news // no. 4

theotherpress.ca

New West campus gets another upgrade

» Newly renovated enrolment services is now a one-stop shop

Jessica Berget Assistant Editor

hile the college remains relatively

empty with few students walking its halls, many can look forward to seeing the newly renovated New West campus enrolment services when in-person classes

start up again.

The $10.5 million upgrade to the college’s enrolment office which started last fall will now be a hub for all students including services from financial aid, counseling, accessibility, career services, and student recruitment. The 25,000-square-foot area will now include

a welcoming floorplan, new furniture (like softer seats for those long study sessions), custom millwork, and self-service kiosks. There is also a testing centre where students doing assessment testing can write their exams in the newly dedicated space. The test centre will be able to hold up to 20 students and has individual exam

Photo by Billy Bui

writing stations and other aspects to help maintain academic integrity, according to the Douglas College website. Funding for this project was due in part by the province of British Columbia (who donated $2 million) and the college’s capital reserve (consisting of $8.5 million).

This is the second major renovation of the college; at the beginning of the year, the college opened its doors to the four-million dollar library renovation. The enrolment services renovation follows the college's goal of making accessible and responsive learning environments for students, which is part of their 2020 to 2025 strategic plan. It was also designed to ensure there was a convenient space for all the needed resources to aid current and prospective students in using these services. The space was designed in mind of increasing visibility and easier access to these services.

Douglas College President Kathy Denton expands further on these responsive and easily accessible learning environments and how it helps students. “The continuous enhancements being made to our facilities enable Douglas College to meet the needs of students now and for years to come,” said Denton. “By creating a learning environment that is adaptive, responsive, and forward-looking, we support our goal of graduating resilient global citizens with the knowledge and skills to adapt, innovate, and lead ina changing world.”

Did Trump call all Mexicans ‘rapists’?

» Fact-checking a popular claim

Timothy Easling Senior Columnist

t’s been commonly accepted in mainstream media that Donald Trump referred to all Mexicans as “rapists” during

his 2016 presidential bid. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have both made reference to the quote in recent months and many outlets continue to do so—regardless of whether it is a neutral or anti-Trump piece. The quote commonly referenced is this section: “When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you *pointing to the audience*. They're not sending you *pointing again’. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems to us. They’re bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They’re rapists.”

Unfortunately, this is generally where most outlets stop. The very next line is: “And some, I assume, are good people!” However, the important context comes as Trump continued: “It’s coming from more than Mexico. It’s coming from all over South and Latin America, and it’s coming probably from the Middle East. But we don't know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don’t know what’s happening. And it’s got to stop and it’s got to stop fast.”

As is obvious when more of the text

is revealed, Trump was referring to illegal immigrants who commit crimes—not Mexicans in general. Trump was not even referring just to Mexico, but rather, all the crime that was entering the country and the USA's poor handling of the situation— something he later clarified: “The United States has become a dumping ground for Mexico and, in fact, for many other parts

of the world. On the other hand, many fabulous people come in from Mexico and our country is better for it. But these people are here legally, and are severely hurt by those coming in illegally. Iam proud to say that I know many hard working Mexicans— many of them are working for and with me... and, just like our country, my organization is better for it.”

Asa note, the concern about incoming crime is well-founded based on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Fiscal Year 2019 Enforcement and Removal Operations Report. Assault—number four on the list of Criminal Charges and Convictions for ERO Administrative Arrests—accounted for 45,804 total offences. There are 28 other criminal categories listed by the report, including sexual assault, weapon offences, larceny, homicide, and kidnapping.

Have something you want fact-checked? Send it in to us at news@theotherpress.ca!

Illustration by Anastasia Simonovich