Solution for sleepy students BCIT’s nap room gets more popular. Langara is un- sure if it will follow suit with facility By ASHLEY SINGH comfort in a designated room on campus, experts say. Last month, British Columbia Insti- tute of Technology unveiled a room specifically for napping on their cam- pus, in hopes to boost overworked stu- dents’ productivity Langara College administrators haven’t confirmed whether they'll con- sider a similar facility, despite positive feedback at BCIT. Hannah Bielert, BCIT health and wellness program coordinator, said it’s too soon to say if the nap room has im- proved students’ studies but the re- sponse so far has been positive. A total of 49 naps have been booked, compared to 18 when it first opened. Dr. Robert Comey, medical director of MedSleep Vancouver clinic, said that nap rooms are helpful for students suffering from sleep disorders. “People who do not get enough sleep or poor quality of la Va Genet students could find sleep can have trouble focusing or being creative. In J see stu- extreme cases they d might not be able ents to stay awake in sleeping class without hav- ing a nap.” around He added that campus all napping can help ° reduce stress and of the time act as a stimulant SAMANTHA like coffee, but HOWSE without the nega- STUDENT tive side effects. While Langara officials weren’t able to confirm whether the college would open a similar facilty on-site, David Au- coin, manager of Langara’s safety, se- curity and emergency management said issues such as safety, location, and cost would have to be considered first. “At Langara we have a number of large chairs, couches which meet the need for a quick ‘snooze’,” he said, adding that open areas provide better “visual surveillance” which assures safety for the snoozing stu- dent. “We do not have a policy that states a student ‘cannot’ snooze on the campus.” Langara student, Samantha Howse is open to the idea of having a nap room. “Tsee students sleeping around cam- pus all the time,” she said. W Boulevard ALISON PUDSEY photos Clockwise from top: Pho Triple 3 restaurant, its featured hot and sour seafood soup, and former Avenue Grill owner Sasha Mirkovic. Diner restaurants dwindle as Asian cuisine mushrooms across city By ALISON PUDSEY Ihe closure of longstanding Ave- nue Grill in Kerrisdale may fore- warn the end of diner-style res- taurants in South Vancouver, according to its former restaurant owner. The 88-year-old Avenue Grill, near 41st Avenue and West Boulevard, closed last year and was replaced by Pho Triple 3 restaurant. While its for- mer owner credits the closure to an in- flux of Asian migrants to the neigh- bourhood, it also underscores a growing trend of Asian cuisine domi- nating the city’s food landscape. Former owner Sasha Mirkovic said the local demographic has changed considerably since he bought the res- taurant in 2003, shifting the market in favour of Asian restaurants. “The people who owned houses in Kerrisdale were aging. But what hap- pened when that money came in, peo- ple from Asia would buy all those prop- erties but nobody would live in them,” he said. “So Kerrisdale has become like a ghost town.” Carlos Gomes, CEO of Vancouver Food Tour, said that Vancouver’s grow- ing Asian food scene can be credited to the city’s location on the Pacific Rim. The Vancouver Food Tour organizes tours of notable restaurants and bars in the city. “Things like the California roll was invented here in Vancouver by an Asian chef, Tojo. A lot of these restau- rants are Chinese chefs who are in- spired by their roots of course and their heritage, as well as their commu- nity.” Gomes said that Asian cuisine has become popular because it promotes food sharing. “The tables are designed for commu- nity and having lots of different choic- es, but not big plates of it,” he added. While diner-style restaurants might be fading, Gomes said, smaller, commu- nity-oriented restaurants are sticking around. “Go to Nanaimo and Hastings area and you see the resurgence of the Mas- ter Chef style café. Master Chef was a restaurant there. It was a diner, we loved it, and I loved it. It closed down a couple years ago and a lot of us were sad, but the Red Wagon [café and res- taurant] is there trying to restore that niche.” 66 The tables are de- signed for community and hav- ing lots of different choices, but not big plates of it CARLOS GOMES VANCOUVER FOOD TOUR CEO VAPE Regulations Electronic cigarette smoke still sparks shame in public HEALTH CANADA Prohibits the sale of nicotine-based electronic cigarettes in the country, despite being sold at most tobacco shops. CITY OF VANCOUVER Prohibits smoking electronic cigarettes in buildings and public spaces and restricts sale of devices for those under 19 years of age. Source: Health Canada; City of Vancouver Experts say inconclusive evidence of long-term effects leads to stigma By LINDA NGUYEN efits of electronic cigarettes doesn’t alter the stigma attached to them, according to some users. The study — released by a subgroup of the British Department of Health in August — claimed that electronic ciga- rettes are 95 per cent less harmful than traditional cigarettes. But the long-term effects of their us- age is unknown, and = many Ae: study touting the health ben- are still wary of second-hand smoke from electronic cigarettes in public spaces. As the study came to light, Scotland’s largest health board lifted bans on electronic cigarette use on hospital grounds. While nicotine-based devices be- came popular around five years ago, Health Canada still prohibits their sale and encourages users to quit. Richmond resident Jordon Toews still feels the stigma whenever he uses his electronic cigarette. “When I’m walking down the street downtown, Ill breathe out this massive cloud and people stare and cover their faces up ... even though it smells better and is healthier than a [regular] ciga- rette,” he — said, adding he thinks it stems from health- related concerns. “Honestly, I’ve stopped taking long pulls off it be- cause it makes me feel uncomfortable when people just stare or look like they are going say something.” Dr. Milan Khara, a physician at the Smoking Cessation Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital, said studies on the long-term effects of electronic ciga- MILAN KHARA Tobacco special- ist and physician rettes are still inconclusive. “The issue is primarily what is the risk carried by an e-cigarette and that’s difficult to answer,” he said. “There’s no scientific consensus or scientific agreements on [their use].” According to Martin Schulz, a UBC associate professor in organizational behaviour, this lack of knowledge sustains the stigma attached to their use. “As aresult, the public discourse has been rather ill-informed and biased and has been used to stigmatize life- style choices of individuals.” he said. “It is essentially labeling perpetrat- ed by the moral majority.”