NEW FOOD OPTIONSYour options for campus food just got a little better, some are open already, p. 2

SPEAKING OUTStudents are voicing their concerns over faculty cuts affecting their education, p. 5

NEW SWIM TEAMIt took 10 years, but TRU now has a WolfPack swim team, p. 7

Volume 24 – Issue 3 www.truomega.ca Ω @TRU_Omega September 17, 2014

CAMPUS EATSWhat’s new, what’s open, what’s coming

LIVE AT TRU!CONCERT SERIES

CELEBRATES 40TH YEAR

LATEST CONCERT REVIEWED:Guinea-born Alpha Yaya Diallo

brings his talents to TRU

2 September 17, 2014NEWS

New food options served up at TRU

TRU’s multi-year food services expansion is in its homestretch. The Deli at the U & M, Old Main’s newest restaurant, opened for business Monday after being delayed two weeks, pending the results of a final health inspec-tion.

Old Main’s second floor now boasts the Upper Level Café, fea-turing Bento Sushi, in place of Extreme Pita and Revvup, while the Deli at the U & M serves a variety of fresh food, including soups, samosas and a variety of other options.

An updated student area is also in the works, with a new seating area inside the second floor doors and to the left. The new area will include a variety of hard and soft seating, power outlets, and a mi-crowave for student convenience.

“We just want it to be a place where students can relax, study, socialize,” ancillary services di-rector Glenn Read said.

Hours of operation have also been expanded to 8 p.m. due to popular demand. That ’s good news for students like Ashley Simms, who uses a meal card and has been previously frustrated with the limited hours in some locations.

“Bean Me Up closes at 2 p.m.

That’s not convenient at all,” she said. “I wish they would be open later.”

According to Read, the longer hours are due to a seven-month review of staff, students and fac-ulty which identified longer hours as an area TRU food services needed to improve.

The second major ongoing project, the Urban Market on the second floor of the Campus Activity Centre (CAC), is set to open mid-September, although there has been no date announced.

“We’re waiting on some prod-uct, meaning tile and surfaces, that are being delayed, but that won’t prevent us from opening up,” Read said.

The new restaurant will feature a stone pizza oven, an urban cul-tivator to grow on-site herbs and greens, as well as a juicing station.

THE BEST LAID PLANS…According to Read, the expan-

sion purposely focused on Old Main rather than the former CAC Terrace cafeteria due to Old Main’s larger size and the percep-tion that restaurants there would reach more students.

Originally, a full food court was planned for the second floor of Old Main. The former Revvup station beyond the mezzanine was to be replaced with multiple restaurants, including a Sultan’s, Triple O’s, Miso, Extreme Pita, Pureblendz and Bento Sushi.

The plan had to be reworked af-ter it was discovered that the floor had only half the weight capacity required by the B.C. building code to handle a commercial kitchen. The end solution was to build the Deli at the U & M on the mezza-nine above Student Street, which met the weight requirements.

“We just had to get creative,” Read said. “I mean, we were stuck because the space that [was planned] was much larger and we would’ve been able to pull off the original plan. But because we were stuck for space and there wasn’t any other area in Old Main that could support it, we had to scale it back significantly.”

STUDENT REACTIONSWhile both new locations at

Old Main are open and the Urban Market is set to follow, students have remarked on their limited food options due to construction.

“Everything’s closed,” sec-ond-year student Meagan Dzi-wenko said last week.

First-year student Menna Ahmed echoed the sentiment. “I think there’s not much variety,” she said, although she admitted she was unaware of the ongoing expansion plan.

Fellow first-year student Sachin Sundhu, on the other hand, said he was aware of the new restau-rants in Old Main, but often goes off campus to eat. “Just with [my]

schedule, you know? I don’t real-ly like waiting in long lineups at Tim Hortons to get a donut,” he said.

Sundhu added, however, that he might start eating more on cam-pus once the Urban Market is up and running.

Alexis StockfordNEWS EDITOR Ω

Dagendor employee Chad Johnson puts some finishing touches on the Urban Market. The upgraded meal counter is set to open mid-Septem-ber in the Campus Activity Centre. (Alexis Stockford/The Omega)

Summer is over and the TRU stu-dent government is back at work. Official stands on student issues, a new campaign to raise awareness of university underfunding and recruit-ment for the student caucus were discussed at the first TRUSU board of directors meeting on Sept. 9.

