$4.9 million in renovations for Surrey campus

Kwantlen’s Surrey campus is getting a facelift, funded by $4.9 million from the federal and provincial Knowledge Infrastructure program.

The money will first be put towards the replacement of cladding and windows of building C, said James Meschino, associate director of planning and construction. After that is finished, in January, the rest of the money will go to upgrading other buildings on Surrey campus. According to Meschino, the building has been well maintained over the past 20 years, but wear is starting to show and the cost of maintenance is more then the cost of replacement.

Windows will be replaced with more energy-efficient ones and stucco will be replaced with metal cladding made of zinc, which has a 40-100 year lifespan and will not require painting or maintenance.

Maintenance costs and energy efficiency are not the only goals Kwantlen has for the building. According to an overview of Kwantlen’s Building Expansion projects, Kwantlen wants to reduce its natural gas consumption by 25 per cent and its electricity consumption by 45 per cent for 2010. All of this is in the hopes of getting LEED certified and LEED gold ratings.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a program created by the U.S. Green Building Council that certifies buildings that are built in an efficient and sustainable manner. The awards range from LEED certified to LEED silver, gold and platinum.

Kwantlen’s Cloverdale campus achieved LEED gold status, while the new library at Surrey campus is shooting for the platinum award, said Meschino. He is aiming for LEED gold status for building C.

Building C will be the first to receive a facelift, mainly because it is an administration building and students will not be disturbed. Meschino is treating this project as a test for when construction moves to other buildings. As for what this means for students at Surrey campus, Meschino said they are hoping to create as little disruption as possible and the worst of it will be looking at scaffolding from now until January.

“There’s going to be noise just like any other construction project, but we’re going to work with both the users of the building and the contractors to make sure those noisy activities can happen either off hours or at times that will be less of an issue for users.”

Cloverdale students support fitness centre for their campus

There is solid student support for a proposed fitness centre at the Cloverdale campus, but a final decision by Kwantlen administration probably won’t come anytime soon.

According to the results of a petition drive in September and October, Cloverdale students were overwhelmingly in favour of a fitness centre for their campus, which would be placed in a currently under-used facilities room roughly the size of the Surrey campus gym.

The KSA has had meetings with Kwantlen administration, which were described as positive by KSA External Affairs Director Derek Robertson.

Although the KSA would ideally like to see gyms on all four campuses, Cloverdale was considered for the fitness centre for a number of reasons, according to John O’Brian of the Cloverdale KSA. Cloverdale is primarily a trades campus, and the physical nature of most skilled trades also require students to be physically fit.

The Cloverdale campus also already has enough potential space, unlike Richmond and Langley, the other two campuses lacking a fitness centre. Richmond has “zero space” for expansion, according to O’Brian, while Langley has relatively few students and is currently undergoing a revitalization of its campus.

The KSA is waiting until that is finished before deciding on a fitness centre there.

Although students are strongly behind the proposed fitness centre, talks are continuing with the higher levels of administration. Robertson declined to predict when it might become a reality. “By giving a time frame, it would be complete speculation,” he said.

Taking on the gangs

As the Metro Vancouver area sees a surge in gang activity, including more than a dozen shootings so far this year, residents have started to speak out for action. Reporters Amy Reid and Zoë Tarlow covered a recent anti-gang rally, in Surrey.

‘A Warrior’s Religion’ looks at Indo-Canadian gang life

On Sunday afternoon a handful of community leaders and curious onlookers gathered at the Rio Theatre on East Broadway for an advance screening of a documentary on Indo-Canadian gang violence.

“A Warrior’s Religion,” by local filmmaker Mani Amar, explores the growing problem of gang violence in Greater Vancouver’s Indo-Canadian community.

Amar spoke to relatives of gang victims, community leaders, Sikh temple elders, local MLAs and police officers, as well as former gang members who have left the lifestyle — including one man who was left blind and paralyzed after being shot in the face.

Amar produced the film almost entirely by himself over three years, financing it with $56,000 of his own money. He was on hand before and after the film to speak about his experiences documenting gang life, as well as to answer questions.

“A lot of people ask me why I’m doing this, and the simple reason is because someone had to,” he said.

In the audience was Eileen Mohan, mother of Chris Mohan, who was gunned down by gang members in 2007.

Mohan also appeared in the film, which consisted largely of interviews with people from different levels in society and different opinions on what to do about gang violence. Later, she spoke to the audience about her loss. “We will never be able to eliminate gangs…but with better education, we can control them.”

