Cw s August 2004 Dougie Daycare Growing Up Brandon Ferguson News Editor Douglas College will be making a major growth spurt starting in September and has been recognized as a key player in post-secondary education delivery to the expanding Fraser Valley. In April it was announced that Douglas College had teamed up with the University College of the Fraser Valley to offer third- and fourth-year psychology courses at the Douglas campuses, taught by Douglas professors, resulting in a UCFV accredited Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and eliminating the need for students to go elsewhere once they have reached their two-year Associate Degree. It was then announced in late June by Premier Gordon Campbell that the provincial government would be funding the addition of 1500 new seats by 2010 to the college as part of the $105 million com- mitment to expand educational opportunities into the Fraser Valley. The plan will see 99 new seats added this year, 141 for 2005/06, and about 300 seats each of the next four years. Now DC is in the final phase of securing its first- ever Bachelor Deg-ree program, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Already renowned for its nursing program, Douglas College will be visited by government officials in September to ensure that the campus has the facilities and capabilities to support the full degree program. Most nursing students complete the final three semes- ters of the BSN at Kwantlen University College, so DC has already begun a mentoring program for the professors with that institution. It is expected that the college will begin offering its first-ever, fully accredited and self-managed bachelor degree program in September of 2005. 4 | OtherPress Crown v. Ellard Ii: The Ongoing Grudge from the Gorge Brandon Ferguson News Editor If you haven’t had your fill of Kelly Ellard and the Crown’s attempts to con- vict her for the beating and drowning death of Reena Virk, well, then you’re one sick puppy. But you’re also in luck as a third trial has already been set for October 12, 2004, after the second edi- tion was declared a mistrial on July 18. Justice Selwyn Romilly, who sat for the second trial, will remain as trial judge for the third. Despite the testimony of Warren Glowatski, who received a life sentence in 1999 for his part in Virk’s murder, the Crown still couldn’t put Ellard behind bars. Crown spokesperson Geoff Gaul announced prosecution would be giving it the old college try once again, less than 24 hours after the jury’s 11-to-1 vote to convict forced a mistrial. The mistrial was declared after the jury sent a note to the judge, reading in part: “The past days have been extremely difficult and emo- tionally devastating for all of us. We have exhausted all avenues of deliberation. We have reached an impasse that cannot result in a unanimous decision in spite of any further discussion.” Though the judge gave the jury two more days to try and fulfill their duty, the lone dissenting juror could not be swayed. Ellard was originally found guilty of second-degree murder in March 2000, spending 23 months in jail, but the BC Court of Appeal overturned the convic- tion in February 2003 due to improper cross-examination by the Crown. The month-long media circus sur- rounding Ellard’s second trial, and the subsequent mistrial, makes it difficult to ensure fairness for the impending third kick at the can. Ellard has received national coverage, and with it known that one juror was not convinced of her guilt, the Crown faces the difficult task of proving a fair trial is even feasible. Given their outstanding success so far, Canuck fans can only hope that Todd Bertuzzi faces the same prosecution team. The ordeal began on November 14, 1997, when 14-year-old Virk was invited to the Gorge in Greater Victoria to party, but was subsequently taunted and teased by a number of girls who disliked her— one classy girl going so far as to butt-out a cigarette on Virk’s forehead. When Virk tried to leave she was swarmed and pum- melled by Glowatski and his hoes. When Virk escaped the swarming, she crossed the Craigflower Bridge that spans the Gorge, only to be attacked again but this time drowned. It is the Crown’s con- tention that only Ellard and Glowatski followed Virk to the bridge where they beat her unconscious and dragged her to the water. According to witness testimo- ny, Ellard later bragged about smoking a cigarette while holding Virk underwater with her foot. The normally sleepy hollow of Victoria (newlywed —nearly dead) has been rocked in recent years by controversy and bad press, but the Ellard trial has been an enduring endorsement for why not to visit the provincial capital. Roaming gangs have left innocent victims coma- tose, poverty and punks have made Esquilmalt the Surrey of Vancouver Island, and Gordon Campbell continues to work and breathe in Victoria—nuff said. But the bombardment of television images of Ellard running from the court- house, Ellard brooding in a car, Ellard covering her face or Ellard picking her nose, is a constant reminder that young teens are capable of murder, and has been nationally championed as an exam- ple of how bullying can be fatal. Regardless of the cause—both of the murder and for the anti-bullying cam- paign—the trial has made Ellard a poster girl for evil, and has made for seven years of suffering for the Virk and Ellard fam- ilies. Brace yourself for more.