CoacH Evans RETIRES weececnceceeceneeneecenseneecensenneneunen@d i J Langara’s Mike Evans to step down after long coaching tenure with the women’s basketball team Faculty stuck in elevator on weekend The Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services are rou- tinely called to save people trapped in elevators By CHANDLER WALTER person was stuck Monday night when an elevator door at Langara refused to budge. A Langara faculty member had their Easter Monday turn claustrophobic around 10:20 p.m. in A Building’s Eleva- tor No. 2, according to Patricia Baker, building operations manager at Langa- ra College. Baker said in an email that the fire department was called because an ele- vator technician would have taken too long to arrive. They freed the trapped person a few minutes before 11 p.m. The name of the person was not dis- closed, but Baker said that they were fine. Baker also stated that this is an incident that has happened in the past. Jonathan Gormick from the fire de- partment said in an email they re- sponded because the person couldn’t be released from the elevator and that it was not a medical issue. Phil Stuart, an elevator technician with Eltec Elevator, saw to the repairs on Tuesday. Stuart said that the elevator doors have a protection feature to stop them from running out of power completely. “When the cleaners are here, they hold the door open so long that it times out.” Stuart explained he is often called in to rescue someone, but sometimes the fire department is needed. “If [the trapped person is] claustro- phobic, that’s when the firemen get them out; they can’t wait for us,” he said. Stuart added that even when he is the one who gets the doors open, it is usually from a control room. “Once I open the door, they just dart. They don’t hang around. So a lot of times I don’t even see them,” he said. Maintenance is done on Langara’s elevators monthly, said Stuart, though a stuck elevator door can happen at the school, as it is a high-density building. Te by four walls of metal, a NOTICE Elevator Neg jorder CHANDLER WALTER photo Elevators in Langara can get stuck. & ee = Langara - 49th Avenue CAMADA LIME Station By JENNA TYTGAT ive sexual assaults occurred over the Easter long weekend near Langara College, The Voice has learned, and one transit police of- ficer is advising students and nearby residents to be cautious. The incidents occurred near the Langara-49th Canada Line SkyTrain Station during the weekend, according transit police officer Donald Cayer. He added that violence was involved and that he believes all the victims were fe- male. The incidents come in the wake of two sexual assaults that occured at UBC on Friday and Saturday. “Tcan’t say for sure if it has anything to do with student [traffic], but it’s pos- sible,” Cayer said. He warned those walking alone near the SkyTrain sta- tions to be cautious. “Nobody’s ever that safe,” he said, “Always be aware of your surroundings and just be hyper vigilant.” He couldn’t confirm whether the nearby incidents were linked to what happened at UBC on Friday and Satur- CHANDLER WALTER photo A VPD officer warned people walking by the SkyTrain station on Monday to be on high alert. Sex assaults near campus, cop warns Woman says she was warned by police Monday day. Neither the VPD nor TransLink responded to multiple requests for comment on the issue on Tuesday, nor have they issued a public statement re- garding any attacks near the college. But Chelsea Brennan, who was walk- ing through the SkyTrain station last night, said she was stopped by a Van- couver Police Department officer around 11 p.m. to warn her of the at- tacks. She said the officer told her that the assaults took place near the Langara- 49th SkyTrain station; that the perpe- trator attacked from behind and dragged the victims into the bushes nearby; and that the attacks happened late at night between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Brennan posted about the encoun- ter on her Facebook account, warning others who may be walking near the site. “He told me to be on high alert,” said Brennan of the officer. “[The officer] said there was also an attack out at UBC that they believe is linked, so if you’re out walking to be very careful anywhere,” Brennan said. 66 Nobody’s ever that safe... Always be aware of your sur- roundings and just be hyper vigilant DONALD CAYER TRANSIT POLICE OFFICER Karaoke contest to come Karaoke World Champion- ships comes to Van for first time in North America By NATALIE DUNSMUIR is singing its way to Vancouver this year for its first time in North America. The competition will take place at the Edgewater Casino from Nov. 1-6. A male and female singer from each of 30 participating countries will be selected to take part. Whitney-John Stuart, CEO of the Canadian and American karaoke com- petitions, said the activity is picking up in North America. “Karaoke has al- ways been ‘hey let’s go out to the bar and get drunk with your buddies and have a good time’. That’s a very North American culture way of looking at ka- raoke,” said Stuart. “If you look out- side of North America, if you look to Europe and especially to Asia, Karaoke is just another form of ‘how do I further myself as a musician.” The annual championships started in Finland in 2008 and has been gaining popularity ever since. Last year, Win- nipeg singer Elsaida Alerta won the world championships for women. Vancouver karaoke enthusiasts are excited about the opportunity to watch and participate in the event. “Vancouver has always had a pretty huge Karaoke scene,” said Vancouver resident Nelson Chow. “I’m not plan- ning to participate but I may go to see some of my friends sing if they make it that far.” Stuart originally participated in the championships himself, coming in sixth worldwide. “Singing is important, music is im- portant,” Stuart said. “Whether we’re singing in the shower, or singing in the car, or you’re that 15-year-old guy sing- ing a love song to a girl for the first time, it’s important. Music is the foun- dation of life. And karaoke gives you the opportunity to instantly sing a song you connected with. There’s real- ly no other media that will let you do that.” T: Karaoke World Championships SUBMITTED photo Elsaida Alerta won last year.