Wet days ‘time to get stuff done’ for some students

Meteorologists are forecasting more heavy rains resuming Monday and continuing through Remembrance Day and into Wednesday. 

In addition, there will be some strong winds tomorrow, starting from western Vancouver all the way through to the north, according to the local weather network.

Sean Kramer, a second-year business student at Kwantlen, thinks students should see these wet days as an opportunity to buckle down and catch up on late assignments. 

 “I don’t think it’s bad at all. I am just going to take it easy, finish up some chapters and finish hard for the remaining few weeks of the semester. I am kind of behind school a little bit, so I see the rainy days as the time to get stuff done, since I can’t really do much outside in the rain,” Kramer said.

According to Brian Crowe, an assistant engineer for City of Vancouver, the problem right now is fallen leaves clogging up sewers. “Leaves are always a problem at this time of the year, but we have street crews who do their best to clear the basins,” he said.  

Crowe added it would be helpful for the city and every one else, if folks would clear leaves in front of their houses and businesses to prevent clogged drains and flooding.

KSA by-elections draw just over 200 student voters

Only 206 Kwantlen students hit the polls last week for the KSA by-election, accounting for roughly one per cent of the 17,000 registered at the school, down 21 per cent from last year’s general election turnout of 261 students.

Nathan Griffiths, Director of Operations for the KSA, said that the turnout was a disappointment. “It’s kind of sad,” he said, but added that, “ultimately, it comes down to where we put our resources and we can only do so much advertising.” He said that what the KSA always hopes for is more people running for each position, because that in turn leads to more campaigning and more student awareness.

Fred Schiffner, Chief Returning Officer of the by-election, disagreed. “I was disappointed more people didn’t vote. The KSA could have done a better job advertising. A lot of students wanted an explanation (at the polls); they didn’t know what they were voting for.”

Vanessa Knight won the only position not awarded by acclamation, and it was a tight race. Although she placed third in Richmond to competitors Ritesh Maisuria and Meirna Said, she was elected because of her strong showing in both Surrey and Langley.

Knight also swept the polls in Cloverdale, although only three people cast ballots at the trades and technology campus.

“I’m incredibly relieved I was elected, I definitely had doubts,” Knight said. “I’m excited to do some new awesome events and bring them to a university level.”

Five new campus representatives and four new campus officers were elected by acclamation to Surrey, Richmond and Langley, garnering 393 “yes” votes to 145 “no” votes altogether.

Griffiths said that the number of “no” votes stays fairly consistent throughout elections, but he isn’t sure of the reasons behind this. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why it’s that high.”

Schiffner said that this might have been due to confusion at the polls. He said some students didn’t read the ballot correctly and thought you could only choose one candidate instead of voting “yes” or “no,” while others left ballots blank or spoiled because they didn’t know the candidates they were voting for and weren’t prepared to offer “willy-nilly” support.

Liaisons for students of colour, mature students and students with disabilities were also elected by acclamation, garnering 496 “yes” votes to 96 “no” votes. “No” votes accounted for 16 per cent of the ballots.

Live animals, games and a blow-torch as Cloverdale celebrates

Bull-riding, Guitar Hero and a live pony were a few of the features at the Cloverdale campus Oct. 29, a day to celebrate of Kwantlen’s university status with an event called “Our Students, Our Community.”

All campuses have been asked to host a day to honor the new status and the campus culture, and Cloverdale went all out.

“The intent today is to send the message that we are a university,” said Lynn Doull, the administrative program assistant for trades and technology at the campus, “and to inspire enthusiasm in students and faculty.”

A wide hallway was lined with tables, and at each one a different program had a mini-presentation set up, with an instructor on hand to talk to anyone who had questions. Dexter, the pony, was stationed at the ferriers’ table.

A hockey tent was set up for anyone who wanted to play, and with the other festivities and free food, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

In a larger, open area, a local trio, Delta Blue, performed for the crowd. The band’s drummer, Bradley Paraninfi, attends the campus and offered to play. The members were eager and excited to put on the show.

In attendance, along with students and faculty, was President David Atkinson who was invited to an unveiling of a structure that was put together by students from the heavily-trade campus. Outside, a crowd gathered to watch Atkinson cut metal with a blowtorch, unlatching two swinging doors. After a few technical difficulties, Atkinson broke through and the crowd cheered.

“Those things have no problem cutting through human flesh!” commented Atkinson, a little alarmed after handling such a tool.

“I’ve spent all of my life in the rarified environment of ‘the university’. So when I come over here and someone hands me a welding torch – you saw how nervous I was.”

