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Contact: Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor
Mopinions@theotherpress.ca

The values of voting ‘yes’
to keep the U-Pass

» Why student transit is essential

Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

Lit thousands of students
across the Lower Mainland, I
rely on public transportation to
commute to school. This service
is made much more affordable
by the U-Pass, the mandated
$38-per-month fee we pay that
allows every student unlimited

just hosted a referendum on
whether to renew the U-Pass
program or discard it entirely.

upping the cost by $1.50 a month
throughout 2016 and 2017.
Undoubtedly, the
referendum will go through
and we will keep the U-Pass
just like we have in the past.
This is especially obvious for a
school such as Douglas, which
is very accessible by transit and
has students from all across the
Lower Mainland. However, many
students resent the cost of the

rarely or never use it. Some find

: it unfair that they have to pay for
: something they don’t use, and

: these students will resist the fee
: increase (a cost less than that ofa :
: cup of coffee.)

These students—the ones

: most likely to vote “no” in the

: referendum—do not understand
: the full value of the U-Pass.

: Having unlimited transit opens

: up a lot of opportunities for
access to transit services. Douglas :
: reduces costs, which is

: especially essential for lower-
: income students. Many users
Keeping the U-Pass would involve :
: transportation—they may not
: have a car or even a driver’s

: license.

many students. It significantly

have no alternate sources of

The U-Pass isn’t just

: to commute to school: it

: allows people to get to work,

: appointments, travel, and access
: areas in an efficient manner.

: Even car owners can benefit

: from the U-Pass. It can be faster,
: cheaper, and easier to travel

: to Rogers Arena for a game or
U-Pass, particularly the ones who :
: driving.

concert via SkyTrain than by

Funding transit also

: encourages fewer cars on the
: road, ultimately being much

better for the environment.

: It also benefits the economy

: in reduced fuel, road, and

: environmental costs. The U-Pass
: isnot just financially beneficial

: to students, but to the greater

: city area as well.

Most likely, many students

: will not vote in or even be aware
: of the referendum. There is not

: enough current opposition to

: the program for a serious risk

: of losing the pass, and there

: probably never will be. The

: U-Pass is one of the cheapest and
: most used transit passes in the

: province, and it is essential for

: the lives of tens of thousands of
: students. The slight fee increase
: isa very small price to pay for

: accessibility and subsidized

: transit opportunities. The

: benefits to the environment and
: student morale far outweigh the
: extra $1.50 or any anti-transit

: views.

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The art of tipping

» How generosity and satisfaction became standardized

Davie Wong
Sports Reporter

oing out to eat has always

been a favourite pastime in
the hearts of many Canadians.
Whether it’s grabbing a quick
lunch, or going out for a fancy
and elaborate dinner date,
restaurant dining has always
been a part of life. However,
it is pretty much universally
understood that when you
dine at an actual restaurant,
the service will be much better
compared to fast food.

In fact, it seems that the
higher the cost of the goods
served at these restaurants, the
better the service is. Is it a direct
causation? Well, not exactly.

You see, the inflated costs
at fancier restaurants means you
are paying for a lot more than
just the cost of the materials
used to make the meal. The
cost of the dish is dependent
on a large number of variables,
ranging from the quality of the
ingredients used, to the amount
of time it took to prepare the

: dish. Only a very small portion
: of the cost goes to the people

: serving you and the people

: cooking the food.

In fact, as a former worker

: of the serving business, | can

confirm that cooks and servers

: in Canada almost always make

: near minimum wage. Servers of
: alcohol make even less than the

: standard minimum wage. The

: real money comes from the tip,

: or gratuity, and even though

: it is supposed to be a purely

: generosity-driven concept, it has
: evolved more into a standard fee
: than reward.

The word gratuity stems

: from the word gracious,

: which means to be kind and

: compassionate. Tips were

: originally given to service

: providers as a means of thanking
: them for the service. The size

: of the tip usually indicated how
: satisfied the customer was with
: the service provided. However,
: tips were always considered
generous in nature, no matter

: the size.

Now, that’s all changed.

: Instead of being seen as a gift,

: tips are seen as a mandatory

: custom. It is considered rude

: and disrespectful in many

: restaurants to not leave a tip.

: Even when one does leave a tip,
: they are judged by the amount

: that they have left. Patrons that
: leave low amounts for tips are

: met with less-than-pleased staff
: and are almost always ridiculed
: among the staff after they leave.
: Patrons that leave high tip

: amounts are seen as valuable

: and customarily receive better

: service from staff if they ever

: return.

It has gotten so

: standardized that governments,
: whether local or federal, have

: begun taxing this source of

: income. In Canada, the standard
: rate of tipping is between 10

: and 15 per cent. Since when has

: showing appreciation had a

: standard rate?

The sad reality is that we

: have taken the idea of showing
: kindness and gratitude and

: warped it to the point where it
: no longer shows these. Tipping

: is now a sign of prosperity and

: wealth, and people are now

: judged by the amount of money
: they left behind, rather than the
: reason they left it.

It has gotten to the point

: where restaurants have begun

: establishing “service fees”

: instead of taking tips to avoid

: treading into murky tax-legality
: issues. A service fee is literally

: defined as an extra charge

: assessed for a service provided.

: This is primarily used when

: there are a large number of

: people in a dining party or at

: more posh restaurants where the
: waiters earn more than those in
: casual-dining restaurants. This
: fee is added on to essentially

: force the party to pay gratuity,

: no matter how they’ve viewed

: their dining experience.

It is amazing how the

: human psyche can take

: something like generosity and
: turn it into an expectation.

: Tipping has always been, and

: always should be, based on the
: satisfaction and generosity of

: the customer.

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