2 News November 23, 2005 + Over the Edge Volume 12, Issue 6 November 23, 2005 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Maggie Gilbert (eit-ote@unbc.ca) MANAGING EDITOR Stephanie Wilson (biz-ote@unbc.ca) PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Belinda Li (prod-ote@unbc.ca) NEWS EDITOR Andrew Kurjata (news-ote@unbc.ca) SPORTS AND CLUBS EDITOR Tyler Clarke (sports-ote@unbc.ca) PHOTO EDITOR Vincent Chan (photo-ote@unbc.ca) AD MANAGER Ashley-Paige Smith (ads-ote@unbc.ca) DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Elizabeth Fyles TECHNICAL ADVISOR Eric Chlebek STAFF WRITERS Rebecca Carmichael Earson Gibson Anna Gradowska Jeremy Johnson Michiko PHOTOGRAPHERS Christine Domning Jolene Jackson CARTOONISTS Josh Hammerstedt George Haslam Robert Ho-sup Kim Oro Barton David James Brown CONTRIBUTORS Conrad Brodeur Benkai Den Haag Harvard University Caleb Lauritsen Natural Resources Canada National Library for the Blind Taran Rallings UNBC CANADIAN UNIVERSITY PRESS Chris D. Jaic Malin Jordan Mike Kendrick Kevin Lalonde Daniel Neufeld Over the Edge is the official independent publishing media of students at the University of Northern British Columbia. As such, it is our mandate to report onissues of interest to students in the Northern Region. We encourage all students, both on the main and regional campuses to submit to Over the Edge. Over the Edge is part of the Canadian University Press network of papers, otherwise known as CUP. CUP is an organization that is entirely owned by member papers, and provides such services as a news wire and adver- tising to Over the Edge. OFFICE LOCATION 7-219 MAILING ADDRESS 3333 University Way Prince George, BCV2N 429 PHONE (250) 960-5633 FAX (250) 960-5407 E-mail over-the-edge@unbc.ca Bringing the Campus Downtown UNBC to finally gain some downtown presence JOLENE JACKSON You can still see the old“Bank of Montreal” letters on the old branch building in downtown Prince George. In a bit more than a year and a half’s time, expect this building to become a downtown UNBC centre. BECKY CARMICHAEL STAFF WRITER A common opinion voiced by some UNBC students and Prince George residents is UNBC often seems dis- connected from the community of Prince George as a whole. While the location of the university on the top of Cranbrook Hill offers many aesthetic advantages, it also tends to give the impression of lofty academics looking down at the local plebeians in the sul- fur haze of the bowl. Perhaps that is a bit of a stretch, but thete is definitely a geographic separation between the UNBC campus and the downtown core of Prince George. Iwo recent de- velopments may help to bridge this gap between the university and the city. _ On October 21 of this year, the Bank of Montreal announced that they were donating their former Prince George branch to UNBC. They recently moved their main branch to a new building on 15th Avenue and Central Street As a result, their old branch, located on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Que- bec Street, is now vacant, and, rather than making a direct profit by selling the building, which is worth about $500,000, they have, instead, gener- ously donated it to UNBC. It will now be known as the UNBC Downtown BMO Bank of Montreal Centre, While this building will serve to bring UNBC closer to the community, it will not immediately be used to teach trad- itional classes. Instead, it will be home to the Alumni Association, the UNBC Foundation, the university's develop- ment office, and space to be used by researchers. This will alleviate some of the pressure for space at the university and give UNBC a base to work in that is in the city centre. “This donation by BMO Bank of Montreal is most generous and comes at an opportune time, since the uni- versity is facing a critical shortage of space on Cranbrook Hill,” says UNBC President Charles Jago. “The research- ers and offices we're locating down- town will serve to strengthen the link between UNBC and the community, and it’s our expectation that we'll begin offering some classes downtown in the near future.” This new addition to UNBC is ac- IT Career Possibilities CONTINUED FROM COVER situation for IT seems to be different. Dr, Mann went on to explain that the field of technology is also growing, though more in some aspects than in others. As such, the demand for IT - - professionals will also increase sub- stantially. When asked to name some specific growth in need of IT workers, he was quick to name quite a number, including security, clustering, data- bases, and even open source operating systems such as Unix or Linux. Dr. Mann was also asked about other possible problems the IT world is fa- cing, such as the issue of patents. He replied by saying that patents, inter- estingly enough, are actually more of a market than anything else, because companies both buy and. sell patents. When asked about the issue of out- sourcing, Dr. Mann said