6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY DEC. 1, 2016 EDITOR ROBERTO TEIXEIRA lewpoints Wi-Fi, more like slow-fi at Langara good Wi-Fi Internet connection A° a college campus is essential or students to keep track with their class outlines, do their assign- ments, check their emails and study online. That is not Langara’s case. What happens at Langara is that we have a lot of dead zones on campus, where the Wi-Fi does not work proper- ly or does not work at all. With a lack of available computer labs at the college, students need a reliable Wi-Fi source to keep on with their studies even outside classes or computer labs. Despite having two different Wi-Fi networks at the college campus - edu- roam and Langara — the connection is always fading. The Wi-Fi connection is so unstable that students need to <>: rely on their own y cellphone data to : = have a good con- OPINION nection. And let’s remember what it’s ROBERTO like living in a stu- TEIXEIRA dent budget, where most can’t afford r4 4 paying more for data usage. The Wi-Fi That is not the only problem. It’s a connec- struggle to get ac- tion is so cess through any of them. Confusing unstable logins, different that stu- passwords, weak signals, slow dents need speeds, networks to rely on that work in one ° building, but don’t their on work in others. It’s cellphone — amess. data Does that mean that students are lacking in their studies because of this? No, because they are more wor- ried about not failing classes than us- ing all their available phone data. Yes, eduroam is a service provided from outside of the college, and gives the opportunity for students to use their network at different post-second- ary campuses including UBC and SFU. Nevertheless, we still need a reliable and stable Wi-Fi network at here at Langara. Langara recently upgraded to an ad- vanced 100 gigabyte per second Wi-Fi network through BCNET, a non-profit IT collaboration between universities and colleges in B.C. However, for what we can experience, that still isn’t fast enough to handle all of the traffic Lan- gara receives. We, students, need a bet- ter, reliable and stable Wi-Fi to work with. Langara’s Wi-Fi is more like a low-fi. Your voice matters to us Got a story idea? Any issues you want us to cover? Write to thevoice@langara.be.ca Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Think we got a fact wrong? Tell us. Journalisin instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice, Email her at ebulman@langara.be.ca DIY gifts warm the heart othing says “I love you” more than a thoughtful present. Do-it-yourself presents are one way to show that apprecia- tion. They are cost-effective and sus- tainable, and for those of us on a stu- dent’s budget, DIY gifts may be the answer to the costly holidays. But for those of us who aren’t crafty at all, DIY gifts present other challeng- es. They require time, effort and plan- ning which can add stress to the fran- tic, forced energy of the season. Perhaps the guilt and pressure of trying to show my love, combined with a lack of creativity, has ignited my cyn- icism for Christmas, the most commer- cialized North American holiday. Bil- lions of dollars are spent every year consuming, only to end up in the gar- bage while despairing over your empty bank account. Maybe I’m a lazy, cold-hearted Scrooge, as I have never really tried. I’ve always thought the best gift to receive was money, and the biggest hindrance to giving a good gift was the lack of those very dollars. There is some- thing special about getting a present made especially for you, though. My favourite gift over the years was a DIY kit from my best friend. She had soulfully crafted OPINION MELANIE GREEN soaps, salves and creams by hand - each with it’s own label, scent and co- lour. I was incredibly moved when I opened it. I felt almost childlike explor- ing the many treats. Not only was it thoughtful, but it was also useful. There are many DIY options out there that require less talent and cre- ativity, and thousands of listicles are online suggesting sugar scrubs, Christ- mas cards and home made ornaments. If it were up to me, I would live in the fictional world of Seinfeld, where char- acters deny Christmas and celebrate Festivus. There would be no gifts ex- changed — just a promise of time with your loved ones in a verbal wrestling match after airing your grievances. VERONNICA MACKILLOP and CHANDLER WALTER comic LSU Is back into the shadows Desmond Rodenbour, means the secretive and questionable behav- iour of the student union will continue uninhibited. Rodenbour was fired in true LSU form. Rodenbour and the LSU’s legal counsel were sacked last week 7=— sand neither the student body, which funds the LSU, or campus media were notified. For years, the LSU has dodged ques- tions from The Voice, and even went as far as implementing by-laws to force the media to jump through hoops in or- der to get answers on even the simplest of topics. Even with the shocking and unex- pected news of Rodenbour’s dismissal —a move that will significantly affect the student body — the LSU office stonewalled The Voice. Voice reporters have long faced dif- T:: firing of LSU general manager, ficulty when cov- ering stories on the student union. At last year’s _ all-candi- dates forum for the LSU election, two Voice report- ers were kicked OPINION CHAHIRA out for taking photos. MERARS| Rodenbour, r4 4 the LSU’s first general manager, Whatisthe had been seeking . to implement re- LSU hid- forms. One of his ing? goals was to im- prove relations between the stu- dent union and campus media by increasing trans- parency. Rodenbour believed that the LSU’s structure needed to be updated to meet modern standards for student unions. The LSU seems to have forgotten that its role is to serve students. It is their duty to be completely transpar- ent about their affairs, something they have repeatedly failed to do in the past. Rodenbour’s hiring was a sign of hope that the LSU would finally live up to its ethical duty to be open with students. Firing Rodenbour does nothing but show that the LSU is not committed to repairing media relations and has no interest in keeping students informed. At a time when student unions in the Lower Mainland have been accused of mal-practice and caught red-handed in financial scandals, this extreme resis- tance to a transparent LSU begs the question: what is the LSU hiding? 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. They may be edited for brevity. 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.bc.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. VBY 226 WEBSITE www langaravoice.ca EDITORIAL STAFF MANAGING EDITOR Chantelle Deacon PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Scott Forbes PAGE 2 Jennatytgat PAGE 3 Reuben Dongalen JR PAGE 4 Chahira Merarsi PAGE 5 Linda Nguyen PAGE 7 Veronnica Mackillop PAGE 8 Chandler Walter MANAGING WEB EDITOR Ashley Singh WEB EDITORS Alyd Llewellyn Nico Hernandez Alison Pudsey Simran Gill Anna Tilley REPORTERS Chelsea Powrie Lauren Boothby Caitlin O'Flanagan Melanie Green Bala Yogesh Michele Paulse Kristyn Anthony Cheryl Whiting Alyse Kotyk Clare Hennig Emelie Peacock Bonnie Lee La Madeleine Jessica Purver Sean Hitrec Tanner Bokor Stuart Neatby Contact us: Online at langaravoice.ca Twitter: @LangaraVoice