Diverging from
the commute

> A personal account of finding yourself

at college

Mercedes Deutscher
News Editor

 

all is an exciting and

fast-paced time of year
for students, whether this
is your first semester at
Douglas, or your tenth.

I know this sounds
incredibly lame and generic,
but I cannot emphasize enough
the importance of trying new
things and getting out there.

Often, Douglas College gets
labeled as a commuter school;
in other words, somewhere you
go to attend your classes, leave
as soon as they’re over, and walk
out two to four years later with
an expensive piece of paper.

Thus, I digress into
my own personal story.

Istarted at Douglas two
years ago, fresh out of high
school. I knew I had an inkling
for politics, law, and writing, so
I figured pursuing an Associates
with a specialization in Political
Science was a good start. I had
no idea what I was going to do
with it though—after all, I could
go into anything from law, to
public relations, to parliament.

I went to New Student
Orientation, FROSH (later
renamed to EDGE), and the
Douglas Student Union.

These were all fun places

to be, but I still felt that
something was missing from
the college experience.

I guess that’s why I found
myself at Room 1020 on a late
August evening. I shuffled in
quietly and hid myself behind
an issue of the Other Press.

I had a few people notice

and talk to me, but I don’t
remember muttering more
than a few words, and found
myself darting out the door as
soon as the meeting was over.

 

Yet I kept coming back. |
began to find myself speaking
to other members at the paper
more. By the time that first
September ended, I was writing
two articles a week. Shortly
after, I landed a paid position as
Staff Writer—a position I went
on to hold for the remainder
of my first year at Douglas.

Fast forward to today, and
I’m starting my third volume
with this paper—and second
as News Editor. I'd have to
say that some of my best
memories were formed because
I went outside of my comfort
zone and joined a college
newspaper. This paper gave me
an education that I wouldn't
have learned in a classroom or
from professional direction.

I decided that I wanted to
become a journalist because
of it. I've travelled across the
country with people from this
talented team. I’ve even made
some of my best friends here.

Maybe 20 years old isa little
young to be sentimental, but I’m
damn happy that I chose to join
a campus organization. Gone
are my shy Mondays entering
that room, and here are the
days that I will greet newcomers
with the same enthusiasm
that was shown to me.

Maybe your calling isn’t
journalism. Maybe it’s dancing,
or athletics, or governance. The
wonderful thing about college is
that it’s a great time to discover
what your calling is. Perhaps
your calling is waiting for you at
a campus club or organization.
You won't discover that if you
just come to Douglas for your
classes, and then leave.

To use an overly-cliché
quote from Wayne Gretzky:
“You miss 100 per cent of
the shots you don't take.”

Photo by Mike LeMieux

Hillary Clinton is not the devil

> Debunking myths about the next president

Cazzy Lewchuk
Interim Opinions Editor

 

he’s been the First Lady,

Senator, Secretary of State,
and now, she is almost certain
to become the next President of
the United States. It has been
one crazy election, with media
sensationalism and events
that seem too outrageous to
be real. It’s no secret Clinton
has been working towards
becoming president for a long
time—and her power has made
her one of the most divisive
public figures in the world.

Many, myself included, were
counting on Bernie Sanders
to win the nomination. He
was the progressive, genuine,
revolutionary candidate:
someone who shunned the
money and elitism in politics,
working outside of the corrupt
system. Clinton represented
what seemed to be the opposite:
Someone who worked with the
elite to gain power, whether
through elaborate international
arms deals, or her $200,000
speeches to Wall Street.
Clinton has decades of

political experience at every
level of government, and being
married to a US Governor
turned P.O.T.U.S. allowed her to
naturally observe some deeply
intimate sections of the job.
Clinton took a prominent role in
her husband’s administration,
and many argue they could have
been considered co-presidents

 

at times. And yet, we didn’t all
die in a nuclear war! Amazing!
Clinton went on to two
popular terms as a Senator from
New York, and after failing
to become president in 2008,
she became Secretary of State,
fourth in command and in
charge of foreign policy. Like
her actions or not, Clinton
has detailed and experienced
knowledge of the inner workings
of presidency; one could
argue she’s one of the most
qualified candidates to date.
Some are angered by
Clinton’s seemingly cold
demeanor, lack of press
conferences, or real personality.
To those who are fed up with
modern politics, she represents
all of the uncaring, soulless
actions of spineless political
leaders. But really, Clinton’s
image has been carefully
constructed after decades
of learning what works and
what doesn’t. She may not be
the most charismatic leader
around—but she may be
one of the most capable.
Clinton has the full support
from everyone in her party
in her bid for the presidency.
President Obama supports and
trusts her, and has entrusted
her with a high-ranking cabinet
position for years, despite
their former rivalry in 2008.
Progressive senator Elizabeth
Warren trusts her. Millions of
American voters trust her, and
will again in November. Even
Bernie Sanders endorses her.

Those who don’t care for
Clinton—such as the Republican
party—point to her personal
email scandal as living proof
that she is unqualified and
100 per cent corrupt. Said
email scandal was thoroughly
investigated by the FBI, and
she was cleared of any criminal
wrongdoing. The scandal is
tiny compared to the many
others engaged in by politicians
and wannabe politicians alike,
and does not change her track
record at all. (Did I mention
her role in running the Clinton
Foundation, a charity that
improves the lives of millions
worldwide? But hey, Hillary
is totally out to kill us all.)

Clinton’s opponent/
challenger to the White
House has zero political
experience. To list his many
other shortcomings/racist
tendencies/alarming actions
that disqualify him would take
an entire other article to lay
out. But this isn’t about why
Clinton is more qualified than
her opponent—this is about
Clinton being a solid choice,
regardless of what kind of
fascist she’s running against.

Clinton’s not perfect, but
she’s extremely competent, and
her heart is in the right place. It
could be that I’m totally wrong
and Hillary Clinton will go
down in history as one of the
most corrupt and bloodthirsty
presidents of all time, but I'd
be willing to bet against it.

Illustration by Ed Appleby