, sipping brandy out of porcelain spoons and nodding at how classy and alternative they are.

I do have to say, however, the Steampunks I met were not pretentious. Maybe it’s because Vancouver forces anyone who dresses differently to be acutely aware of their differences, which in turn makes them more accepting of other people. Or maybe they just realized that it is impossible to be an asshole when you have goggles on your head. Whatever it was, all the people I talked to were extremely nice and accommodating, and absolutely everyone wanted me to take their picture.

//Sarah Vitet

Writer

RELIEVING OUR SOULS An Update on Arts Funding

As a result of the drastic cuts to the arts and culture sector this year in BC and the proposed cuts of up to 92% for future years, the BC arts community has been up in arms about how to get this essential funding back. Some of the hubbub in the media that was made around this issue in September has died down, but that is by no means an indicator that arts groups have been sitting on their laurels. Efforts have been made to raise awareness both in the public arena and at the ministerial level of government.

For those of you who are new to the issue, here is a little background information. Given its tight economic situation, the BC government has made significant cuts to the provincial budget over the past year to reduce its deficit. Drastic funding cuts were made to the arts and culture sector, a reduction of about 40% in the February 2009 budget plus additional cuts that were announced through the summer. According to the BC Ministry Service Plan 2009 September Update, funding totals for the 2009/2010 fiscal year now total $35.175 million, down from $47.675 million in 2008/2009. However, the largest cuts will come in the next two years when funding will be cut to 6.949 million in 2010/2011 and cut to 3.675 million in 2011/2012, totaling 85% and 92% respectively. To put this in perspective with the rest of the budget, before any cuts were made, funding for arts and culture represented 1/20th of 1% of the entire provincial budget. While the arts community in BC was expecting cuts during difficult economic times, a complete decapitation of the entire sector over a few years was unforeseen and the core reason for such a strong reaction.

Only recently have some organizations come out with statements on how the funding cuts will affect them. According to the Alliance for Arts and Culture, The Helen Pitt Gallery Artist Run Centre was denied a $34,000 grant (50% of their operating budget) that has forced the gallery to close its doors. The Seymour Gallery was also denied their $35,000 grant. Other organizations outside of Vancouver that have recently been denied grants include the Osoyoos Museum and the Vancouver Island Children’s Festival. According to the CBC, cuts have extended to include the publishing sector. The Association of Book Publishers of BC has been denied $45,000, BC BookWorld Newspaper has been denied $31,000, and the BC Association of Magazine Publishers is out $26,000.

Apart from a province-wide letter writing campaign, public rallies, extensive online activity, and media attention, members of BC’s arts community have been meeting with members of parliament to stimulate action towards a reversal of the cuts. Many of these efforts in Vancouver have been spearheaded by the Alliance for Arts and Culture and its Executive Director Amir Ali Alibhai.

In an interview, Mr. Alibhai described his meetings with Kevin Krueger, BC Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts and Gaming Minister Rich Coleman: “The response is yes, he wants to work with us. He’s agreed to further meetings and we’re trying to get both Ministers together in the same room to discuss this. But he still maintains that difficult choices have to be made.”

On October 16^th, Mr. Alibhai made a presentation to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, who draft reports with recommendations that are used by the government in drafting future budgets. “They were interested in the whole idea of the government in funding the arts,” noted Alibhai when asked what kind of response he received. The main question he received was about access and the social value of the arts. Alibhai drew on his experience as arts programmer for the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre. “We ran free programs for city youth, and after, I was approached by some who told me that they wouldn’t have been able to survive without these programs, and they would never have been able to participate had it not been free. This is where the government can really make the arts accessible. Free festivals are another thing, if they don’t get funding they have to charge.

Of course, there are strong economic advantages to supporting arts funding. The government’s own figures show that each dollar the provincial government invests in arts and culture generates between $1.05 and $1.36 in tax revenues that go directly back to the government. BC has the largest percentage of the province’s population employed in the arts in all of Canada as noted in the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture Service Plan 2009. That’s 80,000 jobs that contribute to generating $5.2 billion in annual revenue. However, Alibhai noted that it’s important to not get bogged down in only reciting the economic arguments for public support for the arts. “No one says they go to an art gallery or the theatre because it’s good for the economy. I don’t go and participate in the arts because it educates me. I go because I want something for my soul. Yes, the other benefits are there and they are important, but that is not the core of the argument.”

Alibhai also noted a similar theme raised by social and cultural activist Arlene Goldbard in her recent talk, “Creative Renewal:  How Art Can Save Us Now”, given at the Vancity Theatre on October 18th. In much of the discourse about arguments for arts funding there seems to be a disproportionate focus on justifying arts funding through economic arguments, which is only part of the picture. “About 30 years ago,” Goldbard noted in her talk, “mainstream U.S. arts advocates committed themselves to a desperation strategy focusing on justifying arts expenditure through weak economic arguments and secondary benefits… these arts advocates gave up on asserting the importance of free expression, the personal and social need for beauty and meaning, the social value of cultivating our intrinsic human desire to create, and focused instead on trying to convince the predator that art is just a really clever strategy for raising test scores and tax revenues.”

The social and educative values of art should not be ignored merely because they are difficult to quantify. Therefore, the extent to which the arts and culture sector is valued in our society is only realized to the extent to which it can be easily accessed by everyone.

//Claudia Pedrero

Writer