THEVOICE | 6 Don't fix what's not broken | ike other spiritual and reli- gious practices, ancestral healing can be a controver- sial subject, with critics often view- ing it as a scam designed to prey on vulnerable people. But our individual lack of belief in something doesn’t neces- sarily make it a scam. Ancestral heal- ing is essentially based around the belief that you can reach out to your ances- tors and heal their unresolved trauma. It is also based around the belief that you are heavily impacted by the emotional patterns of your ancestors, so by healing them, you are also healing yourself. We can find many of these prac- tices right here in Vancouver, as close to Langara College as Mountain View Cemetery. We shouldn't scrutinize people for their spiritual beliefs alone. What matters is the impact those beliefs and practices have on our life. There isn’t any hard proof that ancestral healing works, but there is some psychological evidence that unresolved issues can be passed down from generation to generation. In cases where children grow up with an abusive and/or violent “This isn't about whether it's real or not.” OPINION JENNIFER BLAKE parent, the child will usually mirror these behaviours as an adult and pass it on to their children, creating a continuous cycle. The same pattern is also often observed in cases of drug and alco- hol abuse. In psychology however, these patterns are explained as social learn- ing rather than spiritual baggage as ancestral healing would claim it to be. But whether or not ancestral heal- ing works, there is no sure way to know. Spiritual practices can't be proven true or false by generally accepted methods like science, nor would it matter if they could. This isn’t about whether it’s “real” or not. What really matters is if these practices help people and if they bring peace and positivity to their lives. Based on the amount of people who practise ancestral healing and swear by it, these practices really make a positive impact on many people’s lives, whether they “work” or not THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019 | EDITOR AGAZY MENGESHA Viewpoints U-Pass fraud is a continuing problem for transit authorities, with TransLink losing $15 million to $20 million from fraud in 2011. T4es4 HODEL ILLUSTRATIO. U-Pass fraud is too broad n 2011 when the U-Pass system was expanded to 11 post-secondary schools in Metro Vancouver, Trans- Link was estimated to have lost $15 million to $20 million because of U-Pass fraud. Eight years later, this problem persists. Some people are getting away with it too easily. U-Passes are not allowed to be used by anyone other than the student who activated it with their student account, but students are still transferring them. There needs to be more done on stopping the online sale of U-Passes. For example, sites like Craigslist and Facebook, where people post their cards for sale, need to stop illegal activities like U-Pass fraud. Users should report such activities and the sites must take down these transac- tions as soon as possible. If anyone is caught trying to sell their U-Pass, they should be reported to TransLink or the tran- sit police. OPINION JOSHUA REY The U-Pass is a privilege for students, who don't need to pay to renew the card each month or reload the card with money. In 2011, it was reported that TransLink threatened to cancel the U-Pass program, though that turned out to be incorrect. However, if fraud continues, they would be well within their right to do so. The U-Pass should be similar to your student ID with a name, picture and student number. If you have your name and photo on your U-Pass, transit security will easily know it is yours when you present it for inspec- tion. Inspections should increase at the Langara-49th Avenue Station and other transit stations close to post- secondary schools, where U-Pass fraud is most likely to take place. This would prevent former students from selling their U-Pass once they graduate or leave school. A student should be required to turn in their U-Pass to their school before they graduate, just like return- ing overdue books. U-Pass fraud still exists and no one is doing anything about it. Letting it continue may cost the transit system millions of dollars, and may force TransLink to make changes to the U-Pass program that could affect students greatly. Fresh blood needed for culture come from other post-secondary institutions to transfer to Lang- ara, don't be surprised about a lack of school culture. One of Langara’s most touted features, what it claims sets it apart from other post-secondary institu- tions, is its transfer credits system. Up to 60 percent of your gradu- ation requirements for Langara can be transferred from another college or university, which makes it an ideal institution for those who have already graduated. But why should students care about Langara's extracurricular features or its special events? They came to the school for their grades, not because of the basketball team. And since it's I f you're encouraging those who not the first post-second- ary institu- tion they've attended, its unlikely they would hold any special connection to Langara. This creates its own sort of loop where no one cares enough to improve the situation. Students transfer to Langara for their grades, ignoring extracurricular activities available here, which leads to fewer demands for such activi- ties. This results in faculty ignoring OPINION AGAZY MENGESHA the issue, which in turn just leads to potential students passing up Langara in favor of post-second- ary schools with a stronger campus culture. “This creates its own sort of loop where no one cares enough to improve the situation.” One possible solution would be to increase advertising towards younger potential students, particular those just graduating from high school. As students fresh out of high school, Langara would be their first post-secondary institution. In a larger new environment like Lang- ara, they would naturally gravitate towards people with similar experi- ences and interests. They'd seek out clubs and events that appeal to them, and be more entrenched in social experiences at Langara. If Langara wishes to decrease its transfer culture, changes are desper- ately needed, either in advertising towards a younger population or in the building of extracurricular activi- ties on campus. Otherwise, Langara will just be an empty shell of what it actually could be. The Voice is pub- lished by Langara College’s joumalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. They may be edited for brevity. Your letter must in- clude your name and phone number. HOW TO DROP-IN REACH US Room A226 Langara College PHONE 604-323-5396 SNAIL MAIL The Voice E-MAIL 100 West 49th Ave. thevoice@langara. Vancouver, B.C. be.ca V5Y 226 WEBSITE INSTRUCTOR langaravoice.ca Erica Bulman PAGE EDITORS PAGE7 PAGE 1 Nick Laba Darren Amner PAGE 8 PAGE 2 Kelsea Franzke Kathryn Tindale PAGE 3 MANAGING Roxanne Egan-Elliott © EDITOR PAGE4&5 Kathryn Tindale Taesa Hodel PAGE 6 MANAGING WEB Agazy Mengesha EDITOR Nathan Durec WEB EDITOR Kim Lau Patrick Penner Liam Hill-Allan Maxim Fossey SOCIAL MEDIA Missy Johnson EDITOR Rena Medow Kirsten Clarke Tiemey Grattan Kristian Trevena REPORTERS Jennifer Blake Austin Everett Christina Dommer Chelsea Liu Joshua Rey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU CONTACT Have a different point of view? Write us. US Journalism instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice. Email: ebulman @langara.ca Online at langaravoice.ca Twitter @langaraVoice