VOL. 2 ISSUE 25 | AUGUST 10 2010VOL. 2 ISSUE 25 | AUGUST 10 2010

NEWS AND CULTURE FOR THE STUDENTS OF KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

HORTICULTURE CONTROVERSY P 04

A STUDENT’S FIGHT FOR FREE SPEECH P 05

FILM COURSE OFFERED JUST IN TIME P 09

NEWS & POLITICS The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca page two | August 10 2010 | vol. 2 issue 25

Ottawa student union in hot water over paying for a bus to the G20 protest

STUDENT POLITICS

THE PRESIDENT’S HEAD

AMANDA SHENDRUK THE FULCRUM

OTTAWA (CUP) — Peter Flynn is outraged that some Univer-sity of Ottawa students were able to participate in June’s G20

protests thanks to some funding from their student union. Flynn, president of the university’s Campus Conserva-tives club, called the decision a misuse of student funds. At least four union services

I was out for a walk one Saturday evening before the final night of the Celebration of Light. At one point I looked up to see an airplane pulling a message behind it. The advertisement read something along the lines “Sign up for September semester at Kwantlen.” I could only imagine who was flying that plane. MELISSA FRASER // THE RUNNER

NATIONAL DEBATE

Cutting the mandatory census means losing important student-related statistics

EMMA GODMERE CUP OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF

OTTAWA (CUP) — Never be-fore have Canadians raised so much concern over statistics. In the wake of the federal government’s decision to scrap the mandatory long-form census questionnaire sent to 20 per cent of Canadian homes every fi ve years, the Canadian Federation of Students has raised red fl ags over the appar-ent winding-down of national, student-centric surveys. According to CFS national chairperson Dave Molenhuis, a document was circulated in mid-June to stakeholder mem-bers of the National Advisory Group on Student Financial As-sistance that suggested funding would not be renewed for the three youth-related surveys. The Youth In Transition Survey, which examines young Canadians’ transitions between education, training and work; the National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth, which collects long-term data on the behavioural develop-

ment and social communities of children from infancy to early adulthood; and the National Apprenticeship Survey, a less frequent survey that identi-fi es issues with apprenticeship completion and effects on the labour market, were all identi-fi ed as surveys carried out by Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Develop-ment Canada that would not have their funding renewed. “It’ll affect basically anyone interested in understanding who students are, [and] what the demographics are,” said Molenhuis. “It’s not just going to impact government decision making, which will be adrift without any kind of data to anchor itself to, but it also takes away the ability of the public to evaluate and critique govern-ment policy based on what the demographic information on students is. It’s problematic on a number of fronts.” A spokesperson from Human Resources and Skills Develop-ment Canada, alleging the CFS’ information was false, explained in an email that the

““It’s not just going to impact government decision

making... it also takes away the ability of the public to evaluate and critique government policy.”

-Dave Molenhuis, CFS national chairperson

National Apprenticeship Sur-vey was only a one-time survey. The email explained that the other two surveys “were fully funded, are not yet complete, and fi ndings still need to be analyzed.” But, Molenhuis pointed to any potential reduction in survey data as a major concern, especially when compounded with the government’s recent changes to the census. “If we are no longer going to make policy decisions based on empirical research, then what are we going to base those deci-sions on?” he said. “We need this data to be able to evaluate whether or not the billions of dollars that are going into post-secondary education are having any effect, and understand the relationship between post-secondary education and the economy.” “Not having that informa-tion is defi nitely going to im-pact our organization’s ability to hold the government to ac-count and the government itself to make appropriate decisions.”

“...I don’t see how sending individuals down to participate in protests, and potentially riots, at the G20 is a positive, cost-effective way of spending students’ money.” ALEXANDRA POSADSKILL// COURTESY OF CUP

THE RUNNERCONNECT WITH

twitter.com/runnerrag

facebook.com/runnerpaper

Some students at the University of Ottawa are upset that their student funds went toward a service they don’t agree with

— the Student Appeal Centre, the Women’s Resource Cen-tre, the Pride Centre and Foot Patrol — combined fi nances from their budgets to rent a bus which took students to Toronto from June 26-28.

Flynn says encouraging ac-tivism is not under the mandate of any of the student union’s services. “I don’t necessarily under-stand how students on the University of Ottawa’s campus who are trying to appeal their marks apparently need to be represented at the G20. It just doesn’t really make sense,” said Flynn. But student union president Tyler Steeves defended the decision, saying the services were simply doing their job by sending the buses — engaging students. “The services got together and said, ‘There’s a bunch of us that really care about these issues, so let’s pool our money and go to Toronto,’” he said. “[Activism is] a part of the student experience. Part of that [experience] is being politically active and having your voice heard and getting out there and rallying for something you care about. Just like part of [the student experience] is playing intramurals, joining a club, debating or running for student politics.” “I understand that at the G20 groups of protesters protest everything under the sun,

however . . . I don’t necessarily see how sending individuals down to participate in protests, and potentially riots, at the G20 is a positive, cost-effective way, or even legitimate way of spending students’ money,” said Flynn. Georgeanne Blue, communi-ty relations co-ordinator at the Women’s Resource Centre said she was proud that students were represented at the G20 protests and praised the student union and its services for the role they played. “I think what [the union] did was great because [it made] sure that going to the protests was accessible to everybody that wanted to go,” she said. “I think that students have a lot of privilege . . . and so we need to use that privilege in positive ways to make changes.” But Flynn still disagrees. “If we had a protest service, I would say, ‘You know what? It’s part of their mandate [and] as much as I disagree with it, it passed a referendum. Send them down there!’ I wouldn’t be happy about it, but it wouldn’t be as troubling or as disturbing or as blatant a viola-tion of the use of student funds by the services,” he said.

aug

ust

01010202

03030404

05050606

0707

0808

09091010

111212

1313

15151616

171718

19192020

22222323

24242525

26262727

29293030

3131

1414 2121 2828

mon

day

tues

day

wed

nesd

ayth

ursd

ayfr

iday

satu

rday

sund

ayP

rid

e P

arad

e 12

pm

- 2

pm

If y

ou

wen

t to

th

e p

arad

e an

d

hav

e so

me

ph

oto

s o

r w

ou

ld

like

to w

rite

ab

ou

t it

, let

us

kno

w!

