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Mc Trees (continued from page 4)

The key word that kept com-
ing up throughout the press
releases, the articles, and my
conversation with Dr.
Hawkins was “competitive”.
Ike Barber, CEO for Slocan at
the time, was quoted as say-
ing “the EFL will help the for-
est industry of BC compete
on the global market.” Dr.
Hawkins was kind enough to
explain it for me. “If you want
to be competitive...just like a
business you focus on your
strengths. Our strength [pre-
sumably with a little help from
the EFL] is quality.”

Certainly, the sponsors gave
no false pretensions as to
what they expected in return
for their investment.
Officially, there is no written
strings attached to their
donation to this facility; how-
‘ever, Mr. Barber was not

oy Ob
fi

o

being too subtle when he was
quoted in a local paper say-
ing that the lab “better figure
out a way to grow trees big-
ger better faster or | want my
$500,000 back.” There may
not be any mad scientists
involved here, but this is still a
rather scary aittitude in
regards to what is supposed
to be a public institution. As
for manipulating the compo-
sition of species on the land
base, Dr. Hawkins had this to
say, “we were glaciated about
5,000 years ago...so just
because there’s a tree grow-
ing out there doesn’t mean
its the best adapted gene
type for that area. It just
means...it’s the most suitable
that showed up to date...[and
besides] genes move...”

This is the approach of tech-
nocrats and capitalists. It

fer Can

represents the continuing
indulgence in the fantasy that
we are capable and wise
enough to choose what is the
best species to have growing
out there, or at the very least,
of making a better choice
than that of natural evolution.
Perhaps the knowledge gaps
that Dr. Hawkins and the EFL
should be seeking are those
that involve the possibility
there may not be a technical
solution to ecological sustain-
ability, or the wisdom of using
our natural resources and
risking the health of our envi-
ronment to compete with
global markets. The most dif-
ficult gap to face may be the
realization that we already
possess all of the knowledge
necessary to achieve sus-
tainability.

professional program educating doctors of naturopathic
medicine, regulated general practitioners of natural medicine.
Naturopathic medical students receive more than
4,500 hours of instruction in biomedical sciences,
diagnostic medical sciences and naturopathic therapies.

Program requirements: Candidates must have a minimum

of three years of study (15 full-year credits) at an
accredited university including: general biology, general
chemistry, biochemistry, organic chemistry and psychology.

Application deadline for the September 200
progran is January 31,2001

The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
1255 Sheppard Ave.E., Toronto, ON M2K 1E2

(416) 498-1255 ext. 311
info@ccnm.edu

www.ccnm.edu

ver The Edge P.

So you want to cut a rug?
(that means dance fool)

On January 19th of the New
Year, the UNBC Sorority will
be holding a Winter Formal.
This means you get to dress
up as fancy as you like. So
when at home during the oh
so festive holiday season
bring your

gowns and suits or tuxes
back to school. Tickets for
this shindig will go on sale a
week before the dance for
$10; however, for all you
keeners come by the office in

‘the Wintergarden and a

happy sorority girl can help
you out. | know you are all
breathless in anticipation for
more information so | will get
it to you when it becomes
available to me. In the mean-
time, the UNBC Sorority

would like to wish staff, facul-
ty and students a very Merry
Christmas and a Happy New
Year!

Jamie Onciul, Sorority jour-
nalist and secret Santa to...
not going to tell!

Hey, Editor!

(Listen up! Please for more opinions follow.)

Cafeteria
Controversy

In response to your cornered
on campus article

regarding the cafeteria food
we would like to recommend
to these whining students to
try the freshly made-to-order
and _ incredibly enjoyable
sandwiches, made by the
polite and friendly staff.

Each day we go to school
hungry and look forward to
lunch when we can have a
delicious sandwich. The staff
at the sandwich table goes
above and beyond the call of
duty. For example, the other

day after making my sand-
wich, the sandwich lady for-
got to put the olive on the
toothpick in my sandwich.
When | asked her for an olive,
because | happen to have an
extreme fondness for olives,
she gave me not one, but four
olives. That's right FOUR
OLIVES! Now how can you
complain about a place like
that?

Erika and Jason

Over The Edge appreciates every students opinion, and will print
letters to the editor that are submitted.

Please drop off you submission at our office or e-mail at over-the-
edge @ unbc.ca.