SFU students react to Bali poisoning reports

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February 4, 2013

By Leah Bjornson
Photos by TheProvince.com

Field school participants claim the article “grossly exaggerated”

On Jan. 25, The Province ran an article claiming that SFU students became ill in Bali on Jan. 18 after drinking methanol-laced spirits, causing some of those students on the South-East Asia field school to respond forcefully against the report.

On Jan. 23, SFU authorities were surprised to receive a call from Province news reporter Ian Austin, who was investigating a night of drinking in Bali which resulted in the students becoming “violently ill,” according to the published article. “This was the first time that my office had been aware that anything happened,” said Scott McLean, acting director of Public Affairs and Media Relations at SFU. After looking into the matter further, McLean said he feels that the connection between methanol-laced spirits and the students’ sickness might have been “only speculation on [The Province]’s part . . . We believe the cause to be over-consumption, due to the fact that there are no lingering health effects.”

Several students on the trip responded quite vehemently to the article, commenting on Facebook, Twitter, and The Province’s own website. Field school student Leonie Kuijvenhoven wrote in the comments on The Province‘s website, “This article is grossly exaggerated, and the author is clearly very misinformed.”

“The author has for some reason included us in a sensationalist article about a very real problem,” commented fellow student Nova Chamberlin, “but should perhaps think of checking his sources before publishing an article that will likely cause undue distress for the loved ones of students involved in this field school.”

Methanol-laced spirits in Bali, Lombok, and the Gili Islands have been responsible for recent blindings, illnesses, and even deaths of many tourists and Indonesians. The situation has become so serious that Australia has even issued a travel advisory for tourists bound for Indonesia.

This danger can be traced back to the rise of import taxes on alcohol in Indonesia in 2010. After the price of importing alcohol skyrocketed (reaching a 380% import tax), many turned to the black market and the bootlegging industry to purchase cheap liquor. Unfortunately, the ingredients used to make the alcohol are not only cheap, they are dangerous.

Despite these dangers, SFU students insist that they were well informed of the risks of drinking in Indonesia. “They are making a provincial news story out of a few adults getting sick after drinking too much,” said field school student Jamshed Colah in an interview with The Peak. “As a class we have no idea why anyone at [The Province] would have been spurred to write this.”

Colah continued, “We were briefed before leaving at SFU, and again while here in Bali by our tour guides, drivers and by Dr. [Michael] Howard, [the field school coordinator]. Drinking is actually minimal by the whole group.”

With concern as to the results of this inquiry, McLean commented, “We are now looking at policies surrounding the field school . . . the safety of our students is of utmost importance.”

The university is currently considering sending two representatives to meet the field school in Thailand to investigate the incident and provide counseling services for the students.

BC is headed towards a skills deficit

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EIC

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February 3, 2013

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By 2016 there will be more jobs than qualified people

By Amara Janssens
Photos by Vaikunthe Banerjee

Six BC universities released the BC Labour Market Profile, projecting a massive labour deficit in jobs requiring a post secondary education by 2016. The Research Universities’ Council of BC (made up of the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, the University of Northern BC, Royal Roads University, and Thompson Rivers University), based its findings on the provincial government’s labour figures and found thousands of jobs will lack qualified individuals and will subsequently go unfilled.

According to the report released Jan. 29, 2013, the skills deficit will grow until 2020 when approximately 18,800 jobs could go unoccupied because too few British Columbians will have the necessary training. The report identified that of these thousands of jobs, 8,400 jobs will require a university degree, 8,100 a college credential, and 2,300 trades training.

The report set forth three recommendations for the provincial government, including adding 11,000 new student spaces for university, college, and trades training over the next four years. For the Lower Mainland specifically, this skills deficit will hit particularly hard since this region will see two thirds of the one million job openings projected from 2010 to 2020. “One of the big needs identified is in the Lower Mainland, with the greatest need south of the Fraser,” said SFU’s president Petter.

With increased populations, Petter noted that it is increasingly difficult finding space in a university in this region. SFU has submitted an application to the province to double the capacity of SFU Surrey campus from 2,500 students to 5,000. Petter stated that the province must take action in order to address this student deficit. Currently, BC is facing a trades deficit, but Petter cautions the province against focusing on only this sector of post secondary education stating. “We have to look past the short term,” said Petter.

