ae hb) ee) Ss ~s \ Ne LB TIES aT ys BOMBER e—_—— What a time to be alive! Jessica Berget Editor-in-Chief A s of yesterday, Douglas College will be oving all courses online—effective immediately in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 or the coronavirus. This is a scary time for some people as the presence of an evolving disease cancelling all events, closing shops and stores, and social distancing can be extremely anxiety- inducing. However, as per our feature this week, we want to remind our readers that it’s important to remember not to get swept up into the fear mongering from the media or the panic of your friends and neighbours or it will get worse. It Room 1020 - 700 Royal Ave. Douglas College New Westminster, BC, V3L 5B2 604-525-3542 Jessica Berget Editor-in-Chief M editor@theotherpress.ca Position Open News Editor © news@theotherpress.ca Morgan Hannah rs Life & Style Editor M lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Position Open Entertainment Editor M4 humour@theotherpress.ca Christine Weenk Layout Manager M layout@theotherpress.ca SS Lauren Kelly & Graphics Manager ‘ © graphics@theotherpress.ca sounds difficult now with news updating every hour about a new case being found, another death as a result, or another school being closed, but there is no reason for alarm. Now is a good time to remind people that in Canada there have been only 441 total cases of the virus. Eleven people have since recovered, and only four deaths have been reported; there is no reason to panic or to think you will die from it. Though it is scary hearing about everything becoming closed or shut down and the government telling everyone to stay socially isolated, these are all necessary safety precautions. This is to ensure the health and safety of people who may be more susceptible to the @ theotherpress.ca © editor@theotherpress.ca ¥ © /theotherpress f/douglasotherpress Janis McMath Assistant Editor M assistant@theotherpress.ca Matthew Fraser Opinions Editor M opinions@theotherpress.ca Caroline Ho Web Editor © webeditor@theotherpress.ca Nhi Jenny' Vo Production Assistant de. gas = =Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor Marts@theotherpress.ca te Cc Jacey Gibb 3 Distribution Manager disease or could become critically ill from it—such as older or immunocompromised folks. It’s also to make sure hospitals don’t get overloaded with patients thinking they have it, or people getting infected with it because it wasn’t contained enough. In times like these the most important thing to do is not to panic, because no rational or logical decision has been made ina panic. All of the cases we talk about in our feature this week have put people into alarm mode and it did not bode well for anyone. Sometimes it ended in innocent people getting sent to jail, or people falling extremely ill with no physical evidence showing what’s wrong with them because it occurred simply as a result of the human brain under extreme stress. Brittney MacDonald Business Manager Athena Little Illustrator Atiba Nelson Staff Reporter Craig Allan Tania Arora EG Manilag Staff Writers Billy Bui Staff Photographer Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist Ana Laura Brito Victoria Belway Contributors Cover layout by Lauren Kelly Feature layout by Christine Weenk At times like these all people are looking for is stability, and you can count on us for that. Classes will no longer be happening on campus, but Other Press is still going to be alive and kicking on our website theotherpress.ca (you can also visit our issuu at issuu.com/ otherpresspublications) where you can find our weekly updates. In the meantime, stay safe out there, and wash your hands! Limes, Jessica Berget Jessica Berget The Other Press has been Douglas College’s student newspaper since 1976. Since 1978 we have been an autonomous publication, independent of the student union. We are a registered society under the Society Act of British Columbia, governed by an eight-person board of directors appointed by our staff. Our head office is located in the New Westminster campus. The Other Press is published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. We receive our funding from a student levy collected through tuition fees every semester at registration, and from local and national advertising revenue. The Other Press is a member of the Canadian University Press (CUP), a syndicate of student newspapers that includes papers from all across Canada. The Other Press reserves the right to choose what we will publish, and we will not publish material that is hateful, obscene, or condones or promotes illegal activities. Submissions may be edited for clarity and brevity if necessary. All images used are copyright to their respective owners. Have an idea for a story? Minews@theotherpress.ca ¢ College empowers Impark to give students more access ¢ Chronic pain ignites ceramic sculptures ¢ Prof profile: the Americans are coming ..and more Photo by Billy Bui i Parking changes coming to Douglas » College empowers Impark to give students more access Atiba Nelson Staff Reporter n April 6, students will have a new way to purchase parking passes for most of Douglas’ parking lots (excluding the parking lot at Douglas’ Anvil Tower location, which are operated by the City