FLEA WHISPERERw sssesessecnseeseeesesesenssenseessens A new play tells the story of a flea circus and its eccentric ringmaster < RECENT UN talks ME 2014: Lima, Peru ME 2013: Warsaw, Poland M2012: Doha, Qatar ME 2011: Durban, South Africa Source: unfcc.int Climate vs. capi By RUMANA DSOUZA embers of the Langara Inter- national Socialists unani- mously agreed that Canada must change its current eco- nomic system to properly address cli- mate change, at a forum last week. Members of the group feel that Can- ada needs to do more than commit to further regulation of its industries lat- er this month at the 2015 United Na- tions Climate Change Conference in Paris. According to Bradley Hughes, Lang- ara College physics instructor and or- ganizer of the Langara International Socialists, climate change is an inevi- table result of an economy based on competition for profit. “We’re linked with the environment, and as Marx said: ‘Nature is man’s in- organic body.’ It’s an extension of us, and capitalism tries to sever this exten- sion,” he said. Hughes believes a socialist system would end fossil-fuel dependence and bring good jobs in renewable energy. || : "f i fi a ism i In the lead up to an important international conference on climate change, people are dis- cussing what kind of econo- my can protect our planet while keeping us prosper- ous. Some say stricter rules for businesses are enough, while others say we need a whole new system. RUMANA DSOUZA photo On the other hand, there are those who believe that capitalism, if appro- priately regulated can solve the prob- lem of global warming. Bryan Breguet, a Langara economics instructor, said capitalism is not per- fect in controlling emissions but it is the best available option. “Tt’s not like there really is another viable economic system out there any- way,” he said. George Hoberg, professor of envi- ronmental and natural resource policy at UBC, said he strongly believes that climate change can be tackled within a market-oriented system. Hoberg said Canada’s inaction on cli- mate change represents a failure of the political system, not its economic sys- tem. He said pressure for regulations push our economy in a more sustain- able direction must come from the gen- eral public. “If voters demanded action more forcefully from elected officials, gov- ernments would be more willing to re- sist the lobbying of fossil fuel compa- nies and take effective action,” he said. Students seek FOI inclusion B.C. gov- ernment hears stu- dent unions should fall under in- formation access laws 66 Student unions’ manage- ment of student money acts much like a Wild West STANLEY TROMP LANGARA GRAD, JOURNALIST i) By BRIDGETTE WATSON and former, have made the case for the mandatory and enforceable transparency of student socities across the province. Stanley Tromp, who graduated from Langara’s journalism program in 1993, spoke earlier this month at a mandated review of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in Van- couver. He proposed that the act be amended so freedom of information re- quests can be made for student societ- ies. “Student unions’ management of student money acts much like a Wild West, under the radar for decades, and most urgently needs [FIPPA] cover- age,” Tromp said. Langara journalism students Owen Munro and James Smith spoke Wednesday, via video conference, with MLAs in Victoria where another public hearing to review FIPPA took place. Munro said he believes that attend- ing university is necessary for many people, making students’ union fees an unavoidable fee, much like general tax- es. “They are taking money from the Lets: College students, current public, so there has to be some account- ability so students know how their money is being spent,” Munro said. Smith said student societies are a de facto part of post-secondary institu- tions so should fall under FIPPA. “Membership is mandatory and au- tomatic and much of the money they control comes from government via student loans and grants,” Smith said, adding society representatives sit on college boards and have influence over the spending of public money. Full-time Langara students pay about $65 per semester in dues to the LSU collected on its behalf by the col- lege. Students are barred from attend- ing LSU board meetings or copying re- cords. Tromp singled out the LSU as “the worst example” of a student society that makes financial decisions in se- crecy. The LSU is governed by the prov- ince’s Society Act, which means they must present documents to members for inspection upon reasonable notice. It recently took 10 days for the LSU to give The Voice access to budget re- cords. Tromp said short of going to court, there is no way to force the LSU to comply with requests, which makes BRIDGETTE WATSON photo Owen Munro, a second-year jour- nalism student, prepares to address by video a government hearing on freedom of information legislation. the Society Act ineffectual. The Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Pro- tection of Privacy Act will continue to hear testimonials until January. Rec- ommendations for amendments will be made to the Legislative Assembly of B.C. in May. The LSU did not respond to requests for comment by publication time. Web tutoring New program expands op- tions for homework help By MARK STUART send their draft assignments on- line to a tutor and get them back within 48 hours with comments and suggestions. The online tutoring service Write- Away is available at Langara, offering students a complementary tutoring tool that’s already being used by 14 other B.C. post-secondary institutions. According to Megan Otton, an Eng- lish instructor at Langara and Write- Away tutor for the fall and spring terms, students get free, extensive comments on their draft assignments in any subject they are studying, not just English. “We pay a small fee to belong, and we provide the service with one tutor who works for a semester. In return, our students at Langara get 24/7 access to the service and its tutors,” she said. The service uses the eTutoring plat- form, developed in Connecticut and is hosted by BCcampus. “T think it has the potential to serve the students well,” Otton said. Le College students can now