Students and teachers working i in nthe Aborigional Gathering Space at Langara College. MATHILDA DE VILLIERS PHOTO

Grant gives students hope

Aborigional studies receives funding to encourage education

By SHABNAMJESSA

$240,000 grant to cre-

ate a custom curriculum

for Indigenous students

will set a goal of giving them the skills they need to transi- tion to post-secondary education at Langara.

‘The grant from the Social Sci- ence and Humanities Research Council of Canada will be tailored to help those Indigenous students who don't qualify for post second- ary education in B.C. to improve their English and math skills.

Rick Ouellet, director of the

Aboriginal education services at Langara said there are lots of other programs out there but the distinc- tive feature of the grant is to fund Indigenous learners to learn in a way that resonates with them.

“Students might learn geometry through blanket weaving,” Ouellet said.

Ouellet said approximately 50 per cent of Indigenous students at- tend post secondary schools.

The college will partner with the Musqueam Nation, located in South Vancouver and The Urban Native Youth Association, located in East Vancouver to develop the

program. The students who are chosen for the program will also give their input to help make the program more suitable.

Danni Beardy, Langara Students’ Union Aboriginal representative, said she recognizes there is a need for students to upgrade their skills and the grant will have a positive impact the students.

“It’s amazing that the money came through,” Beardy said. “It will definitely help a lot of people.”

The first cohort of 20 students begin their full time studies in Jan- uary on the Musqueam reserve. The

program will then be tweaked and

offered to a second group through the Urban Native Youth Associa- tion. Upon successful completion of the 26-week program the students can attend Langara in the general studies program.

Len Pierre, manager of Indig- enous Services for Students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, also sees a need to supplement Indigenous students’ learning to strengthen their transition to post- secondary studies.

“We are really holding their voice and values at the centre of whatever program we're going to offer,” he said.

College committed to better

A student participates in energy pull at Langara’s annual Health and Wellness Fair. KATHRYN TINDALE PHOTO

Campus fair brings awareness to mental health

By KATHRYN TINDALE

angara became the first col- L lege in British Columbia to

sign the Okanagan Char- ter during the annual Health and Wellness Fair to introduce a mental health framework.

The signature symbolizes the be- ginning of a three-year project as a commitment to the well-being of staff and students according to Vice President of People Services, Dawn Palmer. Dawn said the launch was a commitment for Langara to inte- grate practices promoting physical and mental well-being for employ- ees and students on campus.

College employees will have the opportunity to learn to recognize students in distress and how to proceed, “not necessarily counsel- ling or diagnosing, but just being able to listen and validate that ex- perience and then refer them most

wellness

importantly on to the next step,” said mental health initiative consult, Tanya Miller.

According to Langara’s mental health framework committee, stu- dent appointments relating to men- tal health rose 350 per cent in health services since 2004. While 41 per cent of short-term disability claims from Langara employees were re- lated to mental health.

Miller said the initiative will build upon and improve the existing mental health structures at Langara.

Langara business student Cas- sandra Chow said mental illness often gets neglected when it’s not affecting a friend or family member.

“[It’s] not only students, but just the population in general suffer from mental illness, and there’s a re- ally bad stigma,” Chow said.

During the energy healing event at the Health and Wellness Fair and Chow said the presence of alterna- tive health should be increased.

Positive influences of the Okana- gan Charter conveniently fit into the three-year process forming Langara’s mental health framework according to Palmer.

The Health and Wellness Fair also featured a selection of health tests and suggestions ranging from ergonomics to cannabis awareness.

Crafting beer in the pursuit of science

Langara teams with breweries to offer chem students a way to brew better beer

By ADAM LEVI

or the last six months, lo- F cal breweries have partnered

with students and professors to better understand the science of beer to create a premium, longer- lasting product.

The project has been awarded $200,000 by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Langara science depart- ment professors Kelly Sveinson, Ji Yang and Dave Anderson originally spearheaded the project to give stu- dents real-world experience in the field while also helping to problem solve with breweries in the Lower Mainland.

Sveinson was quick to note the value of getting an education both inside and outside of the classroom.

“For them, it’s enormously valu- able,” Sveinson said about the par- ticipating students. “They get a very unique, experiential learning op- portunity.”

Yang said that this project wouldn't be possible if it weren't for his students’ tremendous efforts throughout the process.

“Some of our students are top- calibre,” Yang said. “Without my students, I wouldn't be able to do this project.”

Langara science professor Chris Conway developed a relationship with Parallel 49 Brewing Com- pany to be one of the school’s key partners during this initiative. They have been using the school’s tools and technologies while allowing Langara students to work with their brewers.

According to Parallel 49’s labora- tory manager Kelsey Dodds, having access to Langara’s technology has been an invaluable experience that they wouldnt have otherwise had had the college not received the grant.

“A lot of people lack the under- standing that beer is a living thing,” Dodds said. “Yeast is a living thing that makes the alcohol, beer ages

over time, there are flavour devel-

opments.” “When you get access to these highly specialized and highly

trained students and pieces of equipment, they get beyond a mi- croscopic view of the beer, you get a molecular look at the beer,” she said.

is the fear of an empty beer glass.

lasted over four weeks after a Scotsman consumed 60 pints of beer.

in the world has 67.5 per cent alcohol content.

SOURCE: FACTSLIDES.COM/S-BEER