What the study released today shows is the need will be even greater for university.” The other two recommendations set forth by RUCBC include a guarantee for students in need (more grants, scholarships and improvements to student loans) and the launch of the Innovate BC initiative, to build on BC’s research and innovation potential, advance new opportunities, and
help drive economic growth. University of British Columbia president Stephen Toope said in a Jan. 29 press release, “To secure our economy, we need to continue to build on our excellent post-secondary system and
deepen our commitment to education, innovation and research.”

However, the provincial government has not increased funding to post secondary institutions in recent years. Petter commented that funding has been “frozen for the last four years,” in both the amount of funds given to institutions and the amount of money provided for each student. This lack of increased funding not only influences the amount of students a university can admit, but is also leading to rise of graduate students pursuing their studies in other provinces where funding and scholarship programs are present. Petter said “we are losing students from BC,” stating BC is having a “brain drain” as students are heading to Alberta and Ontario where funding programs exist.

Lucia Orser, director of external relations at the UVic Students’ Society said in a press release, “BC’s major political parties need to think carefully about this when they draft their policy platforms going into the May 2013 provincial election.”

LAST WORD: New Wave

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February 3, 2013

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Why we need movements like Idle No More

By Jessica Buffalo
Photos by Stephen Hui

A new wave of racism is gaining momentum as Idle No More activity continues across Canada.
“Reserves are Canada’s spoiled children,” read one counter-protestors’ sign in Edmonton.
“I am Ukrainian. I believe Ukrainians have the right to own and operate casinos. I demand that Harper meet with me to discuss how he is going to fund the casino. I will be starting my hunger strike today. I will restrict my intake to borscht and perogies until he meets with me,” read another. Ignorant remarks such as these have taken over online news websites, demonstrating the need to educate Canada on the vast range of Aboriginal issues that are pertinent to today’s political climate.

Canada entered into 11 numbered treaties with First Nations groups in the pre-confederation era, the first five of which were signed between 1871 and 1875. On top of that, there are also Comprehensive Land Claim (CLC) agreements — modern treaties starting in 1975 that cover issues unaddressed by the initial treaties — and the Vancouver Island Douglas Treaties, signed in the 1850s. In the latter, land was traded for a small amount of money and a large sum of blankets. In their essay Trespassers on the soil, Hamar Foster and Alan Grove point out that neither party understood each other’s language, which calls into question whether the signatory Chiefs understood that they were giving up the land “to the white people forever.” It is generally believed that the Chiefs understood that we are the caretakers of this land (land being an untransferable commodity) and signed the treaties in order to keep the peace.

In return for signing the first five treaties, the Canadian government promised the First Nations land, annual treaty money payments (usually $5 per person, not considering inflation), farming and hunting equipment, and help with building crucial infrastructures. The sixth Treaty, signed in 1876, differed a bit from the others because of the coinciding depletion of the buffalo and the arrival of smallpox. Poundmaker and Big Bear, both Cree Chiefs, initially resisted signing the treaties. However, because the buffalo were disappearing at an astounding rate, they were eventually forced to sign the treaties or face the starvation of their people. It also differed from the previous treaties in that it included a health care provision.

In order to help all of the country’s municipalities, the Canadian government’s Strategic Infrastructure Fund allocated a total of $4.3 billion dollars to all provinces, territories, and some First Nations communities. Cities like Calgary and Edmonton were given $75 million each to maintain their roads, while Vancouver was allocated $450 million for the Canada line. Toronto received $25 million for the Canadian Opera Company, $25 million for the Toronto International Film Festival Centre, and $27 million for the soccer stadium, as well as $350 million for transportation. However, when it came to Aboriginal communities, Nunavut only received $20 million for housing infrastructure, and the First Nations satellite Society for Emergency Services was allocated $7.9 million. There was also the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which provided $4 billion to rehabilitate crucial infrastructures such as waste water, water, transit, culture, and community services. So, when communities such as Attawapiskat or Kashechewan declare housing and water crises, they have valid reasons to be upset. Could you imagine Vancouver not having enough funding to produce clean water?