NEW STANCE ON STUDENT ISSUESNine new issues policies had

TRUSU taking a stand on topics from student housing to curricu-lum content. In a show of unity, the board unanimously approved all nine points. These points in-cluded statements against regula-tion of student activity off-cam-pus, discrimination of students in the housing market and flat tui-tion fees.

“I think some of the new is-sues policies we adopted today are really great,” TRUSU president

Dylan Robinson said. In particular, Robinson pointed to

the union’s new stance on curricu-lums, which encourages course con-tent that is more relatable to groups like women, ethnic groups, LGBTQ students and people with disabilities.

“Diversity is something that in-stitutions often have represented in their employees, in their student make-up and in their staff and in their faculty,” Robinson said. “But often times the curriculum of in-stitutions doesn’t really reflect that diversity … I think having a strong organizational stand that our di-verse campus community should be reflected in the curriculums that are taught here is really important.”

TRUSU’s official stance on tui-tion, financial assistance and univer-sity governance also got an overhaul. Amended policies now oppose tu-

ition fees on internships, encour-age more flexible tuition payment, state that food and other necessities should be included when calculat-ing financial aid and argue that the minutes of faculty councils and sim-ilar organizations should be public knowledge.

Robinson later admitted that some of the new policies only re-flect TRUSU’s particular stance and have no direct action associated with them.

“There’s only so much work you can do day-to-day, and we’re hoping that maybe our successors down the line will be able to tackle those issues as they come up,” Robinson said.

STUDENTS SHORT ON VOICEThe TRU student caucus is

short over 40 members, the board heard. Only about 10 of the 55 po-

sitions have been filled so far, with the first official meeting coming up Oct. 1. Robinson admitted that the number of student represen-tatives still needed was high, and encouraged all board members to recruit anyone who might be in-terested.

According to TRUSU, the stu-dent caucus meets once a month and is meant to represent student interests in university governing decisions. Members of the caucus represent bodies such as the board of governors, university senate, faculty councils and advisory com-mittees. Last year, they tackled is-sues like parking, study spaces on campus and the admission process to bodies like the senate.

Applications are being accept-ed until Sept. 19 on the TRUSU website.

FUND THE FUTURETRUSU external vice-president,

Leif Douglass, gave an update on Fund the Future, the union’s new awareness campaign on university underfunding. The campaign was launched earlier in September, with appearances at start-of-year events such as the Back-to-School BBQ. Douglass reported that the campaign was well-received, but admitted that the focus is mostly on education rather than action at this point.

The campaign is based on re-search done by TRUSU, which compared post-secondary institu-tions across B.C. in terms of ser-vices offered and per student fund-ing. According to Douglass, the study found that TRU was receiv-ing about $1,300 less per student from the province than the average post-secondary institution.

Anyone wanting more informa-tion on these points or other TRU-SU activities can visit trusu.ca.

TRUSU NEWS BRIEFS – SEPTEMBER 2014Alexis StockfordNEWS EDITOR Ω

3The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 3

The Omega

www.truomega.ca

/TRUOmega

@TRU_Omega

Thompson Rivers University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Published since November 27, 1991

EDITORIAL STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

NEWS EDITOR

ISSUES EDITOR

ARTS EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

Sean Brady@iamseanbradyeditor@truomega.ca

Alexis Stockford@AlexisStockfordnews@truomega.ca

Ashley Wadhwani@ashwadhwaniissues@truomega.ca

Kim Anderson@K_AndersonSaysarts@truomega.ca

Tayla Scott@taylascott3sports@truomega.ca

Rachel Wood@rachelwooodcopy@truomega.ca

Want to contribute? Email editor@truomega.ca

PUBLISHING BOARDEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

INDUSTRY REP

FACULTY REP

STUDENT REP

STUDENT REP

STUDENT REP

Sean Brady

Christopher Foulds

Charles Hays

Travis Persaud

Adam Williams

Hugo Yuen

LETTERS POLICYLiterary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste and legality. The Omega will attempt to publish each letter received, barring time and space constraints. The editor will take care not to change the intention or tone of submissions, but will not publish material deemed to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. Letters for publication must include the writer’s name (for publication) and contact details (not for publication). The Omega reserves the right not to publish any letter or submitted material. Opinions expressed in any section with an “Opinion” label do not represent those of The Omega, the Cariboo Student Newspaper Society, its Board of Directors or its staff. Opinions belong only to those who have signed them.

COPYRIGHTAll material in this publication is copyright The Omega and may not be reproduced without the expressed consent of the publisher. All unsolicited submissions become copyright The Omega 2014.

