Langara; the stress of returning to campus could be why. P3 Stress cheating |. | Academic misconducts persist at ‘; SCIENCE Low flu immunity Langara hosted vaccine clinics this month, but young adults are Birding bonanza Bird watching has gained popularity during the pandemic . “ unlikely to get their flu shots. P6 as a safe pastime. langaravoice.ca sae” PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDE —> > Riding motorcycles) helps vets heal ww > al NOVEMBER 11, 2021 * VOL. Bob Laing, a retired sergeant and communications specialist in the Canadian military, stands next to his motorcycle outside Langara College on Oct. 29, 2021. HOLLIE MCGOWAN PHOTO Dicey intersection on 49" Safety activists say pedestrians are at risk on the roadway By CLAIRE A. WILSON wo blocks west of Lang- ara College, students face the fifth most dangerous intersection in Vancouver. Sukhman Singh, a second-year student who studies food and nutri- tion services, witnessed a close call last month at Cambie Street and West 49th Avenue when a vehicle made a right turn on a red light. “The car was turning, and they almost crashed into one of the pedestrians,” Singh said. Singh said he feels unsafe when crossing the busy intersection and believes right-hand turns on red lights should be banned. According to ICBC, the inter- section had 15 crashes involving pedestrians between 2016 and 2020. Pedestrian safety activists say that ICBC’s education initiatives are not doing enough to prevent pedestrian collisions. Martyn Schmoll, a pedestrian safety activist, has been critical of ICBC on social media. “Pedestrians ultimately have very little control over their own safety. In a car-centric transportation envi- ronment, we really are very much at the mercy of the attentiveness and competence of drivers around us,” Schmoll said. Schmoll said his attitude towards ICBC campaigns would change if the corporation demonstrated a correlation between educa- tional tips and a drop in pedes- “The car was turning, and they almost crashed into one of He believes the issue lies not in a lack of education for pedestrians and drivers but with Vancouver’s road infrastructure. “Eighty per cent of people are hit in intersections where pedes- trians are supposed to be protected by right-of-way laws and purpose- built infrastructure ... It’s clearly not a pedestrian issue, it has to do with road design,” Schmoll said. Winston Chou, manager of the City of Vancou- vers traffic and trian fatalities : ” data management and injuries. He the pedestrians. branch, said that says ICBC did — SUKHMAN SINGH, LANGARA STUDENT intersections with not provide him with the data he was seeking. “Their answer was that they measure the success of their campaigns in terms of impressions and engagement. In other words, the goal of those campaigns is PR community outreach and corporate visibility,” Schmoll said. high volumes of vehicles, pedestrians and turn move- ments have the most collisions. Chou said that pedestrians are the most vulnerable, and when collisions occur, “the severity can be quite high.” Lindsay Wilkins, ICBC media relations adviser, said a campaign across the province is highlighting the dangers of the fall and winter season for drivers and pedestrians. “You'll see our local road safety coordinators out in communities distributing reflectors to pedestrians to help them be more seen,” Wilkins said. Langara students say the crosswalk lines at Cambie Street and West 49th Avenue should be made clearer, espe- cially as Vancouver's rainy fall season worsens visibility for drivers. Arash Hassanpour, a first-year business management student, said the transit stops in the area make it increasingly busy. “T always see a lot of crowds there waiting for the bus ... I usually feel like something might happen,” Hassanpour said. Chou said his team will be re-examining the intersection with a fresh lens. “We'll try and have a look to see if we can make some adjustments that are not very costly to improve pedes- trian safety and priority at the inter- section,” Chou said. 55 NO. 2 * VANCOUVER, B.C. Pub, please! Students want to chat over drinks at Langara By LESIA POGORELO angara College lacks a social atmosphere on campus that students and staff believe could be filled by a bar. Second-year kinesiology student Saba Salehi said she doesn’t feel connected with other students, espe- cially after more thana year of online learning. She said she doesn’t think any issues will arise if a bar were to open on campus. “As long as the students know their limits and understand the concept of having the bar in the campus,” Salehi said. “It’s not about just drinking, it’s about communication and making more connection and friends.” Langara business instructor Deland Jessop says the college lacks a non-academic space on campus for students and staff to unwind. “It'd be great to have like a nice little atmosphere where me and a couple colleagues could go after work and grab a quick beer before we leave campus,” Jessop said. The Langara Students’ Union used to have a liquor licence, but it hasn't been restored since the pandemic started. Up until March 2020, two cafes in the LSU building served alcohol. David Han, manager of the Langara Cafe and The Union Cafe, said the cafes did not renew the liquor licence when the campus shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Han, employees get many beer requests from customers, especially on Fridays. An application for a new liquor licence was put in at the beginning of September. “The liquor licence is in process,” Han said. “I am sure it won't be done this year, we are hoping to get it by January or February.” UBC has four pubs on its campus, which students say contributes to a more interactive atmosphere. Ananya Chavda, a fourth-year media studies student at UBC, said she visits a campus pub with her classmates at least once a week. Chavda said that in her second year, she and her classmates had a drink with their professor. “Tt felt like you're on the same level, like you can actually talk and approach your prof after,” Chavda said. “I don’t think you get many opportunities like that at other places.”