Green Wednesday back at Langley this week

Another round of Green Wednesdays at Kwantlen is almost here.

This Wednesday, the School of Horticulture and the Green Ideas Network will be showing “Dirt: The Movie” at the Langley Kwantlen campus.

Gary Jones, Horticulture Instructor at Kwantlen, says, “It’s really a time for some informal education around issues of sustainability and it provides a venue for people to come together to discuss these things in a very informal setting.”

Typically, a Green Wednesday begins with an environmentally-themed movie. Then there is a break, where people can have something to eat and drink, before door prizes are awarded. The door prizes are from the event’s sponsors: A Bread Affair and Ladybug Organics.

The rest of the evening is left open for when there is a guest speaker, such as last month when the movie makers of “The Clean Bin Project” arrived to talk and answer questions at the event.

“We try to have some take-home action points as to what we can do in terms of personally at home or in our individual communities to make some changes,” Jones said.

An average of somewhere between 50 and 60 people attend the monthly Green Wednesdays, but Jones said that this number is steadily increasing.

“At the last event, which was the first of the season, we had 130 people,” Jones said.

This Wednesday, as well as showing the short 40-minute film “Dirt: The Movie,” some of the movie’s special features will be shown.

“I want to show two of them in particular,” Jones said. “One is about landscape planning and town planning, and how that effects soil and how that affects community. And the other one is about schools and bringing education around soil, food production, sustainability and food security into the classroom.

“I’d like people to go away with something that they can actually think about doing.”

Green Wednesdays are held at the Langley Kwantlen campus in Room 1325, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and the movie starting at 7. Admission is by donation.

SFU to rally for education: Will Kwantlen?

Simon Fraser University will host a student-led education rally Wednesday to protest funding cuts to universities and issues surrounding student debt.

The SFU Community Coalition aims to raise awareness about the current state of education funding in B.C., in the hopes of making post-secondary education a high priority in B.C.’s next provincial budget.

The Nov. 10 rally, scheduled for the Convocation Mall at 3 p.m., is an offspring of the Canadian Federation of Students’ student debt campaign, which focuses on similar issues and unites students in an attempt to induce legislative education reforms.

Unlike other universities across Canada, Kwantlen has yet to speak out about those issues.

“The KSA will have a campaign, it’s just a matter of to what extent students grasp it and to what extent we are able to use our capacities to the fullest in the KSA,” said Bradley Head, the KSA’s director of academic affairs, and the chair of the academic issues committee.

The capacity of the KSA is currently limited: internal politics have rendered council ineffective since the start of the fall semester, and there haven’t been any official meetings since September, according to Head.

“We’ve been in discussion with SFU a little bit, but not to the extent where we can do any big campaign,” he said.

Head said that the KSA would like to look into receiving more operating funds and grants for the university, increasing class sizes and making student loans more accessible.

These are similar to the issues being brought up on Wednesday on SFU, along with reducing student loan interest rates, and increasing funding to StudentAid B.C., a government program that helps students with the cost of post-secondary education.

The provincial budget will be finalized mid-November, so students have limited time to voice the changes they’d like to see in the 2011 budget.

But change is possible. And with Premier Gordon Campbell’s recent announcement that he will be resigning, there may be hope for increased funding towards education.

“I think that [with] the change in premier, there’s a lot of positive that could come from it for the school,” said Head.

“Depending on who is placed in that position, their opinions based on student debt and the way the education system’s currently funded, [it] could massively change any chances the student unions have of decreasing or maintaining current tuition,” Head speculated.

Head said he hopes the issue be brought up within the KSA in the next two to three weeks.

“[But] that’s if council meets,” he said. “If council doesn’t meet, there’s no way to actually do the campaign.”

Negotiations over, U-Pass program to go to vote

With a few details being ironed out, the U-Pass contract – as it stands now – will go to a referendum.

