er ne fipril 9, 2003 Pierre Florendo OP Contributor Sometimes it’s the things that seem the most insignificant that really make the greatest difference in your life. ‘Take, for example, the old job posting on this page. Doesn't seem too special, does it? It’s an ad for a distribution per- son—unassuming, oddly worded, and marginally funny. And yet, that small ad has led to the most eventful five years of my life. Indulge me, if you will, and take a look back through the eyes of an old hack. Baby Steps September 1998. The world seemed a bit safer then. High tech seemed to be the ultimate in easy jobs. The Philippines was celebrating 100 years of independence. Got a car? Wanna earn SO! cash? jlable to hang on the OP See Tuesday evening while we work furiously, probably over dead- line, to prepare a to be taken to our inter? ant 16 hours later, could you pick up the paper—a buncha bun- dies of our newspa- ar—from the same place, distributing them as you mermy (or not-so merrity) 9° along? me extra The Other Press wants you 0, be sure tO ask someting, and es, and Enguire in por 102! now’ ; one who velba fewe purcied too! be prepared fora France whacked Brazil 3-0 to win the World Cup in soccer. I had just turned 19, but I was no virgin to post-secondary life. Somehow I had managed to stumble my way through three years of UBC, but then I fell to the near inevitable burnout associated with rapid unbalanced growth—all of the brains, none of the drive. It seemed like the ultimate fall from grace. One year I was living the life of an accomplished stu- dent in Biochemistry. The next year I was in a commuter college, taking courses like MUSC 101: Intro to Harmony and Form and PHIL 122: Business Ethics (which, I may add, weren't bad courses in and of themselves, but had absolutely nothing to do with my previously chosen major). But, to top it all off, I was absolutely bored. There were no pub nights back then. Clubs didn’t seem to exist either. Martial arts was interesting—I enjoyed Tashu Karate—but a little pricey for my budget. I dont really recall anything like first-year orientation, or welcome back parties, or anything of that sort. So, bored out of my skull, I picked up an issue of the Other Press. It didn’t seem to be that special—it was just a student © page 6 Op-Ed http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca Retrospective by an old Hack newspaper, okay to read when waiting in line to pay the cashier on the second floor. And then I saw the ad. Some people join the newspaper because they feel passionate about an issue. Others join because they feel the need to report news that would otherwise go unread. I joined because I saw my favourite word: cash. So, I headed down to room 1020. Knocked at the door. Stated in a timid voice that I was interested in applying for the “god of distribution” position. I stood dumbfounded when 15 people responded to my application by applaud- ing. APPLAUDING. You know, there's nothing more gratifying to a new person then receiving such a warm welcome. the Gither Press Cas reer rarer ory Cay Will you pay or will they go? The fate of DC's athietic | department | hangs in the | balance as students vote on fer increase Heanantint Bruen O- Wren Heapaned? Yee aneener roan Continued Page ce Of course, later I found out that the old distribution person was not exactly well liked, but hey, I'll take whatever gratitude I get. The distribution position wasn’t (and still isn’t) the greatest position in the world. Then again, the Other Press isn’t so much about the job you're assigned. The best times I had during that first year were outside of the job—meeting new people, having a clubhouse to hang out, going out for pub trips cleverly named “safety meet- ings’. Getting paid to exercise your arms wasn't a bad gig, either. So, I finally get comfortable with the OP, and guess what happens at the end of the year? Eighty percent of the people graduate, transfer, or otherwise move on, leaving behind four of us. Damn transition years. Into the Fire Talk about rough. From the previous year, all that stayed behind was the book- keeper, the Coquitlam representative, a graphics person, and me. We did as best as we could—the graphics person became the new production supervisor, and some new people came in to fill in some holes. But there was still a vacancy with the Sports Editor position. Without thinking, I said, “sure, I'll do sec Big mistake. A few tips to those of you thinking about being a sports editor. First of all, you must like sports. I mean, a lot of sports, not just one or two. I really, really, really like volleyball, and it showed in my v-ball coverage. I really didn't like basket- ball, and it REALLY showed in my terri- ble b-ball coverage. Secondly, you must actually attend games. You think this would smack of the somewhat obvious, but a lot of the games happen on Friday and Saturday night, thus immediately ruling out a lot of par- INSIDE. the Scans Acranecn to at FREE WATEA! First Nations office tn tur- h P eva Siikibecds How to Fit In With Twenty Somethings When You'se... More Mature Page 15 tying. Lastly, you must be able to write a rea- sonable amount of copy. Saying “this team roolz” or “surprise, surprise, the long shots had a terrible season” doesn’t make for good, or even palatable reading. The biggest benefit I received from being sports editor was the front row seats I got for any sporting event. Like girls vol- leyball. Or Grizzlies basketball. But I digress. The other big things that happened that year were the trip to Winnipeg and the wrath of the DSU. Believe it or not, the two were connected. Allow me to explain. One of the new- comers to the OP had a personal agenda to convey—to expose what he termed as “questionable practices” allegedly occur- ring with the DSU administration at the time. This would have been fine, except that this person did not understand the meaning of the word “libel.” Short defini- tion: something that would get us into serious trouble. Anyway, the Other Press, like most stu- dent groups, is a part of a national organ- ization that has annual meetings. The venue for that year was Winnipeg. The trip, in itself, was pretty fun. The the other press connection between these two stori that out of the four of us that went, person I shall term as Mr. Libel wen our official representative—a foo move, in hindsight, but then again, he the one with the credit card. Trying to convince the DSU that politics weren't our politics was a lo “fun.” Then again, when the two stud groups on campus with the most po get into a scuffle, the year always pro es to be interesting. Downward Spiral Ah, September 2000. You can tell the going to be problems when the Feat Editor quits due to a “bad working e ronment,” then the editor-in-chief q the ther Press _ Brian McLennon shows UNBC wha e meaning of post-piay Is Ahad 30 seconds later with the same reason. Oh, and I was fired. I didn’t really mind it that much—I gone to California for two weeks, on b ness—but it would have been nice if I given some notice. I stayed around half of a production before I was t “Oh, by the way, you were replac Didn't you know?” Oh well. I stuck around as a volunt and watched the paper slowly fall apar You see, with any organization, especi ly student populated ones, there tends be a war of ideologies that happens ev few years. This happens because young bloods, with “fresh new ideas will make the paper a million times be and have us compete with the Geor Straight,” get into a head-butting cont with the dinosaurs, who “know wh best for the paper, have tried everythi youre suggesting, and think youre fool for not listening.” So, meanwhile, I finally got hired b on as Web Editor, and am responsible the shameful PDF offerings on our c rent website. Sorry. Things really came to a head during summer. We only released two issues t summer, and the arguing, backroom d