Cariboo Student Newspaper Society(Publisher of The Omega)

TRU Campus House #4900 McGill Rd, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 0C8

Phone: 250-828-5069Advertising inquiries:

accounts@truomega.ca

PUBLISHING

/tru_omega

EDITORIAL STAFF

THE OMEGA’S 2014 EDITORIAL TEAM

Kim is a former punk-kid, turned Jour-nalism student. She traded the ripped jeans, mischief making and blood-red dyed hair for a pen, notebook and tape recorder. But, not to worry! She never lost her defiant attitude.

Kim is a self-proclaimed classic rock and metal super-fan who cannot avoid the draw, allure and showmanship of live music.

She is a serious professional-amateur pho-tographer who is constantly practicing the craft. This semester, Kim wants to seek out and promote talent at TRU and shine a spot-light on local artists.

Outside of school and her work at The Omega, you can find Kim bartending, nap-ping or getting lost in the woods.

Tayla Scott grew up in Fruitvale, B.C. Af-ter high school she attended Selkirk College in Castlegar, where she studied Canadian and English literature, psychology and creative writing. She received an Associate of Arts Di-ploma with honours and transferred to TRU, where she began the Bachelor of Journalism program.

Tayla is now in her fourth and final year of the program and is happy to be on board with The Omega.

This summer, Tayla got her first glimpse of work as a reporter during her practicum with the Trail Champion and the Castlegar Source.

In her spare time, Tayla writes fiction. She also enjoys snowboarding, photography and reading. She has travelled to Japan, Florida and Las Vegas and hopes to slowly add to that list after she graduates.

Although originally from southern Man-itoba, Alexis Stockford is a mountain girl at heart. As a teenager, Alexis would spend weeks around Banff, training as a ski racer. She fell in love with life in the mountains and decided that one day she would move west.

TRU’s journalism program allowed her to do just that. After completing a degree in political studies in 2011 from the University of Manitoba, Alexis discovered she was more interested in writing about policy makers than being one. In 2013, she moved to Kamloops to pursue her journalism degree.

Alexis has been a regular contributor to The Omega’s arts and entertainment section. Now in her graduating year, she looks forward to taking on a more active role as news editor.

Off campus, Alexis can be found on the slopes at Sun Peaks, on the many hiking and biking trails around Kamloops or indulging her cultural side playing the clarinet.

A passionate Vancouverite, Ashley has taken a step away from the city life to pursue her love for journalism at TRU. In her fourth year, Ashley is a returning staff, after working as Arts & Entertain-ment Editor in the 2014 winter semes-ter. Now, as issues editor, she is excited to dive into issues that affect students and post-secondary education.

You can find Ashley running around campus doing too many things at once, as she is a self-proclaimed workaholic.

Ashley’s ultimate dream job would be to write a column for the Globe and Mail. She plans on completing her sec-ond degree in sociology and later pur-suing her masters to hopefully one day teach at a university. And if that univer-sity isn’t TRU, she hopes for a campus that ’s almost as beautiful.

Born and raised in the Kootenays, Sean spent a few years at Selkirk College study-ing history, writing and web develop-ment. After working in the Okanagan for a while, he decided to pursue journalism and moved to Kamloops to attend TRU.

After working through a degree in jour-nalism at TRU, Sean has stuck around to run The Omega to help it grow and train others to advance their careers in journal-ism.

He also helped bring the paper’s cur-rent website online and hopes to continue working to enhance The Omega’s pres-ence, both online and around campus.

Outside of work, Sean often finds him-self behind a camera, shooting all there is to see as he explores the beauty of Kam-loops and the surrounding area.

Rachel is a second year journalism student taking on the job of copy editor this year. Born in Vancouver and raised in Victoria, Rachel is happy to branch out from her coast roots and spend some time in the beautiful interior.

The opportunity for Rachel to work at The Omega is exciting. She is keen to keep learning and practice what her time in J-School has taught her so far, not to mention working alongside an amazing team of writers and editors.

When not in class or with The Ome-ga, you can find Rachel at the TCC, on social media or exploring Kamloops.

Rachel WoodCOPY EDITOR

Kim AndersonARTS EDITOR

Tayla ScottSPORTS EDITOR

Alexis StockfordNEWS EDITOR

Ashley WadhwaniISSUES EDITOR Sean Brady

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

In the Sept. 3 article “The Where’s Where on Cam-pus,” it was incorrectly stated that there were only two libraries on campus. There are, of course, three – two TRU libraries, including the main library building and a library in the House of Learning for science, technology and nursing, and the Law Library on the third floor of Old Main, which is exclusively for law students.

