6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV. 3, 2016 EDITOR CHANDLER WALTER lewpoints Sports create community hether participating on a We« or simply being a dedicated fan, sports have the potential to impact lives and develop communities. As people from all over the world flock to Vancouver, the city becomes more of a cultural mosaic. Moving from Montreal or Malaysia, there is an inevitable desire to be part of the city. Does going to a Vancouver Canucks game make you more of a Vancouverite? Does cheering on the B.C. Lions at a local bar make you more attached to your new city? It just might. If anything, the experi- ences can introduce a part of Cana- dian and Vancouver culture to someone new to the area. “We are all Canucks,” is a slogan that does not say much, yet people are still drawn to it. Sports teams provide a unified sense of self by connecting us to some- thing bigger. Not everyone loves sports, of course, and there are many other ways to acclimatize to a new place. Sport does, however, transcend culture, due to the variety of people who appreciate it all over the world. Just consider the numerous coun- tries that compete in the FIFA World Cup. Another example of sport tran- scending culture is the simple fact that Hockey Night in Canada is broadcast in Punjabi, from a studio in Vancouver, as it demonstrates the melding of two cultures to create something new and meaningful. Ihave seen firsthand the commu- nity that sports provide players and their families in my time coaching a baseball team for children with disabilities. Support systems are developed for families who face simi- lar daily challenges; all while cheering on loved ones at the ballpark. Sports are essential to many people’s lives, as they help individu- als learn how to work together, and grow strong, diverse neighbour- hoods. Sports will continue to be a vital part of our community, and it is hard to see their impact diminishing anytime soon. OPINION CAITLIN O'FLANAGAN Yee 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? Tellus. Journalisin instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice. Email her at ebulman@langara.be.ca Sorry, stubborn riders Ihe No. 49 bus route is the most overcrowded bus in Metro Vancouver, according to a TransLink spokesperson. It’s easy to blame the transportation system, but riders share a signifi- cant portion of the blame them- selves. TransLink is aware of the over- crowding, and have recently cut outa portion of the route to make it more direct. What it has no control of, however, is the poor habits of its passengers. The bus is the main route for Langara OPINION CHANDLER WALTER College students who live to the east of the college, or for those commut- ing in from the SkyTrain. It’s also one of the main busses going to UBC, and as such, it is busy west- bound in the mornings, and east- bound in the evenings. On my morning commute to Langara from Fraser Street, I have far too often had a “SORRY, BUS FULL” fly past the stop I had been waiting at. On more than a few occasions I have managed to chase it down—some clever bus drivers stop a few metres away from the line so that they can unload without letting anyone on. I hop into an open backdoor, leaving behind the poor souls diligently waiting in line (this may not be entirely legal, but a compass scanner is at those doors to tap in on). It is clear that drivers do this because they understand rider habit. Even though the same amount of people who unload could, ideally, be allowed on, the stubborn refusal of riders to move to the back leaves it impossible to pack any more riders into the front. To my knowledge, not many others have attempted the backdoor trick—which may be impossible for elderly or disabled people—but it has a higher success rate than simply waiting in line as bus after bus go by. Unless TransLink starts encour- aging riders to board by the back- doors, or people onboard actually start shuffling along at each stop, would-be passengers of the No. 49 will be unceasingly doomed to stand and watch as half-full buses drive past. 1044 Sorky Bus Fut] a _ VERONNICA MACKILLOP and CHANDLER WALTER comic Definition of cheating needed revision of the academic erie policy at Langara College will only be effective in eliminating the increase in cheating if there is a collaborative effort to increase communication between staff and students. It may come as a surprise to Langara students that the number of reports of academic misconduct at the college had doubled from 2014 to 2015. Langara, however, isn’t alone in experiencing a cheating epidemic on campus, and has taken steps to address this in recent meetings. According to surveys and official reports on academic misconduct in colleges and universities nation- OPINION JESSICA PURVER wide, 73 per cent of students in Canada were found to have 66 cheated in high There is school, and18 per {g9 much cent cheated on tests during their Qgrey area college under- aroun d grad. What are the what parameters ° around academic ch eating misconduct,and 1S to ever how are they * enforced? Is the make ita definition of black or “cheating” . obvious to white students? The 1 ssue problem will not be resolved by revising academ- ic policies alone, it will also require an interactive system that addresses the underlying reasons why students cheat. In this way, instruc- tors and professors may have to come up with new ways to further engage in this discussion with students. The pressure to succeed in a currently stagnant economic landscape can lead to a sense of desperation in many students, and may encourage some to cheat. At the same time, this pressure can be seen as an excuse to engage in cheating, and this can create a sense of dishonesty among students and instructors. Unfortunately, there will always be instances of academic miscon- duct; cheating will never disappear. There is too much grey area around what cheating is to ever make it a black or white issue. By examining the current system and engaging with students who may be struggling, however, instructors and staff at Langara can continue to make the changes necessary to understand and reduce the desire to cheat. 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 Jake Wray PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Chantelle Deacon PAGE 2 Reuben Dongalen Jr. PAGE3 Ashley Singh PAGE 4 Alison Pudsey PAGE 5 Veronnica Mackillop PAGE 7 Scott Forbes PAGE 8 Jenna Tytgat MANAGING WEB EDITOR Nico Hernandez WEB EDITORS Alyd Llewellyn Chahira Merarsi Brian Kurokawa Linda Nguyen Anna Tilley Simran Gill COPY/WEB EDITOR Roberto Teixeira REPORTERS Melanie Green Bonnie Lee La Madeleine Chelsea Powrie Stuart Neatby Caitlin O'Flanagan Emelie Peacock Lauren Boothby Alyse Kotyk Clare Hennig Kristyn Anthony Sean Hitrec Jessica Purver Tanner Bokor Bala Yogesh Michele Paulse Cheryl Whiting Contact us: Online at langaravoice.ca Twitter: @LangaraVoice