Douglas is smarter than you think It’s one small step for a college. In the long run, it may mark a turning point in the by BOB HUNTER history of the way higher edu- cation is funded in British Columbia. Everyone knows the current system is, ahem, less than,perfect. For the first time, a college has agreed to hold hands with free enterprise by renting itself out as the site of a fair during the summer doldrums. Douglas College, under the leadership of William (‘’Cap- tain Kirk’’) Day, has moved into a leading position in the search for ways out of the education cost/cut squeeze in this province. The solution? To lift off into space. (Just like we always knew, eh, fellow Space Ca- dets?) The college has already achieved a low fixed orbit over the New Westminster Waterfront. As the parts of the New West Space Station begin to come together in the ‘’Space- works’’ down in the basement of the college, it is all quite symbolic. Here you have an extremely unusual combina- tion of forces also coming together: free enterprise (Clapp & Associates), a union (IATSE), the academy (Doug- las College—supported by UBC, SFU and Emily Carr, by the way), and the federal government (through Man- power), with the Tories and NDP alike (Pat Carney and Pauline Jewett) backing the scheme to convert the college into a de facto ‘‘Space Sta- tion’’ during July and August. Although not everybody is aware of it, Douglas College is one of the ‘‘smartest’’ buildings in the world. That is, its builders had the fore- sight to wire it up with every state-of-the-art | communica- tions system around, from fibre optics to coaxial cables. The college can beam mess- ages to the world—and get them back—via the Anik-2 satellite instantaneously. According to Space Station director Al Clapp, Douglas College not only LOOKS a space station, it is wired very much like a real one. All the better for conducting telecon- ferences, global youth peace initiatives, and Showing off the first of the wares from the technological cornucopia that a station in space promises. With linkups to SFU’s com- puter complex, the college will be able to function as a ‘‘prototypal teleport,’’ Clapp added, ‘‘meaning that it can be a super communications complex.’’ The bottom line, as we say in the Eighties, is that a percentage of the profits goes to Douglas College. As well, Ottawa hires trainees to learn the arts of film production, since the Space Station will rely heavily on these skills to achieve its very special ef- fects. Companies from B.C., Japan and the U.S. will get to display their latest wunder- kind technology. It means charities will get to do their thing. It means young unem- ployed people get work, stu- dents get summer jobs, and the B.C. film industry gets to expand its pool of trained pro- duction crews, which means more badly-needed hard Am- erican currency coming into Canada. Right now, as it hovers in a pre-liftoff mode, the Space Station is looking for volun- teers to help the transfor- mation of the college. Volun- teers will, of course, get first crack at summer jobs when they come on stream. Anybody interested should 1986 on site. August 31, 1987. Pa This is to officially notify all Douglas College Studentsof the upcoming Student Society Elections. THe elections are being held for the executive positions of president, Vice-president, secretary and treasurer. Candidates must be registered students at Douglas College and enrolled in at least one Credit Course, and have paid their fees in full. Candidates must be nominated by not less than five (5) members in good standing (registered in at least one credit course at Douglas College). Nomination papers shall contain the name and student number of the member nominated, allong with the office for which the member is nominated. Campaigning may commence on Thursday, March 27, 1986, providing that the proper nomination papers have been filed and received in the main business office (room 2780 Royal Site) of the Douglas College Student Society. Campaigning must cease at Midnight on Tuesday, April 08, 1986. Voting will be held on Thusday, April 10 1986. Polling hours will be from 0800-2000 hours. Nominations close at 12 noon, Wednesday, April 2, Nomination forms are available at your Student Society office and will also be atached to the Election notices posted Forms must be sent to the Student Society Business Office (room 2780) on the Royal Site. Terms of office commence on September 1 1986, and expire on Campaign expenses are limited to a maximum of $25.00. Please call 522-6038 for any further information or inquire in room 2780. All candidates meetings ; New Westminster site : April 6, 1986 12 noon Room 2201 Maple Ridge Site : April 9, 1986 11:30am SNOILOI13 JLVNIS P LS ee %, ES Ps e Pig vn fi Pa oe oe a 5 f contact Allan Clapp and the Space Station information desk on the concourse, which will be set up starting Tues- day, March 18. Spaced in Continued From Page 1 During July and August this setting will be home-base for Clapp’s Invention Con- vention: Ideafest ’86. Ideafest will be just what the name implies—a festival of ideas ranging from inven- tions in transportation to world-wide ideas on peace and world hunger through teleconferences. Displays at Ideafest will be “hands on’’ exhibits from companies such as Apple Computers, Fujitsu, Hitachi, The Mitek Group, and Tomy Roberts. Other participants may in- clude The Space Studies Insti- tute, The Young Astronauts Association. Lockheed, The United Nations, and yes, even NASA. Visuals to encourage you to surrender to your imagination will be abundant and The International Alliance of The- atrical and Stage Employees will be helping with their ex- pertise. The Bread & Roses International Photography Ex- hibition, the Emily Carr Col- lege of Art and Design, Rob- ert McCall, and Arthur Erick- son will also be involved. You've already experienced Robert McCall’s special view of space life if you’ve seen the television series Buck Rogers or such movies as Star Trek and. 2001: A Space Odyssey. His art was the basis for many of the space scenes and the wheel-shaped space sta- tion in 2001 was his vision. » Another person with a vis- tect Arthur Ericson. His is to design a space home for people who live and work in space. It seems that everyone has their own ideas about life in space and everyone wants to be involved with Ideafest. And Ideafest is more than just a trade show of high tech displays. If you want to take in a play or a concert you will find continuous live entertainment being offered in the theatre. If you’d rather view painted or projected murals and sig- nificant works of art you'll find numerous exhibits. If you want to test your skill, you can visit the ultimate video games room after trying a gourmet space lunch. If you want to hear people’s ideas on issues such as the export- ing of Canada’s water or world peace you can partici- pate in the conferences being held. These conferences will be like a global meeting wit communication satellites al- lowing people from all over the world to express their ideas on technical, environ- mental, scientific and social topics. Ideafest ‘86 will be a faci- nating event and the New Westminster campus is where it is happening. But how will it affect Doug- las College students? “There are many opportunities, in- cluding employment, for stu- dents and this will be discuss- ed in the next issue of The Other Pre