The MarkVolume II . . . No. 6 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 FREE.99

Remembering Why We Play

We know that physical activi-ty is good for the body, but it also has many benefits for the mind and soul. This month at Quest, it provided students with two op-portunities to energize their inner selves. A memorial run put on by the family of Daniel Rezmer and a world record-breaking volley-ball game in the Kermode gym helped to remind us of all the ben-eficial things exercise can bring.

A year ago our community experienced a tragic loss when Quest student, Daniel Rezmer, passed away. On September 14, 2014, Rezmer’s peers, friends and family gathered here in Squamish to participate in a run honouring his memory. The event was titled the Youth Run for Pure Good, af-ter one of his mother’s favourite memories of her son attempting to define happiness: “for me, it’s pure good.” Fourth year student Jeannie Rakamnuaykit, who participated in the run, remembers a positive at-titude amongst the participants. Rakamnuaykit noted that the mark Rezmer left was made clear after hearing speeches from loved ones: “While speakers mourned for Dan-iel, the prevailing emotion at the event was gratitude. ‘Thank yous’ flowed as steadily as tears as we celebrated Daniel’s life and legacy.”

Martin Parnell, a representa-tive from Right to Play, embodies the spirit of Rezmer who, accord-ing to the Youth Run for Pure Good Facebook page, saw “running as an

Two events this month remind community of the diverse benefits of physical activity

expression of freedom and passion for life.” Parnell, a Right to Play am-bassador who ran 250 marathons in 2010, was here to spread the message that activity is essential for happy and healthy develop-ment, something Rezmer would most definitely have supported.

On September 19, 310 of us broke the world record for the largest indoor volleyball game in an event organized by the Right to Play club. While it was easy to get caught up in the excitement of bumping, setting, spiking, and watching Quest tutor Glen Van Brummelen hustle around the court, one particular person in the gym served as a constant reminder of the purpose of the event. Sitting in the top left section of the bleachers or setting on the court was Martin Parnell, who is starting an important fundraising journey right here in Squamish.

This year, as a part of his Quest for Kids, Parnell is trav-elling to ten universities across Canada in an attempt to break ten world records for the biggest games of various sports. Talking to him, however, it was clear that breaking world records was not his only priority. “Obviously it’s great that we’re about to break [the record of] 300 people”, he said, “but today is all for the kids”.

The donations raised on Fri-day and at Purnell’s next nine stops will go to training commu-nity leaders all over the world to spread Right to Play’s message. Its mission, to “empower youth to overcome poverty, conflict and disease,” helps children in many developing regions to realize their potential. Parnell illustrated how ambassadors work with local leaders to facilitate this realization through a story about a visit to Benin, a country in West Africa. Leaders had a group of children surround an individual and in-structed the children to prevent another group from entering the circle. Because malaria is a serious problem there, the activity was a metaphor for the way the immune system resists viruses. Games like this, combined with positive en-ergy, help to encourage healthy practices that can save lives.

This past month at Quest has demonstrated how physical activi-ty can be a source of human good-ness and positive energy. When play becomes competitive, partic-ularly because of money, its mes-sage of pure good can be swiftly compromised. However, events like these emphasize the good that activity can bring and represent in a community and in the world.

Presidential Search

Continues

The final year of Da-vid Helfand’s presidency has begun, but Quest’s search

committee has yet to see a defined candidate pool or set a deadline for the position an-nouncement. Isaacson Miller, the executive search firm hired by Quest, has been working on identifying candidates since con-sulting with student focus groups back in April, where Isaacson Miller received feedback about integrating community beliefs and values into the job description.

Isaacson Miller, who prides themselves on their commitment to diversity, is continuously ex-panding and refining said can-didate pool. However, search committee member Eric Gorham explained that no one from Quest will see any resumes until their meetings with Isaacson Miller on September 19 and October 21. After that point, the committee will refer back to the job description - craft-ed with the aforementioned stu-dent feedback in mind - while de-bating candidates and narrowing them down to a group of finalists.

Gorham noted that while confidentiality has been the most frustrating part of the process for him, it is less of a personal choice and more about respect-ing the fact that candidates may

NEWS & OPINONEquity & DiversityView From Here PAGE A2

OPINIONPower of PlantsOctober Briefs PAGE B1

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT Squamish Estuary

PAGE B2

Michi and the Bees

By TRISTAN KLINE &KENDRA PERRIN

Michalina Hunter, a fourth year student better known as Michi, started learning about bees after her second year at Quest Univer-sity Canada. It was while WWOOF-ing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) in New Zealand that she first had the opportuni-ty to don a bee suit, open up the hives, and extract the sweet honey. She has been hooked ever since.

Reminiscing about her first time working with bees, she said: “I was incredibly nervous when we opened up the hives — I think I was shaking! But seeing the amazing creatures working away quietly under the lid of the hive was so beautiful. And the smell of the hives was so heavenly; I’m still trying to figure out a way to capture that smell in a perfume...” Upon returning from New Zealand,

Michi started helping beekeepers around her home on the Sun-shine Coast in hopes of learning more about her new fascination.

