issue 1/ vol 46 THROWBACK news // no. 5 Douglas College embroiled in meme war >» University-to-university conflict turns viral Katie Czenczek Staff Writer Originally Published December 6, 2017 I was only a matter of time until UBC and SFU students took to social media to wage an all-out war. What started out as a post on Facebook became a conflict between the two local university, as students from both schools began to post memes to insult the opposing university. Using Twitter and Facebook as their platforms, both the UBC Confessions group and the SFU Confessions group saw students anonymously post memes, tagging one another in jabs against the other school. The memes ranged in topics, each discussing the problems with either university. Some were more lighthearted, poking fun at the high tuition costs of UBC, or claiming SFU students are only at SFU because they weren't admitted to UBC. Others discussed topics such as UBC's alleged reputation for campus sexual assaults. BCIT, UVIC, and other British Columbian universities and colleges were also mentioned in the flurry of memes posted. Douglas College was also mentioned and thrown into the fire as a bystander of the war of memes. Douglas College Confessions fired back, posting memes with captions such as “watching your neighbours fight on the street,” accompanied by a photo of Homer Simpson looking out of his window suspiciously. Amber-Rose Hemm, a Douglas College student who saw the events unfold on social media, said in an interview with the Other Press that she enjoyed watching the meme war from a bystander’s perspective. “Tt was fun sitting by the sidelines watching with popcorn as the other schools fought each other,” she said. When asked what she thought Douglas College Confessions should post in order to respond to the memes, Hemm said that she would like to see some posts about how UBC and SFU students are paying significantly higher costs for the exact same education. “T just don’t get it. They pay ridiculously higher tuition fees for the same education. That's the biggest thing [Douglas College students] have to shoot back at [UBC and SFU] is the stupidly expensive costs of going to either university,’ Hemm said. Stephanie Malundo, another Douglas College student, did not personally see the when you hear people arguing in your street.. memes but said that she liked the idea of a meme war between the competing schools. “Tt’s a harmless joke that can be something fun to do. Everyone loves a good Meme via Douglas College Confessions on Facebook laugh, especially at this time of the year with finals wrapping up. I wish that I got to see it while they were still posting a tonne,” she said. Two wrongs dont make a right » DSU Conservative and Libertarian Club opens doors amid controversy Aaron Guillen Staff Reporter Originally Published on March 24, 2017 Fk: route to class, students might have noticed an eye-catching poster on several bulletin boards around both campuses. Kellie Leitch, a Conservative candidate for the 2019 election, holds a Canadian Red Ensign flag. Below Leitch sits a Trump and Harper Pepe frog meme, ——— See ———n NEE el Neel SN ————————————— a Ne el —————}3 SS == a ee et a rr a ieee EERE ——— a a a a SEE a a and a woman wearing a “Make Canada Great Again’ toque. At first glance, the poster incites shock and amusement, but ultimately garners interest in finding out if such a club would be so forthright. Discussing politics can bring people closer together, but more often than not, farther apart. Alexander Emanuelli, President of DSU Conservative and Libertarian Club, hopes to bring students together to discuss politics, both right and left wing, in a peaceful manner. Photo by Aaron Guillen “We are directed towards right-wing politics, but we have also always made clear that whatever your politics are, anyone is welcome to come. Granted, as of yet we haven't had any lefties take us up on that offer. We have had some people who are politically agnostic and wanted to learn,” said Emanuelli. “The desire to make the club came first and actually finding the people came after. The main thing I really wanted was to provide students at Douglas with a way to find out about right-wing ideas if they are new to politics, especially considering all the smears going around lately, with the election and all.” Since its opening at the beginning of the winter 2017 semester, the DSU Conservative and Libertarian Club has been growing slowly, but steadily. Nonetheless, Emanuelli is glad to participate in political activism. While Emanuelli assures students that club meetings will be mostly for discussions, he hopes not to scare away those who are new to politics by opening the floor for debate in whatever issues are brought to the table. Ultimately, he hopes to avoid the intensity that many might associate with outlying right wingers in today’s society. “There has been a fair bit of controversy over the creation of this club. When | first started promoting this club at the Winter Semester Club Day, I had several people very angrily come up to me and over the course of several exchanges they promised me that the club would not be chartered,” he explained. Emanuelli further describes how most anger was focused on the Make America Great Again hat and shirt he donned. Within the two and a half hours he represented the club, six complaints were made, a paper that said, “No Hate On My Campus’ was posted outside their club door, and someone emailed them asking if they promoted harassment or harm against marginalized groups. “IT would like to say that no, we do not, and Iam very grateful that the Student Union has been very supportive of our freedom of speech and freedom of expression despite the complaints our club has received,” said Emanuelli. Though the values he’s stood behind have faced adversity from some, Emanuelli heads into the remaining semester with hope for insightful discussions with a growing group of open-minded individuals. The club has yet to host any events, but should its membership flourish, Emanuelli has several ideas for the future. The DSU Conservative and Libertarian Club meets every Wednesday and Thursday from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Room 328 at the DSU Building at the New Westminster Campus.