A week ago, the Kwantlen Student Association postponed a referendum on the U-Pass as negotiations hadn’t reached a conclusion before a target date set by TransLink set. This week, the negotiations were finalized, pending working out details in a couple areas.

The result is a recommendation that students vote in February 2011 to accept or reject a U-Pass.

One area that still needs to be worked out is the wording of the contract to include Adult Basic Education (ABE) students in the U-Pass program. ABE students are mature students who did not graduate from high school but are upgrading some education to continue in university education. Originally, these students were not included in the U-Pass program, since ABE credits do not count as regular full-time credits like most other courses do.

Another, more finicky area, concerns students who withdraw from courses after they receive a U-Pass.

Hypothetically, it may be possible for a student to register for one class, receive a U-Pass, then withdraw from that class. In this case, TransLink would charge Kwantlen an additional $50 to make up the difference between a U-Pass and a regular one-zone buss pass, as this person would no longer be considered a student at Kwantlen.

The problem lies in the fact that Kwantlen does not have the means to collect this fee from the student, and is wrestling with the question of whether a student can be prevented from registering for classes before paying back the institution.

Matt Todd, the Kwantlen Student Administration’s director of external affairs, said, “the university has this dilemma of would we really prevent somebody from furthering their post secondary education because they didn’t pay for their U-Pass?”

At the table, Kwantlen failed to negotiate an increase in the exemption limits from one to five per cent, something that Kwanten believes is a problem unique to the Fraser Valley.

“Because most of those students [in the valley] go to Kwantlen, we feel that this is a problem that is special to Kwantlen,“ Todd said.

The student association expects roughly five per cent of students will want to be exempt from paying for and using their U-Pass, because of a lack of reliable and frequent transit access in some communities of the valley. These students would be forced to pay for a U-Pass that they are likely to not use.

“We don’t think that’s fair to students,” Todd said.

According to Todd, there are two options: “Better service or exempt those students.”

If approved, the U-Pass system will be a two-card system for at least two years or until TransLink implements a smart-card electronic fare system.

This means the KSA will incur the costs of redesigning new student ID cards that include some features required by TransLink, as well as the U-Pass card itself. There are other expenses for implementing the U-Pass, such as hiring staff to deal with the new program, training staff and buying new software. All these costs are paid by participating schools and only an increase in student fees would pay for this.

“They have come to the table, they’ve made a big investment, but I don’t think [the province] realized how much it was going to cost,” Todd said.

Todd is recommending that the referendum be held in the first week of February next year.

Co-operative Education drops by Lululemon Athletica

Staff and faculty from Kwantlen met with staff and leaders from Lululemon Athletica at Oakridge Centre last week To discuss and exchange ideas for co-operation.

From now on, Lululemon Athelica is one of the employers in Kwantlen’s Co-operative Education Program. The two-year program combines on-campus study with one semester of paid, career-related work experience./p>

“During this semester, students work at a job in their typical field where they can apply their theoretical knowledge. Also, students get in contact with employers,” said Caitlin Stiles, co-op coordinator at Kwantlen.

So far, Kwantlen offers co-op for students of Computer Information Systems, Environmental Protection Technology, the Marketing Management Diploma, Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Entrepreneurial Leadership and BBA in Accounting.

For Lululemon co-operation with Kwantlen is no way of recruiting staff, said Hector Cabrera, who is key manager, floor manager and retail trainer.

“We want to get in touch with young, vibrant people in the community that want to make a difference and don’t really know how. We give them resources to do that and create what they want,” Cabrera said.

There is no typical hierarchy at Lululemon Athletica. Each store is independent and the mission statement for each is different.

“We don’t do our business for the sake of profits right away: It’s about what can we do to establish a relationship with the people in our community. When people see that, they get gravitated towards the brand and to what the company means and what it’s about and that makes us successful on the long haul,” said Cabrera.

