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Douglas announces Kathy Denton as college president

» Denton replaces Scott McAlpine, becoming eighth president

, Angela Espinoza
News Editor

5 \ — MAnews
3 @theotherpress.ca

Dos College’s newest
president is Kathy Denton,

previously vice president of the
college. The announcement
came on January 5 via press
release.

Denton took over as
interim president after Scott
McAlpine suddenly left the
position last June after nearly
five years as president. Denton
has been with Douglas College
for 20 years, having taken on
numerous roles, and holds a
PhD in psychology.

“[Denton’s] been a professor

 

 

Kathy Denton

: here, she’s been a chair of a

: department, a dean, and as

: well as the vice president,

: so she knows the college

: extraordinarily well,” Dave

: Taylor, director of marketing

: and communications, said last
: June.

Although only a week

: has passed since Denton’s
: inauguration, she went on to

: explain some of the longterm
: goals for Douglas College.

: “So far, I would say that a lot :
: of what we're doing is going to:
: stay exactly the way it is because :
: we've got many things about the :
: college that are working great,”
: said Denton. “But we want to

: develop more pathways into

: degree programs, expanding

: what we call the Certificate in

: Academic foundations. The

: Foundation program enables

: students to explore their

: interests and then go into one of :
: our degree programs.”

Denton added that

: improvements to “learner

: pathways,” such as the

: Foundation program, have

: provided more flexibility for

: students to earn certificates and

: diplomas of their interest prior
: to committing to degrees at

Douglas.
“Tt really creates a very
welcoming place for new

Denton added a potential

plan for the college included
: “sample courses,” allowing

students to see what specific

: program courses can offer

: prior to committing to the full
: program, such as Douglas's

: nursing and business

: administration programs.

More degrees are planned

: and social work degrees, but

: Denton stated confirmation for
: future degrees takes time based
: on ministry of education needs
: and approval.

students,” said Denton. “Putting :
: alot more support for those

: first-year students is something
: that we see value in and helping
: students find that program

: that’s right for them.”

Returning student

: Opportunities are also being

: expanded with one-year post-
: degree programs in applied

: areas for those wishing to

: change their career paths.

As for who will be taking

: over for Denton’s previous

: position as vice president,

: Denton said that the official

: “search” hasn’t begun yet.

: Executive director of research

: and academic administration

: Thor Borgford will continue

: holding the role of interim vice

: : president, which he took on last
: for Douglas, such as criminology :

June, until further notice.

 

Royals surpass ‘steep slope’

» Men's volleyball team wins big against Cascades

Michael Sopow
Sports Reporter

n January 10, Douglas

College’s men’s volleyball
team faced off against the
University of the Fraser Valley
(UFV) Cascades. The Royals,
coming into the game atop the
PACWEST division standings
with an impressive 10 wins and
two losses, were looking to
further their season's success
and shut the door on one of the

only teams to have bested them.

As the first set commenced,

it became increasingly evident

: that this was not just a friendly
: skirmish of opposing sides, but
: an all-out battle with directed

: purpose. Each point was a

: relentless struggle, neither side
: wanting to lose an inch.

Douglas College eventually

: lost some leverage on the
: scoreboard due to some “fiercely :
: hit side-spin serves” near the

: end of the first set. Though

: captain Angus Ireland, with the
: support of his team, was able

: to reclaim some of that lost

: ground, Fraser Valley proceeded
: to win the first set 25 to 20.

Throughout the second set,

Douglas College demonstrated

: that their current record was no
: fluke.

The Royals took an early

2-1 lead and kept it until the
: end of the second set, winning
: 25 to 18. The Royals also found

a way to effectively dismantle

: their previous dilemma through
: strong defensive pushes and
: pinpoint offensive strikes.

Transitioning into the third

set, both teams having had a

. taste of victory, there began a
: wave of apprehension for both
: team’s supporters.

Well-played point after

: well-played point led Douglas

: College to a 2-1 set lead, buta

: 26 to 24 win for Fraser Valley

: brought everything back to an

: even 2-2. It was a predicament

: that could only be solved witha

: “sudden death set,” to 15 points.

: At the end of five sets, the

: Royals proved to be triumphant,
: winning 15-8.

“T thought Angus did a good

: job of running our team,” said

: head coach Brad Hudson ina

: post-game interview. “You know
: he’s obviously the captain and

: the setter so he’s pretty integral

: to what we do, but I thought

: he wasa really composed, good

: teammate, and I felt that that

: helped settle some guys downa

: little bit.

“We also tried to make some

: adjustments and I think the guys
: did a good job of making those

: adjustments, not just putting

: them in but making them so

: that was really important to us

: well.”

 

Surrey S1xX killers seek appeal to prison sentence

» Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston were on trial for the 2007 murders

, Angela Espinoza
News Editor
Minews
@theotherpress.ca

 

ody Haevischer and
Matthew Johnston were
sentenced to life in prison
on December 12, 2014 for the
murders of six Surrey residents

g, Cody and Johnston requested
an appeal to their sentence.

The “Surrey Six” slayings
consisted of Haevischer and
Johnston walking into a Surrey
highrise complex to kill target
Corey Lal. Lal was supposedly a
rival gang member of theirs who
had yet to pay back a debt of
$100,000. The other five victims
were Cory’s brother Michael
Lal, Ryan Bartolomeo, Edward
Narong, Christopher Mohan,
and Ed Schellenberg.

Media have reported that

: Michael Lal, Bartolomeo, and

: Narong had similar “criminal”

: lifestyles to Johnston and

: Haevischer, while Mohan and

: Schellenberg have been referred
: to as “innocent bystanders.”

Haevischer and Johnston

were previously found guilty
: of six counts of first-degree

: murder and conspiracy in
on October 19, 2007. On January : October 2014. Cody Haevischer’s :
: brother, Justin, was charged on
: December 24, 2014 for helping

: the two flee the scene in 2007.

Haevischer and Johnston

: were members of the Red

: Scorpion gang, whose former

: leader Quang Vinh Thang

: “Michael” Le pled guilty in

: November 2013 to conspiracy

: regarding the murders and

: initially received a 12-year prison
: sentence. Le’s sentence has since
: been reduced to three years and

: one month.

Gang members Jamie

: Kyle Bacon and Sophon Sek

: are awaiting separate trials in
: connection to the murders, with :
: Bacon’s set for May this year. :

Haevischer and Johnston’s

: appeals come as a result of

: alleged misconduct by RCMP
: officers during their time

: awaiting trial in prison.

In June 20u, four RCMP

: officers received 20 charges,

: which included breach of

: trust and fraud, following the
: 2010 revelation that one of

: the officers, Sergeant Derek

: Brassington, had since had an
: affair with and impregnated

: a possible witness. The

: woman had previously had

: relationships with Bacon and
: Dennis Karbovanec, who pled
: guilty to second-degree murder
: in relation to the Surrey Six

 

: murders.

While Justice Catherine

: Wedge had stated in November
: that there was misconduct

: as Haevischer and Johnston

: awaited trial, convictions and

: sentences could still be made

: despite the complications.

“I am satisfied that the price

: of staying these convictions

: could not be worth the gain to
: our justice system,’ Wedge said
: in November.

Since the charges were

: laid against Haevischer and

Johnston, Christopher’s mother,
Eileen Mohan, has spoken

: publicly several times against
: the two for the death of her son.

“The courts of BC has set

: averdict that is loud and clear

: to gangsters who think they

: can walk into innocent people’s
: homes, steal the precious and

: innocent lives of their children,
: that they will be dealt with the

: highest consequences,” Mohan
: said after the December 12

: sentencing.