For Michi, bees are not just honey producers. In fact, hon-ey bees account for only one of around 450 native species that live right here in beautiful Brit-ish Columbia. If you thought that was a staggering number, read this: there are roughly 20,000 spe-cies of our little buzzing buddies in the world. According to Michi, native bees are extremely import-ant in balancing the local ecolo-gy by pollinating native flowers.

Thanks to Michi’s hardwork and clever navigation of Squamish bylaws, there have been bees on Quest’s campus since last April. “They came from New Zealand in cardboard tubes of several hundred bees and a queen in a cage. We put them in their box-es one night, and they have been

If You Build it, They Will Come

In recent years, the idea of a Quest campus pub has been bounced around amongst alum-ni, students, and administration. The first people to voice this idea were former Quest students Brad Klees and Tucker Sherman. Over the past year the two have worked through the initial diffi-culties of getting the pub off the ground and are now watching their idea evolve into a real possibility.

The first obstacle that Klees and Sherman overcame was con-vincing the Quest community a pub would be a positive addition to campus. The two believe a pub would provide a space that is for students to unwind, and while unwinding can mean different things for different people, Klees and Sherman believe the pub can fit these different needs. The pub would serve alcohol on weekends and because of a recent law passed by British Columbia minors would still be allowed in the bar. The pub would also serve as a performance space where students could host various events. It is even possible that the pub could house a café, a corner store, and a bike rental shop. These extra business en-deavors would be run by Squamish companies, an arrangement which would encourage more interaction between ‘the people on the hill’ and the rest of the community.

In a recent Facebook poll, Klees and Sherman demonstrated student support for the pub. Stu-dents aren’t the only ones enthu-

By MICHAELA SLINGER

LULU GRIMM

By KEVIN BERNAHelfand’s final year as president begins; new

leadership remains unclear

thriving since then!” said Michi. The beekeeping club started

up shortly after the arrival of the bees and, ever since, members have been checking in on the bees every week or two to en-sure that all is well in hive-land. They must make sure that the queen is laying eggs, that the hive is healthy and disease-free, and that the bees have enough food to last through the chilly winter.

Bees are seasonal creatures and, just like us, they start spend-ing more and more time inside when it starts getting rainy and cold outside (but with less Netflix). When Father Winter’s icy knuck-les come knocking and refuse to stop, the bees will bundle them-selves in a big, buzzing ball and take shifts in an insulating crust to keep their comrades warm.

Now that you are practical-ly an expert on bees, come out to join Michi (and the bees) be-tween 10 am and 3 pm this Oc-tober 5 as she leads a workshop packed with business, buzziness, waxiness, workiness, and learning. If this candle-dipping and hang-ing with the hives (they really are quite friendly!) catches your fancy, then consider joining the Quest beekeeping club. Michi ex-plains, “the most rewarding part for me is getting interested people in bee suits and showing them the hives ... it has been so great getting people into the beekeep-ing world and sharing the stoke!”

“There is always work to be done when you are a beekeeper. The bees keep us as busy as they keep themselves.” So you, Michi, and the bees, will have plenty to do.

If you truly are interested in joining Quest’s Beekeeping Club or have any questions for the bees (or Michi!), feel free to send an email to michalina.hunter@questu.ca

Yes, it sounds like a band name, and maybe one day it will be, but in this case, we’re talking about exactly what

we say: Michi and the (many many native) bees. Despite obstacles, a pub on Quest’s campus is still a possibility.

By LIZA STONER & LEENA LAMONTAGNE-DUPUIS

siastic about the pub either; the Quest administration also seems on board with the idea. However, they need to see a firm proposal before taking a definitive stance. Through the process of putting to-gether a definitive proposal, Klees and Sherman have had to evaluate many possible ways of financing the construction. They conclud-ed that working with the Student Representative Council is the best chance for getting the pub built. The SRC could hold a referendum which, if passed by the student body, would allow them to take out a loan to finance the pub’s con-struction. The money to pay back this mortgage would come out of the SRC’s budget for the next twen-ty years. Because this would tie up SRC money for such a long time, it is a decision which the SRC and stu-dent body will likely take seriously.

This year could be the turn-ing point for the future of Quest’s pub. David Helfand, Quest’s es-teemed president, wi`ll be leaving at the end of the year, and Klees and Sherman are aware of the pos-sibility that Quest’s next president may not be as open to student initiatives as Helfand has been.

If the student body comes to-gether and continues to push for a pub on campus, ground could be broken on construction by the summer of 2015. By this time next fall students could be sipping a brew, discussing class topics with tutors in a pub they helped create.

currently hold positions at other academic institutions. Applica-tions will likely be more abun-dant if those interested need not worry about their colleagues or students discovering that they’re seeking out other positions.

For this same reason, there is not yet a calendar date to mark down regarding the presidential announcement. The only dead-line that Gorham could concretely identify was Helfand’s departure in the summer of 2015. The transition-al process between old president and new president remains equal-ly ambiguous, as it hinges on the candidate chosen for the position as well as Helfand’s own wish-es for ending his time at Quest.

