February 7, 2006 | Leave a Comment
The overwhelming message at the Trinity Western University Student Association town hall meeting on Jan. 26 was one of student empowerment. Close to 80 people packed the TWUSA office to discuss both recent events and the longstanding issue of lack of student representation on the Board of Governors. Student comments at the meeting were “well articulated,” said Student Association president James Moes. “I’m thankful that [student voices] weren’t antagonistic . . . We’re not here to seek a big uproar. We want to seek positive change.” Professor Rick Sutcliffe, chair of the Faculty Association, encouraged students at the meeting to “take every advantage you can to talk to the Board and the President’s Cabinet, and bring home to them individually how important these issues are.” Sutcliffe also raised the issue of the hiring of TWU’s next president, referring to the issue as “important and immediate.” Students who spoke up during the meeting expressed concerns about their ability to communicate with administration and the Board of Governors. “How do we make our voices known as students?” asked fourth year student Jessica Matthies, noting that members of the Board and President’s Cabinet aren’t “people that we run into in the cafeteria or on the pathways.” Moes articulated this concern, as well. “There’s a lack of relationship . . . it’s in relationship that information is had. There’s a lot of information that isn’t known, and that’s because the relationships aren’t always as open as we’d like them to be. As a positive step towards more open communication, Moes mentioned an upcoming forum for students to talk to the President’s Cabinet, at an as yet unscheduled date. TWUSA is requesting this meeting, unlike the past forums when the President’s Cabinet offered to meet with students. “It was a good step,” said Moes, who also noted that student feedback at the town hall meeting has “warranted the Student Association to move forward and take decisive action. TWUSA’s plan of action included appointing fourth year student Jay Dorey to produce a report on governance structures and student involvement, in preparation for a meeting between the Student Association and the Board of Governors on Feb. 3. Dorey’s report was presented to TWUSA on Jan. 31, and made available to the student body through a TWUSA e-mail sent out on Feb. 3. The e-mail stated that TWUSA had chosen to adopt all of Dorey’s recom mendations. Dorey spoke up several times during the meeting, encouraging students to make their voices heard at a grassroots level. “I’ve seen the impact of students just speaking with their own voice.” He encouraged students to write letters to administration and the Board expressing their concerns. “Your comments will be heard. Don’t underestimate the power of what you can do yourself—we don’t need to unionize, we can start today.” Melanie Spaulding, Vice President of Student Relations, said that although writing letters is a great idea, “we’d save a lot of time and a lot of misunderstanding [if students and administration] could just talk face to face and really try and understand each other.” Spaulding cited the upcoming forum with the President’s Cabinet as an opportunity for dialogue. “It’s not us against them,” said Spaulding Comments made encouraging students to write or speak to the Board and President’s Cabinet seemed to resonate with those present at the meeting. Second year student Nicole Kornelson felt that the meeting was “encouraging to students,” and walked away from it feeling that “it’s still worth fighting to make your voice heard.” “I think it’s amazing to see the students finally stand up and have a voice,” said second year student Amber Harris. “As an average joe student, I didn’t know we could make a difference.”
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February 7, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Keefer Street is closed to cars today, but the road is by no means empty. Hundreds of people line the sidewalk and spill over onto the street, creating a long kaleidoscope of all ages and ethnicities. In the distance a drum is pulsing and a gong clashing, together setting the rhythm for the marchers in the Chinese New Years Parade in downtown Vancouver. The sulphur smell of firecrackers wafts above the crowd. As the parade dances closer, the bobbing heads of bouncing lions become visible. Flags of red and pink, orange and fluorescent green ripple gently in the wind. Many different groups are represented in the parade: the Chinese senior’s association, a group of Boy Scouts, a Brazilian dance troupe, to name a few. It seems like the entire Vancouver International Village has come out to celebrate 2006, the Year of the Dog. The animal for the year is determined by the traditional Chinese calendar. Unlike most other calendars, it does not count years in an infinite sequence, but instead uses names that are repeated every 60 years. Within each 60-year cycle, each year is assigned a name consisting of two components: a Celestial Stem and a Terrestial Branch. The Terrestrial Branch is based on the zodiac cycle of 12 animals, making this year’s animal the dog. After an hour or so of watching the happy troops walk by, we wander over to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden on Carrall Street. As we enter the garden, we are given Lai-See Envelopes containing chocolate toonies. Traditionally, money is placed in these envelopes and given to children and young adults at New Year’s time. This garden, built in 1985-86 according to the style of the original Ming dynasty gardens, is the first full-sized classical Chinese garden outside of China. It is meant to be a place of serenity, but the object of the garden is to capture all the elements of the natural landscape–mountains, rivers, lakes, trees, valleys, hills–and, by bringing them together in a small space, to concentrate the life force, the qi, that animates them. Inside the garden, the open air is filled with the sounds of a Chinese violin. The jade-coloured water matches the surrounding trees. For the New Year, the Garden offers a Tai Chi demonstration, as well as calligraphy and traditional crafts demonstrations. The Garden is open regularly Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00a.m. to 4:30p.m.