Lululemon wants to extend the relationship with Kwantlen, Cabera said. “This hasn’t to be bureaucratic; it’s as easy as an conversation. People are people and that’s why it’s great to partner up with a school that sees it that way as well.”

This is just the start and coordinators at Kwantlen’s Career Services and Co-op, as well as staff at Lululemon Athletica, are looking forward to see how things will evolve. What happens next depends on the students.

To see if your program has an option for co-op and for more information, go to www.kwantlen.ca/coop.

Kwantlen students support fight against breast cancer

In support of breast cancer awareness month, the Kwantlen Student Association held a Breast Cancer Cupcake Bar last week.

This was the third year of the annual event, held on the Richmond, Langley and Surrey campuses, and it raised $877, all of which goes to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

“It’s been a lot more responsive than the last few years, and we were thinking maybe it’s just the way we’ve set up. We’ve grown with the event, made it a little bigger, a little fancier,” said Reena Bali, director of events and student life.

The recipe for the cupcakes sold on Richmond and Surrey campuses was donated by the local business Dolce Delights; the cupcakes were made by campus representative Nicole Joe.

“The ones from Langley, we bought from a local bakery called Frostings, only because it’s really hard to bake cupcakes for three days in a row,” said Bali. “In Langley, the cupcakes went really fast. We were done by 1:30, students and faculty were buying them like no tomorrow.”

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation estimates 23,200 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, which is up 500 from 2009. Close to 950 of these cases will be women under 40.

Men are also affected by breast cancer. Estimates suggest 180 men will be diagnosed with the disease in 2010.

KSA’s Kwantlen yoga studio loses $6,000 in first year

The Blossoming Lotus yoga studio at Kwantlen’s Richmond campus took a financial hit during its first year of operation.

According to a June 24 budget update from the Kwantlen Student Association, the studio had accumulated a net loss of $6,855 while generating only $1,887 in revenue.

“We definitely took a loss this year; it was unanticipated. It was the first year of doing it, we’ve never really done fitness classes out here before. We were trying a couple of different models and it’s reflected in the losses,” said Eddie Lee, health & recreation manager of the Kwantlen Student Association.

Most of the expenses for the studio came from instructor fees which totalled $6,060. Other expenses included marketing and administrative costs, which came to $969, and general operating expenses (cleaning, signage, postage), which came to $1,713.

According to Lee, lack of student participation in the classes was a big factor.

“Students want to take classes but it interferes with their classes, so for that reason they can’t participate. But it’s not for a lack of interest,” Lee said.

“We’ve priced ourselves to be affordable to students, which means we’re typically lower than the community centres, the studios, the fitness clubs, things like that. We’re not here to profit off the students.”

The cost for individual classes is $25 for students on the health and dental plan and $35 for students who are not. Community centres in both Richmond and Surrey also offer drop in classes at costs ranging from $4.25 (with student discount) to $5.50.

To help mitigate losses, the KSA has created an online registration system using Paypal. This will enable courses to be run when there are enough students to fill them. The KSA has also changed some instructors and opened classes to the community to make them more cost effective.

“With the reduction in instructor fees and going to this online registration, we’ve definitely seen a growth in the numbers and attendance, which obviously combined with the reduced instructor fees are taking us closer to that break-even point.” said Lee.

The next budget will be released in January 2011 and Lee is positive things will have turned around.

“I’m confident in saying that the losses have been significantly reduced and we’re hoping to break even or come in with a small profit margin by next year.”

Sustainability theme for World Food Day at Kwantlen

Sustainability was the theme for World Food Day 2010, and while the day has already come and gone, organizers have aimed to have a lasting impact.

On Monday Oct. 18, Kwantlen students and faculty took part in a free United Against Hunger event at the Langley campus.

In addition to food and cake, education was served up by numerous speakers that presented between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Among the presenters were Dr. Deborah Henderson, Kwantlen’s Director of the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture, Dave Stark, the director of Langley Food First, and Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender.

