issue 12 / volume 41

You can ‘Help Make Douglas Better’

» Douglas College initiative seeks student advice

Angela Espinoza
News Editor

Minews
. o @theotherpress.ca

D ouglas College is asking
students how their school

can be improved. Throughout
November, the Help Make
Douglas Better initiative has
been taking suggestions, with
over 600 statements currently
collected.

“Help Make Douglas Better
was designed as an engaging
way for students to contribute
to the development of the
college’s new strategic plan,”
said Douglas’ marketing and
communications director
Dave Taylor. “Based on
previous feedback, there were
some themes that needed
to be explored to help make
Douglas College an even better
experience for students.”

Taylor outlined the four
points of focus Douglas is
taking suggestions on, which
are quality of teaching, quality
of services, connections to
employers and businesses, and

: responded enthusiastically,”
: said Taylor.

Some suggestions made by

: students are to be included ina
: five-year plan that will result in
: significant changes to the college.

“Continuing to improve

: the student experience in and

: out of the classroom is one

: of the college’s top priorities,”

: said Taylor. “We're looking

: for themes and common

: perspectives to emerge from the
: feedback to help guide college

: initiatives over the coming years. :
: importance of how influential
: the suggestion process can be
: on the students’ part. “Please

: take the time to think about

: the themes and add to the

: conversation. You may have a

: great idea, but if you don't tell
: anyone, it will never have a

: chance at becoming reality.”

“Of course, it’s not possible

: to follow every suggestion

: and there are budgetary and

: other constraints to what can
: be accomplished in five years,
: but all suggestions are greatly
: appreciated.”

Taylor went on to say

that suggestions made and

: delivered in person by students
: and suggestions made online

: will all be read and accounted

: for. “Those received will be

: presented for discussion

: to the Strategic Planning

: Action Group—a cross-

: college committee—as well as

: management and the board”
student engagement. “Students :

As changes to the college

: will occur over time, Taylor

: stated that more Make Douglas
: Better opportunities will be

: offered to students in the next

: few years. “We have ongoing

: student surveys that are more

: specific to service areas that are
: used to help improve college

: processes and service levels,”

: said Taylor.

“Every student has a

: unique educational experience
: at Douglas, so everyone has a
: different perspective.”

Taylor stressed the

Student feedback events

were held on November 5 at the
: New Westminster and David

: Lam campuses, but suggestions
: can still be made online at goo.

: gl/SuxClu until November

: 21. Participants will also be
entered in a chance to win a

: $100 gift card to Douglas College
: bookstores.

news // 5

 

 

Injunction granted against Kinder Morgan opponents

» Pipeline protesters assembled at survey sites to await verdict

Melissa Roach
The Peak (NUW)

he BC Supreme Court has

granted an injunction
requested by Kinder Morgan
to prevent protesters from
obstructing crews’ access
to work sites on Burnaby
Mountain.

Those who are camped out

at the sites had until November : [

17 at 4 p.m. to clear out of the
area.

Five protesters, including
three current and past SFU
professors, are also facing a

from the Texas oil company.

Pipeline opponents
gathered on November 14 at
Burnaby Mountain Park to
express their discontent over
the decision.

Various people at the
blockade took turns with
a megaphone, speaking
and singing out against the
injunction.

Brigette DePape, activist
and Council of Canadians

how everyone was feeling,
to which one man replied,

“Committed.”

DePape referred to the

ee ~ __} Keystone XL pipeline project
multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit } that was approved November
14 by the US House of

; Representatives: “It’s really

: frustrating to hear the Keystone :
: pipeline being approved, but I
: think that just shows us that it’s :
: not our political leaders that are :
: going to make these changes.
: It’s going to be us, standing in
: front of these pipelines.”

The court transcripts

outline the details of the
: injunction and the reasoning

‘ : behind the decision to grant it.
representative, asked the crowd :

One of the allegations

made by Kinder Morgan in
: the injunction was that, in

By Leah Bjornson

   

Se

: physically impeding workers
: and with snarling facial

: expressions, protesters were
: “assaulting” the surveyors.

: This has inspired a rash of

: “Kinder Morgan face” posts

on social media, where people

: post aggressive selfies with the

hashtag “KMFace.”
On the matter of the

: threat of assault, the judge

: concluded that the claim was
: legitimate, “given the misuse
: of the bullhorns, when coupled :
: with the aggressive and

: threatening language, and the
: general and specific efforts to

: physically block the plaintiff's
: representatives from accessing
: their work sites.”

The judge continued, “In

: other words, the plaintiff's

: representatives were faced with
: either physical confrontation or :
: retreat. They wisely chose the
: latter.”

It was noted that the

: ruling was not made without
1: dilemma: “The courts must

: be careful not to act in ways

: that dissuade concerned

: and engaged citizens from

: expressing their opposition

: to activities which they view
: as destructive of the social or
: political good.”

But ultimately, it was

: concluded that, in this case,

: the work to be done was

: largely “temporary” and

: “minimally intrusive,” causing
: no irreparable harm to the

: defendants.

SFU professor of English

: Stephen Collis is one of the

: defendants named in the

: injunction and, along with

: the other four, is currently

: being sued by Kinder Morgan
: for $5.5 million in damages.

: He was present at the site on

: the morning of November 14

: with other pipeline opponents
: before heading over to SFU

: Burnaby to teach one of his

: now.

: classes.

Collis told the Peak, “This

: is of crucial importance. It’s

important locally, to people

: that live here, work here, go to
: school here.

“The threat of oil spills

: and of damage to this park

: isall very real. It happens. It

: happened in 2007, here. In fact,
: this existing pipeline has had

: over 70 spills in 60 years.”

Collis also brought up the

: larger regional significance

: of the proposed pipeline

: project: “Here is this massive,

: massive project to bring the

: grossest, dirtiest, most carbon-
: producing oil in the world out
: of the Alberta tar sands, right

: under our feet. It’s ridiculous.

: It just shouldn't be happening.
: It’s not the way anyone in this

: world should be behaving right

”

He encouraged students

: to seek some understanding of
: the issue, which is taking place
: “literally just under our feet up

: here.” Referencing the anger

: expressed on the mountain that
: morning, he concluded, “I hope
: that students can tap into that

: and feel some of that moral

: outrage too.”