of New Westminster). The College announced that a new parking system would be initiated via the news webpage of the Douglas College homepage. The news item touted the system as a “modern and flexible,” according to the news announcement. Currently, Douglas College parking lots are administered by Impark, the Vancouver-based corporation that is North America’s largest parking company with approximately 4,600 parking facilities across 400 cities across Canada and the United States. The new parking system will wholly be administered by Impark, and will allow students to “apply for and manage semester-based parking permits online, as well as pay for daily parking using an app or through automated parking kiosks,” said Andrew Hodgson, Manager for Facilities Services at Douglas College’s New Westminster Campus in an interview for the Other Press. By essentially moving parking services online, the college believes that barriers inherent in acquiring parking passes will be eliminated. Additional barriers to be removed include the actual physical parkade exit barriers. According to Hodgson, all parkade exit barriers will be removed to align with the release of the system. With many physical and operational changes coming to parking at Douglas, commuting students may wonder if an increase in parking rates are coming, as Douglas recently increased the cost of park on campus. According to the college, the fee for student semester-based parking permits and daily parking rates will remain unchanged for the near future, until the Period, politics, and beyond! » Panel highlights the importance of providing menstrual products Ana Laura Brito Contributor he first-ever menstruation fair took place last week in the main concourse of Douglas College New West campus. On March 10, Dr. Selina Tribe and Dr. Lisa Smith teamed up to organize the “Period, Politics, and Beyond!” event which gathered more than 20 special speakers and presenters. Advocates, politicians, educators, students, and product developers came together to discuss period equity. More than 100 guests joined the Menstrual Research Group to talk about menstrual equity. Trustee Anita Anzari, Chair, Board of Education of New West School District, Judy Darcy (Minister of Mental Health), and Addictions of British Columbia celebrated the initiative of providing free menstrual supplies for those in need. The event was also backed up by the Period Promise Campaign by United Way. Their goal is to take action and end the stigmatization surrounding periods by eliminating “period poverty.” Tribe highlighted that the conversation about giving young girls access to menstruation products is overdue. She added “students are supposed to go all around campus to find menstrual supplies, and that is not fair. Sanitary products are as necessary as toilet paper in the washrooms,’ she said. Under the slogan “Periods are normal. Period,’ the panelists discussed the need for sanitary product justice for women. They talked about the issue of period poverty in BC, and how women should be granted their fundamental health rights. Smith argued that “this is just the tip of the iceberg; the problem is much bigger than we think it is.” Tribe said that at school many girls miss classes, underperform, or even stay at home because of the lack of menstrual supplies. She also pointed out that women in the workplace face the same issue. Low-income families and homeless women may need even more help because they can’ afford period products. Jane Hope, the owner of LunaPads, emphasized that “menstruation needs to be safe, supported, and sustainable.” Hope pointed out that big companies are still using plastic for tampons and pads, and that eco-friendly materials should be used for women’s intimate hygiene. She said using bamboo pads is not only better for our environment but is gentler on our bodies. More than 20 billion pads and tampons end up in the landfill every year, making reusable pads and menstrual cups the best green option for managing menstruation. There are lots of companies that provide alternative supplies for menstruation, such as Revol Girl and Luna Pads. Both brands offer washable cloth pads and period underwear that can also be Perec rN en $45 price hike in the new year. “There is a planned increase to student semester-based parking permits for January 1, 2021,” commented Hodgson, “[but it is] unrelated to this change.” The criteria for student semester parking permit eligibility will not change. Students must be registered ina minimum of six credits and have paid, in full, all tuition and other fees. Douglas College operates several parking facilities for student semester pass holders, such as an underground parkade and Carnarvon parkade on the New Westminster campus, as well as a surface lot and town centre parking lots (Lots A and E) on the Coquitlam campus. used for post-partum. The final panel was student-led. Zeba Kahn, from Period UBC, Missy Jhonson, Langara College, Chantelle Spicer, BCFed, and Gurpinder Gaidu, DSU, shared a student point of view on the matter. The Student Union has been providing free menstrual supplies for those in need for almost eight years and counting. They understand that menstruation is still a taboo and that we need to normalize periods. Photo by Ana Laura Brito