CORRECTIONS, AND HOW YOU CAN HELP US OUTHave a correction for us? Send it in!

We make every effort to ensure accura-cy, but sometimes things slip through, and we need your help to make sure we know about it. Please send all correc-tions to editor@truomega.ca. Thank you.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED?Ever thought about writing for your cam-

pus newspaper? Want to get your name out there? Want to see your work published? We’re always looking for contributors! Check out page five for information on an upcoming event that can make it easy for you to get involved.

4 September 17, 2014ARTS

Cactus Jacks seeks outbig city acts

Cactus Jacks Nightclub general manager Rob Medves wants to bring more “big city” acts to the music scene in Kamloops.

“[Live music in] Kamloops has always been the same thing every night. It’s the same bands, same DJs. There’s nothing really too exciting about it. [We want to] keep the small town vibe, but add a little big city to it too,” Medves said.

Medves has added some new fea-tures to the club, hoping the changes will attract and accommodate bigger names. Upping the variety of acts was a huge factor in going forward with the extensive renovations, which cost the nightclub approximately $50,000.

The new layout features a stage, DJ booth and dance floor in place of the old VIP seating area. The old stage and dance floor is now converted into seating. The new design allows for a better traffic flow during the peak hours.

All renovations are complete with the exception of the last piece, a state-of-the-art LED lighting sys-tem, which is currently delayed at customs.

The closest comparable local ven-ue for live music is the Blue Grot-to. Medves explained that CJs has a good rapport with the Blue Grotto and doesn’t try to book bands at the same time.

Regarding the recent opening of the popular Shark Club, Medves appreciates the competition. He be-lieves that it keeps clubs in Kamloops from “getting stale.”

CJs booking agent Mikael Finley is open to bringing in electronic DJs, rock, country, hip-hop, comedy acts and other genres in order to cater to different age groups.

Looking ahead, CJs will be hosting the big-name acts of Aaron Pritchett, Big Wreck and Sun Real.

“Turn around. Turn around. JUST TURN AROUND THEN!” the drunken she-punk demanded. With one eyebrow raised, and my blood boiling to a critical level, somehow I managed to turn the other cheek.

What led to this standoff in the first place? A group of friends and I were at a show at the Vogue in Vancouver. For those who have never been, the Vogue has theatre seating.

Maybe by accident. A drunk guy in the row behind us spilled his whole drink down my friend Shelby’s back. We were engaged in a totally civil con-versation with the guy, and I was ada-

mant on getting him to apologize for his clumsiness.

It was a reasonable expectation. A spilled drink usually garners at

least an apology, and in most cases, a drink from the person who spills. It’s just basic concert conduct, people.

About 10 minutes into our conver-sation, a little firecracker with short hair and dressed in all black and den-im, (a deadly combination) shows up. She injects herself into the con-versation, absolutely livid that we are talking to her dude. I am not one to back down from an argument, espe-cially if one of my friends is getting walked on. I calmly explained to her what happened and that he should apologize.

Instantly, she-punk kicked the situ-

ation into high gear and started threat-ening me.

I turned around, looked her in the eyes and stared her up and down. Her torn denim vest covered in obscure band logos just screamed, “please be-lieve I’m tough.” It was then when I noticed that her man had a face tat-too. Yikes. That fact alone should have made me hit the eject button, but still, for some reason I just couldn’t let it go.

I refused to back down and the con-versation shifted from sharp, cutting statements to yelling. Shelby saw how agitated I was getting. The she-punk demanded that I turn around, and kept yelling it at me.

Shelby, wisely, whispered: “Kim, just... It’s not worth it. Just drop it.” I was so angry that I couldn’t see straight.

I slowly took three deep breaths. Without a word, going against every instinct in my body, I forced myself to turn around and ignore the incessant barking of the she-punk.

Never have I had to work so hard to move. I had to fight against every mus-cle in my body in order to turn around.

For about 20 minutes following that pleasant exchange I sat with both hands clenched into tight fists, eyes locked on the shitty opening band. Staring straight ahead, my teeth grit-ted, I was bracing for impact. I was a loaded spring.

Then, she-punk and face-tattoo get into an argument. He was mad be-cause she embarrassed him, and was “always doing that shit.” In a rage, she-punk stormed off before the headlin-

ers even stepped on stage. Should I have expected a run-in

with aggressive fans? Who was the band? Were they playing fast-paced metal, hardcore, thrash-metal, or in-dustrial?