Working with Kwantlen, Atkinson said, has been a revelation.

For him, the day was “a matter of trying to celebrate community,” he said, “and this facility, perhaps more than any because the kind of education which is going on here, is extraordinary. It’s not the kind of education you would typically find in a university.”

Are you voting in the KSA by-election?

Five students at the Richmond campus, where a polling station was open in the rotunda from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, were asked if they were going to vote in this year’s KSA by-election. Langley students will be the last to cast their votes Thursday, Oct. 30.

Gary Wong, 20, taking ESL courses
“No, I don’t know the difference, which group and the different groups.”

Christine Tseng, 22, Public Relations
“No. I didn’t even know it was happening before I saw [the polling booths]. I wouldn’t know what I’m voting for.”

Alyssa Smith, 24, Public Relations
“I’m not planning on voting in the KSA by-elections because it’s so wrought with controversy and bad leadership and our fees are going nowhere. I just don’t really feel like I need to participate in something like that.”

Carling Hind, 21, Public Relations
“To be honest, to be perfectly honest, no. I don’t know enough about them and I also believe that it’s a little bit isolated, like every time I go to the KSA office its very group orientated and it feels like isolated from the group.”

Sean Kramer, 23, Business
“No, I just haven’t really thought about it.”

Kwantlen accepted by national universities association

Kwantlen’s battle for university accreditation finally ended last Thursday (Oct. 23) when the freshly inaugurated university was accepted as a member of the esteemed Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

The AUCC represents 92 of Canada’s universities, and university-degree level colleges, guaranteeing the quality of their diverse programs through a comprehensive evaluation process.

“This has been a long road for Kwantlen and we should all take a moment to celebrate this accomplishment,” wrote Kwantlen President David W. Atkinson in a notice announcing the acceptance.

Last April, the B.C. government announced it would be designating five existing schools universities, but that did not ensure their acceptance into the AUCC. This latest step should assure Kwantlen students that there is also substance behind the change.

Canada does not have a national accreditation system for higher education, but according to the AUCC website, “Membership in the Association coupled with the appropriate provincial legislation is generally accepted in lieu of institutional accreditation.”

The criteria for membership includes government by a senate, provision of a broad range of undergraduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, a proven record of scholarly activity and research, and graduate outcomes that meet or exceed high levels of quality.

The AUCC’s main services to members relate to public policy and advocacy, research and information sharing, and scholarships and international programs.

The University of the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island University, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and Kwantlen are all currently members of the AUCC, while Capilano University has not yet been accepted.

New health benefit pays for students’ nicotine replacement

The KSA has taken an initiative to promote healthier lifestyles for Kwantlen students by including a subsidized Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in the Student Benefit plan.

The plan is in partnership with the B.C. Lung Association and targets post-secondary students who want to quit smoking. The partnership began with the association’s initiative to have a quit smoking program offered to Kwantlen students.

“The KSA recognized this was something important and we should have (it) in place in our student benefits program,” said Eddie Lee, the Student Health (SHIP) program coordinator. “It kind of worked hand-in-hand that this program is in place with B.C. Lung because with this new benefit package place, we can really serve the students a whole lot better.”

Lee feels that even without B.C. Lung Associations’s initiative, the KSA would have started an NRT plan.

Students can now receive up to $500 for NRTs, including nicotine gum, lozenges, patches, sprays and prescription medicines.

“I can’t say one works better then the other, but I do think we cover all the basis, and we can give students as many options, or tools they need,” said Lee.

Students will be re-reimbursed for over-the-counter NRTs by taking their receipts to the KSA and filling out a claims form. For prescription medicines, students must take their medical card to the pharmacy and they will be automatically covered.

Lee said that creating a smoke-free campus is not the primary goal of the program, but that it is a matter of helping students who want to quit smoking by making resources available.

“We recognize especially with Kwantlen, and with having a trades campus, statistically we have a higher percentage of smoking,” said Lee. “By being part of this initiative, I think we have the resources to help build a successful program here.”

The Student Benefit package (health and hental insurance) costs students $179 a year, although they can opt out if they are already covered by extended medical elsewhere.

Nominations close with no candidates for three positions, nine uncontested

The Kwantlen Student Association by-election will kick off Monday in Cloverdale, with 17 students vying for 22 positions. The by-election will also be held in Surrey Tuesday, Richmond Wednesday and Langley Thursday, with polling open from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Because of the lack of nominations this year, nine uncontested positions will be decided by a straight yes-or-no vote and an additional three will be left empty. There were no nominations for the women’s liaison, the First Nations student representative or the Newton-Cloverdale campus council position.

