2 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCT. 28, 2014 EDITOR MADELYN FORSYTH Drop out at your own risk Study finds unfinished degrees won't help with the job market or wages By SANDY POWLIK college face high unemployment rates and low wages in what’s al- ready a competitive job market. A recent study compiled by the Wall Street Journal showed those with only some college credits earn the same as those who only completed high school. While jobs avail- able to high school graduates seem at- tractive at an aver- age of $15 an hour, those with a post- secondary educa- tion are making an average of $32 an Yoricees students who drop out of hour. For a full- CHRISTINA WEST time employee, Says she is that’s a potential “sure of job prospects. loss of almost $700 a week. A degree does not guarantee a high paying job in B.C., however. Dietetics student Betty Chiang knows that po- tential employers in her field offer higher wages outside the province. “Tn Vancouver, it may be hard to find ajob to support your lifestyle, but there are other opportunities [in] other plac- es,” said Langara economics instructor Lanny Zrill. He also said finding a bet- ter job and a high standard of living with a four-year degree may be easier in a city like Regina. “Tt’s mostly location and the fact that there’s so many of us coming out with the same degrees. People come out with PhDs and they’re working at Mc- Donald’s,” said publishing student Christina West, who is unenthusiastic about future job prospects in Vancou- ver. “Tf you go in with the right intentions and you know you're going to end up doing something in that field, good on you,” she said. Jeannine Mitchell, author of Ka-Ch- ing!, a financial advice e-book for stu- dents, agreed students should want to be in school whole-heartedly. Zrill said the demands of going through years of focused work in col- lege will benefit everyone. “Your ability to work hard and your quality as a colleague ends up being more of a determinant of your success than what you got your education in,” he said. NICH JOHANSEN photo Construction on the new state of the art science and technology building continues on campus and is set to open in April of 2016. Noise disruption not an issue Construction only causing minor problems for current students By NICH JOHANSEN onstruction of the new science and technology building promis- es great benefits for future stu- dents and faculty, but has caused minor disruptions for current ones. The work site is situated beside the library, but according to staff the con- struction has not been too intrusive. “Surprisingly, it’s not dirty,” a library employee who requested not to be iden- tified on the grounds that she didn’t know if she was allowed to comment, said. “I guess they have to do drilling into the concrete which is kind of noisy but usually it’s not for too long. It’s re- markably clean and quiet.” “Within the library there hasn’t been any interruptions,” said librarian Joyce Wong. Publishing instructor Giselle Lemay said the parking lot closures due to the construction have caused some prob- lems for faculty workshops that she has organized. “Thave a lot of guests who come to put on the workshop. Some of them are find- ing it difficult to get all the way around to the parking entrance because they are used to the one off of 49th,” said Le- may. The $49-million building is funded en- tirely by Langara through the Capital Building Legacy Fund and reserves from previous budget surpluses, said Wendy Lannard, director of facilities. Students pay $34.35 into the Capital Building Legacy Fund each semester, according to the Langara fees informa- tion website. Lannard said the building should be completed by April 2016, and that it will house all the science departments with “up to date [and] far more modern facili- ties.” “The second floor is going to have an event space in it. The upper floors will have the sciences. In addition, there will be a lot of collaborative study space,” she said. “Right now the plans are for Subway to go into that building.” Peace and conflict studies student Anita Kim, said the construction hasn’t really affected her and that she is “look- ing forward to see what the building will actually look like.” Baile breakdowhe Hit costs $48.9 mil- lion HE Teeple/Proscenium Architects were in charge of the preliminary design HE Construction started last Fall and will be done until April 2016 Source: Langara College website tis “Trust your instincts. If you feel like you're being Self-defence Is key to fending off predators Elements Acadamy teaches skills for people to prepare against potential attacks followed or being watched, don't ig- nore those things.” HM “Be confident” HM "Take out their knees. If they can't run, you have a better chance of getting away.” HM “Atnight or ina secluded area, don’t bury yourself in a cellphone.” Source: Mysha Dewar- McClelland By ALICE D’EON ncouver women’s groups and uni- Yoesic organizations have paired up with Elements Academy to learn self-defence, and Langara_ stu- dents want a piece of the action. The Vancouver martial arts studio, which offers discounted rates for stu- dent groups, teamed up with the Langa- ra kinesiology department last year and owner Emma Hamilton said she would be happy to return. “Self-defence on campus is a very im- portant issue,” said Mysha Dewar-Mc- Clelland, an Elements Academy instruc- tor. She pointed to reasons why students often find themselves in vulnerable situ- ations but was careful not to place blame on assault victims. “Because it’s getting darker earlier and often students are at an age where they are experiencing freedom for the first time,” she said. “They are not necessarily thinking about the consequences of their ac- tions.” Campus groups like Phrateres UBC have partnered with Elements for their expertise in women’s self-defence. These sessions teach women skills that can be “easily remembered and called upon in a situation,” said Dewar- McClelland. Although Langara is situated in the VPD patrol district with the lowest amount of violent crime, some students still have concerns. Langara student Chanelle Gunderson said she wouldn’t know what to do if at- tacked. “lve been told to go for the eyes or the groin, but I'd probably just run away,” she said. Nasrin Ali, a student in Langara’s rec- reation leadership program said she doesn’t feel safe. “T tend to stay at school quite late and I walk really fast to the SkyTrain” she said. Ali and Gunderson said they would attend a self-defence course if one was offered at Langara. ALICE D'EON photo Mysha Dewar-McClelland demon- strates skills to fend off an attacker.