BC

Day

al

l cam

pu

ses

clo

sed

Las

t d

ay o

f cl

asse

s

Ru

nn

er B

BQ

W

hit

e R

ock

Bea

ch1

pm

If y

ou

mis

sed

it,

com

e n

ext

year

!

Mar

itim

e Fe

stiv

alB

ritt

ania

Her

itag

e S

hip

yard

, R

ich

mo

nd

Au

g 2

0-22

Bo

ok

Buy

B

ack

See

bo

oks

tore

fo

r d

etai

lsA

ug

23-

26

Kw

antl

en s

tud

ents

an

d f

acu

lty

get

fre

e ev

ent

listi

ng

s o

n t

he

mo

nth

ly W

H@

K C

alen

dar

.

Sen

d e

ven

t in

form

atio

n to

p

rod

uct

ion

@ru

nn

erra

g.c

a

Ori

enta

tio

nB

egin

s9a

m -

3:3

0pm

Tod

ay: R

ich

mo

nd

Tom

orr

ow

:Lan

gle

yT

hu

rsd

ay: S

urr

ey

Lan

gle

yFa

rmer

’s

Mar

ket

3pm

- 7

pm

Eve

ry W

eds

in

Au

gu

stL

ang

ley

cam

pu

s

KS

A C

ou

nci

l M

eeti

ng

S

urr

ey C

amp

us

Bo

ard

roo

m12

pm

Par

ent

Ori

enta

tio

nS

urr

ey C

amp

us

Pic

k u

p y

ou

r is

sue

of

the

Ru

nn

ern

ew e

very

tu

esd

ay

MATT LAW MEDIA EDITOR

Students returning to Kwantlen Polytechnic University in the fall can expect to be hit by yet another parking fee increase.

The latest rise in price is due to the HST, which came into effect on July 1, 2010.

Earlier this year parking fees for a daily pass were increased from $4 to $4.75 as a result of a Translink tax hike.

Now, with the introduction of the HST, parking fees for a daily pass have risen another .25 cents, to total $5.

Students are now being

NEWS & POLITICSwww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner vol. 2 issue 25 | August 10 2010 | page four

SOUTHLANDS

AT KWANTLEN

Tsawwassen Southlands community puts pressure on the university to rethink it’s $50,000 deal with local real estate developer

Kwantlen investigates dodgy research fee

MITCH THOMPSON

Kwantlen Polytechnic Universi-ty will be reviewing the decision to accept a $50,000 research fee from the Century Group for the research on the company’s con-troversial Southlands develop-ment proposal. A proposal the school was also promoting. In a press release on July 20, Kwantlen president David At-kinson ordered a probe into the circumstances surrounding the fee, according to The Province. Until the release, the univer-sity’s position had been that a bankroll from the real estate development company was sim-ply funding, and did not affect

the independent nature of the research. This didn’t calm members of the Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee or the community, who accused Kwantlen of lob-bying. On Dec. 3, 2009, Kent Mullinix and Arthur Fallick from the Kwantlen horticulture department, gave a presenta-tion to the Area Plan Commit-tee extolling the virtues of the Century Group proposal. The Century Group wishes to develop the Southlands, 218-hectares of unused farm-land in southeast Tsawwassen, with 1,900 houses and large tracts of land for urban farms and parks.

So far the plan has met with stiff resistance from the local community. Trouble for the university started when a Freedom of Information request made by opponents of the development uncovered a memorandum of understanding signed by Atkinson and Century Group president Sean Hodgins seven months prior to the Mullinix/Fallick presentation. An agreement that Kwantlen did not reveal to the Area Plan Committee. The document says, through the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture, Kwantlen “agrees to collaborate with the Century Group to create a complete and

sustainable community on the Southlands property.” In the memo, Kwantlen com-mits to “[provide]…research expertise on the Southlands land use proposal.” In return, the Century Group would pro-vide an undisclosed research fee – later determined by The Province to be $50,000 over two years. As well, should the plan go through, Kwantlen would help create and gain access to a research facility on the South-lands, along with an endow-ment from the Century Group to the university. In an interview with The Province, Jason Dyer – ex-ecutive director for research at

Kwantlen – said the endow-ment would likely be enough to fund a university salary: $100,000 plus. A recent Ipsos Reid polling showed that over 60 per cent of residential respondents in the Tsawwassen area are against development of any kind in the Southlands. Opponents of the plan say the area is still viable for farm-ing, and is integral to the Pacifi c Flyway, the major migratory route for North American birds.The fi nal report and recommen-dation of the Area Committee is expected on Aug. 30.

Members of the Southland community are not ready to give up the unused farmland for a development that is meant to be housing, urban farms and parks, but the land is owned by Century Group and they’ve hired Kwantlen to research the best way to make their plans sustainable. MELISSA FRASER // THE RUNNER

Tim Hortons construction fi nally underway

charged a total of 35 per cent tax on their parking passes according to HST Canada.

Taking into account the increasing fuel prices and higher parking rates students may be forced to take transit at

CHRIS YEE STUDENT AFFAIRS BUREAU CHIEF

Construction began last week on the Kwantlen Tim Hortons in Cedar 1105, which is expected to open this September.

Planning for the Kwantlen Tim Hortons location started last year; it was originally slated to open in February or March, according to a November 26, 2009 Chronicle article by Jacob Zinn.

Gowen said in his email that, in the course of the location’s planning, “both Chartwells and

Sodexo” offered proposals to operate the Kwantlen Tim Hortons.

Other Lower Mainland post-secondary institutions with on-campus Tim Horton’s locations include British Columbia Institue of Technology, Capilano University, Douglas College, University of the Fraser Valley and SFU.