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February 7, 2006 | Leave a Comment
INDIA — The Indian government has launched an ambitious effort to tackle rural poverty that will target 60 million rural households by guaranteeing 100 days of work each year. Under the National Rural Guarantee Scheme, they will receive a minimum wage of 60 rupees or an unemployment allowance if there is no work. The first phase of the program will cover 200 of the country’s poorest and least developed districts. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched the scheme in a village in the drought-prone Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh by handing out job cards to five villagers. “We must tirelessly work to ensure that the benefit of the scheme reaches needy people,” the Press Trust of India quotes Singh as saying. More than a third of India’s population of over one billion people live on less than $1 a day.
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February 7, 2006 | Leave a Comment
DENMARK — A series of 12 cartoons published September 2005 in the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten - including one of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb - has led to a gathering international storm across the Islamic world. The same 12 cartoons were republished on Febuary 1 by two European newspapers - Die Welt in Berlin and France Soir in Paris - that characterized the publications as a matter of free speech. Both newspapers said they were publishing the cartoons in solidarity with the Danish newspaper Jyllands- Posten. They also said Jyllands- Posten had the right to publish the cartoons in a free society with a free press. Muslims consider it sacrilegious to produce a likeness of the Prophet Muhammad. In Pakistan, more than 300 Muslim students protested, chanting “Death to Denmark” and “Death to France.” On January 30, Palestinian gunmen shut down the European Union in Gaza City. Palestinian gunmen burst into the EU office, then withdrew several minutes later. A group of about 15 masked men, armed with hand grenades, automatic weapons, and antitank launchers remained outside, keeping the offices closed. No shots were fired, and there were no reports of injuries. The gunmen left the building after about half an hour.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent group linked to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party, claimed responsibility. Al Aqsa has been involved in much of the recent chaos plaguing Gaza. Jyllands-Posten has refused to apologize for the drawings, citing freedom of speech.
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February 7, 2006 | Leave a Comment
While both the West Coast and Marlie Snider Collegiums are like a second home to many of Trinity Western University’s commuter students, memberships have dropped significantly this year for the first time since the Collegium Project began in 2000.
“I don’t know why it is,” said Glenn Hansen, Assistant Director of Community Life for Graduate and Commuter Programs. “It’s the first time in six years we’ve ever sort of faced this.”
While the collegia have had up to 270 memberships each, currently the West Coast is home to about 230 commuters and the Marlie Snider to about 180.
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February 7, 2006 | Leave a Comment
The Trinity Western University Alumni Department will receive a makeover soon with the creation of a new alumni association, new programs, and new initiatives.
These changes in the alumni department coincide with the changes that are being reflected across all levels of the campus.
“We are on the verge of expanding, growing, going in a new direction,” said Brenda Evans, Events Coordinator for the Alumni Department. “I believe that the alumni will embrace this new direction, and they will want to participate, and engage.”
But this new direction will continue without the leadership of Paul Perschon, the Executive Director of Alumni and Parents Relations.
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February 7, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Only two candidates remain in the running to take over the presidency of Trinity Western University. This revelation came last Friday when Presidential Search Committee Chairman Reg Peterson addressed
faculty.
“My sense is that either one of these two [candidates], I think you would be overjoyed with,” said Peterson.
These two candidates were selected from an initial group of 19 by the Search Committee.This Committee represented three constituents of the university—the Board of Governors, alumni, and faculty—and included Dr. Bob Burkinshaw and Prof. Andrea Soberg.
Peterson had only positive things to say about the Search Committee and the faculty who were involved.
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February 7, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Student Council Executive members presented a report detailing student involvement in the governance structures of universities across Canada to the Governance Committee of the Board of Governors last Friday. Several recommendations for greater openness, transparency, and representation to the Board were included with the findings.
The report was compiled by student Jay Dorey at the request of Council and adopted last week before Council members and student leaders met with Bob Gordon, chair of the committee. The Governance Committee, which was originally established over a year ago, was restructured last November and mandated by the Board to complete a general review of the entire authority structure of Trinity Western University.