No. We were reliving our pimply, awkward youth by watching the emo, alternative-rock band Brand New. Their music is centered around teen-age angst, young love, and getting drunk on Southern Comfort.

This was neither the time, nor the place, she-punk. What an inappro-priate show to try and throw fists at; for shame. In any case, I learned that however deeply it usually resides, I do have the fight response. Even in cases of denim vests, she-punks and face-tattoos.

Denim vests, face tattoos and fisticuffs A concert conflict with “she-punk” and “face-tattoo,” and where not to pick a fight

Kim AndersonARTS EDITOR Ω

Kim AndersonARTS EDITOR Ω

Live at TRU! concert series re-view: Alpha Yaya Diallo

Guinea-born guitarist Alpha Yaya Diallo and bandmate Bojou Cissoko brought intricate, tradi-

tional African music to the Clock Tower Theatre on Sept. 11 as part of the Live at TRU! concert se-ries.

Diallo used two different gui-tars during the show, while Cis-soko played the kora, a traditional 21-string instrument used by the

Griot people of West Africa. Diallo and Cissoko walked

out on stage to a warm welcome from the audience. Diallo offered a soft and grateful “thank you” to the crowd, and with that, they launched into their dream-like performance. Diallo played intri-cate notes and made it seem ab-solutely effortless. After the first song, the audience was on their toes. The second song was just as well-received, with tapping feet and rhythmic clapping to the song’s beat.

The complex and precise per-formance set forth an assault on the audience’s musical senses. Let me be clear, it was an immensely enjoyable set. However, for some-one who has never experienced live African-style guitar and kora playing, it was overwhelming, but in a good way.

Toward the end of the show they encouraged all to go to the upper level and dance.

“It ’s very hard to listen to Afri-can music without dancing,” Di-

allo said to the crowd. Diallo and Cissoko possess a

magnetic and energetic compati-bility on-stage. At times, it felt like more of a private jam session than a concert. Throughout the set, the two musicians glanced back at each other and frequently let out a yell of approval or en-couragement.

Diallo has been playing guitar since he was seven. With a de-gree in genetics, he wasn’t always sure if he would perform for a living. But he always loved mu-sic and growing up. He was sur-rounded by it.

“I grew up, first of all, in an environment with a lot of music. All types of music, from jazz to blues. I mix that with African styles. I get inspiration from na-ture, travelling, from love! I get inspiration from ladies too!” Di-allo said.

Diallo and Cissoko certainly set the bar high for the rest of the upcoming performers in the Live at TRU! concert series.

Live at TRU! concert series review: Alpha Yaya Diallo

Few things at TRU, formerly University College of the Cariboo and before that, Cariboo College, have been around long enough to hit a 40th anniversary, but the Live at TRU! concert series has done it.

“It ’s an extraordinary gift that the university puts out there. It ’s an hour, it doesn’t ask much of your time, it costs no money, you don’t even need to walk very far,” said Susie Safford, chair of the committee for the Live at TRU! concert series.

Safford has sat on the commit-tee for 35 years, and been chair for eight years. The committee is tasked with picking and booking musicians and bands to play the annual concerts.

The Live at TRU! series brings incredibly talented musicians to share their music with students and staff. The concerts are held in the TRU Clock Tower Theatre and are free of charge.

The concert series is celebrat-ing its 40th year and opened with the mesmerizing sounds of Al-pha Yaya Diallo. The upcoming line-up will showcase a diverse

variety of musicians.The Live at TRU! committee

belongs to the British Columbia Touring Council, a non-profit arts organization that supports and promotes small-scale presenters. In order to choose the artists, the committee members attend Pacif-ic Contact, a four-day event where performers can audition in show-cases. Delegates from the Live at TRU! concert series committee take in multiple performances and make contact with artists and their managers, then report back with talent booking options.

Following the Pacific Contact event, the committee decides as a group which artists to contact. Safford is then tasked with get-ting in touch with agents and booking the talent.

Live at TRU! concerts are made possible by donated money from the TRU Faculty Association and a base grant from TRU.

“The sense when people come back to me, and tell me about what seeing a given performance meant to them, absolutely is the most rewarding thing,” Safford said.

Concert series marks 40th year

Kim AndersonARTS EDITOR Ω

Event has been held since before TRU was even called TRU, or even UCC for that matter

Bojou Cissoko playing the kora, a traditional West African instrument. (Kim Anderson/The Omega)

5The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 3 FEATURE

Students voice frustration over cuts to faculty

Students are not happy with the recent sessional cuts, voicing concerns that they are affecting course selection and limiting op-tions.