The Tim Hortons locations are run by the respective food service providers at each institution, said Gowen.

Parking fees rise again

PARKING LOT

a cost of $2.50 for a one zone and $5 for a three zone.

No matter what students choose as their mode of travel this fall, they can count on paying more to get to school.

NEWS & POLITICSwww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner vol. 2 issue 25 | August 10 2010 | page fi ve

ABBY WISEMAN COORDINATING EDITOR

How many security guards does it take to escort one university student armed with nothing but protest fl yers, off campus? At Kwantlen, it takes four. On Wednesday July 28, Em-ery Warner caught the attention of the usually mellow security guards for handing out fl yers that protest Kwantlen’s new catering company, Sodexo. One week later, Warner has become a subject in local media, and has even become the cata-lyst of a facebook page called I support Emery Warner and I will fi ght for free speech at Kwantlen. One week after the Wednes-day that Warner was fi rst booted off campus, he is stroll-ing around the Surrey court-yard, nonchalantly handing out 8x10 pamphlets and casually smoking a cigarette. He is tall and broad shoul-dered with a deep baritone voice that could rival Barry White’s. Easy to say, Warner sticks out and it would be hard for students not to notice him be-ing escorted off campus. Twice. “Really we all got picked up when I got picked up and kicked off campus,” said War-ner. “It was an assault on all the students here at Kwantlen.” All this controversy began when the school hired on So-dexo to replace Chartwells. It came to Warner’s atten-tion that the company is not all salad bars and ready-made sandwiches, but has a history of discrimination, food poison-ing and profi ting off the U.S. private prison system.

In 2005, Sodexo was sued by a large group of African-Amer-ican employees who were not receiving due promotions. The case concluded in an $80 mil-lion settlement and a promise to comply with diversity guide-lines, which a group called Clean Up Sodexo says it’s failing to do. The questionable past of Sodexo became a topic of discussion in one of Warner’s criminology classes and protest-ing the company became a class project. Shortly after that, the 8x10 pamphlets started to appear on campus. Jody Gordon, vice-president of student affairs, says she received an email from security wondering if the pam-phlets were from the KSA. Gordon says she was con-cerned that the fl yer would have a negative impact on the KSA-run Grassroots cafe, because it was promoted in the fl yer. “Some people might not agree with the fl yer or the content of the fl yer, or even the approach. [They] might then turn to the cafe and say that’s unfair, that’s unfair comment,” said Gordon. Security fi rst approached Warner with Bill Keith and Bas-sanio Tsang from Sodexo who briefl y questioned him about the fl yer and asked if they could sit down and talk about the merits of Sodexo. Warner says he stated that he wasn’t interested in negotiating with them and took off to class to write an exam. After his exam Warner says that security was waiting for him and soon after he was met outside by Gordon.

According to Warner, Gordon demanded to see his student ID, which he refused to do. According to section C.21 under Kwantlen’s student code of conduct, if a student refuses to comply with the reasonable directions of staff and faculty they can be kicked off campus.Refusing to show ID falls under refusing to comply and gave grounds for security to escort Warner off campus. But before he was kicked off campus, Warner said that Gor-don threatened to punish him. “She said that we’re going to look at disciplinary action with-in the institution,” says Warner. “She also hinted to taking legal action against me saying that the fl yer had been passed on to Sodexo’s legal team.” The next day, Warner contin-ued to hand out fl yers and was immediately approached by security. “Right off the bat I’m ap-proached by numerous security guards, and this time the issue was very very clear it wasn’t about any identifi cation. They wanted me to stop handing it out, they wanted me to hand over every copy that I had on me and they wanted me to get off school property,” says Warner. Warner described what hap-pened next as a “rat-race.” Security followed him around the campus, taking the fl yers from the students he was handing them out to. “That second day it was very clear that my right to freedom of speech was violated,” said Warner. “Post-secondary’s advertise a type of place of free ideas and different ways of do-

Kwantlen recently changed its food service provider from Chartwells to Sodexo. With all of the recent controversies surrounding the changes, we decided to ask you what you thought. This is what you had to say:

STREETER

On Sodexo

PAULA BACHELOR OF SCIENCE: NURSING

I was here when it was run by the previous owner [Chartwells]. It’s more organized now and they have fruits, which they didn’t have back then. The food is better, more variety, [and] the onion rings are really good.

ALBERTOBACHELOR OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

I think it’s a bit pricey. I understand they are here to make profit, but they should be more conscious and go for the quantity instead of the high price.

TYRELLBACHELOR OF BUSINESS

The cafeteria? All I can say is the cafeteria is sick, you know? This year, it’s bump-ing - the cafeteria, we have computers, we have TVs. And the food is delicious, you know? It’s delicious. {Ed. Note: Tyrell was dis-cussing Grassroots. }

FREE SPEECH

Peaceful activist booted off campus Free speech issues arise as student activist was escorted twice off campus because of a class project

ing things, and what I learned otherwise was something quite different. If you speak out about something that they don’t like they’re going to try everything they can to squash that.” Gordon says that there was no intention of stopping Warner from handing out the fl yers, but the issue was merely his unwillingness to identify him-self, even though she did admit that a member of the KSA did identify who he was. Instead, Gordon said she wanted to meet with Warner to see if there was anything she could do to facilitate dialogue between him, Sodexo, and the students. “My goal was to assist in what I was seeing as maybe somebody who had reached a point where he wasn’t being heard, and this is a place where all voices need to be heard,” said Gordon. Through all this controversy, Warner has dug his heels in more and is picking up sup-porters as 70 people rallied in the Grassroots Cafe on Tuesday, Aug. 3. “I’m not interested in nego-tiations, it’s quite clear what the demands, are, and Sodexo needs to get out of our school,” says Warner. Gordon confi rmed that after reviewing the securities inci-dent report, no action will be taken against Warner.