While finding new leadership has been a long and complicat-ed journey, Gorham believes that “new blood is a wonderful thing for any institution -- the new pres-ident will not be like David, and that can be a very good thing.” Gorham continued on to note the direct benefits of the change for Quest students, as “it may gener-ate new ideas, new practices, new ways that we can relate to each other as a campus community.”

Gorham is still open to con-versation and input regarding the search. Even if it’s not with a spe-cific candidate in mind, students should continue to share their thoughts on what they believe will constitute a strong and effec-tive president at Quest. With the incoming class having only one quarter of their university expe-rience led by Helfand, they may bring a fresh perspective to the search that will be less influenced by their interactions with him.

Suggestions can be emailed to Eric at eric.gorham@questu.ca.

EUAN SADLER

A2 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014The MarkNEWS & OPINION

Five academic projects students worked on last summer

By ANDREA PRUDENCIO CARRIAGA & BENJAMIN GOLDSTEIN

In the Quest Summer Fellows Program, five Quest students take on academic projects requiring creative and original thought. Fel-lows report to a host faculty mem-ber who works with them through-out their project and receive about $4000 minus taxes, plus on-campus accommodations. Last summer Mabel Vautravers, Ty-ler Heilman, Gillian Pool, Andrew Ross Laird, and Jenna Treissman worked about 35 hours per week for over three months, while living together in a Swift Creek condo.

Vautravers wrote a sci-fi no-vella with themes of norm-defi-ance in representations of identity. Her novella began as a two-page story written for her Identity and Perspective class, but after the summer it’s seventy pages and Vautravers may turn it into her keystone project. Vautravers said “Living on campus over the sum-mer sometimes felt isolating, but at the same time I couldn’t imagine a better circumstance for myself.”

Laird modeled water inflow for a reservoir. His biggest task was to create a program for identifying the yearly “spring inflow period”, when far more water enters the reservoir than during the rest of year. Laird said “programming involves a ton of reading ... and I really liked get-ting a chance to get deeper into [it], since I usually don’t have a chance to while attending Quest”.

Heilman, who is interested in climatology and meteorology, built a weather station for use by BC Parks. Although he encoun-

tered several difficulties within his project, he said “large periods of frustration are a necessary part of self-directed learning... and when you finally overcome those moments it’s the most satisfying feeling”. This month Heilman’s weather station was flown by he-licopter to Garibaldi Park, prov-ing his frustrations worthwhile.

Treissman, who is interested in pre-conceptive health, constructed a survey to determine the prev-alence of STIs on campus. The anonymous survey will be out in October. Treissman, like most of the fellows, is considering submitting her fellowship project as a Keystone.

Pool monitored human and wildlife presence on trails near the sea-to-sky gondola using infrared cameras. She spent her days trav-eling the trails to re-locate cameras, replace batteries, and download-ing images before the cameras became full. Pool recommended the program. “It was a fun envi-ronment, with lots of headspace... the commitment to the project was really motivating.” Heilman agreed, “It was really good to live with all of them; [the fellows] I did not know any of them going in. I had misconceptions about them before the summer, but we end-ed up getting along very well.”

Although none have finished their projects yet, all the fellows enjoyed their experience. The deadline to apply for next year’s summer fellows program is next February, and applications can be found in the Quest Portal.

Diversity & EquityReport cia tree, ate delicious nyama cho-

ma and assiduously debated pol-itics with a Quest student’s family. I visited a dilapidated rural school to observe a reproductive health lesson. I ate avocados half the size of my head in Fig Tree Market. I traveled by matatu, bus, taxi and official government escort. I wept at times, and danced at others. I could go on.

Yet the most impactful mo-ment of the trip was standing in front of the church, atop the bones of the murdered. I heard a sound behind us – two young boys, aged 10 and 11 emerged. They lived around the corner, and came to observe the curious strangers who had lumbered into the middle of nowhere. They asked us what we were doing, and we did the same. They were on their way to the shop. They told us that they were around the church when the fire started, that one of them had almost been hit in the eye by an arrow when he was four years old.

They also told us that they loved football. One of them sup-ported the Super Eagles – he was my favourite. Da-vid and I sat on the car bonnet and lis-tened to them talk for a while. One wanted to become a doctor, the other wanted to write books. They were both doing well in school, and liked the subjects they were taking. They asked us for a lift to the store, less than a mile up the grassy path, and we obliged. We gave them 30 bob (37 cents) each for biscuits, and headed toward the road.

I learned a lot of things in Kenya: the value of con-

By JESSICA O’SULLIVAN

By TARI AJADI

View From Here

Summer Fellows 2014

With the student population finally stabilizing and the number of applications going up each year, Quest University Canada is be-coming less worried about bring-ing in students and more worried about who those students are. How does a university approach the multi-faceted condition of equality and diversity on campus? This is why the Equity and Diversi-ty Committee was formed.

As Quest grows, the students, faculty and staff are finding the need to grow with it. With the stu-dent population exceeding 600, new questions are emerging about the direction of the university. The Diversity and Equity Committee is an intentional committee whose goal is to unite the staff, faculty and student body in creating conversa-tion around what it means to have a diverse community. They pursue questions regarding who we ad-mit, who we hire, how to deal with the oppression of both visible and invisible minorities, and how our implicit biases affect our decisions.