“If you don’t have water then build a well,” read one comment on the CBC’s website following a story on Chief Theresa Spence’s hunger strike. Can you build a well? I turn on my taps and water comes out; if it doesn’t, then I’m screwed. I possess neither the tools nor the knowledge to build a well because I’m not expected to build a well and neither are these communities.

Counter-movements such as the Assembly of Second Nations against Aboriginal Racism (ANSAAR) are full of anti-aboriginal messages hidden as calls for equality. “End chronic Native dependency and despair and the historic wasting of tax monies in Canada,” calls one petition on their Facebook page. This is one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding Aboriginal funding. Many commentators on the ASNAAR page stated that they were “sick of their tax dollars going to support welfare natives.” Canada’s Aboriginal population is approximately 3.8 per cent or 1.2 million people. Canada’s population on welfare is 1,679,800. Of course, not every single aboriginal person is on welfare; even if hypothetically they were, there would still be about 500,000 non-aboriginals that the taxpayer would be taking care of. Welfare and social assistance programs are not just limited to people living in municipalities. If a registered Aboriginal person, living on a reserve, meets the requirements, they are entitled to receive social assistance. What these commentators don’t seem to realize is that most aboriginal people are the “tax-payer” as well. The only way an Aboriginal person bypasses federal and provincial taxes is by working on their reserve, and/or purchasing goods on a reserve. Non-aboriginal people on welfare are the same as aboriginal people on welfare, except that aboriginal people get five dollars more a year in treaty payments. The funding for aboriginal people comes from a trust, where money was derived from land claim settlements, oil and gas revenues, and fine payments. The trust is maintained by the government and is replenished through interest.

I found most of this information online. It is available to everyone. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. If you want to know more about First Nations issues and why grassroots movements such as Idle No More exist, then go to a teach-in. Aboriginal leaders, academics, and native youth all attend these events in order to help people understand the issues behind the movement. Thanks to technology, you can even access them online from sites like spreecast.

Please, stop perpetuating ignorance and racism and get out there and get educated so you can ask the questions that actually matter. As for the Ukrainian who is on a perogie and borscht hunger strike: you might want to come up with a business plan and pitch it to the government for a stimulus infrastructure loan.

Idle No More movement surges into BC

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February 3, 2013

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Last Monday saw another day of action that swept across the country

By Munatsi Mavhima and Alison Roach
Photos by Stephen Hui

Approximately 250 protesters of the popular Idle No More movement gathered once more in downtown Vancouver last Monday, congregating outside the Native Education College and marching to the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development building at Melville and Thurlow. The event was part of an international day of action that saw gatherings in more than 25 Canadian cities and towns, as well as similar protests and rallies taking place in the US, France, and Greenland.

The day also saw an estimated 300 protesters mark the MP’s return to the House of Commons with a march on Parliament Hill. Assembly of First Nations national chief Shawn Atleo spoke to the crowd at the event, saying, “This is a moment in history when change arrives. You are the change that we’ve been waiting for.”

Protestors with Idle No More have been spotted throughout Vancouver in the past month, handing out information outside the Rogers Arena before the Canucks’ season opener, and as they joined several hundred activists outside the Sheraton Wall Centre hotel on the night of Jan. 14, where the Northern Gateway pipeline hearings were being held.

The movement also made its way to Vancouver Island, as several hundred protesters shut down the Pat Bay Highway — which connects the Victoria International airport with the Swartz Bay ferry terminal — and to the north of the province, where over 100 from Gitwangak First Nation blocked a CN Rail line east of Terrace.

Both events ocurred on Jan. 16 as part of another day of action that saw rallies occurring throughout the country, with protesters stalling railway lines and blocking highways between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Idle No More is a grassroots movement started by four female activists in Saskatchewan, and has come to centre-stage in Canadian politics and current affairs.

As reported by CBC, the movement’s mission statement “Calls on all people to join in a revolution which honours and fulfils Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water.” The movement was started in response to the federal Bill C-45, which passed just before Christmas. The bill overhauls Canada’s Navigable Waters Protection Act, and significantly affects tribal authority over Canadian waterways. “Idle No More is a reassertion of native sovereignty in our country,” said Chris Darimont, professor at University of Victoria Geography Department and science director for Raincoast Conservation in an interview with Outside, “and also a signal of very deep unrest with the federal government’s incredibly brazen attempts to demolish environmental protection.”