Student Emery Warner wants catering company Sodexo out of Kwantlen and will not be deterred security or administration. MATT LAW // THE RUNNER

>>How do you feel about Sodexo? The security at Kwantlen? Free speech?Let us know: facebook.com/Runner-paper

PRIDE

CULTUREpage six | August 10 2010 | vol. 2 issue 25 The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca

MATT DIMERA CONTRIBUTOR

If controversy makes for good news, then the 2010 Vancouver Pride Parade was set to be a veritable goldmine of journalistic potential. For the past few months, ru-mours had been circulating that Canadian Blood Services was to have a presence in this year’s Pride parade. CBS has long been at odds with the LGBTQ community because of its policy banning gay men from donat-ing blood. An attempt by CBS to polish their tarnished image behind enemy lines would most defi nitely be newsworthy. On a second controversial front, a group calling itself Vancouver Queers Against Israeli Apartheid registered to march. Earlier this year, a reportedly-

unaffi liated Toronto group going by a similar name generated countless headlines after they were banned from Toronto’s Pride parade. That decision was eventually reversed after months of community backlash. Surely, the Vancouver group would garner similar attention. But on the day of the parade, there was not an inkling of controversy to be found. There was no Blood Services fl oat or information booth at the after-parade festival. The rumours of CBS trying to reconnect with the LGBTQ community, were just that, rumours. The Vancouver Queers Against Israeli Apartheid marched in a group several dozen-strong. Several of their contingent masked their faces and identities with fashionably-matching pink bandanas, but

they walked peacefully and without incident. Parade participants of all ages included civic, provincial, and federal politicians, political par-ties, religious groups, non-prof-its, theatre companies, athletic teams, activists and corporations, among many others. Each group marching past the throngs of spectators, elicited fresh waves of cheering, ap-plause and wide-faced smiles. When the fi nal tally was in, there were almost 150 fl oats and marching groups and an estimat-ed crowd of 600,000 spectators. There may not have been controversy, but what was found wasn’t any less newsworthy.

Vancouver’s 32nd annual Pride Parade controversy-freeDespite rumours about a protest that would criticize a controversial policy upheld by Canadian Blood Services, this year’s Pride Parade kept up its image of rainbows and lollipops.

The feathered fan might infer that this pink lady is a little camera shy, but trust us, no one’s hiding their true colours during Vancouver’s Pride weekend. MATT DIMERA // THE RUNNER

>> Get in touch and write your own culture story:culture@runnerrag.ca

ALBUM REVIEW

If you haven’t heard of Miniature Tigers thus far, you’ll know exactly who they are in the near future. The four-piece made up of lead guitarist Charlie Brand, drummer/vocalist Rick Schaier, keyboard/vocalist Algernon Quashie and bassist Alex Gerber, released their second full-length, Fortress, on July 27 and it’s surely the one that landed the boys a spot on the roster of Chicago’s Lollapalooza. The 10-track gem is an indie-rock masterpiece from top to bottom, with infl ections that land somewhere between the wistful, upbeat Monkees and the uber-hip swagger of the Strokes. The disc kicks off with “Mansion of Misery”, a light-hearted, eclectic tune that would easily fi t as an anthem to a daydream in candyland. Except for the sombre lyrics that accompany the uptempo song, there’s nothing miserable about this track. “Dark Tower” offsets the ironically chipper tone of the album, with its slow, melodious harmonies and subdued tones. That’s just a brief moment on the record, as “Gold Skull” pops out as track 4. The song, produced by Neon Indian, is about as electronic as the boys get on the disc, as they continue to prove that anything they do on the album, they do well. “Egyptian Robe”, “Tropical Birds”, and “Lolita” beg for multiple listens before the record ends on “Coyote Enchant-ment,” lest we forget the band’s animal roots. Trust us, this is the album that’ll be hanging out in your car deck for the rest of the year.

Miniature TigersFORTRESS(Modern Art)

KRISTI ALEXANDRACULTURE EDITOR

Tigers? In Arizona? Preposterous!

J J J J J

MAE VELASCO ARTS AND DESIGN BUREAU CHIEF

I found Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza to be extremely annoying. Clowns were everywhere in the audience popping up in random places. The audience wasn’t even paying attention in the beginning especially when the crowd was just beginning to settle down. There was an alarm that kept on saying “Get off the stage.” It was ridiculous and these clowns kept on running around perhaps spilling popcorn on a random stranger out of the audience. Kooza tells a story about a

REVIEW

More expected from Cirque’s Kooza

The striped tents that run along False Creek are an annual reminder of Cirque du Soleil’s presence in Vancouver. This year, Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza runs from July 22 to Sept. 5 in our city. FLICKR

clown who is trying to fi nd a place in his own world. As the story progresses, he goes through his emotions and one by one acts come out to play. The acts weren’t what I expected. They were obvious. There’s a guy who could balance chairs, a woman who could spin in the air on the trapeze. I wanted to see fi re and something real ex-treme. Maybe something that was interesting was a woman who could balance a bunch of hoola hoops on her body and the Wheel of Death. The Wheel of Death is much like the Revelation at Playland,

but with hoops. Two men were running in circles while they go up and down the air. They were doing fl ips like crazy both in and out of the circle! It seemed like some of the performers had the jitters. Most of the acts needed polishing since some felt like they were going to fall from the air and lose balance. Other than that it was an okay sort of show. It wasn’t something that I would seriously go “Oooh and Ahh” for.

