TE Great BC Shakeout shakes Douglas College By Dylan Hackett, Staff Writer t 10:11 a.m. last Thursday, Douglas College dropped, covered, and held on for sixty seconds in participation of the biggest earthquake drill in Canadian history. This year’s Great British Columbia Shakeout had over 525,000 participants, the bulk of which reside in Metro Vancouver. Many businesses, schools, and municipal offices dove under their desks in preparation. Joint events are being held in California and Utah simultaneously. The event is now poised to happen on the third Thursday of every October. The first Shakeout was on January 26 of this year to commemorate the 311" anniversary of the massive Cascadia earthquake that struck the West Coast with a supposed magnitude of 9.0 in the year 1700. BC Public Service Coordinator Heather Lyle explained to Global BC Morning News why a second Shakeout drill was organized this year, “We decided to join forces with California and several other American States. We didn’t want to wait until October 2012 because we’ve had so much earthquake activity, like with what happened in Japan.” Last month’s 6.4 earthquake off the west coast of Vancouver Island reinforced the danger of seismic activity in the minds of many British Columbians. The directions for what to do in the event of the earthquake are simple and held in the slogan for Shakeout: “Drop! Cover! Hold on (to the piece of heavy furniture you’re underneath).” If you‘re not near any heavy furniture such as a desk, get close toa | wall away from a window and cover yourself with your arms, explained Lyle. “What you’ re trying to do is protect your neck, head, and vital organs.” : Tommy Chen Students beware, you’re in for a scare Halloween events in New West THE ERAVEVAR Maria Asselin-Roy Staff Reporter ith Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to start getting ready for one of the most fun holidays of the year. With an exciting event happening right here at Douglas College, Halloween activities in New Westminster, and convenient places for costume rentals, it’s easy to get out for some Halloween entertainment. This year, Douglas is hosting a Halloween Rumble in the gymnasium at the New West campus. The event will take place on October 28 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and is meant to give students a break from their studies in order to participate in some Halloween i of music, with one room dedicated to Halloween-themed music. People are encouraged to dress in their most creative costumes for various prizes and giveaways, with a $500 cash prize for the person with the best costume. Doors will open at 9 p.m. and it’s recommended to get tickets in advance. Also keep an eye out for The Standard’s Halloween-themed event on Saturday, October 29. For updates, check out www.clubzone.com. On Friday, October 28: The Queensborough Community Centre will be hosting a carving contest. This event is particularly interesting because you don’t even need to carve a pumpkin—they will accept any vegetable or fruit. The event goes from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. After the Halloween Rumble, bring a pumpkin and stop by the community centre, there is no “This year, Douglas is hosting a Halloween Rumble in the gymnasium at the New West campus. The event will take place on October 28 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and is meant to give students a break from their studies in order to participate in some Halloween activities.” activities. Students participate in teams, and each team should all be wearing costumes with a particular theme and will go through an obstacle course. Points will be awarded based on best team costume, and the results of the activities. If you are interested in signing up, go to the Douglife site www.douglife.ca/2011/featured-post/ halloween-rumble/ where you can register yourself or your full team. When it comes to the nightlife, New Westminster nightclub Fever is hosting an Angels & Demons Halloween Bash on Saturday, October 29. The club will feature two rooms 4 entrance fee. If you’re stuck on a Halloween costume, your best resource in New West is Columbia Costume Rentals. Located on 42 6" Street and just a 5-minute walk from the New West campus, they provide hundreds of costumes for Halloween. You don’t have to worry about taking the costume in for washing or dry cleaning, they take care of that. Whether you’re spending Halloween in New Westminster or elsewhere in Vancouver, have a happy and safe Halloween. International students at Douglas College Increased international student enrolment in line with premier’s initiative By Maria Asselin-Roy, Staff Reporter ast month, Premier Christy | Clark announced plans to increase the number of international students studying in British Columbia. According to the plan—which is part of a larger initiative to stimulate the province’s economy—Clark aims to increase the number of international students at BC post-secondary institutions by 50 per cent over the next four years. Additionally, the premier’s plan would create a new BC council on international education focused on attracting international students from overseas areas in Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Mirroring the premier’s focus on amplified international student presence, Douglas College’s international student population is growing as well. According to October 13 Vancouver Sun article, published in response to the Clark initiative, college president Scott McAlpine noted that the number of international students enrolling at Douglas College this academic year will reach 1,000—up 75 per cent from just a few years ago. International student enrolment can be controversial at times with, as McAlpine writes, “Some suggest[ing] that international students are free- riding on taxpayerfunded education infrastructure...[or taking] classroom seats away from local students.” Still, because international students pay tuition rates that are five times higher than domestic Douglas students, international student fees may also help contribute to expansion within the college on the whole. As McAlpine says, “those [international student] fees allowed Douglas to create spaces for an additional 375 full-time domestic students. Those fees also allowed us to hire an additional 55 faculty members as well as additional support staff.” In addition to recruiting international students to study at the college, Douglas has a number of other global initiatives on the go. This year, nearly 120 students from the college will participate in study abroad opportunities—like field schools, student exchanges, and practicums— around the world. The college also has a long-standing partnership program with China’s Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade, with over 1,000 graduates over the past 10 years— where students earn business degrees from both institutions.