2 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012 EDITOR DANIEL PALMER ews & features JUMBO JEWELRY TOURS 2t ART ARAM NOT A JOKE FOR LOCAL ARTIST 4 CARISSA THORPE photo Artist Dave Sajedi poses in Langara’s main foyer with his larger-than-life “Beaded Necklace,” a project that took him more than 1000 hours to complete. The necklace consists of more than 100,000 beads and knots and weighs roughly 200 kilograms. The project will be on display through Friday. Go to www.talismanbeadworks.ca to see more of Sajedi’s work. Online monitoring on campus Langara collects student browsing history, similar to proposed law By LEV JACKSON angara students have likely heard about a controversial privacy bill currently being discussed in the House of Commons. Bill C-30 would give police access to Canadians’ online browsing history and subscriber information upon re- quest. Currently, police require a warrant for such information. But students may be surprised to learn authorities at Langara already maintain a database of internet activity on campus. “We do keep a log of browsing histo- ry through our proxy servers,” said LT. department associate director Justin Yau in an email to The Voice. “We only look at the information when there is a need to do so, and such requests will come from the Dean’s Of- fice,” he said. This gives a new, more realistic meaning to the idea that “Big Brother” is watching. But some students said they are un- happy with the thought of being moni- tored. “It’s not necessary. I know I don’t want to be spied on by the school or the government,” said student Abdul Fadel. Davis Loui, a general studies stu- dent, agreed. “Tt is not right that people should be watching our every move, It’s ridicu- lous,” he said. While many students agree with both Fadel and Loui, others are open to certain aspects of Bill C-30. “It depends on what they want to do with that information,” said Langara math student Samantha Gavrilko. “T mean if they use it to somehow stop crimes, then fine, but if they’re go- ing to screw with my computer then no thanks.” If passed in its current form, Bill C-30 will require ISPs to maintain a backlog of subscriber browsing history and will be both organized and readily available upon police request. Police currently have several investi- gative options that require judicial ap- proval including search warrants, tracking warrants and wiretaps. Public Safety minister Vic Toews has conceded that the bill is an intrusion of privacy, but he has claimed it is a nec- essary sacrifice to help police pursue criminals in the 21st century. Toews caused significant reaction from the media and Canadian public when he stated in the House of Com- mons: “Either stand with us or with the child pornographers.” As Yau stated, Langara College does have a need to maintain browsing his- tory, but Loui said he still feels uneasy with the idea of being monitored. “We have the right to our privacy.” Bill C-30 HM Titled “Protect- ing Children and Internet Predators Act” HE Would require Internet Service Providers to give subscriber informa- tion to police with no warrant HM 53 per cent of Ca- nadians believe the bill is too intrusive, while only 27 per cent believe the bill is necessary Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion/Government of Canada Avoid paying $40 registration fee next term Returning students should log in to select new courses By QUINN MELL-COBB pplication fees are nothing new Ae Langara College students, but an internet glitch may cause some to shell out additional cash. Rumours swirling around campus suggested that Langara was in the ear- ly stages of putting a plan into motion that would force returning applicants into paying another application fee ($40 for domestic applicants, and $155 for international) if they wished to select new courses. As it turns out, the fee is simply an unfortunate consequence of choosing to register through the Langara web- site without logging in to the myLanga- ra portal. “The website is not able to differenti- ate between a new and a returning stu- dent, so if a returning student applies through the official website they will be charged the fee,” said Langara spokesman Ian Humphreys. Humphreys was quick to dismiss the notion that it was a cash grab on the part of the college. “Returning students are directed to log in to the portal to complete their ap- plications,” said Humphreys. “There is no intention on the part of the college to charge returning students an appli- cation fee, so there is no anticipation of increased revenue.” 66 If a return- ing student applies through the official website they will be charged the fee IAN HUMPHREYS Art space pops up on Fraser Artist collective creates memorable and colourful space in tired laneway By CARLY RHIANNA SMITH n empty laneway in south-east Phirestve is transforming into a work of art and a space for the community to come together. The alley at Fraser Street and 46th Avenue is hard to miss - a blinding shade of hot pink and sharply contrast- ing jet-black stripes. “We like these colours. It’s not just to shock people, but we did understand it would have that impact,” said artist Jinhan Ko. The City of Vancouver commis- sioned several murals last year for its 125th anniversary. This piece is a public installation cre- ated by art collective Instant Coffee, in partnership with the Vancouver 125 Mural Program, South Hill Business Association and curated by the Other Sights for Artists’ Projects. It is titled - aptly for Vancouver — Nothing Happens In Good Weather. The installation will be complete by the end of March. Instant Coffee artists plan to add yellow and grey triangular awning as well as furniture. “Tt’s what I consider ‘west coast mod- ern’ furniture. They’re basically tree stumps,” said Ko. The furniture will be painted to match the vibrant alley. “Tm sure once it becomes a seating place, everybody will enjoy it,” said Dolly Bains, president of the South Hill Business Association public art com- mittee. “We don’t have such spaces on Fras- er Street. There are lots of people who appreciate it, there are others who think, ‘No, we don’t want anything like this,” she said. Bains said that input was considered from the South Hill community and 85 per cent of feedback was positive. “High end art might have people in- terested in looking at these things and appreciating [them],” she said. Applications were accepted from all over Canada, but Instant Coffee was chosen because of their interest in bringing life to the community and im- proving the neighbourhood. “T just love the fact that we were able to change this area so radically,” said Ko. “This project was an extension of the work we were doing before.” Instant Coffee is an artist collective with four members based in Vancouver and two in Toronto. They are currently working on an installation in Edmonton and another in Richmond, having previously com- pleted several other projects in Canada and Europe. CARLY RHIANNA SMITH photo Jinhan Ko, part of the artist collective Instant Coffee.