FILM www.runnerrag.ca | The Runner vol. 2 issue 25 | August 10 2010 | page seven

KUROSAWA

Employees of Vancouver’s Pacifi c Cinema-theque are used to seeing university students coming through the theatre’s doors. Especially busy with its most recent fi lm series, the Kuro-sawa Centennial. Students are fi ling in to experi-ence the life-work of the prolifi c late Japanese director, whose fi lms one could easily deduce was a contributing inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill blockbusters. And while many independent and alterna-tive Vancouver-based theatres, like the Pacifi c Cinematheque, cater to university students by providing student rates and opening up their venues to professors from various institutions for special events, Kwantlen is one university that’s been slow on the draw. Until now, that is. As a new Polytechnic University, Kwantlen is beginning to earn its new title with the evolving programs the institution is planning to offer. Take the BFA’s proposed minor in fi lm studies, for instance. Spearheaded by Kwantlen instructor Dr. Dorothy Barenscott, an introductory course to fi lm studies under the faculty of Art History is taking off for the fi rst time at KPU in the upcoming fall semester. Not-so-coincidentally, the course will coincide with the annual Vancouver International Film Festival, which takes place between September and October. “I realized as soon as I started teaching that course [a third-year course in city-fo-cused fi lm studies] that what was missing at Kwantlen in many ways was an intro-duction to fi lm studies,” says Barenscott. “You’ll notice in other faculties that other professors in the school who are teaching fi lm courses are usually in area-studies like Japanese fi lm, German fi lm, et cetera. One of the things that they all share is the assumption that students come into those classes knowing something about fi lm, and so it was important in my mind to offer an introductory course, and also I want to stress that it eminates out of a visual studies area.” Barenscott, who also teaches fi lm courses at the University of British Columbia and at Simon Fraser University, saw the opportunity to offer Kwantlen students a base understanding of fi lm and she seized it. The new course will be a weekly four-hour class in which a fi lm will be screened in the fi rst half of the class, followed by discussion, all while following the development of fi lm history. Don’t expect an easy course that panders to Hollywood-style theatre, though. The plans for this course are to delve into foreign fi lms, silent fi lms, and fi lm shorts, and, as part of the course requirements, Barenscott claims that attending at least part of the VIFF will be crucial to completing Intro to Film Studies. Not exactly grunt-work for

the individual who may have planned to attend Vancouver’s most popular annual fi lm festival anyway. Barenscott recognizes that “we have an expanding visual culture which is a part of our contemporary lives, not just in studying art, but social networking allows us to have access to moving visual images that we take for granted.” The issue that the course aims to tackle, says Barenscott, is a criticality towards the moving images that regularly impact our lives. “What I get the most interest out of with students is to work with them to criti-cally read and understand fi lmmaking, not just as an art or entertainment form, but as a kind of discourse as a moving representation of ideas,” she says. “What seems so easy to understand as a moving image is actually quite complex, with dynamics that need to be understood beyond a ‘looking at it’ level.” “The bottom line is that fi lm is fun, and a lot of people come into it with already with a taste and interest, so this is a way of refi ning and giving a critical edge to this form of art-making,” Barenscott reiterates. As for the development and expansion of fi lm as a student culture, Barenscott says that a budding, student-run Cineclub is something she’s interested in fostering and mentoring. In the meantime, the ambitious instructor is recommending students to attend fi lms around the city, including looking into the upcoming Queer Film Festival (Aug. 12 - 22) at various locations, checking out the Vancouver International Film Centre or Pacifi c Cinematheque (which both offer student rates but are 18+).

WHAT TO SEE

Vancouver cinemas boast independent, queer and silverscreen fi lms this August

KRISTI ALEXANDRA CULTURE EDITOR

Interest in fi lm studies piques at Kwantlen as city-wide fests pick up steam

Double IndemnityPacific Cinematheque,Pacific Cinematheque,1131 Howe Street1131 Howe Street

Aug.

117 pm

Aug.

157 pm

Aug.

127 pm

Aug

167 pm

Aug

137 pm

21Aug

7 pm

14Too Much Pussy: A Queer X ShowCinemark TinseltownCinemark Tinseltown88 W Pender Street88 W Pender Street

Aug

9:30 pm

18Yang + Yin: Gender in Chinese CinemaVancity TheatreVancity Theatre1181 Seymour Street1181 Seymour Street

Aug

9:30 pm

Fallen AngelPacific Cinematheque,Pacific Cinematheque,1131 Howe Street1131 Howe Street

The Postman Always Rings TwicePacific CinemathequePacific Cinematheque1131 Howe Street1131 Howe Street

The Sleeping CityPacific CinemathequePacific Cinematheque1131 Howe Street1131 Howe Street

Human DesirePacific CinemathequePacific Cinematheque1131 Howe Street1131 Howe Street

Aug

207:15 pm

Cannibal GirlsPacific CinemathequePacific Cinematheque1131 Howe Street1131 Howe Street

Aug

216:30 pm

Cemetary JunctionVancity TheatreVancity Theatre1181 Seymour Street

Aug

218:15 pm

IdiocracyVancity TheatreVancity Theatre1181 Seymour Street1181 Seymour Street

Chosen Family Por-traitsEmpire Granville 7 Empire Granville 7 CinemasCinemas855 Granville Street

22Aug

1 pm

And the Rest is DragEmpire Granville 7 Empire Granville 7 CinemasCinemas855 Granville Street

ADVERTISEMENTpage eight | August 10 2010 | vol. 2 issue 25 The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca

WE NEED YOUR WORDS, PICTURES, ATTITUDES

AND IDEAS. NEED A REFERENCE LETTER FOR A

SCHOLARSHIP, JOB OR PROGRAM? BE A VOLUNTEER

AND WE’LL HELP YOU OUT! ALL STUDENTS

FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THIS

NEWSPAPER WORK, SO PLEASE, DON’T HIDE.

FOR MORE INFO EMAIL: EDITOR@RUNNERRAG.CA

EDITORIAL vol. 2 issue 25 | August 10 2010 | page nineThe Runner | www.runnerrag.ca

OPINION: SODEXO

Lets say no to SodexoThe Runner is student owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society.