The Diversity Committee is composed of three faculty mem-bers, three staff members, and three student liaisons. The three tu-tors elected by the faculty are John Reid-Hresko, Mai Yaisue and Curtis Wasson. The three staff members are Melanie Koenderman, Rachel Cabrera, and Krista Lambie. Of the student liaisons, one will be an SRC minister, and the rest of the com-mittee will choose the other two. All decisions made by the commit-tee are consensus driven. The role of the student liaisons will be an important aspect of the commit-tee, as students have information and access to the Quest commu-nity that the faculty and staff don’t have.

Through a survey sent via email earlier this month that is due

October 2, the committee hopes to gather data on the state of diver-sity and equity on campus. “We need to have the policies we pur-sue come out of data – that way they are based in reality,” says Re-id-Hresko. Once the data is collect-ed, it will be cleaned of any iden-tifiable markers that might break confidentiality. The committee will release this data back to the Quest community in Spring of 2015. vThis information will be available and used to inform future decisions made by the committee. The survey will be administered inter-mittently throughout Quest’s exis-tence, so that decisions are made using relevant information.

In upcoming years, the com-mittee will be focusing its attention on diversifying incoming faculty and students. “We have the possi-bility for driving policy and change in ways supported by the majori-ty,” Reid-Hresko explains. “We are hoping that this committee has the potential to affect members of our community besides faculty, namely staff and students [...] that means that we can achieve broad consensus across a variety of inter-ested parties as we move forward. That is the rationale behind their involvement.”

By including insights from many factions of the Quest com-munity, the committee aims to shape a systematic approach that reduces the impact of the hiring committee’s implicit biases. More specifically, one of their goals is to mitigate an often subconscious prejudice against minority groups and women. In the future, the com-mittee hopes to apply a similar ap-proach to student admissions.

Any student interested in be-ing a liaison is encouraged to apply through the Quest Portal. All appli-cants are required to have letters of support from a faculty or staff member who is not on the com-mittee, and a fellow student.

Whether you are a seasoned adventurer or just learning to walk in the woods, Squamish is any hiker’s playground. Known as the outdoor recreation capital of Can-ada, our backyard offers trails that take you from the sea to the sky, through pristine alpine forest to glacial lakes and panoramic views of our coastal mountains.

Heading up Highway 99 to-wards Whistler you’ll find Brohm, Cat and Alice Lakes. All are easy to access (two minute walks from the parking lots) and offer great swim-ming spots, places to camp, and wooded walking trails that loop around their shores.

A well worn Squamish trail winds steeply up the backside of the Stawamus Chief, branching off about halfway up to a selection be-tween first, second and third peak.

This one requires intermediate to extreme levels of stoke – the incline has been known to dampen spir-its momentarily. Once you reach the top, however, you’ll be flood-ed with the realization that it was worth every step; the spectacular view overlooks all of the Squamish Valley and Howe Sound. Shannon Falls can also be accessed by the Chief trail. Shortly after beginning the hike you’ll come to a small bridge that branches off and takes you over to the waterfall.

For those of you who are looking to hike up into the moun-tains, Garibaldi Provincial Park is literally in Quest’s backyard. Trails to Red Heather, Elfin Lakes, The Gargoyles, Opal Cone and Mam-quam Lake all begin at the trail-head at the end of Garibaldi Park Road, about a 30 minute drive up the dirt road past the Swift Creek condos. From there, the trail starts

Exploring our great backyard

By ELISE PEARSON

Get Outside

They were chased here, to the Kenya Assemblies of God church in tiny Kiambaa village, when the violence started six years ago. Women and children main-ly, though there were a few men in their midst. The church was burned down; the fire hastened by the onrushing mob, who fueled it with rotting grass and crops from the now luscious fields surround-ing the site. Some estimates say up to fifty people were killed. I counted far fewer headstones in the grave-yard. Later, I visited the mortuary where bodies from the fire were still stacked in a large refrigerated crate, waiting to be claimed by families long gone.

David, the man who showed me around Eldoret, Kenya that day went quiet when he began to discuss that wretched time on New Year’s Day, 2008. No words were needed. The church ahead of us was a two room hut surround-ed by acres of maize and a small plot for the victims’ final resting place. There was a flimsy gate, half-a-dozen goats, a meandering cow and a woman tending to the fields. I paused for a moment be-fore heading inside the compound. “Shouldn’t there be a monument for what happened here? Some-thing that reads ‘Never Again’ or a similar sentiment?” I wondered.

Before those words left my mouth, I knew the answer.

My plans for Kenya before I travelled were decidedly vague. I knew I would be spending six or more weeks at the African Lead-ership Centre in Nairobi. I knew I would be researching the role of identity in political conflicts – fo-cusing specifically on ethnicity, and on the post-election violence of 2008. I knew I’d collect some sto-ries, then eventually leave. Beyond that, I was content to absorb and react.