After her son died, Mohan said, she went from 115 to 95 pounds.

A short question-and-answer session followed the screening. The first audience question was about how no one in the film took responsibility for dealing with gangs. Amar explained that the lack of responsibility at any level of society was one of the underlying themes of the film.

Amar was also asked about any personal changes he went through while producing the documentary. “When it stopped being a documentary for me was when I interviewed Eileen Mohan,” he said. In one scene, Mohan held a bag which held the urn for her son’s ashes. “This is what a six-foot guy is reduced to…a case like this.”

Amar said it took him two weeks to edit the footage of her.

“A Warrior’s Religion” will have its public premiere screenings March 18 and 19 at the Bell Centre in Surrey.

Former Kwantlen student organizes gang violence protest rally

As a result of recent gang violence in the Lower Mainland that has been making headlines across Canada, Trevor Loke and Paul Hillsdon are taking action with a rally for peace on Sunday, Feb. 22 at Central City Plaza.

The idea to organize a rally came about when Loke, formerly a Kwantlen student, and Hillsdon were looking for events in the Surrey area that were against gang violence. When they couldn’t find anything, they thought a rally was a good place to start.

The main idea behind this rally is to bring the Surrey community together to show that it will not be divided on the issue of violence. “We will come together, we will show the strength of our spirit and we will accomplish things,” said Loke.

Loke, a Newton residen,t thinks that the media has portrayed Surrey as an unsafe place. “Surrey is a really great place,” said Loke. “It’s not a place where people need to be living in fear.”

Loke is a candidate for the Green Party in the provincial Surrey-Newton riding.

It’s important for students to show up for the rally, he said, because they are the next generation.

The rally will be held at 1 p.m. on Feb. 22 across the street from Surrey Central Sky Train Station. Participants are asked to take banners, posters and noise-maker’s to show support as they march together to Holland Park.

Loke expects more than a couple hundred people to show up to the rally, which is organized along with the RCMP, the City of Surrey and all major political parties.

Student’s whereabouts still a mystery

It has been almost three months since international Kwantlen student from India, Sahil Sharma’s disappearance and police still have no leads.

Before his disappearance Sharma was taking classes at the university, with a focus on Information Technology (IT).

After attending classes at the Surrey campus on Nov. 13 he never returned home, and authorities say he has “simply vanished.”

“We did everything,” said Sgt. Roger Morrow of the Surrey RCMP. “We did DNA, we did bank accounts, we did email, you name it – we did it. Nothing to lead to where he could’ve gone or where he is.”

In attempts to find Sharma, his parents have come to Canada with hopes that more publicity will reveal new information and help to locate their son.

On the morning of Jan. 29, Mr. and Mrs. Sharma were at the Surrey Detachment of the RCMP and met with various media outlets, asking the public to come forward with any information that may assist them in locating their son.

Since meeting with media, the Surrey RCMP received five tips from the public. Each of the tips were people stating that they saw him in different locations in the Lower Mainland. But all of the tips have proved to be of no value, confirmed Morrow.

Morrow said that police are remaining hopefully, adding that there is “hope is there for the family. But we’ve come up dry again.”

“I think the only follow-up further in the media will be finding him, one format or another.”

Anyone with any tips or information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP.

Students speak: Did you vote?

Emily Bickley, 20
General Studies

“I’m not going to vote because I don’t know what the issues are, and its better to not vote than vote in ignornance and mess everything up.”

Katherine Lee, 19
Graphic Design for Marketing

“I didn’t really know about it..it doesn’t really interest me.”

Steven Kwok, 20
Business Diploma

“I didn’t know about the election today.”

Ali Razapanju, 21
Business Administration

“I think its important for every student to vote in the student elections…they should have a good feel of whose representing them and know their ideas and what they’re on about.”

Student voter turn-out still low

The number or students who voted in the Kwantlen Student Assocation general election last week nearly doubled from last year. Despite those figures, the 555 students who did vote only make up about three per cent of the student population.

Chief Returning Officer Fred Schiffner has an idea why. “Quite frankly, I think it’s because there’s no longer any campaigning during the opening of the polls.”

Last year was the first time that campaigning was not allowed while people were voting. Prior to the rule being implemented, there was inappropriate campaigning going on “to the point of harassment” said Schiffner.