Vol. 2, Issue no. 25August 10, 2010ISSN# 1916-8241

#205-12877 76 Ave.Surrey, B.C. V3W 1E6www.runnerrag.ca

EDITORIAL DIVISION:

Co-ordinating Editor // Abby Wisemaneditor@runnerrag.ca

Culture Editor // Kristi Alexandraculture@runnerrag.ca

News Editor // Kassandra Linklaternews@runnerrag.ca

Production Editor // Melissa Fraserproduction@runnerrag.ca

Media Editor // Matt Lawmedia@runnerrag.ca

BUREAU CHIEFS:

Arts & Design // Mae Velasco

Creative Writing // Jared Vaillancourt

Current Events // Natsumi Oye

Entertainment // (Vacant)

Environmental // (Vacant)

Health // (Vacant)

Lifestyle // Jeff Groat

Politics // (Vacant)

Sports // Michela Fiorido Dominic Sramaty

Student Affairs // Chris Yee

Travel // (Vacant)

CONTRIBUTORS:

Negrin Alipoor, Carlie Auclair, Matthew DiMera, Mitch Thompson

Cover Photo // Matt Law

BUSINESS DIVISION:

Operations Manager // DJ Lamops@runnerrag.ca

Offi ce Co-ordinator // Victoria Almondoffi ce@runnerrag.ca

Distribution // The Now Newspaper

WE F***ED UP: Hey Jeffrey Yip, sorry we messed up on your name. What’s it been? Twice now? That’s embarassing. We hope you’ll keep writing for us. We promise it won’t happen again.

Oh yeah, you too Matt DiMera. No more name mess-ups. We swear.

THE RUNNER

IN DEBT

NEGIN ALIPOOR

So we might have noticed something new at Kwantlen, and that is our previous food provider, Chartwell, has hit the road, and Sodexo has moved in. Sure, at the surface it seems like such a good change, there’s a salad bar now, a sandwich bar, etc. But what we don’t know are the dark secrets Sodexo hides. They have been involved in many controversial issues, including workplace dis-crimination. Many universities across North America who have had this food provider take over in their schools, brought forth a project called “Dump

Sodexo,” to bring awareness about them and get them off their campuses. So let’s learn the truth about them. What is so shocking that it has outraged students like ourselves to the point of getting rid of them? One if the biggest problem with Sodexo lies within their contribution and partnership to privatized jailing, which is just a capitalist means of making a lot of money but also, incarcer-ating many. Furthermore, Sodexo has contracts with many natural-resource exploit-ing companies such as BP, Cas-pian Drilling, ExxonMobil, just to name a few. These companies

are known to bring about en-vironmental destruction. Don’t worry, the list continues. Let’s move to how they treat their employees. Sodexo settled one of the largest racial dis-crimination lawsuits involving managerial promotions. Afri-can-American employees were getting passed for promotions, and white candidates with less experience, qualifi cations, and seniority were getting those positions. How can we support a company that permits racism? Another issue concerning their employees is the topic of unions. Their employees at a hospital in North Glasgow went on strike due to issues

of low wages, no minimal sick pay, no shift allowances, and overtime pay because Sodexo has an anti-union stance. They are putting profi t before work-ers needs, a truly capitalistic ideal. So far, it’s been profi t from prison privatization, environ-mental destruction, racism, and anti-union. Go and support our own student run cafeteria, and remember there’s more to that hamburger than meets the eye! Please next time you’re in the cafeteria, think about where your purchase is going, and what it is supporting.

Generation Y: The Young and Penniless CARLIE AUCLAIR

Echo Boomers, Millenials, Generation Y; whatever you want to call them, they all de-scribe one generation; today’s youth born between 1971-1994. They are the information generation, the Boomerang kids and the majority of students that go to Kwantlen. I am a member of this enig-matic group of youth, and I have to admit much to my cha-grin, I reek of the stereotypes that have been bestowed upon our once-cradled, infl ated little heads. I am stapled to my cell phone, I know my way around a computer and I have the at-tention span of a pigeon. Our generation has become notorious for growing up with somewhat of a silver spoon in our sassy little mouths. We are the sons and daughters of our hard working conservative baby boomer parents. They had James Taylor in their cassette players, and were coined by the public as “yuppies “, but it was because of our parents’ opti-mistc, self-involved, freedom-fi ghting outlook on life that made our generation the way it is today. Soccer, softball, dance class, music lessons and early morn-ing hockey games were only some of the endless perks in our very treasured childhoods. We watched Saved by the Bell on Saturday morning and wore Fido Dido t-shirts to school. We ate Gushers and drank Capri-Sun. We are products of the pop culture injected society we grew up in; but much like every generation we are projections of the era we live in. At the risk of being the billionth writer to solemnly mention the eco-nomic downtown with intel-lectual poise, the truth is that it remains a serious issue with

employment and personal debt and we are the economic projec-tions walking around in True Religions and Nikes. In an attempt to compile re-search for this article I ventured into the fi nance section of the public library, a place I would normally not be seen, because much like my empty pocketed counterparts I am part of “Gen-eration Head-in-the-Sand” and the idea of confronting my per-sonal fi nance issues makes me queasy. I decided to suck it up for the sake of our readers and put my heebie-jeebies aside. After 45 minutes of crooking my head to the side in an at-tempt to read the vertical spines of the plastic covered books, I spied a DVD by Oprah’s fog horn voiced fi nancial guru, Suze Orman. She is brash, loud and quite intimidating, and the perfect fi nancial vessel for the American People to relate to. Orman claims that we indeed are products of our environ-ment, but quite intelligent. She goes on about how 85 per cent of people aged 25 and older hold a high school diploma and 27 per cent have a college

degree. So it couldn’t be a lack of intelligence that continues to hold us back from being economic Einsteins, and judg-ing from the average trophy and ribbon count per child’s bedroom during the early 90’s, it couldn’t be our parent’s lack of involvement either. So what was holding this generation back from fi nancial autonomy? And then she said it; a word I knew was coming, but tried not to think about. The C-word. The seemingly innocent but in reality so very lethal, “Credit Card”. Once she broke the seal, a veritable Hoover Dam of C-words continued to spew from her thickly burgundy glossed mouth. Credit score. Credit report. Credit history. It felt like with every dreaded C-word, my blood pressure turned into one of those circus guys that stuffs themselves into a canon aimed for the blue yonder. Once I got a grip, and starting paying attention like an adult I realized how true her words rang. We are a generation in trouble. It’s not just fi nancial trouble, for some reason we seem to fi nd it so hard to face the music and be