All candidates were asked to provide a 100-word statement on why they are best fit for the position. They are included below (courtesy of the KSA).

Director of Events and Student Life (vote for one)

• Vanessa Knight: In the three short months that I was Acting Director of Event, I really only had time to carry out the plans already layed out by my predecessor. I would like to hold more age-appropriate events for Kwantlen Students, such as club nights, polar tournaments and Banghra nights, as well as awareness and cause-oriented events like SEXPO, Love Your Body Week and an Environmental Fair. I’m also interested in the influence I would have as a member of Council, and helping in decisions regarding the U-Pass and KSA policy. Most of all I would like to help build a functional and exciting student life for Kwantlen.
• Ritesh Maisuria: I would like to run for the position of Vice President of Events and Student Life, because I feel I would be able to improve the quality of events thrown and be able to better publicise them. This includes pub/club nights, fundraisers and on-campus events. I would like to help bring up student morale on all the campuses, giving students something more look forward to besides just their classes.
• Meirna Said: I would like to get most of the students involved in creating and suggesting events they would like to see happening in their university. I’ve had experience putting successful events outside the KSA and I volunteered helping the KSA with their events. I’m very passionate about creating a student life within our university. If you’d like to see a better change in events and student life, vote for me and give me a chance to create change.

Surrey Campus Representative (vote for up to four)

• Harmon (Sean) Bassi: I have always had a strong interest towards political structure teams. When I think of student council, I think of a team containing healthy bright people who come together and produce a various amount of activities that ensure every student at the school leaves with good memories. Having someone leaves with good memories is something I would enjoy being responsible of and will do anything in power to ensure this certain goal.
• Will Davies: I am running for Campus Council Representative, primarily, because I want to work. I found out about the position through searching for work on campus and I believe this willingness to work will come through as a Campus Council Representative. If elected, I would not shy away from putting in the extra hours in order to represent the Surrey campus.
• Harman Mann: I’m running for Surrey Campus Rep, so I can represent students and fulfill there desires with activities they enjoy doing. Also through events to keep our campus more lively and, most important, make it fun for my student friends at Kwantlen. I think I make a good Campus Rep because I’m well-organized, intelligent and easy-going.
• Kari Michaels: I’m a second year student and I’m pretty awesome. I have been working as staff on the Surrey Campus Council for the past 6 months. In that time I’ve attended Council meetings, planned the Fall Welcome Event, movie festivals in the lounge and helped with other events. As a student, I’ve attended meetings of the Student Issues and Action Committee, the Events and Communications Committee and the Pride Commission. I’m actively involved in KSA activities and it’s important that students have that representation. Vote for me, I do stuff!
• Harshil Pala: I believe that the KSA plays an amazing role in student life at the Surrey Campus. However, many students are not taking advantage of the services offered by the association, nor are they participating in the various events that are organized for them. My goal is to find out what it will take to better student life and involvement at the Surrey Campus. Also, I will fight to give students a voice in the planning process of anything in which they are affected.

Surrey Campus Officer (yes/no vote)

• Bhupinder Mandair: I have always been the type of person that wants to help people in any way possible. I come from a politically active background and understand the issues that face our age demographic. There are numerous challenges facing students especially in times of economic uncertainty. Issues that are important to me including decreasing tuition & textbook fees as well as ensuring equal opportunities for all students. I believe this is an excellent opportunity to make a direct and immediate difference.
• Jonathan Yaniv: Currently I am volunteering on/off with the KSA as student. I helped out quite a bit with the referendum to leave the Canadian Federation of Students. Just recently, I volunteered to sell tickets for the amazing event CramJam III. As a campus officer, I will be able to help out with events, help make events rock. The next event that I hope to help with is SHAFT. As an officer, I have more say in what the students want. I have a voice for the students. Right now, I have a voice for only myself. With me as campus officer, your voice will be heard!

Langley Campus Officer (yes/no vote)

• Jared Busse: As a first-year student, I share the feeling of other first-years, a little overwhelmed. Getting involved in the KSA, after getting settled into the university life, was one of my top goals. Involvement is key in university to enjoy the full experience, and I wish to make sure everyone gets involved. Expanding one’s horizons is imperative today. I want to help myself and others to do just that. Please vote for involvement, for Jared Busse as Campus Council Officer.
• Rachel Vanags: Running as an officer, I believe that I can speak for students, offer them help, and offer better representation during Council and within the school.
• Ashley White: I would like to make students more aware of the services provided to them by the KSA, and assist the campus representatives and director in providing these services. I would also like to serve as a way for the students to be heard by presenting their issues, concerns and wishes to the Campus Council. I have often heard students say that they don’t know how to gain access to services or give input, and I would like to make them more aware of how to do these things. I can assist both planning and running KSA campus event.

