issue 10// vol 45 Global Engagement Days » Running from November 5 to November 9 Tania Arora Staff Reporter ouglas College is set to host its Global Engagement Days, the week-long event’s second year at the college. From November 5 to g, the events seek to celebrate all of the cultures that make up Canada. The events will take place at both New Westminster and Coquitlam campuses. Global Engagement Days aims to bring the cultures, beliefs, ideologies, and rituals of different countries around the world together on one single platform and under one roof. It will be an eye- opening event for students and a loud call for them to come out and explore the world. The college has planned out a series of events to take place every day for the entire week. The week will bea celebration of diversity with food, music, and stories from across the world. On November 5, there will be an opening introduction to Global Engagement at Douglas on November 5 by President Kathy Denton and VP International Education and Strategic Partnerships Guangwei Ouyang. The event kick-off will be followed by a movie screening. In addition, students, staff, and faculty from Douglas College will set up booths in the New West Concourse representing different nations. These booths will be around on November 6, the second day of the event. Bhangra dancers will also put on a show in Animal rights activists interrupt Canada Goose store opening >» PETA and DXE make a splash in Vancouver Katie Czenczek News Editor n Friday, November 2, Direct Action Everywhere (DXE), PETA, and other animal rights groups met at the Vancouver Art Gallery to protest the grand opening of the Canada Goose clothing store in Pacific Centre. The clothing store is famous—or infamous, depending on how you look at it—for its use of coyote fur and down feathers in its winter coat linings. Highly expensive, these coats can cost well over $1,000. The animal rights groups flocked to the Art Gallery to increase bystander awareness. They met on a Friday evening, which is the peak time for foot traffic in the area. The activist groups did not intend to change the minds of the clothing company about their use of animal products in their fashion line. Rather, they wanted to appeal to the public in order to dissuade them from shopping at Canada Goose. Protestors lined up with signs that spelled out “Canada Goose Kills,’ along with tombstone-shaped signs that read, “It’s not fashion, it’s violence.” Alex Erica—whose name was changed to protect her identity—helped organize the protest. She said in an interview with the Other Press that she thinks it is important to spread the message that animal products are no longer necessary. “These issues don't only affect animals,” she said. “The farming industry is way more harmful than driving cars, and our protest today is about how there isn’t a place for furs in fashion anymore.” Erica also said that she’s been vegan for 13 years and just wants people to be educated before they make a decision to wear fur or down feathers. “If people would really think about what they eat and what they wear, I doubt that they'd feel comfortable continuing to do so,” she said. The protest also featured a projector screen that showed footage of the traps used for coyotes, along with the cage conditions for Canada geese. The the Concourse. To hear the stories of students leaving their home countries and coming toa different part of the world, the college has organized the “Stories from Abroad” event on November 7 in the New Westminster Fishbowl. On the same day, the college will hold the Women's Soccer Championship Royals Game in Coquitlam—after all, sports have been an integral part of bringing people together from different corners of the planet. Bhavika Gaba, an international student at Douglas College, said in an interview with the Other Press that she is excited to participate in Global Engagement Days on the fourth day of the event, which will include a fashion show protestors claimed that this footage was how Canada Goose treated the animals they used in their products, though there was no confirmation that this is actually the case. While the footage played, an announcer over a megaphone said, “If you wouldn't wear dog fur, then why would you wear a coyote’s?” Tensions rose between some of the general public and the advocates as some people passing by ridiculed the protest. Several momentary screaming matches erupted but were quickly broken up. Following the meet-up at the Vancouver Art Gallery, the group of protestors marched into Pacific Centre to stand outside the newly-opened Canada Goose store. Marc Esparza, a bystander who happened to be wearing a Canada Goose jacket at the time, said in an interview with the Other Press that he was unaware of these practices before purchasing his coat. “Thad friends recommend this brand to me,” he said. “T didn’t know that they news // no. 5 Photo by Lauren Kelly showcasing clothes from every corner of the Earth. Gaba said she has been in Canada for almost a year. “I remember packing my couple of traditional clothes while leaving home. I thought I [would] wear them here. Even after one year, they are still in the same packaging as before. The day I saw the poster about the fashion show, I knew I was walking the ramp. | have always been into multiple cultures. I love to explore the world. I am so looking forward to this whole event which will be both informative and entertaining.” Some artists that will be featured include musician Ezra Kwizera and author John Michael Koff. Koffi will read from his book Refuge-e: The Journey Much Desired. For more information on Global Engagement Week, check out Douglas College's website for a full list of the events. Experts on the areas of immigration, inter- culturalization, and human rights will be available at the campus to answer the queries of students and hold various panel discussions and workshops. Photo by Katie Czenczek treated animals this way. It was really expensive, so I wouldn't buy it again anyways.” Once the protestors made it into Pacific Centre, they circled Canada Goose and started chanting, “There's no excuse for animal abuse.” Effectively, they blocked the main hallway leading up to the store. Extra security teams were blockading the store’s entrance and the mall’s security team helped escort people through the group of protestors. Three VPD officers were present as well in case things became violent. The protestors continued to talk about animal rights outside the store and held up a fake skinned coyote carcass to show how they look after the animal’s fur is taken. A PR rep for Canada Goose was standing behind the protest and called the protestors’ claims “propaganda” to people who were witnessing the protest but not involved. When asked for a quote by the Other Press, the representative said that the company had no comments on the protest or if they were impeding on animal rights.