The event was sponsored by the university, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Food For Famine Society, a Langley-based company that sends a food supplement called Cibo to starving children overseas.

Kwantlen’s World Food Day focused on the importance of local sustainability, in keeping with the idea that hunger can be fought at international, national and regional levels. While the event was positive and meant to encourage local action, it did touch on the world’s current environmental situation, which was less than positive.

“Canada is really bad… needing four to six planets to keep our lifestyle alive,” Henderson said to attendees in the school’s auditorium.

The topics discussed included agricultural pollution, healthy living, food production and fair trade.

“It is a moral obligation to feed ourselves,” Henderson continued, before highlighting the benefits to producing food locally.

And, with regards to trade, “We’ve gone past the point that makes sense,” she said, noting that importing food that can be grown here is simply excessive.

Food bank offers help for struggling students

With increasing costs for students, Kwantlen University’s food bank is playing an increasingly important role.

In September, the jobless rate in B.C. rose 0.2 per cent according to B.C. Stats, which put the jobless rate at 7.5 per cent, 0.5 percent below the national average of eight per cent. Youth in B.C. (ages 15-24), face an even higher unemployment rate of 14.4 per cent.

“There is kind of an untold story and sad truth about student hunger. Students unfortunately are paying more in tuition than they ever have before and often earning less than they did before,” said Nathan Griffiths, marketing & communications coordinator for the Kwantlen University Student Association.

The KUSA has been running the current form of the food bank for roughly one year and offers discreet support for students in need.

“We look for any non-perishable food items and there’s drop-off and pick-up locations around campuses, generally next to the KUSA offices,” said Griffiths.

Students are free to drop off or pick up food from these locations as needed. It is an open system that anyone can make use of.

“As with any food bank, unfortunately the need outweighs the supply. So the KUSA, through the student health improvement program, buys additional food to ensure that there’s always food in the food basket,” Griffiths said.

The KUSA also offers a program for students who have a more serious need for financial assistance.

“We have an auxiliary program for students who need even more food. There are about a dozen students on this program, where we leave a larger basket in an undisclosed locker for them and they can pick it up if they need. That’s for if there is an identified serious problem,” said Griffiths

The counselling department will identify students who are in need of this support and connect them with the program.

“Nobody needs to know they are using the food bank program; it is completely anonymous,” said Griffiths.

Food fight at Kwantlen’s Surrey campus

Friends 4 Food is not friends with Sodexo.

The reactive Friends 4 Food was formed in opposition to what they see as “a corporate bully”, Sodexo, moving in as operators of Kwantlen’s cafeterias through what they say is an all-too-murky process.

Friends 4 Food is run by a small group of criminology students and serves vegan food to students in the Surrey campus courtyard four days a week, offering an alternative to what F4F sees as overly expensive and unhealthy food, provided by Sodexo at Kwantlen’s cafeterias.

In the first week of operations, F4F was shutdown by Fraser Health Authority and slapped with $615 in fines for various health code violations, but not before being warned by Kwantlen administration of the potential health violations and of not properly booking space in the courtyard at Surrey Campus.

The idea was to serve vegan food by donation to students who don’t wish to spend their money at Sodexo.

“We thought we’d call for a boycott, but we can’t really call for a boycott if we have no means for students to boycott it,” said Eva Botten, who is a lead organizer of F4F.

Started as a research project for a criminology class, F4F organizers looked into the history of the company now running the cafeteria at the school.

“So we’re trying to get [Sodexo] out,” Botten said.

On the Surrey campus, there are other food options, such as the student-run Grassroots Café, but campuses in Richmond, Langley and Cloverdale only have Sodexo-run cafeterias.

F4F has gained wide support from Kwantlen’s criminology faculty in its vocal protests against Sodexo on one side, but has been dealing with Kwantlen aministration and policy on the other.