I ended up staying with four different families across the coun-try, meeting ambassadors, village elders, policemen, market women and bus drivers. I planted an aca-

versible spaces when interacting with issues of human security, and the value of antibiotics after eating in a sketchy but delicious restaurant in Machakos, to start. But these boys knew more about the lives they were living and the question that I was studying than I could dream. Their presence hum-bled me. I would be a fool to think I could tell their story, or the story of their home, with any meaning. My life has been a matrix of sim-plicity and comfort, and yours has too. No monument could capture the suffering of people across the country, no matter what ethnicity, who died or whose livelihoods are silently decaying under a myriad of circumstances. No monument could capture their joy and their aspirations, their successes or their brilliance either. And so I was re-signed to leave after a quick prayer for the deceased with solemnity in my heart, a couple of coins in my hand and a ringing endorsement of Ahmed Musa in my head. So it goes.

off with an easy incline and winds its way to the Red Heather ski hut. Continuing along the trail will bring you up to the ridge, where you’ll be encompassed by a panoram-ic view of the coastal mountains. Another six kilometers from Red Heather, and 11 kilometers from the trailhead, you’ll reach Elfin Lakes. The Elfin campground provides easy access to the Gargoyles and Opal Cone. If you’re really amped on hiking in further, continue along the trail past Opal Cone to Mam-quam Lake, 11 kilometers from Elfin.

Garibaldi Lake is another sweet destination. The trailhead starts at the Rubble Creek parking lot just south of Whistler. Switch-backs through the alpine forest takes you up for six kilometers where a fork in the road either takes you down to the lake or over Taylor Meadows, nestled below Black Tusk. From the meadows you can continue up Black Tusk or towards Panorama ridge. The ridge is about 15 kilometers from the Rubble Creek trailhead, where you’ll find glorious views overlook-ing the lake.

These trails are fantastic to ex-plore year round, but they become increasingly less accessible after October – dress appropriately and prepare accordingly (snowshoes, layers and toques recommended); be safe out there and have a wick-ed time in the mountains. Check out vancouvertrails.com for more information about distance, esti-mated time, elevation gain and de-tailed trail maps.

TARI AJADI

ELISE PEARSON

OPINIONB1

By CALEAH DEAN & ANDREA PRUDENCIO CARRIAGA

Getting Off

Welcome back Questies! We thought we’d kick off the year with a fun and positive topic: toys! Sex toys can enhance pleasure and allow you to explore different di-mensions of your sexuality. You can have magnificent sex without toys, but you might be surprised by how much fun you can have if you decide to try them. Sex is supposed to be fun, and allowing yourself to explore different ways of having it can create a unique and thrilling experience.

Below are some of the most common misconceptions about sex toys we encountered in our conversations with Quest stu-dents, and some of the responses that we concocted to try and clear them up.

Myth #1: They’re something to be hidden and ashamed of.

Yes, privacy is important, but you should never have to be ashamed. Infact, being open about your toys will reduce the fear of someone discovering them and al-low you to relax and enjoy yourself more fully. Additionally, being open with a partner about your toys and what gets you off will most likely lead to a more pleasurable experi-ence for you both.

Myth #2: Sex toys are mostly for women.Hell no! There is everything you never imagined out there. Yes, vibrators are a classic lady favor-ite, but they can please men too! And there are a slew of other pos-sibilities out there for both guys and girls, such as cock rings, anal beads, dildos, and masturbating sleeves, just to name a few.

Myth #3: They replace a partner.

R. MARIS WINTERS

Toys might be a great source of pleasure if you want to explore your sexuality in solo mode, but being reluctant to introduce them into a partner relationship for fear of being supplanted doesn’t make much sense. As a third year stu-dent put it, “[thinking that a sex toy can replace a partner] is like peo-ple being afraid of being replaced by computers at work, [...] maybe if the sex toys get really good, you might not be needed as a lover anymore, but loving someone is so much more than just making love anyway.” Following the computer analogy, it makes more sense for people to incorporate their com-puters into their work to increase their productivity. Plus, no ma-chine can replace creativity, con-nection and affection.

Myth #4: Sex toys are for long term partners who are getting tired of the same old thing and want to spice things up.

True, that is one good use for sex toys, but it is far from the only use. They could be just for you, or they could also be for wonderful hookup sex, as long as all parties are comfortable and you keep your toys clean.

Myth #5: Sex shops are filthy, grimy places, filled with S&M material, and scantily-clad women.

This could not be more wrong. Sex shops, at least the ones we would encourage you to visit, look like any other store, except that the products they sell happen to revolve solely around sex. If you are interested in buying, or even just learning more about toys, con-doms, bondage material, lingerie, lube, porn or anything else that may serve to change your sex life, you should try visiting a sex shop. We recommend the queer friendly and super interesting ‘Little Sisters Book & Art Emporium’ on Davies St., Vancouver.

Myth #6: Sex toys are way too ex-pensive.

Not necessarily! We won’t say that a fancy sex toy isn’t a good in-vestment (because it is!), but there are many cheaper options out there. London Drugs has a small but reasonable selection of mainly vibrators. If that’s still more than you’re willing to spend, there are many phallic shaped household objects that could work, just so long as they have no sharp edges and are very well sanitized.

