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News

 

Missing Douglas College student found

Consumer and Job
Preparation student
found after 80-hour
search

By Dylan Hackett, News
Editor

arly last month,
Be Zhang, 21,
was found after

going missing on August
2 at Sasamat Lake. Led
by Coquitlam Search
and Rescue, the search
for Zhang saw over

120 investigators and
volunteers scanning
Sasamat Lake and the
surrounding area for 80
hours. Zhang’s friend
and fellow CJP graduate,
Judy, was also reported
missing, but was found
hours later.

DSU Pride available to
all students

By Dominic Dutt,
Contributor

o you know that
there is a Pride
Community here

at Douglas College?
Led by the Douglas
Students’ Union Pride
Liason, Lex Woochuk,
the Pride Community
is maintained by a
collaborative group of
students of all gender
types.

The mandate of
the Pride Community
is to provide a safe
atmosphere for students
who may normally
be segregated or
discriminated against
in an environment
such as a college-based
atmosphere, which can
especially be scary for
new students. The Pride

“The entire Douglas
College community is
thankful, relieved, and
absolutely elated to
hear the news that Joy
Zhang has been found,”
spoke Douglas President
Scott McAlpine in a
statement. “On behalf
of the entire Douglas

66

College community, I
want to acknowledge
the tremendous efforts
of so many professionals
and dedicated
volunteers who were
led by Coquitlam

Search and Rescue and
the Port Moody Police
Department... They were

Community provides
students with resources
that they may need to
build up confidence
with collaboration and
one-on-one counselling.
The resource room also
provides downtime for
students in-between
classes so that they can
feel safe and welcome at
Douglas.

“First and foremost is
fun,” says Woochuk. “We
want everyone to come
in with a positive attitude
and if not, we will make
them have fun.”

The pride room
includes couches for
students to take a nap on,
a big-screen TV, books,
resources, a microwave,
and a fridge. There
are also condoms and
tampons and whatever
else a student might
need, including a phone.

For the near future,
Pride is trying to expand.

“We are localized here

incredibly professional,
they worked tirelessly
and they never gave up
hope of finding Joy.”
Zhang is a graduate
of the Douglas College
Consumer and Job
Preparation program
(CJP), a 12-month
set of courses which

helps “build life,
social, and job-related
skills for students
with developmental
disabilities.”

The Coquitlam SAR
crew were especially
thankful to both Judy
and Constable Angela
Fisher—the latter who

built a relationship with

Judy and helped confirm
to the investigating team
where Judy and Zhang
were separated. The two
students went missing

on while on a picnic with

fellow classmates and
program facilitators at
Sasamat Lake’s White

The entire Douglas College community is thankful
relieved, and absolutely elated to hear the news that
Joy Zhang has been found.

Pine Beach to celebrate
their completion of the
CJP program.

“| Fisher] sat down
with Judy every time
we got out there,” said
Coquitlam SAR search

manager Dwight Yochim.

“She walked on the trails
with her. Every time she

The Pride of Douglas College continues

 Baupias srupenra =

Pride C vimpnity

in the New Westminster
campus. We’re hoping
to establish space in the
David Lam campus.

It’s important for both
campuses to have space
where students can

go for safety and feel
welcome. Who doesn’t
want to have some fun?”
says Woochuk. “I want
students to relate the
word pride not just to a

queer lifestyle, but to the
pride they feel in being
included at Douglas.”
Events are being
planned such as outings,
swimming, and, the
most favorite here, queer
movie nights. When Lex
Woochuk began, there
were six Pride members.
Now, there are over 60.
Momentum is building,
but new members and

did that, a new piece of
the puzzle came out.”

Zhang was ultimately
found 200m off the trail
under some ferns.

“We may never know
what she did for those
four days and three
nights,” said Yochim. “I
don’t think she moved
from that spot.”

The search for
Zhang was also carried
out on Twitter where
many users re-tweeted
information regarding
the search. Douglas
College faculty members
also went door-to-door
spreading awareness of
the search.

When Zhang was
finally found, she was
reportedly in good
health.

 

volunteers are always
needed.

You can contact
Woochuk for more
information by email
at lexwoochuk@gmail.
com. The Pride Room is
located in the Douglas
Students’ Union Building
(DSU) in room 328,
located on the second
floor.