Audio: Kwantlen Chronicle podcast, volume two

[audio:podcast_2.mp3]

Talysa Dhahan and Brian Russell discuss parking at the Surrey campus, and listen to what students have to say about the situation, as well as covering the CIBC Run for the Cure, which took place on Oct. 3.

Surrey campus waits in line for Tim Horton’s

Some students aren’t thrilled but others are lining up for their “double-double” at the recently-opened Tim Horton’s on the Surrey campus. The Tim Horton’s outlet opened at the end of September and has had a steady line of customer, both faculty and students, ever since.

“I think it’s a great idea. It’s cheap and they have a good variety of choices, and it helps that it’s right on campus because now I don’t have to drive somewhere to get a coffee or food,” said Tyler Morton, 20. Most other students agree with Morton about the Tim Horton’s addition to the campus, but there are the odd students aren’t jumping into the line-up.

“I love Tim Horton’s, but when all of the high school kids come over on their lunch break, it’s really annoying. There is already a huge line, and the extra people are not exactly helping,” said Stacey Armstrong, 21. “I wouldn’t be so annoyed by it if they went back to school right after, but some of them sit in the courtyard. They aren’t exactly conscious of other people trying to study or work.”

When asked if the students would prefer a Starbucks at the campus to than a Tim Horton’s, the answer was unanimously for Tim Horton’s. Starbucks wouldn’t be the best choice, price-wise, for students and Tim Horton’s has more options for something to eat, students said.

“It’s convenient, and way better than the cafeteria,” said Tracy Vander, 25.

Students who aren’t coffee drinkers also say that they enjoy having the addition. “I don’t drink caffeine and I still go there. It’s probably not the healthiest thing, but it comes in handy. You can only eat the cafeteria food for so long,” said Rachael Hutchison, 19.

According to most students interviewed for this article, the food at the cafeteria isn’t horrible, but they would rather bring something from home or wait in the line for something from Tim Horton’s.

Kwantlen Bhangra Club making a name for itself

The Kwantlen Bhangra club has been practicing and competing since April 2009, yet it is only now getting some attention.

“It takes time to build up a name. We wanted to make sure we were at a level that would attract some more attention,” said Karamvir Saini, co-founder of the club.

After competing in several competitions last year, the club has grown to include a co-ed group as well as a male group.

Saini started the club in April 2009, because he felt that there was a large number of Punjabi students at Kwantlen and he found that a lot of them were going to SFU to join its bhangra club. He thought that if he started a club here, the students could stay at Kwantlen and be a part of the club at the same time.

All of the members get together and choreograph themselves. The team agrees that the club gives them a group of friends that have similar interests and some of the same goals.

Bhangra’s competitive season is just finishing, so the club is currently working on what they will be competing with next year when the season starts up again in early spring.

And, while the season has ended here, there are still a couple of competition in the United States. Kwantlen’s team is waiting for the event to send out programs, so they can sign up and possibly travel to compete.

“We are always looking for more members, and we encourage anyone that is interested in joining to contact us,” said Saini. The club is currently practicing three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.

He shoots. He scores.

Bars, homes and streets erupted into cheers and hugs when Sidney Crosby scored the gold medal goal.

But the Olympic games were not just about hockey. They were about bringing nations together while supporting their own countries.

Walking the streets of downtown Vancouver, that world was walking the same streets. Turning to the left and right, you would see a different country every time.

The glowing heart; of our national anthem could be seen everywhere, it was about national pride: wearing the red and white, or painting the maple leaf on our faces, waving the flag as high as we could for everyone to see, and singing the national anthem any time we could.

The Olympics were also about standing in lines with smiles on our faces, patiently waiting to get into Heineken House or Irish House or anywhere else there was a line. Some people even waited six hours for the 30 seconds of pure joy on the zip-line above Robson Square.

Out of all visiting countries, the Netherland and Russia took home the gold for visiting country team spirit. Waving flags, dressing head to toe in bright orange, they wanted to take pictures with every person they met.

Language barriers were no problem. Adrenaline-high on the rush of the games, everyone seemed to be saying the same thing: Let’s have a good time.

Waiting in line for over two hours to get into the Irish House seemed like 15 minutes, chatting with the Dutch in their bright orange sweaters and wigs, and taking pictures with all the new friends made. After getting inside, we shared a beer with every single person we met in the line.

The Olympic games brought the world together in a way that no one cared if the person beside them was from the United States or from China. It was about people having a good time and enjoying themselves while watching their country compete on the world’s largest stage.