“I feel like the school is real-ly letting me down in my fourth year,” said Craig Trarup, a philos-ophy student in his final year.

Trarup has been dealt a frus-trating start to his 2014 fall se-mester due to the recent cuts to sessional staff.

Toward the end of the 2014 winter semester, word made its way through campus that TRU would be cutting 60 per cent of positions in the arts, specifically the sessional and limit-ed-term faculty. It left students not knowing how their schooling would be affected. The backlash of this deci-sion has greatly affect-ed course availability.

Trarup began his fourth year needing an upper-level meta-physics course in or-der to graduate with a philosophy degree. Without this course, his only choice would be to graduate with a degree in general studies.

Dr. Jenna Woodrow, an associ-ate professor in philosophy, and the usual professor for upper-lev-el metaphysics, recently took ma-ternity leave. TRU made the deci-sion to not replace Woodrow with a sessional faculty, resulting in the courses on logic, metaphysics and epistemology that she had previ-ously taught to be taken from this year’s course registration.

“I was all set and registered in metaphysics, [with a] ‘to be an-nounced’ beside it. Shortly be-fore the semester started, it was cancelled. I started freaking out,” Trarup said. Concerned that he was not going to graduate on time, Trarup emailed Robin Ta-pley, another philosophy profes-sor, looking for answers. Tapley is now facilitating Trarup through a directed study in metaphysics.

“The faculty is going out of its way to make up for the mistakes of

the administration,” Trarup said. Trarup is not the only TRU

student unsettled by the cutbacks. The political science students started a petition to get Robert Hanlon back after his contract with TRU was not renewed. The petition was a success, and Han-lon will be teaching four courses in the 2015 winter semester.

Matthew Klassen, a fourth-year accounting and finance student, has also watched in disappoint-ment as two faculty members in the business and economics de-partment did not return to TRU this semester.

“John Zubach and Coby Fulton were branding the economics de-partment the best and getting out

into the community and forging relationships with the organiza-tions and companies and not-for-profits in town. These guys were the front-runners for the brand-ing of TRU,” Klassen said.

“[Fulton is] an amazing guy and for him to have his contract abruptly ended … when most of us students had heard he was leaving, everyone was shocked. He’s an amazing asset to have at TRU. So why they would get rid of him is mind-boggling to say the least.”

Both Trarup and Klassen are left with the same unanswered question: Why is TRU making these drastic cuts?

TRU administration told CBC on April 23, 2014 that “the cuts are directly related to a [7%] de-cline in enrolment within the Arts.” However, in a document titled “The TRU Faculty Vision for Strategic Priorities 2014-

2019” published by the TRU Fac-ulty Association (TRUFA), it ’s stated that “during the same years that administrative payrolls were skyrocketing, faculty payroll pla-teaued and then started to drop.” The data is based on audited fi-nancial statements from 2008 to 2012.

TRUFA president Tom Fried-man believes this is counterpro-ductive.

“The priority is to attract stu-dents. You don’t do that by cut-ting sections and limiting choice,” Friedman said.

The Thompson Rivers Univer-sity Act includes the mandate that the university must prioritize “the educational and training needs in

the region.” According to Friedman, this com-mitment is not being fulfilled.

Similarly, Friedman sees the irony, as ses-sionals cost the univer-sity a lot less than ten-ured professors. TRU has a 70 per cent rule, which ensures that 70 per cent of courses in a department are taught by tenured professors or those on the tenure track. This leaves 30 per cent of courses to be taught by sessional faculty in what Fried-

man calls a “no risk situation,” where departments can try new courses without commitment.

Sessional faculty are hired on four-month contracts, and re-sponsible for re-applying for the next semester.

“It ’s so unstable, and the future is so unpredictable. Why [would we] continually stress about this situation and not just move on?” Klassen said when describing his empathy for Fulton looking else-where for job opportunities.

According to TRU’s “Sessional and Continuing Sessional Salary Scales” document, sessional facul-ty are paid $1,887 per credit and continuing sessional faculty are paid $1,980 per credit, with an annual increase.

“They would love the ability to endlessly hire short-term con-tract people, but that is not how we are going to run this institu-tion. If they want the highest lev-

el of credibility and qualification, we have to compensate people ad-equately,” Friedman said.

According to Friedman, TRU is moving to a hybrid zero-based budget model. In the past, govern-ment funding would be allocated to specific areas and departments at the university’s discretion. Now this funding is sent with minimal directives, allowing the university to determine where the money is allocated.