According to the movement’s official website, “Idle No More has a responsibility to resist current government policies in a Peaceful and Respectful way. It can be done. It can be done without aggression or violence. This is an energetic, exciting and transformative time.” In an interview with The Peak, SFU professor of archaeology Dr. Eldon Yellowhorn commented, “People take the initiative on their own to make a demonstration and round up people for the demonstration . . . [so] to see something coordinated across the country hasn’t really been successfully tried before. This is a unique event.”

This communal effort is echoed by Elder Alma Brooks, a member of the Maliseet Grand Council, who at an Idle No More information event stated, “We’re struggling to make sure that our culture, our rights and our identity continues to exist. We have a right to exist as people; as distinct people.”

University Briefs – February 4, 2013

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February 3, 2013

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By Amara Janssens

UVic study finds strength training can help stroke recovery
Researchers at the University of Victoria have found that the cross education effect (strength-training a muscle group on one side of the body strengthening the same muscle group on the other side) is beneficial after someone has a stroke. By strength training one side of their lower body, stroke patients can improve their strength on their weak lower side by about 30 percent. This phenomenon is a result of small changes that occur in the spinal cord, and reflex pathways of the brain. One possible reason for this is that a stroke could reveal connections between all parts of the body that exist, but are not noticed when the body is healthy.

With files from The Martlet

Langara student killed in sword attack
Vancouver’s first homicide victim of 2013 was 19-year-old Manraj Akalirai, a criminology student at Langara College. Akalirai was allegedly swarmed by a group of men while in his vehicle. The group allegedly smashed out the back window of the vehicle and pulled Akalirai onto the street, where he was attacked with clubs, bats and a sword. Police have arrested five men in connection with the murder, and a sixth is being questioned. Police believe the murder may be connected to gang activity, however Akalirai’s family deny these claims.

With files from The Voice

Burst water main floods McGill

On Jan. 28, a water main broke in downtown Montreal during a construction mishap. At McGill University, several buildings were flooded and evacuated, cancelling all evening classes. A group of engineering students working in the engineering lab noticed the water approaching and quickly built a dam of garbage bags filled with snow. “At crux of it, we’re all engineers. We like building dams,” Cyrille Goldstein, a U2 mechanical engineering student said to The Daily. McGill administrators are assessing the damage and say it will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

With files from The Daily

SFU, Surrey Memorial poised to become medical technology leaders

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February 3, 2013

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Newly appointed BC Leadership Chair will work with SFU, Surrey Memorial, Fraser Health

By Alison Roach
Photos by Vaikunthe Banerjee

The appointment of Dr. Ryan D’Arcy to the BC Leadership Chair was announced last Tuesday at SFU Surrey, along with the launch of a $5.25 million Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation BC Leadership Chair in Multimodal Technology for Healthcare Innovation.

The Leadership Chair will link SFU’s Faculty of Applied Sciences, Surrey Memorial, and Fraser Health, in a project that will aim to improve the lives of patients through innovation by combining the institutions’ various expertise in research, technology, and clinical experience.

The Chair position is a product of a partnership with the government’s Leading Edge Endowment Fund, which has given $2.25 million, and SFU and Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation, each contributing $1.5 million. Lab space is being developed by Fraser Health Authority to house the Chair position, combined with access to clinical facilities and research at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

In an interview with The Peak, D’Arcy emphasized that he is looking forward to working in Surrey, with the potential for innovation there. “I think what’s going on in Surrey is remarkable,” D’Arcy said. “All of this is going to come together to do research that helps patients, that’s very patient oriented, and focused on improving the outcomes of patients.”

SFU president Andrew Petter was in attendance at the announcement Tuesday morning, and commented in a news release, “The support of the province’s Leading Edge Endowment Fund has enabled SFU to forge a unique partnership with Surrey memorial Hospital Foundation, and to bring a world-class innovator in medical technologies to BC.”