“Although I agreed with it at the time, because of the enormous difficulties we were having with controlling the campaign, I think that’s something that the board is going to have to look at — at bringing it back. When you get people out there campaigning while the polls are open, it encourages people to vote.”

He is confident that the directors will look at revoking that decision before the next election.

Nathan Griffiths, director of operations, agreed that the rule may be changed. “In formal conversations with other people on campus and executives, there’s just a general feeling that it will change.” 

Griffiths also agreed that this rule affects voter turnout, but added that there are other factors at play. He pointed out that student unions in general have low voter turnout. UBC, for example, has an average of eight-10 per cent of their students vote, said Griffiths.

Another factor is that Kwantlen doesn’t hold debates during the campaign. “It’s tough to communicate all the various different issues to students, especially on a multi-campus institution like ourselves. You can’t really do debates,” Griffiths said. 

“Schools like UBC often will have at least one, sometimes two debates for every executive position.” Without having them, it makes it difficult to reach students, he said. “There’s only one of me.”

But he is glad to see that student turnout is better than last year. “The fact that it’s gone up is positive, especially in Richmond. They rocked it.” Richmond accounted for nearly 75 per cent of all the votes.

“I think everybody out there, the people who were doing the campaigning did a great job and I think the students themselves did a great job voting and getting involved.”

Student turn out isn’t the only thing worth mentioning regarding the election results.

Last year, the majority of the multi-campus positions were won by acclamation, meaning students ran uncontested, and won by receiving more “yes” votes than “no” votes. This year, a few major positions had two candidates running against each other. Yet, all the incumbents kept their positions, even with the competition. 

Griffiths is glad to see more people running for positions within the KSA. “It means people are exited about the society and look to change stuff, too. I’m glad that people are getting involved.” 

Results highlights:

• Nathan Griffiths kept his previous title of director of operations again, but won by only 32 votes.
• Steve Lee, director of finance, was only 55 votes away from the candidate running against him.
• Vanessa Knight also kept her title as director of events winning 290-173.
• Derek Robertson, Director of External Affairs, along with Ashley Fehr, Director of Academic ran uncontested.
• A notable win for Jennifer Campbell. Previously a Langley campus representative, she beat out incumbent Jennifer Mamchur in the Langley campus director position, receiving 19 out of 26 votes.

RELATED: Students speak: Did you vote?

Audio report: Vancouver’s mass bike ride

Reporters Rachelle Ashe and Alexander Nkrumah hit the streets of Vancouver for a look at the monthly event that pushes for better bike access to city streets.

MIllion-dollar gift from credit union

You may have noticed the subtle change to the sign of Kwantlen’s library, which now reads “Coast Capital Savings Library.”

The name is meant to honour Coast Capital Savings for its recent donation of $1 million to Kwantlen, according to Jeff Norris, Kwantlen Foundation executive director.

Norris said the donation, generated from company profits, is the most significant gift Coast Capital Savings has ever given.

He also said the donation is about more than just the money.

“Bringing a gift of this size, a significant gift, really puts us on a higher stage when it comes to philanthropy in general, and I think we’ll start to see others choose Kwantlen as a place to make a donation.”

Norris said the relationship between Kwantlen and Coast Capital Savings began a few years back.

“A lot of the things Kwantlen held as value aligns nicely with Coast Capital and we realized that we could do something quite significant between the two organizations.”

The bank has supported student orientations and alumni, as well as given away free book scholarships, according to Norris.

“Coast Capital has showed an appetite to find other ways to engage in the institution above and beyond this particular gift,” he said.

Coast Capital will also benefit from the relationship.

“Most of our graduates tend to stay in this region. They thought it would be a great idea to be making investments in graduates that could be potentially their workers,” said Norris.

Gen Porcina, 21, who works at Coast Capital as a financial service representative and is also in the Kwantlen Human Resource program, said the biggest significance of the partnership is that both institutions are community driven and have similar goals.

Kwantlen Students could likely get some work experience at Coast Capital, if not an actual position, said Porcina.

“I see them working together and kind of sharing the students and the work force.”

As for the new name of the library?  Porcina, said she doesn’t mind it, but it is “a little bit much.”

“I’m used to seeing Coast Capital branded on a lot of things and when I’m at school I kind of like to see the difference.”

Coast Capital is a part of Imagine Canada, a national registered charity whose mission, according to its website, is “advancing knowledge and relationships to foster effective and sustainable charitable and nonprofit organizations.”

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