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.”

Movember: Hairy Lipped Eagles grow hair because they care

As winter approaches and the temperature outside plummets, people begin searching for ways to keep a little warmer without cranking the thermostat up and spending their hard-earned money.

Some choose to wear more layers. Others share body heat. Some even try the warm-clothes-right-out-of-the-dryer method.

But for men, there is always one tried-and-true solution: facial hair.

What better time for some facial hair than November: not only do you get the extra warmth, but it coincides with Movember, a prostate cancer awareness campaign.

While the Movember idea isn’t new, there are few people who know the reason behind it. The idea is for men to raise awareness of the risk of prostate cancer by growing moustaches and raising money for prostate cancer research through donations.

In order to gain more publicity for the cause, the KSA has put together its own Movember team, led by team captain, Chelsea Campbell — the KSA’s club and events coordinator — and KSA marketing and communications coordinator, Nathan Griffiths.

So far promotion for the team has been limited but should pick up following the Oct. 28 Halloween costume contest.

“We are looking for donations to come in over the month of November,” said Griffiths. “We’re going to try to pick a comparable school and beat them [in total donations].”

So far the KSA’s team, aptly named the “Hairy Lipped Eagles,” has 13 members and has only $50 worth of donations but they are looking for more support.

There will be a Movember dodgeball tournament held on Nov. 19 between 2 and 7 p.m. The KSA is looking to get at least six teams of three for the event, with a minimum $30 donation per team, said Griffiths.

As well as the tournament, the KSA and the GrassRoots will donate all Nov. 25 sales from people with a moustache, real or fake, to Kwantlen’s Movember team.

“There’s also our Facebook campaign, trying to get people to update their profile picture every day as their moustache grows in,” said Griffiths.

If you would like to join or donate to the KSA’s Movember team you can do so at the Kwantlen team site.

Kwantlen student union building still at talking stage

The Kwantlen Student Association’s planned student union building (SUB) at Kwantlen’s Surrey campus, fees for which were passed in a KSA referendum last September, is still being discussed by the KSA and the university.

Although it has been a year since the referendum, talks are still on as to what role Kwantlen will play in the creation of the SUB.

“Following that successful [referendum], the university formed a joint working group with the KSA to discuss this initiative. The university is considering a joint project with the KSA for this building,” said Jody Gordon, associate vice-president, students.

The SUB would likely be home to student-oriented services run by the KSA and other services that would appeal to students. However, exactly what all of these services, or possibly programs, will be, hasn’t been determined.

“[Kwantlen and the KSA] are currently reviewing the type of programming that they would like to see in the building. At this stage neither party has finalized that programming,” said Gordon.

Though this may sound worrying to students who had to pay a little more for their school fees this year, an end to the discussion and a beginning to the construction is in sight.

“Over the next two months it is our hope that we will come to a joint resolution on the location, the size of the building and the applicable programming,” said Gordon.

KSA intramurals at Kwantlen’s Richmond campus

KSA offers at Kwantlen’s Richmond Campus five fitness classes: Yoga, Boot Camp Circuit Training, Kickboxing, Group Groove and Group Centregy. All classes are held at the Blossoming Lotus Studio (Room 1320) in Richmond. Membership is $25/30 a month, drop-in purchases are available at KSA Member Services.

Kickboxing: staying in shape, feeling safe

Every Monday and Wednesday at 4 p.m., Kwantlen students are meeting at the Blossoming Lotus Studio for an hour of good, wholesome kickboxing.

You don’t even need any formal or prior kickboxing experience. “I’m taking these classes to get in shape and because it sounded cool. I’ve played soccer for 12 years so I needed something different and I didn’t want another team sport,” says Rachel Moir, 18, who’s in general studies.

The session begins with a 12-minute warm-up that includes the jumping jacks, stars, burpies, climbers, dive-bombers, push-ups and on-the-spot running. After that, you learn a basic fighting stance followed by a left-jab-right-hook (one-two) combination.

“It makes me feel a lot safer walking around Vancouver,” says Jena Renwick, 21, who studies fashion design and technology.

The instructors, Milo and Marcy Hilario, who have been kickboxing for 12 years, demonstrate and explain the techniques in terms that are easy to understand.

Then you strap on the gloves and pads and partner up and the real fun begins. Simulating a three-minute round, you practice the one-two combination with 30-second intervals of continuous punching. Your endurance is truly put to the test.

You alternate three rounds each with your partner, while Milo and Marcy provide tips for all the students, before lining up to learn knee strikes.

You repeat that routine 20 times into the air. Then you’re back with your partner, executing an aggressive jab-hook-knee combination into the pads.

The kickboxing element of the class is capped off with three minutes of non-stop right and left hooks, as well as upper-cuts, with your partner and pads. If you’re on the floor after that, it’s okay. The session ends with a three-minute abdominal workout.

“The workouts involve your shoulders. You’ve got to keep your shoulders up the whole time. Then your abs start hurting. For an hour, they pack a lot in,” says Corbin Mountford, 19, who studies business administration.

The gloves, pads and music are supplied by the instructors. Everyone trains in bare feet and comfortable fitness attire. Classes are cumulative, so the more you go, the more you learn. Membership is $30 a month or $6 for a drop-in class; you can register on-line or visit the KSA office for more information.

“It’s a great sport to learn and gives you lots of confidence,” says Renwick.

Welcome Week not so welcoming?

Last week, as they returned to Kwantlen campuses for the fall semester, the KSA was busy welcoming new and returning students to school through a host of events at all four campuses.

However, not all of the students were feeling the love.

At each campus, the KSA had set up of free food booths, information tables, and activities for students to participate in, including a concert by Karl Wolf at Cram Jam 2010 in Surrey. Some students, such as Jenna Robson, felt that most of the events seemed to be concentrated in Surrey.

“I didn’t really notice anything here for Welcome Week,” said Robson, a first-year student at the Langley campus. “It seems like all the real stuff, like Cram Jam, happens in Surrey and it’s hard to get there between classes and work.”

Rachelle Tomm, also a first-year student, had a similar opinion about Richmond campus activities.

“I didn’t really actually participate. I looked outside and saw people jumping and stuff but I didn’t really know what it was for. I didn’t know it was part of welcome week so I just went on to my classes.”

But Tomm still enjoyed the events at Cram Jam.

“I went to the Karl Wolf concert in Surrey and loved it. His music is awesome, and plus it wasn’t too too busy so I got to go really close to the stage. I just wish the Richmond campus could have that same fun energy as Surrey did.”

Related: Welcome Week in photos.

Election issues: What students are saying

An audio-slideshow that asks questions about how students feel about student government and life at Kwantlen.

Elections are in the air

Tomorrow (Thursday) will be the final day Kwantlen students can cast their vote in this year’s Kwantlen Student Association’s general election.

“Richmond is always really busy,” said Fran Schiffner, whose company oversees elections at the different Kwantlen campuses. “I think it’s because of where it is. It’s all in one building…I think there’s more exposure.”

Shiffner said this election has seen less of a voter turnout then in previous years.

“The last few [years] we’ve run out of ballots,” said Alice Rush, who works for Schiffner. “We need to get more people out to vote.”

Both women believe mid-terms and the Olympics may be distracting students from showing up.

Voting will be open until 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) and tomorrow, at Richmond and Langley campuses. Voting closed Tuesdays at Cloverdale and Surrey.

Interactive: A visual guide to the KSA

Ever wondered what the KSA is all about? The following three interactive charts give you details about the various KSA positions, including duties and wages, as well as other information about how student government works at Kwantlen.

 

 

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