1. UNBC is one of most all
universities in Canada and
the US that have a women’s
centre with women only
space. Check out UVIC,
SFU, etc., if you don’t believe
me.

2. The human rights tribunal,
along with the Supreme
Court of Canada, recognizes
the necessity for oppressed
and/or minority groups to
gather, in isolation from other
groups, for the purpose of re-
empowerment.

3. As far as | know, most
feminists support Men’s
Centres, including myself.
Men's Centres have, in fact,
aided men and their social
difficulties with gendered
landscapes by providing a
venue to talk to other men
about male gender oppres-
sion. This can only help
women (and men) as it
allows for men to learn about
gender in a space where
they are more comfortable to
discuss it. Gloria Steinham
agrees with this; there’s a
really good book out called,
“Women Respond to the
Men’s Movement,” that |
think more people ought to
read to erase their stereo-
types about the Men’s
Movement and about some
feminist thoughts on the sub-
ject.

4. Speaking of men’s cen-
tres, | have heard that there
are some men interested in
having one. | would be
happy to help them acquire
information to set one up at
the University, or downtown..
| know it is difficult to get one
going, the Women’s Centre
here was fortunate enough to
have staff and students
involved in its set-up prior to
the University being built.

5. The Women’s Centre’s
mission statement (as set out
by their constitution) is:

“a student environment for
women on campus. The
Centre is interested in creat-
ing a positive atmosphere
that reflects and welcomes
the diversity of women’s
experiences across sexual,
cultural, physical, genera-
tional and economic lines.

6. Some of the women |
know that utilize the Centre
use the space for breast
feeding, studying safely and
quietly, crying, socializing,
talking about women’s
issues, organizing their own

events, researching women’s
issues, safety from sexual
harassment, sharing ideas,
and just hanging out. | would
guess that about 150 differ-
ent women have used the
space since the beginning of
the semester. | couldn’t
begin to represent the rea-
sons why they use the
space.

7. This space is not just for a
feminist fringe. It hasn’t been
in the past and still is not.
Not all women that share the
space agree on given issues,
feminist ones especially. The
space is used in good taste,
and if you don’t believe me,
ask someone or go see for
yourself. There is no male
bashing there. There is no
plotting or scheming, or
whatever people think exists
there. In fact, there is not
one negative thing | have
heard said about the Centre
that is true.

8. Since | have been here
(September, 1996), | have
not had one person come to
the women’s centre door and
ask me why it is a women
only space. | have, however,
heard many unfounded com-
plaints and stereotypes.

9. By calling down the
women’s centre, you are cre-
ating more isolation for
women who need it. Imagine
this: it's a woman’s first year
on campus and she is shy,
she gets drunk, and she gets
date raped. The people
around her are all saying that
the women’s centre is bad.
In fact, she may have repeat-
ed the sentiments herself
previously. She is now men-
tally isolated from a venue
that can tell her what her
rights are and can get her
legal advice, counseling, or
just a place to duck out and
hide for awhile, until she
heals. THIS REALLY HAS
HAPPENED. Fortunately,
there was a volunteer who
found out and helped her out.
She uses the centre now and
again for emotional support
today.

The ninth comment is just
one example of the diversity
of issues that the women’s
centre is equipping itself for.
It can tell you information
about breast cancer to
mechanics that don’t rip you
off. | don’t understand why
anyone would call the

women’s centre down,
except for the fact that they
just haven't understood what
REALLY goes on behind the
batik.

Tobi Araki
DAVID
UNBC

DOES

Last night | attended David
Suzuki's book promotion lec-
ture and heard him talk of
many things that made a lot
of sense to me. He spoke of
humanity's need to start
treating the elements of air,
water, earth, and fire with
reverence, as they are
sacred. These are good
thoughts.

Yet, of course, nothing he
said last night was anything
new or insightful - except,
perhaps, the scientific slant
he gave on a few.
things. My elders of:
the Cree Nation, and@
for that matter every
other nation, have
been saying as much

to European settlers for cen-

turies, ever since Columbus
fell onto the shores of Turtle
Island.

Therefore, wisdom about
the natural world (yes, this
includes humans too) has
never been lacking. But, at
this point, that’s all history
now. So with all due respect
to Mr. Suzuki’s contribution to
environmental education and
awareness in mainstream
thought, | needn’t be led
down history's path on how
things once were by a repen-
tant prodigal scientist. But
that’s a personal opinion,
nothing more.

As for present and future
approaches to the natural
world, which is what he was
impressing upon people,
Yes! By all means, let every-
one begin paying homage to
the source of life - planet
earth. Even is this is only,
say, about 500 years too late.
But still, as a recovering
heart-attack victim would
likely tell you, ‘it’s never too
late’ to start living and think-
ing about the right way to
live, that is, taking a healthier
approach to living. However,
we might also keep this in
mind that this person will
probably tell you that he isn’t
naive enough to think that by
doing so he's going to live as

(external)

freely as before or that he'll
live unburdened by the spec-
tre of death. No, | don’t think
he could.

Our individual shore- and
long-term prospects for life is
relative to our internal and
external physical condition,
and its “quality” is governed
by our state of mind. No?
Which then brings me to my
quasi-question which | posed
to Mr. Suzuki last night.
Essentially, | asked him (or
was trying to) for his thoughts
on whether or not he would
be willing to start a dis-
cussing the very likelihood
that we won't “hit the brakes”
or perhaps even “slow

down.” Thus, my _ hidden
premise -perhaps it was not
that hidden— was that this
country’s (internal) physical
conditions are under a lot of
and the planet's

stress,

conditions are
even more so, and finally, as
he said himself, old-styled
economic imperatives are
shaping and prioritizing our
decisions (mind). Hence, |
posed my question to him.

Now my question to all of
you. Are you willing to ratio-
nally talk about how you
would like to see you society
(at whatever level) deal with
the all too real possibility that
we will one day be mired in
small and large soci-eco-
nomic clamities due to either
war, famine, pestilence, or
death (all of which would like-
ly stem from an environmen-
tal crisises of one nature or
another -and yes, | know its a
biblical reference)?

In the 1950s some people in
this society, especially gov-
ernments, choose to build
private bomb shelters to sur-
vive a nuclear war. This their
way to rationally respond to
this real possibility -despite,
in my opinion, the irrational
logic that got people into that
mess in the first place. In
Vancouver, the city has an
emergency plan to deal with
the big earthquake that is
predicted to hit there some-
time soon. Again, another
rational response to an
impending catastrophe. On a
personal level, some people

Over The Edge - Page 7

put money way and stock up
on skills (and degrees) to
fight off the possibility of
long-term unemployment.
Another rational approach to
the future. Why should this
be any different?
Notwithstanding the enormity
of what lies ahead, can’t we
get out our computer mod-
ellers and start looking at
some scenarios just so we
have an idea of what might
happen and how we want our
governments to respond? |
think that perhaps it's time to
take this hot topic our of the
hands of doomsday fiction
writers and put into the
hands of cold academia for
an in-depth analysis.
Perhaps then in knowing we
can get our individual and
community priorities straight
before hand and not allow
ourselves to be lead astray
.by prophets of false
hope and purveyors of
-soothing self-affirma-
ttions. We still have a
“window of opportunity
oO remove some of the
guesswork in what lies
ahead. Do you think we
should at a least try? | was
once taught that exhibiting
humility in the face of power
greater that oneself can
sometimes open a to an
empowering thought, all the
while providing the strength
necessary to close the door
on less empowering one.

Kevin Ward
ward1@unbc.ca

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