Although we are firm believers in the power of sex toys, they may not be for everyone. If sex toys ar-en’t your thing, don’t be ashamed of that either! For those of you who are toy lovers, or interested in trying them out, remember to communicate and lubricate! (No silicone based lube with your sili-cone toys!)

Play safe, Caleah & Andrea

If your friends tell you that growing houseplants inside your home is not rocket science, tell them that it is!

In a landmark study, a NASA scientist found that indoor plants not only remove pollutants but re-oxygenate the air inside space-crafts. Rather handy for the astro-nauts, since such plants keep them alive and healthy.

On Earth, the same applies to us. In fact, there are also measur-able positive psychological bene-fits to keeping houseplants. People actually feel happier around plants than in lifeless indoor spaces.

Sure, plants make us feel good in space, but since we are on Earth, why not just get a puppy? The puppy would provide you with more oxygen through day-to-day walks and make you significantly happier, right?

Yes, but can a puppy, howev-er adorable, be your ever-reliable air cleaning machine? With the amount of built up CO

2 and toxins

in our homes, we are all in desper-ate need of these fresh air circula-tors.

Not only do plants such as ferns, ivy, and palms absorb lethal toxins, they also release oxygen and naturally humidify our air, making it significantly harder to get a cold or flu.

If you still find a puppy more desirable, consider Kamal Meat-tle’s research in New Delhi.

On September 8, 2008, the New Dehli government marked the Paharpur Business Center as the healthiest building in the entire city. Over 15 years, the center has incor-porated more than 1,200 plants for its 300 employees. Meattle shares the results: 9% reduction in asth-ma, 24% reduction in headaches, 34% reduced respiratory irritation, 52% reduced eye irritation, 20% in-crease in human productivity, 42% probability of one’s blood oxygen going up by 1% after 10 hours in the building, 15% reduction of energy cost (lower ventilation costs).

The most significant impact may lie in the reduced energy cost. Today, buildings consume 40% of the world’s energy. Considering that the UN estimates that 70% of the world population will be living in cities by 2050, these carcino-gen-consuming and ultra friendly plants will benefit all of human-kind, as they have for thousands of years.

If you think about it, you could maximize your joy and health by getting a puppy AND a few plants. Just make sure you put your plants where you spend most of your time -- inside the living quar-ters please!

Hurry and begin growing your own fresh air!

By ISABELLA THORSTEINSDOTTIR

The Power of Plants

Benjamin Booker — Benja-min Booker. The latest self-titled album from Benjamin Booker is a drum- and guitar-heavy ga-rage-blues rock anthem. Hailing from Detroit, Booker is a contem-porary garage-blues artist that has inspired the likes of Jack White. His song Wicked Waters uses the contrast between loud guitar and quiet, calm vocals to create a great indie song. Always Waiting, which starts with a strained guitar drone, quickly changes into a pop-blues track with slightly cracking vocals that fit the song perfectly. His frantic strumming and magical melodies will send tingles up your spine.

Recommended track: Violent Shiver

Pickwick — Can’t Talk Medi-cine. Deep, dark, grungy and 60’s esque, these bass and organ laden tracks from Pickwick’s latest album find their way through your ears and into your mind. The whole album was recorded in the band’s living room on an 8-track, picking up a few bumps and bruises that add to the overall raw sound the album. This is definitely a band to look out for throughout this year.

Recommended track: Staged Names.

Sea Wolf — Song Spells: No.1: Cedarsmoke. Alex Church’s fourth album is an indie landscape of crackling wood, windswept coast-lines and tall foggy mountains. Almost every track is just vocals and guitar, making it a step down in tempo compared to his other albums. The overall feeling of the album is very warm and relaxed. Wait a month or two for when the weather becomes inclement, and then you will appreciate the whole album.

Recommended track: The Water’s Wide

Darkside — Psychic. Nicolas Jarr, a Chilean producer educated at Brown University, partnered up with Dave Harrington, a jazz guitar-ist, and created a wild exploration of sound titled Psychic. The album ranges from tribal drums with wild synths to a beautifully simple blues track called Paper Trails. The gui-tar cuts through the mix, making the record sound much more or-ganic and raw, a treat to listen to. The electronic beat in Metatron is an interesting combination of electronically created sounds and samples. If you have a long drive ahead of you, plug this into your stereo and take a cruise.

Recommended song: Paper Trails

Album Reviews: A Fall SamplerBy JACK LAMBERT

Geological History of SquamishThursday, October 9, 2014 from 7 to 9pmHas your wandering soul led you to discover the Brackendale Art Gallery in all its rustic beauty? Only a ten minute drive from cam-pus, this quaint venue offers an ever-changing art display and is the host of countless local events. On the evening of October 9, you can pour over the geological his-tory of Squamish in this specially curated event. Plus, Quest’s own geology tutor, Steve Quane, will be speaking on the geological foun-dation of the Sea to Sky Corridor.

