2 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013 EDITOR KAYLA ISOMURA Leaving Langara: top tips Counsellors share important university-transfer tactics By NADIM ROBERTS angara students need to focus on having a high GPA if they want to transfer schools this year, says lone school counsellor. Every year, approximately 20 per cent of Langara’s student body success- fully transfers to a university. Some students, however, don’t because of low grades and failing to plan ahead. Tim Charters, chair of the counsel- ling department at Langara, urged stu- dents to keep their GPAs as high as possible. “Many universities won’t give out specific information on what GPA you need,” said Charters. “Endeavour to get the best GPA you can and the high- er your GPA, the more doors open to you.” At a recent course-planning work- shop, Terry Kornutiak of the counsel- ling department encouraged students to aim for at least a B average. Charters also said students should pay attention to deadlines, as they can sneak up earlier than they think. One example is the application to attend UBC next fall, which is due Jan. 31. Langara is known for sending more students to UBC than any other college in B.C. but Charters recommends hav- ing a back-up plan. “Students should consider applying to more than one university and more than one program in case their first choice doesn’t work out,” he said. Although UBC and SFU are the most popular transfer destinations, Charters advised looking further abroad where the standard of education is equally strong and the competition for admis- sions is not as fierce. Some of the universities Charters suggests students consider include the University of Victoria, the University of Northern British Columbia and UBC Okanagan. Sirak Yetbarek, one of the attendees at the planning workshop, moved to Canada from Uganda six weeks ago with his family. He will begin his stud- ies at Langara in January and had orig- inally hoped to transfer to the engi- neering program at UBC by next fall. “T think it will take a bit longer than I planned,” he said. Planning workshops at the college continue until Nov. 28. NADIM ROBERTS photo Sirak Yetbarek will be attending Langara in January but intends to transfer to UBC in the fall. Langara area still safe: VPD Business owner remains ‘shocked’ over shooting, finds violence unexpected By VANESSA SZPURKO couver have residents concerned about safety but Const. Brian Mon- tague of the Vancouver Police Depart- ment says they shouldn’t be. “It’s still a very safe neighborhood,” said Montague. “As long as you're not someone who’s engaged in the drug trade and gangs, it’s not something you should worry yourself with. “These are targeted attacks and the average person doesn’t need to be con- cerned.” La Van Truong Phan, 32, died after he was shot in his home on Victoria Drive on Oct. 11. Another 32-year-old man was injured only a few days earli- er in a drive-by Oct. 8 on S.E. Marine Drive. According to Montague, both victims are known to the police through the gang and drug scene. The cases are not believed linked. Most residents and business owners in south Vancouver were aware of the incidents. “We were really shocked,” said Sub- neez Sattar, an office manager on Vic- toria Drive. “It’s a very good neighbourhood. We’ve never had a shooting or even any kind of robbery. “It was hard to us to see it in the house right next to us.” Langara student Jessica Sookero said the violence in the area didn’t sur- prise her. “T think it could happen anywhere. It happens downtown, it happens in Burnaby, it’s kind of all over the city,” she said. “As much as it’s close to home it’s just realistic about T: recent shootings in south Van- Pals | living in the city. JESSICA SOOKERO “Even small- Student at Lan- er cities like Kelowna have a lot of gang vio- lence.” Earlier this year, two men were charged in the death of Langara stu- dent Manraj Akalirai, who died after being attacked with a sword on Jan. 23. Amritpal Dhillon, 20, and Amritpaul Rakhra, 18, are charged with second- degree murder and manslaughter, re- spectively. They were arraigned in court on June 4 and are awaiting trial. gara College Studio 58 students perform a flash mob at ShakeOut BC. The dance was inspired by the earthquake drill at the event. ShakeOut BC encourages quake safety Participants enjoy en- tertainment and freebies while dropping for cover By TRICIA LO Thursday by joining over 690,000 people in ShakeOut BC, the largest earthquake drill in Canadian history. The purpose of the large-scale drill was to encourage earthquake safety and emergency preparedness. “People often don’t think when it happens,” said event organizer Paul Ursich. “They'll just react. That’s when the injuries happen. “If you’ve thought about it in ad- Lins set a national record last vance and you’ve got a plan, your chances of survival go considerably higher.” Langara’s event featured an earth- quake drill, a flash mob, a safety fair and - in keeping with the “shake” theme - free milkshake vouchers from Triple-O’s for the first 60 participants. The drill was scheduled to take place on Oct. 17 at 10:17 am. It began with Ursich’s demonstration of the three- step process: Drop. Cover. Hold on. “Dropping to the ground helps you from falling uncontrolled, and taking cover under something keeps things from falling on you,” said Ursich. “Then hold on until the shaking stops.” Less than a minute after the demon- stration, rumbling sound effects shook the main foyer to simulate an earth- quake. Participants dove for cover un- der tables set up along the walls. Once the rumbling stopped, they re- emerged and were greeted by a flash mob of 20 dancers from Studio 58. The dance routine was inspired by the three-step drill and was choreo- graphed by Alexandra Wever, a stu- dent in the acting program who grew up in earthquake-prone Guatemala. “It’s extremely important for stu- dents to know what to do because the best way to be is to be prepared,” Wev- er said. “Doing the drill helps you so much more than just reading about it or being told what to do. “It’s very different when people ex- perience what to do. That’s how we learn, and it’s important to do it that way.” TRICIA LO photo WHAT ou need Aradio and extra batteries 2 Identification, other documents, money Toiletries, medica- tion A first aid kit Ci A flashlight and batteries or candles and matches Source: City of Vancouver