“[The hybrid zero-based bud-get is] a year-to-year core allo-cation of money to a department based on tenured faculty, so they know they can pay tenure salary,” Friedman said. Departments that are seeking more funding beyond that will have to be ready to fight for it. Friedman has suggested that departments create budget committees at both the depart-ment level and faculty level. Ulti-mately this becomes a bitter fight for what a department’s students should be getting.

“It certainly could cause one department to be pitted against another with a lot of time and ef-fort spent on justifying what we do. It plays into an administrative agenda. It ensures everything we do is being tested all the time,

with no funding automatically,” Friedman said.

Not only does this model have the potential to create depart-ment-to-department tension, but it also suggests that faculty will have to take time to seek mon-ey for their departments while teaching and maintaining the requirements in their contract. Similarly, the budget being allo-cated to departments for tenure salary causes inter-department separation between tenure and sessional faculty, which, accord-ing to Friedman may already be there.

“[This will take] a lot of effort out of what we should be putting into instructing and administrat-ing.”

While TRUFA and the 40 per cent of the arts faculty still em-ployed at TRU are three weeks into the new semester and 60 per cent emptier, the effects on stu-dents will continue, as not all stu-dents have registered for the 2015 winter semester.

“I want to graduate from this institution, from [these profes-sors], and it feels like the school is doing everything in its pow-er to stop that from happening sometimes,” Trarup said.

Ashley WadhwaniISSUES EDITOR Ω

Fourth-year philosophy student Craig Trarup had to enroll in a directed studies class to keep his degree on track. (Ashley Wadhwani/The Omega)

Some lament the loss of great faculty, some just want to be able to graduate

“The faculty is going out of its way to make up for the mistakes of the administration,”

Craig Trarup, fourth-year philosophy student

6 September 17, 2014COMICS & PUZZLESPuzzle of the Week #2 – Majors

A university created a sample containing information about 100 of itsstudents.

1. There are 30 Arts majors, 50 Business majors, and 40 Computingmajors.

2. 6 students are majoring in Arts and Business, 8 in Arts and Com-puting, and 10 in Business and Computing. They might be majoringin more.

3. 25 students are majoring in Computing only.

How many fit into each of the eight possible combinations of the threemajors (including none)?

This contest is sponsored by the Mathematics and Statistics department. The

full-time student with the best score at the end of the year will win a prize.

Please submit your solution (not just the answer but also why) by noon next

Wednesday to Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>. Submissions by others are

also welcome. The solution will be posted the Wednesday after that in my

blog (http://genew.ca/) and in the Math Centre (HL304). Come visit: we are

friendly.

A police officer was walking down the street when he heard noises coming from a shop nearby. As he approached the shop, he heard someone scream, “Please, John! Don’t shoot!” The sound of gunfire followed. When the officer charged through the door, he found a gun on the floor. He looked up and saw five people in the room. There was a professor, a chef, a lawyer, a milkman, and a pastor. The officer immedi-ately arrested the milkman. Why?

ANSWER: Because the milkman was the only man in the room. The rest were women.

Submitted by Alexander Wong

A RIDDLE...

7The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 3 SPORTS

It took 10 years, but TRU now has a swim team

Brad Dalke, head coach of the new WolfPack swim team and the Kamloops Classic swim team, ap-proached TRU’s athletic director 10 years ago about starting the var-sity program.

“I wanted to be able to provide our swimmers here in Kamloops a chance to stay in Kamloops after high school, and be able to have a competitive racing opportunity,” Dalke said.

The team has three members so far. One of them is Sarah Mc-Chesney, who has been swimming for 11 years. She is in her first year of general studies, but would not have enrolled at TRU if it weren’t for the WolfPack swim team and its coach.

“I met Brad in February at pro-vincials. I also talked to the SFU coach and the UVic coach,” Mc-Chesney said. “I went with Brad. You’re spending 12 hours a week in the pool. You have to have a coach that you get along with. He’s real-ly nice. He really knows what he’s doing.”

Seven students attended the try-outs last week but couldn’t meet the practice commitment.

“I have a couple of kids who are looking to transfer in January. They’ve actually finished [high school] and are considering going to school in the winter session, and starting with the WolfPack,” Dalke said.

The WolfPack swimmers practice eight times a week alongside Kam-loops Classic swimmers, which is a competitive community swim club.

