Volunteers receive recognition For every social media like or share, the LSU will donate one dollar to the VOLT program By ADAM LEVI he international move- ment of Giving Tuesday has made its way to Lang- ara College’s campus, following the self-indulgence of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. As seen on the Giving Tues- day website, the movement has emerged as counterbalance to our gluttony during the ensuing days after Thanksgiving. By donating time or money, the day provides people a chance to show their grati- tude through acts of kindness with the help of social media. On Langara’s campus, the Lan- gara Student Union and the VOLT program have partnered up to show appreciation for the VOLT volun- teers - they have put in over 57,000 combined hours of work. Everytime someone likes, shares or comments on VOLT"s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages with the #GivingTuesday the LSU will donate a dollar to the volunteers program costs. VOLT coordinator, Maggie Stewart, has been very pleased with the response from the Langara community. “It’s been amazing to see the en- gagement so far,” Stewart said. “We are already way over the 1000-mark, so the donations just keep growing, which is really exciting.” Through various acts of giv- ing - the LSU gave away cake and VOLT handed out things like free pens and lip balm - both organiza- tions were able to spread awareness of their organizations while also giving back. “When we provide free stuff, we're telling people, ‘thank you”, said Snehdeep Kang, who was working at the LSU table. “And then they say, ‘what is this cake for?’, and then we can promote our events. So, we're providing a treat and doing it all for a good cause.” The formula seems to be work- ing. Giving back to the students and the VOLT volunteers for this movement is making an impact on Langara community. “If you are giving me something,” said Shavideep Singh, a Langara student. “Then, it is my responsibil- ity in life to give you back some- thing. This way, they can feel that I care for them, I have a concern for them.” Members of VOLT try to attract people to their Giving Tuesday table. ADAM LEVI PHOTO ; vlim. a ~ ; Natalie Ho and her friend share frozen yogurt in front of Rob Syvertsen's pastry stand in Building A at Langara. PATRICK PENNER PHOTO Man faces froyo machine Cookie vendor optimistic despite rise of automated food By PATRICK PENNER he battle between man and machine is raging in the grand hall of Lan- gara’s Building A. Rob Syvertsen’s Vietnamese pas- try stand is facing off against the new frozen yogurt machine for the attention of the school’s sweet tooth. B.C.’s first robotic frozen yogurt machine was put into Building A this November. It offers six frozen yogurt options that can be custom- ized with toppings, and takes up about 5 square meters. Syversen is confident the treats baked by his wife’s human hands will outsell his faceless competitor. He’s a regular vender at Langara’s United Way Craft Fair. “[The machine] was busy but it wasnt doing as well as we were,” he said. “It’s interesting, it puts on a spectacle, it gets a lot of attention... it’s also selling frozen yogurt in the middle of November.” ‘This man’s battle with a single machine is a microcosm of the wor- ries many Canadians have about future automation in the service industry. A 2016 study by the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Tech- nology said that food service is ranked third among “high-risk” in- dustries predicted to be hurt in the next 10-20 years. ‘The study says future automation will hurt 40 per cent of the Cana- dian workforce. Although Syvertsen admits the automation affects some, he feels his niche market is safe. “It’s inevitable [that automa- tions] going to come,” Syvertsen said. “There’s always going to be room for artisans, people who are creating something different and : ” unique. “There's always going to be room for artisans...” —ROB SYVERTSEN, CRAFT FAIR VENDOR But Langara student Natalie Ho sided with the machines, she said convenience is a huge factor in her decision-making these days. “If I saw a machine I would choose by the machine, it’s easy to me,” Ho said. “Anything that’s easy is normal.” Syvertsen does admit he recog- nizes the expediency factor ma- chines offer consumers today. “If I go to Starbucks, I quite hon- estly like being able to log onto my phone, place an order for my drink and pick it up as I’m going along,” he said. On the other hand, Langara stu- dent D.J. Kaur says she prefers hu- man service as she doesn’t trust the freshness of goods stored behind thick glass. “In the machine, you don't know how long it has been stored,” Kaur said. “Outside it’s fresh, you can feel it, you can touch it.” Cafeteria meats Langara will soon have more vegetarian options available By KIRSTEN CLARKE eneviéve —_ Paris-Griffiths (GG can't understand why there were numerous complaints about Langara College cafeteria’s meatless Mondays initiative at Langara. “A huge part of the population is moving towards vegetarianism, so I would love it if students could just try to be open-minded,” said Paris- Grifhths, who is vegetarian and fre- quently eats the cafeteria’s meatless options. But Paris-Griffiths will soon have more food options as Chart- wells, the company that runs the cafeteria services, is working on de- signing new menus with expanded vegetarian options. Rizwan Bandali, Chartwells’ di- rector of food services at Langara, said there was significant backlash after they first introduced meatless Mondays in March 2015. “Things were not going well with it and we had a lot of complaints,” said Bandali. During the first few months of the initiative, food services removed all meat from cafeteria menus on Mondays, Bandali said. ‘This was unpopular with students who preferred meat products. Emily Pickett, program coordi- nator at the Vancouver Humane Society, said that the point of the program is to introduce a meatless option or special on Mondays to help promote awareness around the consumption of animal products, personal health and the environ- ment. “We wanted to allow people to in the middle choose options and not have some- thing forced on them,” Pickett said. Food services then introduced meat along with meatless options on Mondays. While this was more positively received by students, there was still a lack of vegetarian options the rest of the week, leav- ing students like Paris-Griffiths in the lurch. The failed meatless Mondays initiative eventually led to the current full-week vegetarian sta- tion, which was introduced about two years ago, said Bandali. This is the only vegetarian food station on campus. “It’s very popular,” said Bandali. “It’s probably one of my busier sta- tions.” B.C. is ahead of other Cana- dian provinces in the vegetarian revolution, according to a Dalhou- sie University survey conducted earlier this year. Over 28 per cent of British Columbians under 35 are vegetarian. Number of animals in the millions killed each year in the food industry. Percentage of farmland in Canada used for agriculture. Percentage of greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture. SOURCE: VANCOUVERHUMANESOCIETY.CA