Douglas College justisn'ta place to make friends > The sad truth of our alma mater Cazzy Lewchuk Opinions Editor went to Douglas College for two and a half years, near continuously, taking at least one class every semester—even over the summer. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities. I got an associate’s degree through a really great creative writing program. I saved a lot of money on tuition compared to attending a larger university. I also made some really great friends through getting involved with the very newspaper youre reading now. One thing I’m disappointed with in my time here is the lack of a social atmosphere. Although there are a few people I stayed in touch with, I never made a lot of friends in my classes. It could be because I’m a social pariah incapable of making any human connection, but I’m definitely not the only one who’s had this experience. The sad truth is that Douglas just isn’t avery friendly or social place. We're not here to make friends. We're here for an education. Naturally, we want to bond with others and enjoy ourselves in the process. But Douglas’ structure does not loan itself well to having the all-inclusive college experience. Image via thinkstock It’s a commuter school; people come from all across the Lower Mainland to study here, often facing hours of commuting time. A lot of us are older, have unique educational goals, or have full-time jobs in addition to our education. While many classes tend to lean towards a certain demographic, every class at Douglas has (¥Y Putting the ‘fem’ in feminism (¥ Creep catchers busting perverted pigs (¥ How many of Trump's supporters really are ‘deplorable’? And more! a wide range of people. Naturally, there’s nothing wrong with diversity, and making friends outside of the group you usually do can bea really rewarding experience. But the “birds of a feather” expression remains true: We look for people who share our goals and interests, and that’s not always easy in your classes. This is especially true if you're not in a designated program, meaning you're not likely to have more than one or two classes with the same people. Perhaps more significant to the unfriendly vibe is the general atmosphere of the school. There’s not a lot to do here. As fun as the DSU-organized activities attempt to be, there’s not much to partake in after you get out of class. There aren't a lot of comfortable areas to socialize in—especially outdoors, unlike other schools. Douglas already feels like a windowless prison, why would we want to spend any more time in that building? Beginning and end of semester activities can help to break the social tension, but those are often crowded and perhaps not activities that people who don’t like clubs or pubs would want to be a part of. It’s even harder when you don’t have friends at the school, and you face the task of attending something like that yourself. Making friends at Douglas isn’t impossible, but it definitely requires extra effort. If you're eager to make friends—especially if it’s your first year—talk to others as much as possible and really follow through. Friends won't come naturally at Douglas; there are too many limiting factors. Being extra social and friendly is a good activity to pursue in post- secondary, anyways, and you never know what could happen. Why we cant let the TPP be swept under the rug > Bringing the Trans-Pacific Partnership back into the limelight Lauren Kelly Editor-in-Chief he Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade deal that involves 12 Pacific Rim countries, including the US and Canada. The final version of it has already been signed, and it is now waiting to be ratified by the leaders of each country. It will allow free trade between all of the countries involved, hugely opening up our trade options. It will also give more power to corporations, and has the potential to negatively impact copyright laws and internet freedoms. Even though it will have such a broad impact, in recent months it has received very little publicity in favour of the election down south. It was a hot topic during our election, with Harper being pro-TPP, Mulcair and May being against it, and Trudeau saying he would review it if he was elected and decide then. Since then, Trudeau has signed it, but we are still waiting on his decision on whether to ratify the agreement or not. In line with his platform, he and his party want feedback from the Canadian people before they make their decision. This is great news, if he actually listens. The result of the TPP will have a huge impact on the future for each of us, especially millennials, who will be bearing the brunt of the economic changes as we struggle to stay stable. That’s why it is so important that each and every one of us reviews it, does research, and make an informed decision. Sign a petition for or against it, contact your local MP, attend a protest, provide feedback to the federal government—make your voice heard, whatever you are saying. It’s easy for a leader to pay lip service and say he or she will listen to the people, but if it’s true in this case, we need to take advantage. If Canada is the only country to not agree, our economy could take a large hit, but it seems unlikely at this point that the next US president will sign it. Both Trump and Clinton have come out strongly against the TPP, which is a flip for Clinton, as she was one of the people who worked on it with President Obama. Because of this, some do question whether Clinton will stand by that, or if she'll ratify it once she’s in office. Obama is still a strong proponent of it, and he is doing his best to push it while he’s still president. Whatever happens in the US will affect us greatly, and may also affect Trudeau's decision. But we cant just wait for things to play out, while we watch their election Image via rabble.ca and hope for the best. We live in Canada, and we need to focus our attention here right now. We cant vote in the US election, no matter how invested some of us are in it, but that doesn’t mean we can't make a difference at home.