“This is a joint project between TRU athletics and Kamloops Clas-sic Swimming. We’re integrating the varsity swim program with our local swim club here in Kamloops. Compared to the other programs at TRU, this is considerably different.

“Community club kids range anywhere from six to some people

in their 70s. This model that we’re using is similar to what UBC and the University of Calgary have,” Dalke said.

Dalke explained that the Wolf-Pack swim team will still func-tion as a separate entity, but the competitions will involve both WolfPack and Kamloops Classic swimmers.

“Once the university made the move to CIS, that opened the door for us. The university has

only been a full CIS member for about six years.

“Because it’s an individual sport, you’re looking for competitive rac-ing opportunities. Internationally, Olympians are primarily coming from university ranks. Our goal is definitely to get kids swimming at the international level, or give them the chance to do that,” Dalke said.

In February, the WolfPack swim-mers will go to the Western Cana-dian Championships and the CIS

Swimming Championships. The team is open to more than

just competitive swimmers. “We’re looking for students to

develop as coaches and instructors for the Kamloops Classic program,” Dalke said.

On Oct. 10, the WolfPack will have its first intercity dual meet. From Oct. 17 to 19, they will at-tend the Penticton Pentathlon.

The varsity season will continue until the end of February.

Tayla ScottSPORTS EDITOR Ω

WolfPack swimmers (from left to right): Jacquelyn Belanger, Sarah McChesney and Jagdeesh Uppal before a practice. (Tayla Scott/The Omega)

Varsity team starts with three, but will soon add more to its ranks

WolfPack teams square off for Raise-a-Reader

Every year, the TRU men’s vol-leyball team and basketball teams compete to see who can raise

more money for Raise-a-Reader Day, which will take place in Ka-mloops on Sept. 23.

The teams start at 7 a.m. and have three hours to collect dona-tions from the Sahali and Aber-

deen areas. In exchange for do-nations, the teams will hand out special literary-themed editions of Kamloops This Week.

Fiona Clare, Kamloops’ literacy outreach co-ordinator, has seen the teams compete for the past seven years.

Clare called the WolfPack teams the most successful group of fundraisers for the morning of Raise-a-Reader.

Pat Hennelly is entering his tenth year as head coach of the men’s volleyball team and has tak-en part in the campaign in the past.

“We just want to beat the basketball team. That ’s the one goal,” Hennelly said.

He remembers the competitive fundraising began seven years ago on Raise-a-Reader day to keep spirits up and the cold away.

“It ’s one of those things that worked out well for our team. If you’re in sports, you’re competitive. We get there at 6 a.m. and obviously it ’s cold and the guys are tired, too, so it ’s a way to get us fired up and to keep the spirit going.

“The energy is infectious. Peo-

ple see us smiling and they’re more likely to give money in that case. We’ve been over $1,000 ever since we started. I think $1,600 was our best,” said Hennelly.

The men’s basketball team rais-es close to $1,000 every year as well, but has yet to collect more than the volleyball team.

Scott Clark is in his fifth year of coaching the TRU men’s bas-ketball team.

“Our goal is to win. Other than that, it ’s just to get out and have a little bit of fun with the team-

mates in the community. “In the past, volleyball has beat-

en us out. The last couple years they finished first and we finished second. We’re quite proud of that.

“We’re trying to develop guys athletically, trying to do the same thing academically and develop as

people and be productive mem-bers of our community,” Clark said.

There will be another Wolf-Pack team in the mix this year, according to Clare.

“This year we also have the TRU cross country team partici-pating. They should be faster run-ners, so there will be competition from them too.

“Raise-a-Reader is important so we can provide literacy pro-grams ... we’re almost dependent on the money we get from the

Raise-a-Reader day,” she said.

Last year, when the campaign was run by the now-closed Kamloops Daily News, the event saw more than 200 vol-unteers raise a total of $95,870, including lo-cal sponorships and matched funds from the government, according to an Oct. 6, 2013 arti-

cle in the Kamloops Daily News.This year, look for volunteers

in bright orange t-shirts handing out special editions of Kamloops This Week.

Students can bring a donation to TRU on Sept. 23 to support Raise-a-Reader day.

Tayla ScottSPORTS EDITOR Ω

Men’s volleyball and basketball teams compete in annual literacy fundraiser

Former WolfPack men’s volleyball player Brad Gunter was up early last year when he participated in the 2013 iteration of the fundraiser. (Image courtesy TRU Athletics)

“We’ve been over $1,000 ever since we started.”

Pat Hennelly, head coach men’s volleyball

September 3, 20148