Richmond Campus Representative (yes/no vote)

• Andrew Kochhar: As a Richmond Rep I believe I can make a change on the Richmond Campus and help students with their day-to-day questions and concerns. I also believe I can help throw events and make the KSA a more student-friendly environment.

Students With Disabilities Liaison (yes/no vote)

• Ken McIntyre: Raising the profile of the issues that affect students with disabilities is an ongoing process. I enjoy connecting with the campus community and want to continue to be a strong voice for students with disabilities at Kwantlen. Kwantlen offers good services to students with disabilities and I want to keep it that way. If elected I will continue to provide feedback to Kwantlen on behalf of students with disabilities to continue to improve the services the school and the KSA offer.

Students of Colour Liaison (yes/no vote)

• Keshanth Sivayogampillai: As a student in Canada for 10 years, I have witnessed discrimination on many levels, and it is my hope that as your Student of Colour Liaison, I can aid those of you who have faced these issues first-hand. In my position, I will offer support and do everything in my power to resolve any conflicts related to race discrimination.

Mature Students Liaison (yes/no vote)

• Robert Kovacic: I am not running simply to make promises I can’t follow through with, and I’m definitely not going to give things away so that you’ll vote for me. If elected to the post of Mature Liaison, I will serve my members as they were my own flesh and blood by being understanding, honest and empathetic.

‘Emily’ – a human face on post-secondary funding cuts

“Emily” is a 24-year-old Kwantlen student and single mother of two small children, and at an Oct. 15 meeting her life story was used to give a human face to the issue of university funding cutbacks.

At the meeting of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, two representatives from the Kwantlen Faculty Association used Emily’s story, as well as warnings about the current financial crisis, to appeal for restoration of post-secondary funding, which was cut 2.6 per cent in the March provincial budget.Vice-president Maureen Shaw, who is also an English instructor, appeared with secretary-treasurer and chemistry instructor Suzanne Pearce to share a Kwantlen counsellor’s story about Emily. She entered Kwantlen’s Special Education Teacher’s Assistant Program at the age of 19, already with a one-year-old child, and quickly became a star student, earning a GPA of 3.5 and serving as a student assistant.

Two years later, however, her marriage fell apart. Her husband and family abandoned her, and with all her family and financial supports gone, her student loans couldn’t cover rent, car expenses and daycare, driving her into debt.

Nt wanting to quit school altogether, Emily tried distance education but ran into more challenges, including a serious car accident and her son’s illness, before eventually recovering and rebuilding.

The biggest obstacle students face to completing their education, according to Shaw and Pearce, is financial. Restoration of the 2.6 per cent of funding that was cut was one of five recommendations they presented to the committee. The other four were restoring real per-student funding to 2001 levels, committing to reducing tuition fees over the next five years, providing funding for Kwantlen’s elevation to university status and bringing back the student grant program.

“It’ll be awhile before we know how the recommendations are received,” said Shaw. Every fall, the provincial government puts out a priority paper outlining the main areas for government funding in the upcoming provincial budget. Groups such as the Kwantlen Faculty Association, as well as the public, are invited to submit briefs at committee hearings, to try to influence, and make recommendations for, priorities for government funding. According to Shaw, the committees are primarily made up of Liberal MLAs.

New Kwantlen president David Atkinson was the first speaker at the Oct. 15 meeting. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 24, after which the committee will issue its final report, on Nov. 15.

“There’s a lot of demands on the government dollars,” said Shaw, but added that if they hear from enough people that it’s a concern, the government might decide to act.

Kwantlen U-Pass by 2009?

Kwantlen students are one step closer to getting U-Passes.

The Kwantlen Student Association has reached a tentative agreement with Translink for a $19-a-month pass. The KSA now wants to collaborate with other universities in Greater Vancouver to present Translink with a more unified plan, after which they hope to put it to a referendum for students in the spring. If successful, the U-Pass should be implemented by next fall.

“What we’re doing right now is talking to the institutions, trying to come up with a unified plan because all the U-Passes that have happened in the past have come about because of students from the university collaborating and coming as one application for a U-Pass,” said Derek Robertson, Director of External Affairs for the KSA.

A U-Pass is a transit pass valid for unlimited bus and Skytrain travel for one semester, as well as a $2 discount on West Coast Express tickets. The U-Pass has been available to students at UBC and Simon Fraser University since 2003, and Langara students since May 2008, according to the Translink website. Translink is currently negotiating with the student associations of seven other institutions, including Kwantlen.