that this is a perceived effect and it has caused a few problems, but also suggested that this may be but a minor and tempor- ary problem, as companies become more careful about decisions such as this and that off-shore work is coming back in-shore. However, he said that the ill effects of outsourcing might also be incorrect, Dr. Mann also pointed out that now is an excellent time to get into IT. Al- though the first year has two major courses for the whole year, that is meant to be a sort of screening process: the rest of the program isn't so bad if one were still motivated to be in the field of computer science. He said that it’s al- gorithms that is the big thing, and, for some, it is a tough subject; however, the high-end programming comes in when one is able to program “off the seat of the pants” and is able to “play around with code” to get a desired effect. Dr. Mann also points out that there is a difference between IT workers and computer science programmers. He explains that IT workers simply main- tain systems, whereas computer sci- ence programmers can actually build programs and systems from scratch. Although it is not easy work, and it is quite intensive, Dr. Mann encour- ages people to enroll in the computer science program, in part because the world of technology needs to fill the future demand. companied by some ambitious plans by the City of Prince George. On Novem- ber 8, the city signed a letter of intent with Ghiai Development Corporation for a proposed downtown development project on city land located on the north side of 2nd Avenue, between Quebec and Dominion Street The site is about 3065 square metres in size and consists of ten commercially-zoned lots. This land is currently being used as a city parking lot. This site is the third in a series of downtown revitalization pro- jects known as the Metropolis District. The first two, proposed in September, consist of high end condominium units, retail space, and a boutique hotel. This most recent announcement is intended to target students and fac- ulty of UNBC and CNC. This project, dubbed “Metropolis 3’, will consist of 65 rental units above mixed retail space. It will also feature a public amphithe- atre that may be used for theatre pro- ductions, concerts, debates and other public events. The unique architecture of the building will include a sculpted roof in the shape of a wave to represent the two rivets of Prince George, with a glassed-in atrium at the centre. The roof canopy will be made of photovol- taic cells to provide “green energy” for the building. This project will comple- ment the new wing of UNBC located in the old BMO building. It will pro- vide a convenient home for researchers, faculty and students who may, in the future, be working and studying at this campus. The development is strategic- ally located in the heart of downtown, close to student-friendly attractions such as the Farmer’s Market on 3rd Ay- » enue and George Street and a variety of bars, clubs, and restaurants. “This proposed development will help with continued efforts to rejuven- ate the heart of our city and to better integrate post-secondary students in the downtown with this, the first stu- dent housing development outside of UNBC and CNC,’ says Mayor Colin Kinsley. Although a letter of intent has been signed, the sale is not expected to close until 2006. Specific site details and architectural designs will be released at that time. The Ghiai Development Corporation is an architectural and real estate development firm based in San Francisco that specializes in urban renewal. If all goes as planned, they ex- pect to start construction in the sum- met of 2006 and open the project in the summer of 2007. Completion of all three phases of the project is expected within two and a half years. This project is intended to breathe new life into the downtown core. The downtown has been struggling in re- cent years, with much retail money fun- neling towards the plethora of big-box stores located in the College Heights area, rather than towards local busi- nesses. These new retail and housing initiatives will hopefully serve to bring more people downtown and create a vi- brant community atmosphere. B.C. LEGISLATIVE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 2007 PURPOSE To provide university graduates an opportunity to supplement their academic training with exposure to public policy-making and the legislative process within B.C.’s parliamentary systern. WHO IS ELIGIBLE Permanent B.C. residents with a Bachelor's Degree from a Canadian university or a B.C. university-college within two years of January 2007. LOCATION: Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. TERM: January 8, 2007 — June 29, 2007 DEADLINE: January 31, 2006-4 p.m. REMUNERATION: $17,250 for 6 months HOW TO APPLY Ondine at www.leg.be.ca under Public Education & Outreach ACADEMIC ADVISOR Dr. John Young, University of Northern British Columbia