From 7 to 9pm, come learn about the physical environment in your tantalizing backyard. Admission is by donation. Whistler Writers FestivalFriday, October 17 to Sunday, Oc-tober 19, 2014A weekend of readings, workshops and seminars will entice writers at Quest to make the trip to Whistler from Friday, October 17 to Sunday, October 19. You can responsibly enjoy a glass of wine while listen-ing to Giller prize-winning novel-ist, Joseph Boyden, read from his book, The Orenda. Or maybe you would prefer to learn from the award-winning Steven Galloway in a workshop on writing descriptive

By ERIKA SERODIO

October Briefs prose. A variety of events will take place all throughout the weekend and range in price from $12 – $30. Check out the full schedule and buy your tickets at whistlerwriters-fest.com. Trail Running ClinicEvery Monday from now through November from 4:45 – 6pmOur backyard is overflowing with trails that are just waiting for you to set foot on them, but getting out there can be intimidating at first. Fortunately, our new coordinator of recreation, Jean-Francois Plouffe, is guiding clinics for runners of all skill levels. Jean-Francois (J.F.) will focus on running gait, tempo and speed techniques, running posi-tion, and ascending and descend-ing. This is a great chance to get sweaty, get out on the trails and make some new friends! The clin-

ics run every Monday for the next three months from 4:45 to 6pm. There is a maximum of twenty people allowed in each clinic, so make sure to sign up ahead of time on the Rec Plex bulletin board. The PaperboysSunday, October 26 from 8 to 10pmHave you early birds made plans for the October block break yet? Spend the last night of your break enjoying the fusion of Irish, Mexican and Roots music at the Brackend-ale Art Gallery. The JUNO Award winning band, The Paperboys, will be playing an intimate show at the gallery on Sunday, October 26. You can buy your tickets downtown at Xocolatl or at the Brackendale Art Gallery for $20.

TARI AJADI

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014The Mark

The Mark

CALEAH DEAN, Editor-in-ChiefJONATHAN VON OFENHEIM, Editor-in-Chief

ALESSANDRO TERSIGNI, News EditorZACHARY KERSHMAN, Opinion EditorKENDRA PERRIN, Arts & Culture Editor

KEVIN BERNA, Sports EditorR. MARIS WINTERS, Production Manager

JORDAN ROSS, Media GuruTARI AJADI, Editor-at-Large

May 26, 2014 -- Quest University catalogued biodiversity in the Squamish estuary to assess the ef-fect the expansion of a natural gas pipeline, needed to supply natural gas to the proposed Woodfibre LNG facility, will have on the sensi-tive intertidal zone.The Squamish estuary is an extremely delicate and complex ecosystem. Wildlife ecologist and Quest Tutor Denise Gabriel ex-plained, “80% of marine life visits the estuary at some point in [its] lifecycle ... The estuary is a vulner-able system and a disruption to a portion of this ecological process could cause the collapse of many other aspects of it.”However, a disruption in this frag-ile ecosystem is likely. Fortis BC, a company that distributes electric power and natural gas throughout the province, is planning on ex-panding a 52km natural gas main to deliver the substance to the proposed Woodfibre LNG facility west of Howe Sound. The pipeline routing is dependent on where Fortis BC ends up building the 15,000 horsepower compressor station. If the compressor is built on Fortis property near Pioneer Way, it is likely that the pipeline will cross the Squamish estuary.This May, Gabriel has made it her mission to teach a class that discusses why biodiversity is im-portant to assess, understand, and protect in the light of development projects such as the pipeline. “Will plants still be there? Yes. Will animals still show up? Yes. Where there is energy, there is life. But in terms of being a supportive eco-system to the extremely varied species that visit estuaries, that kind of disruption might cause larger consequences.”Choosing which ecosystems need to be conserved requires a norma-tive assessment. The assessment

B2 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014The MarkSCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

Squamish Estuary: Hot Spot, Hot Topic

Biodiversity in Squamish Estuary sampled by Quest students to spark discussion about why the estuary is a valuable ecosystem that should be protected from pipeline construction

of biodiversity occurs in a double uncertainty: scientific (how to conserve) and normative (what to conserve). Finding ways to study normative uncertainties within the field of conservation science is just as important as discovering new methods of conservation. How much value is placed on biodiver-sity can determine what ecosys-tems are conserved.How much value does the Squa-mish estuaries have in terms of biodiversity?To find out, Gabriel led a team of students to sample biodiversity at the estuary. An estuary is the transitional area between salt-wa-ter ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. The estuary acts as a nursery for fish and a foraging ground for wildlife. It is rich in nutrients, home to many migra-tory species and provides for the resting and breeding needs of many wildlife species.On May 22nd, 2014, Gabriel led the Quest students down to the estuary where they split into four small groups to sample the forest, wetland, meadow, and riparian areas in the estuary. The students measured species richness and abundance in each zone. Within the forest zone students found the highest species richness farthest from the gravel road, a good example of how habitat fragmen-tation affects the distribution of species within an ecosystem. Within the wetland students recorded observing 189 birds over three timed periods, 16 distinct plant species, and 7 invertebrate species.Laura Finkler, one of the wetland group members was particularly excited about the seagrass and rushes found in the ecosystem. “The wetland vegetation acts as a water filtration system through absorbing nutrients like nitrates and phosphates from freshwater before it enters the oceans,” she