The KSA has been involved in off-and-on negotiations with Translink since 2003. The KSA began by collaborating with other student unions but soon left the table because Kwantlen was expected to subsidize the U-Pass for smaller schools.

“We’re not elected to pretty much shaft the students of Kwantlen because students at the VCC or Emily Carr or schools like that get a cheaper U-Pass,” Robertson said. “So we said no, and then there was the period when RAF (Reduce All Fees) was in power, which they didn’t do anything for the U-Pass, and then it started up again in the last year. So, it had hurdles, and that’s why it took so long.”

Kwantlen also has a relatively low transit ridership rate, currently an average of 18% of students attending the four campuses. Translink operates under a revenue-neutral model, according to Robertson, which means it will lose money as more students take advantage of the heavily-subsidized transit services provided by a U-Pass.

“If they take $19 a month from Kwantlen and only 18 per cent of students use it, they’re still making money off it, but what they don’t see is that if you implement a U-Pass then ridership goes up,” he said, adding that when SFU implemented the U-Pass, transit ridership doubled within two years.

A Translink representative was not available for comment.

Student newspaper scheduled to hit newsstands in January

The release of Kwantlen’s first student-run newspaper has been delayed after DJ Lam, who first dreamed up the idea, was injured and left paralyzed from the neck down over the summer. After hiring an assistant and working hard since then, Lam now anticipates the first issue of the paper will be published January 2009.  

Students having been paying for the student newspapers, at the rate of 75 cents per credit, per semester, since September.

Lam has spent the months since his injury, “crunching through numbers, putting together plans, getting a lease signed to get office space, trying to space on campus at first, and trying to put this together the best I could.

“Some of it, to be honest, would have been done a little bit sooner, but I did break my neck and I’m a quadriplegic now, so I’m half paralyzed. 

“A lot of the work now involves just finishing up the work that we started in the summer.”

A society has been created, called Polytechnic Ink, and while a name for the paper is still being considered, the same name may be on the table.

“Built into the rules of the society, are that there have to be nine contributors, no matter what,” said Lam. “Those nine contributors are generally people that have contributed three or more stories, photos or any kind of content, within the last calendar year. In this case that will obviously be waived because everyone will be new. But amongst those contributors, they will elect amongst themselves, the first set of editors.”

Lam confirmed that staff members on the paper will be paid a salary. Contributors who have work featured on the front page, or provide the top news piece, or graphics used for the head of a section, will also receive compensation.

The new advertising director, Matt Huff, is on campuses raising awareness and talking to students. He will be recruiting the first group of contributors and, Lam said, right now is the best time to get on board.

If you can’t find Huff on your campus and want to get involved, you can contact him at by email.

The society has leased office space near, but not on, the Surrey campus. Though on-campus space was desired, none could be found. The off-campus space does have its advantages, Lam said, such as the ability to run production late into the night after campus hours. For students, this is important as production work has to fit around around class schedules. 

Other major details have been worked out. Lam has confirmed that the publication will begin as a bi-weekly. he hopes it will eventually become a weekly, as long as “the quality can be maintained and we can put out a paper that is nice and fat, enjoyable to read and has content that makes it worth publishing.

“Quality over quantity is what its going to be at first.”

There are many advantages for students who get involved, said Lam, such as learning how to write, having an opportunity to express themselves, getting involved with the student issues, learning to edit and produce a paper, and even things like the opportunity to sell advertising, for which students will receive a commission. 

“We want everyone to have a chance to get involved and so we need to put the message out there and say, ‘Come, see, come play a part in your campus community and learn how to edit, write, do graphic design, be published, do photography, do all those wonderful things.’

Lam looks forward to giving students, “something that’s theirs, written by their peers, and produced and photographed by their peers, that has to do with information that’s valuable to them, in their hands.”

Students will be given, as promised, an opportunity to opt-out of the newspaper fee they are currently paying to the KSA. 

“But come January, I can guarantee people that this is something that they won’t want to opt-out of. At the end of the day, for the average student it will come out to around $6.25 per student, or damn close to it, and really, if it helps them connect in a way, or helps them realize the idea that they can have campus community and this is a tool to do it, then it’s probably better than some of the other fees they paid for other things this semester.”

(Editor’s note: The Kwantlen Chronicle, while it is produced by students, is not a student-run newspaper. The Chronicle is produced by second-year journalism students as part of their coursework. It is an independent online and print newspaper, and not connected with the university administration or any other body on campus.)

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