held accountable. I can say this with some credentials, based on my shopaholic past. Much like the colourfully amusing movie, I was once a fashion-crazed shopaholic haphazardly throw-ing around my plastic, like it was going to melt if I didn’t use it. I learnt the hard way, and was fortunate enough to have a sympathetic grandmother to help bail me out of the fi nancial abyss I was voluntarily plung-ing myself into. The whole reason our nation’s economy took a nose dive is because people, much like myself were living far beyond their means, and charging it. Although it took me forever to pay back my grandmother I consider myself one of the lucky ones, my home wasn’t taken away, I had no kids to feed or spouse to answer to, but the blow to my ego took years to repair, and I am now in a place where I no longer feel as if I need $250 jeans on a stu-dent’s budget. I only changed my ways once I disconnected my self worth from the mer-chandise and exercised some much-needed self control. After fi nishing the DVD and roaming over a few articles I re-alized the point I want to make isn’t a self righteous fi nger wag-ging Dr. Phil-esque moral to my MTV counterparts about self control and materialism. The point is to educate yourself; if you are sent a credit card, don’t activate it just because you can. Ask questions, get informed. Ignorance is not bliss, and I’d know because it’s wasn’t so long ago that I was ignorant and without bliss.

CARLIE AUCLAIR // THE RUNNER

>> Have an opinion?Email for more info: editor@runnerrag.ca

CREATIVE page ten | August 10 2010 | vol. 2 issue 25 The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca

SCI-FI

Remember Me

POETRY

West Coast Sunrise

JARED VAILLANCOURT CREATIVE WRITING BUREAU CHIEF

“Another – over here.” The voice called out. She heard footfalls.

“Forget it,” another voice replied. “Damn Xenos are massing again. Leave her – she’s been hit.” Before she could formulate a reply, the fi rst voice grunted and the footfalls vanished. Summoning her strength, she opened her eyes. The smoky tears of battle fl owed skyward as her fellow soldiers retreated, leaving the dead and wounded behind. She clenched her fi ngers around the long gash that used to house part of her large intestine. She fought back the urge to scream.

She remembered coming to this world; Paragon III, they called it. It was a world of bright oceans that swam to depths far deeper than any on Earth, with continents the size of every major landmass on her homeworld combined. What had appealed to her the most were its forests; vast cities of trees so high their canopies fused with the clouds and turned even the brightest of days into the most intimate of nights.

Paragon III was supposed to be a new homeworld, she thought. Paradise.

“Gods damn it, Mia,” her sister’s voice fl ooded her thoughts, “Why do you get to go to the new homeworld? It’s not fair.” Mia had smiled at her sibling, bending down to one knee to kiss the girl on the forehead. That hadn’t tempered the little blonde’s jealousy.

“Maybe one day you’ll grow up to be big and strong,” Mia had promised, “and you’ll join the Protectorate…” she smiled as her sister stuck out her tongue at this. “Liz, only Marines get to go to new worlds fi rst. I’ve told you this.”

“But it’s the new

homeworld!” Liz had protested loudly, her foot stamping the ground. “I want to go there, Mia! I wanna go there now!” Mia hugged her sister and chuckled kindly.

“Grow up,” she ordered, “and I’ll bring back a souvenir.” Liz nodded up at her big sister.

“I’ll remember that,” Liz had warned her. “You’d better!”

“Aw, bloody fuck,” Mia half-screamed, half-spat as blood competed with sound for exodus from her lips. Nothing had ever hurt so much in her life than having half her insides ripped apart. She hugged her guts as tightly as she could, fi ghting nausea as they quivered between her fi ngers. The neosteel armor plate that was supposed to have prevented this lay in three pieces at her feet, torn apart like tissue by the Xeno that had seen fi t to gut her. She clenched her teeth and stifl ed an angry scream as the sounds of distant shuttles lifting off in the distance signaled the end of her hope.

Mia was going to die. She knew this for a fact.

Not three days after arriving on Paragon III, a deep-forest probe had discovered the Xenos. They were a curiosity at fi rst; sleek, smooth beings with black scales, beak-like heads with four purple eyes and three tentacle-like tails sprouting from their backs. They were thought to be the natives, perhaps even sentient due to their opposable thumbs – but observations showed them behaving more like wolves or lions than people. Aside from their long, slender claws, they weren’t considered a threat.

Weren’t supposed to be a threat, Mia thought with disdain as she shifted the mess of guts and blood to her left hand, groping with her shaky right one for her gun. “Fuck this,” Mia spat defi antly as the battlefi eld became disturbingly

still, “I’m a dead girl either way. Might as well…” cough, “… take some of you fuckers down with me.” She clenched her teeth over a painful scream as agony rippled through her body, discharging blood from between her teeth. She lay fl at on her back as her mouth opened wide, each breath needier and more desperate than the one before. The gun fell from her slippery grip.

“Not like this,” Mia whispered as fear overcame anger and tears added their watery disarray to the splatter on her face. “Gods, Liz, not like this.” She coughed and went lax, not noticing as her guts slowly began to morph back into her open abdomen.

“That’s two presents you owe me!” Liz’s face had laughed gleefully over the comlink, the little girl adorned in a quaint hat with the words “9 now!” bedazzled across it. Mia had smiled at the little blonde’s image and shook her head.

“I thought you’d forget about your souvenir,” Mia chuckled as their father appeared in the image, happily accepting the girl’s outstretched arms so he could sit with her in his lap.

“Oh, no you don’t Mia,” her father laughed as Liz stuck her tongue out triumphantly. “Your little sister doesn’t forget anything. Which, I guess, now that she’s a big girl…” he trailed off, looking down at Liz expectantly. That worthy crossed her arms.