“In an era where there is so much student indifference or apathy, to have a student who is smart and politically engaged and have some political moxie, is a student to be celebrated,” said Hollis Johnson, the criminology professor who assigned the project.

Johnson also harkened back to an incident over the summer when Emery Warner, another Kwantlen criminology student, was booted off campus for refusing to show identification while handing out leaflets protesting Sodexo’s (at the time) new place on campus.

“Why would anybody get in trouble with the university and members of Sodexo for leafleting, handing out pieces of paper on a university, which to my mind is an open, public institution?” Johnson asked.

“Does that mean that anybody who walks on campus who we don’t like what they look like, or have to say, have to identify themselves?”

Joanne Saunders, Kwantlen’s Director of Marketing and Communications, said,”everyone is allowed to voice their opinion, I don’t have any concerns about that at all.”

“We’re just a university. The only reason we’re really involved, is we need to make sure that everything that the students are involved in, they’re in a safe environment… the proper space has been booked if they’re planning an event,” Saunders said.

Saunders said Kwantlen’s concerns were solely to do with the booking the required space and making sure the group meets the required Fraser Health regulations.

“We’re not there to hound the students to take up their time and ask them to do unreasonable things, but that is the procedure here at the university,” she said.

Jody Gordon, associate vice-president, students, wouldn’t comment on F4F, even though Friends 4 Food has singled out her office as the source of its troubles.

They believe that someone in Gordon’s office is responsible for tipping Fraser Health off, meaning that F4F was inspected even before the newly-opened Tim Horton’s on Surrey campus.

But according to Gordon, during the first week that F4F was set up serving food, Fraser Health Authority was alerted by an article that appeared on The Province’s website, prompting the health to shut F4F down amid concerns over food safety.

“Fraser Health [Authority] was involved… because of the much stricter regulations that Fraser Health has now on serving food. There’s other things that get involved with more than just occupying a small corner of a very large area,” Gordon said.

Johnson agrees.

“What about free speech? What about freedom of academic inquiry, just to name a few,” he asked.

And for Friends 4 Food, it’s a simple choice — a choice between student-made, vegan food — or not. “We’re only serving vegan food, and they do not offer vegan food,” Botten said.

“They offer carrot sticks, celery and French fries for vegan options.”

Speaking Session in Surrey: Don’t follow Rick Osborne’s path

Rick Osborne will be speaking about his about his real-life experiences with criminal activities, drug abuse and two decades in penitentiaries on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at the Surrey campus.

Who is Rick Osborne?

As a teenager in Ontario, Osborne fell in with the wrong crowd and drug addiction and street gang involvement ensued. At 21, he was a full-patch member of one of the world’s largest and powerful outlaw motorcycle clubs. Because of his criminal activity, he entered the federal penitentiary system and spend more than 24 years of his life — longer than most of Kwantlen’s students have been in this world — in penitentiaries all over Canada.

During his imprisonment he kick his drug addiction and parted with his gang life. While a federal inmate in maximum security, Osborne earned his bachelor degree in psychology from Queens University.

Since he left prison in 1993, he has travelled across Canada sharing his experiences about the dangers of gangs, drugs and criminal activity with kids and youth to prevent them following his path.

In 2008, he joined Astwood Strategy Corporation and the mentorship program Ozzy’s Garage was established. In this intervention program, at-risk kids build custom motorcycle choppers with Osborne and benefit from his experiences as a gang member.

His presentation, at 4 p.m., in room D128, is not just for Kwantlen students. “Any community member who is interested will be able to take away something from this session,” said Rob Rai, manager of Surrey Wrap Program and assistant manager of Safe Schools.

Osborne will tell how he got past his drug addiction and was able to break with his life in a gang. “It will be a combination of his journey and of his work with kids at Ozzy’s Garage”, said Rai. Osborne’s presentation is followed by questions and discussion. Admission is free.

The Speaking Session is hosted in collaboration with Safe Schools, Acting Together and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research: Community Learning and Engagement.

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