Lettitor Like no other “That’s why I hate bittersweet has been everything to me. chocolate. I don’t even... Sure, in the grand scheme what’s the point of that?” – of things, five years is a relative Michael Scott, The Office drop in the bucket, but it’s the I’ve been both dreading timing of those years that has and looking forward to writing made the OP so special. Not to this Lettitor for a good while. discount my education—I have I’ve written and rewritten and had some marvellous teachers written and rewritten time and and classmates—but some time and time again. It’s not easy of the most important events to say goodbye to something in my life have existed within that’s been such an integral the context, and been direct part of one’s life for such a consequences, of the OP. I am significant period of time. certain that I am not unique. After five years at the Other The Other Press is so much Press I am finally following the more than a newspaper. Yes, parade of individuals, much you get practical training and more talented than myself, out build a portfolio of published the door. And not to get self- work, but those points reduce indulgent about it but this truly it all to being just a job—and feels like a changing of the guard if you ask anyone at the paper in the office. All the faces that that’s probably the last word welcomed me in 2011 (save the most would use to describe it. remarkable Jacey Gibb, now on At the expense of invoking the periphery of the paper as our pop philosophy, the OP was the distro man; and Angela Ho, our first time that I really felt like I stalwart accounting wizard) have belonged somewhere. There was moved on. I was always the one a sense of community, of comfort, green around the ears, regardless of support, of validation even, of age, and now I’m much that I realized I had been missing. documents covered in the red of mess of OP staffers knows who who has been along for the ride closer to being considered one I’ve come to meet interesting of those “dinosaurs” of student “track changes,” emailing until he is, but I know without him this year. The hard work that this folks across the country, pick you’re fairly confident you have and the many other treasured fantastic staff put in for 31 issues journalism. Whenever your name up and develop skills no class can be associated with extinct no other job duty, and putting friends along the way, my own is truly appreciated. Not to leave can ever teach, experience out the constant fires that pop up, journey would be quite different. anyone out, thank you, the reader, beings, it’s a good time to exit. enough wacky anecdotes to fill really mean nothing to anyone While future generations of for giving our words meaning. Inasmuch as I’d probably a lifetime, and make some of other than yourself when it’s all the OP never remember their And now, since one cannot ever scream a hole through a pillow the best friends a guy could ever said and done. It’s apropos, and alumni, there is no doubt in were I to find myself buckling really say it too many times: ask for. It wasn’t what I signed more emotional than I’d like to my mind that the opposite is down for another year at this up for at my first meeting, and admit, that my dear pal Cody newspaper, I know I’ll miss always far, far from the truth. I’m infinitely grateful for that. Klyne, the EIC when I arrived, it. It’s impossible not to. The So, as I leave the paper in the Yes, everything comes to is sitting in as layout manager obvious effects of Stockholm capable hands of Lauren Kelly, I an end. And all the countless for the final issue of Volume 42. syndrome aside, this place cannot thank everyone enough hours spent poring over Word Almost no one in the current Davie Wong Sports Editor Rm 1020 – 700 Royal Ave. theotherpress.ca [email protected] Douglas College [email protected] New Westminster, BC Eric Wilkins Chitwan Khosla V3L 5B2 /theotherpress Editor-in-Chief Features Editor [email protected] [email protected] 604.525.3542 /DouglasOtherPress Lauren Kelly Brittney MacDonald Assistant Editor Life & Style Editor O The Other Press has been Douglas College’s student [email protected] [email protected] newspaper since 1976. Since 1978 we have been an autonomous publication, independent of the student Elliot Chan Mercedes Deutscher union. We are a registered society under the Society Act News Editor Opinions Editor [email protected] [email protected] of British Columbia, governed by an eight-person board of directors appointed by our staff. Our head office is Adam Tatelman Chandler Walter located in the New Westminster campus. Arts Editor Humour Editor O The Other Press is published weekly during the fall and [email protected] [email protected] winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. We receive our funding from a student levy collected Angela Ho Ed Appleby Senior Columnists through tutition fees every semester at registration, and Business Manager Illustrator Duncan Fingarson from local and national advertising revenue. The Other David Manky Press is a member of the Canadian University Press (CUP), Jacey Gibb Jony Roy Jerrison Oracion Distribution Manager Social Media Coordinator a syndicate of student newspapers that includes papers Lauren Paulsen from all across Canada. Cara Seccafien Aaron Guillen Jake Wray Layout Manager Staff Reporter O The Other Press reserves the right to choose what Columnist we will publish, and we will not publish material that Joel McCarthy Staff Writers Cheryl Minns is hateful, obscene, or condones or promotes illegal Graphics Manager Rebecca Peterson Cazzy Lewchuk activities. Submissions may be edited for clarity and Elizabeth Jacob Jamal Al-Bayaa brevity if necessary. All images used are copyright to their Production Assistant respective owners. Have an idea for a story? [email protected] O Prime Minister’s Youth Council seeking members O Admissions office adds options for gender identity and preferred name NEWS O To full-serve or to self-serve… that is the question DSU app soars in popularity BC schools are looking to Douglas for their own apps development Jamal Al-Bayaa available clubs. Outside of pure more student satisfaction, and Staff Writer college-functionality, students the ability to run more impactful have been using the app to campaigns and events. he DSU’s newest app is connect with extracurricular Those numbers are also Tgaining a strong user base activities at school, and perhaps causing heads to turn elsewhere locally, and turning heads most of all, each other. in the province, as other BC elsewhere in the province. “What’s especially great schools are looking to Douglas Engagement on the platform is about the app,” Ho said, “is that as a model on how to move at an all time high for Douglas. we’re facilitating these kinds of forward with their own app’s Of 14,000 registered students, campus-to-campus and student- improvement. Camosun College, 2,400 are currently using the to-student interactions.” On the Emily Carr University of Art app—a 17 per cent adoption DSU’s messaging board—which and Design, the College of New rate that staff and students is akin to a Facebook news Caledonia, and Vancouver Island in the DSU are proud of. feed—students can be seen University have all reached out “One of the things we reaching out to each other for to Douglas with at least one wanted was to make the app things such as textbooks and or two questions about how to functional for students,” said course questions on one of the improve their app. Specifically, Tracy Ho, College Relations platform’s six topic boards, which representatives from Victoria’s and Membership Outreach include news, housing, and ride Camosun College are coming Coordinator. One way they sharing. When Ou discovered to New West to discuss with did that was by adding a way the app’s social experience, she student representatives how for students to upload their quickly used the feature and they can better improve U-Passes directly from the app. messaged friends with it. their app and make it more “We guessed that students would In a survey conducted functional and relevant to like that,” she said, and since with 475 students who use the students. The meeting is slated then it has become one of the app, 91 per cent say they would to take place mid-August. most universally used features. recommend it to a friend, 78 In the future, the app will Elim Ou, a student who per cent agreed that the app likely have a feature enabling tried the app, said that what helped them learn about campus students to share textbooks, she found most useful was the services such as counseling and achieving similar results to what study timer located in the course peer tutoring, and 79 per cent an Open Textbooks program schedule, and that it’s something of students said that they felt would do for the school. While she sees herself using regularly. that the app gave them a louder Open Textbooks may take a while, Further, the app assists voice within their institution. as that involves a significant This is part of the DSU’s larger amount of contract renegotiation, itunes.apple.com students in accessing a campus map, connecting with plan of increasing student a textbook sharing feature may representatives, and looking engagement in the school as be a faster and more organic— engagement levels on average although shorter-term—solution.