explained.In the meadow zone students noticed that the plant species were evenly distributed within the selected zones. It was hard to take an accurate sample of biodiversity in the area because of the how large the meadow was, though. Each observed zone only made up a small percentage of the entire meadow, and a lot of the observations made were depen-dent on the random location the group chose to observe.Cadia Chen, a group member studying the area recalled being amazed at how the biodiversity in the estuary was apparent to the untrained eye; a blue heron, gar-den snake, and eagle were spotted while taking samples. But when they tried to sample biodiversity in the selected quadrants, they came up with fewer results than expected. This is a good example of how the sampling methods used in the field can sometimes be limiting when conducting a study in a large area.In the riparian zone, the Western Red Cedar and Pacific Yew were sighted and recorded among the vegetation present in the area. Western Red Cedar regulates calcium concentrations in soil, and the bark on Pacific Yews can be harvested and used in cancer chemotherapy.Chen enjoyed getting to know the Latin names of BC species, learn-ing how to identify plant species, and understanding the role of bio-diversity in sustaining ecosystem function. When asked about the possible impact the pipeline might have on the estuary, she replied, “Well, I think that there’s no doubt that it will have some repercus-sions, even if its on one species. What we’ve learned in class is that the more species that disappear, the less stable the environment is. It’s so easy for a population to make decisions that wouldn’t

affect their environment, but because we’ve seen the beauty of the estuary, it worries me that there is that possibility with the LNG Plant. Because if one species gets affected, the whole ecological cycle is shifted.”One might ask, so what if the ecological cycle shifts? Why is ecosystem function important? And furthermore, why is biodiver-sity important?“Ecosystems provide us, as people, goods and services that enable us to function as living be-ings in a natural system.” Gabriel is referring to the benefits that hu-man populations receive directly or indirectly from ecosystem func-tions such as gas regulation, water supply, disturbance regulation, climate regulation, nutrient cycling etc. It’s not often we attribute these goods and services to the level of biodiversity in an ecosys-tem. However, consider pollination as an example: the transfer of pollen is done by abiotic factors such as wind and water, or biotic factors such as animals, insects, or people. One third of the food we consume is a result of pollination from animals.“The UN has recognized that bio-diversity is an important aspect of our global society and the way our earth functions. The earth is not a stagnant closed system; its ups and downs in climate and glaciation, water levels — all of these things have changed over time and it’s the species that are present and living that enable that system to maintain a balance through all of those changes,” Gabriel explained.Furthermore, she warns that the rate of change in ecosystems is increasing: “Adaptation occurs over time, and evolutionary time is very long. Now that we are speeding up the rate of change of the pressures affecting life, life might not be able to catch up.” Therefore biological diversity not only helps to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem where interspecies competition is even, it also helps to sustain ecosystem stability in the light of environ-mental fluctuation.Biodiversity in British Columbia, similar to the rest of the world, is also at risk. Taking Nature’s

Pulse: The status of biodiversity in British Columbia states that there are six major stresses to biodiversity in BC: ecosystem conversion (conversion of natural ecosystems to human made land-scape), ecosystem degradation (change to structure of natural ecosystems as a result of activities such as forestation), alien species (introduction of species foreign to natural ecosystems due to human activity), environmental contam-ination (release of contaminants into natural ecosystems), species disturbance (change in species behavior due to human activity), and species mortality (direct killing of individual organisms). These stressors threaten the sta-bility of BC’s ecosystems, as well as ecosystems around the world. So what can the individual do? The deterioration of biodiversity in natural ecosystems starts to seem like an unsolvable problem when you consider all of the human activities that interfere with the natural processes that need to occur for an ecosystem to function. The estuary is just one example of a sensitive and complex ecosystem put at risk by proposed development plans. It starts to feel pretty futile when you think of the big picture. Gabriel is confident that the “big picture” is made up of little pieces held together by local communi-ties like Squamish. “It becomes the value of recognizing that eco-system function is so essential in our world, and applying that to a very small scale. If we can say we need to make sure our environ-ments continue to function at their optimal capacity, to make sure that water control and erosion and all of these elements stay intact, we need to do it at local scales. It’s not going to work on a global scale. We need to recognize on a local context, which ecosystems need to be maintained. The estu-ary is one.”

By SAMANTHA THOMPSON

In May of this year I had the opportunity to partake in the Biodiversity of BC foundation course as a teaching assistant, with Quest teaching fellow Denise Gabriel. She handed me the reigns for a few days of class and even allowed me to replace existing assignments with those of our combined creation. And, as I am wont to do, I incorporated journalism into the course — environmental journalism. The following is a sample outcome of one of those assignments. It’s on a local, current topic — one that the Mark continues to cover — and sources student research through student reporting. Stay up to date on this topic, talk with your fellow students who are involved at varying capaci-ties, and see how this new industrial development progresses.

Jonathan von Ofenheim

SAMANTHA THOMPSON

SAMANTHA THOMPSON