“I have to do homework now,” Liz fi nished bitterly. She suddenly lit up. “Can you do my homework for my birthday gift? Please?” Mia joined her father in deliberately dramatized laughter before shaking her head and stroking the screen.

“I’ll think about it,” Mia replied. “I’ve got to go. Love you both,” she fi nished.

“I won’t forget!” Liz promised as she faded away. “I won’t forget you, Mia!”

“I wish you would,” Mia muttered, her breathing now shallow and forced. Her armor felt a size too big, but swimming in a little pool of her own blood like this, she didn’t notice or care. The Xenos had attacked without warning, butchering colonists and marines alike with a chilling ease and calculated precision that confi rmed what Mia had suspected; they were intelligent, and deliberately misleading. No one who had been struck by one ever came back; maybe the Xenos ate them. Mia let out a sharp laugh at this thought, her vision beginning to dim. Other things were moving in the distance now. Xenos.

Her guts fi nished re-entering her body. The wound saw fi t to close, sealing not with fl esh and muscle but with scales, at fi rst her natural olive, but quickly fading to black.

“I’m so sorry, Liz,” Mia whispered as she closed her eyes. Something dark fell before her face. She felt slender yet strong hands gently caress her

exposed skin, the

remainder of her armor quietly stripped away by the claws that had felled her. She was hoisted up. She was dragged away.

It was late. The moons were high in the night sky, and the forest was cold and still. She recognized the humming, immediately remembering her enemy. She opened her eyes and saw the Xenos.

“Gods damn it,” she whispered, “just get it over with.”

“Who are you?” the voices asked. She jerked awake, no longer in pain.

“I… uh… Mia,” she replied, not with a mouth but with her mind. The Xenos surrounded her, offering arms and hands to help her stand. She did just that, shaky on her new legs. “Do you know me?” she asked, blinking with four surprised eyes. Together, the Xenos nodded.

“Mia we remember,” they echoed in her thoughts. “Mia we are.”

MATT LAW // THE RUNNER

MATT LAW MEDIA EDITOR

Warm lightbreaks the stillness of the air,casting crystal waves along an empty shore.

Salty air,calming and clean,stirs us from our sleep.

Grey mist rises from the waking ground,drifting through thick Sitka and salal,lingering in treetops.

White sand,cold on our feet,sparkles in the golden light.

SPORTSwww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner vol. 2 issue 25 | August 10 2010 | page eleven

CYCLING

In Photos: B.C. SuperweekCompetitive cyclists from across North America and the world tore up the streets of Delta and White Rock during B.C. Superweek.

Langley’s Svein Tuft leads the pack during the final laps of the July 10, Tour de Delta criterium. Tuft placed second after Quebec native, David Veilleux, made a break with one lap to go.

Ben Chaddock (centre) celebrates his victory over Svein Tuft (left) and Ryan Anderson (right) with a customary bottle of champagne at the Tour de Delta prologue.

Far Left: Leah Kirchmann crosses the finish line first during a pack sprint at the Tour de Delta criterium in Ladner. Left: Svein Tuft takes first the Tour de White Rock road race on July 18. Above: Two riders crash into the final corner of the Mens Cat 3-4 Criterium race at the Tour de White Rock on July 17.

PHOTOS AND CUTLINES BY MATT LAW, MEDIA EDITOR

A cyclist eyes-up the big name riders at the start of the Tour de Delta Criterium in Ladner on July 10. The Mens Cat 1-2 race lasted for 54 kilometers - 60 laps, 0.9 km each.

PROCRASTINATION

NUMAHNI 6 — JARED VAILLANCOURT

HOROSCOPE

WEIRD STUFF: SAY WHAAAAT?

In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II was named an “Honorary Harlem Globetrotter.”

Bats always turn left when exiting a cave - They are not ambi-turners.

That’s no moon, that’s an overpriced bagel

Your life has been running like an episode of American Idol. This is not a bad thing.

The mountains are calling your name. Go to them and bring a huge bag of rocks with you.

There’s a tree outside your house that needs to be chopped down. No permit necessary.

For the next week, every six minutes an image of a large Doberman will lick your knee.

It’s been ages since you ate too many cherries and got sick.Perhaps that needs to change.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to live in a land where puppets have the same rights as we do.

Going back to school means you’ll need more wheat germ in your diet. Go to the market.

No matter how much you want it to, a hover craft will not bring you eternal happiness.

Your doctor is a llama and your dentist is eats ants for breakfast. Your mental health is at risk.

GEMINIMay 21 - June 20

LEOJuly 23 - Aug. 22

TAURUSApr. 20 - May 20

SAGITTARIUSNov. 22 - Dec. 21

CAPRICORNDec. 22 - Jan.19

SCORPIOOct. 23 - Nov. 21

VIRGOAug. 23 - Sept. 22

LIBRASept. 23 - Oct. 22

PISCESFeb. 20 - Mar. 20

ARIESMar. 21 - Apr.19

AQUARIUSJan. 21 - Feb. 19

Turn to the sixth page of this newspaper, the first word that pops out at you is an omen.

If you keep looking for Sudoku puzzles, you’ll look like even more of an asshole.

RIP OFF KWANTLEN THE SMART ZONE

page twelve | August 10 2010 | vol. 2 issue 25 The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca

As the Millennium Falcon comes out of hyperspace, headed for the GrassRoots Cafe, Obi-Wan is all like, “WTF mate, that’s no moon, that’s an overpriced bagel. $3.25 plus HST? Really? Emperor Palpatine must be setting these prices cuz that’s total crap. I paid $1.68 yesterday at Starbucks for the exact same thing and didn’t even have to use my wicked cool force powers and be all like, ‘you want to sell me a bagel for $1.68.’ Oh, and don’t even get me started on their shitty wraps.” MATT LAW // THE RUNNER

CANCERJune 21 - July 22

If you don’t remember the last conversation you had with Mickey Mouse, you’re in sad state.