LETTITOR And then it hit me: We gotta stay positive Cody Klyne Editor in Chief ast weekend I got hit by a car. The exchange, an intimate meeting between my fleshy rear-end and the shiny chrome grill of a luxury sedan, was setup in-such a way that well, it was just meant to be. It was dark; it was rainy; it was a busy street: the stage was set. The “event” rolled out in four simple steps: run out onto the road, get hit, get up, run off the road. Done. Looking back, I probably should have had a slightly more extreme reaction upon impact. A shriek, scream, wail or simply an “ow” would have sufficed. As payment for my pavement pedicure, I gave the mean machine little more than the time it took me to stand back up and continue on my way. In place of being dazed or scared, I just felt embarrassed. Maybe these feelings of shame were as the result of the fact that the car had really only given me the equivalent of an older brother giving a younger sibling a “love tap,” or, maybe it was because I hadn’t looked both ways before crossing and knew it. Regardless, the fact that I simply kept running says one thing: I’m one lucky son of a gun. It’s been about a week now and while my left cheek still feels like how I imagine the head of a battered nail might, I’m otherwise no worse for wear. To skirt the line between being completely melodramatic and driving a point home; I’m just kind of happy to be alive. As doofy as my encounter might seem (and trust me, it is doofy) accidents of this ilk can, have, and will end differently. Which brings us to the point of my diatribe this week less-butt-sore-than-I reader: be happy, be thankful, be positive. While it’s not directly related, the fall can be a dark time for some people. For those of you accustomed to warmer temperatures, the sun basically ceases to exist and it’s become too cold to go to the beach. Bummer. For the rest of us, maybe there’s really something going on that’s got you down. Whatever your hot topic, dear diary, hang-up of the month may be, don’t forget to take a moment and appreciate what you do have: Jife. It’s a fragile thing that many of us working away in our vacuums forget to pay proper respects to. As the semester wages on, if you ever feel yourself submitting to the stresses and pressures of academia in particular, just remember my story. One minute you’re haphazardly crossing the street like you own the place, the next minute you’re up and running red-faced after being bullied by an import with too-big rims. It took a bruised butt for me to remember that things, as crazy as they get, aren’t so bad. Later days, Cody Klyne Editor in chief The Other Press New West campus celebrates new concourse Ceremony recognizes renovations and award for internationalization gr _1_ Lt meeuiicont Cele Driale: Concourse Grand Opening International award of excellence work stations, temperature-controlling vestibules at outdoor entrances, rubber floors, a stage, and coloured glass windows. The new concourse also features a multi- purpose building which was recently named the “Douglas Den” in a student contest. In addition to the renovation celebration, the ceremony also recognized the college’s receipt of the inaugural Award for Excellence in Internationalization from the Association of Canadian Community Colleges. Douglas was given the award in honour of the college’s leadership with international students. By Sharon Miki fter months of construction, Douglas College staff and students celebrated the completion of renovations to the New Westminster concourse in a grand opening ceremony held on September 22. The afternoon ceremony — which included African drumming performances, a ribbon cutting ceremony, cake, and refreshments — showcased the major updates to the space in the centre of the campus. Notable changes include student The latest on BC’s minimum wage we” By Maria Asselin-Roy, Staff Reporter s of August, the unemployment rate A: British Columbia is 7.5 per cent. This is not what Christy Clark had in mind when she wanted to create the new “job agenda” — whose goals are to create more jobs, expand BC’s economy, address the HST, and increase the minimum wage. One of the first policy changes Clark made after she received office was to increase the minimum wage by 30 per cent. This movement has been successful, as minimum wage will soon be at $9.50 an hour. Information by the BC Minister of Labour states that by May 1, 2012, the minimum wage will be at $10.25 an hour. Minimum wage is expected to be at $11.00 an hour by next fall. This is excellent for those who were previously making a minimum wage of $8.50 or so an hour, however many businesses are beginning to suffer as some cannot afford to pay their employees this much. , Since people are excited about talk of the new minimum wage, more politicians will be discussing BC’s wages in the upcoming November 2011 election. A new “living wage” policy will be brought to the attention of voters in upcoming weeks. Unions such as the BC Teachers Federation, the BC Government and Service Employees Union, and Canadian Union of Public Employees BC are already beginning to push candidates to support this new notion of a “living wage.” The potential “living wage” would become the new minimum wage. Since the “living wage” is calculated at $18.81 an hour if you are living in Metro Vancouver, this would literally mean that minimum wage is to go up more than $8.00. The hope for introducing the “living wage” - is to raise living standards and basically keep up with the increasingly expensive demands of living in Vancouver. However, this would have a tremendous downside as well. Employers cannot pay people $18.81 an hour if the employee is only putting in $10.00 of work an hour, businesses could fall to the ground. Also, it must be taken into consideration that if the minimum wage is increased (never mind at such a high level) then other things such as food and taxes will increase as well. In the upcoming election, think critically about what each politician has to offer when discussing wages (this is increasingly important to consider for student voters). Also, if you are unsure about your wage per hour, check out www. labour.gov.bc.ca to ensure that you are receiving the minimum wage requirements.