THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA’S CAMPUS MEDIA SOURCE THE gatewayJanuary 20th, 2016 Issue No.22 Volume 106 GTWY.CA PEACE AT LAST A SYRIAN REFUGEE’S JOURNEY TO NEWS PAGE 3 CANADA Beer Geeks FEATURE PAGE 12 news 2 THEgateway WWW.GTWY.CA January 20, 2016 THEgateway visit us at GTWY.CA Meeting UAlberta Wednesday, January 20, 2016 Rory O’Donovan Volume 106 Issue No. 22 ARTS I Published since November 21, 1910 Circulation 5,000 ISSN 0845-356X Suite 3-04 Students’ Union Building University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J7 Telephone 780.492.5168 Fax 780.492.6665 Ad Inquiries 780.492.6669 Email [email protected] editorial staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cam Lewis [email protected] | 492.5168 MANAGING EDITOR Kieran Chrysler [email protected] ONLINE EDITOR Kevin Schenk [email protected] NEWS EDITOR Richard Catangay-Liew [email protected] OPINION EDITOR Josh Greschner [email protected] ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Jon Zilinski [email protected] SPORTS EDITOR Zach Borutski CMYK [email protected] MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Oumar Salifou [email protected] PHOTO EDITOR Christina Varvis [email protected] DESIGN & PRODUCTION EDITOR Adaire Beatty [email protected] STAFF REPORTER Mitchell Sorensen [email protected] STAFF REPORTER Jamie Sarkonak [email protected] business staff EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Beth Mansell [email protected] | 492.6669 WEBMASTER Alex Shevchenko [email protected] Gateway: Seeing how it’s awards season, how do you feel about awards The Gateway is published by the Gateway Student Journalism Society (GSJS), a shows? student-run, autonomous, apolitical hits the streets not-for-profit organization, operated DoO’Donovan: you want to WRITE I don’t? really like follow it that much, but like I see it all on in accordance with the Societies Act of Alberta. socialTake media PHOTOS I guess.? 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No experience necessary. experience No you! want We @THEGATEWAY /THEGATEWAYONLINE /THEGATEWAYONLINE @THEGATEWAY THEGTWY @THE_GATEWAY @THE_GATEWAY THEGTWY THEgateway WWW.GTWY.CA Volume 106, Issue 22 news 3 News Editor Email Richard Catangay-Liew [email protected] Phone Twitter 780.492.5168 @RichardCLiew Volunteer News News meetings every Monday at 3pm in SUB 3-04 Peace at Last A Syrian refugee’s journey to Canada SAFELY STUDYING SCIENCES Once a medical student of Damascus University, Naseem Alreyes has transferred into the U of A’s Department of Biological Sciences. CHRISTINA VARVIS Jamie Sarkonak stay, says Dr. Emad Alrayes. Naseem’s Ukrai- totally no safe place in the end.” had been forced to leave home. STAFF REPORTER @SWAGONAK nian-born mother, Dr. Irena Alrayes, was one Naseem’s parents tried to convince him to Naseem applied and won. of these people. come to Saudi Arabia, at least temporarily, but The news was received at the same time Na- Naseem Alrayes had always wanted to be a Naseem stayed in Damascus, and his par- there he would have been unable to study. The seem’s mother was about to begin her first round doctor, just like his parents. And at age 23, he ents and sisters moved to Saudi Arabia, where decision to stay in Syria was even more dif- of chemotherapy. Her anxiety was replaced with was nearly one semester away from reaching Dr. Emad Alrayes found work in a hospital. ficult when Naseem’s mother was diagnosed joy and relief. his dream. But living in the heart of the failed The beginning of Naseem’s stay in Damascus with an advanced level of breast cancer. But “She forgot about herself — her heart was fly- state of Syria made graduation impossible. was fine — the violence was a more than a Naseem was determined to become a doc- ing high,” Dr. Alrayes says. “She came up again In the past four years, Naseem had been 100 kilometres away in Homs. But in a couple tor; prioritizing education meant staying in and started to believe that miracles still exist!” studying in Syria’s capital, Damascus. Com- years, the situation became critical: mortar Damascus. Education in Syria was free and it Two days before Naseem left for Canada, a bus pared to Homs, Naseem’s home city — and rockets fell over residential areas, car bombs would have been expensive to study abroad, exploded right in front of his residence at the Syria’s “revolutionary capital,” Damascus was detonated next to commuters and snipers and very difficult to successfully apply for a university. He knew it was time to go. safe. targeted children. Some of these people were visa. For Syrians, visas are difficult to find, Dr. This week, Naseem Alrayes is a U of A Bio- “Kind of safe,” Naseem says. “I (didn’t) know Naseem’s friends and neighbours. Alrayes says. logical Sciences student who has transferred what (was) closer: death, or finishing my de- 51 credits into his program. Technically, he’s in gree.” second-year. But going to class is no longer a At Damascus University, Naseem watched “You kind of get used to the idea of death. Of, just it’s fine risk. His parents are no longer overwhelmed the gradual escalation of revolutionary vio- with fear for their son every time they check the lence. There was a day when Naseem came walking around smelling death everywhere. Smelling the smell news. home to find his house without windows or of danger, smelling that you could be dead at any moment at Whether or not they’re safe, well, that de- doors, with broken furniture strewn about — pends on how you define safe, Naseem says. Be- the result of a detonated car bomb next to his any place. There is totally no safe place in the end.” ing a Christian in Saudi Arabia can be danger- house. Events like these caused Naseem’s par- ous. And Dr. Irena Alrayes is still fighting breast ents, living in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, to live in cancer. constant fear for their son. His parents grew more and more worried, For the Alrayes family, education is crucial But Dr. Irena Alrayes has completed three of “Believe us that these years were the hard- but Naseem was optimistic that the situation in expanding the mind. And although Naseem eight rounds of chemotherapy. And Naseem, est period in all our life,” Naseem’s father, Dr.