BUSINESS Labour shortage Tourists are coming back to Vancouver, but the industry has insufficient workers. P3 ARTS & LIFE The next generation of past for inspiration. P4 Nostalgia on film photographers 1s looking to the Illicit cannabis Black market pot is still for sale in B.C., despite legalization. langaravoice.ca PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS | WWW.LANGARAVOICE.CA APRIL 5, 2022 * VOL. 55 NO. 8 * VANCOUVER, B.C. Just writing and crying Many Ukrainian students struggle with school during strife ByJORDAN COPP krainian students in Vancou- | ver are finding it difficult to focus on the end of the semester while the war in their home country rages on for the seventh straight week. “I've been crying for 24 hours all day long, and I had assignment yesterday,” said Daryna Kulyk, a Ukrainian student studying psychol- ogy at Langara College. “So, I was just, you know, writing and crying.” Kulyk, who says reading accounts of the civilians allegedly executed has been excruciating, is grateful for the support and community of her class- mates and instructors. “My classmates, they're very understanding, like, I had several group projects and they all back me up and helped in any way possible. I'm really grateful for this support.” Many have family living in Ukraine. Trying to keep in touch with loved ones often takes priority. “Tt was very hard for me to concen- trate on my exams because I was always thinking about my family and friends, if they are safe. I called them every day to check where they are, and how they are doing,” said Sasha Szytchenko, a Langara student. According to the college’s website, there are currently 12 international students from Ukraine studying at Langara. Gregory Pokorny, the manager of international marketing and recruitment at Langara’s interna- tional student office, said he has been getting more inquiries from displaced Ukrainian students and some still in Ukraine. Pokorny said although nothing has been implemented yet, Lang- ara is exploring options to provide financial aid to Ukrainian students in need. A TransLink customer uses a Compass card vending machine, paying by credit card. /4UREN AcciL! PHOTO TransLink users fear scam Banking card PINs at risk on Canada Line vending machines By LAURENACCILI kyTrain rider Matthew Rafael had no idea that scammers could get bank- ing information through a Compass card vending machine. Rafael was waiting for the YVR Airport train on Monday and did not know that transit police are warning riders that “skimmers” have recently accessed user information at three train stations. He said he didn’t know what skimming was and that he uses cash most of the time, but he plans to take more precautions. “Now that I’m aware of it, I mean I guess it would make me more nervous,” Rafael said. Skimming is the act of stealing one’s financial information such as a card PIN at an ATM. An illegal card reading device is installed in the banking machine and can record user-entered PINs. Customers can be at risk because skimmers are diffi- cult to recognize. Of the six transit users interviewed on Monday by the Voice, none were aware of this issue and had not heard of skimming. Lorena Cueva was waiting for the Waterfront train on her way to work. LAUREN ACCILI PHOTO “T think there is not enough surveil- lance here in the SkyTrain,” Cueva said. “I’m going to be more careful, definitely.” Tenzin Kuenseng was waiting at Marine Drive station with her friends. “That makes us worried,” Kuenseng said. Transit police advise all transit users to be alert for skimmers while “Now that I'm aware of [skimmers], Imean loading their Compass cards. Amanda Steed, media relations officer for Metro Vancouver transit police, said that skimming is rela- tively rare at transit stations and does not significantly affect ridership. “It's quite common among many other retailers all over the world. But for us, we've been pretty fortunate that it hasn't been something that's happened often for I guess it would make | us,” Steed said. ” Skimmers were found me more nervous. at the Marine Drive, YVR __ MATTHEW RAFAEL Airport and Vancouver TRANSLINK RIDER City Centre train stations in late March. Steed said that in addition to daily servic- ing of the Compass card vending machines, alarms that go off when the card machine is tampered with and there are cameras monitoring the machines. “So as part of our police investi- gation, from a transit perspective, they have taken a lot of steps with the technician and then the alarm and monitoring system and all that,” Steed said. She said machines with skimmers will look different than a normal machine. “Some of the things you want to look for are like pieces of tape, like sometimes what they do is tape the device on with packing tape or electrical tape,” Steed said. “Sometimes you'll see tape sort of rolling up in the corners, or some- thing that just doesn't look like it belongs in the Amanda Steed MEDIA RELATIONS, METRO VANCOUVER TRANSIT POLICE machine.” Steed advised the public to be wary and remain on the lookout for skimmers. “What we do ask people is that if they come across something like this, or something looks suspicious on a ticket vending machine when they're purchasing a ticket, is to notify a SkyTrain attendant or Canada Line attendant.”