Cws EDITOR AUDREY MCKINNON THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012 2 Pursuit of co-ed cans to continue Last years’ queer liaison was not voted back in, but her heir says he'll soldier the fight for mixed loos. By KEVIN HAMPSON queer liaison Adam Giesbrecht, will continue his predecessor’s push to change the B-building wash- rooms to unisex, he said Tuesday. Unisex washrooms are an accommo- dation for transgendered people who face discrimination and violence in public washrooms, according to former queer liaison Andy Sandberg. Sandberg said she has been develop- ing her proposal for months. In prepa- ration, she spoke with unisex bathroom advocates at Simon Fraser University. She also checked with city hall to en- sure the proposal does not contravene city regulations. The SFU unisex bathrooms are only single-stall units, but multi-use unisex bathrooms wouldn’t be a first in a B.C. school. The University of Victoria opened some of the first multi-use co- ed washrooms in Canada this summer. A comment on UVic’s newspaper the Maritlet, said there are far more women than transgendered people and a high- er proportion of women are assaulted. “Now the much greater percentage of women who have been abused must go out of their way to use the more hidden [single-sex] washrooms? ... To convert the main visible washrooms at the ex- pense of vulnerable women is selfish,” the comment read. Another post asked if “gender-inclu- sive washrooms [are] creating a whole new dynamic of safety/harassment problems.” Sandberg said that safety has in- creased where unisex bathrooms have been adopted, though she was not aware of any data to support the claim. “We've talked to people who’ve expe- rienced desegregated washrooms [at SFU],” she added. “There have been no complaints that I'm aware.” First-year business student Melissa Nestoruk raises different concerns. “Girls need to get ready in a bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror, I don’t want a guy watching me,” she said. Sandberg said privacy concerns would be solved by putting mirrors in the stalls. Other students were more support- ive. “It would take a little bit of time... but you could learn to live with it,” said third-year general studies student Ryan Thorne. Langara administration did not re- spond on the possibility of unisex bath- rooms in the B Building. WASHROOM Te: Langara Students’ Union’s new 2) ce) KEVIN HAMPSON photo The LSU’s new queer liaison is still hoping to get mens’ and ladies’ symbols on the same signs in Lan- gara’s B Building washrooms. MICHAEL LETENDRE photo A Langara student inverts his pocket on Friday, Oct. 12 at Langara Gardens at 57th Ave W, Vancouver, B.C. Students are feeling the pinch of high housing costs in Vancouver. High cost housing gauges students Housing inaffordability isn’t just a problem for home buyers; high rental prices can also be dif- ficult to balance with the cost of education. By MICHAEL LETENDRE neouver is experiencing a shortage of affordable housing, and it may be placing post-sec- ondary students in a position where their quality of life is affected. The Canadian Housing and Mort- gage Corporation says housing costs should not exceed 30 per cent of house- hold income to be affordable, yet half of people under 35 in Vancouver are spending more than half of their in- come on housing, according to the City of Vancouver’s Task Force on Housing Affordability. Langara science student Anna Kha- lina works 30 hours per week to sup- port herself and pay for school. She pays $600 a month in rent and considers herself fortunate to have that rate, but still struggles to juggle school and work. “With bills and with rent and with the workload, it’s hard.” B.C. does have a subsidized housing program. But, the B.C. Housing website states, “Subsidized housing vacancies are limited, and many thousands of people are waiting for housing.” The City of Vancouver has tried to create more affordable housing through projects like its Short Term In- centives for Rental Housing program, which offers developers incentives for making buildings with 100 per cent rental units. Condos for sale in south Vancouver go for up to $550,000, so de- velopers may need convincing to rent. Councillor George Affleck said that programs like STIR are not creating enough affordable housing. He cited a STIR development at 1401 Comox St., where rent is expected to cost around $1,400 per month. “TI don’t see these units as being affordable.” “Nothing much has changed since I was a student when it comes to afford- ability,” said Affleck, a former Langara journalism student. “Obviously, it’s a problem.” Helesia Luke, co-owner of Ethos Strategy Group, a planning, research and communications firm that works on public interest issues in Vancouver, is concerned about the welfare of stu- dents. “It’s obviously a really precarious place to balance high housing costs with the growing cost of education, so it’s sort of a double whammy.” As for solutions, Luke said, “We need a national affordable housing strategy. We’re the only G8 [Group of eight] country that does not have one.” Steve King, a computer science stu- dent at Langara, had to take out stu- dent loans to support himself. “T don’t like being in debt,” said King. “T don’t think anybody does.” SIGNS on campus Posters found on Langara billboards ROOM FOR RENT ON 49TH AND VICTORIA $420+internet/160 sq/ft -sublet one room in two-bedroom suite. ROOM FOR RENT FURNISHED $470/utilities included -one bedroom in two-bedroom suite. 2 BEDROOM BASEMENT SUITE $780 -two-bedroom basement suite. Washer, no dryer. BRAND NEW GROUND FLOOR 1BR $700-$750/utilities included -private entry one-bedroom. STUDENT ACCOMO- DATION AVAILABLE $425 -one room in two-bedroom suite. Seniors to double: south Van optimistic aren’t worried about fund- ing or an increase in need. By JANA MINOR of South Vancouver’s population and that’s estimated to double by 2029. Despite projected pressure on ex- isting seniors’ services due to an in- crease in numbers, care workers have an optimistic outlook. “In Canada, we’re getting better at helping people have more dignity at the end of life,” said James West, a support worker at the Arbutus Ridge, Shaugh- nessy and Kerrisdale Friendship Cen- tre. Accommodating more seniors is a “priority issue,” said West, adding that the centre hopes to open a second loca- tion. A.S.K. provides transportation, meals, fitness and social programs for seniors for free. “As long as funding is in place, we'll be OK,” said West. “Seniors vote so of- ten, their funding doesn’t get cut. And the people controlling the purse strings also have aging parents.” Because more elderly are also living longer, seniors aged 85 and older are the fastest growing population sub- group in B.C according to BC Stats. “We have seniors who are 100 and living at home with no pain, no glasses, no medication,” said Leah Deslauriers, the seniors’ program coordinator at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. “We're afraid that boomers will use up all our pensions and health care. Will it actually happen? Who knows, there’s lots of peo- ple living at home with dementia now. Increased health and lifespan of se- nior citizens may actually mean de- creased demand for residential care Ss: citizens make up 14 per cent ” JAMES WEST homes, she added. A.S.K. support But for the six worker per cent of the se- nior population that ever lives in a care home, the cur- rent wait time is between eight to 10 months for admission to a nursing home. Wait times are shorter for as- sisted living and independent living buildings as long as seniors aren’t choosy about where they have to go. COUNSELLORS, continued from page 1 “Students’ lives are more stressful than in the past,” making it more diffi- cult to handle the hurdles of post-sec- ondary education, said Charters. He also encounters more students coping with increasingly serious men- tal health issues. Charters says financial pressures, bleak employment prospects and high competition cause the increase. An un- certain job market weighs heavily on students to choose the right courses and to excel in them. Charters sees his busy day as posi- tive. Mental health disorders are less stigmatized and more students are coming forward. Students who seek ad- vice are more likely to succeed. To balance growing demand, there are more group information sessions and workshops. A stress management workshop will be held on Nov. 7, with course-planning sessions held every two to four days throughout November.