A BC native, D’Arcy specializes in brain imaging, brain disease and disorders, and medical technologies. D’Arcy previously worked for 10 years as a neuroscientist at the Institute for Biodiagnostics in Halifax, an internationally known lab that he helped to establish. There, he worked to take neuroimaging and medical imaging and embed it into the main hospitals in Halifax, as well as teach medical students about imaging in a hospital environment.

The Institute also worked on advanced MRI technology and encephalography, which involves monitoring brains waves using their electrical or magnetic signatures. “We would then use these to look at better ways to advance neurologic diagnosis [for] brain diseases and disorders like ones that many people know of; strokes, alzheimer’s, that sort of thing,” explained D’Arcy.

This work led D’Arcy to develop devices that could be taken outside the hospital environment in order to treat brain injury in the sites where it occurs, such as hockey rinks, football fields, and ski hills. “If you’re in those hockey rinks right now, for your heart you’ll see AEDs — Automatic External Defibrillators — and that of course brings the technology to the site where the patients need it. I think the same should be true for the brain. If you have a problem with your brain, you should have technology there to help you right away.”

“The drive is going to start out of this partnership [between] Simon Fraser and Surrey Memorial,” he continued, “The goal is to make it an international leader. I was just in a meeting where everyone agrees we’re not here to win the provincials, we’re here to win the Olympics.”

The project will also give a select group of SFU students the opportunity to work with D’Arcy in medical technology labs at Surrey Memorial, as well as at the university analyzing medical imaging data.

The main goal of the research remains focused on improving care and treatment for patients with brain injury and brain conditions. “The work I’ve done isn’t cure for the disease,” said D’Arcy, “It’s using medical technology to help patients now.”

SFU is not supportive of students’ mental health

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February 3, 2013

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Even with a doctor’s note, you may be expected to complete your course

By Tara Nykyforiak
Illustration by Ben Buckley

Throughout this past year of study at SFU, I have concluded our university is overall unsupportive of students dealing with mental health situations. This lack of support and compassion spans both SFU’s academic procedures and student requirements.

A friend of mine recently gathered the courage to speak to their doctor about their struggle with depression. This was after a sustained period of social withdrawal and a significant decrease in his academic performance. His doctor was accepting and sympathetic, and encouraged him to speak with someone at SFU.

His professors also proved caring and willing to discuss possible courses of action, but when directed to speak with our university’s academic advisors, the compassionate acknowledgment came to an end.

My friend, upon advice from their professors, wished to acceptably withdraw from their courses so as to re-take them the following semester. Despite their doctor’s recommendation and the recommendation of their professors, my friend was told by the advisor to continue with their courses and write their exams, because the process concerning “Withdrawals Under Extenuating Circumstances” takes six to eight weeks and is not guaranteed.

My initial impression of the situation was anger. I believe that my friend struggling with depression, a condition affecting 10 per cent of Canadians according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, should not be compartmentalized under “extenuating circumstances.”

In a population of 33,476,688, 3.3 million Canadians experience a form of depression in their lifetime. To merely categorize mental health conditions as “extenuating circumstances” is not only ignorant of the reality of the mental health situation of Canada, but unfair to those who are courageous enough to seek out the help of professionals. Not enough effort is made to acknowledge and accommodate the mental health difficulties experienced by tuition-paying students.

Individuals like my friend have the documentation for withdrawal, but have not been given the attention they warrant. Their letters from medical professionals are not respected if they are still required to wait six to eight weeks for their situation to be assessed. Thus, it seems SFU doesn’t support personal mental health difficulties, nor feel that the mental health conditions of students is a priority. At present, my friend is functionally unable to withdraw from their classes. Because there is no guarantee they will receive the permission to acceptably withdraw, they are forced to write exams that they were advised by their doctor and their professors not to write.

The situational judgement of professors used to be considered, but has since been centralized into a committee not directly involved with the students they are assessing. Their marks, as a result, will not be a genuine reflection of their knowledge or capabilities as a student.

It’s unfortunate that the very educational institution that professes to engage the world voluntarily ignores the mental health struggles of the students who support it.

SFU is not supportive of students' mental health

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Peak Web