Published in The Langara Voice A newly-elected Vancouver school board trustee has promised to secure ongoing funding and support for the city’s only Indigenous focus school. The continued operation of the Xpey’ elementary school in east Vancouver is only ensured through 2020. COPE trustee Barb Parrott, who started her term Nov. 5, included a promise... Continue Reading →
Review of police street checks in Vancouver welcomed by advocates
Published in The Langara Voice Advocates say they are relieved that the Vancouver police’s street-check practices, which were intimidating and frightening for many Indigenous people, will be subject to an independent review. Lorelai Williams, an activist who also works with the Vancouver Aboriginal community policing centre, said the review should consider the historical roots of... Continue Reading →
Opinion: Porn is violent toward women
Published in The Langara Voice If we really want to consider the consequences of easily accessible porn, we must consider the content. A recent New York Times Magazine article suggested that pornography is the primary way that adolescents learn about sex. Studio 58’s The P*rn Project is an attempt to grapple with the consequences of... Continue Reading →
Campuses lack court services for sexual assault victims, says victim service worker
Published in The Langara Voice Students who report sexual assaults on campuses that result in arrests often deal with long, difficult criminal processes where victims are subject to gruelling court cross-examinations. A rape crisis centre worker says there are no programs on B.C. campuses that help victims as they testify in court. Dalya Israel, victim... Continue Reading →
Young Musqueam basketball team reigniting interest in the sport
Published in The Langara Voice Basketball is back in Musqueam. Youth interest in the sport, which thrived throughout the 1990s, had all but died, until last year, when coach John Sparrow and a small group of boys got a team together just two months before the Junior All Native basketball tournament and took home the... Continue Reading →
Artists fear future of new South Van studio
Published in The Langara Voice A new artist-run studio in Marpole is facing an uncertain future as the building’s impending sale is making it difficult to attract enough artists to make ends meet. Ebisu Studios opened in November of last year when its three founders – Michelle Sturley, Linda Kirkness and Billy Hebb – signed... Continue Reading →
Misophonia documentary raises awareness around sound sensitivity
Published in The Langara Voice People with a condition that isn’t recognized as a disability but can impair learning say the first step to helping them is raising awareness. Colleges have a legal duty to accommodate students with diagnosed physical and learning disabilities, like hearing loss or dyslexia. However, little known conditions such as misophonia, an intense... Continue Reading →
Electoral reform in South Vancouver riding needed, say advocates
Published in The Langara Voice Electoral reform could improve voter dissatisfaction in a South Vancouver riding that consistently has the highest rejected ballot rate in the city, according to a political science expert. In the past four elections, Vancouver-Fraserview had nearly twice the provincial average of rejected ballots. In the 2017 provincial elections, Vancouver-Fraserview had... Continue Reading →
The fight for gender equality in the sciences
Published in The Langara Voice Although female students are still the minority in science programs at Langara, the gender gap is slowly narrowing with 65 per cent of students in biology being women. According to the Langara Institutional Research Department, women made up 38 per cent of students in Langara’s university transfer science programs at... Continue Reading →
Opinion: U-Pass a steal but doesn’t solve transit problems
Published in The Langara Voice The U-Pass is a bargain, even for students who don’t use transit daily. It only takes two return transit trips a week to get your money’s worth. Even fewer if you’re traveling in multiple zones. And clearly Langara students are aware of that fact: in last week’s referendum, 97 per... Continue Reading →