News.

Know the scoop or have a lead? Contact the editor at news@theotherpress.ca

 

Douglas Students Union set to kickstart winter semester

Pub afternoon, pub night,
U-Pass referendum, and
computer lab on horizon

By Dylan Hackett,
News Editor

o help ease students into

the throes of the winter
semester, the Douglas
Students’ Union (DSU) is
hosting a pub afternoon this
Tuesday in the upper floor
of the DSU building at the
New Westminster campus.
All students 19 years of age
and over are welcome to the
event, with the opportunity
to bring a non-student
guest. Free food will be
provided and there are
also plans to continue free-
food events throughout
the rest of the month.

Another pub night
is also being planned for
January 24, with the theme
yet to be announced.

Also coming up later
this month is the renewal
of the U-Pass contract with
the provincial government

and TransLink. In the
upcoming meetings, a
new price will be set to
keep public transport
affordable for students and
a referendum will be held
at the end of the month.
“Being a part of the
Canadian Federation of
Students has given us the
opportunity to connect with
students across the province
and the country and has
given us the tools to effec-
tively combine both of these
things to best serve the stu-
dents at Douglas College,”
said Jill Griffin, External
Relations Coordinator.
“Over the past year
we have learned just how
unique and diverse our
members are and how to
effectively advocate for
them on a local, provin-
cial, and federal level,”
said Women’s Liaison
Jenelle Davies. “We have
learned how important it
is to balance both social
events, and advocacy with
political issues. The DSU
has organized numerous
social events like free food
days and pub nights to
bring students together.”

The current rep
team have also reflected
on initiatives set in the
fall semester and other
ongoing campaigns.

“We have also brought
campaigns like Rock the
Vote and Beat the Bottle
to the forefront of the
college, and advocate
for issues like Sisters in
Spirit and National Day
Against Violence Against
Women,” said Davies.

The work on the
new computer lab is
slated to be completed
this semester as well.

”The computer lab
will be opened as soon
as we have the necessary
software and everything
is networked properly.

We are hoping to have
it opened before mid-
terms,” said Griffin.

The lab will include a
printing station for students
hard-pressed for ink and
paper with their standard
library-issued printing
credits. When operational,
the lab will be accessible
from the second floor of
the DSU building at the
New Westminster campus.

 

World Recap: weekly geopolitical events (Jan 1 - Jan 7)

By Keating Smith,
Staff Writer

Africa: (South Africa)
Former South Africa
president Nelson Mandela
has been discharged from
a hospital in the city of
Pretoria after spending
three weeks in the facility
while being treated for a
reoccurring lung infection
and surgery for gall stones.
Mandela has been flown
home where he is to carry
out the rest of his recovery
under doctor supervision.
The Nobel Peace Laureate
turns 95 this year.

North America: (United
States) US Secretary of

4

State Hillary Clinton was
released from a New York
City hospital last week
after doctors found a blood
clot behind her right ear.
Doctors treated Clinton
with blood thinners to
dissolve the clot, which
developed after she suf-
fered a concussion back in
December. Clinton’s spokes-
person told the media that
she will be able to make a
successful recovery on her
own at home and is “eager
to get back to the office.”

Latin & South America:
(Venezuela) Newly
re-elected president Hugo
Chavez may potentially
miss his inauguration
this week after fighting a

lung infection post-cancer
surgery in Cuba. Although
Venezuela’s Vice President
Nicolas Maduro rejected
calls for another election

if Chavez is unable to

take office on Thursday,
opposition leaders in the
Venezuela have asked

the government for more
detailed updates on the
status of his health and con-
dition while receiving treat-
ment outside the country.

Asia- Pacific: (North
Korea) North Korea’s Kim
Jong-un has reached out
to South Korea by calling
for an end to the conflict
between the two countries
in a shocking New Years
Day speech made on state-

run media. Jung-un, who
took over from his father
Kim Jung-il after he passed
away in 2011, made the
comments in contrast to

his father’s shy and rare
public speeches. Both North
and South Korea have

been at war since 1953.

Europe: (Vatican City) The
Italian Central Bank has sus-
pended bank card payments
in the Vatican after the Holy
See failed to meet the EU’s
precautions on finances
including anti-money laun-
dering legislation beginning
in 2013. The Italian Central
Bank ordered Deutsche
Bank Italia to freeze all of its
card terminals in the Vatican
on New Years Day causing

people to pay for goods and
services in the area with
cash only. The Vatican has
been scrutinized by the EU
for being involved in money
laundering scandals on
multiple separate occasions
in the past.

Middle East: (Qatar) The
Qatari based media network
Al Jazeera is planning to
launch Al Jazeera America
after purchasing former US
Vice President Al Gore’s
Current TV network for

an estimated $500 million.
The network hopes to reach
out to more than 40 million
American households by
acquiring the network, which
has been faced with financial
problems over the past year.