12 DECEMBER 3, 2003 GOING TOOQ- FAR UNDER To Tiffany and the Over the Edge Staff, The ‘Going Under’ sex column which has appeared in the past few issues of Over the Edge is far too explicit and uninhibited for my liking. I find this gregarious treatment of the most intimate and private acts both offensive and sexually debasing. I do believe that a student paper plays an important role in university culture, but I do not see the value of ’ including articles such as ‘Going ‘Under’ in a paper that represents UNBC and the undergraduate student body as a whole. I hope that the O.T.E. editing staff will tone down (or eliminate!) their sex focused articles in the future, and will reconsider having the ‘Going Under’ column as a continuous feature. I feel that these articles step too far over the edge. Does anyone else out there feel the same way? Peter Bagnall A response from Over the Edge Dear Peter. , Over the Edge respects and values your opinion, and we are sorry that you find some of our articles to be offensive. While you may not see the value in running articles like ‘Going Under’ others do. Please remember that Over the Edge is a forum for students to explore their talents and interests, and if someone feels that their talent is to write an, explicit, yet professional and informative sexual advice column, it is not Over The Edge’s place to tell them that their interests are inappropriate for the stu- Photo by Gavin Chung This year the tenth annual Santa Claus debate was held in the wintergarden. People young and old enjoyed seeing Santa’s existence debated by a panel of UNBC’s scholars. dent body. Letter to the Editor of Over the Edge: How much do you know about GMO’s in your tood? We are a group of four UNBC students who conducted a survey about peoples’ awareness of genetically modified organ- isms (GMOs) in their food and their level of awareness of organic foods offered in Prince George. We would like to share our results and some more information from research we conducted with the wider public of Prince George outside of UNBC. Therefore we would like to ask if you can include the little article we wrote on this subject in your paper. During the second week of November four UNBC students, currently enrolled in an Environmental Studies class, took a ran- dom sample of UNBC students on the pur- pose of performing a mandatory group pro- ject. The selected students were given a sur- vey made of ten questions about their knowledge and level of awareness of genet- ically modified organisms (GMOs) in their daily food. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a plant, animal or microorganism that is created by means that overcome nat- ural boundaries. As an example, genes from a fish have been inserted into. strawberries and tomatoes for the reason of making them frost insensitive. The survey also asked the students if they actually buy organically grown foods from time to time or maybe even on a regular basis. To be allowed to use the “certified organic” label on their food products, pro- ducers are restricted from using chemical pesticides, growth-enhancing chemicals, or genetic modification on their crops. Farmers who raise animals organically avoid steroids, hormones, and antibiotics; use organically grown grains as feed; and gener- ally treat livestock better than do non-organ- ic, corporate feedlots. The four students found some interesting results: Eighty percent of the students sur- veyed said that they do not purchase organ- ic food ona regular basis. The most common reasons for this were higher prices, lack of interest or unawareness of GMOs. Only twenty percent of the students surveyed stated that they buy organic food and named health benefits as the main purpose. Despite of the small number of students buying organic foods, One hundred percent of the respondents agreed that there should be better labelling on commercially pro- duced foods in regards to their GMO con- tent. The students were asked if they knew whether their food is grown locally. Seven percent did not know where the food they buy comes from. Out of the thirty percent of students that knew where their food came from, forty percent of them buy produce that is locally grown. We found that seventy per- cent of the students surveyed were interest- ed in finding out more about the food they consumed. Overall the survey gave some insight to what people eat and whether or not the even care about what is in the food they consume. Price seemed to be a limiting factor of why organically produced food was not bought. It was found that with the sample surveyed a majority of the students did not have prior knowledge on GMOs and had no idea that GMOs were contained in most foods. The four students did this study because they feel that people have the right to know - what is in their food. By not labelling prod- ucts containing GMOs people are suscepti- ble to allergic reactions or even death due to spliced genes within their food. As an exam- ple: “In 1996, Brazil nut genes were spliced into soybeans by a company called Pioneer Hi-Bred. Some individuals, however, are so allergic to this nut, they go into apoplectic shock (similar to a severe bee sting reaction) which can cause death”. It is important to note that there is no law stating that labels have to include GMO content, so these reac- tions such as the one noted above can hap- pen to anyone. Although, the probability of such reactions occurring is relatively low the consumer should have the right to know what is in their food. “Certified organic” foods are a great alter- native to produce without GMO content. Consumers might also consider growing» Kathleen De Vere, Editor in Chief. their own vegetables in gardens or small greenhouses which is not only going to get you out of your house but is also a great hobby. By harvesting your own foods you save money and are provided with a great experience of self accomplishment. Some students at UNBC buy their organic foods from the P & R Farm, located in Salmon Valley. The farm also provides home deliv- ery of their own certified organic vegetables. At UNBC, PGPIRG sells organic vegetables on a weekly basis at fair prices. The conclusion of the group work was that sadly, a large majority of people do not actually know that GMOs are in their food. As a response to this, the four students felt ‘that people should be much more educated about the benefits of organic foods and organic food production. Not only in the interest of our own health but also in the interest of our natural environment, we all should consider making the better choice. This article was written by: Stephanie Bisson, Doug Burnip, John Gipson and ‘Diana Kutzner References: http:/ /www.relfe.com/GMOs.html Jones, Haenfler, Johnson, Klock (2001) “The Better World Handbook”