news // 4

Patrick Vaillancourt outlines his
vision as CUP president

» Douglas College student outlines the importance of campus media

Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

atrick Vaillancourt, a

Douglas College student
and current News editor of
the Other Press, was elected
president of the Canadian
University Press (CUP) on
January 12 in Edmonton. He will :
take the helm of CUP on May 1,
and will lead CUP for the next
12 months. Vaillancourt will be
moving to Toronto in the spring :
to begin his position at CUP
headquarters.

CUP is the nation’s oldest
and largest student journalism
collective in North America.
Despite this, it has recently
been losing several significant
members, not only from
smaller colleges, but also large
universities which have been
long-time members. In an
interview with the Other Press,
Vaillancourt said that one of the :
goals of his presidency is to put
a plan in place at the national
office to “halt member attrition
and come up with a responsible
strategy to make services more
relevant to our members.”

Vaillancourt went on to
explain that member attrition
is perhaps the biggest challenge
facing CUP today: “Less

 

: members means less revenue

: to provide meaningful services
: toourentire membership. We — :
: can only start to bring members :
: back into the CUP fold if we

: communicate that our services
: are meaningful and relevant to
: the membership.”

: main goal is to enhance CUP’s
: reputation in the eyes of the

: put the organization in a place
: of prestige—not only amongst
: student journalists, but also

: among the greater community.”

: its lower prestige is the rate

: at which schools are leaving.

: Vaillancourt believes CUP will
: improve as an organization by
: making itself more appealing,
: allowing for expansion

: and better services to be

: implemented.

: platform also highlights the
: importance of sustainability,

: plotting a course in this is

: another challenge faced by

: CUP in the year ahead: “As

: an organization, we are living

: paycheque to paycheque

: without much in the way

: of long-term investments.

: Positioning CUP asa

: sustainable organization allows

: us the financial flexibility and

Vaillancourt stated that his

greater community. “I want to

One of the reasons for

Vaillancourt’s policy

although he points out that

: the confidence to know we can
: provide the best services to our
: membership.”

: Tying into the sustainability
: and reputation of CUP is its

; eventual direction for the

: future. As outlined above, the

: incoming president hopes

: to reverse the situation of

: members leaving the collective.
: “The eventual reacquisition

: of growth is important to

: the long-term vision of the

: organization,” he said. “CUP

; is an open cooperative which

: will allow members to join

: and enjoy services we offer. As

: the oldest student journalism

: cooperative in North America,
: we must remain relevant to

: those who wish to join CUP”

Hopes are high that

: Vaillancourt’s presidency

: will lead to an improved

: and successful CUP for 2014.

: Vaillancourt will be stepping

: down from his position at the

: Other Press ina few weeks in

: order to focus on the transition
: to CUP. Jacey Gibb, the Other

: Press’ Editor-in-chief, had

: this to say about Vaillancourt’s
: imminent departure: “It’s going
: to bea shame to lose him, but

: it'll bea great opportunity.

: If Patrick’s as good at being

: president as he is at being an

‘ editor, then [CUP] is in good

 

theotherpress.ca

: hands.”

Patrick Vaillancourt // By Tina Todaro

 

Former Israeli prime minister passes away

» Ariel Sharon succumbs to the effects of 2006 stroke

   

| Aidan Mouellic
Staff Writer

ne of Israel’s political and
military heavyweights
has succumbed to the effects
of a stroke from 2006 which
resulted in a eight-year coma.
Former Israeli prime min-
ister Ariel Sharon, 85, died on
January 11 at the long-term care
facility in Tel Hashomer which
had been treating him since
2006. Sharon was prime min-
ister at the time of his stroke.
Born in 1928 in Israel,
Ariel Sharon began his service
to Israel in the Israeli Army
during its inception in 1948.
Sharon served as a paratrooper

: inthe army and rose up the

: ranks to an officer. In 1981,

: he was appointed Defence

: Minister for Israel and served
: akey role in directing the 1982
: Lebanon War. Sharon’s acts

: of war in regards to Lebanon

: would give birth to one of the

: low points of Sharon’s political
: career in the Sabra and Shatila
: massacre. In mid-September

: of 1982, hundreds of civilians

: seeking shelter ina refugee

: camp were killed by Lebanese

‘J: Maronite Christian militia.

4): After the massacre, the United

_.: Nations condemned the actions

 

Ariel Sharon
By Jim Hollander/EPA ;

: taken by parties in relation
: to the massacre and labelled
: the atrocities as genocide.

Following the massacre,
the Kahan Commission found
Sharon personally responsible,

: and he was subsequently
: forced to resign from his
: post as Defence Minister.

In February of 2001, Ariel

: Sharon was elected as Prime
: Minister of Israel with 68 per
: cent of the vote—a post he

: would hold until his fateful

: stroke. During his reign as

: prime minister, Sharon would
: make such bold moves as

: becoming the first Israeli PM

: to visit India, where he made

: motions towards closer ties

: between the two nations.

Peace activist Amiram

: Goldblum told NPRinan

: interview that Sharon “built a

: whole career out of the politics
: and the culture of hatred.

: Everything that he looks

: upon isa battlefield where he

: has to conquer something or

: he has to fight someone...”

Ariel Sharon led a life full

: of battle and war. His final

: battle was fought within a

: coma due a stroke which many
: have attributed to his weight

: and unhealthy lifestyle.

Weighing approximately

ry

: 250 pounds at a height of 5’7”,

: Sharon was an overweight

: political figure who defied

: doctors’ and friends’ orders to
: lose weight. Shortly before the
: stroke and brain hemorrhage

: that fell him, Sharon suffered

: aminor stroke that landed

: him in hospital. Ariel Sharon

: returned to work and shortly

: after was incapacitated bya

: major stroke. Ehud Olmert

: became interim prime minister
: after Sharon’s second stroke.

Jewish burial procedures

: require that one is buried as

: soon after death as possible.

: The body of Ariel Sharon laid
: in state for a day before he

: was buried next to his wife

: at his family’s ranch near

: Sycamore Farm on January 13.