6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014 EDITOR TRICIA LO lewpoints End special treatment for e-cigs fit looks like a duck, walks like a pe and quacks like a duck, then it should be regulated like a duck. That’s the logic behind Vancouver Coastal Health’s call for an e-ciga- rette ban, and it makes sense. VCH is asking municipalities to extend their existing smoking bylaws to cover e-cigarettes, and it wants school districts to ban them from school property. Currently, anyone can buy them and they can be used anywhere. The devices replicate regular ciga- rettes in look and feel, but they come in novel flavours and produce vapour rather than smoke each time the user takes a pull —- hence the term “vaping” instead of smoking. What’s unnerving is that nobody knows PA what the long- OPIN ION term health consequences are TRICIA LO yet. Like regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes are filled with hard-to- pronounce chemicals and carcino- gens, including a toxic antifreeze ingredient called diethylene glycol, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. VCH isn’t demanding an all-out e-cigarette ban. It just wants to protect people in public spaces from being forced to take the risks that e-cigarette users do. When it boils down to it, it’s about respecting other people’s space. There’s nothing to prevent someone from vaping on the bus, for example. It’s inconsiderate, but that doesn’t always factor into people’s decision-making process. That’s where regulations kick in. Optimists say e-cigarettes can help smokers kick the habit. The devices replicate the sensation of lighting up even though the nicotine dosage can be as low as zero. There’s no scientific consensus that e-cigarettes actually help curb nicotine consumption, but it’s worth knowing that Big Tobacco promotes some of the best-selling e-cigarettes: Camel, Marlboro and Newport are behind Vuse, MarkTen and Blu, respectively. Do you really believe they want to help you quit? Even in the best-case scenario where e-cigarettes encourage smoking cessation, that benefit isn’t diminished by restricting vaping in certain areas. Some might say VCH is encourag- ing paranoia, but I’d say they’re advocating for fairness. We want to hear from you Did we get a fact wrong? Got a different point of view? Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Email Ethan Baron at ebaron@langara.be.ca hat could be better than a trip to one of the world’s most exciting cities, all while earning course credits at the same time? How about not having to shell out thousands of dollars to do so. Langara’s English department offers a three-week field study program in New York City. Students or non-students with an interest in theatre get to tour the city’s many historical theatrical landmarks for three weeks between May and June. The program includes trips to famed New York hot spots, including Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and the Metropolitan Opera, all while earning transfer credits in English 1191 (theatre/drama history). Sounds like any theatre buff’s dream to me. So what’s the problem with this trip? The price, for starters. To take part in this program, students must pay $2,599. That figure omits some rather large expenses, such as airfare, airport taxes and the cost of “most meals,” according to the program’s website. But what’s more than that? Despite costing well over the advertised $2,600 price, once those silly little extras like eating and oh, say, flying across the continent are factored in, students in this program only earn three credits. I found myself having to do a OPINION CHRIS SLATER NYC doesn't come cheap double take when I saw how little you would actually earn after having to pay so much. One could argue that it’s hard to put a price on real life experience, especially in an industry as person- ally passionate as live theatre. But to me it just seems like way too much to pay. Think of what else all that money could get you. Two years’ worth of college tuition sounds about right. However, if you’re one of the blessed few who has the funds to finance this kind of excursion and not feel the burn in your pocket for years to come, then by all means go for it. But if you’re like me, borrowing like there’s no tomorrow just to see your name on a diploma some day, then this trip certainly doesn’t make a lot of financial sense. . which deesn't caver airfare, or luggage fees or travel insurance. Pidn't you read the fine print? But I paid my $2599 program Hi Broadway here we come! TRICIA LO illustration Career workshops don't work work appear to be struggling to find jobs, even though statistics show employment is on the rise. B.C.’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.6 per cent in December 2013, down 0.2 per cent compared to December 2012, according to Statistics Canada. The job market may be looking up, but from what I’ve seen and experienced, student employment is harder to come by. What can be done to fix this? Langara holds workshops to teach students what to expect in an interview and to help students learn how to write resumes and dress for the business world. But there doesn’t seem to be a workshop on how to find a job with an already busy schedule of school and other activities. What is the main reason students Li: students who want to can’t find employment? For every person, there are different reasons as to why they are not successful. School five days a week and an activity or two. Shops hiring those of similar ethnicity or fluent in the same language. Not having enough experience that employers are looking for. Applying for a position too late. In my case, I spent nearly two years looking for a part-time job before landing one at my local Safeway. I was lucky because I had volun- teered there the year before. The lady in charge of the event remem- bered me and told me her store was hiring. Employment workshops, although well intended, aren’t going to cut it. At one point, I went to a career- counselling centre for a year, but it was like hitting a brick wall. More needs to be done to help students land the jobs they want. Yes, students can have interview skills and well-written resumes, and they can learn to dress for the workplace, but those things will only take them so far. They need to learn how to read the signs that people will be hiring soon or that the window of opportunity is closing. They need to find a way to get their foot in the door and gain the work experience needed for the “real” jobs they want. We're not studying at Langara so that we can work at Starbucks or Safeway for the rest of our lives. OPINION ERIN BOE Fil fay ce) The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism 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. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity. Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number. HOW TO REACH US PHONE 604-323-5396 FAX 604-323-5398 E-MAIL thevoice@langara.be.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College There is a mailbox at the entrance to the journalism rooms. SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. VSY 226 WEBSITE wwwilangaravoice.com EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Tricia Lo PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Jenny Peng PAGE 2 Tyler Hooper PAGE 3 Andrea Anthony PAGE 4 Gavin Fisher PAGE 5 Vanessa Szpurko PAGE 7 Nick Eagland PAGE 8 Kendra Wong WEB EDITORS Amy Jones Nadim Roberts COPY EDITORS Bill Everitt Jesse Lam REPORTERS Karly Blats Megan Bobetsis Erin Boe Lauren Collins Alissa Crane Edrick Dudang Madelyn Forsyth-Schiewe Mike Hodder Lukasz Jonca Leslie Kam Ash Kelly David LaRiviere Ashley Legassic Edmond Lu Jeremy Matthews Graham McFie Hannah Myrberg Christopher Slater Renee Sutton Ben Zutter Contact us: Online at langaravoice.com Twitter at @langaraVoice